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March 701 - Visionary against his will

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Created on April 14, 2022

Text:

Daniel Reinhard

Photos:

Daniel Reinhard

12

Daniel Reinhard

12

March 701 (1970) - The first Formula 1 racer from the company founded in 1969

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March 701 (1970) - The aim was to find the golden mean between downforce and the lowest possible drag.

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March 701 (1970) - Mostly conventional design.

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March 701 (1970) - The side-mounted wing-shaped additional tanks are striking.

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March 701 (1970) - US racing driver Mario Andretti was the only driver of the STP Corporation team.

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March 701 (1970) - Opponents rarely saw the March from behind.

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March 701 (1970) - The only F1 car with a DFV engine to be sold to private teams at the time.

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March 701 (1970) - Without the additional tanks, the handling of the 701 changed dramatically.

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March 701 (1970) - Jo Siffert also took a seat in the 701 and Porsche paid the fee demanded by March for the seat in the works team.

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March 701 (1970) - Even if Mario Andretti and Lotus were inspired by the side tanks, the March was not really innovative.

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March 701 (1970) - The proven DFV V8 carries the load, but is still supported by a tubular frame.

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March 701 (1970) - Mario Andretti at the wheel at the British GP at Brands Hatch. He drove to 9th place.

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Summary

As we all know, Formula 1 will be governed by new rules for the first time in eight years in 2022, so it's high time to shine the spotlight on an unsuccessful yet pioneering racing car. We're talking about the March 701, after all, which more than half a century ago provided the impetus for the development of ground-effect cars, even if the British racing car from 1970 was hardly able to win any laurels itself. Our article tells the story of the March 701 and shows the Formula 1 monoposto in extensive photo material.

This article contains the following chapters

The tried and tested with a pinch of random innovation
Lively use, hardly successful
There was something about the March of 1970...

Estimated reading time: 5min

Preview (beginning of the article)

It was the biggest rule change since 1983, when ground-effect cars were banned: After 39 years with a flat underbody, 2022 saw a return to this aerodynamic aid, starting with completely new cars for the first time since 2014. This change was reason enough for the media to start again with Adam and Eve and discuss all the old cars that had any kind of wing or air deflector from front to back. Once again, the air brake of the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR, Michael May's Porsche 550 Spyder, the Chaparral with a giant wing and the vacuum cleaner Brabham were mentioned. One relatively unsuccessful car was consistently forgotten. A car that, in a way, provided the initial spark for the ground effect.

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