Ivan Capelli

Ivan Capelli
Born	(1963-05-24) May 24, 1963 Milan, Italy
Occupation(s)	Racing driver, sports commentator
Years active	1985–1993 (Formula One), 1994–2017 (touring cars), 1998–2017 (commentator)
Known for	Formula One driver, motorsport analyst for Rai 1

Ivan Franco Capelli (born 24 May 1963) is a retired Italian racing driver and sports commentator who participated in Formula One from to .

Originating from Milan, Capelli started karting competitively at the age of 15 and swiftly advanced through junior categories, capturing championships in Italian Formula 3, the FIA European Formula 3, and the International Formula 3000. His Formula One debut occurred with Tyrrell during the 1985 European Grand Prix, after which he made occasional appearances for Tyrrell and AGS before securing a full-time seat with March in . Across 98 Grand Prix starts, he achieved three podium finishes.

Following his departure from Formula One, Capelli competed in touring car events until 2017, attaining victories in the Italian GT Championship and the Trofeo Maserati. Between 1998 and 2017, he served as a motorsport analyst and commentator for Rai 1.

Early life and career

Born in Milan on 24 May 1963, Ivan Franco Capelli began his motorsport journey with kart racing at 15, progressing to the Italian Formula Three Championship by the age of 19.

In 1983, he secured the Italian Formula Three championship, winning nine races that season. The following year, he joined the Coloni outfit to compete in the European Formula Three Championship, where he claimed the title in 1984.

Advancing to the European Formula 3000 Championship in 1985 with Genoa Racing piloting a March-Cosworth car, Capelli won one race that year. Although he made his initial Formula One appearance in the same season without a permanent contract, he returned to Formula 3000 in 1986 with Genoa Racing and also participated in the European Touring Car Championship driving a BMW.

Tyrrell and AGS (1985–1986)

Capelli made his first Formula One appearance for Tyrrell at the European Grand Prix and achieved a fourth-place finish at the Australian Grand Prix. Despite these outings, he did not secure a full-time F1 seat for the 1986 season.

Nonetheless, he started several races for AGS during 1986. Cesare Gariboldi, leading Genoa Racing, collaborated with Robin Herd of March to establish a new F1 team centered around Capelli. This partnership fostered a strong professional bond between Capelli and Gariboldi.

March / Leyton House (1987–1991)

In 1987, Capelli committed full-time to March, managed by Gariboldi and utilizing chassis designed by Herd paired with a Cosworth V8 engine. Due to budget limitations, he continued competing in BMW touring cars with support from Schnitzer. That year, Capelli earned March’s first championship point by finishing sixth at the prestigious Monaco Grand Prix, signaling a positive step forward for the team.

The following year, March introduced a chassis crafted by Adrian Newey powered by a Judd V8 engine shared with Ligier and Williams. Alongside rookie Maurício Gugelmin, March impressed with their March 881 car. Capelli secured his first podium finish by placing third at Spa-Francorchamps, later elevated due to Benetton’s disqualification. He also finished second at the 1988 Portuguese Grand Prix and became notable as the first non-turbo driver since 1983 to lead a World Championship Grand Prix during the 1988 Japanese Grand Prix, although an electrical failure ended his race prematurely.

Financial difficulties faced by March led sponsor Leyton House to take over ownership. In 1989, Gugelmin achieved third place in Brazil using the previous year’s car; however, the new Leyton House March struggled competitively. Capelli managed just one race finish that season but was among six drivers who started all sixteen events despite limited success. The team remained united after Gariboldi’s passing, with Capelli renewing his contract for the subsequent year.

The start of the 1990 season was challenging due to poor car performance on uneven circuits, resulting in both drivers failing to qualify in Mexico City. Nonetheless, at Paul Ricard, Capelli led much of the race before ultimately finishing second behind Prost—Leyton House’s best result that year. Notably, Adrian Newey had departed for Williams prior to this event.

In 1991, Leyton House handled both chassis development and financed an ambitious program featuring an Ilmor V10 engine. Although results were sparse, Capelli frequently qualified strongly. After team owner Akira Akagi was arrested amid the Fuji Bank scandal, Leyton House’s future became uncertain. Having signed with Scuderia Ferrari for the following season, Capelli voluntarily stepped aside mid-year to allow pay driver Karl Wendlinger to compete while providing personal support and guidance during race weekends.

Ferrari and Jordan (1992–1993)

During the 1992 campaign, Capelli became the first Italian driver to secure a full-time seat with Ferrari since Michele Alboreto in 1988, following Gianni Morbidelli's single appearance in 1991. Up to 2025, Capelli remains the last Italian to have held a permanent position at Ferrari, with only occasional substitute roles filled by Nicola Larini, Luca Badoer, and Giancarlo Fisichella thereafter. Ferrari entered the 1992 season optimistic about the new F92A model after a challenging 1991, but the vehicle failed to deliver competitive performance. Capelli found it difficult to adjust to Ferrari's complex organizational structure, and his motivation declined as his teammate Jean Alesi gained prominence. He was released before the season concluded, becoming the final Ferrari driver to complete a full season without achieving a podium finish until Felipe Massa in 2011.

This disappointment hindered his career progression; however, Jordan team principal Ian Phillips maintained faith in his abilities. In 1993, Capelli joined Jordan, partnering with rookie driver Rubens Barrichello, who was anticipated to benefit from Capelli’s experience. Unfortunately, Capelli struggled to regain his previous form and failed to qualify for the second race in Brazil. He departed Jordan by mutual agreement and was succeeded by Thierry Boutsen, marking the end of his Formula One tenure.

Touring car racing

Following his Formula One career, Capelli competed in the German Super Tourenwagen Cup from 1994 through 1996, driving a Nissan Primera for BMS Scuderia Italia. Additionally, he took part in selected events of the Spanish Touring Car Championship during 1995 and 1996, with varied outcomes.

Broadcasting

Capelli transitioned into broadcasting as a Formula One analyst on Italy’s Rai 1 television network, serving from 1998 until 2017.

Career summary

Season	Series	Team	Races	Wins	Poles	F/Laps	Podiums	Points	Position
1982	Italian Formula Three	Cesare Gariboldi	11	0	0	1	1	25.5	6th
	European Formula Three	Torino Corse	3	0	0	0	0	0	NC
1983	Italian Formula Three	Coloni Motorsport	12	9	10	8	10	91	1st
	European Formula Three		3	0	0	0	1	5	15th
1984	European Formula Three	Coloni Motorsport	12	4	2	4	9	60	1st
	Italian Formula Three		1	0	0	1	1	6	12th

^† As Capelli participated as a guest driver, he was not eligible for championship points.

Complete International Formula 3000 results

(key) (Races shown in bold denote pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap.)

1986

Year	Entrant	Chassis	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Pos.	Pts
1985	Genoa Racing	March 85B	Cosworth					style="background:#EFCFFF;" | ACI Vallelunga Circuit Ret	style="background:#EFCFFF;" | Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps Ret	style="background:#EFCFFF;" | Dijon-Prenois Ret	style="background:#EFCFFF;" | Autodromo di Pergusa Ret	style="background:#FFFFBF;" | Österreichring 1	style="background:#FFFFFF;" | Circuit Park Zandvoort DNS	style="background:#FFDF9F;" | Donington Park 3	7th	13
	Sanremo Racing							style="background:#FFFFFF;" | Pau Grand Prix DNS
Genoa Racing	March 86B	Cosworth	style="background:#EFCFFF;" | Silverstone Circuit Ret	style="background:#FFFFBF;" | ACI Vallelunga Circuit 1	style="background:#EFCFFF;" | Pau Grand Prix Ret	style="background:#FFDF9F;" | Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps 3	style="background:#DFDFDF;" | Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari 2	style="background:#FFDF9F;" | Mugello Circuit 3	style="background:#EFCFFF;" | Autodromo di Pergusa Ret	style="background:#FFFFBF;" | Österreichring 1	style="background:#EFCFFF;" | Birmingham Superprix Ret	style="background:#DFFFDF;" | Bugatti Circuit 4	style="background:#DFFFDF;" | Circuito Permanente Del Jarama 4	style="background:#FFFFBF;" | 1st	style="background:#FFFFBF;" | 38
Sources: Motorsport Stats, Motor Sport magazine

Full Macau Grand Prix Results

Year	Team	Chassis/Engine	Qualifying Position	Race 1 Result	Race 2 Result	Final Standing
1984	Template:Country data HKGTemplate:Namespace detect showall Marlboro Theodore Racing Team	Ralt・Toyota	10th	7th	5th	5th Overall
1986	Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall David Price Racing in collaboration with Marlboro Theodore Racing	Reynard Motorsport・Alfa Romeo	16th	14th	12th	11th Overall
colspan="7" Template:Center{{{1}}}Source: Motorsport StatsTemplate:/smallTemplate:/center

Complete Formula One Results

(key) (Races highlighted in bold denote pole positions, those in italics indicate fastest laps)

Year	Team	Chassis	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	WDC	Points
Template:F1	Tyrrell Racing Organisation	Tyrrell 014	Renault EF4B 1.5L V6 Turbocharged engine	BRA	POR	SMR	MON	CAN	DET	FRA	GBR	GER	AUT	NED	ITA	BEL	EUR Retired	RSA	AUS 4th place	19th	3
Template:F1	Jolly Club SpA	AGS JH21C	Motori Moderni Tipo 615-90 1.5L V6 Turbocharged engine	BRA	ESP	SMR	MON	BEL	CAN	DET	FRA	GBR	GER	HUN	AUT	ITA Retired	POR Retired	MEX	AUS	NC	0

Note: Driver did not complete the race but was classified for completing over 90% of the total distance.

Full Super Tourenwagen Cup Results

(legend) (Races shown in bold signify pole position) (Races in italics denote fastest lap)

Year	Team	Vehicle	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	Pos.	Points
1994	Nissan Primera Racing	Nissan Primera	AVU Retired	WUN 6th	ZOL Retired	ZAN Retired	ÖST 8th	SAL 9th	SPA 9th	NÜR 5th											11th place	21 points
1995	Nissan Primera Racing	Nissan Primera	ZOL 1 11th	ZOL 2 Retired	SPA 1 Retired	SPA 2 Did Not Start	ÖST 1 Retired	ÖST 2 Did Not Start	HOC 1 Retired	HOC 2 Did Not Start	NÜR 1 Retired	NÜR 2 14th	SAL 1 22nd	SAL 2 20th	AVU 1 Retired
																29th place	26 points
1996	Nissan Primera Racing	Nissan Primera	ZOL 1 21st	ZOL 2 Did Not Start	ASS 1 14th	ASS 2 20th	HOC 1	HOC 2	SAC 1	SAC 2	WUN 1	WUN 2	ZWE 1 10th	ZWE 2 Retired
					25th place	49 points

Full 24 Hours of Le Mans Results

Year	Team	Co-Drivers	Vehicle	Category	Laps Completed	Pos.	Class Pos.
Template:24hLM	Template:Country data JPNTemplate:Namespace detect showall Honda Motor Co. Ltd.	Armin Hahne Template:Country data BELTemplate:Namespace detect showall Bertrand Gachot	Honda NSX GT1	GT1	7	DNF	DNF
Template:Center

Comprehensive Porsche Supercup Results

(legend) (Events in bold denote pole position) (Events in italics denote fastest lap)

Year	Team	Car Model	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Final Position	Points Scored	Reference
2003	Porsche AG	Porsche 996 GT3	ITA1 7	ESP	AUT	MON	GER1	FRA	GBR	GER2	HUN	ITA2	USA1	USA2	NC‡	0‡

‡ – Competed as guest driver – Ineligible to earn points.

External links

• Article on Capelli’s 1992 season at F1 Rejects
• Official website