Emanuele Naspetti (born 24 February 1968) is an Italian racing driver and entrepreneur whose career stretched from karting and Formula One to touring cars and international endurance racing.
Driver Bio
| Nationality | Italian |
| Birthplace | Ancona, Italy |
| Born | 24 February 1968 |
| First Grand Prix | 1992 Belgian Grand Prix |
| Last Grand Prix | 1993 Portuguese Grand Prix |
| Years Active | 1992–1993 |
| Current/Last Team | Jordan |
Career
Karting
Naspetti entered his first race at just 12 years old. Karting occupied the next seven seasons, from 1980 through 1986, and gave him an unusually thorough education: more than 200 races, with successful outings in both Italian and international competition.
Formula Three
His move into cars came with Forti Corse in the 1987 Italian Formula Three Championship. Naspetti remained with the team for 1988, driving its Dallara-Alfa Romeo to the championship title and firmly establishing himself among Italy’s leading young prospects.
Formula 3000
In 1989, Naspetti graduated to the FIA International Formula 3000 Championship with Roni Motorsport. An impressive rookie campaign earned him a place at Eddie Jordan Racing for 1990, where he inherited the seat vacated by reigning champion Jean Alesi following the Frenchman’s move into Formula One.
Naspetti returned to familiar surroundings at Forti Corse in 1991 and came within reach of the F3000 crown, winning four races during a powerful title challenge. That same year also provided an early glimpse of his future versatility. Making his Italian Superturismo debut at Varano, he immediately won the S2 class in an official Peugeot 405.
Formula One
Formula One arrived in 1992, but the opportunity carried a considerable price. Naspetti joined March to race its Ilmor-powered car, leaving the International Formula 3000 Championship while still leading the standings with only a few rounds remaining.
His involvement at Grand Prix level continued in 1993 when Jordan appointed him as its official test driver. Alongside those duties, he made several appearances in the Japanese Formula 3000 Championship.
Touring cars and GT racing
From 1994, Naspetti redirected his career towards saloon cars and the fiercely competitive Super Touring era. It proved an inspired move. He collected 31 victories and became closely identified with BMW’s racing success, culminating in the 1997 Italian Superturismo Championship.
That title-winning season also brought an outstanding performance at the 24 Hours of Spa. Naspetti won the diesel category and finished third overall, demonstrating that he was as comfortable in an endurance contest as he was in a touring-car sprint.
He reached the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2000, competing in a Lola-Judd. A year later, he began the GT phase of his career with Rafanelli Team’s Ferrari 550 Maranello in the FIA GT Championship.
The Ferrari then carried him across the Atlantic. Naspetti contested the American Le Mans Series in 2002 and 2003 with a 550 Maranello before returning to Europe for 2004. His next FIA GT campaign came in a GPC Team Ferrari 575.
A call from Don Panoz brought Naspetti back to America in 2005, this time to drive a Panoz at the 12 Hours of Sebring. He reunited with BMW in 2006 for the revived Italian Superturismo Championship, winning five races and finishing second overall.
Naspetti was still collecting victories three years later. Competing in the 2009 Porsche Carrera Cup Italia, he won at Adria—another addition to a career built on succeeding in almost every kind of racing car placed beneath him.
Grand Prix Stats
| Race Entries | 6 |
| Race Starts | 6 |
| Did Not Start | 0 |
| Best Race Start | 21st |
| Best Race Finish | 11th |
| Retirements | 3 |
| First-Lap Retirements | 0 |
| Not Classified | 0 |
| Disqualified | 0 |
| Did Not Qualify | 0 |
Qualifying
| Qualifying Sessions | 6 |
| Reached Q3 | 0 |
| Q2 Eliminations | 0 |
| Q1 Eliminations | 0 |
| Did Not Qualify | 0 |
Stats by Season
| Year | Constructor | Entries | Starts | Wins | Podiums | Poles | Fastest Laps | Front Rows | DNF | Best Start | Best Result | Pts Finishes | Points | Championship |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | March | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 21 | 11 | 0 | 0 | NC |
| 1993 | Jordan | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 23 | DNF | 0 | 0 | NC |
Stats by Constructor
| Constructor | Years | Entries | Starts | Wins | Podiums | Poles | Fastest Laps | Front Rows | DNF | Best Start | Best Result | Pts Finishes | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March | 1992 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 21 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| Jordan | 1993 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 23 | DNF | 0 | 0 |
Teammates & Qualifying Head-to-Head
| Teammate | Years | Races | Qualifying H2H |
|---|---|---|---|
| Karl Wendlinger | 1992 | 3 | 0-3 |
| Jan Lammers | 1992 | 2 | 1-1 |
| Rubens Barrichello | 1993 | 1 | 0-1 |
