Top 5 Worst Performing Osella Squadra Corse drivers
Top 5 Worst Performing Osella Squardra Corse
drivers
A List By Brian Cotnoir
While not as a famous or as known as a Ferrari,
Minardi, or even BMS Scuderia Italia, Osella Squadra Corse (or Osella) managed
to last a decade in Formula 1, and only scored 5 total Championship points in
their 10 years of existence This was
another Formula 1 team, I never heard of before I started doing research for
this article, but as some of you may see some of the worst drivers for Osella
have also made appearances on some of the other Worst Performing F1 drives
lists.
5.) Eddie
Cheever, 1 Season (1980), 0 Championship points scored, 4 DNQ’s, Best Finish 12th
at the Italian Grand Prix
I was very surprised to find out that American and
future Indy 500 winner, Eddie Cheever was the first driver for Osella in 1980. He ran Formula 2 the year prior for Osella
team and won 3 races. He ran a
single-car entry for the team, and had some very unfortunate results. In 14 starts with Osella, Cheever failed to
qualify for 4 Grand Prix’s, and failed to finish all, but 1 race that
season. His only finish was a 12th
place at the Italian Grand Prix, and would leave the following season for
greener pastures with Tyrrell.
4.) Alex
Caffi, 1 Season (1987), 0 Championship Points Scored, DNQ’s, best Finish 12 at
San Marino Grand Prix
Italian Alex Caffi made his F1 debut with the
Osella team in a—mostly—single car entry.
Like Cheever, Caffi’s time at Osella was plagued with race
retirements. He failed to finish
13-of-the-14 Grand Prix’s he entered.
His only finish with Osella was a 12th place at the San
Marino Grand Prix. Caffi also failed
to qualify for that year Spanish and Australian Grand Prix’s.
3.) Olivier
Grouillard, 1 Season (1990), 0 Championship Points scored, Best Finish 13th
(2X)
Olivier Grouilliard has the unfortunate distinction
of being the first driver to appear on my Worst F1 drivers list three
times! He’s already appeared as #5 on my
worst Ligier drivers and #3 on my worst performing Tyrrell drivers. Grouilliard ran a single car entry in
Osella’s final year of existence. He
failed to qualify for 7-of-the-16 races that season and his best finish was a
dismal 13th which he achieved at the Canadian and Australian Grand
Prix’s. Grouilliard would stay with the
team once they were sold off and became Fondemental, but could not yield any
better results.
2.) Nicola
Larini, 2 Seasons, 0 Championship Points scored, 13 DNQ’s, Best Finish 9th
at the 1988 Monaco Grand Prix
Italian Nicola Larini would run two seasons for the
Osella in the late 1980’s. Like
everyone else on this list, he struggled in qualifying and did not qualify for
13-of-the-32 Grand Prix’s he entered.
His first season with the team he ran a single car entry. The following year, in 1989 he was teamed up
with Piercarlo Ghinzanni (who raced on & off with the team throughout the
1980’s). Larini would be disqualified
from the 1989 Brazilian Grand Prix for making an illegal start, and what’s most
bizarre to me is he actually managed to score a ride for 4 races with
Ferrari! He had two pointless finishes
at the end of the 1992 season, and in 1994 while filling in for the injured
Jean Alesi, he almost won the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, finishing 2nd
to Michael Schumacher. Unfortunately,
what should have been the greatest day in Larini’s racing career was
overshadowed by the tragic death of F1 legend, Ayrton Senna.
1.) Beppe Gabbiani, 1 season (1981), 0 Championship
points Scored, 12 DNQ’s, and 3 race retirements
Beppe Gabbiani, was Osella’s only full-time entrant
for Osella in 1981, and he ran with several different teammates throughout the
season. He only qualified for 3 races
all season, and failed to finish all three races, which is really sad. One of his teammates, Jean-Pierre Jarier
(despite having the mental age of 10
as James Hunt put it) qualified for all
seven races he entered for Osella and finished four of the races he entered.
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