When the Ground Became the Invisible Wing

It is curious to think that until the late 1960s, despite the extraordinary development of aviation, Formula 1 had failed to grasp the infinite possibilities offered by the air being cut at high speed by a single-seater. Wings had been the first step, hinting that advanced aerodynamic solutions could transform performance and, as a consequence, safety too. From 1968 onwards, the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile focused its attention on aerodynamic appendages and wings — on visible aerodynamics, in other words — but the constructors, Lotus above all, shifted their gaze to an area that could not be seen: the underside of the car. There was no precise knowledge of the shapes, the flows, or the behaviour of the air beneath a single-seater. Those who understood it first made all the difference. One name? Colin Chapman and Team Lotus.