F1 Teams of the Past – Scuderia Italia

BMS Scuderia Italia were a Formula 1 team that competed between 1988 and 1993.  Formed in 1983 by one-time Osella employee Giorgio Francia, the team began in the Italian Rally Championship & then the World Touring Car Championship in 1987.  However they quit that and concentrated on entering Formula 1 the following season.

Unfortunately the initial Dallara car wasn’t great for the 1988 season, and failed to score points in the hands of Alex Caffi, with a best finish of 7th in Portugal.  The 1989 season saw a better car and a teammate for Caffi in Andrea de Cesaris.  Their first points arrived with a fourth for Caffi in Monaco, and better would have arrived in Phoenix, when Caffi was running well and heading for a podium when he came up to lap his teammate.  Unfortunately de Cesaris didn’t let him through and ran him into a wall.  A podium for de Cesaris did arrive in Canada, the only time the team ever scored points with both drivers in the same race with Caffi finishing sixth.  They wouldn’t score again that season.  De Cesaris remained in the team for 1990 but the year was a big disappointment, as they team failed to score a point.  Gianni Morbidelli & Emanuele Pirro shared the drive as de Cesaris’ teammate.

Pirro remained for 1991, and had Finn JJ Lehto as his teammate.  It was Lehto who scored the teams second ever podium finish in the sodden San Marino Grand Prix of that year, and Pirro scored a point in Monaco, but that was it for the team.  Two sixth places for Pierluigi Martini was the only points of 1992, while the 1993 season was a huge disappointment, with experienced Italian Michele Alboreto and rookie Luca Badoer qualiying at or near the back in every race.  The team gave up on its F1 dream before the end of the year.  They continued racing in other touring car series & Le Mans series until the end of 2007.

1988
Alex Caffi – Italy – 14 Starts, 2 DNPQ’s, 0 Points, Best Finish 7th in Portugal

1989
Alex Caffi – Italy – 14 Starts, 2 DNPQ’s, 4 Points, Best Finish 4th in Monaco
Andrea de Cesaris – Italy – 15 Starts, 1 DNQ, 4 Points, Best Finish 3rd in Canada

1990
Gianni Morbidelli – Italy – 1 Start, 1 DNQ, 0 Points, Best Finish 14th in Brazil
Emanuele Pirro – Italy – 14 Starts, 0 Points, Best Finish 10th in Hungary
Andrea de Cesaris – Italy – 15 Starts, 1 DNQ, 1 DQ, 0 Points, Best Finish 10th in Italy

1991
Emanuele Pirro – Italy – 13 Starts, 1 DNQ, 2 DNPQ’s, 1 Point, Best Finish 6th in Monaco
JJ Lehto – Finland – 16 Starts, 4 Points, Best Finish 3rd in San Marino

1992
JJ Lehto – Finland – 15 Starts, 1 DNQ, 0 Points, Best Finish 7th in Belgium
Pierluigi Martini – Italy – 16 Starts, 2 Points, Best Finish 6th in Spain & San Marino

1993
Michele Alboreto – Italy – 9 Starts, 5 DNQ’s, 0 Points, Best Finish 11th in Brazil & Europe
Luca Badoer – Italy – 12 Starts, 2 DNQ’s, 0 Points, Best Finish 7th in San Marino

Tagged: Alex Caffi, Andrea de Cesaris, Dallara, Emanuele Pirro, F1, Formula 1, Gianni Morbidelli, JJ Lehto, Luca Badoer, Michele Alboreto, Pierluigi Martini, Scuderia Italia