Promising Giunti

The 1970 Belgian Grand Prix was held at Spa-Francorchamps on 7 June 1970 and was won by Pedro Rodriguez. It was Rodriguez’s second and last victory in Formula One and BRM’s first victory since Jackie Stewart won the 1966 Monaco Grand Prix. The race also saw the F1 debut of Italian Ignazio Giunti, who finished fourth in a Ferrari 312B (picture above).

Ignazio Giunti (1941-1971) was an Italian racing driver from Rome. In 1968, driving for Alfa Romeo, he finished second in the Targa Florio and fourth in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, co-driving with fellow Italian Nanni Galli.

In 1970, Giunti was signed by Ferrari, primarily for their sports-car team, and won the 12 Hours of Sebring. Sadly, Giunti was killed in the 1971 1000 km of Buenos-Aires, when his Ferrari 312PB (picture below) ploughed into the back of the Matra MS650 of Jean-Pierre Beltoise, who was pushing the car after it had run out of fuel.