1965-05-30 512 F1 (17) Lorenzo Bandini MON - Montecarlo 2
On May 5th, 1965, Lorenzo Bandini Finished 2nd on board of this Ferrari 512F1 (17) at the Monaco GP. According to experts one of the best races of the 60’s. It was a fierce battle between Graham Hill, John Surtees and Bandini.
Bandini was born in Libya in 1935, which was then an Italian colony. The family returned to Italy in 1939 and resided near Florence. He achieved a first-class victory at the Mille Miglia, in a Lancia Appia Zagato, in 1958, Bandini purchased a Volpini Formula Junior car and placed third in his first race in Sicily. In 1959 and 1960 he drove a Formula Junior Stanguellini. In 1960 he placed fourth in the Formula Junior World Championship. In 1961 Bandini and fellow Italian driver Giancarlo Baghetti were both in contention for a seat at Ferrari. Ferrari opted for Baghetti, and Bandini went to drive for Guglielmo "Mimmo" Dei's Scuderia Centro Sud. In 1962 Bandini was hired by Ferrari for the 1962 and 1963 seasons, and moved to Maranello, near the team's headquarters. His made his debut with the Scuderia Ferrari at the Monaco Grand Prix, finishing third. For 1963 Bandini was retained by Ferrari for sports car races only. Along with Ludovico Scarfiotti, he won the Le Mans 24 Hours race and placed second in the Targa Florio that year, occasionally racing in Formula One for Scuderia Centro Sud. His string of good results, including a fifth place at the British Grand Prix, convinced Ferrari to retain him as a Formula One driver as well for the rest of the season.
In 1964 Bandini had his best Formula One season. He started in Monaco, despite of problems with gearbox he managed to finish 10th. He won the first Austrian Grand Prix at the Zeltweg circuit and scored two more podiums in Germany and Italy. At the Mexican Grand Prix, Bandini was running second when he decided to let his teammate John Surtees pass, enabling him to score enough points to win the World Championship. In 1965 Bandini won the Targa Florio.
More about him in Ferrari, under the 312-66 also included in this collection.
