Jan Lammers tests Zandvoort-winning Lotus Type 79 Formula 1 car

• Dutch driving champion reunited with the car he tested 46 years ago in pursuit of an F1 seat
• From Jim Clark to Mario Andretti: Lotus remains one of Zandvoort’s most successful marques, with six victories
• Lotus Evija hypercar leaves a lasting impression on Jan Lammers


 

London, UK – 27 August 2025 With the 2025 edition of the Dutch Grand Prix approaching, former Formula 1 driver Jan Lammers returned to historic ground last week. At Lotus’ test track in Hethel, Norfolk, Lammers took the wheel of the legendary Lotus Type 79 Formula 1 car – the machine with which Mario Andretti not only won the 1978 Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, but also secured both the drivers’ and constructors’ world championships. One year later, in 1979, Lammers himself tested a Lotus Type 79 chassis in a bid to earn a place in the Formula 1 team.

Lammers received a warm reception in Hethel as a respected member of the Lotus family. Several mechanics and engineers who had worked with him during his Lotus days were present to extend a heartfelt welcome. Seeing the Lotus Type 79 Cosworth once more – this example in the iconic black-and-gold John Player Special livery with which Andretti claimed the 1978 title – evoked vivid memories of the era in which Lotus dominated Formula 1.

Technology as the foundation of success

Lotus is still renowned for the many technical innovations it pioneered in Formula 1, many of which remain integral to today’s cars. In 1957, Lotus was the first to adopt sequential gearboxes; in 1966 the team made the engine a stressed component of the chassis; in 1979 it introduced the rear diffuser; and in 1981 Lotus debuted Formula 1’s first carbon fibre monocoque. Even something as commonplace as sponsor logos on the car was initiated by Lotus. But perhaps the brand's best-known innovation was the so-called 'ground effect' technology, which first appeared on the Lotus Type 78 and was perfected on the Type 79. This principle accelerates airflow beneath the car, effectively ‘sucking’ it to the track surface.

It was the Type 79 that demonstrated the full potential of this technology. On its 1978 debut at Spa-Francorchamps, the car won immediately with Mario Andretti at the wheel, who went on to take five more victories that season. Among them was the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, made even more memorable when Andretti’s team-mate Ronnie Peterson finished second to complete a Lotus one-two. That winning campaign earned Andretti the drivers’ championship and Lotus the constructors’ title.
 

Test a championship-winning car

A year later, on 24 and 25 October 1979, the same Type 79 chassis was ready for Jan Lammers at the Paul Ricard circuit, this time sporting the familiar 'Martini' livery. Lammers was given the chance to test the car for Lotus that year in an effort to secure a coveted Formula 1 seat with the factory team. In the end, the drive went to Italian driver Elio de Angelis.
 

Handwritten test notes still preserved

A year later, on 24 and 25 October 1979, the same Type 79 chassis was ready for Jan Lammers at the Paul Ricard circuit, this time sporting the familiar 'Martini' livery. Lammers was given the chance to test the car for Lotus that year in an effort to secure a coveted Formula 1 seat with the factory team. In the end, the drive went to Italian driver Elio de Angelis.

Together with Clive Chapman, Colin Chapman's son and owner of Classic Team Lotus, Lammers revisited his first laps in the Type 79. To his surprise, the original handwritten notes from his 1979 Paul Ricard test had been carefully preserved. To mark the occasion, Clive Chapman presented Lammers with a painting commemorating Lotus’ famous one-two victory at Zandvoort. Of course, it was not only a day of reminiscence: Lammers also took to the track in the John Player Special car for a number of memorable laps.

“It was great fun to be reunited with the people at Lotus, whom I know both from my Formula 1 days and from the GT programme,” said Jan Lammers afterwards. “The fact that a top-dominant Formula 1 car from that era and the modern Lotus Evija hypercar of today are hardly inferior to each other in terms of performance and handling is indicative of the evolution of the entire automotive industry.”
 

Lotus triumphs at Zandvoort

Although Lotus has long since departed Formula 1, it remains one of the most successful marques at Zandvoort with six victories. Jim Clark still holds the outright record at the circuit, winning four times in 1963, 1964, 1965 and 1967.In 1970 Austrian Jochen Rindt added another Zandvoort win for Lotus, before Mario Andretti triumphed there in 1978.

One of the cars with which Jim Clark achieved so much success was the Lotus Type 33, in which he became Formula 1 world champion in 1965. In the same year, he also won the Indianapolis 500 – an achievement still unmatched. That very Type 33 has recently been fully restored by Lotus and made roadworthy again, and was naturally one of the highlights for Lammers during his Hethel visit.
 

Lammers drives the world's most powerful electric production car

The Type 79 was not the only machine Lammers experienced at Hethel. Lotus also handed him the keys to the new Evija hypercar – producing 2,039 PS, it is the world’s most powerful series-production electric car. With acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in under three seconds and a limited top speed of 350 km/h, the Evija delivers extraordinary performance. It provided the perfect tool for several electrifying laps of the Hethel track, leaving Lammers deeply impressed.