Ricardo Héctor Zunino (born 13 April 1949 in San Juan) is a former racing driver from Argentina who participated in Formula One from 1979 to 1981.
He competed in 11 World Championship races and two non-Championship Formula One races, the 1980 Spanish Grand Prix and 1981 South African Grand Prix.
At the 1979 Canadian Grand Prix, he replaced Niki Lauda at Brabham after the Austrian abruptly quit the team and Formula One. Zunino, attending the race as a spectator on a weekend off from his regular British F1 Championship drive, was chosen to take over the seat, having recently tested for the team. After the 1980 French Grand Prix he was replaced by Héctor Rebaque.
Cordial and charming Brazilian-resident Argentine driver who replaced Niki Lauda in the Brabham team on the Austrian’s sudden retirement midway through practice for the 1979 Canadian Grand Prix. Info from Wiki
Before Formula One
Consider how hard it is these days for drivers to land an F1 race drive. You have to have had that certain something in junior categories to be noticed by team bosses. You may well need to have some experience testing an F1 car. If you can bring some money and sponsorship, that would help your cause immensely. You also have to be rather adept at politics, or at least your agent does. And, if you want to drive for a relatively competitive team, you may well have to serve your apprenticeship with the Minardis of this world. The story of how Ricardo Zunino, from Buenos Aires in Argentina, got his World Championship F1 drive is nothing short of bizarre. One of a long list of South American drivers to head to Europe in the late-1970s, spurred on by the exploits of Emerson Fittipaldi and Carlos Reutemann, he was probably one of the less naturally talented, and his cordial nature was often out of place in the rough and tumble world of European motorsport.
Raul Manrupe tells us that Zunino began his career in his homeland in 1969 driving sports prototypes, and that he spent the 1970s mainly competing in national touring championships in a Fiat. Ernesto Gasulla adds that in 1974-75 he campaigned an almost-standard Fiat 125 in a category that combined both road racing and rallysport-style stages. But with sponsorship from the Automobile Club of Argentina, and being managed by Hector Staffa, formerly Reutemann’s manager, Zunino headed to Europe in 1977. He went straight into F2, which perhaps was too great a transition from touring cars. Initially driving a March 772 Hart for the Euroracing team, he came 9th at Thruxton but otherwise made little impression before switching to the works March team, to drive a 772 with a BMW engine. Apart from being classified 6th at Pau, where he was one of those who crashed in the rain forcing the race to be stopped, he generally found it difficult to acclimatise.
The Rouen round was the only other time he scraped into the top 10, and he even failed to qualify at Estoril, but with that precious point from the Pau race he finished up equal 20th in the standings. For 1978 he remained with the works March team, but now he had a 782 chassis at his disposal, still with a BMW engine. His first five rounds, though, continued to be bitterly disappointing, but at Vallelunga he found form and scored a point for 6th, giving him confidence that filtered into the following rounds. In the following round at Rouen he added a 5th, before also taking 5th places in the tenth round at Enna, and the twelfth round at Hockenheim. He also recorded a 7th at Misano and in the first heat at Donington. With 7 points, he was 12th overall in the European F2 championship. Showing his improvement, at the end of the year he took his car back to Argentina for the Temporada races, and while he came 7th at Mendoza, at Buenos Aires he took pole position and finished in a fine 2nd, only 7 seconds behind Ingo Hoffmann.
But F1 was now where Ricardo wanted to go, and the pieces almost came together for Ricardo to do just that. The BS Fabrications company in London, run by Bob Sparshott, had previously backed and run a Surtees campaigned by Henri Pescarolo. At the start of 1979, this group got together with Zunino, and began working on a design. But then the sponsor of the program pulled out after uncertainty over the Argentine GP, and the project came to nothing. Then plans to run an ex-factory Brabham also fell through. And so Zunino found himself back in Formula 2, staying with March Racing, and now driving the latest 792 chassis, but still with the BMW engine. The ties with Munich were evident in that soon the team became known as the Polifac BMW Junior Team. Yet Ricardo’s disinterest in yet another season of F2 was clear. He only came 9th at Silverstone, crashed at Thruxton, and finished 10th at the Nurburgring. But come mid-season, his wait for a big break was over.
Formula One
In the middle of 1979, Zunino managed to get his F1 drive, albeit only in Aurora F1. Joining the series in round 6 at Thruxton, driving a McLaren/Cosworth M23, Zunino scored 2 points for 5th. But a change to an Arrows A1 saw him take 4th and fastest lap at Donington, then pole and fastest lap at Nogaro, 2nd and fastest lap at Mallory Park, a win at Brands Hatch, 2nd and pole at Thruxton, and 2nd at Snetterton. He didn’t even finish the season, but with 39 points, Zunino was a respectable 5th overall. By this stage, though, through his manager Staffa and (according to Raul Manrupe) possibly through Reutemann as well, Zunino had caught the attention of none other than Brabham boss Bernie Ecclestone. Ricardo had already tested a Brabham at Silverstone, but nothing came of it. However, late in the year, a week before the last round of the Aurora series, Zunino returned across the Atlantic and was in Montreal for the Canadian GP as a spectator.
However, it was there that, after Friday free practice, Brabham driver Niki Lauda suddenly claimed he was tired of “driving in circles”, and retired from F1. Ecclestone, debuting his new BT49 chassis that weekend, suddenly needed a capable replacement. The story goes that he even sent someone to make an announcement on the PA system asking if anyone in the crowd could drive an F1 car, but eventually Zunino showed his face and was given the drive. Did Zunino volunteer himself? Or did Ecclestone already know Ricardo was present at the track? Did Bernie even have a role in ensuring that Zunino was present? Perhaps he already had an inkling that Lauda was ready to quit at any moment. According to some, the fact that Zunino had been able to test for Brabham, and eventually be on hand to make his debut seemed too much to be a fluke. The argument runs that Bernie was keen to increase Argentine interest in F1, and Zunino was his way of ensuring that.
At any rate, Zunino now suddenly found himself in the red Brabham, wearing a helmet borrowed from Lauda, as Nelson Piquet’s team-mate, preparing for first qualifying. On such short notice, Zunino was nothing short of sensational. 19th on the grid, only 3.619s behind pole-sitter Alan Jones in the Williams, he then finished 7th and 4 laps down, a place out of the points. He would have been in the points but for a pit stop with a gear linkage problem. He even set the 6th fastest race lap, less than 0.4s slower than Piquet. After a performance like that, Bernie needed to look no further. A week later, Zunino happily gave up the last round of the Aurora championship to race for Brabham again at Watkins Glen. There he qualified a dumbfounding 9th, ahead of World Champion-elect Jody Scheckter and reigning champion Mario Andretti, and a host of other fine drivers. But in the race things did not go so well, and after 25 laps Zunino spun out, having only recorded the 19th fastest lap of the race.
In truth, Zunino had been impressive predominantly because of the circumstances, and so it was a surprise that Brabham held onto him as Piquet’s team-mate for 1980. Although the BT49 had been developed over the winter into a title-chasing machine, on home soil in Argentina Zunino could only qualify 16th, and struggled home 7th and last, 2 laps down. Things were little different at Interlagos, where from 18th he finished 8th, a lap down, although he did finish ahead of 7 cars. It was another similar story in South Africa, Zunino starting 17th and finishing 10th, one lap down. Up to this point he had been consistent, if nothing else, but by this stage Piquet had already scored a 2nd and a 4th. But things were about to get a whole lot worse for Ricardo. At Long Beach, where Piquet took pole, Zunino was 2.725s slower in 18th. Then, while his team-mate dominated the race, he crashed at the first corner while avoiding a pile-up between Andretti, Jochen Mass and Jean-Pierre Jarier.
This was the start of a very bad trot. At Zolder for the Belgian GP he was a lowly 22nd on the grid, but a gearbox problem put him out after only 5 laps. Then at Monaco, where Piquet started 4th and finished 3rd, Zunino was only 25th quickest in qualifying but only 20 were allowed to start. He had been over 0.8s away from making the cut. By now Brabham were on the look-out for a more able back-up for Piquet, and the knives were well and truly out. Although he finished a fine 6th in the Spanish GP (which subsequently lost its World Championship status), after France, where Piquet finished 4th but Zunino retired on the opening lap with a burnt clutch, Ecclestone wasted no time in giving the Argentinian the chop, replacing him with the Mexican, Hector Rebaque, who didn’t do that much better but at least scored a point in Canada. If Bernie had wanted to generate interest in Latin America, then perhaps a Mexican was just as good as an Argentine!
Zunino sat out the rest of the year, but at the start of 1981, Brabham called on his services again when Rebaque proved unavailable for the South African GP, which turned out to be a non-championship event anyway. 7th on the grid and an 8th-place finish, 2 laps down may not have seemed all that special, but in the rain Ricardo did run 2nd for a time until he had to pit for tyres. Nonetheless, with Rebaque on hand to resume duties Zunino was left out in the cold once again once the championship season started. But he was then contacted by Ken Tyrrell, who was looking for a second driver to partner Eddie Cheever in the Tyrrell 010 Cosworths. He had used Kevin Cogan at Long Beach, but for the two South American rounds he was prepared to give Zunino the nod. In Brazil, Ricardo was the last qualifier in 24th spot, and finished 13th and last, a mammoth 5 laps behind, and 3 laps down to the driver in 12th (who, incidentally, was Piquet).
In Argentina, Zunino was once again 24th and the last qualifier, but he made an amazing start, overtaking ten cars on the first lap to be dicing with Gilles Villeneuve and Bruno Giacomelli. He was running in 10th when he missed a chicane, and was given a one-lap penalty (yes folks, a one-lap penalty). And we thought the Argentines were a patriotic lot who looked after their own! Needless to say, it destroyed his race, and he finished 13th and last, 2 laps down. Anyway, it seemed Tyrrell was not overly impressed by Ricardo, as before the next race, he had unearthed a talent from Italy, one Michele Alboreto. Without hesitation he gave Zunino the flick. Ricardo then had an offer from Mo Nunn to drive the Ensign, but he turned down the drive deeming the car uncompetitive, in a pot-calling-kettle-black moment. And that was that as far as his F1 career was concerned. His blinding pace in that first race in Canada, when all the odds should have been stacked against him, remained an unfulfilled promise.
After Formula One
ot only was that the end of Zunino’s Formula One career, it appears as though it was essentially the end of his motor racing career as well. Raul Manrupe offers us some explanations why. 1982 was, of course, the year of the Falklands War, which caused an economic slump in Argentina that all but ruined the aspirations of other drivers like Miguel Angel Guerra. Manrupe also says that in the 1980s, Ricardo found himself embroiled in charges of which he was eventually acquitted in court.
With a nickname of ‘Colorado’ because of his reddish hair, he now runs a tourism centre and hotel complex in his native San Juan, at the foot of the Andes. Although he still enjoys following Grand Prix racing, he has little active involvement in motorsport. He did make an appearance in Buenos Aires when Formula One briefly returned to Argentina in the mid-1990s, and from time to time he participates in the Mil Millas, a road rally for historic cars, a sort of Argentine version of the famous Mille Miglia.
CAREER SUMMARY
| Before Formula One | |
| 1969 | • Began racing in Argentine prototypes. |
| 1970s | • Competed in Argentine national racing in Fiats. |
| 1976 | • European F2, no points. |
| 1977 | • European F2, =20th overall, 11 entries, 1 point in a Euroracing March 772 Hart and works March 772 BMW. |
| 1978 | • European F2, 12th overall, 7 points in a works March 782 BMW. |
| 1979 | • European F2, 3 starts in a works Polifac BMW Junior Team March 792 BMW. |
| Formula One | |
| 1979 | • Aurora AFX championship, 8 starts, 5th overall, 39 points, 1 win in a McLaren M23 Cosworth and Arrows A1 Cosworth. • Tested for the Brabham team. • World Championship, 2 entries in a Brabham BT49 Cosworth. |
| 1980 | • World Championship, 7 entries, 1 DNQ in a Brabham BT49 Cosworth. • 1 non-championship start at the Spanish GP in a Brabham BT49 Cosworth. |
| 1981 | • 1 non-championship start at the South African GP in a Brabham BT49 Cosworth. • World Championship, 2 entries in a Tyrrell 010 Cosworth. |
Copyright © 2004 Formula One Rejects. All rights reserved.
Gallery F2 and Other F1
Bio in Spanich languauge from FB group Los mejores autos de la F1
Estar en el lugar y momento indicado es una frase hecha, pero en la vida pocas veces un profesional se puede encontrar en esa situación. Más un piloto que busca cumplir su sueño de correr en la Fórmula 1. Ricardo Zunino puede contar la anécdota de su vida que le valió el debut en la Máxima, donde reemplazó nada menos que a Niki Lauda. No fue una casualidad sino una causalidad. El sanjuanino hizo su mérito y en tres años pasó de manejar en autos de calle preparados para correr a estrenarse en el gran circo.
Es particular la historia del Colorado, como se lo conoce al cuyano. Le tocó llegar a la F1 a la sombra de Carlos Alberto Reutemann, aunque supo construir su camino. Nació el 13 de abril –un día después que el Lole- pero de 1949. Dejó la tranquilidad que tuvo de chico en Barreal, un pueblo de 5.000 habitantes a 200 kilómetros de la capital sanjuanina, por la adrenalina del automovilismo. De la mano del equipo oficial Fiat y con un cupé 125 fue bicampeón del Turismo Nacional en la Clase C en 1975 y 1976.
Pero en su horizonte estuvo alcanzar la cúspide. Por eso un día en los pasillos del Automóvil Club Argentino (ACA) encaró a Bernie Ecclestone, el dueño de la F1 por casi 40 años, y se presentó. “Hay momentos en la vida en donde uno tiene cinco segundos para decir unas palabras y ese momento en mi vida pasó. Me presenté y le dije que quería correr en Europa. La gente que estaba ahí le dijo que yo era un chico que corría en el país y que había salido campeón. Él me miró y me dio una tarjeta y me dijo ‘cualquier cosa, te contacto’. En esa época existían los télex. A la semana le mandé uno y me respondió la secretaria para que hablara con Max Mosley (amigo de Ecclestone y dueño del equipo March)”.
Llegó a Europa en 1977 y fue difícil. Tuvo que aprender a domar 300 caballos de potencia de un pura sangre como el monoposto de Fórmula 2 Europea, que en ese momento era la categoría antesala a la F1 y era muy fuerte, con diversas marcas y motores. Se medió con pilotos que luego llegaron a la F1, algunos más destacados que otros, como Keke Rosberg (campeón en 1982), René Arnoux, Didier Pironi, Jacques Laffite, Riccardo Patrese y Marc Surer.
“Antes de ir a Europa probé con un auto de Fórmula 2 Nacional, pero cuando llegué allá me di cuenta de que no sabía nada y que tenía que empezar de cero. Fue un año de un aprendizaje muy duro porque en ese momento un F2 era un coche de 300 caballos de potencia y un peso de 400/450 kilos y me costó la adaptación. Me llevó dos o tres carreras poder ponerlo bien a punto. Tuve suerte porque a la tercera o cuarta carrera ya sumé puntos en una fecha en Pau”, recordó sobre la competencia francesa en la que fue sexto. Para 1978 siguió bajo la órbita de March, pero ya en una escuadra semioficial terminó 12º en el campeonato entre 21 corredores y cosechó unidades en cuatro carreras.
En 1979 no tuvo un buen auto y le dijo Mosley que se iba. Entonces Ecclestone le ofreció un auto en la F1 Inglesa, que era una categoría con autos muletto (suplentes) de la Máxima u otros que quedaron en desuso porque fueron reemplazados por nuevos modelos, aunque su rendimiento era óptimo. Ricardo corrió con un Arrows A2 del equipo Charles Clowes Racing. “Era un coche de 450 caballos, lo único que cambiaba de la F1 grande eran las gomas y se usaba un mismo compuesto para todos. De esa forma se abarató mucho. Ahí mi relación fue más fluida con Bernie y más luego de ganar en Brands Hatch. Entonces empecé a probar los Brabham que eran del equipo suyo en la F1. Ya se comentaba que iba a ser piloto de Brabham para la temporada siguiente y aparte lo intuía porque viajaba en el avión personal de Bernie”, explicó.
“Antes de Canadá, como no íbamos con su jet, (Ecclestone) me llamó y me preguntó si iba a ir. Había que ir en avión de línea y se aseguró de mil maneras que yo fuera a estar en Canadá, como es Bernie que es muy preciso. Yo no sabía que a Lauda se le terminaba el contrato justo el viernes…”, precisó. Zunino viajó como espectador. El viernes 28 de septiembre Lauda se subió a su Brabham BT 49, dio una vueltas y se bajó. “¿Y ahora qué hago?”, le preguntó Ecclestone al austriaco. “Lo tenés a Ricardo. Ahí le dejé el casco y toda mi indumentaria”, le respondió Niki. “¡Llamen a Ricardo!”, exclamó Bernie. Pero Ricardo no estaba en el circuito si no en el hotel (a pocos minutos) porque tuvo que hacer un trámite…
“El sábado llegó desde Londres mi butaca, con la que había probado el auto, usé el buzo de Lauda, Jacques Laffite me prestó las botitas y Gilles Villeneuve, sus guantes. Clasifiqué 19º (en ese momento largaban 24 pilotos y dejó afuera de carrera a Rosberg). En la carrera llegué a estar cuarto y estaba por pasarlo a Didier Pironi y tuve un problema en la caja de cambios. Entré a boxes y me lo arreglaron. Podría haber hecho podio, aunque terminé séptimo. Igual hice el tercer mejor tiempo de los motores Cosworth y fue un debut muy auspicioso. La prensa internacional me dio el Premio Candy a la ‘mejor actuación en carrera’”, relató.
“Me sentí el hombre más afortunado del mundo porque si bien yo preveía que las cosas iban a llegar y estaba al lado de la persona más poderosa de la F1 (Ecclestone) y él me defendía, no esperé que fuera en ese momento y en esa circunstancia. Luego de la carrera me voy al motorhome, me golpean la puerta y era Ecclestone. Me dijo ‘te está esperando la prensa internacional. Pero no te vayas a olvidar eh, todo esto que está ocurriendo es gracias a mí, no por vos’, como diciendo, ‘no te la vayas a creer’ ¿Lo hubiera logrado eso buscando apoyo en la Argentina? Seguro que no”, confesó.
En 1980 fue piloto titular de Brabham junto a Nelson Piquet, quien fue la prioridad por el apoyo económico que tuvo de Brasil. “A Nelson lo estaban preparando para ser campeón del mundo y yo no tuve los mismos medios. Agarraba los motores que él había usado en la carrera anterior o en la clasificación me daban gomas cuando le sobraban a él. No había mucho presupuesto. En ese momento había solo dos equipos con dos autos en un mismo nivel: Ferrari y Williams”, sostuvo.
“En la Argentina el auto era inmanejable y pude terminar séptimo. Aparte había problemas políticos. Yo había tenido una oportunidad muy buena en Canadá y Bernie esperaba una respuesta, es decir, apoyo económico de la Argentina. El tema fue que en ese momento había un problema político en la F1 entre Jean-Marie Ballestre (presidente de la Federación Internacional del Automóvil) y Bernie por el control de la categoría. Entonces, como el ACA estaba más con Ballestre, hubo cosas que no funcionaron bien. A mitad de año me quedé sin presupuesto y tuve que bajarme”, admitió. Fue reemplazado por el mexicano Héctor Rebaque que contó con un alto presupuesto.
Con el sistema de puntaje actual donde los diez primeros en carrera suman puntos, el sanjuanino podría haber cosechado en cuatro carreras: en aquel debut de 1979 (7º) y en las tres primeras carreras de 1980, Argentina (7º), Brasil (8º) y Sudáfrica (10º). Luego fue invitado por el equipo Datsun para correr el Rally de Argentina de 1981, donde volcó en la primera etapa. Y en 1982 corrió algunas carreras en el Club Argentino de Pilotos, hasta que colgó el casco con apenas 33 años. “Sentí que ya lo había dado todo”, sentenció.
Hoy admite que “cada tanto hablo con Ecclestone. Él es un amigo y lo sabe”. Y recordó un aviso que le dijo el magnate inglés luego los truncos intentos por recibir apoyo argentino para Ricardo. “En 1981 me dijo ‘después de vos, nunca más voy a tener un piloto argentino en mi equipo y la Argentina no tendrá una carrera por 15 años’”. Fueron 14 años de ausencia de la Máxima, que retornó en 1995 a Buenos Aires.
Esas cinco temporadas internacionales el Colorado las vivió de forma muy intensa y tuvo una dura reflexión: “En Europa siempre tenés que demostrar coraje y hacerte notar. Si tenés que chocar a todos los autos en la primera curva, hacelo. Tampoco ceder el paso. Tenés que ser un perro de presa porque todos los son. Cuando viajé había 35.000 licencias de pilotos en Inglaterra, 45.000 en Alemania, como 38.000 en Francia y vos venís de afuera y te tenés que destacar”.
