(c) 'Who is Who' by Steve Small, 2000

Родился: 19.03.1964 Лидо-ди-Камайоре Сезонов в Ф1: 8 Лет в Ф1: 11 Гран При: 75 Старты: 49* *не стартовал: 26 Победы: - подряд: Подиумы: 1 - подряд: Поул-позиции: - подряд: Первый ряд: - подряд: Быстрые круги: - подряд: Лучший финиш: 2 Лучший старт: 6 Дубли: Хет-трики: Лидирование старт/финиш: Большие шлемы: Круги: 2029 - лидирования: Километры: 9423.03 - лидирования: Очки: 7 - за один сезон: 6 - подряд:

Ф1: 1987-1997

Год	Команда	Шасси
1987	Enzo Coloni Racing Car System	Coloni FC187
1988	Osella Squadra Corse	Osella FA1I
		Osella FA1L
1989	Osella Squadra Corse	Osella FA1M
1990	Ligier Gitanes	Ligier JS33B
		Ligier JS33C
1991	Modena Team SpA	Lamborghini 291
1992	Scuderia Ferrari SpA	Ferrari F9200
1994	Scuderia Ferrari SpA	Ferrari 412T1 (646)
1997	Red Bull Sauber Petronas	Sauber C16

The talented little Italian is yet another example of a driver who, having achieved success in the junior formulae, reached Formula 1, only to endure the frustration of making up the numbers at the back of the grid. However, Nicola has at least had the satisfaction of an opportunity to show his prowess at Ferrari when, standing in for the indisposed Jean Alesi, he took a splendid second place behind Schumacher in the San Marino GP at Imola in 1994.

Larini's first win in a racing car came in a Fiat Abarth in 1984, and later that season he switched to Italian F3, qualifying fourth fastest for his first race. Driving a Martini-Alfa Romeo the following year he won two races and finished sixth in the championship. Taken under the wing of Enzo Coloni, Nicola upstaged his team leader Marco Apicella to win the 1986 Italian F3 championship in a Dallara before briefly moving into Formula 3000 with the rival Forti Corse team.

Coloni then gave him his Grand Prix debut at the end of 1987, before he joined Osella for a couple of character-building seasons where he never gave less than 100 per cent. After an unhappy season with Ligier in 1990, Nicola threw in his lot with the ambitious but ill-starred Modena team, which soon foundered. Given a testing contract by Ferrari to develop their active suspension system, Larini re-established his reputation as a class driver by winning the 1992 Italian touring car championship for Alfa Romeo. His stock was to rise even higher in 1993 when he moved with Alfa into the high-profile German series, regularly destroying the opposition with some brilliant drives to take the DTM title as well. The next three seasons saw Mercedes and Opel break Alfa's dominance and winning became a much tougher proposition, but Larini remained not only a popular and formidable competitor, but also undoubtedly one of the category's star attractions.

His continuing role as Ferrari test driver led to a Grand Prix return in 1997 when he was given a seat at Sauber. But, after he had scored a point in his first race, Larini's dream opportunity turned into a nightmare and he was summarily dropped amidst some unsavoury mud-slinging by both sides. Relieved to be out of a team in which he claimed the ambience was 'terrible', Nicola has returned to Alfa Romeo to race their 156 in the Italian Super Touring championship.

(c) 'Who is Who' by Steve Small, 2000