Born in Monza, he raced motorcycles, then karts, before joining his brother Tino in Formula Three in 1968. Despite not competing in all the rounds, Vittorio finished second overall and went one better in 1969. The brothers teamed up in Formula Two in 1970, but Vittorio spent much of the year blowing engines in his efforts to keep up with drivers in newer machinery. Occasional quick drives were not enough, especially with Vittorio junking several chassis, and money was too tight for success to follow. Only when Beta Tools agreed to finance him in 1973 did he make progress. He took Beta Tools to Formula One in 1974 with March and he scored his first point before the year was out. His second season promised so much, with pole in Sweden, but offered frequent retirements until he held it all together to win the Austrian Grand Prix after a downpour. Seconds after crossing the finish line, Vittorio punched the air with delight and crashed. He moved to Surtees in 1977 and did poorly, with the exception of a fourth place in Belgium. Then came disaster in the 1978 Italian Grand Prix when he was struck on the head in the accident that was to inflict fatal injuries on Ronnie Peterson. It was a year later that Vittorio was back in the cockpit, returning at Monza for Alfa-Romeo. But the old speed was not there and he retired from Formula One after just a handful more races.

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