Photo: Saveferris888 / CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons (Credit links at the end of the content)
We continue our journey through forgotten F1 stories. The last five parts were about drivers who almost returned to Formula 1, or tested F1 cars but never managed to get a race seat. Part 6 is focused on the drivers who tested F1 cars in the 1980s, but never actually got the chance to race in F1.
The 1980s were full of strange F1 stories; turbo monsters, tiny underfunded teams, and drivers arriving from every corner of motorsport for one shot, some made it, others got painfully close.
1980s: Drivers who tested F1 cars
A surprising number of talented drivers actually tested Formula 1 cars during that decade, sometimes impressing teams immediately, but the drivers on the list below never started a single Formula 1 race despite showing real potential.
In another timeline, some of these names could have become genuine F1 starts; instead, they became one of the sport’s great ‘what if’ stories.
Rick Mears
Few stories from that era sound more unbelievable than the one involving Rick Mears, by 1980, he was already becoming a major force in American open-wheel racing with Team Penske.
He caught the attention of Bernie Ecclestone, who invited him to test the Brabham BT49.
In my view, the Riverside test was the moment everything became obvious. Mears jumped into the ground-effect Brabham BT49 and simply adapted like he had been driving it for years. Some inside the garage even claimed his lap times were already matching, or beating, those of Nelson Piquet, and suddenly the whole pit lane went quiet for a moment.
Ecclestone wanted him in F1; but Mears looked at the situation differently, in America, he already had stability, a top team, and a clear path to greatness, F1 meant uncertainty, pressure, endless travel, and leaving Penske behind, so he stayed.
The decision worked out brilliantly for Mears, he became a four-time Indianapolis 500 winner and one of the greatest IndyCar drivers ever; but F1 fans still wonder what might have happened if he had accepted the offer.
Ricardo Londoño
The story of Ricardo Londono remains one of the strangest near-debuts in Formula 1, he tested with Ensign ahead of the 1981 Brazilian GP and even took part in official practice session, he was the first Colombian driver in F1.
He was close enough to F1 that many believed his debut was inevitable; then the FIA intervened.
Officials denied his Super License, arguing that his previous racing background lacked enough traditional single-seater experience; questions also surrounded the origins of his financial support, which created additional controversy.
Overnight; his F1 opportunity vanished, very few drivers have ever come so close to the grid without actually reaching it.
Fulvio Ballabio
An Italian driver who appeared to have solved one of Formula 1’s biggest problem, the money, backed by unusual ‘Topolino’ comic sponsorship, linked to Mickey Mouse branding; he tested extensively with Spirit during 1983 and early 1984.
The team considered racing him, but once again; the Super Licence system blocked the move.
And for a small team like Spirit, losing a funded driver could be catastrophic.
The FISA ultimately denied his Super Licence application, arguing that his 1983 European Formula 2 season produced no points finishes, which meant he didn’t meet the required competitive standard. Even with Spirit Racing desperate to secure his “Topolino”-backed funding, the rules closed the door before he ever reached a Grand Prix weekend.
Henri Toivonen
Another legend of motorsport, we all know who Henri Toivonen was!
And few non-F1 drivers have ever created as much excitement in a F1 test as Henri Toivonen.
In one of those paddock stories that still feels unreal, Henri Toivonen jumped into a March Engineering car at Silverstone in 1982 and immediately looked at home. In fact, it’s often said he went around the circuit around 1.4 seconds quicker than regular driver Raul Boesel.
That was remarkable considering Toivonen’s main background was rallying, not circuit racing.
However, Toivonen never seriously pursued F1; Rallying remained his true focus.
Hannu Mikkola
Another rally icon; Hannu MIkkola, also experienced Formula 1 cars during the decade; the 1983 World Rally Champion tested an Arrows car in 1984, partly for promotional reasons and partly because engineers were curious about how elite rally drivers adapted to Formula 1.
Mikkola enjoyed the experience, but unlike younger drivers desperately searching for opportunity, he already had an established world-class career in rallying.
F1 was never his destination.
The 1980s Formula 1 Dream Was Brutal
Looking back; these stories reveal how unforgiving Formula 1 was during the 1980s, talent alone rarely guaranteed survival.
Some drivers needed money, some of them loved rallying, some of them didn’t have the proper licence.
For a few laps; these drivers entered the world’s most dangerous and glamorous racing category, some impressed future world champions, some nearly signed contracts… and all of them became part of F1’s massive hidden history, the stories that happened just outside the starting grid.
FEATURED IMAGE CREDITS: Photo: Saveferris888 / CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
From 1 to 5 PART: Drivers who tested F1 cars
- Part 5: Drivers Who Tested F1 Cars In 1990s – But Never Raced
- Part 4: Drivers Who Nearly Reached F1 – But Never Did
- Part 3: The F1 Drivers Fans Thought Would Come Back
- Part 2: Drivers Who Almost Returned to F1 in the 90s and 00s
- Part 1: F1 Drivers Who Nearly Came Back in the 1980s
