There have been many great drivers who’ve come onto the Formula 1 scene. But through reasons of fate or just a plain lack of pace, they’ve not been able to leave a mark here. No doubt, irrespective of the era, even being named as an F1 driver is a matter of huge repute. However, when you can’t break into the elite club, what do you do? A certain Brazilian driver was faced with a similar predicament. And what he did will blow your mind!

In the late 90s and early 2000s, everyone’s favorite minnows, Minardi was certainly the place to be for young and hopeful drivers to show the world what they could do strapped into an F1 car. The likes of Fernando Alonso emerged as champions, and while 47-year-old Tarso Marques can’t quite boast a similar trajectory, he did decide to leave his own mark on the history of motoring in his own unique way.

Former F1 driver rewrites automotive history

Marques drove for Minardi during the 1996, 1997, and 2001 F1 seasons. And while he doesn’t have any points or accolades to show for it, post his racing career, where he even dabbled in the American CART series, the Brazilian with an amassed wealth of engineering ingenuity, embarked on a mission.

And the sum total of his efforts was the TMC Dumont. According to the Financial Express, “Apart from having a massive six-cylinder engine from a 1960s aircraft, the TMC Dumont is also no less than a piece of art. The bike has 36-inch hubless wheels fitted at both ends and these are the biggest units ever fitted on a motorcycle.”

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“Moreover, the extremely minimalistic bodywork makes the TMC Dumont look like one rare motorcycle that seems to have ‘just two wheels and an engine’ when you take a glance.”

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As it turns out, though, Marques isn’t the only Minardi driver with an affinity for a high-stakes career outside of Formula 1!

Formula 1’s first-ever Billionaire

F1 fans would think Mercedes boss, Toto Wolff, is the first declared billionaire of the paddock. They then must not be aware of Paolo Barilla, the Italian driver who drove for Minardi in the 1989 and 1990 F1 seasons.

In an official Formula 1 compilation video on YouTube, it was revealed, “Italian Paolo Barilla drove 9, fairly uneventful races, for the Minardi team back in 1989 and 1990 before leaving to join the family business: Pasta. As one of the heirs to the vast ‘Barilla’ pasta empire, as of 2017, he had a net worth of $1.39 billion! He now runs the company as Co-Deputy Chairman, together with his brothers Luca and Guido.”

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Who do you think has had the craziest post-F1 career ever?