Nicola Larini

Nicola Larini (born 19 March 1964) is an Italian former racing driver from Tuscany who participated in 75 Formula One Grands Prix from 1987 to 1997, scoring seven points and one podium—second place at the tragic 1994 San Marino Grand Prix as Ferrari substitute—while achieving far greater success in touring cars, winning the 1992 Italian Touring Car Championship and 1993 Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft with Alfa Romeo. Born into a racing family (his father and uncle both raced), Larini won the 1986 Italian Formula Three Championship for Coloni, earning Formula One opportunities. He debuted with Coloni at the 1987 Italian Grand Prix but failed to qualify. For 1988-89, he drove for Osella—Formula One's backmarker—producing impressive performances despite uncompetitive cars: he ran sixth at San Marino 1989 until hub failure and third in Canada until electrical failure.

Moving to Ligier for 1990 brought only two seventh places. His 1991 season with financially-troubled Modena yielded just five race starts. Ferrari signed him as test driver for 1992 to develop active suspension. He kept race-sharp by winning the Italian Touring Car Championship, then the 1993 DTM title—Europe's premier touring car series. Ferrari called him to substitute for injured Jean Alesi in 1994.

At the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola on May 1—the weekend Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger died—Larini finished second behind Schumacher, securing his only Formula One podium in motorsport's darkest weekend. He scored once more (sixth in Spain) but never secured a full Ferrari seat. For 1997, he joined Sauber, scoring one point in Australia before leaving after five races following disagreements with Peter Sauber. His Formula One career ended at age 33 with 75 starts, seven points, and flashes of brilliance that never translated to sustained success.

However, his touring car career excelled: beyond his 1992-93 championships, in 2009 at age 45 he won a World Touring Car Championship race in Marrakech driving a Chevrolet Cruze, demonstrating longevity across 26 years of racing before retiring.