Lorenzo Bandini (21 December 1935 – 10 May 1967) was an Italian racing driver, who competed in

Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...

from to . Bandini won the 1964 Austrian Grand Prix with

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 ...

. In endurance racing, Bandini won the

24 Hours of Le Mans The 24 Hours of Le Mans () is an endurance-focused Sports car racing, sports car race held annually near the city of Le Mans, France. It is widely considered to be one of the world's most prestigious races, and is one of the races—along with ...

in , as well as the

24 Hours of Daytona The 24 Hours of Daytona, also known as the Rolex 24 At Daytona for sponsorship reasons, is a 24-hour sports car racing, sports car Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Flo ...

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation, Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 6 – Vietnam War: United States Marine Corps and Army of ...

, both with Ferrari. Born in

Libya Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...

and raised in

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

, Bandini was initially a mechanic before competing in motorcycle racing. His racing career started in 1957, driving a borrowed Fiat 1100, before he achieved a class win at the Mille Miglia one year later. He soon progressed to Formula Junior, where he attracted the attention of Enzo Ferrari. Bandini made his Formula One debut in with Scuderia Centro Sud, before signing for

the following year. On debut for Ferrari, at the , Bandini finished third behind Bruce McLaren and teammate Phil Hill, claiming his maiden podium finish. He competed at seven Grands Prix in for both teams, amongst winning the

and finishing runner-up at the

12 Hours of Sebring The 12 Hours of Sebring is an annual motorsport Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance race for Sports car racing, sports cars held at Sebring International Raceway, on the site of the former Hendricks Army Airfield World War II air base in S ...

, driving the Ferrari 250 P. Bandini retained his seat at Ferrari in , scoring his sole victory at the —amongst several further podiums—on his way to a career-best fourth in the World Drivers' Championship. He scored several podiums in his and campaigns, finishing the seasons in sixth and ninth, respectively. During the 1967 Monaco Grand Prix, Bandini was fatally injured when his Ferrari 312 overturned and caught fire. The Lorenzo Bandini Trophy was established in memorial of Bandini, honouring individuals and teams for achievements in Formula One since 1992.

Early life

Bandini was born in Barce in

Cyrenaica Cyrenaica ( ) or Kyrenaika (, , after the city of Cyrene), is the eastern region of Libya. Cyrenaica includes all of the eastern part of Libya between the 16th and 25th meridians east, including the Kufra District. The coastal region, als ...

,"Hulme Takes Monaco Race; Bandini Seriously Hurt", ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', 8 May 1967, Page 59"Lorenzo Bandini", ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'', 11 May 1967, Page 12. then an Italian colony. The family returned to Italy in 1939 and moved near

. His father died when he was 15. Bandini left home and found a job as an apprentice mechanic in the Freddi workshop in

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

Racing career

Bandini made his way into auto racing from competing on motorcycles."Italy's Bandini Dies Of Monte Carlo Burns", '' Stars and Stripes'', 11 May 1967, Page 20. He started racing cars in 1957 in a borrowed Fiat 1100. Goliardo Freddi, acknowledging Bandini's talent, decided to support him. Bandini would later marry Freddi's daughter, Margherita, in 1963, and remained involved with the family's garage in Milan. He achieved a first class victory at the Mille Miglia, in a Lancia Appia Zagato, in 1958, and a class win the same year in the 500cc Berkeley in the 12-hour race at Monza. He then purchased a Volpini Formula Junior car and placed third in his first race in

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

. In 1959 and 1960 he drove a Formula Junior Stanguellini. In 1960 he placed fourth in the Formula Junior World Championship. In 1961 Bandini and fellow Italian driver Giancarlo Baghetti were both in contention for a

seat at

Scuderia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari (; ), currently racing under Scuderia Ferrari HP, is the racing division of luxury Italian auto manufacturer Ferrari and the racing team that competes in Formula One racing. The team is also known by the nickname "the Pranc ...

. Ferrari opted for Baghetti, and Bandini went to drive for Guglielmo "Mimmo" Dei's Scuderia Centro Sud. At a non-championship race, he finished third at Pau. Bandini drove his first world championship race at Spa later in 1961. He retired with engine failure. During the winter of 1961-1962 he drove in the '' Tasman'' races in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

and

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. In 1962 Bandini was hired by Ferrari for the

1962 The year saw the Cuban Missile Crisis, which is often considered the closest the world came to a Nuclear warfare, nuclear confrontation during the Cold War. Events January * January 1 – Samoa, Western Samoa becomes independent from Ne ...

and 1963 seasons, and moved to Maranello, near the team's headquarters.''Bandini Dies of Race Injuries'',

, 11 May 1967, Page 62. His debut in a works

at the

Monaco Grand Prix The Monaco Grand Prix () is a Formula One motor racing event held annually on the Circuit de Monaco, in late May or early June. Run since 1929, it is widely considered to be one of the most important and prestigious automobile races in the wo ...

, finishing third. For 1963 Bandini was retained by Ferrari for sports car races only. Along with Ludovico Scarfiotti, he won the Le Mans 24 Hours race and placed second in the Targa Florio that year, occasionally racing in Formula One for Scuderia Centro Sud. His string of good results, including a fifth place at the British Grand Prix, convinced Ferrari to retain him as a Formula One driver as well for the rest of the season. In 1964 Bandini had his best Formula One season. He won the first Austrian Grand Prix at the Zeltweg circuit and scored two more podiums in Germany and Italy. At the Mexican Grand Prix, Bandini was running second when he decided to let his teammate John Surtees pass, enabling him to score enough points to win the

World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...

. In 1965 Bandini won the Targa Florio. In 1966 Surtees left Ferrari in mid-season. Bandini was promoted to team leader. He was unlucky not to win the French and U.S. Grands Prix that year which he dominated before mechanical problems struck while holding a huge lead. Bandini's best finish was a second place at the

in a 2.4 liter V-6 Ferrari behind Jackie Stewart's BRM. Later in the season Bandini helped director John Frankenheimer with his movie '' Grand Prix''. Bandini recommended the location at the harbour chicane for a crash scene in the movie filmed at the Monte Carlo circuit. In "The Making of Grand Prix", actress Eva Marie Saint noted bitterly that this spot would be the site of Bandini's fatal accident in the race one year later. ''Grand Prix'' was praised for its realism of racing, to which Bandini played a big role. The movie won 3 Oscars. In 1967 Bandini won the

and the 1000 km of Monza, both teamed with

Chris Amon Christopher Arthur Amon (; 20 July 1943 – 3 August 2016) was a New Zealand racing driver and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from to . Widely regarded as one of the greatest drivers to never win a Formula One Grands Prix, ...

Accident and death

On 7 May 1967 Bandini was racing at the

for

, running second to Denny Hulme. On the entry to the harbour chicane on the 82nd lap he lost control of his open-wheel 312, its left rear wheel hit the guard rail, and sent it into an erratic skid. Impacting a light pole, the car overturned,"Hulme Wins Monte Carlo; Bandini Hurt", ''

Sheboygan Press ''The Sheboygan Press'' is a daily newspaper based in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, United States. It is one of a number of newspapers in the state of Wisconsin owned by Gannett, including the ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'', ''Green Bay Press-Gazette'' ...

'', 8 May 1967, Page 13. collided with protective straw bales which lined the harbour, and trapped Bandini beneath it. Either sparks ignited fuel from a ruptured tank, or fuel leaked from it onto a hot brake line or exhaust pipe and it burst into flames. Bandini was pulled out, unconscious; a second fire occurred afterwards, when the fuel tank itself burst into flames. Bandini, who had only ever had a minor accident in his racing career, during a 1957 Formula Junior race, was gravely injured. Sustaining third degree burns covering more than 70% of his body, a chest wound, and ten chest fractures, he succumbed three days later at the Princess Grace Polyclinic Hospital in

Monte Carlo Monte Carlo ( ; ; or colloquially ; , ; ) is an official administrative area of Monaco, specifically the Ward (country subdivision), ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is located. Informally, the name also refers to ...

. He was 31 years old. Though concerns were raised about the promptness of his rescue, investigators from the Principality of Monaco ruled on 10 May that the security operation had "functioned properly." Straw bales were immediately banned from all Formula One races, and replaced by an extended guard-rail in Monaco the following year. Bandini's funeral was held in Reggiolo on 13 May."Mass Held For Bandini", ''

'', 12 May 1967, Page 56. 100,000 people attended."100,000 at Bandini Rites", ''

'', 14 May 1967, Page S4. He was later buried in the Lambrate cemetery, in

.Photos of Bandini's tombstone
Accessed 3 December 2012.

In popular culture

Bandini is portrayed by Francesco Bauco in '' Ford v Ferrari'', a 2019 film about the rivalry between Ford and Ferrari at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans auto race.

Racing record

Complete Formula One results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

Complete Formula One Non-Championship results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

Complete 12 Hours of Sebring results

Complete 24 Hours of Daytona results

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bandini, Lorenzo 1935 births 1967 deaths Italian racing drivers Italian Formula One drivers Ferrari Formula One drivers Formula One race winners Scuderia Centro Sud Formula One drivers North American Racing Team Formula One drivers 24 Hours of Le Mans drivers 24 Hours of Le Mans winning drivers 12 Hours of Reims drivers 24 Hours of Daytona drivers World Sportscar Championship drivers Racing drivers who died while racing Sport deaths in Monaco Libyan people of Italian descent Libyan emigrants to Italy