Ligier JS41
The Ligier JS41 was a Formula One car designed by Frank Dernie for use by the Ligier team in the 1995 Formula One World Championship. The car was powered by the 3-litre Mugen-Honda MF-301 V10 engine. The number 26 car was driven by Frenchman Olivier Panis while, at the insistence of Mugen, the number 25 car was shared between Englishman Martin Brundle and Japan's Aguri Suzuki. Another Frenchman, Franck Lagorce, served as the team's test driver. The team's main sponsor was Gitanes.
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| Category | Formula One | ||||||||
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| Constructor | Ligier | ||||||||
| Designer(s) | Frank Dernie (Technical Director) Loic Bigois (Head of Aerodynamics) | ||||||||
| Predecessor | JS39 | ||||||||
| Successor | JS43 | ||||||||
| Technical specifications[1] | |||||||||
| Chassis | Carbon fibre and Kevlar monocoque | ||||||||
| Suspension (front) | Double wishbone, pushrod | ||||||||
| Suspension (rear) | Double wishbone, pushrod | ||||||||
| Engine | Mugen Honda MF-301h, 2,998 cc (182.9 cu in), 72° V10, NA, mid-engine, longitudinally mounted | ||||||||
| Transmission | Benetton transverse 6-speed semi-automatic | ||||||||
| Fuel | Elf | ||||||||
| Tyres | Goodyear | ||||||||
| Competition history | |||||||||
| Notable entrants | Ligier Gitanes Blondes | ||||||||
| Notable drivers | 25.  25.  26.  | ||||||||
| Debut | 1995 Brazilian Grand Prix | ||||||||
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| Constructors' Championships | 0 | ||||||||
| Drivers' Championships | 0 | ||||||||
Design-wise, the JS41 bore a striking resemblance to the Benetton B195. At the start of 1995, Ligier was part-owned by Benetton's director, Flavio Briatore. Briatore transferred the Renault engines Ligier had used for the previous three years to Benetton, in turn convincing Mugen to supply Ligier instead of Minardi. During the season, Briatore sold his shares in Ligier to Tom Walkinshaw, Benetton's engineering director. As a result, the JS41 was one of the most competitive Ligiers in years which allowed Brundle and Panis to regularly fight for points in races.
A JS41 chassis was later bought by Bridgestone to test the Japanese company's tyres prior to its entry into Formula One in 1997.
Complete Formula One results
(key)
| Year | Team | Engine | Tyres | Drivers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | Pts. | WCC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Ligier Gitanes Blondes | Mugen Honda MF-301h V10 |
G | BRA | ARG | SMR | ESP | MON | CAN | FRA | GBR | GER | HUN | BEL | ITA | POR | EUR | PAC | JPN | AUS | 24 | 5th | |
| Aguri Suzuki | 8 | Ret | 11 | 6 | Ret | DNS | |||||||||||||||||
| Martin Brundle | 9 | Ret | 10* | 4 | Ret | Ret | 3 | Ret | 8 | 7 | Ret | ||||||||||||
| Olivier Panis | Ret | 7 | 9 | 6 | Ret | 4 | 8 | 4 | Ret | 6 | 9 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 8 | 5 | 2 |
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ligier JS41. |
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