The troubled affairs of the tiny Italian team Forti Corse continued relentlessly into 1996. The seventh-place finish achieved by Diniz in the final race of the 1995 Championship was certainly not enough for a team that, although small, had a respectable past in the lower formulas. Backed by funds from the personal sponsors of Brazilian driver Pedro-Paulo Diniz and businessman Pablo Gancia, the team aimed for far more ambitious results. However, due to the team's poor performance and equally poor prospects for growth, Diniz and his sponsors decided to abandon ship and take refuge in the more stable, albeit still uncompetitive, Ligier team. The departure of the Brazilian driver, and consequently of his fellow countryman Gancia, significantly worsened the already precarious financial situation of the small team based in Alessandria, Piedmont. The team was forced to further reduce its staff and initially abandon the FG03 single-seater project.
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| FORTI FG03, Luca Badoer Montecarlo, Monaco GP 1996 |
Nevertheless, manager Guido Forti managed at the last minute to strike a deal with Ford for the supply of 90° V8 Zetec-R engines, previously used by Benetton in 1994 and by Sauber in 1995. Although customer-spec and producing only 650 hp at 14,000 rpm, these engines offered significantly better performance than the older ED units used in 1995. Another important move by Forti was hiring manager Cesare Fiorio, formerly with Ferrari and Ligier, as Team Manager. The group of technicians responsible for the FG01 was completely let go, and the design of the new FG03 was entrusted to young engineer Riccardo De Marco under the guidance of new Technical Director George Ryton, an experienced technician with a solid Formula 1 background, including time at Haas-Lola, Reynard, Tyrrell, and especially Benetton and Ferrari alongside John Barnard.
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| FORTI FG03, Luca Badoer Montecarlo, Monaco GP 1996 |
Veteran Brazilian driver Roberto Moreno also left Formula 1, prompting Guido Forti to sign two capable Italian drivers, Luca Badoer and Andrea Montermini, to drive for the 1996 Championship. Due to delays in forming the new technical staff, the 1996 season began with the same FG01 from 1995, rebranded as the FG01B. Originally designed by Chris Radage, it was only slightly updated to comply with the new technical regulations effective from 1996. As the car was based on an old design by Sergio Rinland’s Astauto Design from 1993, it stood no chance of competing with rivals. Given the already underwhelming performance in 1995, Badoer and Montermini suffered heavy qualifying deficits, often over 6–7 seconds, and failed to meet the 107% qualification rule on four occasions during the first four races.
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| FORTI FG03, Andrea Montermini Catalunya-Barcelona, Spanish GP 1996 |
Meanwhile, De Marco worked on developing the new FG03, which made its debut, driven only by Badoer, at the San Marino Grand Prix held at the Enzo e Dino Ferrari circuit in Imola. The new single-seater differed from the previous model primarily in its raised nose, supported by two pylons holding a full-width wing, and featuring a distinctive pointed shape that made the FG03 stand out from the rest of the grid. The side cockpit protection blended neatly with the engine cover, which had a clean and simple line except for some obvious bulges at the rear to accommodate the Ford V8 exhausts. In front of the rear wheels, additional aerodynamic appendages were added, connected to the rear wing. The side pods maintained the FG01’s violin-case-like shape, low and wide, but lacked barge boards in front of the air intakes. Under the bodywork was a new carbon-fiber monocoque chassis with honeycomb structure. The suspension retained the push-rod double wishbone configuration. Paired with the Ford Zetec-R V8, Forti developed its own semi-automatic six-speed gearbox based on Hewland technology.
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| FORTI FG03, Luca Badoer Silverstone, British GP 1996 |
The new FG03 immediately proved to be significantly more competitive than the FG01, allowing Badoer to post respectable lap times in the race and finish in tenth place. However, this remained the only notable performance of the FG03. From the following race, Montermini also began driving the car, but the team faced a string of retirements and failure to qualify. These setbacks ultimately led Forti to sell 51% of the team to the Irish group Shannon Racing. Starting from the Spanish Grand Prix on June 2nd, the new ownership changed the car’s livery from the traditional racing yellow to a plain white and green. It soon became clear that the sale of the team's shares was a financial scam. Forti accused Shannon Racing of failing to pay the agreed amounts, and after two more missed qualifications and increasingly disappointing results, Forti Corse decided to withdraw from the 1996 Championship following the British Grand Prix. They left Formula 1 for good, ending the season early with a decidedly uninspiring last place in the constructors' standings.
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