Gastón Mazzacane is an Argentine racing driver who competed in 21 Formula One Grands Prix across the 2000 and 2001 seasons. Often categorised as a “pay driver”, Mazzacane brought financial backing to secure his F1 seats, but also managed to achieve a few notable moments during his short-lived Grand Prix career. He was the last Argentine F1 driver until Franco Colapinto’s debut in 2024.
| Nationality | Argentine |
|---|---|
| Born | Gastón Hugo Mazzacane 8 May 1975 La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina |
Formula One Career
Minardi: 2000
Mazzacane began his Formula One journey as a test driver for Minardi in 1999, before being promoted to a race seat in 2000 alongside teammate Marc Gené. At the season launch, he expressed a desire to learn in the first half of the year and build confidence through experience.
His debut at the 2000 Australian Grand Prix ended in retirement due to a gearbox failure, but he bounced back with a 10th-place finish in Brazil. Despite driving one of the least competitive cars on the grid, Mazzacane managed to outqualify Gené on three occasions, including at Imola and Hockenheim.
A standout moment came at the 2000 United States Grand Prix, where, on a damp Indianapolis circuit, Mazzacane famously overtook two-time World Champion Mika Häkkinen, who had gambled on slick tyres early in the race. Though Mazzacane later ran over his pit crew during a stop and retired, the incident remains one of his more talked-about F1 moments.
He completed 11 of the 17 races that season and finished third overall in race kilometres completed, showcasing solid reliability despite lacking pace.
Prost: 2001
After testing with Arrows, Mazzacane joined Prost Grand Prix in 2001, replacing Nick Heidfeld and beating out Oriol Servià for the second seat. However, his stint at Prost was short-lived. Mazzacane raced only four Grands Prix, with his final F1 appearance at the 2001 San Marino Grand Prix.
Team boss Alain Prost dismissed Mazzacane after San Marino, invoking a performance clause in his contract. He was replaced by Luciano Burti, who had been dropped by Jaguar Racing around the same time.
Post-F1 and Later Career
Mazzacane signed with the would-be Phoenix (DART) team for the 2002 season, but the outfit was barred from entering the championship.
He later moved to the United States, competing in the final rounds of the 2004 Champ Car season with Dale Coyne Racing in the #19 car.
Back in Argentina, Mazzacane became active in the national touring car series, including Turismo Carretera, and made history by becoming the inaugural TC Pick Up champion in 2018.
Gaston Mazzacane Formula One World Championship Career
| F1 Career | 2000–2001 |
|---|---|
| Teams | Minardi, Prost |
| Entries | 21 |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Career points | 0 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First entry | 2000 Australian Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 2001 San Marino Grand Prix |
Gaston Mazzacane Teammates
| 2 drivers | Involvement | First Year | Last Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marc Gene | 17 | 2000 | |
| Jean Alesi | 4 | 2001 |
Complete Formula One Results
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | WDC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Telefónica Minardi Fondmetal | Minardi M02 | Fondmetal V10 | AUS Ret | BRA 10 | SMR 13 | GBR 15 | ESP 15 | EUR 8 | MON Ret | CAN 12 | FRA Ret | AUT 12 | GER 11 | HUN Ret | BEL 17 | ITA 10 | USA Ret | JPN 15 | MAL 13 † | 21st | 0 |
| 2001 | Prost Acer | Prost AP04 | Acer V10 | AUS Ret | MAL 12 | BRA Ret | SMR Ret | ESP | AUT | MON | CAN | EUR | FRA | GBR | GER | HUN | BEL | ITA | USA | JPN | 25th | 0 |
