De Cesaris, driver known for wrecks and losses, dies

Andrea de Cesaris, a Formula One race car driver who set a dubious and enduring record — he drove in 208 Grand Prix races and never won — died Oct. 5 when a motorcycle he was driving crashed into a guardrail on a street in Rome, where he lived. He was 55 and had been retired since 1994.

The Formula One website announced his death.

It was particularly hard for de Cesaris to win races in his early years because he did not finish many. Only 21 when he began his Formula One career in 1980, driving for Alfa Romeo, de Cesaris was mercilessly fast and bold — and often out of control. He earned a nickname early on that stayed with him: de Crasheris.

In 1981, driving for the McLaren team, he finished only six of his 14 races and destroyed 18 car chassis. According to one often-told anecdote, when he was slotted for the 13th position in the starting grid at the Dutch Grand Prix that year, his team withdrew his car from the race.

Crashes were less frequent as he grew more experienced. He had his best year in 1983, finishing second two times, in South Africa and in Germany, while driving for Alfa Romeo. He never again finished that high, but he came in third three times in his career and earned valuable points over the years for teams he raced for, including Ligier, Brabham, Rial, Jordan and Tyrrell. In 1991 and 1992, he finished the racing season ranked No. 9.

De Cesaris was a popular driver; evidence of his skill was that teams kept hiring him despite his winless record. But he did not command universal respect. James Hunt, a Formula One champion in the 1970s who became a television commentator after his racing career, looked on as de Cesaris, back in the pack in a 1990 race, nearly caused an accident by not getting out of the way of one of the leaders, Nigel Mansell.

“That was de Cesaris doing his usual performance, taking no notice of the leaders lapping him,” Hunt said.

Hunt, who was known for his sharp critiques, added: “Look at this idiot. It really is a disgrace that he’s allowed to continue to interfere with Grand Prix racing.”

Formula One writer Joe Saward noted that de Cesaris had a noticeable twitch, which some people believed played a role in his accidents. De Cesaris rejected that explanation and offered one of his own.

“If you come into Formula One too early, you cannot cope with the pressure, and your mind goes a little crazy,” he said in a 1991 interview with Saward. “At 23 you have enough experience. So I was 21 years old; I had no experience; I didn’t know the tracks. It was a mistake.”

Born in Rome on May 31, 1959, de Cesaris became a kart-racing champion as a teenager.

Information about survivors was not immediately available.

After his racing career, he worked as a currency trader but spent much of his time traveling the world windsurfing. In 2005 and 2006, he raced in the short-lived Grand Prix Masters series. While some of the other older racers had grown rotund, he showed up fit and drove well, finishing fourth in one race.

He often noted that few drivers actually won, and that those who did usually drove better cars than he did.

“At the end of the day, I do my job the best I can and I get the maximum I can from my car, and when I achieve a good result, it is like winning,” he said in 1991. “To finish fifth in Mexico this year with all the problems I had and the way the race started for me was something very difficult. It was the maximum, and I was happy.

“OK, if I won a race, I’d be happier — but I’m not mad. Dreaming all the time doesn’t do you any good.”