Chico Landi

Chico Landi

Born	14 July 1907 São Paulo, Brazil
Died	7 June 1989 (aged 81) São Paulo, Brazil
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality	Brazilian
Active years	1951 – 1953, 1956
Teams	Maserati inc. as privateer; privateer Ferrari
Entries	6
Championships	0
Wins	0
Podiums	0
Career points	1.5
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	0
First entry	1951 Italian Grand Prix
Last entry	1956 Argentine Grand Prix

Francisco Sacco Landi (July 14, 1907 – June 7, 1989), better known as Chico, was a racing driver from São Paulo, Brazil. He participated in six Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on September 16, 1951. He scored a total of 1.5 championship points, awarded for his fourth-place finish in the 1956 Argentine Grand Prix, a drive he shared with Gerino Gerini.

History

Landi came from a modest middleclass family, and got into racing through owning a garage. Along with wealthy diplomat's son Manuel de Teffé he popularized motor racing in Brazil in the late mid-thirties. Landi had left school at eleven to work as a mechanic, and later began illegal street racing at nights, where he had frequent run-ins with the police.^[1] In 1934 he made his racing debut, at the second Rio Grand Prix in 1934. He led until eight laps from the finish, when his engine gave out.^[2] He was the most popular Brazilian driver of his time, as many considered Teffé a wealthy expat rather than an actual Brazilian, as he had started his racing career while living in Italy. Irineu Corrêa, who ended up winning the 1934 Rio Grand Prix, died in a crash on the first lap of next year, leaving Landi as the undisputed master of pre-war racing in Brazil. Landi went abroad in 1938, finishing eighth at Bern in what is generally considered the first Brazilian Grand Prix entry (Teffé had raced abroad earlier but is generally thought of as an Italian with Brazilian parents).^[3] Landi's first Brazilian GP victory came at the 1941 Rio de Janeiro Grand Prix.^[2]

Landi was the first Brazilian driver to win a Grand Prix race, taking a Ferrari to victory at the Bari Grand Prix in 1948,^[4] run that year to Formula Two regulations. He also finished second in the 1952 (non-championship) Albi Grand Prix in a Ferrari 375.^[4]

Landi also won the 1960 Mil Milhas Brasil in a Alfa Romeo JK 2000, together with Christian "Bino" Heins. This was the first time that a Brazilian-made car won this prestigious race, rather than an American-based "Carretera" special.^[5]

Complete Formula One World Championship results

(key)

Year	Entrant	Chassis	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	WDC	Points
1951	Escuderia Bandeirantes	Maserati 4CLT/48	Maserati Straight-4	SUI	500	BEL	FRA	GBR	GER DNA		ESP DNA		NC	0
	Francisco Landi	Ferrari 375/50	Ferrari V12							ITA Ret
1952	Escuderia Bandeirantes	Maserati A6GCM	Maserati Straight-6	SUI	500	BEL	FRA DNA	GBR	GER	NED 9*	ITA 8		NC	0
1953	Escuderia Bandeirantes	Maserati A6GCM	Maserati Straight-6	ARG	500	NED	BEL	FRA	GBR	GER	SUI Ret		NC	0
	Scuderia Milano											ITA Ret
1956	Officine Alfieri Maserati	Maserati 250F	Maserati Straight-6	ARG 4*	MON	500	BEL	FRA	GBR	GER	ITA		25th	1.5

* Indicates Shared Drive

References

1. Wolfe, Joel (2010), Autos and Progress: The Brazilian search for Modernity, New York City: Oxford UP, pp. 99–100, ISBN 978-0-19-517456-4
2. Wolfe, p. 101
3. Wolfe, p. 231 (footnote)
4. Small, Steve (1994). The Guinness Complete Grand Prix Who's Who. Guinness Publishing. p. 218. ISBN 0851127029.
5. Serapicos, Mário (1983-02-11). Kfouri, Juca, ed. "Uma tradição de 27 anos" [A 27-year tradition]. Placar (in Portuguese) (Editora Abril) (664): 64.

External links

• http://www.4mula1.ro/history/driver/Francisco_Landi
• http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/drv-lanfra.html