Obituary
Formula 1
Gérard Ducarouge – 1941-2015
A key figure in Ayrton Senna's formative F1 career – the former Matra, Ligier, Alfa Romeo and Lotus designer Gérard Ducarouge has died at the age of 73.
Adam Cooper
Edited: Feb 25, 2015, 8:36 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Born in 1941, Ducarouge was qualified in aeronautical engineering. He first came to prominence with Matra, where he was responsible for the cars that won Le Mans in 1972, '73 and '74.
After Matra closed its works team he joined Guy Ligier, who was creating a Matra-powered F1 car for 1976. Ducarouge designed the JS5, famous for the 'teapot' airbox that it used in the first few races of the season.
Jacques Laffite took pole for that year's Italian GP, and then gave Ligier its first GP victory with the JS7 in 1977.
One of his greatest creations
Ducarouge is perhaps best remembered for the JS11. The car dominated the early part of the 1979 World Championship in the hands of Laffite and Patrick Depailler, although later in the year the team was overhauled by both Ferrari and Williams. The updated JS11/15 was also a frontunner in 1980, when Didier Pironi joined the team. Laffite then won two more GPs in 1981 with the JS17.
Ducarouge subsequently fell out with Ligier and joined the works Alfa Romeo F1 team, where he designed the 182, with which Andrea de Cesaris took pole at Long Beach.
Lotus move meant spell with Senna
In May 1983 he turned down the chance to join Renault and instead made a move to Lotus.
The team had lost founder Colin Chapman at the end of the previous year, and new boss Peter Warr was keen to find a 'name' to help placate sponsors JPS. In fact he had been offered a job by Chapman in the past, but had turned it down.
Employing a more methodical approach than that associated with ideas man Chapman, Ducarouge helped Lotus create the 94T almost overnight in the middle of the 1983 season, working with Martin Ogilvie. In 1985 Ayrton Senna joined the team, and the Brazilian formed a close bond with Ducarouge.
Senna scored his first GP wins in Portugal and Belgium with the Renault-powered 97T. He added four more successes over the next two years with the 98T and the Honda-equipped 99T, before moving on to McLaren.
Ducarouge himself left the team after a disappointing 1988 season and joined the team run by his former Matra colleague Gerard Larrousse, before returning to Ligier for a second spell in the early nineties, where he was involved with the JS39 that ran in 1993-'94.
Subsequently he drifted away from F1 and rejoined Matra to work on other projects.
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Alonso in doubt for upcoming test
Next article Race seat with Manor 'was a big risk' - Palmer
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Adam Cooper
RB: Tsunoda “mentally on a different level” in 2024
Formula 1
Formula 1
Japanese GP
RB: Tsunoda “mentally on a different level” in 2024
Andretti planning F2 and F3 entries to promote US talent to F1 team
Formula 1
Formula 1
Andretti planning F2 and F3 entries to promote US talent to F1 team
Andretti F1 team formally opens new Silverstone facility
Formula 1
Formula 1
Andretti F1 team formally opens new Silverstone facility
More from
Patrick Depailler
Obituary: Paul Rosche, 1934-2016
Formula 1
Formula 1
Obituary: Paul Rosche, 1934-2016
August 1st, 1980: The day we lost Patrick Depailler
Formula 1
Formula 1
August 1st, 1980: The day we lost Patrick Depailler
Eric Boullier tribute to Francois Guiter
Formula 1
Formula 1
Eric Boullier tribute to Francois Guiter
Latest news
13 Autosport retains unchanged lineup for 2027 IMSA campaign, eyes global expansion
IMSA
IMSA IMSA 14 min
13 Autosport retains unchanged lineup for 2027 IMSA campaign, eyes global expansion
Bourdais, Moss headline second batch of Sebring's 75 all-time greatest drivers
IMSA
IMSA IMSA 31 min
Bourdais, Moss headline second batch of Sebring's 75 all-time greatest drivers
IndyCar driver and Fox Sports reporter Jack Harvey announces cancer diagnosis
IndyCar
Indy IndyCar 40 min
IndyCar driver and Fox Sports reporter Jack Harvey announces cancer diagnosis
Cadillac’s F1 brakes are still a problem: ‘I had to lift and coast on lap two’
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Singapore GP
1 h
Cadillac’s F1 brakes are still a problem: ‘I had to lift and coast on lap two’
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe