Lamberto Leoni is an Italian former racing driver whose career spanned Formula One, the junior single-seater ranks, and even powerboat racing. Though his time in Formula One was brief—entering five World Championship Grands Prix without scoring points—Leoni remained deeply involved in motorsport long after stepping away from the cockpit.
Driver Bio
| Nationality | Italian |
| Birthplace | Argenta, Italy |
| Born | 24 May 1953 |
| First Grand Prix | 1977 Italian Grand Prix |
| Last Grand Prix | 1978 United States Grand Prix West |
| Current/Last Team | Ensign |
Racing career
Climbing the junior ranks
Leoni began his career in Italian Formula 3 before stepping up to the highly competitive European Formula 2 Championship in 1976. He made an immediate impression, finishing third in his debut race at Estoril with Massimo Ciccozzi’s Scuderia del Passatore.
He later joined Scuderia Everest, run by Giancarlo Minardi, where results were mixed but valuable experience was gained. His breakthrough came in 1977, when he secured victory at Misano driving for Scuderia Trivellato—his standout result in Formula 2.
Formula One attempts
Leoni made his Formula One debut in 1977 with Surtees at the Italian Grand Prix, stepping in for Vern Schuppan. However, he failed to qualify for the race.
In 1978, he joined Ensign, run by Morris Nunn. He successfully qualified for the opening round, the Argentine Grand Prix, but retired after 28 laps due to engine failure. At the following race in Brazil, he again qualified, only to be denied a start when his transmission failed on the formation lap.
Further frustration followed, as he failed to qualify in both South Africa and the United States. After this run of bad luck and mechanical issues, Leoni parted ways with the team and was replaced by Jacky Ickx.
Team owner and entrepreneur
After stepping back from Formula One, Leoni returned to junior formulas, competing in Formula 2 and later Formula 3000. In 1987, he founded his own team, First Racing.
The team enjoyed moderate success, taking victories with drivers such as Marco Apicella and Pierluigi Martini. Encouraged by these results, Leoni attempted to step up to Formula One in 1989 with a car designed by Richard Divila and driven by Gabriele Tarquini.
However, the project proved ill-fated. The car was poorly assembled and uncompetitive, and despite commissioning a second chassis, Leoni ultimately abandoned the venture. That unused chassis would later be acquired by Ernesto Vita for his unsuccessful Life Formula One project.
Management and later pursuits
Leoni remained involved in motorsport by managing the career of Marco Apicella, who went on to win the Super Formula Championship in 1994 and briefly compete in Formula One with Jordan Grand Prix in 1993.
In the early 1990s, Leoni took on a completely new challenge—powerboat racing. Demonstrating his adaptability once again, he won several races and came close to securing the 1993 World Championship.
Grand Prix Stats
| Race Entries | 5 |
| Race Starts | 1 |
| Did Not Start | 1 |
| Best Race Start | 22nd |
| Best Race Finish | – |
| Retirements | 1 |
| First-Lap Retirements | 0 |
| Not Classified | 0 |
| Disqualified | 0 |
| Did Not Qualify | 3 |
Qualifying
| Qualifying Sessions | 4 |
| Reached Q3 | 0 |
| Q2 Eliminations | 0 |
| Q1 Eliminations | 0 |
| Did Not Qualify | 3 |
