Andrea de Adamich
Andrea Lodovico de Adamich was an Italian racing driver. He participated in 34 World Championship Formula One Grands Prix, making his championship debut at the 1968 South African Grand Prix with Scuderia Ferrari. Driving for multiple other teams in the early 1970s, de Adamich scored a total of six points throughout his Formula One career. He also competed in endurance racing, and went on to become a TV pundit and commentator after his retirement from motorsport.
Career
Early career
De Adamich was born on 3 October 1941 in Trieste, Italy. He started his racing career while doing hillclimbs and Formula Junior, later transitioning into touring and sportscars. In 1965, he won the Italian Formula Three Championship, and in 1966, he won the European Touring Car Championship with Alfa Romeo, driving a 1600 GTA. In 1968, he won the Temporada Formula Two Championship in Argentina.Formula One
After previously competing at the non-championship 1967 Spanish Grand Prix, de Adamich made his Formula One championship debut at the 1968 South African Grand Prix with Scuderia Ferrari alongside Chris Amon and Jacky Ickx. His season was cut short due to a heavy accident during a practice session for the 1968 Race of Champions; the accident led him to fall out of team owner Enzo Ferrari's favour.For the season, de Adamich moved to McLaren, driving with an Alfa Romeo engine. The Cosworth engine at the time was more dominant, and de Adamich's move to March in led to similar results. He joined Surtees for the season, and scored his first Formula One points when he finished fourth in the Spanish Grand Prix.
In, de Adamich moved to Brabham. After a promising start of the season, when he finished fourth in the Belgian Grand Prix at Zolder, de Adamich's career was ended abruptly due to injuries sustained in a multiple-car pile-up at the British Grand Prix. The accident happened on the first lap, and de Adamich suffered from serious leg injuries as a result.
Endurance racing
De Adamich also competed in endurance racing, winning two races in the 1971 World Sportscar Championship behind the wheel of an Alfa Romeo T33/3. He finished in fourth at the 1972 24 Hours of Le Mans. De Adamich retired from racing in 1974.Later career
Following his retirement, de Adamich became a TV pundit and commentator in his native Italy. From 1978 through 2012, he hosted the TV sport program on Mediaset's Italia 1, and served as Italy's Formula One commentator from 1991 until 1996. He played an important role in Alfa Romeo affiliated racing company N.Technology. De Adamich helped create the Centro Internazionale Guida Sicura, an organization that helps promote safe driving.Personal life
In 2022, de Adamich was awarded as a Commendatore of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic.De Adamich was married and had three children. He died on 5 November 2025 at the age of 84.
Andrea's son Gordon de Adamich, born in 1973, was also a racing driver, competing in the 1996 Italian Superturismo Championship.