Life was a Formula One constructor from Modena, Italy. The company was named for its founder, Ernesto Vita ("Vita" is Italian for "Life"). Life first emerged on the Formula One scene in 1990, trying to market their unconventional W12 3.5-litre engine.

W12 engine

Life's W12, or "broad arrow", engine had been designed by the former Ferrari engineer Franco Rocchi,

Several drivers were approached to drive for the team, including Gabriele Tarquini, Pierluigi Martini, Marco Apicella, Roberto Moreno and Gianni Morbidelli. Ultimately Sir Jack Brabham's son Gary Brabham was signed to drive with Franco Scapini hired as test driver and Sergio Barbasio as team manager. When Brabham failed to pre-qualify twice he left the team for good, as the car had coasted to a halt after 400 yards with a malfunctioning battery. Brabham later stated that the car did not have a functioning tachometer in either of the pre-qualifying sessions, and that the team did not possess a tyre pressure gauge, having to borrow one from the EuroBrun team. This claim is disputed by the team's former mechanics. He also made efforts to persuade the team to switch to a Judd CV V8 engine, but was unsuccessful.

After Brabham left, Vita tried to replace the Australian with Bernd Schneider, who had stood in at Arrows at the first race of the season, but the German driver refused. "I definitely don't want to drive for them", he said. Test driver Scapini was also a candidate to replace Brabham, but the Italian was not granted an FIA Super Licence. Another driver contacted by the team was New Zealander Rob Wilson, who said he would be interested in driving for Life, especially if the team expanded to two cars.

Bruno Giacomelli, an Italian veteran who had last raced in Formula One in 1983, was then signed by the team. Giacomelli was an attractive proposition as he had recent experience of Formula 1 cars in his role as test driver for Leyton House Racing and good contacts with Engine Developments, who designed and manufactured the Judd Formula 1 engines. The most laps made by the car during pre-qualifying was twenty-two in Silverstone. At the 1990 San Marino Grand Prix Giacomelli said that he was scared he might be struck from behind as his car was so slow. In the pre-qualifying sessions for that race, Giacomelli apparently finished his run with an almost six-minute gap to the second slowest time, as his car broke down at the end of the pit lane on the out lap, and the car's transponder was left switched on, resulting in it being timed while being towed. For the Portuguese Grand Prix, the team replaced its original W12 engine with the more conventional Judd CV V8, an enormous undertaking completed in under three weeks by a minuscule and chronically underfunded company. The car successfully began the pre-qualifying round, however, on its first lap at Estoril, the engine cover came loose and flew off. The last appearance of the car was at Jerez for the Spanish GP. Subsequently, the team opted to withdraw before the final two Grands Prix.

The race team usually consisted of only nine people: the racing driver; Sergio Barbasio (team manager); Franco Scapini (test driver); Francesca Papa (Ernesto Vita's wife); Maurizio Ferrari (engineer); Emilio Gabrielli (truckie and mechanic); and the three mechanics: chief mechanic Oliver Piazzi, Heinz Willi Mueller and Luca Cassoni.

After Formula One

The Life L190 which took part in the 1990 Formula One World Championship was fully restored in 2009 by Oliver Piazzi and ran at the 2009 Goodwood Festival of Speed with its original W12 engine back in place.

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References

  • Life Profile
  • Goodwood Festival of Speed details