Giancarlo Baghetti

Giancarlo Baghetti

Born	25 December 1934 Milan, Lombardy, Italy
Died	27 November 1995 (aged 60) Milan, Lombardy, Italy
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality	Italian
Active years	1961–1967
Teams	Ferrari, Automobili Turismo e Sport, Scuderia Centro Sud, Brabham, Reg Parnell, Lotus
Entries	21
Championships	0
Wins	1
Podiums	1
Career points	14
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	1
First entry	1961 French Grand Prix
First win	1961 French Grand Prix
Last win	1961 French Grand Prix
Last entry	1967 Italian Grand Prix

Giancarlo Baghetti (25 December 1934 in Milan, Italy – 27 November 1995 also in Milan) was a Formula One driver who raced for the Ferrari, ATS (the Italian team), BRM, Brabham and Lotus teams. He was the son of a wealthy Milan industrialist.^[1]

Baghetti is one of only three drivers to have won his first World Championship race, the other two being Nino Farina, who won the first World Championship race (the 1950 British Grand Prix) and Johnnie Parsons, who won the 1950 Indianapolis 500 (the Indianapolis 500 was part of the World Championship from 1950 to 1960).

Formula One career

Baghetti began racing in 1955 in production cars, moving up to Formula Junior in 1958. In 1961 he was selected by the Federazione Italiana Scuderie Automobilistiche (FISA), a coalition of independent Italian team owners who had agreed a loan deal with Ferrari for a 156 Dino^[2] Formula Two car to run in non-Championship Grand Prix, giving experience to promising Italian drivers. Despite not showing spectacular form in lower categories, Baghetti was chosen over Albino Buttichi and Lucien de Sanctis for the seat. The car was first entered for the Syracuse Grand Prix, the first major event run under the new 1.5-litre championship regulations, and against a strong field Baghetti qualified second and won in the only Ferrari, with the British teams and Porsche 718 flat 4 unable to compete with the Dino's V6. He then drove the same car to win at the Napoli Grand Prix a few weeks later.

Team FISA then acquired a new Ferrari 156 for the 1961 French Grand Prix at Reims-Gueux, entering Baghetti for this World Championship event. Once Wolfgang von Trips, Richie Ginther and Phil Hill had all retired their works 156s, Baghetti was left to uphold Ferrari honour. He overcame Dan Gurney's Porsche 718 to take victory, giving him a hat trick of wins from his first three Grand Prix. Gurney was leading with 100 yd (91 m) to go as the cars raced to the finish line at 160 mph (260 km/h). The victory meant Baghetti became the first Italian since 1954 to win a Formula One World Championship event.^[1] It also ensured that he became the first, and only driver ever to win on their World Championship Grand Prix debut against a field that did not consist entirely of other debutant drivers.

He entered two more Championship races, retiring from the 1961 British Grand Prix and 1961 Italian Grand Prix, though he posted fastest lap in the latter. He also won the poorly attended Prima Coppa Italia race at Vallelunga in a Porsche 718.

He was promoted to the works Ferrari line-up for 1962, but took just two Championship placings – fourth at the Dutch Grand Prix, and fifth at the Italian Grand Prix, as Ferrari was outclassed by the British teams. Baghetti took second in the non-Championship Mediterranean Grand Prix. He was involved in the disastrous ATS effort in 1963, joining up with Phil Hill for Carlo Chiti's breakaway team, but failed to register a finish from five starts. For 1964 he switched to Scuderia Centro Sud's outdated BRM P57 cars, peaking with seventh at the Austrian Grand Prix. His Grand Prix career was then virtually over, though he had three more one-off drives, all at the Italian Grand Prix – a works Brabham in 1965, a Reg Parnell-entered Ferrari in 1966, and a works Lotus in 1967, when he would have scored a point but for a blown engine.

Post Formula One racing

He achieved some success in the European Touring Car Championship with Alfa Romeo and FIAT Abarth, winning the 1966 1000cc Class Championship in an Abarth 1000. After dabbling in Formula Three, he retired after a huge accident at the 1967 "Monza Lottery". Boley Pittard of England was burned severely when his Lola burst into flames at the start of the final qualifying heat. Baghetti won the event in a Branca with an average speed over thirty-five laps of 114 mph (183 km/h)^[3] In June 1968 Baghetti was in a huge pileup on the 23rd lap of a Formula Two race at Monza. He was driving a Dino.^[4]

He later became a journalist and photographer in motorsport and fashion.

Death and legacy

Baghetti died of cancer in 1995.

Baghetti's Championship debut win has secured him a footnote in Formula One history, as he became the only driver to have won his first three Formula One races, starting with two non-championship Grand Prix races in Italy.

Complete Formula One World Championship results

(key) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year	Entrant	Chassis	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	WDC	Points
1961	FISA	Ferrari 156	Ferrari V6	MON	NED	BEL	FRA 1								9th	9
	Scuderia Sant Ambroeus							GBR Ret	GER	ITA Ret	USA
1962	Scuderia Ferrari	Ferrari 156	Ferrari V6	NED 4	MON	BEL Ret	FRA	GBR	GER 10	ITA 5	USA	RSA			11th	5
1963	Automobili Turismo e Sport	ATS 100	ATS V8	MON	BEL Ret	NED Ret	FRA	GBR	GER	ITA 15	USA Ret	MEX Ret	RSA		NC	0
1964	Scuderia Centro Sud	BRM P57	BRM V8	MON DNA	NED 10	BEL 8	FRA	GBR 12	GER Ret	AUT 7	ITA 8	USA	MEX		NC	0
1965	Brabham Racing Organisation	Brabham BT7	Climax V8	RSA	MON	BEL	FRA	GBR	NED	GER	ITA Ret	USA	MEX		NC	0
1966	Reg Parnell Racing Ltd	Ferrari 246	Ferrari V6	MON	BEL	FRA	GBR	NED	GER	ITA NC	USA	MEX			NC	0
1967	Team Lotus	Lotus 49	Cosworth V8	RSA	MON	NED	BEL	FRA	GBR	GER	CAN	ITA Ret	USA	MEX	NC	0

Non-Championship

(key) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year	Entrant	Chassis	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21
1961	FISA	Ferrari 156	Ferrari V6	LOM	GLV	PAU	BRX	VIE	AIN	SYR 1	NAP 1	LON	SIL	SOL	KAN	DAN	MOD	FLG	OUL	LEW
	Scuderia Sant Ambroeus	Porsche 718	Porsche Flat-4																		VAL 1	RAN	NAT	RSA
1962	Scuderia Ferrari	Ferrari 156	Ferrari V6	CAP	BRX	LOM	LAV	GLV	PAU	AIN 4	INT	NAP	MAL	CLP	RMS DNA	SOL	KAN	MED 2	DAN	OUL	MEX	RAN	NAT
1963	Ecurie Filipinetti	Lotus 21	Climax Straight-4	LOM	GLV	PAU	IMO DNQ	SYR	AIN	INT	ROM	SOL	KAN	MED	AUT	OUL	RAN
1964	Scuderia Centro Sud	BRM P57	BRM V8	DMT DNS	NWT 9	SYR Ret	AIN 9	INT 8	SOL	MED	RAN
1965	Scuderia Centro Sud	BRM P57	BRM V8	ROC	SYR	SMT	INT	MED Ret	RAN
1966	Anglo-Suisse Racing Team	Lotus 33	BRM	RSA	SYR Ret	INT	OUL

References

1. Baghetti Of Italy Takes Auto Race, New York Times, July 3, 1961, Page 11.
2. It's not clear if this was a 156 F2 car as used in 1950s, or a new 156 F1 car of 1961 (Small (2000), p. 51, simply lists all 3 entries by Baghetti in 1961 as "1.5 Ferrari 156 V6"). Confusion is mostly due to the multiple different Ferrari models sharing same model numbers in the early years.
3. Driver Is Badly Burned as Flames Engulf Car at Start of Monza Race, New York Times, June 5, 1967, p.56.
4. Briton Takes Flag At Monza, European Stars and Stripes, June 25, 1968, p.19.

External links

• Obituary at Motor Sport magazine archive