The ex guide her Formula 1 Andrea de Adamic “passed away” at the age of 84. The multi-talented Italian competed in 29 world championship matches between 1968 and 1973.
THE Andrea de Adamic competed in 29 races of the Formula 1 world championship, driving for the Ferrari, McLaren, March, Surtees and brabham.
He never managed to finish on the podium, but finished fourth in both the 1972 Spanish GP and the 1973 Belgian GP, while managing to finish in the top three in three non-championship F1 races.
According to motorsport.com, Mr Andrea de Adamichhe was a fan of hers Alfa Romeo and in 1966 he was crowned European Touring Car Champion, with four wins, driving Alfa’s successful 1600 GTA, run by the factory Autodelta team.
The following season he won the Division 2 title again and won the Tourist Trophy at Oulton Park, which that year was held for touring cars.
At the same time, Mr of Adamich he continued to race single-seaters, winning the Italian F3 title in 1965. He then won the 1968 F2 Temporada Championship in Argentina with Ferrari, against strong rivals including the future world champion Jochen Rindt.
With the famous Italian team, o of Adamichstudying law, took his first steps in F1: the non-championship Spanish GP in 1967 and the South African GP in 1968, where he scored points. However, Ferrari did not keep him after a serious accident in the ‘Brands Hatch Race of Champions’.
After a long recovery, the Italian driver returned and soon found his place at Alfa again, which suited him better. McLaren used Alfa’s V8 in a third car for the of Adamich during the 1970 F1 season, but the engine was not worthy of the great Cosworth DFV.
de Adamic and Alfa switched to March for 1971, but history repeated itself. Only when he joined the Surtees – with an engine Cosworth – the following year, things improved. But only slightly, as fourth place at Madrid’s Jarama circuit was the only time he scored points in the season.
In 1973 he joined the brabham of the former F1 boss, Bernie Ecclestonetaking another fourth place at the Belgian Zolder Grand Prix, but was the main victim of the infamous multi-car crash caused by the South African driver Jody Schechter at the British GP.
It took almost an hour to free him of Adamich from the wreck and the serious leg injuries he suffered ended his frontline career at the age of 31, despite a few appearances for Alfa in 1974. “I couldn’t stand up for three months”he told Autosport magazine in 2013.
Rarely first, o of Adamich however, he has always been a great exponent of sports cars. Twice he started the 24 Hours of Le Mans with her Alfafinishing fourth in 1972 with his compatriot, Nino Vaccarella in a T33/3. He also won two World Sports Car Championship races against the mighty Porsche 917 in 1971, the British ‘Brands Hatch 1000Km’ with the Frenchman Henri Pescarolo at the wheel of the “German” and the season finale at the American “Watkins Glen” with the Swedish pilot Ronnie Peterson in the other’s cockpit.
After his retirement, he continued to be involved in sports, as a journalist, commentator and director of a safe driving school. His relationship with Alfa Romeo continued, as Mr Andrea of Adamich became the manager of the N.Technology team, which achieved many successes in touring car racing in the early 21st century.