Osella, dreams of greatness
Osella Squadra Corse was founded by Enzo Osella and was based in Volpiano (Italy). Named after its founder, the team began life by racing Abarth sports cars in local and international races in the mid-1960s.
Enzo Osella expanded into single-seater racing in 1974 to further develop his business. In 1975, the team entered the European F2 Championship, achieving some success with its own car, the BMW-powered Osella FA2. Financial problems in 1976 meant that the team had to withdraw from the championship before the end of the season.
Osella returned to European F2 in 1979, with American driver Eddie Cheever (picture above) racing the well-used FA2, again powered by a BMW engine. The car was good enough, in the capable hands of Cheever, to win three races, this was enough for Enzo Osella to decide to take the plunge into Formula 1 !
Osella Squadra Corse appeared in the world of Grand Prix racing early 1980 with its first Formula 1 machine, the FA1. Young and promising American Eddie Cheever, so brilliant in Formula 2, was chosen to drive for the team in its debut season.
The car (picture below) was designed by Giorgio Stirano and was powered by the Ford Cosworth DFV engine. It was overweight and aerodynamically inefficient. Many components were produced in-house which meant that they were cheap to produce but not always state-of-the art.
Cheever tried hard, but was able to finish just one race in whole season. Frequently, he had to suffer from massive unreliability of his car. At the end of the season he left the team to join Team Tyrrell.
Osella participated in 132 Grand Prix (entered 172) between 1980 and 1990. They only twice finished in the points and scored 5 championship points.
Noted drivers : Eddie Cheever, Piercarlo Ghinzani, Jean-Pierre Jarier, Riccardo Paletti, Jo Gartner, Nicola Larini, Huub Rothengatter.