Moser and the Bellasi

Silvio Moser is ready to take off at the wheel of his Bellasi F1 70 for the 1971 Argentine Grand Prix, a non-championship race which welcomes Formula 1 single-seaters but also F5000s, run on the Autodromo of Buenos Aires.

The Swiss driver qualified tenth but last of the F1 competitors, more than three seconds behind the pole man, Rolf Stommelen in his Surtees TS7, but it was Chris Amon who won the race at the wheel of his Matra MS120 (yes, the unlucky New Zealander did win a Grand Prix, but this one did not count towards the world championship).

Silvio Moser (1941-1974) was a Swiss racing driver who participated in 20 Formula One Grand Prix (12 starts) driving for Brabham, Cooper and Bellasi, and scored three championship points.

In 1970, Silvio Moser asked Bellasi, a Swiss F3 constructor, to design a Grand Prix car for him. This single-seater, powered by a Cosworth V8 engine, borrowed some elements from Moser’s Brabham BT24-3.

After failing to qualify three times in the Netherlands and France, Moser finally managed to secure a place on the grid for the Austrian Grand Prix. The car lasted 13 laps before breaking down.

It reappeared at the 1971 Argentine Grand Prix, entered by the Jolly Club, and then once again at the 1971 Italian Grand Prix at Monza (photo below), but retired after only five laps. This marked the end of Bellasi’s Formula 1 adventure.