For the 1981 season, Guy Ligier’s long-standing dream of creating a fully French team came back to life with the return of the Talbot brand and Matra engines to Formula 1. The collaboration with Talbot, which was making its first appearance in the sport since 1951, was expected to mark Ligier’s definitive breakthrough. The team, having achieved strong results over the previous two seasons, secured deals with Michelin for radial tires and, most importantly, with Matra, which developed the exclusive MS81 engine, a 60° V12 designed by Georges Martin, producing 510 hp.
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| LIGIER JS17, Jean-Pierre Jabouille Zolder, Belgian GP 1981 |
Technical director Gérard Ducarouge and aerodynamics chief Michel Beaujon designed the Ligier JS17, which retained the same technical layout as the JS11 and JS15. The car proved to be competitive, fast, and capable of winning, making 1981 the last of Ligier’s “golden years” before the team entered a long, irreversible decline.
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| LIGIER JS17, Jacques Laffite Long Beach, USA West GP 1981 |
Thanks to the narrow V-angle of the new Matra engine, which suited the wing-car design of the JS17, Ligier finally had an engine that could compete with the best. Until the previous season, evolution versions of the DFV Cosworth were reserved for British teams Williams and Brabham, while McLaren had to modify its base DFV engines in-house via Nicholson Engine. During the season, the JS17 was also fitted with an innovative hydropneumatic suspension system, utilizing Koni dampers that could lower the car once it was on track.
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| LIGIER JS17, Jacques Laffite Jarama, Spanish GP 1981 |
Despite still using a traditional aluminum monocoque chassis, without the synthetic fibers that had just entered Formula 1, the JS17 had a wheelbase of 2,780 mm and a weight of 585 kg. However, fine-tuning the chassis, hydropneumatic suspension, and new V12 engine proved difficult. The JS17 was inconsistent, with performance fluctuations depending on the track. Even so, Jacques Laffite secured the last two victories in Ligier’s history, until Olivier Panis’ surprise win at Monaco in 1996, as well as two second-place and three third-place finishes, scoring 44 points and finishing fourth in the Drivers' Championship.
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| LIGIER JS17, Jean-Pierre Jabouille Montecarlo, Monaco GP 1981 |
Alongside him, Ligier initially fielded Jean-Pierre Jabouille, who was returning from a horrific crash at the 1980 Canadian Grand Prix. However, as Jabouille was still recovering, Jean-Pierre Jarier replaced him for the first two races. Jabouille returned for the third race of the season, but his injuries, which left his legs filled with metal screws, made it too difficult to drive a Formula 1 car, ultimately leading to his retirement. From the French Grand Prix onwards, Patrick Tambay took over the second JS17 for the remainder of the season. None of the three secondary drivers scored points, meaning Ligier finished fourth in the Constructors' Championship, entirely thanks to Laffite’s 44 points.
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