We continue our journey through forgotten F1 teams and projects that never raced. Many ambitious projects failed in the past, especially during the 1980s and 1990s. Some remained only on paper, while others went as far as building a car but never made it to a Grand Prix. One of them was the Middlebridge-Trussardi F1 project, which never made it onto the grid.
The Middlebridge-Trussardi project had a potentially interesting combination of an experienced racing organization, a major commercial name, and a proven F1 chassis. Yet despite its plans to enter Formula 1, the team never took part in an official Grand Prix.
The Trussardi-Middlebridge Partnership
Trussardi was an Italian fashion and denim brand that wanted to follow a path that had already produced considerable success for Benetton.
Benetton had demonstrated how a clothing company could build an enormous presence in F1, eventually becoming a constructor in its own right, inspired by that model, Trussardi became involved with Middlebridge Racing, a British organization with experience in motorsport.
Their goal wasn’t simply to place the Trussardi name on a racing car, the ambitious plan was to create a genuine F1 entry for the 1987 season.
Trussardi was an Italian fashion and denim brand that wanted to follow a path that had already produced considerable success for Benetton. Benetton had demonstrated how a clothing company could build an enormous presence in Formula 1, eventually becoming a constructor in its own right.
Inspired by that model, Trussardi became involved with Middlebridge Racing, a British organization with experience in motorsport. Their goal was not simply to place the Trussardi name on a racing car. The ambitious plan was to create a genuine Formula 1 entry for the 1987 season.
Middle Trussardi didn’t want to design a completely new car, they planned to acquire an existing F1 chassis, the team obtained a Benetton B186, the car Benetton had raced during the 1986 F1 season.
This Benetton B186 is the type of chassis Middlebridge-Trussardi planned to use for its 1987 Formula 1 entry.
The proposed Trussardi B186 had a distinctive black-and-white design that reflected the fashion brand’s minimalist image, unlike the colorful Benetton cars of the period, the Trussardi concept used a sharp split-color scheme, with one side of the car finished in black and the other in white.
The Benetton B186 Connection
The B186 was one of the most powerful turbocharged F1 cars of its era, Benetton had competed with BMW turbo power during 1986, while the chassis itself had already established its place in the championship.
For the Middlebridge-Trussardi project, the plan was to use the former Benetton chassis with a Megatron turbocharged engine, a BMW-based power unit that was available to private teams.
This was an easy route into F1, rather than developing a completely new car from scratch, Middlebridge-Trussardi could use an existing and proven chassis and concentrate on preparing it for competition.
But F1’s technical and sporting regulation created a major problem.
Emanuele Pirro and Aguri Suzuki
The project also had two drivers lined up for its planned campaign, Italian racer Emanuele Pirro was expected to drive the car during the team’s initial planned appearances. Pirro, was a talented driver across several forms of racing and would later enjoy a long and successful career in sports cars.
The second driver was Japan’s Aguri Suzuki, who was selected for the later races of the planned campaign, Suzuki would eventually become a familiar name in F1, making his actual F1 debut with Larrousse in 1988.
For Middlebridge-Trussardi, however, neither driver ever got the opportunity to compete for the team in a Formula 1 race.
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The Problem With the Chassis and Engines
The biggest obstacle was the team’s use of the former Benetton chassis, at the time, F1 placed considerable importance on the constructor being responsible for its own car. A privateer couldn’t simply purchase another team’s used chassis and enter it as though it were an independent constructor.
Middlebridge-Trussardi’s acquisition of a Benetton B186 therefore created a serious regulatory problem, the chassis had already been designed and raced by Benetton, and Middlebridge didn’t possess the necessary right to enter it as its own F1 constructor, the team attempted to overcome the problem, but its application was rejected.
For example, Formula 1 had strict regulations regarding chassis ownership and construction during this period. The First 189 project also failed to race in F1, and its chassis were later acquired by Life Racing, which attempted to enter the championship. However, there was an important difference: Life Racing acquired an unraced chassis, while Middlebridge-Trussardi attempted to compete with a Benetton B186 chassis that had already raced in Formula 1.
Another problem came when BMW became involved in the project, Middlebridge-Trussardi planned to use the BMW-based Megatron M12/13 engine, but the team lacked the necessary technical support and access to the engine control equipment needed to operate it properly, with the engine issue added to the existing chassis regulation.
The 1987 Italian Grand Prix
Middlebridge-Trussardi’s first intended appearance was the 1987 Italian GP at Monza, Emanuele Pirro was expected to drive, and the project hoped to join the F1 field for the final part of the season.
Instead, the entry was refused!
The rejection effectively ended the team’s hopes of making its debut in Italy, with the regulatory issues surrounding the Benetton chassis unresolved, the project couldn’t simply move on to the next race and appear on the grid.
The remaining planned entries were subsequently cancelled, Pirro had been intended to compete at Portugal, Spain and Mexico, while Aguri Suzuki was scheduled for Japan and Australia, but none of those appearances happened!
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Six Planned Races, Zero Starts
The intended 1987 campaign therefore disappeared before the team could compete, Italy was the first planned entry, but after registration was denied, the subsequent plans for other races were also abanedoned.
The result was an unusual F1 record, Middlebridge-Trussardi entered the history books without starting a single Grand Prix.
There was no qualifying session, no race start and no championship appearance for the team.
The Trussardi name never appeared as a competing constructor on a F1 grid.
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A Forgotten F1 Project
The Middlebridge-Trussardi story is a reminder that entering F1 has never been as simple as obtaining a car and finding an engine, the championship’s constructor requirements could be just as important as the technical preparation of the machine. The project had a recognizable commercial partner, a potentially competitive turbocharged engine, an existing Benetton chassis and two drivers who would both go on to have notable racing careers.
Yet those ingredients were not enough to overcome the regulatory obstacles surrounding the car.
There is also an interesting historical contrast with Benetton itself, what began as a clothing company’s involvement in motorsport eventually developed into Benetton Formula, a full F1 constructor that became a major force in the championship during the 1990s, Middlebridge-Trussardi attempted to follow a similar commercial path, but its F1 project ended before it could even begin.
Today, the team is remembered as one of F1’s unraced projects, a team that had drivers, a car and plans for a Formula 1 race, but never made it onto the starting grid!
