Mission impossible

Bruno Giacomelli tries to pre-qualify his Life L190 at the 1990 Monaco Formula One Grand Prix. It is mission impossible for the amicable Italian, as his car is unreliable and desperately slow (picture above and below).

Life was a Formula One constructor from Modena, Italy. The company was named for its founder, Ernesto Vita (‘Vita’ is Italian for ‘Life’). Life first emerged on the Formula One scene in 1990, trying to race their unconventional W12 3.5-litre engine designed by former Ferrari engineer Franco Rocchi. It was a disaster, in all 14 attempts, the car failed to make the grid, often clocking in laps many seconds slower than their next competitor, and more often than not, breaking down.

Here at Monaco in 1990, only the four fastest, of nine pre-qualifiers, were allowed to try to qualify for the race and Giacomelli, after managing a stint of seven laps, and for once, returning to the pits without breaking down, was terribly off the pace, some 14 seconds a lap (!) slower than the best. Bruno went back out on the circuit and completed another lap before the W12 engine failed… It was a hopeless situation.