Corrado Fabi

Nationality:	Italian	Races Entered:	18
Date of Birth:	12 April, 1961	DNQ/DNPQ:	6
Teams:	Osella (1983) Brabham (1984)	Best Result:	7th, USA-Dallas, 1984

BIOGRAPHY

Before Formula One

At the end of 1982, Gilles Villeneuve was dead, Carlos Reutemann had retired, Didier Pironi had been seriously injured, Alain Prost had seemingly failed to meet expectations, Keke Rosberg had rather fortuitously won the World Championship, Nelson Piquet had not had a good season, and Niki Lauda's comeback year had been inconclusive. Although 1982 had been a terrific, if tragic, season in F1, there seemed to be no-one who was set to take over the mantle as the great driver of the 1980s. Perhaps it was just that the man who would follow in the footsteps of Fangio, Clark, Stewart and Lauda and establish himself as the dominant figure of the 80s hadn't reached Formula 1 yet. This was what Automobile Sport had to say about Corrado Fabi, the 1982 Formula 2 champion: "Every decade throws up one, maybe two drivers who are head and shoulders above the rest. Currently the void is gaping, but Corrado Fabi has both the ability and the personality to fill it perfectly."

This site features many drivers who were more than capable of succeeding in F1, only to find their efforts blighted for one reason or another. But there are those who were so prodigiously talented that the F1 winner's circle seemed inevitably to be theirs by right, until circumstances conspired against them. The likes of Tony Brise and Stefan Bellof fall comfortably into that category. And so too does Corrado Fabi, younger brother of Teo Fabi, from Milan in Italy. Teo and Corrado's parents had significant interests in talcum powder mining, which allowed both their sons to indulge in their sporting passions from an early age. Teo was an excellent skier, and it was during a skiing trip in 1970 in the mountains near Milan that Corrado found a go-kart track. His father subsequently bought him a kart, and from there he never looked back. Corrado's interest in motorsport infused his older brother as well, and by 1975 both of them were in the four-man Italian national karting team.

That year Teo was 20, and Corrado 14. In the European karting championship, the Italian team with the Fabis at the helm were dominant, and by the half-way stage had built a massive points lead. At this point officials discovered just how young Corrado was, and barred him from the remaining races! It didn't matter; the team went on to win the title, and Corrado continued karting until 1978, honing his clearly extraordinary skills and getting set for bigger and better things. Meanwhile, Teo had become the 1977 European Formula Ford 1600 champion, and finished 4th in the 1978 European F3 championship. Always a step behind his brother for no reason other than his age, Corrado took the March 783 Toyota that Teo had used the previous year, and competed in the last six races of the 1979 Italian F3 series. Taking a 3rd place in the final race, placing him equal 10th in the title with 8 points, he secured a drive in Paolo Pavanello's Euroracing team for the 1980 European F3 championship.

For a 19 year old youngster with six F3 races to his name, this was a rapid rise indeed. Driving a March 803 Alfa Romeo, by round 5 at Zandvoort he had made it onto the podium in 3rd place, and in the next round at La Chatre he followed team-mate Michele Alboreto home in a Euroracing 1-2. The next race at Mugello saw Fabi lead home another 1-2, before a 3rd at Monza, 2nd at Misano, another win at Knutsdorp, and 2nd at Kassel-Calden. Although Alboreto took the title with 60 points, Fabi was only 10 behind in 3rd place. Were it not for a puncture in the final round at Zolder, Corrado may have challenged Thierry Boutsen for the runner-up position. At any rate, it had been a very fine year indeed, and he was rewarded by an offer by Robin Herd, a fan of both the Fabi brothers, to join the March F2 team for 1981, replacing Teo who had gone to race Can-Am in America.

With Boutsen in the other car, the March 812 BMW combination looked like being serious championship contenders, but time and again throughout the season they had to give best to Geoff Lees in the Ralt Honda, who eventually took the title with Boutsen in 2nd. Fabi ended up tied for 4th with Eje Elgh on 29 points, having taken 3rd at Silverstone, 3rd at the Nurburgring, 4th at Vallelunga, a win at Mugello, 4th at Spa and 2nd at Donington, but perhaps this had been a slightly disappointing set of results. But Herd had enough confidence in Corrado to retain him for 1982, which looked set to be a classic F2 season. The Ralt Honda combination had Jonathan Palmer and Kenny Acheson on board, while Boutsen had moved to the new Spirit Honda team, joining Stefan Johansson. Johnny Cecotto was now partnering Fabi in their March 822 BMWs, whilst Bellof and Beppe Gabbiani in their Maurers and Philippe Streiff and Pascal Fabre in their AGSs were also powered by the strong BMW motor.

To add to the mix, the Honda-powered cars were on Bridgestone tyres, and the BMW-powered machines on Michelins - not the last time the two tyre manufacturers would go head-to-head. In the face of all the expectations, the season didn't disappoint. Although the Ralts faltered and were nowhere near as competitive as they had been the previous year, Bellof, Streiff and Johansson had all impressed, but the championship came down to a three-way dogfight between Cecotto, Boutsen and Fabi. Going into the last round at Misano, Fabi had recorded a 3rd at Hockenheim, 2nd at the Nurburgring, 1st at Mugello and Vallelunga, 5th at Spa, and two more wins at Hockenheim and Donington. Only bad luck had prevented him from taking more victories. Cecotto, meanwhile, had been more consistent, and only needed a 2nd place at Misano to take the crown, whereas both Boutsen and Fabi had to win. Fabi proved to be the fastest throughout practice and took pole, but a shower hit the track an hour before the race.

By race start, the sun was back out and the track was drying, and the championship contenders faced a dilemma, whether to start on wets or slicks. Boutsen opted for wets, the March men for slicks. But Fabi had shown that he was not particularly fond of racing in the wet, so the early laps when he would have to use slicks on a drying track would be especially crucial. As it was, Cecotto was punted off on the first lap, Boutsen skipped out to a massive lead, but Fabi managed to keep it together and stay on the track. The circuit had dried sufficiently and Boutsen came in for slicks, but so great was his lead that he remained in front. However, his Spirit was on a wet set-up which ate up his tyres, and soon he found Fabi breathing down his neck. It was only a matter of time before Corrado got by, and the Italian signed off on what had been a near-faultless season by holding on for his fifth win, snatching the title from under Cecotto's nose by 57 points to 56.

It was easy to forget that Corrado was just 21, and yet he had masterfully won the title in the final stepping-stone to F1. Although in 1981 and 1982 he had had two World Championship sports car starts, both at Mugello, netting 8th in a BMW M1 with Christian Danner in 1981 and a brilliant 2nd in a works Lancia LC1 with Alessandro Nannini in 1982, single seaters was where his heart lay. And after such a meteoric rise up the ladder, a competitive F1 drive for 1983 seemed to be no less than what he deserved. Automobile Sport declared that his Misano win had been "the final emergence of a superstar". Corrado had proven to be mechanically sympathetic, and his smooth style belied the fact that he was blindingly quick. He had an endearingly outgoing personality, but if there was one chink in his armour, it was the fact that he had known nothing but success in his motor racing career, and he had shown signs of being less than motivated when the going got tougher. It would prove to be the undoing of his career.

Formula One

Corrado did indeed get his F1 drive for 1983, but it was perhaps a lot less than what he would have hoped for. His brother Teo had driven for Toleman in 1982 and had moved to CART racing in North America for 1983, but Bruno Giacomelli had snaffled up that vacant seat. Cecotto had also graduated to F1, finding a seat with the Theodore team alongside Roberto Guerrero. In the end, all that was available to Fabi was a drive with the Osella team, as team-mate to Piercarlo Ghinzani. Enzo Osella's team had been around since 1980, but had made very little impression since then. 1982 had been both a triumph and tragedy for them, with Jean-Pierre Jarier taking 4th at Imola, but Ricardo Paletti perishing in Canada. By the end of the year, Jarier had had enough of the team's stagnancy and moved to Ligier, but pressing on undaunted, Osella decided to run two new FA1D chassis for Fabi and Ghinzani in 1983, powered by a non-turbo Cosworth V8.

Underpowered and under-financed, Fabi's debut season was always going to be a test of character at the back of the field, a place to which he was entirely unaccustomed. The season opener in Brazil set the tone, as Corrado qualified 24th out of 26 starters, over 5.7 seconds slower than Rosberg's pole time, and retired after 17 laps with an engine failure having moved only as high as 21st place. He then got an even greater shock at Long Beach, when both Osellae failed to qualify, Fabi missing out by just 0.142s. In France, despite being 6.739s slower than Prost's Renault on pole, Fabi started 23rd in front of the likes of Danny Sullivan and Raul Boesel, but it would prove to be his best grid position all season. After yet another engine failure, he went to Imola where he was the 26th and last qualifier, but spun out of the race. More disappointment followed at Monaco, where the 20-car grid limit meant that Fabi was never going to make it, although neither McLaren of Lauda or John Watson managed to qualify either.

Corrado did manage to start from 24th spot at Spa though, the first time the track in its current configuration was used for a Grand Prix, but once again he failed to finish, this time forced out by a rear suspension problem. This endless sequence of retirements and DNQs then continued in Detroit, where as the 27th and slowest man in practice he was the only one not to qualify, some 1.807s slower than Cecotto in 26th, and 8.782s behind René Arnoux's Ferrari on pole. After yet another DNF in Canada, where he had started 25th only for his engine to let go after 26 laps, Osella tried to solve their horsepower inadequacy by introducing the new FA1E chassis with much smaller side-pods, incorporating a multi-cylinder Alfa Romeo V12, which nonetheless was still non-turbo. But it made little difference. At Silverstone, Fabi joined former F2 rivals Cecotto and Acheson in the non-qualifiers list, before recording his fifth DNQ for the season at Hockenheim, where he was 11.785s off pole.

It was only in Austria, the 11th race of the season, that Fabi finally recorded a finish. From last place on the grid, he came home in 10th place, three laps down on Prost, but ahead of Ghinzani in 11th, Johansson's Spirit in 12th, and Boutsen's Arrows in 13th. At the next event at Zandvoort, he was also classified in 11th place out of 14 classified finishers, although his engine had once again blown before he had crossed the line. It would prove to be his last classification of the year though. For at the next race on home soil in Italy, he once more started in 25th position, but yet again engine problems forced him into retirement. The final two races of the season were no better, with Corrado firstly failing to qualify at Brands Hatch for the European GP after being only the 28th fastest in practice, although he was quicker than a struggling Jacques Laffite in the Williams who was slowest of all. Then, in a repeat of Monza, he started 25th in South Africa, only to suffer yet another engine failure.

Fifteen entries, six non-qualifications, two classified finishes but only one time when he took the chequered flag, and seven retirements - not what the reigning F2 champion and emergent superstar had in mind for his debut F1 season. Of course this was almost entirely due to the extremely poor machinery at his disposal, but it has to be said that the really great drivers shine even in execrable equipment. For all his incredible talent, Fabi had not seemingly been able to extend himself beyond his car's limits. Perhaps this had something to do with his perceived lack of enthusiasm when things weren't going his way. Who could blame him for losing motivation as long as he was saddled with the hopeless Osella? But it was at these moments that he had to leave an impression on other F1 team bosses. That he had sadly failed to do. When 1984 came around, Fabi was never going to stay at Osella, which scaled down to a one-car operation for Ghinzani only, but nobody else picked him up either.

One average season had apparently left his blossoming career on the rocks. His brother meanwhile, had returned from America, and was set to contest both CART and F1 in the same year, having taken up the second seat at Brabham alongside reigning World Champion Nelson Piquet, but Corrado was left on the sidelines. However, Teo's clashing commitments meant that he was not available for the Monaco GP, and it was one Fabi for another as Brabham boss Bernie Ecclestone threw Corrado a lifeline. It was always going to be a difficult task stepping into an unfamiliar machine, but here at last was Corrado's chance to impress in a competitive machine. Although the 1984 Brabham BT53 with its BMW turbo was not quite a match for the McLarens, it was still a decent machine. Piquet qualified 9th on the Monte Carlo streets, and Corrado did well to come within 1.372s of the Brazilian, qualifying him 15th. But in the atrociously wet race, he very quickly got water in his electrics, which spun him out after only 9 laps.

Corrado stayed on board for the next race in Canada, where Piquet took the pole, but Fabi was down in 16th spot, some 4.322 seconds off the pace. In another discouraging race, he struggled badly as his engine gradually lost turbo boost, and having remained in 16th position he retired after 39 laps. By comparison, Piquet held off Lauda's McLaren to win by 2.6 seconds. Teo was back for the Detroit round, but for the one-off Grand Prix at Fir Park in Dallas it was once again Corrado in the number 2 Brabham. In by far his most impressive F1 outing, he qualified 11th in front of Piquet who was 12th, and drove a solid race as numerous others, including Piquet himself, spun out in the hot conditions. Fabi finished 7th, just out of the points, although Nigel Mansell who was classified 6th had retired and collapsed on the side of the track. Despite this, though, his older brother came back for the remaining races, and Corrado quickly became a forgotten man, out of F1 and destined never to return.

After Formula One

The man whom some thought would become the leading driver of the 1980s had come, saw, but failed to conquer. And, just as quickly as he had risen, his bubble had burst, and team bosses were already looking for the next superstar. The best Corrado could do towards the end of 1984 was to take over his brother's CART seat for four races. Driving for the Forsythe team with Skoal Bandit sponsorship, Corrado's first race was at Mid-Ohio, where he qualified his Lola T800 Cosworth 13th but retired with gearbox problems. Then at Sanair, Phoenix and Las Vegas, he drove a March 84C Cosworth, qualifying 9th, 6th and 14th respectively, and finishing 10th and 6th at Sanair and Phoenix, two quite remarkable results considering that he had never previously driven on an oval, nor had he driven in the March. These two results gave him 11 points, and left him 28th in the points standings. And perhaps, if he wanted it, a CART drive may have been in the offing for 1985.

But at the end of 1984, his father passed away, and it was left to one of the sons to take over the family's business interests, including one of the largest talc mines in Italy, and a transport company based in Albaredo d'Adise. It had been said that Teo would be the one to retire, but in the end it was Corrado who turned his back on motorsport, disenchanted with it although not yet 24. Some suggested that he lost interest not only because of the Osella debacle, but also because at Sanair he had been involved in a massive shunt which saw Rick Mears suffer horrendous leg injuries. However, he later attempted an abortive comeback in 1987, and we are greatly indebted to Paul Hartshorne for this information. After winning the 1986 F3000 title with Ivan Capelli at the wheel, the Genoa Racing team, run by Cesare Gariboldi, decided to expand to two cars in 1987, running Gregor Foitek and Fabi. Corrado's return was greatly anticipated, but at the season opener at Silverstone, he was out reportedly with the flu, and Alessandro Santin stood in for him but failed to qualify.

Corrado didn't show up for the next three rounds either, having apparently fallen from a ladder at home and broken his wrist. Jacques Villeneuve Snr stood in at Spa, whilst Genoa fielded a single car for Foitek at Vallelunga and Pau. Eventually Fabi made his return at Donington, where he only qualified 25th out of 26 starters, although Foitek DNQed. Corrado struggled around at the back before retiring when his wrist injury hurt too much. Then at Enna, neither Foitek nor Fabi qualified their March 87B Cosworths. But it appeared as though his heart simply wasn't in it any more and after that Corrado walked away from the sport again, to fully concentrate on the family businesses once more. Teo, meanwhile, continued in F1 from 1985 to 1987 for Toleman and Benetton with only moderate success, before returning to CART to become an established figure with the Porsche, Hall, Forsythe and PacWest teams, plus a stint in sports cars including victory in the 1991 World Championship for Jaguar.

CAREER SUMMARY

Before Formula One
1970-8	• Competed in karting. • Part of the victorious Italian team in the 1975 European Kart Championship.
1979	• Italian F3, 6 starts, =10th overall, 8 points in a March 783 Toyota.
1980	• European F3, 3rd overall, 50 points, 2 wins in a Euroracing March 803 Alfa Romeo.
1981	• Formula 2, =4th overall, 29 points, 1 win in a works March 812 BMW. • World Championship for Drivers and Makes, 1 start, =182nd overall, 15 points in a BMW Italia BMW M1 with Danner.
1982	• Formula 2, 1st overall, 57 points, 5 wins in a works March 822 BMW. • World Endurance Championship, 1 start, =18th overall, 16 points in a works Lancia Martini LC1 with Nannini.
Formula One
1983	• Osella FA1D Cosworth V8 and FA1E Alfa Romeo V12, 15 entries, 6 DNQs.
1984	• Brabham BT53 BMW 4 turbo, 3 entries.
After Formula One
1984	• CART PPG Indy Car World Series, 4 starts, 28th overall, 11 points in a Forsythe Lola T800 and March 84C Cosworth. • Retired from motorsport to look after family's business.
1987	• International F3000, two entries, 1 DNQ in a Genoa Racing March 87B Cosworth.

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