Team story
Origins
Ernesto Vita wanted to offer Formula 1 a different kind of engine: Franco Rocchi’s W12, with three banks of four cylinders. Unable to find a customer team, he organised his own programme in 1990. The chassis came from the previous year’s First Racing attempt and was adapted to the engine, becoming the Life L190.
Its English name was a translation of the owner’s surname.
The Formula 1 journey
Gary Brabham attempted pre-qualifying in Phoenix and Brazil before handing over to Bruno Giacomelli. Even the former Alfa Romeo driver’s experience was not enough to clear that first hurdle of the weekend. The fourteen entries recorded in the archive produced no starts: Life never reached a Grand Prix’s regular qualifying session.
Historical timeline
Three chapters in the story of Life
Three episodes to revisit the people, cars and races that shaped this journey.
First appearance · United States Grand Prix
Gary Brabham · United States Grand Prix 1990. The recorded outcome is DNPQ. This is the first recorded race start, or the first entry if the team never started a race.
Sporting landmark · Life
No classified race result is documented for this part of Life’s record. The entries and cars listed elsewhere on the page provide the available reference points; they should not be read as completed races.
Latest recorded appearance · Life
No final race start is documented for this part of Life’s record. The entries and cars listed elsewhere on the page provide the available reference points; they should not be read as completed races.
A distinctive way of racing
The W12 was the project’s centrepiece, but low power, reliability problems and an uncompetitive chassis compounded one another. Replacing it with a Judd V8 for the final appearances changed the very element intended to distinguish the team. At Estoril the engine cover came off during pre-qualifying; even the more conventional configuration could not make the package competitive.
What remains
The programme was halted after Jerez, before the final trips to Japan and Australia. Following restoration, the L190 ran with its W12 again at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2009. Its survival preserves a genuine experiment in engine architecture; it does not erase the distinction between a single-seater that exists and a car capable of contesting a Grand Prix.