The 1991 Formula One Indoor Trophy took place on December 7–8 at the

Bologna Motor Show The Bologna Motor Show (known as the "''Salone internazionale dell'auto e della moto di Bologna''" in Italian) was an auto show which was scheduled to be held annually in December, in Bologna, Italy. It was created and held for the first time i ...

. The winner was

Gabriele Tarquini Gabriele Tarquini (born 2 March 1962) is an Italian former racing driver, who competed in Formula One between and , and World Touring Car from to 2021. In touring car racing, Tarquini won the World Touring Car Championship in with SEAT; ...

in a

Fondmetal Fondmetal S.p.A. is an Italian manufacturer of alloy wheels, founded in 1972 by Gabriele Rumi. A Formula One constructor of the same name, also owned by Rumi, competed in the and seasons, scoring no championship points. The company also sp ...

- Ford.

Participants

For the fourth

Formula One Indoor Trophy The Formula One Indoor Trophy or Trofeo Indoor Formula One was a non-championship Formula One sprint held every year at the Bologna Motor Show between 1988 and 1996 (except for 1994 when it was not held.) Despite having ''Indoor'' in the name ...

, the participation rose again to six. Lotus became the first non-Italian team to enter, and they were represented by

Johnny Herbert John Paul Herbert (born 25 June 1964) is a British former racing driver and broadcaster. He competed in Formula One from to , winning three Formula One Grands Prix over a 12-season career. In endurance racing, Herbert won the 24 Hours of Le ...

, who had alternated in their second car during the season with

Michael Bartels Michael Bartels (born 8 March 1968) is a German professional racing driver. He is a multiple FIA GT champion and former Grand Prix driver who attempted to qualify for four races in with Lotus. Career Bartels was the 1985 German karting champ ...

after they replaced Julian Bailey early in the season. Herbert would drive for the team permanently in 1992.

entered the competition for the first time, with

driving the car. The Italian had seen out the last three races of the season for the team, after replacing

Olivier Grouillard Olivier Grouillard (; born 2 September 1958) is a French racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to , and IndyCar in 1993. Born in Fenouillet, Haute-Garonne, Grouillard started kart racing from the age of fourteen competing in event ...

. He would also drive for his team permanently in 1992.

BMS Scuderia Italia BMS Scuderia Italia SpA (sometimes referred to as simply Scuderia Italia) is an auto racing team founded in 1983 in Brescia by Italian businessman and motorsports enthusiast Giuseppe Lucchini. Originally named Brixia Motor Sport (BMS), the team ...

, still using

Dallara Dallara Group S.r.l. is the largest multi-national Italian race car manufacturer, founded by its current President, Giampaolo Dallara. After working for Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini and De Tomaso, in 1972 in his native village of Varano de' M ...

chassis, were represented for a second year by

JJ Lehto Jyrki Juhani Järvilehto (; born 31 January 1966), commonly known as JJ Lehto, is a Finnish former racing driver and broadcaster, who competed in Formula One from to . In sportscar racing, Lehto won the American Le Mans Series in 2004 and is a ...

, who had driven in 1991 alongside

Emanuele Pirro Emanuele Pirro (; born 12 January 1962) is an Italian racing driver who competed in Formula One from to . In endurance racing (motorsport), endurance racing, Pirro is a List of 24 Hours of Le Mans winners, five-time winner of the 24 Hours of L ...

. Three time champions

Minardi Minardi was an Italian automobile racing team and constructor founded in Faenza in 1979 by Giancarlo Minardi. It competed in the Formula One World Championship from 1985 until 2005 with little success, nevertheless acquiring a loyal following ...

had two cars, one driven by defending champion

Gianni Morbidelli Gianni Morbidelli (born 13 January 1968) is an Italian racing driver. He participated in 70 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 11 March 1990. He achieved one podium, and scored a total of 8.5 championship points. He most recently competed in ...

, even though he had been replaced by

Roberto Moreno Roberto Pupo Moreno (born 11 February 1959), usually known as Roberto Moreno and also as Pupo Moreno, is a Brazilian former auto racing, racing driver. He participated in 75 Formula One Grands Prix, achieved 1 podium, and scored a total of 15 c ...

during the season, the other a spec car driven by test driver

Marco Apicella Marco Apicella (born 7 October 1965) is an Italian former professional racing driver. He competed in one Formula One Grand Prix for the Jordan team in the 1993 Italian Grand Prix. He later won the 1994 Japanese Formula 3000 Championship drivin ...

. Apicella's car was using a Ford engine, as opposed to the

Ferrari Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello. Founded in 1939 by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988), the company built Auto Avio Costruzioni 815, its first car in 1940, adopted its current name in 1945, and be ...

motor in Morbidelli's car. Finally, Coloni were represented by test driver

Antonio Tamburini Antonio Tamburini (28 March 1800 – 8 November 1876) was an Italian operatic baritone.Randel (1996) p. 900. Biography Born in Faenza, then part of the Papal States, Tamburini studied the orchestral horn with his father and voice with Aldobr ...

, who would never enter a Grand Prix. He was chosen over regular drivers

Pedro Chaves Pedro António Matos Chaves (; born 27 February 1965) is a Portuguese racing driver. Chaves was the second Portuguese Formula Ford Champion, in 1986, starting an international career in 1987 in the British Formula Ford Championship. In 1990 ...

and

Naoki Hattori is a motoring journalist and racing driver from Japan. After he won the Japanese Formula 3 championship in 1990, he failed to pre-qualify for two Formula One Grands Prix with Coloni in 1991 as a late-season replacement for Pedro Chaves. He ra ...

Results

Herbert was drawn against Tarquini in the quarter-finals, while Lehto was drawn against Apicella and Morbidelli against Tamburini. Herbert was, surprisingly, defeated by Tarquini, while Lehto defeated Apicella, less surprisingly as the Italian was driving an outdated car. Another surprise saw the inexperienced Antonio Tamburini defeat defending champion Gianni Morbidelli. As the closest loser, Johnny Herbert also progressed to the semi-finals. He was drawn against Tamburini, and won, while the other semi final saw Tarquini eliminate Lehto. The final was then a rematch of the quarter-final matchup between Herbert and Tarquini, and the Italian won again, meaning that he was the first driver to win the tournament in a car other than a Minardi.

References

Bologna Sprint – The GEL Motorsport Information Page
{{Formula One Indoor Trophy

Formula One Indoor Trophy