Nicola Larini

For the 1988 season Nicola Larini signed for Osella. It was his break in Formula One but was for a back of the grid team. He stayed with them for 1989 but both years produced little success.

For 1991 Larini signed for the Modena team and had hope that this could be his break with a works team (Lamborghini), however his hopes were false and the team were at the back of the grid. By the end of the year his Formula One career looked like it was over and he couldn't find a good driver with another team. Larini continued driving Formula One cars as a test driver for Ferrari.

Larini's career could potentially have been a history of driving for back of the grid teams with little chance of success, but he decided to move to touring cars and try to gain some success. He signed for the Alfa Romeo team as a works driver and started driving in the Italian Touring Car Championship. In his first year with the team he won the championship. Alfa had decided to move into the DTM which was a championship for more powerful and complex touring car, almost like the F1 of touring cars. In their first year against Mercedes and BMW Larini won the championship for Alfa.

In 1994 he returned to Formula One briefly replacing Jean Alesi at Ferrari for two races due to an injury. At the Pacific Grand Prix he clashed with Senna into the first corner and retired. At the San Marino Grand Prix he participated in the fateful weekend and finished second behind Michael Schumacher. It was his highest ever finish and his first ever points, but it was overshadowed by the events of the day. In DTM BMW left the championship and Opel joined and he finished third.

The DTM was now becoming international and for 1995 it was renamed the International Touring Car Championship (ITC). Larini finished fourth in the championship. In 1996 Alfa was being less competitive as Mercedes invested huge sums in their cars and Larini could only finish eleventh. The ITC finished that year when Alfa pulled out due to huge costs and left Mercedes alone in the championship.

Larini had been testing for Ferrari since 1994, in 1997 Sauber signed up with Ferrari for engine supply and with his Ferrari links he got a drive for the team. He drove for Sauber for five races with a sixth being his highest finish. This was only his second points finish.

In 1998 he returned to Alfa driving in the Italian Superturismo Championship and finished third and the following year fourth.

Alfa then decided to enter the new European Touring Car Championship and Larini drove for the Nordauto team in the new championship.

, eventually moving into the European Touring Car Championship with the Nordauto team. He moved to Chevrolet's assault on the ETCC which became the World Touring Car Championship in 2005. He will continue with them in 2006.