It might be all about the Porsches racing around Laguna Seca this weekend but screw it, let’s elbow in with some high-quality F1 action around Monaco, with Nick Padmore in a Lotus 77.
We love Nick. He’s an incredible driver – our lap record-holder at Goodwood no less – and always up for a chat and a laugh. We caught up with him at the Monaco Historic to discuss what it’s like pedalling a Cosworth DFV-powered JPS-liveried monster around the Principality.
The car is from 1976, driven in period by Gunnar Nilsson. With more than 500PS and weighing just 700kg, using tyres to the spec of those from the 1970s, this thing is an absolute riot around Monaco.
There’s aero, but with the speeds at Monaco and how crude it is, there’s not a lot happening in terms of downforce. So this is a car that moves around, that Padmore steers as much with the throttle as he does the wheel. Sounds like a riot to us.
Video
Monaco
Monaco Historic
Lotus
77
Nick Padmore