Michel Alboreto - a story
During a private pre-Le Mans session at the Lausitzring with the Audi R8, there is a huge accident. On the long straight, the left rear tyre loses pressure and the car shunted heavily into the barriers. His driver, Michele Alboreto lost his life there on 25th April 2001 at 17.30 pm. A very quick driver, a gentleman with a full racing career already behind him cannot do anymore what he loved most: racing. You always remember the blue with yellow band helmet, inspired by the colours of Ronnie Peterson.
The early years
Michele Alboreto was born in Libya (hence his black curly hair), but the family moved to Italy. After watching the Ford GT40 of Hobbs and Hawkins winning the 1000 km Monza, he wanted to be a racing driver. When he finished his machine-building education, he got a motorbike from his parents. He sold that in order to buy in 1976 a Formula Monza racing car with his friend. He drove many races and earned some money working for his uncle in order to get a place in the Salvatti Racing Team. He took the Italian Fiat Abarth championship in 1978, and the Italian F3 title in 1979 with the Pavanello March 733 (Euroracing Team). In 1980 he secured the European F3 title, beating Thierry Boutsen’s Martini-Toyota with 4 wins and was third in the Italian F3. No less impressive was a one-off trip to Silverstone for a foray into the British Formula 3 scene. After qualifying 10th from 35 entrants, Alboreto raced his way up to fourth in the first heat, finished third in the second heat and took third overall – the lone Alfa-powered machine in a Toyota-dominated Top 10.
While F3 of course took priority when pursuing an open-wheel career, Alboreto was one of several young drivers who at this time raced for the Lancia Corse sportscar team in the World Endurance Championship. Driving a Group 5 Beta Montecarlo Turbo, he started four races that year, two partnering Eddie Cheever, and two alongside rally legend Walter Rohrl. Alboreto had three second places (6h Brands Hatch, 6h Mugello and 6h Watkins Glen).
The first big opportunities for Alboreto
The big change came in 1981. Michele was unable to land a works drive with March or Ralt in the F2, but he got a drive in Giancarlo Minardi F2 team (Minardi 281-BMW). The 281 was a bit off- pace. However, after four races he got word that Ken Tyrrell needed a new partner for Eddie Cheever in the Formula 1, since incumbent Ricardo Zunino had been 1.7 and 2.4sec off the American’s pace in his two outings in the admittedly outmoded Tyrrell 010 Cosworth. ‘Uncle Ken’, also lacking a major sponsor, signed up Alboreto for the San Marino Grand Prix, the wheels to the deal having been oiled by funds from Count Zanon (one of Peterson’s former supporters who had become a friend of Alboreto), and sponsorship from Imola Ceramica, a local tiling company. The rookie struggled initially to adapt to the ground-effect chassis. It wasn’t until the replacement 011 arrived mid-season that Alboreto showed more faith in finding the car’s limit and crept closer to Cheever’s pace. In total, Michele did not qualify for two races, did ten F1 races with a P09 in Zandvoort as the best result.
Alboreto’s simultaneous F2 campaign was fraught, the Minardi rarely capable of threatening the works teams, yet he earned pole in Pau, and later won in Misano, but necessarily skipped a couple of rounds to fulfill his F1 commitments. Arguably the high points of his season came in sportscars, finishing second in the Group 5 class in the 24 Hours of Le Mans after sharing a Beta Montecarlo with Cheever and touring car ace Carlo Facetti, and then winning the Watkins Glen 6 Hours outright with Riccardo Patrese.
The Tyrrell F1 years and Lancia in the endurance Racing
Rival Formula 1 teams made offers to Alboreto for 1982, but the pragmatic 25-year-old elected instead to sign with Tyrrell for two more years and continue his Grand Prix education. “For me, driving for Tyrrell was the best thing at that stage in my career,” he explained to Maurice Hamilton in an Autosport interview. “Absolutely fantastic. Ken taught me so much and yet never put me under pressure. I started learning the day I arrived and I was still learning the day I left. It was just the right experience for a driver starting in Formula 1.”
Elevated to team leader status for 1982, Alboreto scored two fourths in the opening three races of the season and, in the race boycotted by most FOCA teams at San Marino, he joined Ferrari drivers Didier Pironi and Gilles Villeneuve on the podium. The normally aspirated teams were facing an uphill battle; compared with the turbo cars of Ferrari and Renault and soon Brabham-BMW, they were giving away some 300hp in qualifying and 150 on race day. Yet Alboreto, like the Williams and the McLaren drivers was at the forefront of the Cosworth battle. In fact, Alboreto’s next batch of points would come on what were very much ‘power tracks’ – sixth at the original Paul Ricard with its mile-long Mistral Straight, fourth at the original Hockenheim and fifth at Monza. Come the finale at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Albo was outqualified only by the Renaults. At the start, he collided with his teammate Cheever. Despite a small damage to the suspension, he trailed the Renaults. And when one blew up (Rene Arnoux) and the other developed a bad tire vibration (Alain Prost), the Tyrrell driver was there to pounce with 24 laps to go, and land his first victory – and Ken’s last win was Monaco 1978, four years ago. Michele was joined on the podium by new world Champion Keke Rosberg and Diana Ross.
In the Endurance racing, Lancia entered Group 6 racing with the LC1. He won with Patrese again in the Silverstone 1000km, with both Riccardo and Teo Fabi in the Nurburgring 1000km, and with Piercarlo Ghinzani in the Fuji 6 Hours.
Ken Tyrrell had put his hopes on the new BMW engine, but that deal went to ATS. But there is a new sponsor thanks to ex-driver Nanni Galli. He arranged a deal with Benetton, so for the 1983 season the cars are painted green. His teammate was Danny Sullivan; the Benetton firm were planning to enter the USA clothing market. The best promotion came from Michele Alboreto by winning the Detroit GP. Both the Tyrrells 011 and 012 were the best since the P34 six-wheeler, and certainly the best atmospherically powered F1 car in a growing turbo field. With these nimble machines Alboreto shone on twisty tracks and street circuits, upstaging many established name.
In the endurance racing, Michele drove the Lancia LC2 together with Patrese.
Alboreto happy and not happy at Ferrari
It came as no surprise that Michele was sought out for Ferrari at the end of 1983. Together with teammate Rene Arnoux, he discovered all the turbo secrets of the Ferrari 126 C4 at the Fiorano circuit. But there are some problems inside the team. Mauro Forghieri and Harvey Poslethwaite cannot agree on the technical directions needed for the Ferrari team. McLaren wins the first two races of the 1984 season. Enzo Ferrari becomes impatient and the Italian press smells blood. But the F1 race in Zolder is Alboreto’s race : pole-position, all laps in the lead and a win despite a tyre change. Unfortunally, the next highlight is later in the year a P03 in Austria, a P02 in Italy and at the Nürburgring.
In the 1985 season, Michele Alboreto did mount a serious title offence. Ferrari had a new car, the 156/85. Rene Arnoux got fired and in came Stefan Johansson. In the first two races of the season, Michele was on the second step of the podium. Especially, the race in Monaco was a great Michele show. The Ferrari is the first car at the St. Devote corner, but spins on the oil from the Piquet-Patrese coming together. The McLaren of Alain Prost got in the lead, but Michele chased him down to take the lead. Lap 33, flat tyre and into the pits. He resumed the race in P04. And then he passes De Cesaris (Ligier) and later De Angelis (Lotus 97) in the most unusual places and is second again in lap 64. There was no time left to pass Prost. A month later, Alboreto wins the Canadian GP and is first in the championship standings. A DNF in France and a P02 at Silverstone keeps him in the lead.And again a win in Germany. After a win of Prost in Austria, they both have 50 points when arriving at Zandvoort. Michele has a bad qualification(P16), but can end the race in P04. He than knows already that the chassis of the 156 is to weak for the ever increasing turbo horsepower. The last five races were all non-finishers. Michele is second in the championship.
Ferrari and Postlethwaite produced the F186 car with an update turbo engine for the 1986 season. The car was difficult to drive. After a disappointing first races of the year, both Ferrari drivers benefited from the retirements of the others to score a decent result in Belgium: P03 for Johansson and a P04 for Alboreto. The Italian got another P04 in Detroit. The French GP was a struggle (P08) and in England, he was on route for points when the turbo failed. After a retirement in Germany (transmission) and Hungary(accident), Michele had P02 in Austria and a blown engine when lying third in his home GP. The last points were scored in Portugal. Alboreto ended eight in the championship.
Michele was kept for the 1987 season. His new teammate was Gerard Berger and Ferrari took in John Barnard as technical director. He decided to work remote from Guildford (UK), which led up to numerous problems and frictions within the team. New chassis, new gearbox, new engine for the Gustav Brunner designed F187. Alboreto started the season strong with a P03 in Imola and Monaco. The end of the season was strong for Ferrari. Berger won the last two races, Japan and Australia) with a P04 for Michele in Japan and a P02 in Australia. Overall results: a P07 in the championship against a P05 for Berger.
Against better judgement, he signed again for Ferrari in 1988. The 1988 season was spent in the shadow of the dominant McLaren team and only the lucky win at Monza late in 1988 for Berger where Jean-Louis Schlesser came in the way of the leading Senna and destroyed the perfect season for the McLaren team. But by that time Michele was already on his way out. Monza was his best result of the year with a P02. He was also on the podium at Monaco and in France, scored a P04 in Mexico and Germany and a P05 in Brazil and Portugal. Alboreto ended as fifth in the championship.
The last F1 years
For 1989, Ferrari took Nigel Mansell on board and Alboreto rejoined Tyrrell, Michele's personal agreement with Marlboro providing him with his salary. Still, the lack of budget should have had Michele worry before signing for Ken. After four races and through showing no form at all, he was out of a job. And certainly when he was denied to drive the new 018 at Monaco and when Ken Tyrrell found sponsorship from tobacco company Camel.
Then Michele was dealt another blow when Marlboro refused to arrange another drive. He was simply told he didn't belong to the Marlboro fold anymore since he wasn't driving in F1! Later on in the season he drove some races for the Larrousse- Lola team. But in Hungary he cut a chicane during qualifying and broke two ribs in the process. The rest of the season was really painful and so he concluded that this had been the worst season of his career ( 3 non-qualifications).
For 1990, things looked on the up again: Michele did a deal to join the promising Footwork-sponsored Arrows team. With the Footwork A11-Ford, Michele had 3 non-qualifications and scored 2 P10 in the races. This was to be a transition year for the big break would come in 1991. The team had secured Porsche works engines and had good finances from Japan. But seldom promise has not been lived up to in this amount than with the disastrous Footwork-Porsche project. Soon the overweight Porsche engines disappeared and the team had to rely on Hart-sourced DFR engines for the rest of the season. A P13 in Australia was the best result. Thanks to their Japanese connections the Footwork team got a supply of Mugen Honda V10 engines for 1992. The FA13 was pretty and reliable and Michele did score points on several occasions (P05 Spain and Imola; P06 Brazil and Estoril), while six times he finished just outside the points in 7th place. He finished tenth in the championship.
The F1 season of 1993 was probably the worst for Michele Alboreto. He drove for Beppe Lucchini Scuderia Italia the horrible Ferrari-engine Lola T93/30 (Chesterfield sponsoring) with 5 non-qualifications and a P11 as best result. In 1994, he drove for Minardi in the M194-Ford with a sixth place finish in Monaco. His F1 career ended here : 194 GP contested, 2 pole-positions and five wins.
Back to Racing. Alboreto joined Team Joest
It put Michele in a difficult situation and he actually thought of retirement. It would have been the easy way out and his family pushed him hard to quit. But he admitted, "When I wake up in the morning the first thing I want to do is to drive, so as long as I have this passion for racing I will continue."
A dreadful year in DTM with Alfa Romeo followed, and then a brief spell in the inaugural season of the Indy Racing League aroused his curiosity. He did in 1995 a few races in the iMSA championship with a Ferrari 333 SP. From the Scandia Racing Team. He ended fourth in the 12 hours of Sebring with Mauro Baldi and Eric van de Poele and second in the 1995 Sebring race with Mauro Baldi and Andy Evans.
Reinhold Joest gave him the chance to drive for his team in 1996. In Le Mans, the car he drove with Didier Theys and Pierluigi Martini had to stop after 300 laps. But together with his old team mate Stefan Johansson and Tom Kristensen, he won the 24 hours of Le Mans 1997 in the Joest-Porsche WSC-95. When Joest is hired by Audi, the Italian driver is part of the deal. For Michele it is a big opportunity to keep driving in a top team with a great atmosphere.
In the transition year of 1998, Alboreto did not finish in the 24hours le Mans race with the Porsche LMP1 due to electrical problems. In 1999 he was at the wheel of the Audi R8R. The first race, the 12 hours of Sebring was an immediate success: a third place together with Dindo Capello and Stefan Johansson. In Le Mans, they were fourth in the silver-black nr 7 car, some 14 laps behind their teammates.
In 2000, the Joest Audi’s dominate the Le Mans race. Michele is third in the Audi R8. Earlier in the year, he ended second in the 12 hours Sebring with Capello and Mc Nish. In the Petit Le Mans race in September, they were unbeatable and won the race with 3 laps advantage.
2001 started good, but ended bad. This time Michele Alboreto won the 12 hours of Sebring. The bad ending: just over a month later, on April 25th, 2001, the world lost Michele Alboreto. The Italian fell victim to a tire failure while testing his Audi R8 at the Lauzitsring, preparing for yet another race.
His brother, Ermanno, wrote a book. The title says it all. Alboreto: gasoline in the veins!
