Also in 1991, for the fourth consecutive year, the technical partnership continued between BMS Scuderia Italia of Giuseppe Lucchini and Dallara Automobili of Giampaolo Dallara. After a promising 1989, the dismal 1990 season, plagued by retirements and failures to qualify, sent the Brescia-based team back into the pre-qualifying rounds and, more importantly, led to a technical shake-up with the dismissal of Christian Vanderpleyn and the hiring of British engineer Nigel Cowperthwaite. Cowperthwaite took on the role of chief designer alongside the usual Dallara engineers based in Varano de' Melegari, near Parma, where the Scuderia Italia's single-seaters are built.
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| BMS-DALLARA F191, Emanuele Pirro Montrèal, Canadian GP 1991 |
The new F191 designed by Cowperthwaite, although very conventional and closely resembling the previous year’s car, was a completely new machine featuring a high-nose configuration, a now common design in Formula 1. Unlike other cars, however, the F191’s front wing was also mounted unusually high above the ground. The car featured a newly designed carbon-fiber Dallara monocoque chassis, new push-rod suspension, and a body with a markedly tapered rear. As with the F190, the rear section of the gearbox and engine remained exposed. Notably, the F191 was the first Formula 1 car to feature a sort of tie-rod to anchor the floor to the bodywork.
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| BMS-DALLARA F191, Emanuele Pirro Montrèal, Canadian GP 1991 |
Perhaps the most significant innovation of the new BMS-Dallara was the engine. The reliable Ford-Cosworth DFR V8 was replaced with the exclusive Judd-GV V10, maintained by Engine Developments Limited. Developed by John Judd, the new engine produced an impressive 660 hp, increasing to over 700 by the end of the season. It measured 624 mm in length, 555 mm in width, and 420 mm in height (excluding the intake trumpets), with an aluminum block and head, four valves per cylinder operated by a double overhead camshaft system, and weighed in at 124 kg.
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| BMS-DALLARA F191, Emanuele Pirro Montecarlo, Monaco GP 1991 |
Thanks to the engine's compact dimensions, Dallara and Cowperthwaite were able to focus particularly on aerodynamics, creating a car that was effective and competitive, so much so that it was the fastest in a pre-season testing session organized by Pirelli. Unfortunately, the engine's small size and lightness were also its Achilles' heel, and its chronic fragility caused many retirements throughout the season for the two official drivers: returning Italian Emanuele Pirro and Finnish newcomer Jyrki Juhani Järvilehto (J.J. Lehto).
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| BMS-DALLARA F191, Emanuele Pirro Hungaroring, Hungarian GP 1991 |
It was the Finnish driver who delivered the team's second and final podium finish, after De Cesaris's in 1989, by coming third at Imola in the San Marino Grand Prix. In the next race at Monaco, Pirro finished sixth, and these remained the only points scored in an otherwise disappointing season filled with mechanical retirements. The 5 points earned by the Dallara F191 allowed Scuderia Italia to finish eighth in the constructors’ standings, ahead of far more prestigious teams such as Lotus and Brabham.
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