The boss and founder of his eponymous F1 team, Guido Forti has passed away.
Forti, who was 72, was described as one of the last genuine independents to put his name to a grand prix squad before the reliance on manufacturer support.
The Forti team had a short-lived span in F1, running in 1995 and partly in 1996.
Initially Brazilian drivers Roberto ‘Pupo’ Moreno and Pedro Diniz struggled in the sluggish and heavy Forti FG01 and then the team went with Luca Badoer and Andrea Montermini the following year.
In the 1970’s and 1980’s Forti had tasted success in Italian Formula Ford and F3 as well as the Argentine F3 and Formula 3000.
The grossly overweight FG01 was replaced by an only marginally improved FG03 the following year but the team was then the subject of a failed takeover by Shannon Racing.
There was a dispute that Shannon Racing actually paid any money to Forti and with the situation at a stalemate the team subsequently went broke and could no longer finish the 1996 season.
