BMS-DALLARA F189 Ford-Cosworth DFR

   The unexpectedly good 1988 season, which saw the debut of the new team BMS Scuderia Italia founded by Giuseppe Lucchini from Brescia, raised significant expectations for the following season, especially considering that the “F188” of 1988 was directly derived from a Formula 3000 car. In the spirit of continuity, Scuderia Italia once again commissioned the design of the new “F189” to Dallara which, under the technical direction of Gian Paolo Dallara, entrusted the development of the new single-seater to designer Mario Tollentino, who had previously worked at Euroracing, where he helped design the successful Alfa Romeo Turbos of the early '80s alongside Gérard Ducarouge.

BMS-DALLARA F189, Alex Caffi
Hermanos Rodriguez, Mexican GP 1989

   Thanks to the considerable effort made by the team from Brescia and the atelier from Parma, two entirely new cars were built before the start of the championship. These were entrusted to the confirmed young Italian driver Alex Caffi and to the veteran fellow countryman Andrea de Cesaris. The chassis of the new F189, made of carbon fiber and Kevlar, was completely new due to changes required in the survival cell, as regulations now mandated a more rearward cockpit. It was also made stiffer to handle the increased stress from the Ford-Cosworth DFR V8 engine, which had more power and torque than the DFZ used in 1988.

BMS-DALLARA F189, Alex Caffi
Phoenix, United States GP 1989

   The gearbox paired with the Ford engine was Hewland-derived but manufactured directly by Dallara. The tire supplier changed from Goodyear to Pirelli, which forced Tollentino to redesign the suspension system to better suit the Italian tires, slightly less performant but more durable than the American Goodyears. The new suspension retained the classic pull-rod configuration, which allowed for a lower car, consistent with the 1988 model. However, with the cockpit moved further back, Tollentino no longer aimed to push aerodynamic penetration to the extreme as Rinland did the year before. Instead, he designed a more harmonious car, especially at the front, with larger sidepods, now taller than the front wheel struts and featuring bigger and wider air intakes. The sidepod design was much smoother than that of the previous year’s car, while the rear end retained the classic bottle-neck shape.

BMS-DALLARA F189, Andrea De Cesaris
Jacarepaguà, Brazilian GP 1989

   Unlike the previous year, the roll bar and engine cover had a unified and harmonious design, with a very large air intake that blended seamlessly into the car's tail with a taut line. As with the F188, the front wing was a complex biplane configuration, featuring a solution that could be considered a prototype of the endplates on front wings that would become increasingly elaborate in the mid-1990s. The F189 proved to be a good car, and the results achieved matched expectations.

BMS-DALLARA F189, Andrea De Cesaris
Imola, San Marino GP 1989

   Caffi failed to pass pre-qualifying twice, but when he did race, he consistently achieved decent results, retirements aside, scoring points on two occasions. De Cesaris reached the finish line more often and even brought the F189 to the podium at the Canadian Grand Prix, held at the Gilles Villeneuve Circuit in Montreal, where he finished third. The 8 points scored in the 1989 championship allowed BMS Scuderia Italia to finish eighth in the constructors' standings, marking what would remain the best season in the short history of the Brescia-based team.