Michele Alboreto

Michele Alboreto studied engineering at college and his first race drive was in a self-built CMR chassis in 1976 with little success in his first two years in the Formula Monza championship. He moved into several championships in 1978 winning the Formula Abarth championship and finishing fourth in his first year in Formula 3. He finished second in his second year in the championship. The following year he concentrated on the European Formula 3 Championship winning it with four wins in the EuroRacing team. He also debuted in sportscars driving for the Lancia team. The following year he moved into Formula 2 with Minardi, a long standing Formula 2 team and won their only victory in the series. He also continued in sportscar winning a race for the team. He started his first Formula One race for the Tyrrell team.

1982 was Michele's first full year of Formula One although he continued in sportscars with Martini Lancia. He won his first Formula One race in his debut season by taking a victory at the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Alboreto also finished fifth in the World Sportscar Championship with Lancia after winning three races. He stayed with the Tyrrell team the following year taking despite the Tyrrell starting to lose its competitiveness to the turbocharged powered teams and won the Detroit Grand Prix where he could make up for the lack of power from the Cosworth engine.

Enzo Ferrari was taking an interest in the Italian driver and Alboreto decided to leave the increasingly uncompetitive Tyrrell Cosworth team and join the turbo powered Ferrari team; a dream drive for an Italian. Alboreto was the first Italian to drive for Ferrari since Merzario in 1973. He took victory for the team at the Belgian Grand Prix and finished fourth in the championship. In 1985 Alboreto challenged for the championship through the season in an odd year which saw eight different winners. Alboreto won twice but his championship challenge fizzled out and Prost took the title with Alboreto second. This was to be the height of his career in Formula One and Ferrari became increasingly uncompetitive through the late eighties. In 1986 Alboreto was joined by Stefan Johannson and neither driver took a win in a season dominated by Prost and the two Williams fighting for the title. In 1987 Alboreto was joined by Gerhard Berger and he immediately stamped his authority on the team and was more competitive than Alboreto who appeared to waning. Berger took two wins and another in 1988 whilst Alboreto didn't win any. Alboreto did finish fifth in the 1988 World Championship, but this was due to the lack of competitiveness of any other teams as he finished behind the two dominant McLaren drivers, teammate Berger and highest placed normally aspirated powered driver Thierry Boutsen in the Benetton-Ford.

Alboreto left Ferrari at the end of 1988 and moved back to the Tyrrell team. The 017B was uncompetitive at the beginning of the year and Tyrrell introduced the 018 chassis at the second race and it improved with each race and Alboreto took a third in the Mexican Grand Prix. But he fell out with Ken Tyrrell soon after and left the team before the French Grand Prix. He returned with the Larrousse Lola team later in the year but only finished one race. Alboreto moved to the Footwork Arrows team for 1990 with the promise of significant investment from the Footwork Corporation. The first year was a poor one with no points and mid to low grid slots and finishes. For 1991 Footwork signed a deal with Porsche for an engine supply and it promised much. But the engine was overweight and underpowered and Alboreto was consigned to the back of the grid at best even when the Porsche engine was ditched and a Cosworth DFR fitted instead. He decided to stay with the team for 1992 with a new Mugen Honda deal for the Japanese team. Things improved and Alboreto was able to qualify around the top ten again for the first time in several years. He took his first point for the Footwork team at the third race and finished the year with four points scoring places.

Scuderia Italia offered him a place for the 1993 season with the promise of sponsorship from the Chesterfield cigarette company and a Lola chassis powered by Ferrari engines. But the chassis was a flop and he was at the back of the grid again and the car was unreliable and uncompetitive. The uncompetitive car finished Scuderia Italia and they merged with fellow Italians Minardi for 1994. Alboreto kept his drive and drove for the Minardi Scuderia Italia squad that year. He managed one points scoring finish with sixth at the Monaco Grand Prix and retired from Formula One at the end of the year.

In 1995 Michele Alboreto continued his racing career in sportscars and drove for the Scandia Racing team owned by Dick Simon. The team owned a Ferrari 333SP which it entered in the IMSA sportscar championship and in 1996 Alboreto also drove for the team in the Indy Racing League for three races with a best finish of fourth at Walt Disney Speedway. In 1996 Alboreto drove at Le Mans with the Joest team in their TWR Porsche prototype. The following year he returned with the team and took victory. The following year he took second in the Petit Le Mans race in the ALMS.

Alboreto stayed with Joest when they moved to the new Audi R8 and took third at Sebring in the 12 Hours and fourth at Le Mans. In 2000 he drove three races for the team in the ALMS with a second at the Sebring 12 Hours and he won the Petit Le Mans race. He finished third at Le Mans in the Joest Audi. Alboreto was now a firm favourite in the Joest Racing team and continued with the team for the sixth successive year. He drove the team in the Sebring 12 Hours and took victory. Then whilst testing for Audi at the Lausitzring the car's tyre burst on the straight and the car careered off the track hit the barrier and flipped over breaking off the roll bar and killed Alboreto instantly.