Franco Forini

Franco Forini (22 September 1958 - Present): Swiss racing driver from Locarno, Ticino, who competed in Formula One in 1987 with Osella. Won the 1985 Italian Formula 3 Championship, earning his progression to International Formula 3000 in 1986 where he competed with limited success. Made his Formula One debut at the 1987 Italian Grand Prix at Monza on 6 September 1987, driving the No. 22 Osella FA1I-Alfa Romeo.

The Osella team fielded cars on just four occasions in 1987 due to severe financial constraints. At Monza, both Forini and teammate Alex Caffi took the last row on the grid and both retired with turbo failures, highlighting the team's mechanical unreliability. Competed in three Formula One Grands Prix total during the 1987 season. At the Portuguese Grand Prix in Estoril, Forini's suspension collapsed after 32 laps, ending his race prematurely.

At the Spanish Grand Prix, his brief GP meeting was cut short when he failed to qualify, unable to make the grid cutoff. Scored no championship points during his three-race Formula One stint. After his unsuccessful appearances with the hopelessly uncompetitive Osella team, Forini completely vanished from the international racing scene. Returned to Formula 3 racing in 1988-1989 before transitioning away from professional motorsport.

His Formula One career exemplifies the challenges faced by drivers joining financially-troubled backmarker teams during the expensive turbo era, where simply qualifying represented an achievement. The Ticino resident's brief F1 venture demonstrated that talent alone was insufficient without competitive machinery and adequate funding.