John Player Special Team Lotus 1982
The 1982 season brought big changes to Elio de Angelis. Elio may have scored his first win, but it also brought tragedy in December with the death of the legendary Team Lotus Boss Colin Chapman, who had been a Father figure to Elio since he joined in 1980. This was the season which proved that Elio could be a winner, but this in turn heaped more pressure on him to become a regular race winner - something Elio knew would be difficult given the current difficulties with the 1982 car. Elio proved that he was amongst the 'best of the rest' in 1982 behind the turbocars who were always in a class of their own, the exception being street circuits.