Michele had a long and frustrating Formula One career that petered out in 1994 when the dignified Italian followed many of his former rivals into touring car racing. Second in the 1979 Italian Formula Three series, he won the European crown in 1980. Formula Two followed in 1981, but Michele so impressed Tyrrell with a one-off drive at Imola that they gave him a contract until the end of 1983. During the next three years he won twice. His second win - at Detroit in 1983 - was the last win for a normally-aspirated engine as turbo-powered cars took control

Ferrari followed from 1984 to 1988, and he won on his third outing, at Zolder, helping him to fourth place overall at the end of the season. A pair of wins helped Michele to be runner-up in 1985, but his career tailed off. He returned to Tyrrell in 1989, then crossed to Larrousse mid-season. Three thin years with Footwork followed before his worst year: 1993, with the Scuderia Italia team. The car was a beast, and Michele failed to qualify five times. A year with Minardi restored his pride, but he headed off to German touring cars to race a works Alfa Romeo. Moving on to sports cars, Michele was killed at the Lausitzring in 2001 when his Audi flipped in testing.

Reproduced from The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Formula One published by Carlton Books