Enzo Osella, the former Formula 1 team owner, dies but does not vanish at the age of 87, his legacy as one of F1’s most recognisable minnows of the 1980s secure.
To many, the name Osella will be an unknown in the world of F1, lost amongst the great names of McLaren, Ferrari, Tyrrell, Brabham, and countless smaller teams from that era.
But Osella was a product of a passionate motorsport aficionado, Enzo Osella, who entered F1 after a rapid rise through the motorsport ranks as a driver and as a manager.
Born on August 26th, 1939, his passion for motorsport was noticed first by his father, as his son worked on cars in his garage after the second world war.
One particular customer gave Osella is first big break, asking him to be a navigator in rallying, with focus on the Sestriere Rally.
After brief stints as a driver, Osella moved into management, running an Abarth factory, an appointment that saw him take complete control of the racing division in 1971.
Enzo Osella in F1
After nine years participating in lower formulae, including Formula 2 and Formula 3, Osella made its debut in the cut-throat world of F1 in 1980 for a decade long tenure.
Its first season saw a partnership with the legendary Ford DFV engine but the car failed to qualify at four rounds, and retiring at all bar one round, 12th the best result.
Subsequent years fared no better, with Osella finally breaking into the points in 1982 at San Marino, courtesy of Jean Pierre Jarier, scoring an outstanding fourth place.
The rest of the season was a disaster, leading to driver changes and a mid season switch to Alfa Romeo power for 1983.
But this failed to bring about improvements, with fifth place for Piercarlo Ghinzani the last points finish for the minnow team, as the cars failed to qualify or retired frequently.
Alfa Romeo grew weary of the negative publicity, and refused to allow its name to be associated with the team, leading to an Osella branded engine for 1988.
Enzo Osella opted to return to Ford power for 1989, but despite reliability and pace improvements, points led the sale of the team to Gabriele Rumi who rebranded it to Fondmetal.
In his later year he continued to build sportscars through his company, which can still be found at Hillclimb events today. Enzo Osella dies leaving an indelible legacy as the owner of one of F1’s smallest teams.
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