Motorsport fans of a certain age will need no reminder about how both Lola and Yamaha endured generally torrid Formula 1 campaigns 27 years ago, the last for each in the category. The former botched its attempt to make the grade after both of its drivers comprehensively failed to qualify for the opening round of the 1997 season before the squad vanished from the grid completely by the next round as money behind the scenes failed to materialise.
Yamaha fared little better in its role supplying engines to Arrows, save for 1996 champion Damon Hill’s heroics and near-victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix, the Brit agonisingly losing the lead on the final lap due to a mechanical issue. That 1997 season also marked the Japanese manufacturer’s last in car racing, while Lola would seek fortune elsewhere, which it achieved in spades, before ultimately dwindling into nothing by the end of 2012 having fallen into administration.
