Formula 1 
Constructors Teams
Clemente Biondetti
Biondetti ended 1936 taking part in the voiturette race at Modena in September. Driving for Scuderia Maremmana again, this time in a Maserati 4CM, Biondetti started the race on the pole, but lost the lead to Count Trossi in his Maserati. At the end of the 25 lap event Clemente finished 2nd, almost a minute and fifty seconds behind Trossi. After this race, Clemente drove an Alfa Romeo Tipo for Scuderia Ferrari at the Modena Grand Prix. His race only lasted a lap. In 1937, Biondetti took part in only four grand prix races. Unfortunately, the season did not improve as it went along for Biondetti. His best result came at the very first race he contested that year, the Grand Prix of Napels. Biondetti and Farina arrived driving the 4 liter Alfa Romeo 12C-36 for Scuderia Ferrari. Arzani and Siena drove 3.8 liter Alfa Romeo 8C-35s for Scuderia Ferrari. Clemente started from the outside of row two in the 6th spot on the grid. Farina disappeared into the distance while Biondetti put on a clinic of his own. Farina won the race rather easily. Biondetti came in 2nd over a minute and a half behind. Biondetti finished the race with a 40 second gap over the 3rd place car. Clemente had the pole for the Genua Grand Prix, driving an Alfa 8C-35 for Scuderia Ferrari again, but the rear axle broke after 27 laps. Biondetti was back driving for Scuderia Maremmana for the Monaco Grand Prix but failed to finish the race. The same result awaited Clemente at the Italian Grand Prix, despite driving the Alfa Romeo 12C-36 for Scuderia Ferrari.
In 1938, Biondetti began sports car racing and, for this, he would end up becoming most well known. In April of 1938 Biondetti took part in the Mille Miglia, co-driving with Stefani in an Alfa Romeo 2900B. Despite competing against 140 other starters, Biondetti and Stefani ended up finishing the 1,013 mile race first over Pintacuda and Mambelli and Dusio and Boninsegni. After this, Clemente suffered another couple of DNFs in the Tripoli and German Grand Prix. Then, in August, Clemente took part in the voiturette Coppa Ciano race in Livorno, Italy. 16 starters took part in the 25 lap race over the 5.8km course. This was the first race in which the Alfa Romeo 158 'Alfetta' appeared and Biondetti was one of those that had the opportunity to show what the car could do. Right away the cars showed their exemplary pace. Biondetti started the race from the front row. Villoresi's Alfa Romeo 1.5 liter 158 went on to win the race, but Biondetti followed in 2nd only a little over 2 seconds behind!
Clemente followed up his good result in the voiturette race at the Coppa Ciano with another good result at the Coppa Ciano Grand Prix run after the vioturette race. This was not a scheduled race for Biondetti, but a ride in team Alfa Corse's Alfa Romeo Tipo 312 was handed to him when Wimille suffered from kidney problems and was unable to compete. 40 laps was the race distance and Biondetti took advantage of the opportunity presented to him despite the fact it was with a team he was not familiar. Hermann Lang ended up winning the race in his 3.0 liter V-12 Mercedes-Benz W154. Farina, also driving for Alfa Corse, came in 2nd with Biondetti, driving Wimille's Alfa, finishing 3rd, one lap down. Biondetti's other good result for 1938 came at the Italian Grand Prix held at Monza in September of that year. Clemente came to Monza driving an Alfa Romeo Tipo for Alfa Corse once again. However, everyone had to beat the Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union teams if they stood a chance at a good result. And going by the starting grid for the race, it wasn't going to be easy for any other team except Mercedes-Benz or Auto Union as they made up the first two rows, or first seven starters on the grid. Hermann Lang took the pole in his Mercedes-Benz. Biondetti started the race well; he started 8th on the inside of row three. Despite the German onslaught Biondetti drove a marvelous race; helped by mistakes by drivers from both Auto Union and Mercedes-Benz. Guiseppe Farina was quick, but not quick enough to stay with Nuvolari in his Auto Union D-type chassis. Farina ended the race in 2nd, one lap down to Nuvolari while Biondetti drove splendidly to finish the race 4th, three laps down to Nuvolari. 1938 seemed to prove that Biondetti was coming into his own as a grand prix driver. Of course it helped that he had some of the best equipment and was driving for some of the best teams of the day. These teams had the resources to make the talented driver even faster. In 1939, Clemente focused on voiturette racing solely. Biondetti's season consisted of only a few races due to Mussolini's insistence that Italian drivers boycott French races due to France's involvement in the Spanish Civil War. On top of all this, voiturette racing was increasing in popularity. Mercedes-Benz had developed a 1.5 liter voiturette chassis and Auto Union was in the process of building their own when 1939 dawned. It was insisted that Italian drivers were to only drive in races for the 1.5 liter voiturette chassis. There is controversy surrounding this immediate shift from the bigger grand prix cars to the smaller 1.5 liter engined grand prix chassis. It is suggested that were grand prix racing to have continued, by 1940 or 1941 the championship series would have been based on the 1.5 liter voiturette cars, and such a move in 1939 only made sense. It didn't matter whether it was Mussolini or coming rule changes, Clemente was offered a ride again with Alfa Corse driving their Alfa Romeo Tip 158s. Biondetti qualified rather well for the Tripoli Grand Prix, as he started in the middle of row two in the 6th starting spot. He was 6 seconds behind polesitter Luigi Villoresi in his new Maserati 4CL. Despite the incredible number of Alfa Romeos and Maseratis in the field to do battle with the two lonely Mercedes-Benz W165s, the appearance of Italian victory was not to be. It was surprisingly hot that day and, one-after-one, of the Alfas and Maseratis began to retire due to overheating and other engine problems. Biondetti was one of them. 15 laps into the 30 lap event, the engine on Clemente's 158 let go. The two Mercedes-Benz of Lang and Caracciola ended up finishing one-two. Clemente's next race in 1939 was the Coppa Ciano held in July at Livorno. Again driving for Alfa Corse, Biondetti started the 60 lap race 3rd on the outside of row one. His teammate Farina had the pole. Clemente began to suffer from problems with his car and handed it off to Severi. But Clemente's day was not done. After handing his car off to Severi, Biondetti ended up taking over Pintacuda's car. Whatever the problem was with his car it was a good thing Clemente handed it off. Taking over Pintacuda's car, Biondetti drove steady to finish the race 3rd, three laps behind winner Farina. Severi ended up the race 5th in Clemente's abandoned car.
The good results continued to follow Clemente to his next race, the Coppa Acerbo, held in Pescara. Alfa Corse came to the race with five drivers, including Biondetti. However, Alfa Corse was not alone. Scuderia Torino brought six Maserati 6CMs and Officine Alfieri Maserati came with four Maserati 4CLs. Biondetti started the race from the inside of row three. The grid was an interesting two-one-two arrangement. Therefore, Biondetti started 4th on the grid but from the third row. Fatalities continued to follow grand prix racing during this golden era as there was a frightful accident on the first lap that ended up killing Catullo Lami, who was trapped underneath his Maserati 6CM. Despite the shadow cast by Lami's death, this race was probably Biondetti's best and brightest in grand prix racing to that point as he led an Alfa Corse onslaught. Alfa Corse finished the race one-two-three-four. Biondetti beat out Pintacuda and had almost a two minute advantage on him at the end of the race. The final race Biondetti competed in 1939 was the Swiss Grand Prix at Bremgarten. The race consisted of two heat races that were 20 laps each and a final race that was 30 laps of the 4.52 mile circuit. With the outbreak of World War II this was the last race to see the Auto Union and Mercedes-Benz teams, and they were present in mass. Each of the two teams brought four cars to the combined grand prix and voiturette race. Biondetti and Farina arrived with the Alfa 158 'Alfetta'. After the problems they had suffered at Tripoli, and given the fact that this was to be the third race in three weeks for the cars, the cars were redesigned and rebuilt for improved cooling and handling. In the voiturette heat one Clemente started 5th. After a few laps Clemente had made his way up to second behind his teammate Farina. The Alfa Corse pairing would end up finishing their heat race that way, with Farina coming home ahead of Biondetti. The six best voiturette cars from the first heat would then face-off against the best grand prix cars in the final race later. Page: << prev 1 2 3 next >>
Constructors Teams Clemente Biondetti| Year | Constructor | Engine | Chassis | Drivers |
| 1950 | Ferrari | Jaguar XK 3.4 L6 | Ferrari 166 Spyder Corsa | Clemente Biondetti |
| By Jeremy McMullen Page: << prev 1 2 3 next >> Biondetti was back in 1936 however. The first race in which Clemente took part was the Milan Grand Prix, held in Milano, Italy. Biondetti started the race from 6th on the grid in an Alfa Romeo Tipo. Clemente drove the Alfa Romeo as part of team Scuderia Maremmana. This race was attended by other such legendary drivers as Nuvolari driving an Alfa Romeo 12C, Varzi behind the wheel of an Auto Union C and Farina at the wheel of another Alfa Romeo 12C. Varzi struggled on the track. The track didn't suit the Auto Union C chassis. As a result, Nuvolari went on to win the race, lapping the field up to Varzi who came in 2nd. Biondetti started 1936 out well by finishing the race 6th, four laps behind Nuvolari. Though this proved to be a rather good start to his 1936 campaign, things turned bad for Biondetti once again as he would suffer six-straight DNFs. |
