Arturo Merzario
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 Arturo Merzario in 1978. | |
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| Formula One World Championship career | |
|---|---|
| Active years | 1972 Formula One season-1979 Formula One season |
| Teams | Ferrari, Frank Williams Racing Cars, Fittipaldi (constructor), March Engineering, Walter Wolf Racing, Merzario |
| Races | 85 (57 starts) |
| List of Formula One World Drivers' Champions | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Career points | 11 |
| Pole position | 0 |
| Fastest lap | 0 |
| First race | 1972 British Grand Prix |
| Last race | 1979 United States Grand Prix |
Arturo Francesco Merzario (born March 11, 1943 in Civenna, Province of Como) (real name Arturio - blunder on name registration - sometimes used on his helmet) is a former Racing driver from Italy. He participated in 85 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on July 15, 1972. He scored 11 championship points.
During his first season in Formula One in 1972 with Ferrari, Merzario also participated in Sports car racing, winning the Spa 1000 km, the Targa Florio and the Rand 9 Hour races. After a difficult year with Ferrari in 1973, he moved to Frank Williams Racing Cars and finished third in a non-Championship race in Brazil, but the Championship seasons of 1974 and 1975 proved unsuccessful. Merzario quit during the 1975 season to return to sports cars with Alfa Romeo in motorsport, winning four races plus the Targa Florio again.
Merzario returned to Formula One in 1976, first with March Engineering, and then with Walter Wolf Racing, but again there were no decent results. When Merzario could no longer find a drive with established teams, he set up his own Merzario team in 1977 which struggled in Formula One for three years, initially with March cars before building their own chassis, and later moving down to Formula Two.
Merzario is perhaps most renowned for being one of the drivers, along with Guy Edwards, Brett Lunger and Harald Ertl who saved Niki Lauda from his burning car during the 1976 German Grand Prix.
In his time in Formula One in the 1970s he was often photographed wearing a cowboy hat with sponsorship patches from Marlboro.
Little Art is still active in Sports car racing well into his sixties, driving mostly in an Italian prototype series.
Complete Formula One World Championship results
(F1 driver results legend 2)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | WDC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 Formula One season | Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari 312B2 | Ferrari Flat-12 | 1972 Argentine Grand Prix | 1972 South African Grand Prix | 1972 Spanish Grand Prix | 1972 Monaco Grand Prix | 1972 Belgian Grand Prix | 1972 French Grand Prix | 1972 British Grand Prix 6 | 1972 German Grand Prix 12 | 1972 Austrian Grand Prix | 1972 Italian Grand Prix | 1972 Canadian Grand Prix | 1972 United States Grand Prix | 20th | 1 | |||||
| 1973 Formula One season | Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari 312B2 | Ferrari Flat-12 | 1973 Argentine Grand Prix 9 | 1973 Brazilian Grand Prix 4 | 1973 South African Grand Prix 4 | 1973 Spanish Grand Prix | 1973 Belgian Grand Prix | 12th | 6 | ||||||||||||
| Ferrari 312B3 | 1973 Monaco Grand Prix Ret | 1973 Swedish Grand Prix | 1973 French Grand Prix 7 | 1973 British Grand Prix | 1973 Dutch Grand Prix | 1973 German Grand Prix | 1973 Austrian Grand Prix 7 | 1973 Italian Grand Prix Ret | 1973 Canadian Grand Prix 15 | 1973 United States Grand Prix 16 | ||||||||||||
| 1974 Formula One season | Frank Williams Racing Cars | Frank Williams Racing Cars Williams FW | Cosworth V8 | 1974 Argentine Grand Prix Ret | 1974 Brazilian Grand Prix Ret | 1974 South African Grand Prix 6 | 1974 Spanish Grand Prix Ret | 1974 Belgian Grand Prix Ret | 1974 Monaco Grand Prix Ret | 1974 Swedish Grand Prix DNS | 1974 Dutch Grand Prix Ret | 1974 French Grand Prix 9 | 1974 British Grand Prix Ret | 1974 German Grand Prix Ret | 1974 Austrian Grand Prix Ret | 1974 Italian Grand Prix 4 | 1974 Canadian Grand Prix Ret | 1974 United States Grand Prix Ret | 17th | 4 | ||
| 1975 Formula One season | Frank Williams Racing Cars | Frank Williams Racing Cars Williams FW | Cosworth V8 | 1975 Argentine Grand Prix NC | 1975 Brazilian Grand Prix Ret | 1975 South African Grand Prix Ret | 1975 Monaco Grand Prix DNQ | 1975 Belgian Grand Prix Ret | 1975 Swedish Grand Prix | 1975 Dutch Grand Prix | 1975 French Grand Prix | 1975 British Grand Prix | 1975 German Grand Prix | 1975 Austrian Grand Prix | NC | 0 | ||||||
| Frank Williams Racing Cars Williams FW04 | 1975 Spanish Grand Prix Ret | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Fittipaldi (constructor) | Fittipaldi (constructor) Fittipaldi FD03 | 1975 Italian Grand Prix 11 | 1975 United States Grand Prix | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1976 Formula One season | March Engineering | March Engineering March 761 | Cosworth V8 | 1976 Brazilian Grand Prix | 1976 South African Grand Prix | 1976 United States Grand Prix West DNQ | 1976 Spanish Grand Prix Ret | 1976 Belgian Grand Prix Ret | 1976 Monaco Grand Prix DNQ | 1976 Swedish Grand Prix 14 | 1976 French Grand Prix 9 | 1976 British Grand Prix Ret | NC | 0 | ||||||||
| Walter Wolf Racing | Frank Williams Racing Cars Williams FW05 | 1976 German Grand Prix Ret | 1976 Austrian Grand Prix Ret | 1976 Dutch Grand Prix Ret | 1976 Italian Grand Prix DNS | 1976 Canadian Grand Prix Ret | 1976 United States Grand Prix Ret | 1976 Japanese Grand Prix Ret | ||||||||||||||
| 1977 Formula One season | Merzario | March Engineering March 761 | Cosworth V8 | 1977 Argentine Grand Prix | 1977 Brazilian Grand Prix | 1977 South African Grand Prix | 1977 United States Grand Prix West | 1977 Spanish Grand Prix Ret | 1977 Monaco Grand Prix DNQ | 1977 Belgian Grand Prix 14 | 1977 Swedish Grand Prix | 1977 French Grand Prix Ret | 1977 British Grand Prix Ret | 1977 German Grand Prix DNQ | 1977 Dutch Grand Prix DNQ | 1977 Italian Grand Prix | 1977 United States Grand Prix | 1977 Canadian Grand Prix | 1977 Japanese Grand Prix | NC | 0 | |
| Shadow Racing Cars | Shadow Racing Cars Shadow DN8 | 1977 Austrian Grand Prix Ret | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1978 Formula One season | Merzario | Merzario Merzario A1 | Cosworth V8 | 1978 Argentine Grand Prix Ret | 1978 Brazilian Grand Prix DNQ | 1978 South African Grand Prix Ret | 1978 United States Grand Prix West Ret | 1978 Monaco Grand Prix DNPQ | 1978 Belgian Grand Prix DNPQ | 1978 Spanish Grand Prix DNQ | 1978 Swedish Grand Prix NC | 1978 French Grand Prix DNQ | 1978 British Grand Prix Ret | 1978 German Grand Prix DNQ | 1978 Austrian Grand Prix DNQ | 1978 Dutch Grand Prix Ret | 1978 Italian Grand Prix Ret | 1978 United States Grand Prix Ret | 1978 Canadian Grand Prix DNQ | NC | 0 | |
| 1979 Formula One season | Merzario | Merzario Merzario A1 | Cosworth V8 | 1979 Argentine Grand Prix Ret | 1979 Brazilian Grand Prix DNQ | 1979 South African Grand Prix DNQ | 1979 United States Grand Prix West Ret | NC | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Merzario Merzario A2 | 1979 Spanish Grand Prix DNQ | 1979 Belgian Grand Prix DNQ | 1979 Monaco Grand Prix | 1979 French Grand Prix DNQ | 1979 British Grand Prix DNQ | 1979 German Grand Prix DNQ | 1979 Austrian Grand Prix DNQ | 1979 Dutch Grand Prix DNQ | 1979 Italian Grand Prix DNQ | 1979 Canadian Grand Prix DNQ | 1979 United States Grand Prix DNQ |
