Epic fail: Luca Badoer

Let's be clear, we're not branding Luca Badoer himself as an epic failure. After all, the Italian racing driver has lived, it seems, a happy and fulfilled existence. We’re talking specifically about Luca Badoer’s racing career. And, even more specifically, the bit of Luca Badoer’s racing career circa summer 2009.

A talented junior racer, Badoer spent much of the 1990s as an F1 journeyman, competing in four-dozen Grands Prix for back marker outfits – BMS Scuderia, Minardi, Forti – without ever troubling the scorers. At the turn of the millennium, he became Ferrari’s official test driver. Then, in July 2009, when Ferrari driver Felipe Massa was injured by a flying spring in qualifying at the Hungarian Grand Prix and ruled out for the rest of the season, Maranello turned to its loyal test driver to fill the vacant seat.

It was a moment charged with romance: competing in his first F1 race for 10 years at the European Grand Prix in Valencia, Badoer would become the first Italian to drive for Ferrari in 15 years, finally getting his shot in a car capable of mixing it at the front of the grid. It could have been glorious.

It wasn’t. In Valencia, Badoer qualified in last place, almost three seconds behind his teammate Kimi Raikkonen, and ended the race in 17th, second to last of the finishers. The following weekend in Spa, things went from bad to worse. Badoer again qualified at the back of the grid, and this time finished the race dead last, a minute and 42 seconds behind the winning driver – Raikkonen in the other Ferrari. Ah.

He was ditched after just two hapless races. The debacle ended Badoer’s career, who retired with the dubious honour of the most Grand Prix starts (50) and laps (2,364) without scoring a single point. Luca, Epic Fail salutes you. For proving it’s really not so easy as it looks.