Forti
Encyclopedia
Forti Corse, commonly known as Forti, was an Italian
motor racing
team chiefly known for its brief, and unsuccessful, involvement in Formula One
in the mid-1990s. It was established in the late 1970s and competed in lower formulae for two decades. The team's successes during this period included four Drivers' Championships in Italian Formula Three during the 1980s, and race wins in the International Formula 3000 championship, in which it competed from 1987 to 1994. From 1992, team co-founder Guido Forti
developed a relationship with the wealthy Brazil
ian businessman Abílio dos Santos Diniz that gave Diniz's racing driver son, Pedro
, a permanent seat in the team and the outfit a sufficiently high budget to consider entering Formula One.
Forti graduated to Formula One as a constructor and entrant in , but its first car – the Forti FG01
– proved to be uncompetitive, and the team failed to score a point. Despite this setback, Forti was committed to a three-year deal with Diniz, which was broken when Pedro moved to the Ligier team prior to the 1996 season
, taking most of the team's sponsorship money with him. Nevertheless, Forti continued to compete in the sport, and produced the much-improved FG03
chassis, before succumbing to financial problems mid-season after an ultimately fruitless deal with a mysterious entity known as Shannon Racing
. The team competed in a total of 27 Grands Prix, scoring no points, and is recognised as one of the last truly privateer
teams to race in an era when many large car manufacturers were increasing their involvement in the sport.
businessmen Guido Forti
, a former driver, and Paolo Guerci
, an engineer, in the late 1970s and was based in Alessandria
in northern Italy. It was registered as a Società a Responsabilità Limitata, or Limited liability company
. It was initially run in lower motor racing categories such as Formula Ford
and Formula Three
, both at Italian and Europe
an levels. The team was well-equipped and soon became a regular winner. Forti drivers Franco Forini
, Enrico Bertaggia
, Emanuele Naspetti
and Gianni Morbidelli
(who would all go on to drive in Formula One
) won Italian Formula Three
titles in 1985, 1987, 1988 and 1989 respectively. In addition, Bertaggia won the prestigious Macau F3 Grand Prix
and the Monaco Grand Prix F3 support race in 1988, and Morbidelli won the FIA European Formula Three Cup
in 1989. Teo Fabi
and Oscar Larrauri
also raced for the team in its early years, the former winning the Italian FFord 2000 championship in 1977, and the latter racing as far afield as South America, in the Argentine Formula Three Championship. Forti continued racing in Formula Three until the end of 1992, when it quit the formula in order to concentrate solely on International Formula 3000.
For 1987, Forti moved up to International Formula 3000 with less immediate success than experienced in Formula Three. The main reason for this was the chassis the team chose to compete with. Instead of using customer Lolas, Marches
or Ralt
s, all of which were produced by established companies who had many years' experience of designing and building such cars, Forti stuck with their Italian Formula Three chassis supplier Gian Paolo Dallara
, who had just designed his company's first F3000 machine. Forti was the first team to use this machine, which was dubbed the Dallara 3087 (a chassis which later would make a single appearance in Formula One for the BMS Scuderia Italia team, as that team's car was not ready for the first race of the 1988 season
). This combination of an inexperienced team and an untested car did not score any points in its first F3000 year, nor did the team attend every race on the schedule. Forti used 1988 to gain valuable experience in F3000, and this helped the team to perform better in following seasons, as did a change to more competitive Lola and then Reynard
chassis.
After a full season in 1988 and the team's first championship points, courtesy of Claudio Langes
in 1989, it became apparent that Forti was improving as a competitive force. In 1990, Gianni Morbidelli
scored Forti's first victory in an F3000 race, and although no Forti driver won a championship title in this category, the team established itself as a frequent front-runner, scoring nine wins and five pole position
s in International F3000. From 1993 onwards, Forti concentrated solely on F3000, and ran drivers such as Naspetti, Fabrizio Giovanardi
, Andrea Montermini
and Hideki Noda
. This was Forti's most successful season in F3000, with Naspetti finishing third in the Drivers' Championship, ten points behind champion Christian Fittipaldi
. Although the team's form dipped over subsequent years, by 1994 Forti was the most experienced team in the championship, employing Noda and Pedro Diniz
as drivers.
and Onyx
, which had graduated from F3000 into Formula One and failed more or less immediately due to a lack of finance. Conversely, Eddie Jordan
had shown that the move could be made successfully, with an impressive performance in with his Jordan
team, which had finished fifth in the Constructors' Championship with a total of seven points-scoring finishes. Forti considered a solid financial base to be the most important factor for success. In 1991 he therefore started working on his Formula One project. At the end of , he signed a deal with wealthy Brazil
ian driver Pedro Diniz
, whose personal fortune and sponsorship connections proved invaluable in increasing the team's budget. Diniz's father, Abílio dos Santos, was the owner of the large Brazilian distribution company Companhia Brasileira de Distribuição
and the supermarket chain Pão de Açúcar. By offering companies preferential product-placement in the Brazilian market, the Diniz family was able to obtain personal sponsorship deals with brands such as Arisco, Duracell
, Gillette, Kaiser, Marlboro, Parmalat
and Sadia
, in addition to backing from Unibanco
, to fund Pedro's career. By , through Abílio dos Santos, Forti met Carlo Gancia
, an Italo-Brazilian
businessman. Gancia became a co-owner of the team, buying Guerci's shares, and started working on the team's Formula One project. He finally managed to ensure a respectable budget for Formula One by late , which was "effectively underwritten by the Diniz family". He also hired several experienced personnel, including designer Sergio Rinland
and former Ferrari
team manager Cesare Fiorio
. Furthermore, retired driver René Arnoux
was employed as a consultant and driver coach for Diniz. Guerci remained with Forti as one of its race engineers.
This securing of financial assistance and recruitment of staff meant that Forti's ability to participate in Formula One
for was assured. Financed by the companies brought in by Abílio Diniz, the team was guaranteed financial stability in the short term, with a claimed first year budget of around $
17 million. In addition, this was only the first year of a planned three-year contract with Diniz and his backers.
or Lola, as was required by the Formula One Technical Regulations. Guido Forti's first attempt at an F1 chassis, the Forti FG01
, resulted in an outdated, overweight and very slow machine, and has been described as nothing more than "a revised F3000 car" and, more harshly, "a fearful pile of junk".
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The FG01 had many influences. Design consultant Rinland had previously worked on the Brabham BT60 chassis in and Fondmetal GR02 chassis in , the latter under the auspices of his own company, Astauto, before moving to the United States to work on a Champ Car
project. In late 1994, Forti bought the remaining assets of the now defunct Fondmetal
team, including the remaining GR02 chassis, and requested Rinland's assistance in developing the bespoke Forti chassis based on a planned Fondmetal chassis for the season. Rinland thus provided a great deal of input on the FG01 chassis, assisting experienced Italian engineers Giorgio Stirano and Giacomo Caliri
in designing and building the car. The car's aerodynamics
were completed by former Brabham, Fondmetal and Astauto employee Hans Fouche using wind tunnel
s in South Africa
, and composite work was done by the Belco Avia company. However, it was rumoured that the FG01 was little more than a re-working of the GR02.
Thus the FG01 did not promise much in terms of performance. It was angular and bulky, with poor aerodynamic performance negatively affecting grip and handling; it had a plump nose, initially no airbox, and was overweight and under-powered, using a small Ford-Cosworth
ED V8
customer engine largely financed by Ford do Brasil
, which developed an estimated 100 bhp
less than the most powerful engine in the field, the Renault
V10
supplied to the Benetton
and Williams
teams. It was also the only car to have a manual gearbox in the 1995 F1 season. The car was liveried in a distinctive yellow-and-blue colour scheme accompanied by fluorescent green wheel-rims, illustrating the team's Brazilian influence in its first year. The precise hue of each colour was chosen as a tribute to Ayrton Senna
, who had been killed at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix
; the cars were liveried in identical shades to those used on the Brazilian's helmet design.
, who had last competed in F1 back in when he had a disastrous year driving for the infamous Andrea Moda
team. However, his seat was initially only guaranteed on a race-by-race basis, as Portuguese
driver Pedro Lamy
, in addition to the team's former F3000 drivers Emanuele Naspetti
and Andrea Montermini
, were also considered. It was speculated that whoever joined the team would be contractually bound to be number two to Diniz and that his father had insisted on an all-Brazilian driver line-up. A Forti spokesman indeed confirmed that Moreno's nationality, in addition to his experience, was the main reason for his selection. The team later attempted to enter its former F3000 driver Hideki Noda
for the 1995 Pacific Grand Prix
, but he was refused an FIA Super Licence
.
Unlike some of the existing teams, Forti was able to test its chassis extensively prior to the start of the season. However, Diniz proved to be around seven seconds per lap off the pace of the leading runners in group testing at the Estoril
circuit in March, indicating that the team was likely to be mired at the back of the field. Diniz finished 10th in the season-opening Brazilian GP
, but was seven laps down on winner Michael Schumacher
. In Argentina
, this situation became worse, as, although both drivers finished, they were both nine laps down on winner Damon Hill
at the end of the race (with Diniz ahead) and neither were classified, as they had failed to complete 90% of the race distance. The drivers' similar fastest laps during the race were over ten seconds slower than Schumacher's fastest race lap, and almost five seconds slower than the next slowest runner's fastest lap (Domenico Schiattarella
in the Simtek
). Imola
was similarly poor, as both drivers finished seven laps down (with Diniz again ahead) and again failed to reach the 90% threshold for classification. Forti was already the butt of paddock jokes, and were far slower than the other (and financially poorer) backmarkers: Pacific
, Simtek, and Minardi
. However, the budget enabled improvements to be made to the car. During the season, its weight was reduced by a significant 60 kilograms (approximately 10% of the F1 minimum weight limit of 595 kg), and a semi-automatic
gearbox, an airbox and redesigns of the front wing, sidepods and monocoque
were introduced. The personnel count also doubled during the course of the season. This resulted in a gradual improvement in pace throughout the year, and there were no more non-classified finishes.
In between the Brazilian and Argentine Grands Prix, Rinland returned to Europe full-time to take the official post of the team's Technical Director. His long-term task was to establish an English
-based design office for the team, but his initial job was to improve the competitiveness of the FG01 through a series of technical upgrades. However, Rinland subsequently left the team after a few weeks, after falling out with the team's management over the car's lack of competitiveness.
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Indeed, Forti's finishing record was good for rookies at 50% (excluding the non-classifications), helping Diniz to establish a reputation as a steady, dependable driver. Forti were then elevated when Simtek folded after the Monaco GP
, and Pacific's lack of finance and development enabled Forti to start matching them from the half-way point of the season. At the German GP
, both Fortis outqualified both the Pacifics for the first time, and this happened on two further occasions during 1995. Forti's improvement was also aided by Pacific taking on two slower pay driver
s, Giovanni Lavaggi
and Jean-Denis Délétraz
, to ensure that the team finished the season. At the final race of the season, in Adelaide
, Forti seemed to have established a firm base for the season, emphasised by Moreno qualifying within 107% of pole position
for the first time - a crucial result, as this percentage of the pole time would be used to determine non-qualifiers in 1996 - and Diniz scoring the team's best result in F1, with a reliable run to seventh place, ahead of Gachot in the Pacific. This was only one position behind the points-scoring placings. Nevertheless, despite not scoring any points, Forti finished a de facto 11th in the Constructors' Championship
, ahead of Pacific and Simtek by virtue of better finishes outside of the points.
Post-championship, Forti took part in the 1995 Bologna Motor Show
, where three FG01s – driven by Montermini, Lavaggi and Vittorio Zoboli
– raced against, and lost to three Minardis in the Formula One Indoor Trophy
.
Despite the progress made by Forti during the course of the season, 1995 was still regarded as a failure. The team had spent more money than its immediate rivals in designing, building and developing a fundamentally inefficient car. Diniz and his sponsors were described as "throwing their money away", and the Brazilian's reputation as a serious F1 driver was damaged, as it took him several years to prove that he was not just in the sport because of his funding. In addition, Moreno's participation with Forti was lamented by many observers, who felt that the experienced driver did not deserve the ignominy of such an uncompetitive car. The only positives were the reasonable reliability record and the fact that the Diniz family were contracted to fund the team for the next two years.
With a solid base to build on and a healthy budget, looked promising for Forti. The team negotiated for the most powerful and expensive Cosworth
V8 engines in late 1995 to replace the outdated and underpowered ED models, and its financial security was demonstrated by rumours during the 1995 season that the more competitive but less well-funded Minardi team was considering a merger with Forti as a means of maintaining its own presence in the sport. However, these aspirations were dealt a devastating blow when Pedro Diniz signed for the more competitive Ligier team, taking Martin Brundle
's vacated seat as the latter moved to Jordan
. Forti's sponsors brought in by the Diniz family, including Parmalat and Marlboro, all left; the budget was significantly dented. For a time it seemed that the team would not compete in 1996 at all, and its survival was constantly questioned. The new car was delayed, and the team was forced to use the uprated FG01B
car for the start of the season with the only slightly more competitive Ford Zetec-R
V8 engine
(instead of the "JS" unit it had been negotiating for), and to rely on temporary sponsors. Nevertheless, Forti remained in the sport for the 1996 season. Moreno was not retained; the team signed Minardi and Pacific refugees Luca Badoer
and Montermini to take the two empty seats (although Hideki Noda
was also considered), both drivers bringing a small amount of personal backing. Frenchman Franck Lagorce
was also signed as a test driver. Pacific had folded during the off-season, and it was clear that Forti would be some way behind the rest of the field in the slow FG01B. Badoer and Montermini failed to make the new 107% cut in qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix
and thus did not start the race, but both then managed to qualify for the Grands Prix held in Brazil
and Argentina
, scoring a 10th and an 11th place finish between them in the races. Badoer, however, attracted attention in Argentina for a different reason. As Diniz attempted to lap him, the two collided and Badoer's car flipped over; the Italian escaping injury. Both cars then failed to qualify at the Nürburgring
.
Forti produced a new chassis, the FG03
, for the next race of the season in Imola
. It had been designed by the same personnel as the previous year, with further work carried out by George Ryton
after the latter moved to the team from Ferrari
and took up the post of Technical Director mid-season. Both drivers judged it a significant improvement over the old car, with increased aerodynamic downforce and directional sensitivity, but there was only one FG03 available, and Montermini failed to qualify in the old car. Badoer, however, qualified last, but comfortably within the 107% cut-off, and only 0.7s behind Ricardo Rosset
in the Footwork
. Badoer finished 10th and last, but had suffered reliability problems in the new car and was two laps behind Pedro Lamy
's Minardi. Both drivers qualified in Monaco
, but Montermini crashed in the wet warm-up session and did not start the race, whilst Badoer struggled in the slippery conditions and took out Jacques Villeneuve
as he was being lapped by the Williams
. He was fined $5000 and received a two-race suspended ban.
After the Monaco GP, there were rumours that Forti would not survive the season without some form of takeover. In the period before the next race, the Spanish GP
, Belco Avia boss Arron Colombo announced that a deal had been reached between Guido Forti and an entity known as Shannon Racing
for the latter to buy a 51% share of the team. The deal was concluded later in the month, on June 30. Shannon Racing and its parent company FinFirst were Irish
-registered sections of a Milan
ese financial group, and had already established teams in various Formula Three
championships and in International Formula 3000 in 1996. The group was keen to move into Formula One, and Forti provided an opportunity for this to happen. It was believed that Colombo had organised the deal, which was scheduled to continue throughout 1996 with an option for , because Belco Avia was owed money by Forti. As part of the management change, Cesare Fiorio
left the team to join Ligier and was replaced by Daniele Coronna, whilst designer George Ryton
joined from Ferrari
.
For the Spanish GP, the cars therefore appeared in a new green-and-white livery, apparently confirming Shannon Racing's acquisition of 51% of Forti. This financial boost appeared to ensure the team's survival. With the off-track confusion, both drivers again failed to qualify. Nevertheless, at the Canadian
and French
Grands Prix, both Fortis made it to the grid, Badoer even outqualifying Rosset in Montréal
. However, Forti had lost its good 1995 reliability record, as these starts only resulted in four retirements. By this time, Forti's financial problems, caused by a conflict of team ownership between Guido Forti and Shannon Racing, were becoming increasingly urgent in nature. Both cars retired with "engine problems" at the French GP, although it was widely rumoured that this was due to the team running out of engine mileage as it went into debt with engine suppliers Cosworth
.
. In the end, Forti took part, only for the cars to complete a mere handful of laps each in practice and thus failing to set a time quick enough to qualify. This was because it was becoming increasingly in debt to Cosworth and was running out of engine mileage for its cars, only having enough to make a token effort at participation. The team made it to the next race - the German GP
- but both cars remained unassembled in the pit garages throughout the weekend after the engine supply was finally cut off.
Guido Forti, after discussing the matter with commercial rights-owner Bernie Ecclestone
, had decided to withdraw the team from the German GP as negotiations over the team's ownership between himself and Shannon continued, despite the threat of the FIA
(F1's governing body) imposing a fine on the outfit for missing the race. Following the failure of these negotiations, he then announced that Shannon's deal had fallen through and that he was back in charge of the team. He hoped to finalise some more sponsorship deals which would allow Forti to compete in the Hungarian GP
. Shannon responded by claiming it still owned 51% of the team, and that it intended to solve Forti's financial problems itself, in addition to replacing Guido Forti as Team Principal. He duly took the company to court over the matter, an arduous process in the Italian legal system.
With the team in limbo whilst the ownership dispute was judged, Forti's situation was bleak. The team faced the prospect of further heavy FIA-imposed fines for missing races if the situation did not improve, or even exclusion from the championship for bringing the sport into disrepute, as had happened to the Andrea Moda
team in . Forti withdrew his team from the sport; it did not make an appearance at the Hungarian GP, the Belgian GP
, nor at any further point in the championship. Badoer
and Montermini
were left without drives, and the promising FG03 chassis would no longer race. By the time Shannon Racing won the court case in September, Forti had ceased to exist. Shannon Racing's teams in the lower motorsport categories also closed down. Coincidentally, Guido Forti had signed the 1997 Concorde Agreement
shortly before his team's demise, which could have given his team a chance of surviving if it had made it into that year due to the extra television revenue that was duly granted to each of the teams under the terms of the agreement.
in 1996 was a move to force them to raise their game or leave the sport altogether.
However, the Forti F1 cars have since been used for other purposes. Examples of the FG03 are currently being used as part of F1-themed track day
s in the United Kingdom
at motor racing circuits such as Rockingham
.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
motor racing
Auto racing
Auto racing is a motorsport involving the racing of cars for competition. It is one of the world's most watched televised sports.-The beginning of racing:...
team chiefly known for its brief, and unsuccessful, involvement in Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
in the mid-1990s. It was established in the late 1970s and competed in lower formulae for two decades. The team's successes during this period included four Drivers' Championships in Italian Formula Three during the 1980s, and race wins in the International Formula 3000 championship, in which it competed from 1987 to 1994. From 1992, team co-founder Guido Forti
Guido Forti
Guido Forti is the former team manager of the now-defunct Formula One team Forti.-Career:Forti co-founded the team with businessman Paolo Guerci in the late 1970s, initially running in Italian and European Formula Three. The team made the step up to Formula 3000 in 1987, but only participated in...
developed a relationship with the wealthy Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian businessman Abílio dos Santos Diniz that gave Diniz's racing driver son, Pedro
Pedro Diniz
Pedro Paulo Diniz is a racing driver from Brazil. He participated in 99 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on March 26, 1995...
, a permanent seat in the team and the outfit a sufficiently high budget to consider entering Formula One.
Forti graduated to Formula One as a constructor and entrant in , but its first car – the Forti FG01
Forti FG01
The Forti FG01, also designated Forti FG01-95, was a Formula One car for the 1995 season and was the first car made by Forti. The number 21 seat was taken by rookie Pedro Diniz and the number 22 seat was taken by veteran Roberto Moreno. The team never employed a test driver. The engine was a Ford...
– proved to be uncompetitive, and the team failed to score a point. Despite this setback, Forti was committed to a three-year deal with Diniz, which was broken when Pedro moved to the Ligier team prior to the 1996 season
1996 Formula One season
The 1996 Formula One season was the 47th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1996 FIA Formula One World Championship, which commenced on March 10, 1996, and ended on October 13 after sixteen races...
, taking most of the team's sponsorship money with him. Nevertheless, Forti continued to compete in the sport, and produced the much-improved FG03
Forti FG03
The Forti FG03 was the car with which the Forti team competed in part of the Formula One season. It was driven by Luca Badoer and Andrea Montermini, both of whom were in their first year with the team....
chassis, before succumbing to financial problems mid-season after an ultimately fruitless deal with a mysterious entity known as Shannon Racing
Shannon Racing
Shannon Racing, or the Shannon Racing Team, was a short-lived motorsport team that was briefly involved with the Forti Formula One team during the season. It was owned by a parent company known as FinFirst...
. The team competed in a total of 27 Grands Prix, scoring no points, and is recognised as one of the last truly privateer
Privateer (motorsport)
In motor sport, a privateer is usually an entrant into a racing event that is not directly supported by an automobile manufacturer. Privateers teams are often found competing in rally and circuit racing events, and often include competitors who build and maintain their own vehicles...
teams to race in an era when many large car manufacturers were increasing their involvement in the sport.
Establishment and early years
Forti was founded by ItalianItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
businessmen Guido Forti
Guido Forti
Guido Forti is the former team manager of the now-defunct Formula One team Forti.-Career:Forti co-founded the team with businessman Paolo Guerci in the late 1970s, initially running in Italian and European Formula Three. The team made the step up to Formula 3000 in 1987, but only participated in...
, a former driver, and Paolo Guerci
Paolo Guerci
-Career:Guerci joined forces with retired racing driver Guido Forti to form the Forti racing team in the late 1970s. He remained with the team throughout its rise through Formula Three and Formula 3000, and eventually its unsuccessful foray into Formula One in and...
, an engineer, in the late 1970s and was based in Alessandria
Alessandria
-Monuments:* The Citadel * The church of Santa Maria di Castello * The church of Santa Maria del Carmine * Palazzo Ghilini * Università del Piemonte Orientale-Museums:* The Marengo Battle Museum...
in northern Italy. It was registered as a Società a Responsabilità Limitata, or Limited liability company
Limited liability company
A limited liability company is a flexible form of enterprise that blends elements of partnership and corporate structures. It is a legal form of company that provides limited liability to its owners in the vast majority of United States jurisdictions...
. It was initially run in lower motor racing categories such as Formula Ford
Formula Ford
Formula Ford is a single seater, open wheel class in motorsport which exists in some form in many countries around the world. It is an entry-level series to motor racing....
and Formula Three
Formula Three
Formula Three, also called Formula 3 or F3, is a class of open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held in Europe, Australia, South America and Asia form an important step for many prospective Formula One drivers...
, both at Italian and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an levels. The team was well-equipped and soon became a regular winner. Forti drivers Franco Forini
Franco Forini
Franco Forini is a former racing driver from Switzerland. He competed in the Italian Formula Three Championship between 1981 and 1985, winning the title in his final year in a Dallara-Volkswagen with future F1 team Forti Corse, and finishing as runner up in the Monaco Grand Prix F3 support race in...
, Enrico Bertaggia
Enrico Bertaggia
Enrico Bertaggia is a former racing driver from Italy. He enjoyed success in Formula Three, winning the Italian F3 title in 1987 and the Monaco Grand Prix F3 support race and the Macau Grand Prix the following year. He also made his debut in Formula 3000 in 1987 and 1988, however his results...
, Emanuele Naspetti
Emanuele Naspetti
Emanuele Naspetti is a racing driver from Italy. He participated in six Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on August 30, 1992. He scored no championship points. He was considered for the Forti drive for the 1995 season....
and Gianni Morbidelli
Gianni Morbidelli
Gianni Morbidelli is a racing driver from Italy. He is the son of Giancarlo Morbidelli, the founder of Morbidelli motorcycle company which had success in Grand Prix motorcycle racing. Morbidelli participated in 70 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on March 11, 1990. He achieved one podium, and...
(who would all go on to drive in Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
) won Italian Formula Three
Italian Formula Three Championship
The Italian Formula Three Championship is the Formula Three racing competition in Italy.-History:Formula Three has traditionally been regarded as the first major stepping stone for F1 hopefuls - it is typically the first point in a driver's career at which most drivers in the series are aiming at...
titles in 1985, 1987, 1988 and 1989 respectively. In addition, Bertaggia won the prestigious Macau F3 Grand Prix
Macau Grand Prix
The Macau Grand Prix is a motor-racing event held annually in Macau, one of China's Special Administrative Regions. It is known for being the only street circuit racing event in which both car and motorcycle races are held...
and the Monaco Grand Prix F3 support race in 1988, and Morbidelli won the FIA European Formula Three Cup
FIA European Formula Three Cup
The FIA European Formula Three Cup was a Formula 3 single race held annually at different European circuits from 1985 to 1990, and at the Pau Circuit, France from 1999 to 2002. It became as the official Formula 3 championship in Europe after the European Formula 3 Championship had been cancelled...
in 1989. Teo Fabi
Teo Fabi
Teodorico Fabi , better known as Teo Fabi, is an Italian former racing driver.-Career:Fabi participated in 71 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on January 23, 1982. He achieved 2 podiums, and scored a total of 23 championship points...
and Oscar Larrauri
Oscar Larrauri
Oscar Rubén Larrauri is a racing driver from Argentina. He participated in 21 Formula One Grands Prix, all with the struggling EuroBrun team, debuting on April 3, 1988...
also raced for the team in its early years, the former winning the Italian FFord 2000 championship in 1977, and the latter racing as far afield as South America, in the Argentine Formula Three Championship. Forti continued racing in Formula Three until the end of 1992, when it quit the formula in order to concentrate solely on International Formula 3000.
Formula 3000
March Engineering
March Engineering was a Formula One constructor and manufacturer of customer racing cars from the United Kingdom. Although only moderately successful in Grand Prix competition, March racing cars enjoyed much better achievement in other categories of competition including Formula Two, Formula Three,...
or Ralt
Ralt
RALT was a manufacturer of single-seater racing cars, founded by ex-Jack Brabham associate Ron Tauranac after he sold out his interest in Brabham to Bernie Ecclestone. Ron and his brother had built some specials in Australia in the 1950s under the RALT name...
s, all of which were produced by established companies who had many years' experience of designing and building such cars, Forti stuck with their Italian Formula Three chassis supplier Gian Paolo Dallara
Dallara
Dallara Automobili is an Italian chassis manufacturer for various motor racing series, being most notable for its near-monopoly in Formula 3 since 1993...
, who had just designed his company's first F3000 machine. Forti was the first team to use this machine, which was dubbed the Dallara 3087 (a chassis which later would make a single appearance in Formula One for the BMS Scuderia Italia team, as that team's car was not ready for the first race of the 1988 season
1988 Formula One season
The 1988 Formula One season was the 39th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1988 FIA Formula One World Championship which commenced on April 3, 1988 and ended on November 13 after sixteen races...
). This combination of an inexperienced team and an untested car did not score any points in its first F3000 year, nor did the team attend every race on the schedule. Forti used 1988 to gain valuable experience in F3000, and this helped the team to perform better in following seasons, as did a change to more competitive Lola and then Reynard
Reynard Motorsport
Reynard Motorsport was at one time the world's largest racing car manufacturer. Initially based at Bicester and latterly at Reynard Park, Brackley, England the company built successful cars in Formula Ford 1600, Formula Ford 2000, Formula Vauxhall Lotus, Formula Three, Formula 3000 and Indy...
chassis.
After a full season in 1988 and the team's first championship points, courtesy of Claudio Langes
Claudio Langes
Claudio Langes is a racing driver from Italy.In 1978 he won the Italian 125 cc go-kart championship. In subsequent years he competed in Formula 3 and in Formula 3000, where his best result was a third place at the Curaçao Grand Prix, achieved in 1985 with a March Formula 3000.Reaching Formula...
in 1989, it became apparent that Forti was improving as a competitive force. In 1990, Gianni Morbidelli
Gianni Morbidelli
Gianni Morbidelli is a racing driver from Italy. He is the son of Giancarlo Morbidelli, the founder of Morbidelli motorcycle company which had success in Grand Prix motorcycle racing. Morbidelli participated in 70 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on March 11, 1990. He achieved one podium, and...
scored Forti's first victory in an F3000 race, and although no Forti driver won a championship title in this category, the team established itself as a frequent front-runner, scoring nine wins and five pole position
Pole position
The term "pole position", as used in motorsports, comes from the horse racing term where the number one starter starts on the inside next to the inside pole. The term made its way, along with several other customs, to auto racing. In circuit motorsports, a driver has pole position when he or she...
s in International F3000. From 1993 onwards, Forti concentrated solely on F3000, and ran drivers such as Naspetti, Fabrizio Giovanardi
Fabrizio Giovanardi
Fabrizio Giovanardi is an Italian racing driver. During his career he has won eight touring car titles, including European and British crowns...
, Andrea Montermini
Andrea Montermini
-Career:Montermini raced in Formula 3 in 1989, taking second place in the Monaco GP support race and 4th in the Italian F3 Championship. He then moved up to Formula 3000, racing for three season before finally taking second place in the 1992 season, winning three rounds while driving for the Il...
and Hideki Noda
Hideki Noda
is a racing driver from Japan. He participated in 3 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting in the 1994 European Grand Prix, but did not score any championship points. He replaced Yannick Dalmas in the Larrousse car for the last 3 Grands Prix of the season, but failed to finish in any of the three races....
. This was Forti's most successful season in F3000, with Naspetti finishing third in the Drivers' Championship, ten points behind champion Christian Fittipaldi
Christian Fittipaldi
Christian Fittipaldi is a Brazilian racing driver who has competed in various forms of motorsport including Formula One, Champ Car and NASCAR...
. Although the team's form dipped over subsequent years, by 1994 Forti was the most experienced team in the championship, employing Noda and Pedro Diniz
Pedro Diniz
Pedro Paulo Diniz is a racing driver from Brazil. He participated in 99 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on March 26, 1995...
as drivers.
Preparation
As his team became more successful, Guido Forti started to think about a move upwards, into Formula One. However, there had been several discouragingly recent examples of teams, such as ColoniEnzo Coloni Racing Car Systems
Enzo Coloni Racing Car Systems, commonly referred to simply as Coloni, is an Italian motor racing team and former Formula One racing car constructor. While it has been successful in Formula Three and Formula 3000, the team was one of the least successful in Formula One history...
and Onyx
Onyx (racing team)
Onyx Grand Prix was a Formula One constructor from Britain that contested the 1989 and 1990 Formula One seasons before closing its doors midway through the 1990 season.- Pre-Formula One beginnings :...
, which had graduated from F3000 into Formula One and failed more or less immediately due to a lack of finance. Conversely, Eddie Jordan
Eddie Jordan
Edmund "Eddie" Jordan also known as "EJ" founded and owned Jordan Grand Prix, a Formula One constructor which operated from 1991 to 2005...
had shown that the move could be made successfully, with an impressive performance in with his Jordan
Jordan Grand Prix
Jordan Grand Prix was a Formula One constructor that competed from 1991 to 2005. The team is named after Irish businessman and founder Eddie Jordan...
team, which had finished fifth in the Constructors' Championship with a total of seven points-scoring finishes. Forti considered a solid financial base to be the most important factor for success. In 1991 he therefore started working on his Formula One project. At the end of , he signed a deal with wealthy Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian driver Pedro Diniz
Pedro Diniz
Pedro Paulo Diniz is a racing driver from Brazil. He participated in 99 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on March 26, 1995...
, whose personal fortune and sponsorship connections proved invaluable in increasing the team's budget. Diniz's father, Abílio dos Santos, was the owner of the large Brazilian distribution company Companhia Brasileira de Distribuição
Companhia Brasileira de Distribuição
Grupo Pão de Açúcar - trading name of Companhia Brasileira de Distribuição, formerly used as a secondary trading name - is the biggest Brazilian company engaged in business retailing of food, general merchandise, electronic goods, home appliances and other products from its supermarkets,...
and the supermarket chain Pão de Açúcar. By offering companies preferential product-placement in the Brazilian market, the Diniz family was able to obtain personal sponsorship deals with brands such as Arisco, Duracell
Duracell
Duracell is a brand of batteries manufactured by Procter & Gamble.Additionally, Duracell owns the Procell professional-use brand.-Products:Duracell manufactures alkaline batteries in many common sizes, such as AAA, AA, C, D, and 9V...
, Gillette, Kaiser, Marlboro, Parmalat
Parmalat
Parmalat SpA is a multinational Italian dairy and food corporation. Having become the leading global company in the production of ultra high temperature milk, the company collapsed in 2003 with a €14 billion hole in its accounts in what remains Europe's biggest bankruptcy...
and Sadia
Sadia
This Food Company was created in Concórdia, Santa Catarina, Brazil. Its headquarters are also located in the same city.Sadia S.A. is a major Brazilian food producer...
, in addition to backing from Unibanco
Unibanco
Unibanco stands for União de Bancos Brasileiros . The bank was born in 1924 in Poços de Caldas in the state of Minas Gerais. In time its headquarters moved to São Paulo, Brazil's financial center...
, to fund Pedro's career. By , through Abílio dos Santos, Forti met Carlo Gancia
Carlo Vallarino Gancia
-Early life:Although the Gancia family is famous as the owners of an Italian wine-producing company , Carlo Vallarino was born in Brazil...
, an Italo-Brazilian
Italian Brazilian
-Italian immigration to Brazil:The Italian government claims there are 25 million Brazilians of Italian descent, which would be the largest population of Italian background outside of Italy itself. There are no actual surveys, or even verifiable calculations supporting such claims. According to...
businessman. Gancia became a co-owner of the team, buying Guerci's shares, and started working on the team's Formula One project. He finally managed to ensure a respectable budget for Formula One by late , which was "effectively underwritten by the Diniz family". He also hired several experienced personnel, including designer Sergio Rinland
Sergio Rinland
Sergio Rinland is an Argentine engineer best known for his work in Formula One. He is currently Owner and Managing Director of the Automotive Engineering and Management consulting company Astauto Ltd.- Career :...
and former Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing....
team manager Cesare Fiorio
Cesare Fiorio
Cesare Fiorio is a former Formula One sporting director for Ferrari, Ligier and Minardi, and former team manager of Lancia's factory World Rally Championship team. He is currently employed as a TV commentator...
. Furthermore, retired driver René Arnoux
René Arnoux
René Alexandre Arnoux is a retired French racing driver who is a veteran of 12 Formula One seasons...
was employed as a consultant and driver coach for Diniz. Guerci remained with Forti as one of its race engineers.
This securing of financial assistance and recruitment of staff meant that Forti's ability to participate in Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
for was assured. Financed by the companies brought in by Abílio Diniz, the team was guaranteed financial stability in the short term, with a claimed first year budget of around $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
17 million. In addition, this was only the first year of a planned three-year contract with Diniz and his backers.
Forti FG01 car
The hardest task for the team was designing and building its own car for the first time, instead of buying one from a general supplier such as DallaraDallara
Dallara Automobili is an Italian chassis manufacturer for various motor racing series, being most notable for its near-monopoly in Formula 3 since 1993...
or Lola, as was required by the Formula One Technical Regulations. Guido Forti's first attempt at an F1 chassis, the Forti FG01
Forti FG01
The Forti FG01, also designated Forti FG01-95, was a Formula One car for the 1995 season and was the first car made by Forti. The number 21 seat was taken by rookie Pedro Diniz and the number 22 seat was taken by veteran Roberto Moreno. The team never employed a test driver. The engine was a Ford...
, resulted in an outdated, overweight and very slow machine, and has been described as nothing more than "a revised F3000 car" and, more harshly, "a fearful pile of junk".
The FG01 had many influences. Design consultant Rinland had previously worked on the Brabham BT60 chassis in and Fondmetal GR02 chassis in , the latter under the auspices of his own company, Astauto, before moving to the United States to work on a Champ Car
Champ Car
Champ Car was the name for a class and specification of open wheel cars used in American Championship Car Racing for many decades, primarily for use in the Indianapolis 500 auto race...
project. In late 1994, Forti bought the remaining assets of the now defunct Fondmetal
Fondmetal
Fondmetal is a Italian wheel manufacturer, founded by Gabriele Rumi.It also was a Formula One constructor from 1991 through 1992, as well as a Formula One engine supplier in 2000 and sponsor of several teams throughout this period...
team, including the remaining GR02 chassis, and requested Rinland's assistance in developing the bespoke Forti chassis based on a planned Fondmetal chassis for the season. Rinland thus provided a great deal of input on the FG01 chassis, assisting experienced Italian engineers Giorgio Stirano and Giacomo Caliri
Giacomo Caliri
Giacomo Caliri is an Italian former Formula One engineer.His racing career began in 1966 when Caliri graduated from Turin Polytechnic with a prize-winning thesis on aerodynamics....
in designing and building the car. The car's aerodynamics
Aerodynamics
Aerodynamics is a branch of dynamics concerned with studying the motion of air, particularly when it interacts with a moving object. Aerodynamics is a subfield of fluid dynamics and gas dynamics, with much theory shared between them. Aerodynamics is often used synonymously with gas dynamics, with...
were completed by former Brabham, Fondmetal and Astauto employee Hans Fouche using wind tunnel
Wind tunnel
A wind tunnel is a research tool used in aerodynamic research to study the effects of air moving past solid objects.-Theory of operation:Wind tunnels were first proposed as a means of studying vehicles in free flight...
s in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, and composite work was done by the Belco Avia company. However, it was rumoured that the FG01 was little more than a re-working of the GR02.
Thus the FG01 did not promise much in terms of performance. It was angular and bulky, with poor aerodynamic performance negatively affecting grip and handling; it had a plump nose, initially no airbox, and was overweight and under-powered, using a small Ford-Cosworth
Cosworth
Cosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries...
ED V8
V8 engine
A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of four cylinders, in most cases set at a right angle to each other but sometimes at a narrower angle, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft....
customer engine largely financed by Ford do Brasil
Ford do Brasil
Ford do Brasil is a subsidiary of American automaker Ford Motor Company, founded on April 24, 1919. The operation started out importing the Ford Model T cars and the Ford Model TT trucks in kit form from the US for assembly in Brazil...
, which developed an estimated 100 bhp
Horsepower
Horsepower is the name of several units of measurement of power. The most common definitions equal between 735.5 and 750 watts.Horsepower was originally defined to compare the output of steam engines with the power of draft horses in continuous operation. The unit was widely adopted to measure the...
less than the most powerful engine in the field, the Renault
Renault F1
Lotus Renault GP, formerly the Renault F1 Team, is a British Formula One racing team. The Oxfordshire-based team can trace its roots back through the Benetton team of the late 1980s and 1990s to the Toleman team of the early 1980s. Renault had also competed in various forms since , before taking...
V10
V10 engine
A V10 engine is a V engine with 10 cylinders in two banks of five with a distinct exhaust note.- Mechanics :The V10 is essentially the result of mating two even-firing straight-5 engines together. The straight-5 engine shows first and second order rocking motion...
supplied to the Benetton
Benetton Formula
Benetton Formula Ltd., commonly referred to simply as Benetton, was a Formula One constructor that participated from to . The team was owned by the Benetton family who run a worldwide chain of clothing stores of the same name. In 2000 the team was purchased by Renault, but competed as Benetton for...
and Williams
WilliamsF1
Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited, trading as AT&T Williams, is a British Formula One motor racing team and constructor. It was founded and run by Sir Frank Williams and Patrick Head...
teams. It was also the only car to have a manual gearbox in the 1995 F1 season. The car was liveried in a distinctive yellow-and-blue colour scheme accompanied by fluorescent green wheel-rims, illustrating the team's Brazilian influence in its first year. The precise hue of each colour was chosen as a tribute to Ayrton Senna
Ayrton Senna
Ayrton Senna da Silva was a Brazilian racing driver. A three-time Formula One world champion, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time...
, who had been killed at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix
1994 San Marino Grand Prix
The 1994 San Marino Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on May 1, 1994 at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola, Italy. It was the third race of the 1994 Formula One season...
; the cars were liveried in identical shades to those used on the Brazilian's helmet design.
1995 season
Forti's number one driver for the season was rookie Pedro Diniz who had raced for Forti in F3000, but without much success. However, he was guaranteed a seat as his family and sponsors were paying a significant amount of the team's budget. The second driver was later confirmed as his more experienced compatriot Roberto MorenoRoberto Moreno
Roberto Pupo Moreno , usually known as Roberto Moreno and also as Pupo Moreno, is a racing driver from Brazil. He participated in 75 Formula One Grands Prix, achieved 1 podium, and scored a total of 15 championship points. He raced in CART in 1986, and was Formula 3000 champion before joining...
, who had last competed in F1 back in when he had a disastrous year driving for the infamous Andrea Moda
Andrea Moda Formula
Andrea Moda Formula was a Formula One team, created by Andrea Sassetti, a shoe manufacturer from Italy. In September 1991 he bought the Coloni F1 team after it had failed to pre-qualify a car for every single race that year....
team. However, his seat was initially only guaranteed on a race-by-race basis, as Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
driver Pedro Lamy
Pedro Lamy
José Pedro Mourão Lamy Viçoso, OIH, better known as Pedro Lamy , is a professional racing driver from Portugal. He is notable for being the first Portuguese driver to score a point in a World Championship event, in the 1995 Australian Grand Prix, for Minardi...
, in addition to the team's former F3000 drivers Emanuele Naspetti
Emanuele Naspetti
Emanuele Naspetti is a racing driver from Italy. He participated in six Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on August 30, 1992. He scored no championship points. He was considered for the Forti drive for the 1995 season....
and Andrea Montermini
Andrea Montermini
-Career:Montermini raced in Formula 3 in 1989, taking second place in the Monaco GP support race and 4th in the Italian F3 Championship. He then moved up to Formula 3000, racing for three season before finally taking second place in the 1992 season, winning three rounds while driving for the Il...
, were also considered. It was speculated that whoever joined the team would be contractually bound to be number two to Diniz and that his father had insisted on an all-Brazilian driver line-up. A Forti spokesman indeed confirmed that Moreno's nationality, in addition to his experience, was the main reason for his selection. The team later attempted to enter its former F3000 driver Hideki Noda
Hideki Noda
is a racing driver from Japan. He participated in 3 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting in the 1994 European Grand Prix, but did not score any championship points. He replaced Yannick Dalmas in the Larrousse car for the last 3 Grands Prix of the season, but failed to finish in any of the three races....
for the 1995 Pacific Grand Prix
1995 Pacific Grand Prix
The 1995 Pacific Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on October 22, 1995 at the TI Circuit, Aida, Japan. It was the fifteenth round of the 1995 Formula One season. The race, contested over 83 laps, was won by Michael Schumacher for the Benetton team after starting from third...
, but he was refused an FIA Super Licence
FIA Super Licence
The FIA Super Licence is a qualification allowing the licence holder to take part in Formula One Grands Prix as a driver. The licence is issued by the FIA upon request....
.
Unlike some of the existing teams, Forti was able to test its chassis extensively prior to the start of the season. However, Diniz proved to be around seven seconds per lap off the pace of the leading runners in group testing at the Estoril
Autódromo do Estoril
The Autódromo do Estoril is a race course in Portugal, owned by state-run holding management company Parpública. Its length is . It was the home of the Formula One Portuguese Grand Prix from 1984 to 1996....
circuit in March, indicating that the team was likely to be mired at the back of the field. Diniz finished 10th in the season-opening Brazilian GP
1995 Brazilian Grand Prix
The 1995 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on March 26, 1995 at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo, Brazil. It was the first round of the 1995 Formula One season. The race, contested over 71 laps, was won by Michael Schumacher for the Benetton team after...
, but was seven laps down on winner Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher is a German Formula One racing driver for the Mercedes GP team. Famous for his eleven-year spell with Ferrari, Schumacher is a seven-time World Champion and is widely regarded as the greatest F1 driver of all time...
. In Argentina
1995 Argentine Grand Prix
The 1995 Argentine Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on April 9, 1995 at the Autódromo Oscar Alfredo Gálvez, Buenos Aires, Argentina. It was the second round of the 1995 Formula One season and was the first Formula One race to take place in Argentina since...
, this situation became worse, as, although both drivers finished, they were both nine laps down on winner Damon Hill
Damon Hill
Damon Graham Devereux Hill OBE is a retired British racing driver. In 1996 Hill won the Formula One World Championship. As the son of the late Graham Hill, he is the only son of a world champion to win the title...
at the end of the race (with Diniz ahead) and neither were classified, as they had failed to complete 90% of the race distance. The drivers' similar fastest laps during the race were over ten seconds slower than Schumacher's fastest race lap, and almost five seconds slower than the next slowest runner's fastest lap (Domenico Schiattarella
Domenico Schiattarella
Domenico Schiattarella , known as Mimmo, is a former racing driver from Italy. He participated in 7 Formula One Grands Prix for Simtek, debuting on October 16, 1994, and finishing when the team folded the next year. He scored no championship points, with a best finish of 9th in the 1995 Argentine...
in the Simtek
Simtek
Simtek was an engineering consultancy firm and Formula One racing team. The F1 engineering consultancy arm, Simtek Research, was founded in 1989 by Max Mosley and Nick Wirth. It originally was involved in many areas of Formula One, including wind tunnel construction and chassis building for third...
). Imola
1995 San Marino Grand Prix
The 1995 San Marino Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on April 30, 1995 at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola. It was the third race of the 1995 Formula One season....
was similarly poor, as both drivers finished seven laps down (with Diniz again ahead) and again failed to reach the 90% threshold for classification. Forti was already the butt of paddock jokes, and were far slower than the other (and financially poorer) backmarkers: Pacific
Pacific Racing
Pacific Racing was a motor racing team from the United Kingdom...
, Simtek, and Minardi
Minardi
Minardi was an automobile racing team and constructor founded in 1979 by Giancarlo Minardi. It competed in the Formula One World Championship from 1985 until 2005 with little success, nevertheless acquiring a loyal following of fans...
. However, the budget enabled improvements to be made to the car. During the season, its weight was reduced by a significant 60 kilograms (approximately 10% of the F1 minimum weight limit of 595 kg), and a semi-automatic
Semi-automatic transmission
A semi-automatic transmission is an automobile transmission that does not change gears automatically, but rather facilitates manual gear changes by dispensing with the need to press...
gearbox, an airbox and redesigns of the front wing, sidepods and monocoque
Monocoque
Monocoque is a construction technique that supports structural load by using an object's external skin, as opposed to using an internal frame or truss that is then covered with a non-load-bearing skin or coachwork...
were introduced. The personnel count also doubled during the course of the season. This resulted in a gradual improvement in pace throughout the year, and there were no more non-classified finishes.
In between the Brazilian and Argentine Grands Prix, Rinland returned to Europe full-time to take the official post of the team's Technical Director. His long-term task was to establish an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
-based design office for the team, but his initial job was to improve the competitiveness of the FG01 through a series of technical upgrades. However, Rinland subsequently left the team after a few weeks, after falling out with the team's management over the car's lack of competitiveness.
1995 Monaco Grand Prix
The 1995 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on May 28, 1995 at the Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo, Monaco. It was the fifth round of the 1995 Formula One season. The race, contested over 78 laps, was won by Michael Schumacher for the Benetton team after starting from...
, and Pacific's lack of finance and development enabled Forti to start matching them from the half-way point of the season. At the German GP
1995 German Grand Prix
The 1995 German Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on July 30, 1995 at the Hockenheimring, Hockenheim. It was the ninth race of the 1995 Formula One season...
, both Fortis outqualified both the Pacifics for the first time, and this happened on two further occasions during 1995. Forti's improvement was also aided by Pacific taking on two slower pay driver
Pay driver
A pay driver is a driver for a professional auto racing team who, instead of being paid by their car owner, drives for free and brings with him either personal sponsorship or personal or family funding to finance the team's operations...
s, Giovanni Lavaggi
Giovanni Lavaggi
Giovanni Lavaggi is a racing driver from Italy.A nobleman by background, Lavaggi raised the money to buy ten Formula One Grand Prix drives, for Pacific and Minardi, debuting on July 30, 1995. In 1995 he was the only driver not to finish any of the F1 races that they started...
and Jean-Denis Délétraz
Jean-Denis Deletraz
Jean-Denis Délétraz is a racing driver from Switzerland. He participated in three Formula One Grands Prix, debuting in the 1994 Australian Grand Prix, and scored no championship points during his career....
, to ensure that the team finished the season. At the final race of the season, in Adelaide
1995 Australian Grand Prix
The 1995 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on November 12, 1995 at the Adelaide Street Circuit, Adelaide. It was the seventeenth and final race of the 1995 Formula One season...
, Forti seemed to have established a firm base for the season, emphasised by Moreno qualifying within 107% of pole position
Pole position
The term "pole position", as used in motorsports, comes from the horse racing term where the number one starter starts on the inside next to the inside pole. The term made its way, along with several other customs, to auto racing. In circuit motorsports, a driver has pole position when he or she...
for the first time - a crucial result, as this percentage of the pole time would be used to determine non-qualifiers in 1996 - and Diniz scoring the team's best result in F1, with a reliable run to seventh place, ahead of Gachot in the Pacific. This was only one position behind the points-scoring placings. Nevertheless, despite not scoring any points, Forti finished a de facto 11th in the Constructors' Championship
1995 Formula One season
The 1995 Formula One season was the 46th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1995 FIA Formula One World Championship, which was contested over 17 races from March 26 to November 12, 1995. For the second year in succession, the Drivers' Championship was won by Michael Schumacher,...
, ahead of Pacific and Simtek by virtue of better finishes outside of the points.
Post-championship, Forti took part in the 1995 Bologna Motor Show
Bologna Motor Show
The Bologna Motor Show is an auto show held in Bologna, Italy, in December. It is recognized as an international show by the Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs d'Automobiles.- 2011 :...
, where three FG01s – driven by Montermini, Lavaggi and Vittorio Zoboli
Vittorio Zoboli
Vittorio Zoboli is an Italian racing driver. His career has spanned Formula Three, Formula 3000 and sports car racing, in addition to two appearances in the Formula One Indoor Trophy.-Formula Three:...
– raced against, and lost to three Minardis in the Formula One Indoor Trophy
1995 Formula One Indoor Trophy
The 1995 Formula One Indoor Trophy took place on December 7-8 at the Bologna Motor Show. The winner was Luca Badoer in a Minardi-Ford.-Participants:-Preliminary rounds:-Knockout stage:...
.
Despite the progress made by Forti during the course of the season, 1995 was still regarded as a failure. The team had spent more money than its immediate rivals in designing, building and developing a fundamentally inefficient car. Diniz and his sponsors were described as "throwing their money away", and the Brazilian's reputation as a serious F1 driver was damaged, as it took him several years to prove that he was not just in the sport because of his funding. In addition, Moreno's participation with Forti was lamented by many observers, who felt that the experienced driver did not deserve the ignominy of such an uncompetitive car. The only positives were the reasonable reliability record and the fact that the Diniz family were contracted to fund the team for the next two years.
1996 season
Cosworth
Cosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries...
V8 engines in late 1995 to replace the outdated and underpowered ED models, and its financial security was demonstrated by rumours during the 1995 season that the more competitive but less well-funded Minardi team was considering a merger with Forti as a means of maintaining its own presence in the sport. However, these aspirations were dealt a devastating blow when Pedro Diniz signed for the more competitive Ligier team, taking Martin Brundle
Martin Brundle
Martin John Brundle is a British racing driver from England, known as a Formula One driver and as an F1 commentator for ITV Sport from 1997 to 2008, the BBC from 2009 to 2011 and Sky Sports from 2012....
's vacated seat as the latter moved to Jordan
Jordan Grand Prix
Jordan Grand Prix was a Formula One constructor that competed from 1991 to 2005. The team is named after Irish businessman and founder Eddie Jordan...
. Forti's sponsors brought in by the Diniz family, including Parmalat and Marlboro, all left; the budget was significantly dented. For a time it seemed that the team would not compete in 1996 at all, and its survival was constantly questioned. The new car was delayed, and the team was forced to use the uprated FG01B
Forti FG01
The Forti FG01, also designated Forti FG01-95, was a Formula One car for the 1995 season and was the first car made by Forti. The number 21 seat was taken by rookie Pedro Diniz and the number 22 seat was taken by veteran Roberto Moreno. The team never employed a test driver. The engine was a Ford...
car for the start of the season with the only slightly more competitive Ford Zetec-R
Cosworth
Cosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries...
V8 engine
V8 engine
A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of four cylinders, in most cases set at a right angle to each other but sometimes at a narrower angle, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft....
(instead of the "JS" unit it had been negotiating for), and to rely on temporary sponsors. Nevertheless, Forti remained in the sport for the 1996 season. Moreno was not retained; the team signed Minardi and Pacific refugees Luca Badoer
Luca Badoer
Luca Badoer is an Italian Formula One driver who has raced for the Scuderia Italia, Minardi, Forti Corse and most recently, Ferrari teams...
and Montermini to take the two empty seats (although Hideki Noda
Hideki Noda
is a racing driver from Japan. He participated in 3 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting in the 1994 European Grand Prix, but did not score any championship points. He replaced Yannick Dalmas in the Larrousse car for the last 3 Grands Prix of the season, but failed to finish in any of the three races....
was also considered), both drivers bringing a small amount of personal backing. Frenchman Franck Lagorce
Franck Lagorce
Franck Lagorce is a racing driver driver from France. He participated in 2 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on November 6, 1994. He scored no championship points....
was also signed as a test driver. Pacific had folded during the off-season, and it was clear that Forti would be some way behind the rest of the field in the slow FG01B. Badoer and Montermini failed to make the new 107% cut in qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix
1996 Australian Grand Prix
The 1996 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on 10 March 1996 at Melbourne. It was the first time this race was held in Melbourne since 1984, taking over from Adelaide as the host of the Australian Grand Prix...
and thus did not start the race, but both then managed to qualify for the Grands Prix held in Brazil
1996 Brazilian Grand Prix
The 1996 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on March 31, 1996 at Interlagos, amidst heavy rain. Six different teams scored points, with Damon Hill following up his win at the first round of the season....
and Argentina
1996 Argentine Grand Prix
The 1996 Argentine Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on April 7, 1996 at Autódromo Oscar Alfredo Gálvez, Buenos Aires. Despite suffering a bout of food poisoning, Damon Hill made it three wins out of three, with Jacques Villeneuve helping Williams complete their second one-two of the season...
, scoring a 10th and an 11th place finish between them in the races. Badoer, however, attracted attention in Argentina for a different reason. As Diniz attempted to lap him, the two collided and Badoer's car flipped over; the Italian escaping injury. Both cars then failed to qualify at the Nürburgring
1996 European Grand Prix
The 1996 European Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on April 28, 1996 at Nürburgring. Jacques Villeneuve scored his first Formula One victory in his fourth Formula One start.Both Benetton cars made extremely slow starts, due to the brakes locking on...
.
Forti produced a new chassis, the FG03
Forti FG03
The Forti FG03 was the car with which the Forti team competed in part of the Formula One season. It was driven by Luca Badoer and Andrea Montermini, both of whom were in their first year with the team....
, for the next race of the season in Imola
1996 San Marino Grand Prix
The 1996 San Marino Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on May 5, 1996 at Imola.- Qualifying :- Race :-Standings after Grand Prix:*Bold text indicates who still has a theoretical chance of becoming World Champion....
. It had been designed by the same personnel as the previous year, with further work carried out by George Ryton
George Ryton
George Ryton is a British engineer best known for his involvement in Formula One.- Career :Ryton entered the world of F1 when he was hired to work in the Haas Lola team's drawing office for . When the team was disbanded, he moved to Reynard to help design the company's first Formula 3000 chassis...
after the latter moved to the team from Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing....
and took up the post of Technical Director mid-season. Both drivers judged it a significant improvement over the old car, with increased aerodynamic downforce and directional sensitivity, but there was only one FG03 available, and Montermini failed to qualify in the old car. Badoer, however, qualified last, but comfortably within the 107% cut-off, and only 0.7s behind Ricardo Rosset
Ricardo Rosset
Ricardo Rosset is a racing driver from Brazil. He participated in 33 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on March 10, 1996...
in the Footwork
Arrows
Arrows Grand Prix International was a British Formula One team active from to . For a period of time, it was also known as Footwork.-Origins :...
. Badoer finished 10th and last, but had suffered reliability problems in the new car and was two laps behind Pedro Lamy
Pedro Lamy
José Pedro Mourão Lamy Viçoso, OIH, better known as Pedro Lamy , is a professional racing driver from Portugal. He is notable for being the first Portuguese driver to score a point in a World Championship event, in the 1995 Australian Grand Prix, for Minardi...
's Minardi. Both drivers qualified in Monaco
1996 Monaco Grand Prix
The 1996 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Monaco on May 19, 1996. The race was run in wet weather, causing significant attrition and setting a record for the least number of cars to be running at the end of a Grand Prix race...
, but Montermini crashed in the wet warm-up session and did not start the race, whilst Badoer struggled in the slippery conditions and took out Jacques Villeneuve
Jacques Villeneuve
Jacques Joseph Charles Villeneuve, , is a Canadian musician and automobile racing driver. He is the son of the late Formula One driver Gilles Villeneuve, and is the namesake of his uncle...
as he was being lapped by the Williams
WilliamsF1
Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited, trading as AT&T Williams, is a British Formula One motor racing team and constructor. It was founded and run by Sir Frank Williams and Patrick Head...
. He was fined $5000 and received a two-race suspended ban.
Deal with Shannon Racing
1996 Spanish Grand Prix
The 1996 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on June 2, 1996 at the Circuit de Catalunya.This race, Michael Schumacher's first Ferrari victory, is generally regarded as one of his finest...
, Belco Avia boss Arron Colombo announced that a deal had been reached between Guido Forti and an entity known as Shannon Racing
Shannon Racing
Shannon Racing, or the Shannon Racing Team, was a short-lived motorsport team that was briefly involved with the Forti Formula One team during the season. It was owned by a parent company known as FinFirst...
for the latter to buy a 51% share of the team. The deal was concluded later in the month, on June 30. Shannon Racing and its parent company FinFirst were Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
-registered sections of a Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
ese financial group, and had already established teams in various Formula Three
Formula Three
Formula Three, also called Formula 3 or F3, is a class of open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held in Europe, Australia, South America and Asia form an important step for many prospective Formula One drivers...
championships and in International Formula 3000 in 1996. The group was keen to move into Formula One, and Forti provided an opportunity for this to happen. It was believed that Colombo had organised the deal, which was scheduled to continue throughout 1996 with an option for , because Belco Avia was owed money by Forti. As part of the management change, Cesare Fiorio
Cesare Fiorio
Cesare Fiorio is a former Formula One sporting director for Ferrari, Ligier and Minardi, and former team manager of Lancia's factory World Rally Championship team. He is currently employed as a TV commentator...
left the team to join Ligier and was replaced by Daniele Coronna, whilst designer George Ryton
George Ryton
George Ryton is a British engineer best known for his involvement in Formula One.- Career :Ryton entered the world of F1 when he was hired to work in the Haas Lola team's drawing office for . When the team was disbanded, he moved to Reynard to help design the company's first Formula 3000 chassis...
joined from Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing....
.
For the Spanish GP, the cars therefore appeared in a new green-and-white livery, apparently confirming Shannon Racing's acquisition of 51% of Forti. This financial boost appeared to ensure the team's survival. With the off-track confusion, both drivers again failed to qualify. Nevertheless, at the Canadian
1996 Canadian Grand Prix
The 1996 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on June 16, 1996. The race was won by Damon Hill ahead of home hero Jacques Villeneuve, Gilles' son....
and French
1996 French Grand Prix
The 1996 French Grand Prix was a Formula One race, held at Magny-Cours on June 30, 1996.-Qualifying:-Race:- Notes :*Fastest Lap: Jacques Villeneuve 1:18.610*The engine of polesitter Schumacher's Ferrari failed on the formation lap...
Grands Prix, both Fortis made it to the grid, Badoer even outqualifying Rosset in Montréal
1996 Canadian Grand Prix
The 1996 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on June 16, 1996. The race was won by Damon Hill ahead of home hero Jacques Villeneuve, Gilles' son....
. However, Forti had lost its good 1995 reliability record, as these starts only resulted in four retirements. By this time, Forti's financial problems, caused by a conflict of team ownership between Guido Forti and Shannon Racing, were becoming increasingly urgent in nature. Both cars retired with "engine problems" at the French GP, although it was widely rumoured that this was due to the team running out of engine mileage as it went into debt with engine suppliers Cosworth
Cosworth
Cosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries...
.
Bankruptcy and withdrawal
Guido Forti alleged that Shannon Racing had not paid him any money within the stipulated six-day deadline after the deal was concluded and refuted the claim that it now owned 51% of his team. As the team ran out of money, it was doubtful whether it would turn up at the British GP1996 British Grand Prix
The 1996 British Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on July 14, 1996 at Silverstone. Jacques Villeneuve was the winner. After making a slow start from pole position, Damon Hill retired after a wheelnut problem caused him to spin off the circuit while he was trying to pass Mika Häkkinen...
. In the end, Forti took part, only for the cars to complete a mere handful of laps each in practice and thus failing to set a time quick enough to qualify. This was because it was becoming increasingly in debt to Cosworth and was running out of engine mileage for its cars, only having enough to make a token effort at participation. The team made it to the next race - the German GP
1996 German Grand Prix
The 1996 German Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on July 28, 1996 at Hockenheimring. Damon Hill started the race on pole position, and won it after Gerhard Berger's engine failed with 4 laps to go.-Qualifying:- Race :- Notes :...
- but both cars remained unassembled in the pit garages throughout the weekend after the engine supply was finally cut off.
Guido Forti, after discussing the matter with commercial rights-owner Bernie Ecclestone
Bernie Ecclestone
Bernard Charles "Bernie" Ecclestone is an English business magnate, as president and CEO of Formula One Management and Formula One Administration and through his part-ownership of Alpha Prema, the parent company of the Formula One Group of companies. As such, he is generally considered the primary...
, had decided to withdraw the team from the German GP as negotiations over the team's ownership between himself and Shannon continued, despite the threat of the FIA
Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile
The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile is a non-profit association established as the Association Internationale des Automobile Clubs Reconnus on 20 June 1904 to represent the interests of motoring organisations and motor car users...
(F1's governing body) imposing a fine on the outfit for missing the race. Following the failure of these negotiations, he then announced that Shannon's deal had fallen through and that he was back in charge of the team. He hoped to finalise some more sponsorship deals which would allow Forti to compete in the Hungarian GP
1996 Hungarian Grand Prix
The 1996 Hungarian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on August 11, 1996 at Hungaroring.- Classification :- Notes :* Pole position: Michael Schumacher 1:17.129* Fastest lap: Damon Hill 1:20.093* Williams secured the Constructors Championship....
. Shannon responded by claiming it still owned 51% of the team, and that it intended to solve Forti's financial problems itself, in addition to replacing Guido Forti as Team Principal. He duly took the company to court over the matter, an arduous process in the Italian legal system.
With the team in limbo whilst the ownership dispute was judged, Forti's situation was bleak. The team faced the prospect of further heavy FIA-imposed fines for missing races if the situation did not improve, or even exclusion from the championship for bringing the sport into disrepute, as had happened to the Andrea Moda
Andrea Moda Formula
Andrea Moda Formula was a Formula One team, created by Andrea Sassetti, a shoe manufacturer from Italy. In September 1991 he bought the Coloni F1 team after it had failed to pre-qualify a car for every single race that year....
team in . Forti withdrew his team from the sport; it did not make an appearance at the Hungarian GP, the Belgian GP
1996 Belgian Grand Prix
The 1996 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on August 25, 1996 at Spa-Francorchamps.- Classification :- Notes :* Pole position: Jacques Villeneuve 1:50.574* Fastest lap: Gerhard Berger 1:53.067...
, nor at any further point in the championship. Badoer
Luca Badoer
Luca Badoer is an Italian Formula One driver who has raced for the Scuderia Italia, Minardi, Forti Corse and most recently, Ferrari teams...
and Montermini
Andrea Montermini
-Career:Montermini raced in Formula 3 in 1989, taking second place in the Monaco GP support race and 4th in the Italian F3 Championship. He then moved up to Formula 3000, racing for three season before finally taking second place in the 1992 season, winning three rounds while driving for the Il...
were left without drives, and the promising FG03 chassis would no longer race. By the time Shannon Racing won the court case in September, Forti had ceased to exist. Shannon Racing's teams in the lower motorsport categories also closed down. Coincidentally, Guido Forti had signed the 1997 Concorde Agreement
Concorde Agreement
The Concorde Agreement is a contract between the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile , the Formula One teams and the Formula One Administration which dictates the terms by which the teams compete in races and take their share of the television revenues and prize money...
shortly before his team's demise, which could have given his team a chance of surviving if it had made it into that year due to the extra television revenue that was duly granted to each of the teams under the terms of the agreement.
Legacy
Forti's withdrawal marked not only the end of its participation in Formula One, but also terminated a team which had enjoyed success in International Formula 3000 and other minor categories. It is generally agreed that Forti may have succeeded if it had its 1995 budget and the FG03 car at the same time, and that Diniz's departure meant that it stood little chance of survival, but the team has become another example of a small, backmarking team unable to finance its aspirations; one of the final "privateer" teams to enter the sport in an era of increasing influence and participation from the large car manufacturers. Forti is often cited along with Pacific and Simtek as prime examples of this tendency. It was also argued that the increasing amount of money involved in financing an F1 team which was forcing many of the smaller teams to withdraw in the early to mid-1990s was a long-term threat to the future of the sport. Alternatively, some saw Forti and similar tail-enders as undeserving of a place in F1, and it has been suggested that the imposition of the 107% rule by the FIAFédération Internationale de l'Automobile
The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile is a non-profit association established as the Association Internationale des Automobile Clubs Reconnus on 20 June 1904 to represent the interests of motoring organisations and motor car users...
in 1996 was a move to force them to raise their game or leave the sport altogether.
However, the Forti F1 cars have since been used for other purposes. Examples of the FG03 are currently being used as part of F1-themed track day
Track day
A track day is an organised event in which members of the public are allowed to drive or ride around established motor racing circuits, or alternatively on closed or disused airfields...
s in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
at motor racing circuits such as Rockingham
Rockingham Motor Speedway
Rockingham is the UK's most modern motorsport venue and Europe's fastest racing circuit, hosting corporate driving days, driver training, conferencing & exhibitions, vehicle manufacturing events, track days, testing, driving experiences and motorsport...
.
Championships and notable race wins
| Year | Championship/Race | Chassis | Engine | Driver | Reference(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Italian Formula Ford Formula Ford Formula Ford is a single seater, open wheel class in motorsport which exists in some form in many countries around the world. It is an entry-level series to motor racing.... 2000 Drivers' Championship |
? | Ford Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK... |
 Teo FabiTeo Fabi Teodorico Fabi , better known as Teo Fabi, is an Italian former racing driver.-Career:Fabi participated in 71 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on January 23, 1982. He achieved 2 podiums, and scored a total of 23 championship points... |
|
| 1979 | Argentine Formula Three Drivers' Championship | Martini Martini (cars) Martini Cars is a constructor of Formula racing cars from France, founded by Renato "Tico" Martini in 1965, when Martini and partner Bill Knight founded the Winfield Racing School at the Magny-Cours circuit... |
Toyota Toyota in motorsports Since its introduction to motorsports in the early 1970s, Toyota has been involved in a number of motorsport activities, most notably in Formula One, NASCAR, IndyCar, Champ Car, sports car racing and rallying... |
 Oscar LarrauriOscar Larrauri Oscar Rubén Larrauri is a racing driver from Argentina. He participated in 21 Formula One Grands Prix, all with the struggling EuroBrun team, debuting on April 3, 1988... |
|
| 1985 | Italian Formula Three Italian Formula Three Championship The Italian Formula Three Championship is the Formula Three racing competition in Italy.-History:Formula Three has traditionally been regarded as the first major stepping stone for F1 hopefuls - it is typically the first point in a driver's career at which most drivers in the series are aiming at... Drivers' Championship |
Dallara Dallara Dallara Automobili is an Italian chassis manufacturer for various motor racing series, being most notable for its near-monopoly in Formula 3 since 1993... |
Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo in motorsport During its history, Alfa Romeo has competed successfully in many different categories of motorsport, including Grand Prix motor racing, Formula One, sportscar racing, touring car racing and rallies. They have competed both as a constructor and an engine supplier, via works entries and private... |
 Franco ForiniFranco Forini Franco Forini is a former racing driver from Switzerland. He competed in the Italian Formula Three Championship between 1981 and 1985, winning the title in his final year in a Dallara-Volkswagen with future F1 team Forti Corse, and finishing as runner up in the Monaco Grand Prix F3 support race in... |
|
| 1987 | Italian Formula Three Italian Formula Three Championship The Italian Formula Three Championship is the Formula Three racing competition in Italy.-History:Formula Three has traditionally been regarded as the first major stepping stone for F1 hopefuls - it is typically the first point in a driver's career at which most drivers in the series are aiming at... Drivers' Championship |
Dallara Dallara Dallara Automobili is an Italian chassis manufacturer for various motor racing series, being most notable for its near-monopoly in Formula 3 since 1993... |
Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo in motorsport During its history, Alfa Romeo has competed successfully in many different categories of motorsport, including Grand Prix motor racing, Formula One, sportscar racing, touring car racing and rallies. They have competed both as a constructor and an engine supplier, via works entries and private... |
Enrico Bertaggia Enrico Bertaggia Enrico Bertaggia is a former racing driver from Italy. He enjoyed success in Formula Three, winning the Italian F3 title in 1987 and the Monaco Grand Prix F3 support race and the Macau Grand Prix the following year. He also made his debut in Formula 3000 in 1987 and 1988, however his results... |
|
| 1988 | Italian Formula Three Italian Formula Three Championship The Italian Formula Three Championship is the Formula Three racing competition in Italy.-History:Formula Three has traditionally been regarded as the first major stepping stone for F1 hopefuls - it is typically the first point in a driver's career at which most drivers in the series are aiming at... Drivers' Championship |
Dallara Dallara Dallara Automobili is an Italian chassis manufacturer for various motor racing series, being most notable for its near-monopoly in Formula 3 since 1993... |
Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo in motorsport During its history, Alfa Romeo has competed successfully in many different categories of motorsport, including Grand Prix motor racing, Formula One, sportscar racing, touring car racing and rallies. They have competed both as a constructor and an engine supplier, via works entries and private... |
Emanuele Naspetti Emanuele Naspetti Emanuele Naspetti is a racing driver from Italy. He participated in six Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on August 30, 1992. He scored no championship points. He was considered for the Forti drive for the 1995 season.... |
|
| Macau Grand Prix Macau Grand Prix The Macau Grand Prix is a motor-racing event held annually in Macau, one of China's Special Administrative Regions. It is known for being the only street circuit racing event in which both car and motorcycle races are held... |
Dallara Dallara Dallara Automobili is an Italian chassis manufacturer for various motor racing series, being most notable for its near-monopoly in Formula 3 since 1993... |
Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo in motorsport During its history, Alfa Romeo has competed successfully in many different categories of motorsport, including Grand Prix motor racing, Formula One, sportscar racing, touring car racing and rallies. They have competed both as a constructor and an engine supplier, via works entries and private... |
Enrico Bertaggia Enrico Bertaggia Enrico Bertaggia is a former racing driver from Italy. He enjoyed success in Formula Three, winning the Italian F3 title in 1987 and the Monaco Grand Prix F3 support race and the Macau Grand Prix the following year. He also made his debut in Formula 3000 in 1987 and 1988, however his results... |
||
| Grand Prix de Monaco F3 | Dallara Dallara Dallara Automobili is an Italian chassis manufacturer for various motor racing series, being most notable for its near-monopoly in Formula 3 since 1993... |
Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo in motorsport During its history, Alfa Romeo has competed successfully in many different categories of motorsport, including Grand Prix motor racing, Formula One, sportscar racing, touring car racing and rallies. They have competed both as a constructor and an engine supplier, via works entries and private... |
Enrico Bertaggia Enrico Bertaggia Enrico Bertaggia is a former racing driver from Italy. He enjoyed success in Formula Three, winning the Italian F3 title in 1987 and the Monaco Grand Prix F3 support race and the Macau Grand Prix the following year. He also made his debut in Formula 3000 in 1987 and 1988, however his results... |
||
| 1989 | Italian Formula Three Italian Formula Three Championship The Italian Formula Three Championship is the Formula Three racing competition in Italy.-History:Formula Three has traditionally been regarded as the first major stepping stone for F1 hopefuls - it is typically the first point in a driver's career at which most drivers in the series are aiming at... Drivers' Championship |
Dallara Dallara Dallara Automobili is an Italian chassis manufacturer for various motor racing series, being most notable for its near-monopoly in Formula 3 since 1993... |
Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo in motorsport During its history, Alfa Romeo has competed successfully in many different categories of motorsport, including Grand Prix motor racing, Formula One, sportscar racing, touring car racing and rallies. They have competed both as a constructor and an engine supplier, via works entries and private... |
Gianni Morbidelli Gianni Morbidelli Gianni Morbidelli is a racing driver from Italy. He is the son of Giancarlo Morbidelli, the founder of Morbidelli motorcycle company which had success in Grand Prix motorcycle racing. Morbidelli participated in 70 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on March 11, 1990. He achieved one podium, and... |
|
| European Formula Three Cup FIA European Formula Three Cup The FIA European Formula Three Cup was a Formula 3 single race held annually at different European circuits from 1985 to 1990, and at the Pau Circuit, France from 1999 to 2002. It became as the official Formula 3 championship in Europe after the European Formula 3 Championship had been cancelled... |
Dallara Dallara Dallara Automobili is an Italian chassis manufacturer for various motor racing series, being most notable for its near-monopoly in Formula 3 since 1993... |
Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo in motorsport During its history, Alfa Romeo has competed successfully in many different categories of motorsport, including Grand Prix motor racing, Formula One, sportscar racing, touring car racing and rallies. They have competed both as a constructor and an engine supplier, via works entries and private... |
Gianni Morbidelli Gianni Morbidelli Gianni Morbidelli is a racing driver from Italy. He is the son of Giancarlo Morbidelli, the founder of Morbidelli motorcycle company which had success in Grand Prix motorcycle racing. Morbidelli participated in 70 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on March 11, 1990. He achieved one podium, and... |
Complete International Formula 3000 results
(results in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)| Year | Chassis | Engine | Tyres | Driver(s) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | Points | TC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Dallara Dallara Dallara Automobili is an Italian chassis manufacturer for various motor racing series, being most notable for its near-monopoly in Formula 3 since 1993... 3087 |
Cosworth Cosworth Cosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries... V8 V8 engine A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of four cylinders, in most cases set at a right angle to each other but sometimes at a narrower angle, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft.... |
SIL Silverstone Circuit Silverstone Circuit is an English motor racing circuit next to the Northamptonshire villages of Silverstone and Whittlebury. The circuit straddles the Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire border, with the current main circuit entry on the Buckinghamshire side... |
VAL ACI Vallelunga Circuit The Autodromo Vallelunga Piero Taruffi is a racing circuit situated north of Rome, Italy, near Vallelunga of Campagnano. Vallelunga was built as a sand oval in 1959. From 1963 the circuit held the Rome Grand Prix, and in 1967 a new loop was added when the track became the property of the... |
SPA Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps is the venue of the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix and the Spa 24 Hours endurance race. It is also home to the all Volkswagen club event, 25 Hours of Spa, run by the Uniroyal Fun Cup. It is one of the most challenging race tracks in the world, mainly due to its... |
PAU | DON Donington Park Donington Park is a motorsport circuit near Castle Donington in Leicestershire, England.Originally part of the Donington Hall estate, it was created as a racing circuit during the pre-war period when the German Silver Arrows were battling for the European Championship... |
PER Autodromo di Pergusa The Autodromo di Pergusa is an automobile and motorcycle circuit that encircles the only Sicilian natural lake, Pergusa Lake. The circuit is also known as Enna-Pergusa, as the lake is located near the city of Enna.... |
BRH Brands Hatch Brands Hatch is a motor racing circuit near West Kingsdown in Kent, England. First used as a dirt track motorcycle circuit on farmland, it hosted 12 runnings of the British Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986 and currently holds many British and international racing events... |
BIR Birmingham Superprix The Halfords Birmingham Superprix was a motor racing meeting held on a street circuit at the heart of Birmingham, England, from 1986 to 1990. Until 1990 the principal event was a round of the European Formula 3000 Championship, but support races included BTCC and Formula Ford 1600 rounds, as well... |
IML Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari The Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari is an auto racing circuit near the Italian town of Imola, east of Bologna and east of the Ferrari factory in Maranello.... |
BUG | JAR Circuito Permanente Del Jarama The Circuito del Jarama , formerly known as Circuito Permanente del Jarama is a race course in Madrid, Spain which has hosted nine Formula One Spanish Grand Prix.... |
0 | NC | ||
| Nicola Larini Nicola Larini Nicola Larini is a racing driver from Italy. He participated in 75 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on September 6, 1987. He finished second in the tragic 1994 San Marino Grand Prix on a substitute outing for Ferrari, but only scored points once more in his career... |
Ret | 16 | Ret | Ret | |||||||||||||
| Nicola Tesini |
DNQ | ||||||||||||||||
| 1988 | Dallara Dallara Dallara Automobili is an Italian chassis manufacturer for various motor racing series, being most notable for its near-monopoly in Formula 3 since 1993... 3087 Lola T88/50 |
Cosworth Cosworth Cosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries... V8 V8 engine A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of four cylinders, in most cases set at a right angle to each other but sometimes at a narrower angle, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft.... |
JER Circuito Permanente de Jerez Circuito de Jerez , formerly known as Circuito Permanente de Jerez, is a 4,428 m racing circuit located close to the city of Jerez de la Frontera, deep within the sherry-producing south of Spain... |
VAL ACI Vallelunga Circuit The Autodromo Vallelunga Piero Taruffi is a racing circuit situated north of Rome, Italy, near Vallelunga of Campagnano. Vallelunga was built as a sand oval in 1959. From 1963 the circuit held the Rome Grand Prix, and in 1967 a new loop was added when the track became the property of the... |
PAU | SIL Silverstone Circuit Silverstone Circuit is an English motor racing circuit next to the Northamptonshire villages of Silverstone and Whittlebury. The circuit straddles the Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire border, with the current main circuit entry on the Buckinghamshire side... |
MNZ Autodromo Nazionale Monza The Autodromo Nazionale Monza is a race track located near the town of Monza, north of Milan, in Italy. The circuit's biggest event is the Formula One Italian Grand Prix, which has been hosted there since the sport's inception.... |
PER Autodromo di Pergusa The Autodromo di Pergusa is an automobile and motorcycle circuit that encircles the only Sicilian natural lake, Pergusa Lake. The circuit is also known as Enna-Pergusa, as the lake is located near the city of Enna.... |
BRH Brands Hatch Brands Hatch is a motor racing circuit near West Kingsdown in Kent, England. First used as a dirt track motorcycle circuit on farmland, it hosted 12 runnings of the British Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986 and currently holds many British and international racing events... |
BIR Birmingham Superprix The Halfords Birmingham Superprix was a motor racing meeting held on a street circuit at the heart of Birmingham, England, from 1986 to 1990. Until 1990 the principal event was a round of the European Formula 3000 Championship, but support races included BTCC and Formula Ford 1600 rounds, as well... |
BUG | ZOL Zolder The Circuit Zolder, also known as Circuit Terlaemen, is an undulating motorsport race track in Heusden-Zolder, Belgium.Built in 1963, Zolder hosted the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix on 10 separate occasions in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as the 1980 Belgian motorcycle Grand Prix. The F1 circus... |
DIJ Dijon-Prenois Dijon-Prenois is a motor racing circuit located in Prenois, near Dijon, France. The undulating track is noted for its fast, sweeping bends.... |
0 | NC | ||
| Enrico Bertaggia Enrico Bertaggia Enrico Bertaggia is a former racing driver from Italy. He enjoyed success in Formula Three, winning the Italian F3 title in 1987 and the Monaco Grand Prix F3 support race and the Macau Grand Prix the following year. He also made his debut in Formula 3000 in 1987 and 1988, however his results... |
DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | 7 | 16 | DNS | DNQ | DNQ | 11 | Ret | ||||||
| Fernando Croceri |
DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | ||||||||||||
| Enrico Debenedetti |
DNQ | DNQ | |||||||||||||||
| Nino Fama |
DNQ | ||||||||||||||||
| 1989 | Lola T89/50 | Cosworth Cosworth Cosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries... V8 V8 engine A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of four cylinders, in most cases set at a right angle to each other but sometimes at a narrower angle, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft.... |
SIL Silverstone Circuit Silverstone Circuit is an English motor racing circuit next to the Northamptonshire villages of Silverstone and Whittlebury. The circuit straddles the Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire border, with the current main circuit entry on the Buckinghamshire side... |
VAL ACI Vallelunga Circuit The Autodromo Vallelunga Piero Taruffi is a racing circuit situated north of Rome, Italy, near Vallelunga of Campagnano. Vallelunga was built as a sand oval in 1959. From 1963 the circuit held the Rome Grand Prix, and in 1967 a new loop was added when the track became the property of the... |
PAU | JER Circuito Permanente de Jerez Circuito de Jerez , formerly known as Circuito Permanente de Jerez, is a 4,428 m racing circuit located close to the city of Jerez de la Frontera, deep within the sherry-producing south of Spain... |
PER Autodromo di Pergusa The Autodromo di Pergusa is an automobile and motorcycle circuit that encircles the only Sicilian natural lake, Pergusa Lake. The circuit is also known as Enna-Pergusa, as the lake is located near the city of Enna.... |
BRH Brands Hatch Brands Hatch is a motor racing circuit near West Kingsdown in Kent, England. First used as a dirt track motorcycle circuit on farmland, it hosted 12 runnings of the British Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986 and currently holds many British and international racing events... |
BIR Birmingham Superprix The Halfords Birmingham Superprix was a motor racing meeting held on a street circuit at the heart of Birmingham, England, from 1986 to 1990. Until 1990 the principal event was a round of the European Formula 3000 Championship, but support races included BTCC and Formula Ford 1600 rounds, as well... |
SPA Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps is the venue of the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix and the Spa 24 Hours endurance race. It is also home to the all Volkswagen club event, 25 Hours of Spa, run by the Uniroyal Fun Cup. It is one of the most challenging race tracks in the world, mainly due to its... |
BUG | DIJ Dijon-Prenois Dijon-Prenois is a motor racing circuit located in Prenois, near Dijon, France. The undulating track is noted for its fast, sweeping bends.... |
7 | 9th | |||
| Claudio Langes Claudio Langes Claudio Langes is a racing driver from Italy.In 1978 he won the Italian 125 cc go-kart championship. In subsequent years he competed in Formula 3 and in Formula 3000, where his best result was a third place at the Curaçao Grand Prix, achieved in 1985 with a March Formula 3000.Reaching Formula... |
12 | Ret | Ret | 7 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 9 | 7 | |||||||
| 1990 | Lola T90/50 | Cosworth Cosworth Cosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries... V8 V8 engine A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of four cylinders, in most cases set at a right angle to each other but sometimes at a narrower angle, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft.... |
DON Donington Park Donington Park is a motorsport circuit near Castle Donington in Leicestershire, England.Originally part of the Donington Hall estate, it was created as a racing circuit during the pre-war period when the German Silver Arrows were battling for the European Championship... |
SIL Silverstone Circuit Silverstone Circuit is an English motor racing circuit next to the Northamptonshire villages of Silverstone and Whittlebury. The circuit straddles the Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire border, with the current main circuit entry on the Buckinghamshire side... |
PAU | JER Circuito Permanente de Jerez Circuito de Jerez , formerly known as Circuito Permanente de Jerez, is a 4,428 m racing circuit located close to the city of Jerez de la Frontera, deep within the sherry-producing south of Spain... |
MNZ Autodromo Nazionale Monza The Autodromo Nazionale Monza is a race track located near the town of Monza, north of Milan, in Italy. The circuit's biggest event is the Formula One Italian Grand Prix, which has been hosted there since the sport's inception.... |
PER Autodromo di Pergusa The Autodromo di Pergusa is an automobile and motorcycle circuit that encircles the only Sicilian natural lake, Pergusa Lake. The circuit is also known as Enna-Pergusa, as the lake is located near the city of Enna.... |
HOC Hockenheimring The Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg is an automobile racing track situated near the town of Hockenheim in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, located on Bertha Benz Memorial Route. Amongst other motor racing events, it biennially hosts the Formula One German Grand Prix... |
BRH Brands Hatch Brands Hatch is a motor racing circuit near West Kingsdown in Kent, England. First used as a dirt track motorcycle circuit on farmland, it hosted 12 runnings of the British Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986 and currently holds many British and international racing events... |
BIR Birmingham Superprix The Halfords Birmingham Superprix was a motor racing meeting held on a street circuit at the heart of Birmingham, England, from 1986 to 1990. Until 1990 the principal event was a round of the European Formula 3000 Championship, but support races included BTCC and Formula Ford 1600 rounds, as well... |
BUG | NOG Circuit Paul Armagnac Circuit Paul Armagnac is a motorsport race track near Nogaro in southwestern France. The track was built in 1960. The venue hosted the French round of the Grand Prix motorcycle road racing world championship in 1978 and 1982, as well as the 2003 round of the FIA Sportscar Championship. It also... |
20 | 7th | ||
| Gianni Morbidelli Gianni Morbidelli Gianni Morbidelli is a racing driver from Italy. He is the son of Giancarlo Morbidelli, the founder of Morbidelli motorcycle company which had success in Grand Prix motorcycle racing. Morbidelli participated in 70 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on March 11, 1990. He achieved one podium, and... |
8 | Ret | 3 | Ret | 4 | 1 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 7 | 3 | ||||||
| 1991 | Lola T91/50 Reynard Reynard Motorsport Reynard Motorsport was at one time the world's largest racing car manufacturer. Initially based at Bicester and latterly at Reynard Park, Brackley, England the company built successful cars in Formula Ford 1600, Formula Ford 2000, Formula Vauxhall Lotus, Formula Three, Formula 3000 and Indy... 91D |
Cosworth Cosworth Cosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries... V8 V8 engine A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of four cylinders, in most cases set at a right angle to each other but sometimes at a narrower angle, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft.... |
VAL ACI Vallelunga Circuit The Autodromo Vallelunga Piero Taruffi is a racing circuit situated north of Rome, Italy, near Vallelunga of Campagnano. Vallelunga was built as a sand oval in 1959. From 1963 the circuit held the Rome Grand Prix, and in 1967 a new loop was added when the track became the property of the... |
PAU | JER Circuito Permanente de Jerez Circuito de Jerez , formerly known as Circuito Permanente de Jerez, is a 4,428 m racing circuit located close to the city of Jerez de la Frontera, deep within the sherry-producing south of Spain... |
MUG Mugello Circuit Mugello Circuit is a race track in the Mugello region of Italy near Florence. Its length is . It has 15 turns and a long straight.Grand Prix motorcycle racing host an annual event here . Also, the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters hold an annual event. The track is property of Scuderia Ferrari which... |
PER Autodromo di Pergusa The Autodromo di Pergusa is an automobile and motorcycle circuit that encircles the only Sicilian natural lake, Pergusa Lake. The circuit is also known as Enna-Pergusa, as the lake is located near the city of Enna.... |
HOC Hockenheimring The Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg is an automobile racing track situated near the town of Hockenheim in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, located on Bertha Benz Memorial Route. Amongst other motor racing events, it biennially hosts the Formula One German Grand Prix... |
BRH Brands Hatch Brands Hatch is a motor racing circuit near West Kingsdown in Kent, England. First used as a dirt track motorcycle circuit on farmland, it hosted 12 runnings of the British Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986 and currently holds many British and international racing events... |
SPA Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps is the venue of the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix and the Spa 24 Hours endurance race. It is also home to the all Volkswagen club event, 25 Hours of Spa, run by the Uniroyal Fun Cup. It is one of the most challenging race tracks in the world, mainly due to its... |
BUG | NOG Circuit Paul Armagnac Circuit Paul Armagnac is a motorsport race track near Nogaro in southwestern France. The track was built in 1960. The venue hosted the French round of the Grand Prix motorcycle road racing world championship in 1978 and 1982, as well as the 2003 round of the FIA Sportscar Championship. It also... |
43 | 3rd | |||
| Emanuele Naspetti Emanuele Naspetti Emanuele Naspetti is a racing driver from Italy. He participated in six Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on August 30, 1992. He scored no championship points. He was considered for the Forti drive for the 1995 season.... |
10 | 9 | DNQ | DNS | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Ret | 6 | |||||||
| Fabrizio Giovanardi Fabrizio Giovanardi Fabrizio Giovanardi is an Italian racing driver. During his career he has won eight touring car titles, including European and British crowns... |
12 | 5 | DNQ | 8 | Ret | 13 | 8 | 6 | DNS | 4 | |||||||
| 1992 | Reynard Reynard Motorsport Reynard Motorsport was at one time the world's largest racing car manufacturer. Initially based at Bicester and latterly at Reynard Park, Brackley, England the company built successful cars in Formula Ford 1600, Formula Ford 2000, Formula Vauxhall Lotus, Formula Three, Formula 3000 and Indy... 92D |
Cosworth Cosworth Cosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries... V8 V8 engine A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of four cylinders, in most cases set at a right angle to each other but sometimes at a narrower angle, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft.... |
SIL Silverstone Circuit Silverstone Circuit is an English motor racing circuit next to the Northamptonshire villages of Silverstone and Whittlebury. The circuit straddles the Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire border, with the current main circuit entry on the Buckinghamshire side... |
PAU | CAT Circuit de Catalunya The Circuit de Catalunya is a racetrack in Montmeló, to the north of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. With long straights and a variety of corners, the Circuit de Catalunya is seen as an all-rounder circuit.-History:... |
PER Autodromo di Pergusa The Autodromo di Pergusa is an automobile and motorcycle circuit that encircles the only Sicilian natural lake, Pergusa Lake. The circuit is also known as Enna-Pergusa, as the lake is located near the city of Enna.... |
HOC Hockenheimring The Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg is an automobile racing track situated near the town of Hockenheim in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, located on Bertha Benz Memorial Route. Amongst other motor racing events, it biennially hosts the Formula One German Grand Prix... |
NUR Nürburgring The Nürburgring is a motorsport complex around the village of Nürburg, Germany. It features a modern Grand Prix race track built in 1984, and a much longer old North loop track which was built in the 1920s around the village and medieval castle of Nürburg in the Eifel mountains. It is located about... |
SPA Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps is the venue of the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix and the Spa 24 Hours endurance race. It is also home to the all Volkswagen club event, 25 Hours of Spa, run by the Uniroyal Fun Cup. It is one of the most challenging race tracks in the world, mainly due to its... |
ALB Circuito de Albacete Circuito de Albacete is a motorsports facility located in Albacete, Spain, it opened in 1990. The main circuit is long with 13 turns, 8 of them right turns and 5 left turns. The facility can also be configured in two other layouts. A long circuit with 8 turns, 5 right and 3 left... |
NOG Circuit Paul Armagnac Circuit Paul Armagnac is a motorsport race track near Nogaro in southwestern France. The track was built in 1960. The venue hosted the French round of the Grand Prix motorcycle road racing world championship in 1978 and 1982, as well as the 2003 round of the FIA Sportscar Championship. It also... |
MAG Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours is a motor racing circuit located in central France, near the towns of Magny-Cours and Nevers, some 250 km from Paris... |
44 | 2nd | |||
| Emanuele Naspetti Emanuele Naspetti Emanuele Naspetti is a racing driver from Italy. He participated in six Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on August 30, 1992. He scored no championship points. He was considered for the Forti drive for the 1995 season.... |
6 | 1 | 16 | 2 | 4 | Ret | |||||||||||
| Andrea Montermini Andrea Montermini -Career:Montermini raced in Formula 3 in 1989, taking second place in the Monaco GP support race and 4th in the Italian F3 Championship. He then moved up to Formula 3000, racing for three season before finally taking second place in the 1992 season, winning three rounds while driving for the Il... |
1 | 1 | 4 | Ret | |||||||||||||
| Alessandro Zampedri Alessandro Zampedri Alessandro Zampedri is an Italian race car driver. He started three Indy 500s .Zampedri was seriously injured in the 1996 Indianapolis 500, suffering severe foot and leg injuries on the last lap of the race. While running fourth, Zampedri was collected in a crash with Roberto Guerrero and Eliseo... |
Ret | Ret | 11 | 5 | 7 | Ret | 7 | 8 | 5 | Ret | |||||||
| 1993 | Reynard Reynard Motorsport Reynard Motorsport was at one time the world's largest racing car manufacturer. Initially based at Bicester and latterly at Reynard Park, Brackley, England the company built successful cars in Formula Ford 1600, Formula Ford 2000, Formula Vauxhall Lotus, Formula Three, Formula 3000 and Indy... 93D |
Cosworth Cosworth Cosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries... V8 V8 engine A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of four cylinders, in most cases set at a right angle to each other but sometimes at a narrower angle, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft.... |
DON Donington Park Donington Park is a motorsport circuit near Castle Donington in Leicestershire, England.Originally part of the Donington Hall estate, it was created as a racing circuit during the pre-war period when the German Silver Arrows were battling for the European Championship... |
SIL Silverstone Circuit Silverstone Circuit is an English motor racing circuit next to the Northamptonshire villages of Silverstone and Whittlebury. The circuit straddles the Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire border, with the current main circuit entry on the Buckinghamshire side... |
PAU | PER Autodromo di Pergusa The Autodromo di Pergusa is an automobile and motorcycle circuit that encircles the only Sicilian natural lake, Pergusa Lake. The circuit is also known as Enna-Pergusa, as the lake is located near the city of Enna.... |
HOC Hockenheimring The Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg is an automobile racing track situated near the town of Hockenheim in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, located on Bertha Benz Memorial Route. Amongst other motor racing events, it biennially hosts the Formula One German Grand Prix... |
NUR Nürburgring The Nürburgring is a motorsport complex around the village of Nürburg, Germany. It features a modern Grand Prix race track built in 1984, and a much longer old North loop track which was built in the 1920s around the village and medieval castle of Nürburg in the Eifel mountains. It is located about... |
SPA Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps is the venue of the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix and the Spa 24 Hours endurance race. It is also home to the all Volkswagen club event, 25 Hours of Spa, run by the Uniroyal Fun Cup. It is one of the most challenging race tracks in the world, mainly due to its... |
MAG Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours is a motor racing circuit located in central France, near the towns of Magny-Cours and Nevers, some 250 km from Paris... |
NOG Circuit Paul Armagnac Circuit Paul Armagnac is a motorsport race track near Nogaro in southwestern France. The track was built in 1960. The venue hosted the French round of the Grand Prix motorcycle road racing world championship in 1978 and 1982, as well as the 2003 round of the FIA Sportscar Championship. It also... |
20 | 5th | ||||
 Olivier BerettaOlivier Beretta Olivier Beretta is a racing driver from Monaco who raced in Formula One in 1994 for the Larrousse team, partnering Érik Comas. He participated in 10 grands prix, debuting on March 27, 1994. He scored no championship points, and was replaced when his sponsorship money ran out... |
1 | 10 | 4 | Ret | 4 | 5 | 13 | 9 | 4 | ||||||||
 Pedro DinizPedro Diniz Pedro Paulo Diniz is a racing driver from Brazil. He participated in 99 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on March 26, 1995... |
Ret | Ret | DNQ | 7 | Ret | 16 | 14 | 11 | 14 | ||||||||
| 1994 | Reynard Reynard Motorsport Reynard Motorsport was at one time the world's largest racing car manufacturer. Initially based at Bicester and latterly at Reynard Park, Brackley, England the company built successful cars in Formula Ford 1600, Formula Ford 2000, Formula Vauxhall Lotus, Formula Three, Formula 3000 and Indy... 94D |
Cosworth Cosworth Cosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries... V8 V8 engine A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of four cylinders, in most cases set at a right angle to each other but sometimes at a narrower angle, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft.... |
SIL Silverstone Circuit Silverstone Circuit is an English motor racing circuit next to the Northamptonshire villages of Silverstone and Whittlebury. The circuit straddles the Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire border, with the current main circuit entry on the Buckinghamshire side... |
PAU | CAT Circuit de Catalunya The Circuit de Catalunya is a racetrack in Montmeló, to the north of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. With long straights and a variety of corners, the Circuit de Catalunya is seen as an all-rounder circuit.-History:... |
PER Autodromo di Pergusa The Autodromo di Pergusa is an automobile and motorcycle circuit that encircles the only Sicilian natural lake, Pergusa Lake. The circuit is also known as Enna-Pergusa, as the lake is located near the city of Enna.... |
HOC Hockenheimring The Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg is an automobile racing track situated near the town of Hockenheim in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, located on Bertha Benz Memorial Route. Amongst other motor racing events, it biennially hosts the Formula One German Grand Prix... |
SPA Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps is the venue of the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix and the Spa 24 Hours endurance race. It is also home to the all Volkswagen club event, 25 Hours of Spa, run by the Uniroyal Fun Cup. It is one of the most challenging race tracks in the world, mainly due to its... |
EST Autódromo do Estoril The Autódromo do Estoril is a race course in Portugal, owned by state-run holding management company Parpública. Its length is . It was the home of the Formula One Portuguese Grand Prix from 1984 to 1996.... |
MAG Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours is a motor racing circuit located in central France, near the towns of Magny-Cours and Nevers, some 250 km from Paris... |
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| Pedro Diniz Pedro Diniz Pedro Paulo Diniz is a racing driver from Brazil. He participated in 99 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on March 26, 1995... |
Ret | Ret | 10 | Ret | Ret | 9 | 4 | Ret | |||||||||
 Hideki NodaHideki Noda is a racing driver from Japan. He participated in 3 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting in the 1994 European Grand Prix, but did not score any championship points. He replaced Yannick Dalmas in the Larrousse car for the last 3 Grands Prix of the season, but failed to finish in any of the three races.... |
5 | Ret | Ret | 3 | Ret | 7 | 16 | 11 |
Complete Formula One results
(results in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)| Year | Chassis | Engine | Tyres | Drivers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | Points | WCC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 1995 Formula One season The 1995 Formula One season was the 46th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1995 FIA Formula One World Championship, which was contested over 17 races from March 26 to November 12, 1995. For the second year in succession, the Drivers' Championship was won by Michael Schumacher,... |
Forti FG01 Forti FG01 The Forti FG01, also designated Forti FG01-95, was a Formula One car for the 1995 season and was the first car made by Forti. The number 21 seat was taken by rookie Pedro Diniz and the number 22 seat was taken by veteran Roberto Moreno. The team never employed a test driver. The engine was a Ford... |
Ford ED Cosworth Cosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries... V8 V8 engine A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of four cylinders, in most cases set at a right angle to each other but sometimes at a narrower angle, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft.... |
BRA 1995 Brazilian Grand Prix The 1995 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on March 26, 1995 at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo, Brazil. It was the first round of the 1995 Formula One season. The race, contested over 71 laps, was won by Michael Schumacher for the Benetton team after... |
ARG 1995 Argentine Grand Prix The 1995 Argentine Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on April 9, 1995 at the Autódromo Oscar Alfredo Gálvez, Buenos Aires, Argentina. It was the second round of the 1995 Formula One season and was the first Formula One race to take place in Argentina since... |
SMR 1995 San Marino Grand Prix The 1995 San Marino Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on April 30, 1995 at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola. It was the third race of the 1995 Formula One season.... |
ESP 1995 Spanish Grand Prix The 1995 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on May 14, 1995 at the Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona. It was the fourth race of the 1995 Formula One season. It proved to be the final race for former champion Nigel Mansell, who quit the McLaren team after the race... |
MON 1995 Monaco Grand Prix The 1995 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on May 28, 1995 at the Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo, Monaco. It was the fifth round of the 1995 Formula One season. The race, contested over 78 laps, was won by Michael Schumacher for the Benetton team after starting from... |
CAN 1995 Canadian Grand Prix The 1995 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on June 11, 1995 at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal. It was the sixth race of the 1995 Formula One season.... |
FRA 1995 French Grand Prix The 1995 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on July 2, 1995 at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, Magny-Cours. It was the seventh race of the 1995 Formula One season. Michael Schumacher extended his championship lead over Damon Hill to 11 points. As had happened in many seasons,... |
GBR 1995 British Grand Prix The 1995 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on July 16, 1995 at Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone, Northamptonshire, England. It was the eighth round of the 1995 Formula One season. The race, contested over 61 laps, was won by Johnny Herbert for the Benetton team after... |
GER 1995 German Grand Prix The 1995 German Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on July 30, 1995 at the Hockenheimring, Hockenheim. It was the ninth race of the 1995 Formula One season... |
HUN 1995 Hungarian Grand Prix The 1995 Hungarian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on August 13, 1995 at the Hungaroring, Budapest. It was the tenth race of the 1995 Formula One season.... |
BEL 1995 Belgian Grand Prix The 1995 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on August 27, 1995 at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Spa. It was the eleventh race of the 1995 Formula One season. Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill both qualified further down the grid than usual in a wet-dry qualifying session, but... |
ITA 1995 Italian Grand Prix The 1995 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on September 10, 1995 at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Monza, Italy. It was the twelfth race of the 1995 Formula One season. The race, contested over 53 laps, was won by Johnny Herbert for the Benetton team after starting... |
POR 1995 Portuguese Grand Prix The 1995 Portuguese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on September 24, 1995 at the Autódromo do Estoril, Estoril, Portugal. It was the thirteenth race of the 1995 Formula One season... |
EUR 1995 European Grand Prix The 1995 European Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on October 1, 1995 at the Nürburgring, Nürburg, Germany. It was the fourteenth round of the 1995 Formula One season and the first to be held there since... |
PAC 1995 Pacific Grand Prix The 1995 Pacific Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on October 22, 1995 at the TI Circuit, Aida, Japan. It was the fifteenth round of the 1995 Formula One season. The race, contested over 83 laps, was won by Michael Schumacher for the Benetton team after starting from third... |
JPN 1995 Japanese Grand Prix The 1995 Japanese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on October 29, 1995 at the Suzuka Circuit, Suzuka. It was the sixteenth and penultimate round of the 1995 Formula One season. The race, contested over 53 laps, was won by Michael Schumacher for the Benetton team after he started... |
AUS 1995 Australian Grand Prix The 1995 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on November 12, 1995 at the Adelaide Street Circuit, Adelaide. It was the seventeenth and final race of the 1995 Formula One season... |
0 | NC | ||
| Pedro Diniz Pedro Diniz Pedro Paulo Diniz is a racing driver from Brazil. He participated in 99 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on March 26, 1995... |
10 | NC | NC | Ret | 10 | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | 13 | 9 | 16 | 13 | 17 | Ret | 7 | ||||||
| Roberto Moreno Roberto Moreno Roberto Pupo Moreno , usually known as Roberto Moreno and also as Pupo Moreno, is a racing driver from Brazil. He participated in 75 Formula One Grands Prix, achieved 1 podium, and scored a total of 15 championship points. He raced in CART in 1986, and was Formula 3000 champion before joining... |
Ret | NC | NC | Ret | Ret | Ret | 16 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 14 | Ret | 17 | Ret | 16 | Ret | Ret | ||||||
| 1996 1996 Formula One season The 1996 Formula One season was the 47th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1996 FIA Formula One World Championship, which commenced on March 10, 1996, and ended on October 13 after sixteen races... |
Forti FG01B Forti FG03 Forti FG03 The Forti FG03 was the car with which the Forti team competed in part of the Formula One season. It was driven by Luca Badoer and Andrea Montermini, both of whom were in their first year with the team.... |
Ford Zetec-R Cosworth Cosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries... V8 V8 engine A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of four cylinders, in most cases set at a right angle to each other but sometimes at a narrower angle, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft.... |
AUS 1996 Australian Grand Prix The 1996 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on 10 March 1996 at Melbourne. It was the first time this race was held in Melbourne since 1984, taking over from Adelaide as the host of the Australian Grand Prix... |
BRA 1996 Brazilian Grand Prix The 1996 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on March 31, 1996 at Interlagos, amidst heavy rain. Six different teams scored points, with Damon Hill following up his win at the first round of the season.... |
ARG 1996 Argentine Grand Prix The 1996 Argentine Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on April 7, 1996 at Autódromo Oscar Alfredo Gálvez, Buenos Aires. Despite suffering a bout of food poisoning, Damon Hill made it three wins out of three, with Jacques Villeneuve helping Williams complete their second one-two of the season... |
EUR 1996 European Grand Prix The 1996 European Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on April 28, 1996 at Nürburgring. Jacques Villeneuve scored his first Formula One victory in his fourth Formula One start.Both Benetton cars made extremely slow starts, due to the brakes locking on... |
SMR 1996 San Marino Grand Prix The 1996 San Marino Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on May 5, 1996 at Imola.- Qualifying :- Race :-Standings after Grand Prix:*Bold text indicates who still has a theoretical chance of becoming World Champion.... |
MON 1996 Monaco Grand Prix The 1996 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Monaco on May 19, 1996. The race was run in wet weather, causing significant attrition and setting a record for the least number of cars to be running at the end of a Grand Prix race... |
ESP 1996 Spanish Grand Prix The 1996 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on June 2, 1996 at the Circuit de Catalunya.This race, Michael Schumacher's first Ferrari victory, is generally regarded as one of his finest... |
CAN 1996 Canadian Grand Prix The 1996 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on June 16, 1996. The race was won by Damon Hill ahead of home hero Jacques Villeneuve, Gilles' son.... |
FRA 1996 French Grand Prix The 1996 French Grand Prix was a Formula One race, held at Magny-Cours on June 30, 1996.-Qualifying:-Race:- Notes :*Fastest Lap: Jacques Villeneuve 1:18.610*The engine of polesitter Schumacher's Ferrari failed on the formation lap... |
GBR 1996 British Grand Prix The 1996 British Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on July 14, 1996 at Silverstone. Jacques Villeneuve was the winner. After making a slow start from pole position, Damon Hill retired after a wheelnut problem caused him to spin off the circuit while he was trying to pass Mika Häkkinen... |
GER 1996 German Grand Prix The 1996 German Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on July 28, 1996 at Hockenheimring. Damon Hill started the race on pole position, and won it after Gerhard Berger's engine failed with 4 laps to go.-Qualifying:- Race :- Notes :... |
HUN 1996 Hungarian Grand Prix The 1996 Hungarian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on August 11, 1996 at Hungaroring.- Classification :- Notes :* Pole position: Michael Schumacher 1:17.129* Fastest lap: Damon Hill 1:20.093* Williams secured the Constructors Championship.... |
BEL 1996 Belgian Grand Prix The 1996 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on August 25, 1996 at Spa-Francorchamps.- Classification :- Notes :* Pole position: Jacques Villeneuve 1:50.574* Fastest lap: Gerhard Berger 1:53.067... |
ITA 1996 Italian Grand Prix The 1996 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on September 8, 1996 at Monza.-Pre-race:To stop cars kerb-hopping at chicanes due to ongoing track modifications at the time of the race, tyre barriers were erected at each chicane.-Race:... |
POR 1996 Portuguese Grand Prix The 1996 Portuguese Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on September 22, 1996 at Autódromo do Estoril in Estoril, Portugal. Jacques Villeneuve won the race by overtaking Michael Schumacher on the outside while the latter was distracted by the slow moving back-marking Minardi of Giovanni Lavaggi,... |
JPN 1996 Japanese Grand Prix The 1996 Japanese Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on October 13, 1996 at Suzuka. Jacques Villeneuve's retirement ended his small chance of the title, handing it to Damon Hill... |
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| Luca Badoer Luca Badoer Luca Badoer is an Italian Formula One driver who has raced for the Scuderia Italia, Minardi, Forti Corse and most recently, Ferrari teams... |
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| Andrea Montermini Andrea Montermini -Career:Montermini raced in Formula 3 in 1989, taking second place in the Monaco GP support race and 4th in the Italian F3 Championship. He then moved up to Formula 3000, racing for three season before finally taking second place in the 1992 season, winning three rounds while driving for the Il... |
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