OSELLA FA1M/E Ford-Cosworth DFR

   1990 marked the final season in Formula 1 for the tiny racing team from Volpiano, near Turin, owned by entrepreneur Enzo Osella. Despite the arrival in 1989 of two key figures, former Ferrari technician Antonio Tomaini and Fondmetal owner Gabriele Rumi, who promised to cover the financial needs for the season, the situation at the end of the championship remained unchanged. The team once again ended the year without scoring any points, and seeing the checkered flag remained a distant dream. Abandoning the outdated Alfa Romeo equipment, in use since 1983 thanks to an agreement between Osella and Carlo Chiti’s Autodelta, and designing an entirely new car were not enough to help Enzo Osella’s cars make the qualitative leap needed to survive in the harsh world of Formula 1.

OSELLA FA1M/E, Olivier Grouillard
Montrèal, Canadian GP 1990

   In fact, 1990 represented a step backward for the Turin-based team, which reverted to fielding a single car, the Osella FA1M, already used in 1989 and only slightly updated in the "E" version. Antonio Tomaini, still the team’s technical director, focused mainly on the suspension geometry to better exploit the Pirelli tires, which lasted longer than Goodyear's competitors but required more aerodynamic downforce to reach the right operating temperature.

OSELLA FA1M/E, Olivier Grouillard
Hermanos Rodriguez, Mexican GP 1990

   Although the 1990 engine was still the Ford Cosworth DFR 3.5 V8, it was no longer prepared by Heini Mader’s Swiss workshop but by the British facility led by Brian Hart. Hart’s refinements to the cylinder head and valves allowed for a higher rev range. The new “E” version was identical to its predecessor, except for a slightly narrower engine cover at the rear and more tapered side pods.

OSELLA FA1M/E, Olivier Grouillard
Spa-Francorchamps, Belgian GP 1990

   Even though Enzo Osella chose to focus efforts on a single car, entrusted to French driver Olivier Grouillard, the results did not significantly differ from the poor performances of previous seasons, though there was a slight improvement in competitiveness. Grouillard managed to pass Friday pre-qualifying nine times and, thanks to the improved reliability of the car, reached the finish line on four occasions, achieving his best result with a thirteenth-place finish both in Canada and in Australia.

OSELLA FA1M/E, Olivier Grouillard
Silverstone, British GP 1990

   At the end of yet another disappointing season, in November 1990, Enzo Osella decided to sell his shares in the team to Gabriele Rumi, who took full control and renamed it Fondmetal F1 SpA. This marked the end of Scuderia Osella’s history in Formula 1, a story that had begun ten years earlier and during which the Turin cars had only scored points on two occasions: in the 1982 San Marino Grand Prix with Jean-Pierre Jarier’s fourth place, and in the 1984 Dallas Grand Prix with Piercarlo Ghinzani’s fifth.