For two seasons Michele Alboreto lived every Italian boy's dream, driving and winning for Scuderia Ferrari. Subsequently his Formula 1 career tailed off in a series of uncompetitive cars. Alboreto died while testing an Audi sportscar in 2001 but is remembered as a true Italian gentleman with prodigious talent.
Early Success and Formula 1 with Tyrrell
Alboreto’s early single-seater career was highly successful, including becoming the 1980 European Formula 3 champion. He was rewarded with a Minardi Formula 2 drive and outings as part of the Lancia sportscar team, but it was Formula 1 where Alboreto truly made his mark.
The great talent spotter Ken Tyrrell recognised Alboreto’s potential and signed him to drive for his eponymous Formula 1 team. The normally aspirated Tyrrells were finding it increasingly difficult to remain competitive against their turbo opposition but Alboreto upset the form book in Las Vegas in 1982. After qualifying third on a ridiculous circuit laid out in the Caesar’s Palace car park the Italian proceeded to win the race, aided by Renault’s then legendary unreliability. Alboreto won again in America the following year, taking his Tyrrell to victory in Detroit.
An Italian Driving for Ferrari
Alboreto’s big chance came in 1984, when he was hired by Ferrari. The season brought a single victory but 1985 was considerable better. In the end Alboreto was narrowly pipped to the Formula 1 World Championship by McLaren’s Alain Prost. It seemed that Alboreto could be the man to replicate the success of Alberto Ascari, the great Italian champion killed at Monza in 1955, but it was not to be. Alboreto stayed at Ferrari for three more seasons but there were no more wins. For 1989 a move to Williams looked to be on the cards only for the team to decide against hiring him after Alboreto thought the deal was done.
Tyrrell, Footwork, Minardi and Le Mans Success
Alboreto had to be content with a return to Tyrrell for 1989 but it ended acrimoniously, as he lost his drive to Jean Alesi and his lucrative sponsorship from Marlboro. 1990 brought a move to Footwork, the re-named Arrows team. They had exclusive use of Porsche engines for 1991 but the new power units were overweight, underpowered and unreliable. 1992 was better and Alboreto picked up several points in the Hart-powered car.
The final two years of Alboreto’s Formula 1 career were spent driving the hopeless BMS Scuderia Italia in 1993 and the hopelessly underfunded Minardi in 1994. After Formula 1 Alboreto tried his hand at DTM racing, and the IRL in America, before settling into a successful sportscar career. The highlight came in 1997, when he won the Le Mans 24 Hours along with Tom Kristensen and old Ferrari team-mate Stefan Johansson.
It was while testing an Audi R8 sportscar at the Lausitzring circuit in Germany, on April 25th, 2001, that Alboreto suffered a tyre failure which resulted in a fatal accident. He was 44 years old at the time and preparing for the 2001 Le Mans race.
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