Andrea Moda Formula

Andrea Moda Formula was a Formula 1 Team of businessman Andrea Sassetti, operator of an Italian shoe company called Andrea Moda from Ancona. The history of the team was characterized by inability and scandals until it was eventually excluded from the FISA of the World Cup.

  • 2.2.1 The new car
  • 2.2.2 The Personnel Perry McCarthy
  • 2.2.3 The sporting achievements of the team
  • 2.2.4 The incidents and scandals

Prehistory

The end of September 1991, Andrea Sassetti bought at the suffering to failure and financial distress Formula 1 team Coloni. The Italian team was initially continued for the remaining races of the season in 1991 by Enzo Coloni. After the exchange of business with Sassetti was completed. The motorsport completely inexperienced Sassetti took Colonis current car, the Coloni C4, to the remaining parts. All this was in Andrea Sassetti workshop in Ancona transferred, which should be the basis for the Formula 1 future use. The workshops of Coloni Racing in Passignano sul Trasimeno, however, were not adopted by Sassetti; they stayed with Enzo Coloni and served as the basis for its new beginning in the Italian Formula 3

Course of the season 1992

The first steps: A revised Coloni C4 and exclusion

For the 1992 season was planned, the well-known, as early as 1989 built car by Coloni, the C4, then insert it again with some technical modifications. To this end, Sassetti bought two cars Judd GV- ten-cylinder engines that were run in the Dallara race car BMS Scuderia Italia in 1991. From BMS Sassetti also took over the entire rear axle and the gearbox. All of this was built in the elderly Coloni C4. The car was painted black and was named Coloni C4B. The French journalist Patrice book Cold reported that the necessary design changes by students at the University of Perugia were elaborated. This way, Enzo Coloni was gone in 1991, when it came time to rebuild the C3C to C4. Sassetti was the British engineer Paul Burgess monitor the work of the students; own development work but who did not Burgess by his own admission.

As a driver Sassetti initially wanted Christian Danner and Gregor Foitek commit. Foitek visited the factory of the team and then said shortly from. He later reported that the infrastructure of Andrea Moda Formula not begin to reach the level of a Formula 1 racing team. Ultimately committed Andrea Moda Formula, the Italian driver Alex Caffi and Enrico Bertaggia with starting number 34 and 35

A first field test was conducted in February 1992 by Alex Caffi. About the lap times nothing is known; However Caffi was quoted as saying that the car was essentially useful and also the Judd engine good fit to the car, only the position of the shift lever is to complain about.

For the first race of the season in South Africa appeared Andrea Moda Formula and reported the Coloni C4B for Caffi and Bertaggia. In the introductory session on Thursday before the race, which was preceded by the qualifying and qualifying, Caffi shot some rounds, however, Bertaggia received no opportunity to drive. Caffi reached any time, which was located in the area of ​​competitiveness. For qualifying the team, however, did not occur, since it was excluded on Friday morning from the World Cup.

The first exclusion of the team

The FISA was of the view that it was at Andrea Moda Formula to a new team and not merely the continuation of a previous achievements. This was followed by two present regulations for exclusion:

  • On one hand, the payment of the registration fee was required FISA opinion. Then Sassetti had indisputably far refrained.
  • In addition, the team is not authorized to use the old Coloni C4, as it were equivalent to a car that had already been by another team (namely Coloni ) used. According to the rules of Formula 1 but had to compete with a car each team.

The legality of the exclusion is controversial. For the opposite view by Andrea Sassetti, after his team Andrea Moda Formula with others is merely the continuation of the company founded in 1987 Coloni team name and is therefore not to be regarded as a new team. Also, there was in previous years, some precedents in which the FISA had shown much more generous. As an example, the team Osella Corse be mentioned, which was acquired in 1991 by Gabriele Rumi and continue to operate under the name Fondmetal Corse and 1992. The same was true for the British Toleman team, which took from 1986 under the name of Benetton.

A new start: Cars by Simtek

After several days of debate, a compromise was found: Andrea Moda Formula should be re-admitted to the Formula 1 World Championship, when it does not possess a new car. The registration was issued in return, as well as a fine for the omission of one or more Great Prices. For this purpose, the legal concept of " force majeure " endeavor.

The new car

A new car was quickly found: the British Formula 1 supplier Simtek, a few years later even competitors in Formula 1, had already in 1990 built a Formula 1 car on behalf of BMW, the BMW was first tested in secret before to be ultimately decided against an entry into Formula 1. These cars were unused in the Simtek plant and waited some extent on further use. The deal was brokered by Max Mosley, who was president of FISA, on the other hand, the company's co-owner Simtek one hand since 1991.

End of March 1992 took Andrea Sassetti both cars and called it the future Andrea Moda S192 (according to other sources: S921 ). In the following weeks the Andrea Moda mechanic Riccardo Rosa and Silvio Romero fit the existing Judd engine in the cars.

The Personnel Perry McCarthy

The driver's choice proved to be problematic. Neither Caffi still Bertaggia were reappointed. Instead, the Brazilian veteran Roberto committed Sassetti Moreno. In addition, the British newcomer Perry McCarthy, a driver, who had virtually no experience in dealing with single-seaters was committed. McCarthy therefore initially received no Super License; only after he was able to demonstrate some Formula 1 laps, his driving license was issued. In the meantime, however, Enrico Bertaggia new sponsors had found and asked for Sassetti for another use after. Sassetti wanted McCarthy then replace Bertaggia, but came across again - and this time lasting - resistance of FISA, pointing out to him that he had already exhausted with the renaming of two drivers the allowed number of driver changes. Andrea Sassetti was then forced to live with Perry McCarthy, however, became the unloved child of the team. McCarthy was consistently disadvantaged by the team: time his car was not ready in time for (pre - ) qualification times he was too late, left with wet tires on a dry race or with a completely filled tank on the runway, so that he in the result at any time could retract passable results. The goal was obvious McCarthy to move to give up; Briton held, however, consistently firmly in the driver's seat.

The sporting achievements of the team

The team Andrea Moda with the new S192 and the drivers Moreno and McCarthy came forward while the second race of the season in Mexico; to use one came, though not present, as the two new cars were not yet ready. At the third race of the season in Brazil, a single car could be built up in the night before the pre-qualification. Was allowed to drive then, however, only Roberto Moreno, who could not qualify with the untested and unfamiliar car. To pass the prequalification he missed 15 seconds; the residue at the time of the pole - setters of 23 seconds. In Spain, both cars were then ready for use. The first car with Roberto Moreno remained after two laps with electrical problem on the slopes are. Moreno moved to the second car, which shortly afterwards suffered the same defect. As a result, McCarthy could not go, even though he was now equipped with a super license. In the following race, the situation did not change. Moreno and - if he was allowed to drive - even McCarthy stranded on a regular basis at the pre-qualification. An exception was the Grand Prix of Monte Carlo: As three years earlier in the Coloni, Moreno succeeded this time to qualify for the race. He went finish last race and difference lying after eleven rounds, the last position, with engine failure. After that, no further involvement in racing more should be achievable.

The incidents and scandals

Andrea Moda Formula was known besides sporting deficits for various incidents and scandals.

  • On the occasion of the Grand Prix of Canada, the team Andrea Moda appeared without motors in the pit lane. Supposedly, the box had been misdirected to the motors by air to Canada. Applies may have been that John Judd has not even sent the motors on the way to Canada because some bills of Andrea Moda provided any. The team therefore had to borrow from the Brabham team also floundering an identical engine, you einbaute in Moreno's car. Moreno missed 23 seconds on the pole time and 17 seconds on the pre-qualification. McCarthy was not allowed to go first.
  • The French Grand Prix was held at a time when the country was hit by a truck driver strike. All Formula 1 teams succeeded nevertheless to arrive on time at Magny Cours. Only the trucks of Andrea Moda Formula remained caught in the hustle and bustle of the strike impact, so the team to the race could not compete.
  • On the occasion of the Grand Prix of Hungary threatened the FISA with a lock of the team, if there is no entrepreneurial efforts in the following race in Belgium, to allow Perry McCarthy a serious workout. The lock was made ​​for the Italian Grand Prix, the home race of Andrea Moda Formula in view.
  • At the Grand Prix in Spa -Francorchamps, the team owner Sassetti was arrested in the early hours of Saturday by the Belgian police in the paddock and spent a night in jail. The occasion was the action of a customer, Sassetti had paid him with a check not covered. This process took the FISA as an opportunity to Andrea Moda Formula excluded immediately from the Formula 1 World Championship. In support was argued that the behavior of the team was likely to damage the reputation of Formula 1.

Conclusion

In the Formula 1 season 1992 Andrea Moda only occurred to 9 of 16 races, could in 16 attempts only once to qualify for the race and fell in this one race from. Thus, a team alongside Life Racing, the confusing happiness test projects of recent Formula 1 history. The British magazine Autosport wrote in connection with Andrea Moda:

Because private teams such as Andrea Moda Formula, which were founded by people without much experience or money and disappeared a little later, the FIA demanded later by new Formula 1 teams a high bail.

Swell

  • Henry, Alan: " Car Course 1992/93 ', London 1992 ( Hazleton Securities Ltd. ), ISBN 0-905138-96-1.
  • Book Cold, Patrice and Galeron, Jean Francois: "Formula 1 - a complete guide to 1992 ', Surrèsnes ( Taillandrier ) 1992, ISBN 2-87636-107-8.
  • Motorsport date, weekly trade magazine from Switzerland, with various articles and notes about Andrea Moda in books of the vintage 1992.
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