Fabrizio Barbazza

Fabrizio Barbazza
Born 2 April 1963
Monza, Lombardy, Italy
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality Italy Italian
Active years 1991, 1993
Teams AGS, Minardi
Races 20 (8 starts)
Championships 0
Wins 0
Podiums 0
Career points 2
Pole positions 0
Fastest laps 0
First race 1991 San Marino Grand Prix
Last race 1993 French Grand Prix
Fabrizio Barbazza
CART Championship Car
Years active 1987, 1989, 1992
Teams Arciero Racing
Starts 25
Wins 0
Poles 0
Best finish 12th in 1987
Previous series
1986
1983-1985
1982
American Racing Series
Italian Formula Three
Formula Monza
Championship titles
1986 American Racing Series Champion
Awards
1987
1987
CART Rookie of the year
Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the year

Fabrizio Barbazza (born 2 April 1963) is an Italian former Formula One driver who raced for the AGS and Minardi teams and was the 1987 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year.

Career

Early career

Barbazza was born in Monza, Lombardy. After a career in motorcross in his teens, he began racing Formula Monza in 1982. The following year he moved into Italian Formula Three Championship, and in 1984 finished sixth in the series. In 1985 he won four races and finished third in the championship. He then went to the United States and entered the American Racing Series, where he won four races and the title in his first attempt.

CART, F3000, and Formula One

After his success in ARS, Barbazza entered CART in 1987 and finished third in the 1987 Indianapolis 500, becoming CART's Rookie of the Year. Despite his success he could not find a ride in CART for 1988 and only made two starts in Formula 3000, along with failing to qualify three times. He returned to CART for 1989 for eight races with a best finish of eighth at Toronto. He also drove in eight Japanese Formula 3000 races.

Barbazza at the 1992 Long Beach Grand Prix.

In 1990 he joined International F3000 full-time driving for the Crypton team, where he 16th in points with a best finish of fourth at his home track in Monza, his only point-scoring finish of the season. For 1991 Barbazza signed on with the struggling AGS Formula One team for the third round of the championship, replacing Stefan Johansson. Barbazza failed to qualify for all twelve races he attempted with the team and the team shut down after both Barbazza and his teammate Olivier Grouillard both failed to pre-qualify for the 1991 Spanish Grand Prix. For the 1992 racing season, Barbazza again returned to the Arciero team in CART. However, after respectable performances in two-year-old equipment for the first three races of the season, he wrecked his 1990-vintage Lola in practice for the 1992 Indianapolis 500 and was not able to qualify. It would be his last appearance in CART. In 1993 Barbazza rejoined Formula One with the Minardi team, scoring points twice in his first four races. However, Barbazza would be replaced by Pierluigi Martini after eight races. In 1995, while racing a Ferrari 333SP sports prototype at the Road Atlanta circuit, he was involved in an accident with Jeremy Dale, which resulted in heavy head and chest injuries which left him in critical condition, in a coma and on artificial respiration. Although he fully recovered, he didn't return to racing. Instead he started a go-kart circuit in Monza and began designing crash barriers.

He has since relocated to Cuba where he has set up a fishing resort in the north of the country called La Villa Clara. He has also raced again, at a local karting track in Cuba, where he has re-discovered his love for the sport.

Career summary

American open wheel racing

Indy Lights

(key)

Year Team Series 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Rank Points
1986 Arciero Racing ARS United States
LBH
DNS
United States
PHX
3
United States
MIL
DNS
United States
MEA
1
United States
CLE
1
Canada
TOR
10
United States
POC
2
United States
MDO
7
United States
NAZ
1
United States
LS
1
United States
MIA
1
1st 145

CART

Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Rank Points
1987 Arciero Racing United States
LBH
17
United States
PHX
12
United States
INDY
3
United States
MIL
14
United States
POR
4
United States
MEA
Ret
United States
CLE
Ret
Canada
TOR
11
United States
MIS
6
United States
POC
14
United States
ROA
8
United States
MDO
Ret
United States
NAZ
13
United States
LS
DNS
United States
MIA
Ret
12th 42
1989 Arciero Racing United States
PHX
United States
LBH
United States
INDY
United States
MIL
United States
DET
Ret
United States
POR
Ret
United States
CLE
Ret
United States
MEA
Ret
Canada
TOR
8
United States
MIS
United States
POC
United States
MDO
Ret
United States
ROA
12
United States
NAZ
United States
LS
Ret
24th 6
1992 Arciero Racing Australia
SRF
12
United States
PHX
Ret
United States
LBH
Ret
United States
INDY
DNQ
United States
DET
United States
POR
United States
MIL
United States
NHM
Canada
TOR
United States
MIS
United States
CLE
United States
ROA
Canada
VAN
United States
MDO
United States
NAZ
United States
LS
35th 1

Indy 500 results

Year Chassis Engine Start Finish
1987 March Cosworth 17 3
1992 Lola Buick DNQ

Complete International Formula 3000 results

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

Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 DC Points
1988 Pavesi Racing JER VAL
DNQ
PAU
DNQ
SIL
18
NC 0
Genoa Racing MNZ
Ret
PER
DNQ
BRH BIR BUG ZOL DIJ
1990 Crypton Engineering DON SIL
Ret
PAU
Ret
JER
Ret
MNZ
4
PER
Ret
HOC
Ret
BRH
9
BIR
Ret
BUG
Ret
NOG
18
16th 3
1991 Crypton Engineering VAL
18
PAU JER MUG PER HOC BRH SPA BUG NOG NC 0

Complete Japanese Formula 3000 results

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

Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 DC Points
1989 Motor Sport Development SUZ
Ret
FUJ
9
MIN
11
SUZ
6
SUG
Ret
FUJ
19
SUZ
7
SUZ
Ret
17th 1

Complete Formula One results

(key)

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 WDC Points
1991 Automobiles Gonfaronnaises Sportives AGS JH25 Cosworth V8 USA BRA SMR
DNQ
MON
DNQ
CAN
DNQ
MEX
DNQ
NC 0
AGS JH25B FRA
DNQ
GBR
DNQ
GER
DNPQ
HUN
DNPQ
BEL
DNPQ
ITA
DNPQ
AGS JH27 POR
DNPQ
ESP
DNPQ
JPN AUS
1993 Minardi Team Minardi M193 Ford V8 RSA
Ret
BRA
Ret
EUR
6
SMR
6
ESP
Ret
MON
11
CAN
Ret
FRA
Ret
GBR GER HUN BEL ITA POR JPN AUS 19th 2

External links

Sporting positions
Preceded by
None
American Racing Series
Champion

1986
Succeeded by
Didier Theys
Preceded by
Randy Lanier
Indianapolis 500
Rookie of the Year

1987
Succeeded by
Bill Vukovich III
Preceded by
Chip Robinson
CART
Rookie of the Year

1987
Succeeded by
John Jones