Ivan Capelli

Interesting facts

He shared an almost father-son relationship with March/Leyton House team boss Cesare Gariboldi - a bond that ended with Gariboldi's death in a car accident, though Capelli stayed loyal to the financially struggling team. At the 1988 Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka he briefly took the lead in his Judd-powered March - becoming the first non-turbo driver since 1983 to lead a championship race - after Alain Prost missed a gear in the final chicane; Prost's Honda power put him back ahead before turn one, and Capelli's engine failed three laps later. His best F1 result came at the 1990 French Grand Prix at Paul Ricard, where he led for much of the race before Prost's Ferrari passed him with only three laps remaining, leaving him second. In 1992 he became the first Italian with a regular Ferrari drive since Michele Alboreto in 1988, but struggled to fit into the team's bureaucratic structure and was sacked before the season ended without a single podium. After retiring he worked for years as a commentator for Italian broadcaster Rai 1. Ivan Capelli raced in Formula 1 from 1985 to 1993, across 9 seasons as an Italian driver. He scored a total of 31 championship points over his career.