Ligier JS35
| Industry | Motorsport |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1968 |
| Founder | Guy Ligier |
| Headquarters | France |
| Products | Formula One cars |
The Ligier JS35 was a Formula One car fielded by the Equipe Ligier squad throughout the 1991 championship. Equipped with the Lamborghini V12 power unit and fitted with Goodyear tyres, its highest race result was two seventh-place finishes. Midway through the season, the car received an upgrade to a 'B' specification.
Design and development
Ahead of the 1991 campaign, team principal Guy Ligier arranged for Lamborghini V12 engines, which had previously powered Lotus and Larrousse cars, as an interim measure before transitioning to Renault V10 units in 1992.
The JS35 chassis was created under the direction of Michel Beaujon alongside designers Claude Galopin and Richard Divila, who were dismissed following unsatisfactory early performances. Initially, the car suffered from excessive weight and bulkiness, partly due to the inclusion of a sizable oil reservoir required by the Lamborghini engine. Adjustments to the suspension at the beginning of the European rounds yielded modest gains in competitiveness.
Later in the year, newcomer Frank Dernie took charge of developing the JS35B upgrade, which made its first appearance at the French Grand Prix with contributions from Gérard Ducarouge. The vehicle featured a carbon fibre monocoque paired with a six-speed transverse gearbox supplied by Xtrac. Both front and rear suspensions utilized double wishbones with pushrod operation, employing Koni and Bilstein dampers. Braking was handled by Brembo calipers with Carbone Industrie pads, while steering components were designed internally. The chassis measured a wheelbase of , front track of , rear track of , weighed 520 kilograms, and operated on Elf fuel and lubricants.
Race history
The Ligier JS35 was piloted in 1991 by newcomers Thierry Boutsen, previously with Williams, and Érik Comas, who had won the 1990 Formula 3000 title. At the season opener in the United States Grand Prix, Comas failed to make the grid, whereas Boutsen started from 20th position but retired due to engine troubles. In Brazil, Comas qualified 23rd but retired following an oil cooler fire; Boutsen finished tenth despite experiencing engine misfiring.
During the San Marino Grand Prix, Comas qualified 19th, ahead of Boutsen’s 24th place on the grid; however, Boutsen finished higher in seventh place while Comas came home tenth after switching to a spare car. At Monaco, Boutsen began from 16th and ended seventh; Comas started 23rd and secured tenth place after a tire change. In Canada, Comas qualified last; Boutsen reached ninth before retiring with engine failure, while Comas achieved his best race finish of eighth position.
Comas missed qualifying in Mexico; Boutsen secured 14th on the grid and finished eighth. The updated JS35B made its debut at the French Grand Prix with improved qualifying performances—Comas placed 14th and Boutsen two positions behind. Both drivers completed the race despite technical difficulties: Comas finished eleventh and Boutsen twelfth. At Silverstone, Comas did not qualify; Boutsen started 19th but retired due to engine failure.
In Germany, Boutsen qualified seventeenth and finished ninth despite brake and clutch issues. Comas started last after a crash during qualifying but retired from the race because of low oil pressure. During Hungary’s round, Boutsen qualified nineteenth but suffered a late retirement while running tenth; Comas finished tenth after completing the race without stops from 25th on the grid.
Boutsen qualified eighteenth for Belgium; both drivers experienced punctures during the race—Boutsen finished eleventh while Comas retired due to engine failure. In Italy, both drivers qualified near the back; Boutsen crashed out early while Comas managed a tenth-place finish despite clutch problems.
In Portugal, Boutsen qualified twentieth and ended sixteenth struggling with grip issues; Comas qualified 23rd and finished eleventh. Both drivers had poor qualifying results in Spain (25th and 26th); Boutsen retired following a first-lap collision whereas Comas climbed as high as sixth before retiring. In Japan, Boutsen finished ninth after starting seventeenth; Comas reached seventh but his race ended prematurely due to alternator failure.
The final round in Australia was shortened by rain; Boutsen retired after a collision having started twentieth, while Comas was running eighteenth when the event was stopped. Neither driver scored points throughout the year, resulting in Ligier finishing unranked in the Constructors' Championship standings.
Complete Formula One results
(key) (bold signifies pole position; italics denote fastest lap)
| Year | Chassis | Engine(s) | Tyres | Drivers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Points | WCC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:F1 | JS35 JS35B |
Lamborghini V12 | Template:Goodyear | USA | BRA | SMR | MON | CAN | MEX | FRA | GBR | GER | HUN | BEL | ITA | POR | ESP | JPN | AUS | 0 | NC | |
| Thierry Boutsen | Retired | 10th | 7th | 7th | Retired | 8th | 12th | Retired | 9th | Retired | 11th | Retired | 16th | Retired | 9th | Retired | ||||||
| Érik Comas | Did not qualify | Retired | 10th | 10th | 8th | Did not qualify | 11th | Did not qualify | Retired | 10th | Retired | 11th | 11th | Retired | Retired | 18th |