As had happened the previous season, the Osella team introduced its new car, the Osella FA1C, during the final races of 1981, and it was used in the 1982 championship. This was a completely new project, significantly lighter and more agile than the previous FA1B. For 1982, the small team from Verolengo, near Turin, hired Hervé Guilpin from ATS to design its first aluminum monocoque chassis.
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| OSELLA FA1C, Jean-Pierre Jarier Brands Hatch, British GP 1982 |
Guilpin further refined Giorgio Stirano’s creation. The shapes of the new car showed the effort made by the small Italian team. Despite lacking a wind tunnel, they managed to improve the car’s design, softening the sharp lines of the previous version. The new pointed nose, longer and rounder side pods, and an engine cover extending to the rear wing aligned with the features of most modern wing-cars.
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| OSELLA FA1C, Riccardo Paletti Long Beach, USA West GP 1982 |
Despite the new chassis and design upgrades, the team remained at the back of the grid. The car’s heavy weight, the low power of the base version Ford-Cosworth V8 engine, and the outdated rocker arm suspension, no longer used in '80s Formula 1, made the FA1C one of the least competitive cars on the grid. Nevertheless, the FA1C delivered Osella’s best-ever F1 result: a fourth place for Jarier at the controversial San Marino Grand Prix in Imola.
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| OSELLA FA1C, Jean-Pierre Jarier Jacarepaguà , Brazilian GP 1982 |
Jarier was joined by rookie Milanese driver Riccardo Paletti. After a disappointing start to the season, Paletti tragically died in a horrific accident at the start of the Canadian Grand Prix. Pironi’s Ferrari stalled on the grid and was rear-ended by Paletti’s Osella, which had already gained considerable speed from the back of the grid. Paletti was knocked unconscious and trapped in the car, while Pironi rushed to help, joined by track marshals. Moments later, fuel from the Osella’s tank ignited, engulfing the car in flames. The fire was quickly extinguished with powder extinguishers, but Paletti showed no signs of life due to the severe chest trauma and the inhalation of extinguishing powder, both of which proved fatal. The rev counter on Paletti’s Osella was frozen at 10,200 rpm in third gear, suggesting a crash speed of 160–170 km/h.
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| OSELLA FA1C, Jean-Pierre Jarier Montecarlo, Monaco GP 1982 |
After the young Italian’s death, Osella continued the season with Jarier as their sole driver, except for the Dutch and Italian Grands Prix, where a second car was given to Piercarlo Ghinzani and former motorcycle world champion Johnny Cecotto, making his F1 debut. Starting from the German Grand Prix, Guilpin introduced further updates including a new rear suspension and new materials for the chassis. The updated car, which looked almost identical to the previous model, was renamed FA1D and used exclusively by Jarier, though without achieving notable results.
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