Grand Prix Masters, Pierluigi Martini

GP Starts: 119

Points Scored: 18

Italian Pierluigi Martini was born in Lugo di Romagna in 1961. His professional driving career began in 1983 when he won the coveted title European Formula 3 Champion. Three year’s later he became the International Formula 3000 champion winning three races during the 1986 season and one in 1988.

His first experience in F1 was for Tolman in 1984 but due to technical problems with the car he was unable to qualify for the Italian Grand Prix.

The following year he was back, marking the debut in F1 of Minardi Motori Moderni. Lack of sponsorship forced Martini to return to Formula 3000 for the next few seasons, 1986, 1987 and 1988.

In 1988 he returned to Minardi and scored the team’s first World Championship point, taking sixth place in Detroit.

He continued to drive with Minardi for the majority of his F1 career. 1991 was Martini’s finest season in F1, he scored six championship points finishing 4th in both San Marino and Portugal. The following year he scored points at San Marino and at the Spanish Grand Prix for the Dallara team. He was the Scuderia Minardi team’s most successful driver, scoring more points for them than any other driver in the team’s history.

He then made the brief move to BMW Dallara for the 1992 season before returning to Minardi for the rest of his F1 career until he retired from F1 at the end of the 1995 season

Career History:

1983 – European Formula 3 Championship

1984 – Formula 1 Championship debut drive for Tolman

1985 – Minardi, Formula 1 Championship

1988 - Minardi, Formula 1 Championship

1989 - Minardi, Formula 1 Championship

1990 - Minardi, Formula 1 Championship

1991 – Dallara BMW, Formula 1 Championship

1992 - Minardi, Formula 1 Championship

1993 - Minardi, Formula 1 Championship

1994 - Minardi, Formula 1 Championship

1995 - Minardi, Formula 1 Championship

1999 – BMW, winner, Le Mans