Pierluigi Martini (; born 23 April 1961) is an Italian former racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to and from to . In endurance racing, Martini won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in with BMW.
Born in Lugo, Emilia-Romagna, Martini is the nephew of Formula Two driver Giancarlo Martini and the older brother of Oliver. He finished runner-up to Ivan Capelli in the 1986 International Formula 3000 Championship. Martini contested 124 Formula One Grands Prix between and for Toleman, Minardi, and Scuderia Italia, achieving 18 championship points.
Early life Martini's uncle, Giancarlo Martini, raced during the 1970s, including some non-championship races in a Ferrari 312T entered by Scuderia Everest, a team owned by Giancarlo Minardi. Pierluigi's younger brother, Oliver, is also a racing driver. In 1983, Martini competed in Formula 3 with Luigi Pavesi racing. He won four races and secured both the Italian Formula 3 and European Formula 3 titles the same year.
Formula One
Martini participated in 124 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 9 September 1984, driving for Toleman in place of suspended Ayrton Senna at the 1984 Italian Grand Prix. He scored a total of 18 championship points and was synonymous with the Minardi team (run by the same Giancarlo Minardi who had previously owned Scuderia Everest).
Indeed, aside from a single outing with Toleman and a one-season dalliance with Scuderia Italia in 1992, Martini's entire Formula One career was spent with the Italian outfit. He raced with the minnow team in three different stints, drove for them on their debut in 1985, scored their first point in the 1988 Detroit Grand Prix, and their only front-row start at the 1990 United States Grand Prix (where unexpected rain on Saturday meant that the grid was decided entirely by times from Friday's session. Pirelli's soft qualifying tyres caught Goodyear off guard, and the Italian manufacturer put five of its teams in the top ten positions). Both Martini and Minardi led a race for a single lap at the 1989 Portuguese Grand Prix, and their joint-best finish was fourth at the 1991 San Marino Grand Prix and 1991 Portuguese Grand Prix, the latter being Martini's single finish on the lead lap.Celebrating Winless Wonders: 20 F1 Drivers with the Most Starts without a Win - Mike Pryson, Autoweek, 9 June 2020 Initially out of a drive for 1993, he was recalled back to the little Italian team midway through the season in place of Fabrizio Barbazza, Martini impressed by outpacing his young teammate Christian Fittipaldi.
Martini was also one of the drivers with a reputation for ignoring blue flags. Examples given are the 1991 Monaco Grand Prix when he held up Emanuele Pirro in the Dallara, Stefano Modena in the Tyrrell, and Riccardo Patrese in the Williams for several laps despite running towards the back of the field, and the 1995 Canadian Grand Prix where he blocked Gerhard Berger in the Ferrari when the Austrian tried to lap him. On both occasions, Martini was called in for a ten-second stop-and-go penalty for ignoring blue flags. Quizzed about this attitude on the occasion of the 1995 San Marino Grand Prix, where he held up winner Damon Hill, Martini replied: 'What should I exactly apologise for? My trajectories are always clean. Should I just park the car on the grass? I'm here to do my race like anybody else. I've always been correct. Those who complain about my conduct should explain why they cannot overtake me when their car has at least 150 hp more than mine'.
Sportscars Prior to commencing his Formula One career, Martini drove a Lancia LC2 in the 1984 24 Hours of Le Mans. After leaving Formula One, he began a successful career in sportscar racing. He contested the 1996 24 Hours of Le Mans in a Porsche run by Joest Racing. 1997 brought a fourth-place finish in a Porsche 911 GT1 which he also raced in the FIA GT Championship that year. In 1998, he joined the brand-new Le Mans program of BMW Motorsports.
In 1999, Martini, Yannick Dalmas and Joachim Winkelhock won the Le Mans 24 Hours. The trio drove for BMW. The team had to fight both Toyota and Mercedes works cars and won the race by a lap over the runner-up Toyota.
Martini returned to motorsports in 2006, competing in the Grand Prix Masters series for retired Formula One drivers.
Racing record Career summary
SeasonSeriesTeamRacesWinsPolesF/LapsPodiumsPointsPosition1981Italian Formula ThreeTrivellato Racing90000614thEuropean Formula Three300000NC1982Italian Formula ThreePavesi Racing9314540.53rdEuropean Formula Three200000NC1983European Formula ThreePavesi Racing144358661stMacau Grand Prix10000N/ADNFEuropean Formula TwoMinardi Team Srl10001611th1984World Sportscar ChampionshipMartini Racing500101044th24 Hours of Le MansBP Résidences Malardeau, Scuderia Jolly Club10000N/ADNFFormula OneToleman Group Motorsport000000NC1985Formula OneMinardi Team1500000NC1986International Formula 3000Pavesi Racing103215362ndMacau Grand Prix10000N/A10th1987International Formula 3000Pavesi Racing110001811th1988International Formula 3000First Racing101014234thFormula OneLois Minardi Team90000117th1989Formula OneMinardi Team SpA150000515thItalian Superturismo Championship????????1990Formula OneSCM Minardi Team1500000NC1991Formula OneMinardi Team160000611th1992Formula OneScuderia Italia SpA160000216th1993Formula OneMinardi Team800000NC1994Formula OneMinardi Scuderia Italia160000421st1995Formula OneMinardi Scuderia Italia900000NC199624 Hours of Le MansJoest Racing10000N/ADNF1997FIA GT ChampionshipBMS Scuderia Italia80000133rd24 Hours of Le Mans10000N/A8thInternational Sports Racing SeriesJoest Racing11011N/ANC199824 Hours of Le MansTeam BMW Motorsport10000N/ADNFInternational Sports Racing SeriesBMW Team Rafanelli20001N/ANC199924 Hours of Le MansBMW Motorsport110?1N/A1stAmerican Le Mans SeriesSchnitzer Motorsport10000188th2000American Le Mans SeriesTeam Rafanelli10000N/ANC2006Grand Prix MastersTeam Global Logistics, Team Motorola2001018th2009Campionato Italiano SuperstarsZakspeed Team1830161145thInternational Superstars Series1010113110th
Complete European Formula Two Championship results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Pts Minardi Team Srl Minardi M283 BMW SIL THR HOC NÜR VAL PAU JAR DON MIS PER ZOL MUG 11th 6
Complete International Formula 3000 results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap.) Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Pts 1986 Pavesi Corse Ralt RB20 Cosworth SIL VAL PAU SPA 2nd 36 Ralt RT20 IMO MUG PER ÖST BIR BUG JAR 1987 Pavesi Racing Ralt RT21 Cosworth SIL VAL SPA PAU DON BRH BIR IMO BUG 11th 8 Ralt RT20 PER JAR 1988 First Racing March 88B Judd JER VAL PAU SIL MNZ PER BRH BIR BUG ZOL DIJ 4th 23
Complete Formula One results (key) Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 WDC Points Toleman Group Motorsport Toleman TG184 Hart Straight-4 BRA RSA BEL SMR FRA MON CAN DET DAL GBR GER AUT NED ITA EUR POR NC 0 Minardi Team Minardi M185 Cosworth V8 BRA POR NC 0 MM V6 SMR MON CAN DET FRA GBR GER AUT NED ITA BEL EUR RSA AUS Lois Minardi Team Minardi M188 Cosworth V8 BRA SMR MON MEX CAN DET FRA GBR GER HUN BEL ITA POR ESP JPN AUS 17th 1 Minardi Team SpA Minardi M188B Cosworth V8 BRA SMR MON 15th 5 Minardi M189 MEX USA CAN FRA GBR GER HUN BEL ITA POR ESP JPN AUS SCM Minardi Team Minardi M189 Cosworth V8 USA BRA NC 0 Minardi M190 SMR MON CAN MEX FRA GBR GER HUN BEL ITA POR ESP JPN AUS Minardi Team Minardi M191 Ferrari V12 USA BRA SMR MON CAN MEX FRA GBR GER HUN BEL ITA POR ESP JPN AUS 11th 6 Scuderia Italia SpA BMS Dallara 192 Ferrari V12 RSA MEX BRA ESP SMR MON CAN FRA GBR GER HUN BEL ITA POR JPN AUS 16th 2 Minardi Team Minardi M193 Ford V8 RSA BRA EUR SMR ESP MON CAN FRA GBR GER HUN BEL ITA POR JPN AUS NC 0 Minardi Scuderia Italia Minardi M193B Ford V8 BRA PAC SMR MON ESP 21st 4 Minardi M194 CAN FRA GBR GER HUN BEL ITA POR EUR JPN AUS Minardi Scuderia Italia Minardi M195 Ford V8 BRA ARG SMR ESP MON CAN FRA GBR GER HUN BEL ITA POR EUR PAC JPN AUS NC 0
Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps BP Résidences Malardeau Scuderia Jolly Club Xavier Lapeyre Beppe Gabbiani Lancia LC2 C1 117 DNF DNF Joest Racing Michele Alboreto Didier Theys TWR Porsche WSC-95 LMP1 300 DNF DNF BMS Scuderia Italia Christian Pescatori Antônio Hermann de Azevedo Porsche 911 GT1 GT1 317 8th 4th Team BMW Motorsport Joachim Winkelhock Johnny Cecotto BMW V12 LM LMP1 43 DNF DNF BMW Motorsport Joachim Winkelhock Yannick Dalmas BMW V12 LMR LMP 365 1st 1st
Complete Grand Prix Masters results (key) Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest lap. Year Team Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 2006 Team Global Logistics Delta Motorsport GPM Nicholson McLaren 3.5 V8 QAT ITA Team Motorola GBR MAL RSA
References DRIVERS: PIERLUIGI MARTINI, GrandPrix.com
External links
F1 Rejects article