Lorenzo Bandini

Interesting facts

Bandini was born in Barce, then an Italian colony in Libya; his family moved to Tuscany in 1939, and after his father's death when Lorenzo was 15, he had to work as an apprentice mechanic in Milan. He switched from motorcycles to cars in 1957 with a borrowed Fiat 1100, and a year later took a class win at the Mille Miglia driving a Lancia Appia Zagato. His Ferrari debut brought an instant podium: he finished third at the Monaco Grand Prix, the first race he drove for the team. 1963 was his best year in endurance racing: he won the 24 Hours of Le Mans alongside Ludovico Scarfiotti and finished second at the 12 Hours of Sebring. At the 1964 Mexican Grand Prix, running second, he moved aside to let teammate John Surtees through, a move that helped Surtees secure the drivers' title. He added the Targa Florio to his wins in 1965. On 7 May 1967, on lap 82 of the Monaco Grand Prix, he lost control of his Ferrari at the harbour chicane; the rear wheel struck the guardrail, sending the car into a roll that ended in flames among the straw bales lining the circuit. He suffered burns over more than 70 percent of his body along with severe chest injuries and died three days later at 31. The crash led Formula One to ban straw bales outright, and Monaco replaced them with a permanent guardrail the following year. Lorenzo Bandini made his Formula 1 debut in 1961 and raced until 1967, 7 seasons in total as an Italian driver. He scored a total of 58 championship points over his career.