Andrea de Cesaris
Andrea de Cesaris | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 31, 1959 Rome, Italy |
| Died | October 5, 2014 (aged 55) Rome, Italy |
| Occupation | Racing driver |
| Years active | 1980–1994 (Formula One) |
| Known for | Formula One driver with most starts without a win (208 starts) |
Andrea de Cesaris (; 31 May 1959 – 5 October 2014) was an Italian racing driver who participated in Formula One competitions from 1980 to 1994.
De Cesaris started in 208 Formula One Grands Prix without ever securing a victory, a record for the most starts without a win that stood from the 1989 Japanese Grand Prix until it was broken by Nico Hülkenberg at the 2024 Miami Grand Prix. Known for his speed yet erratic driving style, his early career was marked by numerous accidents.
During 2005 and 2006, he raced in the Grand Prix Masters series, which featured former Formula One drivers. He passed away on 5 October 2014 after losing control of his motorcycle on Rome's Grande Raccordo Anulare highway.
Before Formula One
De Cesaris was a successful karting competitor before moving up to British Formula 3, where he won several races and finished runner-up in the 1979 British Formula Three Championship, behind Chico Serra. Subsequently, he advanced to Formula 2, driving for Ron Dennis's Project 4 team, which later evolved into McLaren.
Alfa Romeo (1980)
- See also: Alfa Romeo in Formula One
In the final rounds of the 1980 season, de Cesaris joined Alfa Romeo, stepping in for Vittorio Brambilla, who had taken over after the death of Patrick Depailler. His debut at the Canadian Grand Prix ended prematurely after eight laps due to engine trouble. At Watkins Glen in the United States, he collided with Derek Daly and crashed into the safety barriers after just two laps.
McLaren (1981)
- See also: McLaren
For the 1981 season, de Cesaris secured a drive at McLaren, supported by his personal Marlboro sponsorship—also McLaren’s primary sponsor—following the merger of McLaren with Ron Dennis's Project Four Racing. While showing flashes of speed on fast circuits, he was involved in 19 crashes throughout the year, frequently caused by driver mistakes. His tendency to crash so often led to his car being withdrawn from the Dutch Grand Prix despite qualifying 13th. He completed only six out of fourteen races started that season, earning the nickname "Andrea de Crasheris." Frustrated by his lack of consistency, Ron Dennis opted not to renew his contract and subsequently refrained from hiring any more Italian drivers for McLaren.
In July 1981, alongside Henri Pescarolo, de Cesaris finished second in a six-hour endurance race at Watkins Glen, piloting Lancia vehicles two laps behind winners Riccardo Patrese and Michele Alboreto.
Alfa Romeo (1982–1983)
- See also: Alfa Romeo in Formula One
De Cesaris returned to Alfa Romeo in 1982 and became the youngest driver to claim pole position at the Long Beach Grand Prix. He was only the second Alfa Romeo driver since 1951 to achieve this feat. While leading that race, he lost momentum after signaling a backmarker and missing a gear shift, allowing Niki Lauda to pass and take victory. Later in the event, he crashed due to rear brake failure.
That year, he reached the podium at Monaco and scored points in Canada. In Monaco, electrical problems forced Didier Pironi out on the final lap; simultaneously running out of fuel himself allowed Riccardo Patrese to secure his first Formula One win.
In the 1983 season, equipped with Alfa Romeo’s turbocharged engine, de Cesaris earned two second-place finishes: one at Hockenheim and another at the final race in South Africa, finishing over nine seconds behind Riccardo Patrese. He came close to winning at Spa-Francorchamps but was delayed by a pit stop mistake and ultimately retired because of engine failure.
Ligier (1984–1985)
In 1984, de Cesaris joined the Ligier team, but despite the competitive Renault turbo engine, he managed to accumulate only three championship points. Toward the end of that year, he and teammate François Hesnault took part in the last domestic Australian Grand Prix held before it became part of the Formula One World Championship. Piloting a Ford BDA-powered Ralt RT4, de Cesaris qualified fifth and delivered an impressive performance, recovering from an early pit stop issue to finish third.
The 1985 season showed some promise with notable results such as a fourth-place finish at Monaco. However, after suffering a major accident at the Austrian Grand Prix that destroyed his Ligier JS25, team principal Guy Ligier dismissed him, citing financial concerns despite de Cesaris being backed by Marlboro sponsorship. Following the Dutch Grand Prix, Philippe Streiff took over his seat.
Minardi (1986)
- See also: Minardi
De Cesaris transferred to Minardi for the 1986 campaign but faced difficulties throughout the year. He was frequently outperformed by his rookie teammate Alessandro Nannini and failed to score any points, retiring from all but two events.
Brabham (1987)
- See also: Brabham
In 1987, de Cesaris joined Brabham-BMW, owned by Bernie Ecclestone. Although he retired from 14 of the 16 races that season, he achieved a podium finish by placing third at the Belgian Grand Prix. This marked his first points in almost two years and his first podium since 1983. Apart from this result, he did not complete any other races during the year.
Rial (1988)
- See also: Rial
Following Brabham's withdrawal from Formula One in 1988, de Cesaris signed with the newly established German-operated Rial team, which used Cosworth power units. He successfully qualified for every one of the sixteen races and recorded a strong fourth-place finish at the Detroit Grand Prix. Nevertheless, he lost potential points twice late in races in Canada and Australia due to running out of fuel.
Dallara (1989–1990)
- See also: Dallara, BMS Scuderia Italia
De Cesaris joined the Marlboro-backed Scuderia Italia outfit in 1989. Early in the season, he showed potential by nearly achieving a podium at the Monte Carlo event before a collision with triple world champion Nelson Piquet ended his race prematurely. Two rounds later, he was involved in an incident that caused a crash with teammate Alex Caffi, costing him another possible podium finish. He eventually secured third place at the rain-soaked Canada, which became his final Formula One podium.
The 1990 season saw intensified competition among midfield teams, many running Ford or Judd V8 engines; Dallara continued with the Ford DFR. De Cesaris encountered several mishaps including first-lap crashes at both Interlagos and Imola. He narrowly avoided colliding with second-placed Nigel Mansell while being lapped—a move criticized by commentator and former World Champion James Hunt. Persistent reliability problems plagued Dallara throughout the year, resulting in de Cesaris failing to score any points.
Jordan (1991)
- See also: Jordan Grand Prix
After being replaced by JJ Lehto at Dallara, de Cesaris joined Eddie Jordan’s debut Formula One team in 1991; he had previously competed for Jordan in Formula 3.
At the season opener in Phoenix, a gear selection mistake during pre-qualifying ended his participation early. He improved his performance at Monaco, overtaking Benetton's Roberto Moreno and running within point-scoring positions until a throttle cable failure forced retirement. De Cesaris finished fourth in both the Canada and Mexico Grands Prix, followed by sixth place in France. After crashing due to suspension failure in Great Britain, he bounced back with seventh on the grid and fifth place in Germany.
During the 1991 Belgian Grand Prix, although outqualified by rookie teammate Michael Schumacher, de Cesaris climbed up to second position before engine failure ended his race—this was caused by an oil tank sizing problem related to new piston ring regulations. He concluded the season ninth overall, marking his best championship ranking since 1983.
Tyrrell (1992–1993)
- See also: Tyrrell Racing
Although Eddie Jordan wished to keep de Cesaris for the 1992 season, budget limitations made this impossible. Jordan secured sponsorship from Barclay Cigarettes, which clashed with de Cesaris' existing Marlboro backing.
Ken Tyrrell brought de Cesaris on board for the 1992 campaign. During that year, he earned points on four occasions, including a fifth-place finish in Mexico and achieving his best result of fourth at the Japanese Grand Prix.
In 1993, Tyrrell transitioned from Ilmor engines to Yamaha V10 units, impacting the car’s handling and dependability. The older Tyrrell 020 was replaced midway through the season by the Tyrrell 021, featuring active suspension technology; however, this model failed to meet expectations. De Cesaris did not score any points that year and departed from Tyrrell at the conclusion of the season.
Jordan and Sauber (1994)
- See also: Jordan Grand Prix, Sauber
De Cesaris began 1994 without a Formula One drive. Following Eddie Irvine’s three-race suspension due to a significant crash at the Brazilian Grand Prix, de Cesaris returned to Jordan for the San Marino Grand Prix. Despite early difficulties including accidents and lack of fitness, he managed a notable fourth place finish in Monaco.
His strong performance caught the attention of Sauber, who signed him to replace Karl Wendlinger, sidelined by injury, in their Mercedes-powered car. De Cesaris’ debut for Sauber came at his 200th Grand Prix in Canada; although he retired from that race, he secured points in the subsequent French Grand Prix.
His Formula One career concluded after throttle malfunctions at the 1994 European Grand Prix, with JJ Lehto taking over for the final two rounds. De Cesaris retired having started 208 Grands Prix, ranking second only to Riccardo Patrese at that time.
Legacy
Over his career, de Cesaris competed in 214 Grands Prix, achieving five podium finishes, one pole position, and accumulating 59 championship points. He held the record for most starts without a victory—208—until Nico Hülkenberg surpassed this in 2024. Additionally, he set records for most consecutive retirements—18 between 1985 and 1986—and most DNFs in a single season with 12 in 1987. No driver has exceeded his tally of 14 retirements during a 16-race campaign. He scored points driving for nine out of ten teams he represented: McLaren, Alfa Romeo, Brabham, Rial, Tyrrell, Jordan, Ligier, Scuderia Italia, and Sauber; Minardi was the only team where he failed to score.
Retirement
Following his racing career, de Cesaris established himself as a prosperous currency trader based in Monte Carlo. He reportedly divided his time between this profession and windsurfing excursions across Hawaii, Mexico, and other global locations.
Helmet
De Cesaris’ helmet design featured a white base adorned with three diagonal stripes resembling the Italian flag across the top. The chin area displayed a red stripe flanked by two green lines.
Racing revival
De Cesaris made a return to the Formula One environment at the 2005 Monaco Grand Prix, where he was warmly greeted by former Brabham team principal and F1 executive Bernie Ecclestone. Subsequently, he competed in the newly formed Grand Prix Masters series for retired F1 drivers. In October of that year, he recorded the fastest lap during the inaugural Grand Prix Masters test session at Silverstone South. Maintaining excellent physical condition through windsurfing, de Cesaris qualified strongly and finished fourth in the opening race at Kyalami after an intense battle with Derek Warwick.
Death
On 5 October 2014, at the age of 55, De Cesaris tragically lost his life in a motorcycle collision. The accident occurred when he struck a guardrail on Rome's Grande Raccordo Anulare highway, close to the Bufalotta exit.
Career summary
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | F/Laps | Podiums | Points | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | FIA European Formula 3 | Marlboro Team Tiga | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 20th |
| 1979 | British Formula Three | Marlboro Team Tiga | 6 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 90 | 2nd |
| FIA European Formula 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC | ||
| European Formula Two | Project Four Racing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 21st | |
| 1980 | European Formula Two | Project Four Racing | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 28 | 5th |
| Formula One | Marlboro Team Alfa Romeo | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC | |
| 1981–82 | Formula One World Championship | Marlboro McLaren / Alfa Romeo in Formula One | 14 / 16 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 1 | 1 / 5 | 18th / 17th |
| 1983–84 | Formula One World Championship | Alfa Romeo in Formula One / Equipe Ligier | 14 / 16 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 | 1 / 0 | 2 / 0 | 15 / 3 | 8th / 18th |
| 1985–88 | Formula One World Championship | Équipe Ligier / Minardi Team / Brabham / Rial Racing | 11 / 15 / 16 / 16 | 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 / 1 / 0 | 3 / 0 / 4 / 3 | 17th / NC /14th/15th |
| 1989–94 | Formula One World Championship | BMS Scuderia Italia/Jordan Grand Prix/Tyrrell Racing/Sauber Motorsport | 15/15/16/18 (combined) | 0/0/0/0 | 0/0/0/0 | 0/0/0/0 | 1/0/0/0 | 4/9/8/4 (combined) | 16th-9th-20th (varied) |
Complete Formula One results
(Template:F1 driver results legend 2#key) (Entries in bold denote pole positions; those in italics indicate fastest laps)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | (World Drivers' Championship) | (Pts) |
|---|
Driver was classified despite not finishing, having completed over ninety percent of the race distance.
Complete Grand Prix Masters results
(key) Races highlighted in bold represent pole positions, while those in italics denote the fastest lap achieved.
| Year | Team | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Team Unipart | Delta Motorsport GPM | Nicholson McLaren 3.5 V8 | RSA 4 |
||||
| 2006 | Team INA | Delta Motorsport GPM | Nicholson McLaren 3.5 V8 | QAT 13 |
ITA C |
GBR 10 |
MAL C |
RSA C |