Andrea Moda Formula facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Andrea Moda

Full name	Andrea Moda Formula
Base	Civitanova Marche, Italy
Founder(s)	Andrea Sassetti
Noted drivers	Alex Caffi Enrico Bertaggia Roberto Moreno Perry McCarthy
Previous name	Coloni Racing
Formula One World Championship career
First entry	1992 South African Grand Prix
Races entered	9 (1 start)
Engines	Judd
Constructors' Championships	0
Drivers' Championships	0
Race victories	0
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	0
Final entry	1992 Belgian Grand Prix

Andrea Moda Formula was a Formula One racing team. It competed in the 1992 Formula One World Championship. An Italian shoe designer named Andrea Sassetti owned the team. He named it after his company.

The team tried to race in nine events. But they only managed to start one race. Many people think Andrea Moda was one of the least successful teams in Formula One history.

How Andrea Moda Formula Started

In September 1991, Andrea Sassetti bought the Coloni F1 team. Coloni had struggled a lot. They failed to even get into a single race that year. In four years, Coloni only started 14 races out of 82 tries. They had not qualified for a Grand Prix in over two years. Their best finish was 8th place in 1988.

Andrea Moda hired some former Coloni staff. They also made a deal with Simtek to use a car design from 1990. This car was called the Andrea Moda S921. It used Judd V10 engines. However, the cars were not ready for the start of the 1992 season.

The 1992 Formula One Season

Early Races and Challenges

For the first race in South Africa, Sassetti brought a changed Coloni car. Drivers Alex Caffi and Enrico Bertaggia were ready. But the team was not allowed to race. They had not paid a $100,000 fee for new teams. Sassetti argued his team was not new. He said he just took over Coloni. But the FIA (the racing authority) disagreed. Caffi did a few practice laps, but the team did not officially participate.

In Mexico, the team had all its gear. But the cars were still being built. Neither car could run. Because of these problems, Caffi and Bertaggia were replaced.

New Drivers and First Race Start

Andrea Moda arrived at the Brazilian Grand Prix with new drivers. These were experienced Roberto Moreno and Perry McCarthy. McCarthy later became famous as The Stig on Top Gear. Moreno got the S921 car to run for the first time. But he failed to pre-qualify. McCarthy could not race because he did not have a special racing license yet.

McCarthy finally got his license for the next race in Spain. But his car broke down almost immediately. Moreno also failed to pre-qualify again. Around this time, Bertaggia wanted to return. He had found $1 million in sponsorship. Sassetti wanted him back instead of McCarthy. But the FIA stopped any more driver changes.

Roberto Moreno in the Andrea Moda S921, at the 1992 Monaco Grand Prix. This was the only race the team qualified for.

At the Monaco Grand Prix, McCarthy's car was very slow. Moreno, however, did very well. He managed to pre-qualify and then qualify for the race. He started 26th on the grid. This was the only time Andrea Moda qualified for a race. Moreno's race ended after 11 laps due to an engine problem.

More Problems and Team's End

After Monaco, the team faced more issues. In Canada, they had no engines. Sassetti had not paid Judd. They borrowed an engine from another team, Brabham. Moreno did a few laps but failed to pre-qualify. McCarthy could not run at all. Many people started leaving the team.

The team missed the French Grand Prix completely. Their truck was stuck in a blockade by French truck drivers. Other teams managed to get through. At this point, the few sponsors left the team. Sassetti had to pay for everything himself. McCarthy's car became a spare for Moreno. McCarthy was treated poorly. At his home race, he was sent out on the wrong tires. In Hungary, he was only allowed out of the pitlane very late. This made it impossible to set a lap time. The team was warned to let McCarthy race properly or face being kicked out.

For the Belgian Grand Prix, both Andrea Moda cars were allowed into qualifying. This was because another team, Brabham, had left. In qualifying, the Andrea Moda cars were the slowest. Neither qualified for the race. That same weekend, Sassetti was arrested. He was accused of problems with car part payments.

The FIA World Motor Sport Council removed Andrea Moda Formula from the rest of the 1992 season. This happened on September 8. They said the team failed to run properly. After this, the team was not allowed into the Monza track for the Italian Grand Prix.

The Andrea Moda name later sponsored a CART team in 1993.

Docufilm

In October 2023, a documentary film about the team was shown. It was called Last and Furious - The true story of the Andrea Moda Formula. It was presented at the 80th Venice International Film Festival.

Complete Formula One results

(key) (results in bold indicate pole position)

Year	Chassis	Engine	Tyres	No.	Drivers	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	Points	WCC
1992	C4B S921	Judd GV 3.5 V10	G			RSA	MEX	BRA	ESP	SMR	MON	CAN	FRA	GBR	GER	HUN	BEL	ITA	POR	JPN	AUS	0	NC
				34	Alex Caffi	EX	DNP
					Roberto Moreno			DNPQ	DNPQ	DNPQ	Ret	DNPQ	DNA	DNPQ	DNPQ	DNQ	DNQ
				35	Enrico Bertaggia	EX	DNP
					Perry McCarthy			DNP	DNPQ	DNPQ	DNPQ	DNP	DNA	DNPQ	EX	DNPQ	DNQ
Sources:

See also

In Spanish: Andrea Moda Formula para niños