Arturo Merzario

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Arturo Merzario bigraphy, stories - Italian racing driver

Arturo Merzario : biography

March 11, 1943 –

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.

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 GBR6 GER12 AUT ITA CAN USA 20th 1
1973 Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 312B2 Ferrari Flat-12 ARG9 BRA4 RSA4 ESP BEL 12th 6
Ferrari 312B3 MONRet SWE FRA7 GBR NED GER AUT7 ITARet CAN15 USA16
1974 Frank Williams Racing Cars Iso-Marlboro FW Cosworth V8 ARGRet BRARet RSA6 ESPRet BELRet MONRet SWEDNS NEDRet FRA9 GBRRet GERRet AUTRet ITA4 CANRet USARet 17th 4
1975 Frank Williams Racing Cars Williams FW03 Cosworth V8 ARGNC BRARet RSARet MONDNQ BELRet SWE NED FRA GBR GER AUT NC 0
Williams FW04 ESPRet
Fittpaldi-Copersucar Fittipaldi FD03 ITA11 USA
1976 Ovoro March March 761 Cosworth V8 BRA RSA USWDNQ ESPRet BELRet MONDNQ SWE14 FRA9 GBRRet NC 0
Walter Wolf Racing Williams FW05 GERRet AUTRet NEDRet ITADNS CANRet USARet JPNRet
1977 Team Merzario March 761B Cosworth V8 ARG BRA RSA USW ESPRet MONDNQ BEL14 SWE FRARet GBRRet GERDNQ NEDDNQ ITA USA CAN JPN NC 0
Shadow Racing Shadow DN8 AUTRet
1978 Team Merzario Merzario A1 Cosworth V8 ARGRet BRADNQ RSARet USWRet MONDNPQ BELDNPQ ESPDNQ SWENC FRADNQ GBRRet GERDNQ AUTDNQ NEDRet ITARet USARet CANDNQ NC 0
1979 Team Merzario Merzario A1B Cosworth V8 ARGRet BRADNQ RSADNQ USWRet NC 0
Merzario A2 ESPDNQ BELDNQ MON FRADNQ
Merzario A4 GBRDNQ GERDNQ AUTDNQ NEDDNQ ITADNQ CANDNQ USADNQ