Osella FA1B

Osella FA1B

Constructor:	Osella
Designer:	Enzo Osella Giorgio Valentini
Predecessor:	Osella FA1
Successor:	Osella FA1C
Technical specifications
Chassis:	aluminum
Wheelbase:	2700 mm
Weight:	600 kg
Tires:	Goodyear Michelin
Petrol:	Agip
statistics
Driver:	Eddie Cheever Miguel Ángel Guerra Piercarlo Ghinzani Beppe Gabbiani Giorgio Francia Jean-Pierre Jarier
First start:	1980 Italian Grand Prix
Last start:	US Grand Prix West 1981
Starts Victories Poles SR 12 - - -
World Cup points:	-
Podiums:	-
Leadership laps:	-

The Osella FA1B was a Formula 1 racing car developed by the Italian Formula 1 team Osella Squadra Corse and used for six different drivers in the 1980 and 1981 world championships . It replaced the Osella FA1 . With him, the team did not reach any world championship points.

background

The company Osella Corse, which can be traced back to the designer Abarth , primarily developed and built racing cars for mountain and sports car races in the 1970s . In the 1979 Formula 2 European Championship , it competed successfully with its own FA2 / 79 chassis ; the works driver Eddie Cheever won three races and finished fourth in the European championship. In search of sponsors for the following Formula 2 season, team boss Enzo Osella turned to the Italian subsidiary of the Unilever group, which was not interested in Formula 2 due to the poor media coverage, but Osella provided support for the case in September 1979 offered the team to move up to Formula 1. Osella responded and in three months built the basis for a competition in the 1980 Formula 1 World Championship, the first race of which took place on January 13, 1980. The beginnings of the team were therefore largely improvised. With the team's first Formula 1 car, the Osella FA1 , Cheever did not reach the finish line. Since the very heavy F1A could only be modified to a limited extent, the team management decided in April 1980 to develop a completely new car. Its construction was done by Enzo Osella and Giorgio Valentini , who had designed the short-lived Merzario A3 for the Merzario team a year earlier .

technology

The basic features of the FA1B corresponded to the previous model. The suspension has been slightly revised. As with the FA1, the monocoque of the new vehicle was essentially made of aluminum . However, it was significantly narrower than that of the FA1. This enabled the area of ​​the side boxes to be widened, which led to an improved effect of the ground effect. Osella claimed the FA1B developed five percent more downforce than the FA1. The FA1B was also significantly lighter than its predecessor. The weight of the FA1B is often given as 600 kg. This would have exceeded the minimum weight stipulated by the regulations by just 5 kg. In the literature, however, there are doubts about the correctness of this value. A Cosworth DFV eight-cylinder engine continued to serve as the drive ; the power was transmitted via a Hewland gearbox .

production

A total of four FA1B vehicles were built. In 1980, a single car (FA1B / 1) was built, and in 1981 Osella constructed three more copies (FA1B / 2, FA1B / 3 and FA1B / 4). The FA1B / 1 was only used in 1980. In 1981 the chassis FA1B / 3 and FA1B / 4 were launched, no races are noted for the FA1B / 2. The chassis were distributed among the drivers as follows:

season	Grand Prix	Osella FA1B / 1	Osella FA1B / 3	Osella FA1B / 4
1980
	Italy	Eddie Cheever
	Canada	Eddie Cheever
	USA East	Eddie Cheever
1981
	USA West		Beppe Gabbiani	Miguel Ángel Guerra
	Brazil		Beppe Gabbiani	Miguel Ángel Guerra
	Argentina		Beppe Gabbiani	Miguel Ángel Guerra
	San Marino		Beppe Gabbiani	Miguel Ángel Guerra
	Belgium		Beppe Gabbiani	Piercarlo Ghinzani
	Monaco		Beppe Gabbiani	Piercarlo Ghinzani
	Spain		Beppe Gabbiani	Giorgio Francia
	France		Beppe Gabbiani
	Great Britain		Beppe Gabbiani	Jean-Pierre Jarier
	Germany		Beppe Gabbiani	Jean-Pierre Jarier
	Austria		Beppe Gabbiani	Jean-Pierre Jarier
	Netherlands		Beppe Gabbiani	Jean-Pierre Jarier
	Italy			Beppe Gabbiani
	Canada			Beppe Gabbiani
	Las Vegas			Beppe Gabbiani

Racing history

1980 Formula 1 season

The Osella FA1B made its debut at the Italian Grand Prix , the 12th race of the 1980 season. Eddie Cheever was the driver . Cheever was able to qualify for the first time with the car. He finished the race in twelfth place. It was the first and only finish for Osella this season. In the two remaining races in North America, he was eliminated.

1981 Formula 1 season

In the 1981 Formula 1 season, Osella reported a two-driver team:

• The first vehicle with the starting number 31 was driven one after the other by Miguel Ángel Guerra , Piercarlo Ghinzani and Beppe Gabbiani ,
• the second car with starting number 32 was driven by Gabbiani, Ghinzani, Giorgio Francia , Guerra and Jean-Pierre Jarier .

The best race results were two eighth places Jariers at the Grand Prix of Great Britain and Germany . At the Italian Grand Prix the successor appeared Osella FA1c that was driven by the end of exclusive Jarier. Gabbiani, the team's second driver, continued to use the FA1B.

Race results

season	driver	number	1	2	3	4th	5	6th	7th	8th	9	10	11	12	13	14th	15th	Points	rank
1980																		-	-
	Eddie Cheever	31												12	DNF	DNF
1981																		-	-
	Miguel Ángel Guerra	31	DNQ	DNQ	DNQ	DNF
	Piercarlo Ghinzani						13
	Beppe Gabbiani							DNF	DNQ	DNQ	DNQ	DNQ	DNQ	DNQ	DNQ	DNQ	DNQ
	Beppe Gabbiani	32	DNF	DNQ	DNQ	DNF	DNF
	Piercarlo Ghinzani							DNQ
	Giorgio Francia								DNQ
	Jean-Pierre Jarier										8th	8th	10	DNF

Legend
colour	abbreviation	meaning
gold	-	victory
silver	-	2nd place
bronze	-	3rd place
green	-	Placement in the points
blue	-	Classified outside the point ranks
violet	DNF	Race not finished (did not finish)
	NC	not classified
red	DNQ	did not qualify
	DNPQ	failed in pre-qualification (did not pre-qualify)
black	DSQ	disqualified
White	DNS	not at the start (did not start)
	WD	withdrawn
Light Blue	PO	only participated in the training (practiced only)
	TD	Friday test driver
without	DNP	did not participate in the training (did not practice)
	INJ	injured or sick
	EX	excluded
	DNA	did not arrive
	C.	Race canceled
		no participation in the World Cup
other	P / bold	Pole position
	SR / italic	Fastest race lap
	*	not at the finish, but counted due to the distance covered
	()	Streak results
	underlined	Leader in the overall standings

literature

• Adriano Cimarosti: The Century of Racing. Cars, tracks and pilots. Motorbuch-Verlag, Stuttgart 1997, ISBN 3-613-01848-9 .
• David Hodges: Racing cars from A – Z after 1945. Motorbuch-Verlag, Stuttgart 1994, ISBN 3-613-01477-7 .
• David Hodges: A – Z of Grand Prix Cars. Crowood Press, Marlborough 2001, ISBN 1-86126-339-2 (English).
• Pierre Ménard: La Grande Encyclopédie de la Formule 1st 2nd edition. Chronosports, St. Sulpice 2000, ISBN 2-940125-45-7 (French).

Web links

• Racing history of the Osella FA1B on the website www.oldracingcars.com
• Image of an Osella FA1B at the 1981 Belgian Grand Prix

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Gianni Tomazzoni: Enzo Osella. Schena, 2011, ISBN 978-88-8229-921-7 , p. 108.
2. ↑ Gianni Tomazzoni: Enzo Osella. Schena, 2011, ISBN 978-88-8229-921-7 , p. 112.
3. ↑ ^{a b} Hodges: Racing Cars from A – Z after 1945. 1994, p. 205.
4. ^ Hodges: AZ of Grand Prix Cars. 2001, p. 185.
5. ↑ Adriano Cimarosti: The century of racing. Cars, tracks and pilots. Motorbuch-Verlag, Stuttgart 1997, ISBN 3-613-01848-9 , p. 317.
6. ↑ Pierre Ménard: La grande Encyclopédie de la Formule 1. 2000, p. 460.
7. ↑ Racing history of the Osella FA1B on the website www.oldracingcars.com (accessed on May 17, 2017).