1. From 1977 to 1983, Bruno Giacomelli participated in 82 Formula One Grands Prix for McLaren, Alfa Romeo and Toleman, debuting at the 1977 Italian Grand Prix.
26 Facts About Bruno Giacomelli
1. 2.
Bruno Giacomelli achieved one podium, and scored a total of 14 championship points.
3.
Bruno Giacomelli returned to Formula One in 1990 with Life, infamously failing to qualify in each of his 12 attempts driving the F190, prior to the team's withdrawal after the Spanish Grand Prix.
4.
Bruno Giacomelli began his career in Formula Italia, which he won in 1975.
5.
Bruno Giacomelli led from start to finish in a March-Toyota in the 1976 Monaco Grand Prix Formula Three support race.
6.
Bruno Giacomelli moved into Formula Two in 1977, working in close association with Robin Herd and the March factory.
7.
Bruno Giacomelli retired from the Formula Two Pau Grand Prix in May 1977, after his car made contact with one driven by Jacques Laffite.
8.
Bruno Giacomelli made his Formula One World Championship debut in 1977 in a third works McLaren M23-Cosworth at the 1977 Italian Grand Prix at Monza, retiring with an engine problem which caused him to spin off.
9.
Apart from a third-place finish in the Mugello Grand Prix in May 1978 and a second-place in Vallelunga, Bruno Giacomelli won eight of the twelve races and won the title, beating the runner up Marc Surer by 29 points.
10.
Bruno Giacomelli became the first Italian to win the European Formula Two Championship.
11.
Bruno Giacomelli achieved his best finish, of seventh place, in the 1978 British Grand Prix.
12.
Bruno Giacomelli earned a surprise 6th place qualifying position for Alfa Romeo at Brands Hatch for the 1980 British Grand Prix.
13.
Bruno Giacomelli posted a third-place qualifying time for the 1980 Italian Grand Prix at Imola.
14.
Bruno Giacomelli won the pole position for the 1980 United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen, New York in his Alfa Romeo.
15.
Bruno Giacomelli improved on his opening day time by 1.25 seconds, with a time of 1 minute 33.29 seconds over the 3.37 mile track.
16.
However, despite these flashes of speed Bruno Giacomelli only managed to finish three of the season's fourteen races due to crashes or mechanical breakdowns; although two of his finishes were fifth places at the season-opening 1980 Argentine Grand Prix and the 1980 German Grand Prix, thus netting him four points and placing him 16th in the Drivers' Championship.
17.
In 1981, the car was somewhat more reliable, with Bruno Giacomelli being a classified finisher in eight of the season's 15 races - however he struggled to achieve good results until the end of the year, with a fourth and a third in the season-ending Canadian and Caesars Palace Grands Prix respectively - the latter was Bruno Giacomelli's only podium finish in F1, and he achieved his best-ever championship finish by ending up 15th in the drivers' standings.
18.
Bruno Giacomelli was eliminated at the start of the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix at Zolder when his Alfa Romeo collided with the two ATS cars of Eliseo Salazar and Manfred Winkelhock.
19.
Bruno Giacomelli was outperformed by his teammate Derek Warwick, though he did manage to pick up a final F1 point at the 1983 European Grand Prix at Brands Hatch.
20.
Bruno Giacomelli was the test driver for the Leyton House March team in 1988 and 1989, as well as in 1990 in its Leyton House incarnation.
21.
Bruno Giacomelli was offered a test driver position with McLaren for 1990 but turned it down.
22.
In 1990, Bruno Giacomelli returned to F1 with the Life outfit, taking over from Gary Brabham.
23.
When Bruno Giacomelli was able to drive the Judd-powered car in Spain he found himself 18 seconds off the pace despite the new engine.
24.
Bruno Giacomelli made 11 starts in CART in 1984 and 1985,10 of which were for Patrick Racing.
25.
Bruno Giacomelli's best finish was a 5th place on the Meadowlands street course in 1985.
26.
Bruno Giacomelli attempted but failed to qualify for the 1984 Indianapolis 500.