Team story
Origins
Gérard Larrousse had founded his team with Didier Calmels in 1987, initially using Lola chassis. After the Venturi phase of 1992, the Larrousse name also identified the constructor from 1993. The LH93 grew out of a collaboration with Robin Herd and used the Lamborghini V12.
Philippe Alliot and Érik Comas were the drivers: a new chassis identity within an organisation already competing in Grands Prix.
The Formula 1 journey
Alliot took fifth place at Imola in 1993, the Larrousse chassis’ best World Championship result. Comas was also the main driver in 1994, when Olivier Beretta began the season alongside him. Yannick Dalmas, Hideki Noda and Jean-Denis Délétraz took turns in the final months.
Points-scoring results remained sporadic, while the need to find funding had an increasingly direct influence on driver selection.
Historical timeline
Three chapters in the story of Larrousse
Three episodes to revisit the people, cars and races that shaped this journey.
First appearance · South African Grand Prix
Érik Comas · South African Grand Prix 1993. The recorded outcome is DNF. This is the first recorded race start, or the first entry if the team never started a race.
Sporting landmark · San Marino Grand Prix
Philippe Alliot · San Marino Grand Prix 1993. The recorded position is P5; this number alone does not show whether the driver completed the race distance. This marks the first win or podium where one exists, otherwise the highest recorded placing for this constructor.
Latest recorded appearance · Australian Grand Prix
Hideki Noda · Australian Grand Prix 1994. The recorded outcome is DNF. This is the last race start attributed to this constructor in the archive, not necessarily the end of the organisation behind it.
A distinctive way of racing
The LH94 abandoned Lamborghini for the Ford-Cosworth HB after the Peugeot agreement failed to materialise. The cars raced in Tourtel colours thanks to new commercial backing, but the engine change did not resolve the financial situation. Collaboration with Herd was central to the chassis project; Larrousse did not build either the V12 or the subsequent V8 used in racing.
What remains
The 1995 programme never reached the track: financial difficulties and attempted agreements with other organisations did not produce a restart. The LH95 designation in the directory does not equate to a single-seater that contested a Grand Prix. Aguri Suzuki’s podium at Suzuka in 1990 also belongs to the earlier Lola phase, not to the Larrousse chassis grouped here.
Its last actual race remained Adelaide 1994.
