Maurizio Mediani (born 21 September 1968) is an Italian racing driver who last competed in the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup for AF Corse. A long-term Ferrari specialist and Michelotto test driver, he raced in the FIA World Endurance Championship from 2013 to 2016, primarily in LMP2 for SMP Racing. In 2023, he became the first man to drive Isotta Fraschini's Le Mans Hypercar.
Career Mediani made his single-seater debut in 1992, racing in the Italian Formula Three Championship. Racing until 1998 in the series, Mediani won five times and most notably finished third overall in his last season in the series for Venturini Racing. After a brief escapade in the Japanese Formula 3 Championship for HKS Ralliart in 1999, Mediani spent three years in Russian F3, winning the 2001 edition and finishing runner-up in the other two seasons. In 2003, Mediani made his sportscar debut by racing part-time in the N-GT class of the FIA GT Championship for Porsche-fielding Autorlando Sport. The following year, Mediani joined Ferrari customer team JMB Racing for part-time campaigns in the Rolex Sports Car Series, Italian GT and FIA GT Championships. In his first year with the team, Mediani won on his Italian GT debut at Imola, as well as scoring a lone GT podium in the Rolex Sports Car Series at Homestead–Miami.
After a full season in Italian GT for JMB in 2005, Mediani returned to the series the following year, primarily competing for Victory Engineering, and took four wins en route to fourth in the GT2 standings. During 2006, Mediani also won on his International GT Open debut with the team at Valencia, as well as scoring a pair of second-place finishes for Risi Competizione on a limited schedule in the American Le Mans Series. Following part-time campaigns in the American Le Mans Series and FIA GT Championship in 2007, which yielded a podium at Zolder in FIA GT, Mediani returned to Italian GT for 2008 with Racing Team Edil Cris, taking three podiums to secure fifth in the GT2 standings. Towards the end of the year, Mediani scored his only 6 Hours of Vallelunga win alongside Marco Cioci and Piergiuseppe Perazzini aboard Advanced Engineering's Ferrari F430 GTC.
A one-off appearance in International GT Open for Vittoria Competizioni then ensued in 2009, before Mediani remained with the team to compete in the Superstars GTSprint Series in 2010 alongside Alessandro Bonetti. Starting off the season with wins at Monza and Imola, Mediani then won again at the Hockenheimring, Le Castellet and Vallelunga to secure the GT2 title. After a one-year hiatus, Mediani finished second at the 24 Hours of Barcelona for Russian Bears Motorsport, as well as racing for Ferrari-affiliated AF Corse in a one-off appearance in the Blancpain Endurance Series and the Gulf 12 Hours.
In 2013, Mediani joined Krohn Racing to compete in the LMGTE Am class of the FIA World Endurance Championship, thus making his 24 Hours of Le Mans debut at 44 years old. Mediani, Niclas Jönsson and team owner Tracy Krohn could only muster a best finish of fifth at Interlagos, as the No. 57 Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 finished last in the LMGTE Am standings. In parallel, Mediani also raced with AF Corse–run SMP Racing on a part-time basis in the Blancpain Endurance Series, and featured in both the GTC and LMP2 classes of the European Le Mans Series.
Continuing with SMP Racing for 2014, Mediani raced with them in the LMP2 class of the FIA World Endurance Championship and the GTC class of the European Le Mans Series. Between the two campaigns, Mediani found more success in WEC, taking five podiums en route to a fifth-place points finish in points together with Nicolas Minassian. During 2014, Mediani also raced in the first two rounds of the United SportsCar Championship in GTD for SMP-backed Extreme Speed Motorsports and AIM Autosport, most notably finishing second at the 12 Hours of Sebring with the latter.
Remaining with SMP for 2015, Mediani partnered David Markozov and Minassian in the LMP2 class of the European Le Mans Series and 24 Hours of Le Mans, as the team transitioned from the Oreca 03R to the homebuilt BR Engineering BR01. In 2016, Mediani and SMP made their full-season return to the FIA World Endurance Championship, placing tenth with a best result of fourth at the Circuit of the Americas. Mediani also assisted the BR01's IMSA debut at the 24 Hours of Daytona, which saw Mikhail Aleshin take a shock pole position in the rain.
Scaling back to GT racing for 2017, Mediani began the year driving a Ferrari 488 GT3 for AF Corse–owned Spirit of Race at the 24 Hours of Daytona in GTD. Continuing with the team for the rest of the year in the Le Mans Cup, Mediani finished third on his series debut at Monza in LMP3, before competing in the next two rounds in GT3, in which he scored a pair of second-place finishes.
In 2018, Mediani stayed with Spirit of Race for his first full season in the Le Mans Cup, winning the second race at Road to Le Mans and taking two other podiums to secure runner-up honours in GT3 with Christoph Ulrich. Mediani and Ulrich stuck together in 2019, as they took three podiums en route to a fourth-place points finish. After being out of a seat for much of 2020, Mediani made a brief racing return towards the end of the year, competing for AF Corse at the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup season finale at Le Castellet.
In 2023, as part of his Michelotto Engineering test duties, Mediani became the first person to drive Isotta Fraschini's new Hypercar, the Isotta Fraschini Tipo 6 LMH-C, at the car's shakedown at Vallelunga in April.
Karting record Karting career summary SeasonSeriesTeamPosition 1987Karting World Championship — Formula K3rd 1988Karting World Championship — Formula K3rdSources:
Racing record Racing career summary Season Series Team Races Wins Poles F/Laps Podiums Points Position 1992 Italian Formula Three Championship Passoli Racing 6 0 0 0 0 0 NC 1993 Italian Formula Three Championship BVM Racing 12 0 0 0 1 11 9th1994 Italian Formula Three Championship Supercars CM 20 0 0 0 2 85 6th Monaco Grand Prix Formula Three 1 0 0 0 0 17th1995 Italian Formula Three Championship Team Ghinzani 20 0 0 0 0 74 9th Masters of Formula 3 1 0 0 0 0 23rd1996 Italian Formula Three Championship Cevenini Junior Team 10 2 0 0 3 80 5th Masters of Formula 3 1 0 0 0 0 7th1997 Italian Formula Three Championship Venturini Racing 10 1 1 3 4 81 4th Monaco Grand Prix Formula Three 1 0 0 0 0 8th Macau Grand Prix EF Project 1 0 0 0 0 DNF1998 Italian Formula Three Championship Venturini Racing 10 2 1 0 6 1123rd Masters of Formula 3 1 0 0 0 0 12th 1999 Japanese Formula 3 Championship HKS Ralliart 10 0 0 0 0 7 10th 2000 Russian Formula Three Championship Artline Engineering 3 862nd2001 Russian Formula Three Championship Artline Engineering 5 7 1341st Open Telefónica by Nissan Venturini Racing 2 0 0 0 0 1 25th 2002 Russian Formula Three Championship Artline Engineering 4 3 4 752nd 2003 FIA GT Championship – N-GT Autorlando Sport 2 0 0 0 0 4 42nd2004 Rolex Sports Car Series – GT JMB Racing USA 3 0 0 0 1 50 36th Italian GT Championship JMB Racing 2 1 0 0 1 20 19th FIA GT Championship – GT 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC 2005 Italian GT Championship – GT2 JMB Racing 14 0 2 3 0 91 8th2006 Italian GT Championship – GT2 Made in Italy 2 0 0 0 01514th Victory Engineering 10 4 1 2 8 American Le Mans Series – GT2 Risi Competizione 3 0 0 0 2 45 14th International GT Open – GTA Victory Engineering 3 1 0 0 2 32 9th2007 American Le Mans Series – GT2 Corsa/White Lightning 1 0 0 0 0842nd Corsa Motorsports 1 0 0 0 0 FIA GT Championship – GT2 Racing Team Edil Cris 3 0 0 0 01319th Advanced Engineering 1 0 0 0 12008 Italian GT Championship – GT2 Racing Team Edil Cris 14 0 0 1 3 91 5th FIA GT Championship – GT2 Kessel Racing 1 0 0 0 0 5 26th International GT Open – GTA Advanced Engineering 2 1 0 0 1 10 18th 6 Hours of Vallelunga 1 1 0 0 1 1st2009 500 km Interlagos – Class I 1 0 0 0 0 DNF International GT Open – Super GT Vittoria Competizioni 2 0 0 0 0 0 NC 2010 Superstars GTSprint Series – GT2 Vittoria Competizioni 12 5 1 3 11 2041st2012 Malaysia Merdeka Endurance Race AF Corse 1 0 0 0 0 4th Blancpain Endurance Series – Pro-Am 1 0 0 0 0 1 38th 24 Hours of Barcelona – A6 Russian Bears Motorsport 1 1 0 0 0 1 2nd Gulf 12 Hours AF Waltrip 1 0 0 0 0 4th2013 FIA World Endurance Championship – LMGTE Am Krohn Racing 8 0 0 0 0 32 17th 24 Hours of Le Mans – LMGTE Am 1 0 0 0 0 DNF Blancpain Endurance Series – Pro-Am SMP Racing 3 0 0 0 0 30 13th European Le Mans Series – GTC 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC European Le Mans Series – LMP2 3 0 0 0 0 28 12th2014 United SportsCar Championship – GTD SMP/ESM Racing 1 0 0 0 06239th AIM Autosport 1 0 0 0 1 FIA World Endurance Championship – LMP2 SMP Racing 8 0 0 0 5 96 5th 24 Hours of Le Mans – LMP2 1 0 0 0 0 DNF European Le Mans Series – GTC 4 0 0 0 0 4 28th2015 European Le Mans Series – LMP2 AF Corse 1 0 0 0 0308th SMP Racing 2 0 0 0 0 AF Racing 2 0 0 0 0 24 Hours of Le Mans – LMP2 SMP Racing 1 0 0 0 0 6th2016 IMSA SportsCar Championship – Prototype SMP Racing 1 0 0 0 0 23 33rd FIA World Endurance Championship – LMP2 9 0 0 0 0 59 10th 24 Hours of Le Mans – LMP2 1 0 0 0 0 6th2017 IMSA SportsCar Championship – GTD Spirit of Race 1 0 0 0 0 9 81st Le Mans Cup – LMP3 1 0 0 0 1 15 13th Le Mans Cup – GT3 3 0 0 1 2 27.5 8th European Le Mans Series – LMP3 AT Racing 1 0 0 0 0 0 30th 2018 Le Mans Cup – GT3 Spirit of Race 7 0 0 0 3 832nd 2019 Le Mans Cup – GT3 Spirit of Race 7 0 0 0 3 69 4th 2020 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup – Pro-Am AF Corse 1 0 0 0 0 0 NCSources:
Complete FIA GT Championship results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Team Car Class 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Pts 2003 Autorlando Sport Porsche 911 GT3-RS N-GT CAT MAG PER BRN DON SPA6H SPA12H SPA24H AND OSC EST MNZ 42nd 4 2004 JMB Racing Ferrari 575 GTC GT MNZ VAL MAG HOC BRN DON SPA6H SPA12H SPA24H IMO OSC DUB ZHU NC 02007 Racing Team Edil CrisFerrari F430 GTCGT2 ZHU SIL BUC MNZ OSC SPA6H SPA12H SPA24H ADR BRN NOG19th13 Advanced Engineering ZOL 2008 Kessel Racing Ferrari F430 GTC GT2 SIL MNZ ADR OSC SPA6H SPA12H SPA24H BUC1 BUC2 BRN NOG ZOL SAN 26th 5
Complete Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap) YearTeamClassMakeEngine123456789101112RankPoints 2004 JMB Racing USA GT Ferrari 360 Modena Ferrari F131 3.6 L V8DAYMIAPHXMTRWGLDAYMOHWGLMIAVIRBARFON 36th 50
Complete American Le Mans Series results Year Entrant Class Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Rank Points 2006 Risi Competizione GT2 Ferrari F430 GTC Ferrari F136 GT 4.0 L V8 SEB REL MOH LIM MIL POR RDA MOS PET LGA 14th 152007 Corsa/White Lightning GT2 Ferrari F430 GTC Ferrari F136 GT 4.0 L V8 SEB STP LBH REL 42nd 8 Corsa Motorsports MIL LIM MOH RDA MOS DET PET LGA
Complete Superstars GTSprint Series results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Team Class Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 DC Points 2010 Vittoria Competizioni GT2 Ferrari F430 MNZ1 MNZ2 IMO1 IMO2 ALG1 ALG2 HOC1 HOC2 LEC1 LEC2 VAL1 VAL21st204
Complete GT World Challenge Europe results GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Team Car Class 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Pos. Points 2012 AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 Pro-Am MNZ SIL LEC SPA6H SPA12H SPA24H NÜR NAV 38th 1 2013 SMP Racing Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 Pro-Am MNZ SIL LEC SPA6H SPA12H SPA24H NÜR 13th 30 2020 AF Corse Ferrari 488 GT3 Pro-Am IMO NÜR SPA6H SPA12H SPA24H LEC NC 0
Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)