Arturo Merzario
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| Arturo Merzario | |
 Arturo Merzario in 1978. |
|
| Nationality |  Italian |
|---|---|
| World Championship Career | |
| Active years | 1972-79 |
| Team(s) | Scuderia Ferrari, Williams, March, Wolf, Merzario |
| Races | 85 |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podium finishes | 0 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First race | 1972 British Grand Prix |
| Last race | 1979 United States Grand Prix |
Arturo Francesco Merzario (born March 11, 1943 in Chiavenna, Como) is a former Formula One driver from Italy. He participated in 85 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 1000km Spa, 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.
[edit] Complete Formula One Results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | Team | WDC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Ferrari | ARG |
RSA |
ESP |
MON |
BEL |
FRA |
GBR 6 |
GER 12 |
AUT |
ITA |
CAN |
USA |
Ferrari | 20th | 1 | |||||
| 1973 | Ferrari | ARG 9 |
BRA 4 |
RSA 4 |
ESP |
BEL |
MON Ret |
SWE |
FRA 7 |
GBR |
DUT |
GER |
AUT 7 |
ITA Ret |
CAN 15 |
USA 16 |
Ferrari | 12th | 6 | ||
| 1974 | Williams | ARG Ret |
BRA Ret |
RSA 6 |
ESP Ret |
BEL Ret |
MON Ret |
SWE DNS |
DUT Ret |
FRA 9 |
GBR Ret |
GER Ret |
AUT Ret |
ITA 4 |
CAN Ret |
USA Ret |
Williams | 17th | 4 | ||
| 1975 | Williams | ARG NC |
BRA Ret |
RSA Ret |
ESP Ret |
MON DNQ |
BEL Ret |
SWE |
DUT |
FRA |
GBR |
GER |
AUT |
ITA 11 |
USA |
Fittipaldi | - | 0 | |||
| 1976 | March | BRA |
RSA |
USW DNQ |
ESP Ret |
BEL Ret |
MON DNQ |
SWE 14 |
FRA 9 |
GBR Ret |
GER Ret |
AUT Ret |
DUT Ret |
ITA DNS |
CAN Ret |
USA Ret |
JPN Ret |
Wolf | - | 0 | |
| 1977 | Merzario | ARG |
BRA |
SAF |
USW |
ESP Ret |
MON DNQ |
BEL 14 |
SWE |
FRA Ret |
GBR Ret |
GER DNQ |
AUT Ret |
DUT DNQ |
ITA |
USA |
CAN |
JPN |
Merzario | - | 0 |
| 1978 | Merzario | ARG Ret |
BRA DNQ |
SAF Ret |
USW Ret |
MON DNPQ |
BEL DNPQ |
ESP DNQ |
SWE NC |
FRA DNQ |
GBR Ret |
GER DNQ |
AUT DNQ |
DUT Ret |
ITA Ret |
USA Ret |
CAN DNQ |
Merzario | - | 0 | |
| 1979 | Merzario | ARG Ret |
BRA DNQ |
SAF DNQ |
USW Ret |
ESP DNQ |
BEL DNQ |
MON |
FRA DNQ |
GBR DNQ |
GER DNQ |
AUT DNQ |
DUT DNQ |
ITA DNQ |
CAN DNQ |
USA DNQ |
Merzario | - | 0 |
