Obituary: Andrea de Cesaris 1959-2014

Written By kolimtiga on Senin, 06 Oktober 2014 | 19.03

By Edd Straw Monday, October 6th 2014, 09:21 GMT

Andrea de Cesaris, 1980

Andrea de Cesaris had a reputation for crashes that unfairly clouded judgements of his ability as a Formula 1 driver.

The Italian, who was killed in a motorcycle accident on Sunday, has to be ranked among the quickest drivers never to have won a grand prix.

ARCHIVE INTERVIEW: De Cesaris on his F1 career

After a successful karting career, de Cesaris leaped to prominence in car racing by finishing second to Chico Serra in the 1979 British Formula 3 Championship.

He stepped up to Formula 2 with Ron Dennis's Project 4 squad in 1980, taking pole position at Hockenheim and winning at Misano on his way to fifth overall.

These performances, combined with backing from Alfa Romeo sponsor Marlboro, a staunch supporter of de Cesaris's career through Philip Morris Italy, led to him contesting the final two grands prix of 1980 for the Italian team.

Andrea de Cesaris, McLaren, in 1981 Brazilian GP start crash, Rio

Appropriately enough for a driver who finished only 65 times in his 208 F1 starts, de Cesaris retired from the first with an engine failure after just eight laps on his debut in Canada and then crashed out early at Watkins Glen.

The following season, he raced in F1 full time with Marlboro-sponsored McLaren, now run by Dennis.

De Cesaris's first full season was a disaster. He scored just one point, for sixth place at Imola, and struggled in qualifying compared to team-mate John Watson during a campaign punctuated by offs. As James Hunt put it: "he seemed quite incapable of not crashing."

The following year de Cesaris returned to Alfa Romeo. He had a far stronger season, consistently qualifying in the top 10 and becoming F1's then-youngest pole position starter at Long Beach.

He led the first 14 laps under increasing pressure from the McLaren of Niki Lauda. But de Cesaris's temper got the better of him, shaking his fist at March driver Raul Boesel while lapping him, delaying a gearshift and allowing Lauda to get past. He later crashed out.

Again, de Cesaris finished only occasionally in 1982, often down to car problems, and might have won the chaotic Monaco GP rather than finishing third had he not run out of fuel. A sixth place in Canada was the only other points finish.

It was a similar story in 1983, de Cesaris finishing rarely but taking seconds in Germany and South Africa on his way to a career-best eighth in the standings.

After Marlboro parted company with Alfa Romeo, a two-year stint with Ligier followed for the Italian. He picked up a few minor points finishes but was sacked before the end of 1985 because of mistakes. The axe fell a race after his famous end-over-end shunt in Austria.

He became a journeyman and moves to Minardi and Brabham followed, with third place for the latter at Spa the highlight, before a switch to the minnow Rial team in 1988. A stunning drive at Detroit netted fourth.

Andrea de Cesaris, Jordan 1991

He then spent two years with Scuderia Italia, taking a shock podium in the 1989 Canadian GP.

When Eddie Jordan signed him for his new team in 1991, de Cesaris was seen as a busted flush and technical director Gary Anderson was worried. But he was quickly won over.

"When Eddie told me he was signing Andrea, I thought he was mad," said Anderson. "But I was completely wrong. We needed an experienced driver and Andrea became an integral part of the team thanks to his knowledge, experience, speed and enthusiasm.

"With the responsibility of leading the team, he matured and was a huge part of Jordan's success in 1991."

De Cesaris scored points four times that year and came close to winning the Belgian GP. He was pressuring leader Ayrton Senna in the closing stages before retiring with an engine problem.

Two years at a Tyrrell team in decline followed, with four points finishes in 1992.

That seemed to be it for de Cesaris in F1. But then Eddie Irvine was banned in 1994 and after running Aguri Suzuki for one race, Jordan called up de Cesaris, who finished fourth in Monaco.

After nine outings later that season for Sauber, de Cesaris's F1 career was over and he turned his attention to a combination of business interests and windsurfing.

But he did make a racing return in the Grand Prix Masters series for F1 veterans in 2005/6, contesting all three events with a best finish of fourth.

Andrea de Cesaris, Grand Prix Masters 2006


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