Arturo Merzario

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Merzario1.jpg
Arturo Merzario
Caption Arturo Merzario in 1978.
Nationality 3dflagsdotcom italy2bs.gif Italian
Years 1972-1979
Team(s) Ferrari, Williams, Fittipaldi, March, Wolf, Merzario
Races 85 (57 starts)
Championships 0
Wins 0
Podiums 0
Points 11
Poles 0
Fastest laps 0
First race 1972 British Grand Prix
First win
Last win
Last race 1979 United States Grand Prix

Arturo Francesco Merzario (born March 11, 1943 in Chiavenna, Como) 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 Williams 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, winning four races plus the Targa Florio again.

Merzario returned to Formula One in 1976, first with March, and then with Wolf, 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.

File:ARTURO MERZARIO Ferrari 2.jpg
Arturo Merzario driving for Ferrari


Complete Formula One World Championship results

(key)

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 WDC Points
1972 Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 312B2 Ferrari Flat-12 ARG
RSA
ESP
MON
BEL
FRA
GBR
6
GER
12
AUT
ITA
CAN
USA
20th 1
1973 Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 312B2 Ferrari Flat-12 ARG
9
BRA
4
RSA
4
ESP
BEL
12th 6
Ferrari 312B3 MON
Ret
SWE
FRA
7
GBR
NED
GER
AUT
7
ITA
Ret
CAN
15
USA
16
1974 Frank Williams Racing Cars Iso-Marlboro FW Cosworth V8 ARG
Ret
BRA
Ret
RSA
6
ESP
Ret
BEL
Ret
MON
Ret
SWE
DNS
NED
Ret
FRA
9
GBR
Ret
GER
Ret
AUT
Ret
ITA
4
CAN
Ret
USA
Ret
17th 4
1975 Frank Williams Racing Cars Williams FW03 Cosworth V8 ARG
NC
BRA
Ret
RSA
Ret
MON
DNQ
BEL
Ret
SWE
NED
FRA
GBR
GER
AUT
- 0
Williams FW04 ESP
Ret
Fittpaldi-Copersucar Fittipaldi FD03 ITA
11
USA
1976 Ovoro March March 761 Cosworth V8 BRA
RSA
USW
DNQ
ESP
Ret
BEL
Ret
MON
DNQ
SWE
14
FRA
9
GBR
Ret
- 0
Walter Wolf Racing Williams FW05 GER
Ret
AUT
Ret
NED
Ret
ITA
DNS
CAN
Ret
USA
Ret
JPN
Ret
1977 Team Merzario March 761B Cosworth V8 ARG
BRA
RSA
USW
ESP
Ret
MON
DNQ
BEL
14
SWE
FRA
Ret
GBR
Ret
GER
DNQ
NED
DNQ
ITA
USA
CAN
JPN
- 0
Shadow Racing Shadow DN8 AUT
Ret
1978 Team Merzario Merzario A1 Cosworth V8 ARG
Ret
BRA
DNQ
RSA
Ret
USW
Ret
MON
DNPQ
BEL
DNPQ
ESP
DNQ
SWE
NC
FRA
DNQ
GBR
Ret
GER
DNQ
AUT
DNQ
NED
Ret
ITA
Ret
USA
Ret
CAN
DNQ
- 0
1979 Team Merzario Merzario A1B Cosworth V8 ARG
Ret
BRA
DNQ
SAF
DNQ
USW
Ret
- 0
Merzario A2 ESP
DNQ
BEL
DNQ
MON
FRA
DNQ
GBR
DNQ
GER
DNQ
AUT
DNQ
DUT
DNQ
ITA
DNQ
CAN
DNQ
USA
DNQ