Ligier's Rise and Fall
When people think of Équipe Ligier today, they often recall the team’s golden years from 1977 to 1981. During that period, Ligier clinched nine Grand Prix victories. Building on this success, the team—still relatively new to Formula 1, having debuted in 1976—finished among the top four teams in the Constructors’ Championship three times between 1979 and 1981.
But Ligier's decline was swift and brutal.
By 1982, the French team had slipped to eighth place in the Constructors’ Championship. The following year was even worse: drivers Jean-Pierre Jarier and Raul Boesel failed to score a single point in all 15 races. As a result, Ligier was not classified in the championship standings. While not unprecedented in Formula 1 history, such a dramatic collapse remained a rare sight. In hindsight, this decline coincided with the departure of designer Gérard Ducarouge.
A Radical Design That Didn’t Work
In 1983, Ligier experimented with an unconventional design for the JS21, eliminating traditional side pods. However, this concept failed miserably, leaving the team scoreless for the season. (Photo: Jack Webster – Archiv Wiedl)
Ducarouge had left Ligier for Alfa Romeo in 1981, and without its star designer, the team struggled to develop a car that complied with new regulations. At the end of 1982, the FISA (Formula 1’s governing body at the time) banned sliding skirts, which had previously sealed the sides of F1 cars' underbodies to create ground effect. Additionally, Ligier lost its powerful Matra-derived V12 engine and was forced to revert to Cosworth power units.
1984: A Fresh Start with Renault Turbo Power?
Hoping to turn things around, Ligier secured a supply of Renault turbo engines for the 1984 season. Designers Michel Beaujon and Claude Galopin created an entirely new car, the Ligier JS23, around the powerful turbocharged V6. Michelin provided the tires, and with an all-French lineup, Ligier was seen as France’s national Formula 1 team.
Guy Ligier made changes in the driver lineup as well. Italian Andrea de Cesaris was signed as the team’s lead driver, while young Frenchman François Hesnault took the second seat, making his Formula 1 debut.
The JS23 Struggled with Reliability
Unfortunately, 1984 did not bring the turnaround Ligier had hoped for. The team managed just three points, all scored by de Cesaris. The JS23 was plagued by reliability issues—of 32 race starts between the two drivers, only 12 resulted in classified finishes. The main culprits were recurring failures in the engine's supporting systems. On multiple occasions, both cars ran out of fuel before the checkered flag, as the Renault V6 was a true gas guzzler.
François Hesnault made his F1 debut in early 1984, but he never lived up to his Formula 3 success. After just 19 races, his time in the sport came to an end. (Photo: AutoNatives.de Archive)
There’s a good chance that Ligier, unlike some of its competitors, didn’t pre-cool its fuel before races—a trick that allowed teams to squeeze a few extra liters into the tank. If so, this was a costly oversight. Even at the 1984 British Grand Prix at Brands Hatch—where our archive photo was taken—only one of the Ligier cars finished the race. Andrea de Cesaris crossed the line in 10th place, while François Hesnault retired early.
Ligier’s Long and Tumultuous Journey
Despite the disappointing season, Ligier remained in Formula 1 for over a decade. In November 1992, team owner Guy Ligier sold his team to Cyril de Rouvre, who had already acquired a 20% stake in the outfit the previous year. Around the same time, Gérard Ducarouge returned to Ligier, sparking a brief resurgence. By mid-1992, the team was once again scoring points regularly. However, turbulence was never far away.
A Team Owner in Handcuffs
In December 1993, de Rouvre was arrested in France. Five months later, Flavio Briatore took over Ligier and transferred its Renault engines to Benetton, the team he also managed. In 1997, Alain Prost acquired Ligier, renaming it Prost Grand Prix.
After 325 Grands Prix and nine victories, the story of Équipe Ligier came to an end.
Pictures Archiv AutoNatives.de