The spirit with which Enzo Osella approached his team’s Formula 1 commitment was embodied in the FA1F, the car used in the 1984 World Championship, built on the tightest possible budget to stay within the constraints of the small Turin-based team.
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| OSELLA FA1F, Jo Gartner Brands Hatch, British GP 1984 |
After outsourcing design to Tony Southgate’s British studio in 1983, development was brought back to Volpiano. The FA1F was designed by in-house engineer Giuseppe Petrotta and assembled using pre-existing components. Enzo Osella managed to obtain a batch of used Alfa Romeo V8 Turbo engines from the Milanese team’s 1983 campaign. He also secured one of the five carbon-fiber 183T chassis designed by Gérard Ducarouge the previous year. With minimal modifications and new light-blue Kelémata sponsor livery, the former 183T was entered into the first Grand Prix of the 1984 season, driven by Piercarlo Ghinzani.
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| OSELLA FA1F, Jo Gartner Monza, Italian GP 1984 |
Unfortunately, the car was completely destroyed in an accident during the second race of the season in Kyalami, in which Ghinzani was fortunately unharmed. New units of the FA1F were subsequently built, essentially identical to the first but with minor technical improvements in suspension and weight distribution.
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| OSELLA FA1F, Piercarlo Ghinzani Österreichring, Austrian GP 1984 |
At the San Marino Grand Prix in Imola, Osella fielded a 1983 FA1E equipped with a naturally aspirated Alfa Romeo V12 for pay-driver Jo Gartner. From the British Grand Prix onward, Gartner became the team’s second driver and was given a FA1F Turbo. During the 1984 season, the car achieved two fifth-place finishes in Dallas and Monza, although Gartner’s Monza points were not awarded since he had not been registered from the start of the season.
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| OSELLA FA1F, Piercarlo Ghinzani Montecarlo, Monaco GP 1984 |
Osella’s frugal and conservative approach was further evidenced by the FA1F’s remarkable longevity, with the car, barely modified, being used for three more seasons.
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