Andrea de Adamich

Early career

De Adamich was born on 3 October 1941 in Trieste, Italy.^[2] He started his racing career while doing hillclimbs and Formula Junior, later transitioning into touring and sportscars.^[3] In 1965, he won the Italian Formula Three Championship, and in 1966, he won the European Touring Car Championship with Alfa Romeo, driving a 1600 GTA.^[3][4] In 1968, he won the Temporada Formula Two Championship in Argentina.^[3][5]

Formula One

After previously competing at the non-championship 1967 Spanish Grand Prix,^[3] de Adamich made his Formula One championship debut at the 1968 South African Grand Prix with Scuderia Ferrari alongside Chris Amon and Jacky Ickx.^[6] His season was cut short due to a heavy accident during a practice session for the 1968 Race of Champions; the accident led him to fall out of team owner Enzo Ferrari's favour.^[7][8]

For the 1970 season, de Adamich moved to McLaren, driving with an Alfa Romeo engine. The Cosworth engine at the time was more dominant, and de Adamich's move to March (who also used Alfa Romeo engines) in 1971 led to similar results. He joined Surtees for the 1972 season, and scored his first Formula One points when he finished fourth in the Spanish Grand Prix.^[3][7][9]

In 1973, de Adamich moved to Brabham. After a promising start of the season, when he finished fourth in the Belgian Grand Prix at Zolder,^[4] de Adamich's career was ended abruptly due to injuries sustained in a multiple-car pile-up at the British Grand Prix. The accident happened on the first lap, and de Adamich suffered from serious leg injuries as a result.^[3][7]

Endurance racing

De Adamich also competed in endurance racing, winning two races in the 1971 World Sportscar Championship behind the wheel of an Alfa Romeo T33/3. He finished in fourth at the 1972 24 Hours of Le Mans.^[10] De Adamich retired from racing in 1974.^[11]

Later career

Following his retirement, de Adamich became a TV pundit and commentator in his native Italy. From 1978 through 2012, he hosted the TV sport program Grand Prix [it] on Mediaset's Italia 1, and served as Italy's Formula One commentator from 1991 until 1996.^[11][12] He played an important role in Alfa Romeo affiliated racing company N.Technology.^[3][13] De Adamich helped create the Centro Internazionale Guida Sicura, an organization that helps promote safe driving.^[11][14][15]

Complete European Formula Two Championship results

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Complete Formula One World Championship results

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Non-championship Formula One results

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Complete European F5000 Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap.)

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

More information Year, Team ...

Year	Team	Co-Drivers	Car	Class	Laps	Pos.	Class Pos.
1970	Autodelta SpA	Piers Courage	Alfa Romeo 33/3	P 3.0	222	DNF	DNF
1972	Autodelta SpA	Nino Vaccarella	Alfa Romeo 33/3	S 3.0	307	4th	4th
Source:[19]

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