Luca Badoer facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Luca Badoer

Badoer at the 2021 Minardi Classic
Born	(1971-01-25) 25 January 1971 (age 54) Montebelluna, Italy
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality	Italian
Active years	1993, 1995–1996, 1999, 2009
Teams	Scuderia Italia, Minardi, Forti, Ferrari
Entries	58 (50 starts)
Championships	0
Wins	0
Podiums	0
Career points	0
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	0
First entry	1993 South African Grand Prix
Last entry	2009 Belgian Grand Prix

Luca Badoer (born 25 January 1971) is an Italian former racing driver. He raced for teams like Scuderia Italia, Minardi, Forti, and Ferrari. Besides racing, Luca was a very important test and reserve driver for Ferrari from 1998 to 2010.

In 2009, he got a chance to race for Ferrari in two Grand Prix events. This happened after Ferrari's main driver, Felipe Massa, was injured. Another famous driver, Michael Schumacher, was supposed to replace Massa but also had to pull out due to an injury.

Luca Badoer holds a special record: he has started the most Grand Prix races (50) and completed the most laps (2364) without ever scoring a point. This is partly because, for most of his career, only the top six drivers earned points. If the scoring system from 2010 had been used, he would have earned 26 points! He almost scored points in the 1999 European Grand Prix when he was in fourth place, but his car's gearbox broke down with only 13 laps left.

Luca's Early Racing Days

Luca Badoer was born in Montebelluna, Italy. He started racing karts when he was 14 years old in 1985 and won two races. In 1986, he became the karting champion of Venice. The next year, he won the national championship. In 1988, he won the Italian championship in the 100cc international class.

Moving Up: Formula Three and Formula 3000

In 1989, Luca started racing in single-seater cars in the Italian Formula Three Championship. He won a race in 1990 and finished 10th overall. In 1991, he won four races in a row but was later disqualified because of a technical issue with his tires.

In 1992, Luca moved up to the Formula 3000 Championship. He drove for Crypton Engineering and had an amazing season, winning four races. He even finished 21 seconds ahead of another driver in one race! Luca became one of only four drivers to win the Formula 3000 title on their first try.

Racing in Formula One

1993: A Tough Start

Luca Badoer had a chance to join the Tyrrell team in 1993, but he chose to sign with BMS Scuderia Italia instead.

His first year in Formula One was difficult because the BMS Scuderia Italia car was not very fast. Even with Ferrari engines, it was the slowest car in qualifying. In his first race in South Africa, he had to stop because of a gearbox problem. In Brazil, he finished 12th after an accident. His best result that year was finishing seventh at Imola.

Later that year, his team, Lola, decided to join forces with Minardi for 1994. Luca then became Minardi's test driver.

1995: Back with Minardi

Badoer driving for Minardi at the 1995 British Grand Prix.

Luca took over a racing seat at Minardi in 1995. The team didn't have a lot of money and used a less powerful Ford V8 engine. He had some bad luck, like a gearbox failure in Brazil. In Argentina, he was involved in a crash that stopped the race. His best finishes were eighth places in Canada and Hungary.

1996: Joining Forti

In 1996, Luca switched to the Forti Corse team. This team also struggled a lot. He only managed to qualify for six out of ten races. In the 1996 Argentine Grand Prix, Luca was in a big crash where his car flipped upside down, but he was not hurt. At Imola, he finished 10th. The Forti Corse team eventually closed down after the 1996 British Grand Prix.

FIA GT Championship and Ferrari Test Driver

In 1997, Luca moved to the new FIA GT Championship, racing a Lotus car. During this time, he also started his important job as a test driver for Scuderia Ferrari. He kept this role until 2010.

Return to Formula One Racing

1999: Back with Minardi

Luca Badoer returned to Formula One racing in 1999, once again with the Minardi team. In Australia, he was running as high as fifth place before gearbox problems forced him to retire. Before the race in Brazil, he broke his hand in a testing accident, so another driver took his place.

Later that year, Ferrari's main driver, Michael Schumacher, broke his leg. As Ferrari's test driver, Luca expected to race for them. However, Ferrari chose Mika Salo instead.

Luca's best chance to score points came at the 1999 European Grand Prix. He was in fourth place, which would have given him points, but his gearbox failed with only 13 laps left. He was so upset that he cried after getting out of his car. His teammate, Marc Gené, finished sixth in that race and scored a point.

Overall, Luca started 48 races for smaller teams like Scuderia Italia, Minardi, and Forti Corse between 1993 and 1999.

2000s: Ferrari's Dedicated Test Driver

Badoer testing for Ferrari at the Circuit de Catalunya in 2008

Badoer took part in his first Formula One race in ten years at the 2009 European Grand Prix.

Badoer was replaced by Giancarlo Fisichella after the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix.

After 1999, Luca focused on his job as Ferrari's permanent test driver. He drove thousands of kilometers each year, helping Ferrari develop their cars. Many people believe he played a very important part in Ferrari winning their first Formula One Drivers' Championship in 21 years in 2000.

At the opening ceremony of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Luca showed off one of Ferrari's 2005 cars. He revved the engine and performed some cool doughnuts, making a lot of tire smoke!

2009: A Brief Return to Racing for Ferrari

On August 11, 2009, it was announced that Luca Badoer would return to Formula One racing after almost 10 years. He would replace the injured Felipe Massa at the 2009 European Grand Prix in Valencia. Massa was hurt during qualifying when a piece of another car hit his helmet. Michael Schumacher was first chosen to replace Massa, but he had to pull out because of a neck injury. The BBC reported that Luca was given the chance as a "thank you" for his loyalty to the team.

In his first practice session for the 2009 European Grand Prix, Luca finished last. He was three seconds slower than the fastest driver. He also got caught speeding in the pit lane four times! He explained that he was used to a different speed limit during testing.

Some other drivers, like Lewis Hamilton, defended Luca. They said it was very hard to jump into a Formula One car after not racing for ten years. However, some commentators, like Martin Brundle, worried that it was dangerous for drivers like Luca to race without enough recent practice.

Luca became the first Italian driver to race for Ferrari in 15 years. In the race, he moved up six places at the start. He finished 17th, but his fastest lap was quicker than some other cars. Ferrari decided he would keep his seat for the next race, the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix.

At the Belgian Grand Prix, Luca qualified last again. He avoided accidents at the start and finished 14th. After this race, Ferrari decided to replace him with Giancarlo Fisichella. Luca believed that negative media coverage led to Ferrari's decision.

Retirement from Racing

At the end of 2010, Luca Badoer retired from his role as Ferrari's test driver. He was replaced by Jules Bianchi. He ended his 12-year journey with Ferrari by driving the Ferrari F60 car at the Bologna Motor Show. He said his only regret was that he "was only able to do two races [for Ferrari]". In January 2011, Luca drove the Ferrari F60 on ice as his final act with the team.

Luca's Family Life

Luca Badoer is married and has two children, Rocco and Brando. In 2017, Brando started racing karts. In December 2023, Brando finished 6th in the Italian F4 Championship. Now, 18-year-old Brando is part of the McLaren Driver Development Programme, which helps young drivers become future Formula One stars.

Racing Records

Complete International Formula 3000 Results

Complete Formula One Results

Complete FIA GT Championship Results

See also

In Spanish: Luca Badoer para niños