Mario Andretti won the 1978 Formula 1 World Drivers’ Championship in the ground-effect Lotus 79.
Andretti drove for Team Lotus during the 1978 season and won six Grands Prix. The Lotus 79 used shaped sidepods and sliding skirts to create low pressure beneath the car, increasing cornering grip without relying only on conventional wings.
The car was developed from the earlier Lotus 78 and became the clearest expression of Colin Chapman’s ground-effect design philosophy. Andretti’s teammate Ronnie Peterson also won races, but Andretti accumulated enough points to secure the championship.
The title was overshadowed by Peterson’s fatal accident at the Italian Grand Prix, where he suffered injuries in a multi-car crash. Andretti remains the only Formula 1 world champion from the United States, although other American drivers have won individual Grands Prix.