Forti……another Formula One adventure

With a racing pedigree dating back to the teams formation in the late 1970’s Forti came to Formula One on the back of a successful Formula Three and Formula 3000 apprenticeship. Over the course of the 1980’s the team saw Italian Formula Three drivers titles in 1985 / 87 / 88 and 89 with drivers including Gianni Morbidelli.

The team expanded into Formula 3000 in the 1987 season, although the choice of Dallara chassis limited the progress of the team in their first season, but later use of Lola and Reynard cars brought success to the team in the form of a number of race wins and in 1991 Emanuele Naspetti finishing third in the drivers standings.

Fellow Formula 3000 teams had made the leap up to Formula One with a mix of success; Onyx and Coloni showed how tough the jump up could be, but Jordan proved that moving from a formula where you bought a chassis to one where you build your own was possible.

Having the finance to support this move is key to any team making the decision to enter Formula One, and for team principal Guido Forti the connections (and sponsorship) that their F3000 driver Pedro Diniz brought to the table were a major factor in the decision. Pedro’s father was a successful businessman who was able to pull in a number of brands to support his sons racing career.

With the promise of a multi million dollar fund for their first season at least, Forti made steps towards constructing their own Formula One car, helped in part by the acquisition of the Fondmetal F1 teams remaining assets. Fondmetal had bowed out of the sport in 1992, and with designer / engineer Sergio Rinland acting as a consultant, the team built their first car, the FG01 using Fondmetal designs for their never built 1993 car.

At first glance the FG01 has more than a passing resemblance to previous Fondmetal cars, but for 1995 the car appeared to be very bulky, and a good few horsepower down on the class leading Renault powered Williams and Benetton cars.

Slightly heavy and underpowered are a terrible combination in Formula One, and its fair to say that the debut season was challenging for Pedro and team mate Roberto Moreno. Funds allowed a surprising amount of testing, unusual for a new team, and whilst a few seconds off the pace of the front running drivers the team appeared to have a reasonably reliable car.

Over the course of the season the car was even developed – weight removed, a semi-automatic gearbox installed and gradually the pace of the cars improved. I’m verging on being too kind at this point; the car was on average between 7 and 10 seconds a lap slower than championship winner Schumacher, and race finishes when they were achieved we at least two laps behind the winner, but a season best 7th place finish by Diniz at Adelaide.

No points, but the team had survived the first season and started to plan for the 1996 season. Problems occurred very early on as Pedro and in effect all his / the teams sponsors went to Ligier, leaving the team with a sizable budget gap to fill. A slightly updated car with slightly high specification Ford engines started the season, pedalled by new drivers Luca Badoer and Andrea Montermini, but the introduction of the 107% qualifying rule had a significant impact on the chances of either driver making the grid.

Somehow an improved car was built, or at least one chassis – the FG03 which both drivers described as a significant improvement. Luca , using the new car, qualified for its first race at Imola, and both drivers qualified at Monaco. Finances however were very limited, and the involvement of “Shannon Racing” who bought into the team led to a potential lifeline.

Decked out with a new livery in green and white both cars appear in Spain, although neither qualified, but the following Canadian and French Grand Prix saw both cars make it to the grid. Could the team survive ?

In a word sadly no they could not. The promise of the Shannon deal led to hardly any actual finance appearing, and the team was unable to keep up with payments to suppliers including Cosworth. At the British Grand Prix the cars only managed a handful of laps (engine mileage was a real issue) and in Germany the cars remained unassembled in the pits.

The German race would be their last, if having cars in parts in a pit garage counts, and what might of been a season of steady progress ended in the team folding with significant debts.

27 races might be a short career in Formula One, but the team had made it to Formula One, achieved a 7th place finish and appeared at points to be on a steady, improving course. In bright yellow or green and white livery the cars made a visual impact if nothing else, but they are among many teams another to not quite make it longer than a couple of seasons.

Yet again one of the major elements in Formula One success, for teams at least, is a decent sized budget, and no amount of driver, designer or engineer talent can make up for a distinct lack of dollars! Forti were the last team to progress from Formula 3000 to Formula One, which is one element of the sport missing in my opinion, when if ever will we see a new team climb up the motor sport ladder without a car manufacturer supporting them ?