P1racenews AI automatic summary:
To remember Luca Badoer for the disastrous two-race spell with Ferrari in 2009 is a disservice to a driver who just could not catch a break in F1.
Luca Badoer’s two-race stint at Ferrari in 2009 overshadowed his otherwise decent career, where he held the record for the most Grands Prix started without scoring a point. Despite his lack of competitive equipment, he managed to drag his cars to 11 top-10 finishes. His best F1 finish was seventh in the Lola at the 1993 San Marino Grand Prix. After spending the 1990s toiling away in unremarkable equipment, he returned to the grid in 1999 with Minardi, earning four top finishes. However, his race at the 1999 European Grand Prix was his most heartbreaking moment, as he was running fourth until a gearbox failure with 13 laps to go. Following his racing career, Badoer became a test driver for Ferrari during their golden period. In 2009, he replaced Felipe Massa at Ferrari, but the radical aerodynamic changes in F1 proved challenging for him.
