Born |
Ziano di Fiemme, Italy |
12 December 1946
---|---|
Died | 15 May 2015 Magenta, Italy |
(aged 68)
Formula One World Championship career | |
Nationality | Italian |
Active years | 1975–1977 |
Teams | Williams, Wolf-Williams, Shadow |
Entries | 7 |
Championships | 0 |
Wins | 0 |
Podiums | 0 |
Career points | 1 |
Pole positions | 0 |
Fastest laps | 0 |
First entry | 1975 Italian Grand Prix |
Last entry | 1977 Spanish Grand Prix |
Renzo Zorzi (12 December 1946, Ziano di Fiemme – 15 May 2015, Magenta, Lombardy) was a racing driver from Italy who participated in 7 Formula One Grands Prix between 1975 and 1977.
Zorzi began his racing career in Formula Three in 1972, driving various cars with little success. In 1974 he switched to a GRD, and won the Monaco Formula Three race in 1975. This helped him towards a couple of races for Frank Williams Racing Cars and Wolf-Williams Racing in Formula One, before his sponsorship funds ran out. In 1977 he raced with Shadow, backed by their Italian sponsor Franco Ambrosio. Despite finishing sixth at the 1977 Brazilian Grand Prix and earning a World Championship point, he was dropped from the team after five races and replaced by Riccardo Patrese.
He was indirectly involved in a horrific accident during the 1977 South African Grand Prix, after he retired his car when a split fuel pipe caused an engine fire. While Zorzi dealt with the fire with his on-board extinguisher, two fire marshals ran across the track and one, Frederick Jansen Van Vuuren, was struck and killed by the car of Zorzi's team-mate Tom Pryce, who was also killed.
Zorzi later raced in sports cars and the Aurora AFX F1 series, driving an Arrows.
After retiring from racing, he ran a Pirelli driving school in southern Italy.
Zorzi died on 15 May 2015, aged 68.