Pierluigi Martini

Pierluigi Martini, an Italian driver born in 1961, made 120 Formula 1 starts, a career overwhelmingly identified with one team: Minardi, for whom he drove in eight of his nine seasons.

His path was unusual. After debuting with Minardi in 1985 he disappeared from the grid for two full seasons, returning in 1988 to begin an unbroken run with the team. He scored his first point that year, added five more in 1989, and after a barren 1990 produced his best campaign in 1991, when six points brought him eleventh in the World Championship — a remarkable position for a driver in Minardi machinery.

The one interruption to his Minardi allegiance came in 1992, when he drove for Dallara and scored twice. He was back with Minardi from 1993, adding four points in 1994 before a final, pointless season in 1995 closed his career.

Martini never stood on a podium in 120 starts, yet he reached the points in six of his nine seasons under a scoring system that paid only the top six finishers. Few drivers of his era were so completely identified with a single constructor: eight of his nine seasons, and 16 of his 18 points, came with Minardi.