Ligier JS31

Équipe Ligier
Industry	Formula One racing team
Founder	Guy Ligier
Headquarters	France
Key people	Guy Ligier (team principal)
Products	Formula One cars

The Ligier JS31 was a Formula One vehicle created by designers Michel Têtu and Michel Beaujon for the Équipe Ligier squad during the 1988 season. Equipped with the newly introduced, naturally aspirated 3.5-litre Judd CV V8 power unit and fitted with Goodyear tires, the car was piloted by experienced French driver René Arnoux, in his third year with Ligier, alongside Swedish racer Stefan Johansson, who transferred from McLaren. Johansson took over from West German Christian Danner, initially signed but unable to fit comfortably into the cockpit.

Throughout 1988, the team considered multiple drivers such as Philippe Streiff, Olivier Grouillard, among others, reflecting their ongoing pursuit of competitive talent.

The JS31 represented Ligier's first non-turbocharged entry since the Cosworth-powered JS21 of 1983; however, it failed to deliver competitive performance. Its primary weakness lay in insufficient aerodynamic downforce—Johansson likened driving it to handling a car on a slippery surface. He missed qualification six times and never achieved a finish better than ninth place. Arnoux failed to qualify twice and did not finish higher than tenth. Significantly, neither driver qualified for the San Marino Grand Prix, marking an unprecedented occasion in team history where both cars failed to make the starting grid.

The French Grand Prix at Paul Ricard proved particularly disappointing, as neither driver qualified just before Arnoux's 40th birthday, much to the dismay of team principal Guy Ligier.

Ligier ended the 1988 season without scoring any points, equalling their poorest result since 1983. Both drivers frequently found themselves outqualified by the equally uncompetitive EuroBrun team. The car featured an unconventional and heavy fuel tank configuration—comprising two cells alongside the driver, one positioned between driver and engine, and another located between engine and gearbox—to enhance weight distribution.

Across sixteen races, the team succeeded in qualifying both cars only ten times, with five occasions where neither vehicle reached the finish line.

Complete Formula One World Championship results

(key)

Year	Team	Engine	Drivers	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	Pts.	WCC
Template:F1	Ligier Loto	Judd CV V8 NA		BRA	SMR	MON	MEX	CAN	DET	FRA	GBR	GER	HUN	BEL	ITA	POR	ESP	JPN	AUS	0	NC
			Template:Country data FRA Template:Namespace detect showall René Arnoux	Ret	DNQ	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret	DNQ	18	17	Ret	Ret	13	10	Ret	17	Ret
			Template:Country data SWE Template:Namespace detect showall Stefan Johansson	9	DNQ	Ret	10	Ret	Ret	DNQ	DNQ	DNQ	Ret	11