Enrico Bertaggia

Enrico Bertaggia (19 September 1964 - Present): Italian racing driver from Noale, Venice, who competed in Formula One for Coloni at the 1989 Portuguese Grand Prix, his sole grand prix appearance. Made history by becoming the first Formula One driver to fail to pre-qualify for his debut race—unable to participate in qualifying itself due to Formula One's pre-qualifying system that eliminated the slowest cars before the main qualifying session. Driving the hopelessly uncompetitive Coloni-Subaru, Bertaggia was 5.7 seconds slower than the pre-qualifying cutoff time, highlighting the enormous performance gap between the backmarker teams and the front-runners.

Never competed in another Formula One race, making him one of the few drivers whose F1 career consisted of a single failed pre-qualifying attempt. Before Formula One, Bertaggia competed in Italian Formula 3 and Formula 3000 with modest results, never establishing himself as a front-runner in junior categories. After his brief and unsuccessful Formula One experience, found considerably more success in other racing disciplines. Competed successfully in Italian and international touring car championships throughout the 1990s and 2000s, achieving race victories and championship contention.

Particularly successful in GT racing, winning races in various European GT championships driving for Italian manufacturers including Ferrari and Maserati. Also competed at the 24 Hours of Le Mans multiple times throughout his career, achieving class victories and demonstrating his endurance racing capabilities. Enjoyed a long career in sports car racing, continuing to compete into the 2010s in various endurance events. Remained active in Italian motorsport as a driver coach and consultant, sharing his experience with younger generations.

His Formula One 'career' serves as a reminder of the brutal realities of pre-qualifying in the late 1980s and early 1990s, when backmarker teams faced insurmountable disadvantages that prevented drivers from even attempting to qualify for races.