Vittorio Brambilla
 |
|
| Born |
11 November 1937 Monza, Italy |
|---|---|
| Died | 26 May 2001 (aged 63) Lesmo, Italy |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |
 Italian |
| Active years | 1974–1980 |
| Teams | March, Surtees, Alfa Romeo |
| Entries | 79 (74 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 1 |
| Podiums | 1 |
| Career points | 15.5 |
| Pole positions | 1 |
| Fastest laps | 1 |
| First entry | 1974 South African Grand Prix |
| First win | 1975 Austrian Grand Prix |
| Last win | 1975 Austrian Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 1980 Italian Grand Prix |
Vittorio Brambilla (11 November 1937 – 26 May 2001) was a Formula One driver from Italy who raced for the March, Surtees and Alfa Romeo teams. Particularly adept at driving in wet conditions, his nickname was "The Monza Gorilla", due to his often overly aggressive driving style and sense of machismo. He was particularly known for his 'Punch and Crunch' routine, in which, he would greet the unfortunate victim with an extremely strong handshake. He enjoyed watching the recipient wince whilst they were shaking hands only to follow this up with a rabbit punch to the back of one's neck.
Born in the town of Monza itself, Brambilla began racing motorcycles in 1957 and won the Italian national 175 cc title in 1958. Before becoming a mechanic he also raced go-karts. His older brother, Ernesto ("Tino"), was also a racing driver.
He returned to racing in 1968, in Formula 3 and won the Italian championship in 1972; by the time he was already racing Formula 2, where he won several races and bought his way into Formula 1. Brambilla was 2nd to Jacky Ickx in a 1970 2-heat Formula Two race at the Salzburg Ring in Salzburg, Austria. He drove a March BMW to 4th place in Hockenheim, in a 1973 Formula Two race. There were two 10-lap heats covering 168.7 miles (271.50 km). Brambilla won the City of Enna Cup, the 5th 1973 event in the European automaker's championship for 2,000 cc cars. He averaged 121 miles per hour (195 km/h) over 180 miles (290 km). He drove an Abarth-Osella. Brambilla captured the pole for the Monza 4-hour auto race in a BMW 3.5 CSL.
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