<< Prev Page 2 of 2 Senna was the undisputed number 1 driver in the team, while the young and unexperienced Dumfries struggled to get to grips with the menacing turbocharged F1 cars. The Brazilian immediately showcased the raw speed of the new 98T at his season opening home race. He qualified the car on pole but then had to feather the throttle in the race to make it home in second. The Renault engine was clearly not as frugal as the Hondas and TAG-Porsches used by the competition. At the subsequent Spanish Grand Prix, Senna once again clinched the best starting position. This time he did manage to stay ahead of the competition although with the narrowest of margins; he beat Nigel Mansell with the Williams-Honda by just 0.014s.
In the remaining fourteen races that season, Senna would qualify the Renault engined Lotus 98T on pole six more times. Unfortunately he could only convert that into a race win one more time, in Detroit. The tight track street-circuit was kind on the Lotus' fuel load. With two victories and six podium finishes, Senna ended the year fourth in the championship with 55 points. His team-mate only managed to rack up three points from one fifth and one sixth place finish. Lotus finished third in the constructor's table well behind Williams and McLaren but ahead of Ferrari.
In more ways than one the 1986 season was the end of an era. From 1987 onwards the cars would not sport the black and gold colors of John Player Special for the first time in well over a decade. With Camel's yellow and blue scheme, the cars were still easily recognizable. For the new 99T Team Lotus also switched engine suppliers. The cutting edge Honda V6 replaced the aging Renault engines. The 98T had done both the JPS colors and the Renault engine proud in their final season. With a more frugal engine the chassis could quite possibly have been even more successful. << Prev Page 2 of 2
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Senna was the undisputed number 1 driver in the team, while the young and unexperienced Dumfries struggled to get to grips with the menacing turbocharged F1 cars. The Brazilian immediately showcased the raw speed of the new 98T at his season opening home race. He qualified the car on pole but then had to feather the throttle in the race to make it home in second. The Renault engine was clearly not as frugal as the Hondas and TAG-Porsches used by the competition. At the subsequent Spanish Grand Prix, Senna once again clinched the best starting position. This time he did manage to stay ahead of the competition although with the narrowest of margins; he beat Nigel Mansell with the Williams-Honda by just 0.014s.