| BIOGRAPHY | |||
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Full Name | Giovanna Amati |
| Nationality | Italian  |
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| Born | 20 July 1959, Rome |
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| Died | |||
| Website | |||
| PRE-F1 CAREER | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Poles | Wins | Podiums | F/L | Pts | Rank |
| 1982 | Formula Fiat Abarth | ? | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 14th | |
| 1984 | Italian Formula 3 European Formula 3 |
Pirola / Amati Privé |
7 2 |
0 0 |
0 0 |
0 0 |
0 0 |
0 0 |
NC NC |
| 1985 | Italian Formula 3 Trofeo Monza F3 Monaco F3 Grand Prix |
Ravarotto Racing Ravarotto Racing Privé |
14 1 1 |
0 0 0 |
0 0 0 |
0 0 0 |
0 0 0 |
5 – – |
15th 5th DNF |
| 1986 | Italian Formula 3 Monaco F3 Grand Prix |
Team Coperchini Privé |
8 1 |
0 0 |
0 0 |
0 0 |
0 0 |
2 – |
16th DNF |
| 1987 | International F3000 | BS Automotive | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC |
| 1988 | International F3000 | Colt Racing | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC |
| 1990 | International F3000 | Roni Motorsport Colin Bennett Racing |
1 1 |
0 0 |
0 0 |
0 0 |
0 0 |
0 | NC |
| 1991 | International F3000 British F3000 |
GJ Motorsports | 7 2 |
0 0 |
0 0 |
0 0 |
0 0 |
0 0 |
NC NC |
| FORMULA 1 CAREER | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entries | Races | Non-Starts | Best Grid | Best Finish | F/L | Pts | DNFs | |||
| 3 | 0 | 3 | 30/31 | N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| First Grand Prix Entry | Last Grand Prix Entry |
| 1992 South African Grand Prix | 1992 Brazilian Grand Prix |
| Season | Team | Chassis | Engine | Races | Poles | Wins | Podiums | F/L | Pts | Rank |
| 1992 | Brabham | BT60B | Judd 3.5 V10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC |
| POST-F1 CAREER | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Poles | Wins | Podiums | F/L | Pts | Rank | |
| 1993 | Porsche Supercup | Bernt Motorsport | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 18th | |
| 1999 | Sports Racing World Cup | Cauduro Tampolli | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 73 | 3rd | |
| 2014 | Italian GT Championship | GDL Racing | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC | |
Biography
Giovanna Amati is as notable for being the last female driver to attempt to get onto the Formula 1 grid almost thirty years ago as she is for the tabloid gossip that has surrounded her life.
Being born into a wealthy family made her a target of envy in her childhood. At the age of 18 she was kidnapped and held captive for 75 days. The ransom was paid, but Giovanna incredibly fell in love with her kidnapper who was sentenced to 18 years in prison. She also once had an affair with Niki Lauda…
Amati’s interest in motorsport came about through her friendship with Elio de Angelis, who was himself on the pathway to race in Formula 1. Her passage up the junior ranks was, however, aided by healthy sponsorship rather than any notable results. Having eventually made it to the International Formula 3000 series, four seasons spent with five different teams saw her make the starting grid just thirteen times in 30 attempts.
Despite having never scored a point in Formula 3000, she earned her Formula 1 Super License thanks to a 30-lap test with the Benetton team at the end of 1991 – it was rumoured that she was in a relationship with team principal Flavio Briatore at the time.
She was a last-minute signing with the Brabham outfit for the start of the 1992 season. By now the team was at death’s door and an embarrassment to its former self. With her gender providing the best publicity Brabham would have all season, she arrived for her debut outing at Kyalami having never even sat in the car.
Her unfamiliarity with carbon brakes and an F1 gearshift led to countless spins in practice, and she failed to qualify after posting a best time some nine seconds slower than pole-sitter Nigel Mansell and four seconds slower than team-mate Eric van de Poele.
The story repeated itself at the next rounds in Mexico and Brazil, and by then the team figured that it was to have a pay-driver on board, they’d at least better be able to turn a wheel and stand a chance of getting on the grid.
Enter Damon Hill – the man who would go on to win the 1996 World Championship, no less – for the Spanish Grand Prix onwards. He failed to qualify, too, and only made the grid twice all season before the team collapsed after the Hungarian Grand Prix.
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