(born
18 March 1964 ) is an Italian former
Formula One driver from
Italy . He participated in 75 grands prix, debuting on
September 7 ,
1986 . In
2006 he will race in the inagural season of the
Grand Prix Masters formula for retired Formula One drivers.
Caffi was born in
Rovato (
Province Of Brescia ), in
Northern Italy .
He spent three years in Italian
Formula Three from 1984 to 1986, finishing runner-up in 1984 and 1985, then 3rd in 1986. 1986 also saw him land a one-off drive with the
Osella Formula One team, and Caffi scored a rare finish for them, coming home 11th.
The small Italian team were impressed by his sensible approach, and signed him for a full season for 1987. The
Alfa Romeo powered car was uncompetitive and unreliable, Caffi never finishing once, though he was classified 12th at the
San Marino Grand Prix . Nevertheless, the quiet Italian drew good notices for his attitude and skill in such a poor car (notably qualifying 16th for the
Monaco Grand Prix ).
He switched the new
Scuderia Italia team, running a
Dallara chassis, for 1988, again drawing good notices and peaking with 7th place at the
Portuguese Grand Prix . 1989 saw the team expand to two cars, with
Andrea De Cesaris taking the other, and a switch to
Pirelli tyres. Caffi impressed, finishing 4th at the
Monaco Grand Prix , and running 2nd at the
United States Grand Prix before de Cesaris knocked him off. The second half of the season was less impressive as
Pirelli struggled to find consistent race tyres, but was distinguished by Caffi starting 3rd at the
Hungarian Grand Prix (though the aforementioned race tyres saw him finish 7th).
Caffi was noted as a promising talent, and was tempted to
Arrows for 1990. The team had been bought by the Japanese
Footwork concern, and were planning a major championship assault in 1991 with a new
Porsche V12 and
Michele Alboreto , while 1990 was to be an interim year. Caffi injured himself in a pre-season cycling accident, missing the first race of the season, retiring from the second with exhaustion and failing to qualify for the third. However, he bounced back with 5th place at the
Monaco Grand Prix , and generally gave solid, if unspectacular, displays elsewhere.
1991 was to be an unmitigated disaster, sadly. The
Porsche V12 was grossly overweight and seriously underpowered, and Caffi failed to qualify for the first four races. He then broke his jaw in a road car accident following the
Monaco Grand Prix .
Footwork then drafted in
Stefan Johansson to cover, and when Caffi returned to fitness, he found the team were trying to keep the Swede on. He managed to get back into his seat via a legal injuction, but then failed to qualify for the next six races. He finally got through to the
Japanese Grand Prix , finishing 10th, but
Aguri Suzuki had already been announced as a replacement for 1992. He again got through for the
Australian Grand Prix , but had no drive for the following season.
He had no option but to sign for the new
Andrea Moda team. However, registration problems with the FIA meant he managed no more than a few practice laps at the
South African Grand Prix , and the team arrived late for the
Mexican Grand Prix and were not allowed to run. After this, Caffi was replaced by
Roberto Moreno , and his time in
Formula One was over.
After a brief career in Spanish and Italian
Touring Cars , Caffi found his niche in sportscars, racing in GTs, ISRS and
ALMS .
(Note: grands prix in denote '''points scoring''' races.)
