Peter Monteverdi (born 7 June 1934 and died 4 July 1998) was a Swiss carbuilder. He designed a car called the MBM in 1961 and entered it himself in a non-championship race. It was the car's only appearance in Formula One. He returned to Formula One later in life, purchasing the failing Onyx Grand Prix team.
When Monteverdi was only 22 years old, he inherited a garage business following the death of his father. He turned this business into top-end dealership and used the business to design and manufacture race cars.
In 1960, he designed his first single-seater car for Formula Junior, with the help of engine expert Dieter Mantzel. The car was designed so that it could hold a 1.5L engine, compliant with the Formula One regulations of the time.
The following year, he produced two chassis and installed Porsche engines. He entered the cars himself in hillclimb events. He eventually entered the 1961 Solitude Grand Prix at the Solitudering in Germany. His engine lasted only 2 laps.
He entered the car into the 1961 German Grand Prix. One of the chassis was destroyed beyond repair in an accident while racing in a Formula Libre race at Hockenheimring. The remains of the car were buired Although Monteverdi still had a second chassis, he withdrew from the German Grand Prix and promptly abandoned the project.
After leaving racing, he founded Monteverdi, a Swiss luxury car brand. The business folded in 1984.
Monteverdi returned to Formula One a few years later, purchasing 50% of the Onyx Formula One team, which had hit financial difficulties at the end of 1989. The team was rebranded to Monteverdi Onyx Formula One for the 1990 Formula One Season, with plans to drop the Onyx name the following year.
Halfway through the season, the team was relocated to Switzerland. Stefan Johansson was fired from the team after failing to qualify for the first two rounds of the season and swiftly sued the team for breach of contract. He was replaced by Gregor Foitek, the son of one of the team owners.
The team's finances did not improve. Foitek's father withdrew funding from the team and prevented his son from racing with the team, which had been accused of unsafe car preparation. The team failed to finish the season, folding after the 1990 Hungarian Grand Prix.
Monteverdi died of cancer at the age of 64.
Formula One Statistical Overview[]
Formula One Record[]
| Year | Entrant | Team | WDC Points | WDC Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 |  Peter Monteverdi
|
MBM-Porsche | 0 | NC |
Career Statistics[]
| Entries | 1 |
| Starts | 0 |
| Pole Positions | 0 |
| Race Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Fastest Laps | 0 |
| Points | 0 |
| Laps Raced | 0 |
| Distance Raced | 0 km (0 mi) |
Career Results[]
| Complete Formula One Results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Pts | Pos | |||||||||||||||
| 1961 | 
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0 | NC | |||||||||||||||
| WD | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Key | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Symbol | Meaning | Symbol | Meaning | ||
| 1st | Winner | Ret | Retired | ||
| 2nd | Podium finish | DSQ | Disqualified | ||
| 3rd | DNQ | Did not qualify | |||
| 5th | Points finish | DNPQ | Did not pre-qualify | ||
| 14th | Non-points finish | TD | Test driver | ||
| Italics | Fastest Lap | DNS | Did not start | ||
| 18th† | Classified finish (retired with >90% race distance) | NC | Non-classified finish (<90% race distance) | ||
| 4thP | Qualified for pole position | [+] More Symbols | |||
Notes[]
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