Arturo Merzario



Arturo Francesco "Little Art" Merzario (born 11 March 1943 in Civenna, Como) (real name Arturio - blunder on name registration - sometimes used on his helmet) is a former racing driver from Italy. He participated in 85 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 15 July 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 sponsored by Ovoro, 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.

Merzario is still active in sports car racing well into his sixties, driving mostly in an Italian prototype series.

Important results

 * 1963
 * 1st Cl. Sardinia Rally - Alfa Romeo Giulietta SZ
 * 1964
 * 1st Cl. Bolzano-Mendola - Fiat Abarth 1000
 * 1st Cl. Trofeo Micangeli - Fiat Abarth 1000
 * 1st Cl. Trofeo Lumezzane - Fiat Abarth 1000
 * 1967
 * 3rd European Touring Championship - Fiat Abarth 1000
 * 1968
 * 1st Cl. Colle di Nizza - Fiat Abarth 1000
 * 1st Cl. V.Veneto-Cansiglio - Abarth 1000SP
 * 1st Cl. Acqua Cerelia Cup - Abarth 1000SP
 * 3rd 500 Kilometres of Nurburgring - Abarth 1600SP
 * 1969
 * 1st Mugello GP - Abarth 2000
 * 1st European Mountains Championship - Abarth 2000
 * 1970
 * 1st Mugello GP - Abarth 2000
 * 1st Cesana-Sestrierre - Abarth 2000
 * 3rd 24 hours of Daytona - Ferrari 512S
 * 4th 1000 Kilometres of Monza - Ferrari 512S
 * 1971
 * 1st Imola - Ferrari 512M
 * 1st Vallelunga - Abarth 2000
 * 1972
 * 1st 1000 Kilometres of Spa (with Brian Redman) - Ferrari 312 PB
 * 1st Targa Florio (with Sandro Munari) - Ferrari 312 PB
 * 1st European Sport Championship 2000
 * 1st 500 Kilometres of Imola - Ferrari 312 PB
 * 1st 9 hours of Kyalami - Ferrari 312 PB
 * 6th British GP- Ferrari 312 B2
 * 1973
 * 2nd 1000 Kilometres of Nurburgring - Ferrari 312 PB
 * 2nd 24 hours of Le Mans - Ferrari 312 PB
 * 4th Brazilian GP - Ferrari 312 B2
 * 4th South African GP - Ferrari 312 B2
 * 7th French GP - Ferrari 312 B3
 * 7th Austrian GP - Ferrari 312 B3·
 * 1974
 * 1st 1000 Kilometres of Monza - Alfa Romeo 33
 * 3rd Presidente Medici GP - Iso Williams
 * 4th Italian GP - Iso Williams
 * 6th South African GP - Iso Williams
 * 1975
 * 1st 800 Kilometres of Dijion - Alfa Romeo 33
 * 1st Enna - Alfa Romeo 33
 * 1st 1000 Kilometres of Nurburgring - Alfa Romeo 33
 * 1st Targa Florio - Alfa Romeo 33
 * 7th Race of Champions - Iso Williams
 * 1976
 * 2nd 500 Kilometres of Imola - Alfa Romeo 33
 * 9th French GP - March
 * 1977
 * 1st Dijon - Alfa Romeo 33
 * 1st Enna - Alfa Romeo 33
 * 1st Estoril - Alfa Romeo 33
 * 1st Paul Ricard - Alfa Romeo 33
 * 1st Hockenheim - Alfa Romeo 33 Turbo
 * 1978
 * 5th Adriatic GP - Chevron B42
 * 6th Mugello GP - Chevron B42
 * 1980
 * 7th Donington - Bmw M1
 * 8th Avus - Bmw M1
 * 9th Pau - Merzario-Bmw M1
 * 1985
 * 1st Italian Prototype Championship
 * 1992
 * 1st Pergusa - Lucchini
 * 1993
 * 1st Mugello - Osella
 * 1996
 * 1st Monza - Centenari M1
 * 1st Mugello - Centenari M1
 * 1997
 * 1st Vallelunga - Centenari M1
 * 1st Donington - Cenetanri M1
 * 1st Brno - Centenari M1
 * 1st Jarama - Centenari M1
 * 1998
 * 1st Paul Ricard - Centenari M1
 * 1999
 * 1st Monza - Tampolli AR
 * 1st Spa - Tampolli AR
 * 1st Cl. 6 hours of Vallelunga - Porsche 996
 * 2nd Pergusa - Tampolli AR

Complete Formula One World Championship results
(key)