Marco Fumagalli

Part of a recent influx of Italian drivers, Marco Fumagalli has been racing his Theodore TR1 and Ensign N174 in the Masters Racing Legends series for 1966-’85 Formula One cars for several seasons now. The Italian usually takes in several of the European rounds, where he is part of a friendly club of azzurri drivers and preparers who all enjoy their nostalgic weekends out with a tantalising variety of 3-litre F1 cars from the seventies and eighties. We spoke to Marco sometime during the 2025 Grand Prix de France Historique at Paul Ricard.

How did you become involved in historic motor racing?

MF: I started with historic cars because it was the only opportunity that I had to race at Monaco. Before that, I only raced with modern cars, having started with go-karts, followed by GTs. I still had a dream to race at Monaco and for me that voyage started some ten years ago. Because I had never raced a single-seater before, I first bought a GRD Formula 3 from 1973, an ex-Alan Jones and Pedro Passadore car. Pedro actually came to Italy to see the car, and he vouched for its originality because he said, ‘I made that brake pedal myself!’. After that, I got myself a more modern Dallara and started practising as many times as I could. And then we first entered Monaco in the Formula 3 support race. I was the first car in the paddock, so also the first in line to go out! I explained that I couldn’t do that because it was my first race there, I didn’t know anything! I only knew there was fuel in the engine… So my mechanic said, you just take the first corner, follow your line, and up the hill there’s a big TV screen and you will see where you are! We ran the GRD car in many other events in between my modern GT commitments. And then I found that historic racing is more fun. You don’t have electronic aids, a lot of horsepower, and you can run these cars with two or three people. Also, these are the types of toy cars I had as a kid. Now it’s a big toy and I’m back to playing games!

And then the next step was a Formula One car?

MF: Yes. Before the Ensign N174 that I race now, I got myself a Theodore TR1, the ex-Eddie Cheever car. Keke Rosberg also drove it during a private test in South Africa and broke the tub… When I spoke to Pino Allievi, the famous Italian journalist, he remembered that he drove with Rosberg to Kyalami from the airport and there he crashed the car. So a new tube had to arrive from England. Other changes included a different front radiator and rollover bar. When I first got it, we started to restore it step by step, while racing a Ralt RT3 in Formula 3, and then we started to think about racing it.

When did you debut the car with Masters?

MF: I first raced it in the F1 invitation race at Estoril. Hockenheim in 2023 was my first race with Masters. After that, I also ran it at Portimão and broke a caliper on the rear brake. Then I came back for Paul Ricard and Mugello in 2024.

But Mugello was with the Ensign N174.

MF: We found the Ensign in England, with some parts, some more broken parts, and the original tub, which was not safe anymore. So we used that to make drawings and replace it with a new tub. The car is slightly different from the first Ensign, the MN01 raced by Rikky von Opel, and it raced in various liveries. In 1974, it was orange in the hands of Vern Schuppan, and then it changed to white with the Dutch sponsoring from HB Alarmsystemen on it. The 1974 car didn’t have the front rollhoop that the rules required a year later. I really wanted to have that hoop for safety, so we went with the white livery, which looks very good. It’s a fast car on the straights, but there is no ground effect, so it’s slower in the corners. And you cannot change anything – it’s a bit like a snowmobile!

In it to win it? Or is it just for fun?

MF: It’s only fun for me. Okay, if I make it to the podium, it’s more than fun, but that’s not the target. The target is fun!

Your best day in motor racing?

MF: That was when I raced Toni Seiler’s Lola T165 in the Daytona Classic and the Classic 12 Hours at Sebring where I won my class twice. The first time I didn’t even know I had won. At the start I was third, and my brain was thinking, this is perfect. I’m third, this is my first time at Sebring, I simply need to stay in this position. I didn’t see a car in front of me for ten laps and then the pitstops came. I didn’t have any radio and I was driving alone. But I just happened to stop when the safety car came out, so I gained a full lap. Afterwards, my mechanic said, compliments, you are first! I was surprised because I didn’t overtake anyone. So that was probably my moment of having fun whilst also finishing in first position! Another good day was when I was in Formula 3. I don’t like the rain but the only Formula 3 race I ever won was in the rain at Imola.

And your worst day?

MF: I can tell you about a GT4 race I did with a Lotus Evora. We started in the rain and I was in the back, as is normal for me in those conditions. Then in the first corner a car stopped and I could only see it half a second in advance, so I crashed into it. I was alright, the other driver as well, but both cars were destroyed. Another one was with a Ginetta G55 at the Salzburgring, also in a GT4 race. That’s a very fast circuit, and in the final corner I crashed hard into the wall. Fortunately, the steering wheel in the Ginetta is on the right, because half of the car on the left side was stuck inside the tyre wall… I just switched off the engine and got out.

The best car you’ve ever driven?

MF: Probably a Fittipaldi F8 that I have tested but that we haven’t raced yet. We found the original tub and rebuilt it all.

And the worst car?

MF: The BMW 550i that I raced in the Superstars series, an Italian touring car championship that was held between 2004 and 2013 – a long time ago now. It was so heavy, and the gearbox was very noisy. I didn’t like that at all.

Your favourite circuit?

MF: Probably Imola, because of the hills and the flow of the track. You are inside the town, and it’s a circuit with history, in Italy, near the Adriatic Sea, so you have the sun, and you can eat well. Estoril is another great circuit, also because it’s old-school.

Why doesn’t Masters go to…?

MF: Le Mans is a good circuit, haha! I had a great day racing at Le Mans in a Group C car. But I know that won’t work, so I would suggest Sebring.

Who is the rival that you fear or respect the most?

MF: They are all good guys, we are gentleman racers. So I have no rivals here!

And who is your best mate in the paddock?

MF: The guys in the team, of course. I also like Marc Devis a lot, and I’m happy with preparers like Martin O’Connell and Martin Stretton who will always help out if we have a problem.

And there is a lovely little Italian community in the historic Formula One paddock now.

MF: Yeah, we have Bruno Ferrari from Brescia, Marco Coppini from Varese, Marco Bianchini from San Marino, and a few more. It’s a good period for Italian drivers in historic Formula One! We are all in the same area in the north of Italy. Marco is a driver with a learning path that is similar to me – he also has a Formula Ford car, a Formula 3 car, a Formula 3000 car, all to help him learn to improve in Formula One, just as I did. And it’s good to see him continue with Jason Wright’s Shadow DN8 and keep that in historic Formula One.