
Giorgio Piola's F1 technical analysis
Giorgio Piola’s F1 tech decades: The big bang 1980s, part one
Giorgio Piola has been at the forefront of F1’s technical coverage throughout his career, helping to make the complex sport we love a little easier to understand. In this series of articles dedicated to his illustrative genius, we’ll uncover the cars that have captured his imagination.

Piola has been at the forefront of F1’s technical coverage throughout his career, helping to make the often complex sport we love a little easier to understand. In this series of articles dedicated to his illustrative genius, we’ll uncover the cars and components that have captured his and our imagination.
Here we delve into the first half of the 1980s, when ground effect was at its peak (and then banned), carbonfibre chassis became the norm, water tanks to cheat the weight rules, and turbocharged engines sent power outputs through the roof.
Click on the images below to scroll through each year…
1980
Ferrari 312T5 1980 detailed overview

Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Ferrari 312T5 wings setup, Monaco GP

Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Ligier JS11/15 1980 exploded overview

Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Ligier JS11/15 1980 aero overview

Photo by: Giorgio Piola
1981
Brabham BT49C 1981

Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Ferrari 126 CK exploded view

Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Ferrari 126C evolution

Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Lotus 88 1981 aero overview

Photo by: Giorgio Piola
McLaren MP4 1981 exploded detailed view

Photo by: Giorgio Piola
1982
Williams FW08 1982 comparison with FW08B six wheeler

Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Williams FW08 1982 water ballast system detail

Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Ferrari 126 C2

Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Ferrari 126C2 1982 Long Beach rear wing comparison

Photo by: Giorgio Piola
1983
Brabham BT52 1983

Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Brabham BT52B 1983

Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Renault RE40 1983

Photo by: Giorgio Piola
1984
McLaren MP4-2 1984 exploded-detail overview

Photo by: Giorgio Piola
McLaren MP4-2 1984 detailed overview

Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Toleman TG184 1984 detailed overview

Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Toleman TG184 1984 rear wing detail

Photo by: Giorgio Piola
See Piola's view of the 1970s:

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Giorgio Piola’s F1 tech decades: The big bang 1980s, part two

About this article
Series | Formula 1 |
Author | Giorgio Piola |
Giorgio Piola’s F1 tech decades: The big bang 1980s, part one
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