The Andrea Moda F1 Team
Italian Car Qualified for One Grand Prix
Moreno Amazes F1 Rivals at Monaco
The pinnacle of Andrea Moda’s achievement came at the 1992 Monaco Grand Prix. After getting through pre-qualifying for the first time Roberto Moreno miraculously qualified in last position for the race. As other cars fell by the wayside the Brazilian reached the dizzy heights of 19th before the car predictably broke down on lap 11.
Perry McCarthy, meanwhile, had become persona non grata with team owner Andrea Sassetti. Forced by the FIA to keep McCarthy in the team, it meant that Sassetti could not get his hands on Enrico Bertaggia’s lucrative sponsorship money. At Monaco McCarthy was given a brief run before his car was taken off him to be kept as a spare for Moreno.
Andrea Moda's Last F1 Events
Sassetti had an exciting time between the Monaco and Canadian Grands Prix, escaping a suspected assassination attempt in his native Italy. A new chapter in the Andrea Moda farce was written in Canada when the team’s Judd engines failed to arrive.
Andrea Moda’s season went from bad to worse when they failed to reach the French Grand Prix because of a truck driver’s blockade, although every other Formula 1 team managed to find a way around it. The next time the cars took to the track was therefore at Silverstone. McCarthy once again drew the short straw, being sent out to try and pre-qualify on wet tyres. This would have been fine if the track hadn’t been dry. Once again, both cars failed to make it past the first hurdle.
Moreno failed to pre-qualify at the next race in Germany, while McCarthy was excluded from the meeting altogether for missing a mandatory weigh-in. The team received a boost in Hungary when Brabham downsized their efforts to support just a single car. This meant that either Moreno or McCarthy was guaranteed to make it out of pre-qualifying. McCarthy saw his hopes vanish when he was finally allowed out of the pits with less than a minute of the session remaining, which was not enough time to get around and start a quick lap.
The Andrea Moda team made their final appearance in a Formula 1 paddock at the Belgian Grand Prix. Sassetti was escorted from the circuit after being arrested on allegations of fraud. As a result his team were thrown out of the championship for bringing the sport into disrepute, although they did try and gain access to the paddock for the Italian Grand Prix. After less than a season the Andrea Moda pantomime had run its course.
Part one of the Andrea Moda Formula 1 story.
Moreno in Andrea Moda's only F1 start at Monaco
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