Arturo Merzario, 1977

Arturo Merzario, born 11 March 1943, is a former racing driver from Italy. He participated in 85 Formula One Grand Prix. He scored 11 championship points (when only the first six drivers scored).

He’s pictured here, without his famous Marlboro hat that became his signature look, superb picture by Ercole Colombo, at the Austrian Grand Prix at the Österreichring in 1977.

In 1977, Merzario was able to raise enough sponsors to set up his own Merzario team, initially with March 761B cars, but the organisation struggled in modern Formula One for three years, including when Merzario began building his own cars in 1978.

At this 1977 Austrian Grand Prix, Arturo Merzario accepted a one-off drive with Shadow (picture below), but a solid drive from 21st on the grid led to retirement again. His team mate Alan Jones won the race.