Ivan Capelli

Ivan Capelli

Capelli at the 1991 United States Grand Prix
Born	(1963-05-24) 24 May 1963 (age 60) Milan, Italy
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality	Italian
Active years	1985–1993
Teams	Tyrrell, AGS, March, Leyton House, Ferrari and Jordan
Entries	98 (93 starts)
Championships	0
Wins	0
Podiums	3
Career points	31
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	0
First entry	1985 European Grand Prix
Last entry	1993 Brazilian Grand Prix

Ivan Franco Capelli (born 24 May 1963) is an Italian former Formula One driver. He participated in 98 Grands Prix, debuting on 6 October 1985. He achieved three podiums, and scored a total of 31 championship points. From 1998 until 2017, he was a Formula One commentator on the Italian TV station Rai 1.

Early career and F1 entry

Capelli began his career as a

In 1985 he graduated to the European Formula 3000 Championship with a Genoa Racing March-Cosworth and won one race. The same year he debuted in Formula One, driving a Tyrrell at the European Grand Prix (despite never having driven at Brands Hatch before), and finished fourth in Australia. Nevertheless, he was not picked up for a full-time Formula One drive in 1986. Instead, he contested the 1986 Formula 3000 Championship, still with Genoa Racing, and also raced a BMW in the European Touring Car Championship.

F1 with March

Despite not landing a full-time contract for 1986, Capelli started several F1 races for the AGS team. Meanwhile, Cesare Gariboldi, boss of Genoa Racing, was working with Robin Herd of March to create a new Formula One outfit. Capelli was a core component in their plans. By now, Capelli and Gariboldi had an almost father-son relationship.^{[citation needed]}

In 1987 Capelli was in Formula One full-time with the March team, led by Gariboldi and running Herd's new chassis with a Cosworth V8 normally aspirated engine. Capelli also continued with BMW touring cars for the Schnitzer team, as the March budget was tight (so much that they raced at the Belgian Grand Prix with a detuned 3.3-litre sports car engine rather than the full 3.5l Formula One unit), and the Schnitzer team had works status with BMW, allowing him to be on the German company's payroll. Capelli scored March's first point with sixth at the Monaco Grand Prix and March's return to Formula One was generally seen as competent, professional and promising for the future.

In 1988 Capelli had a March chassis designed by

However, the momentum did not continue. March had financial problems and a sponsor,

In 1991, Leyton House was responsible not only for chassis development but also bankrolled the ambitious Ilmor V10 engine programme. With so many new ingredients, results were again sparse, although Capelli often qualified and raced well. When Leyton House's owner Akira Akagi was arrested in connection with the Fuji Bank fraud, the team was in a precarious state. Capelli had signed for Scuderia Ferrari for the '92 season, so he voluntarily stepped down, allowing pay driver Karl Wendlinger to finish the season and personally paid to attend the races he missed to offer support to the team and advice to his rookie substitute.^{[citation needed]}

Ferrari and Jordan

In

This experience seemingly broke his spirit, but those who had worked with him in March still had faith, notably Ian Phillips, then Jordan's team manager. Taking a Jordan seat for 1993 alongside young rookie Rubens Barrichello, whom the team hoped would prosper under the more experienced driver, Capelli failed to rediscover the spark that not long ago had marked him as a champion of the future. After failing to qualify for the second race in Brazil, he left the team by mutual consent, being replaced by Thierry Boutsen. He did not race in Formula One again.

Post-F1 career

Following his exit from Formula One, Capelli raced from 1994 to 1996 with a Nissan Primera with mixed results in the German Super Tourenwagen Cup for BMS Scuderia Italia and in some rounds of the Spanish Touring Car Championship in 1995 and 1996. He also became a Formula One commentator from 1998 until 2017 on the Italian TV station Rai 1.

Racing record

Career summary

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (November 2021)

^† As Capelli was a guest driver, he was ineligible for championship points.

Complete International Formula 3000 results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap.)

Complete Macau Grand Prix results

Year	Team	Chassis/Engine	Qualifying	Race1	Race2	Overall ranking
1984	Marlboro Theodore Racing Team	Ralt・Toyota	10th	7	5	5th
1986	David Price Racing w/ Marlboro Theodore Racing	Reynard・Alfa Romeo	16th	14	12	11th
Source:[2]

Complete Formula One results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest lap)

^† Driver did not finish the Grand Prix but was classified as he completed over 90% of the race distance.

Complete Super Tourenwagen Cup results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

Year	Team	Co-Drivers	Car	Class	Laps	Pos.	Class Pos.
1995	Honda Motor Co. Ltd.	Armin Hahne Bertrand Gachot	Honda NSX GT1	GT1	7	DNF	DNF
Sources:[2][6]

Complete Porsche Supercup results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

‡ – Guest driver – Not eligible for points.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ivan Capelli.

• Ivan Capelli career summary at DriverDB.com
• F1 Rejects article on Capelli's 1992 season
• Official site

Sporting positions
Preceded by Enzo Coloni	Italian Formula Three Championship Champion 1983	Succeeded by Alessandro Santin
Preceded by Michel Ferté	Monaco Formula Three Winner 1984	Succeeded by Pierre-Henri Raphanel
Preceded by Pierluigi Martini	European Formula Three Championship Champion 1984	Succeeded by Daniel Juncadella (2012)
Preceded by Christian Danner	International Formula 3000 Champion 1986	Succeeded by Stefano Modena
Awards
Preceded by Inaugural	Lorenzo Bandini Trophy 1992	Succeeded by David Coulthard (1995)