After racing motorcycles and karts, the Italian became a mechanic for his older brother, Ernesto, before returning to the cockpit himself. Both he and his brother were backed by the family business, Beta Tools, throughout their racing careers.  His overt machismo and aggressive driving style gained him the nicknamed "The Monza Gorilla", the Italian was one of the great wet weather drivers of his time period. His only victory came at the rain-shortened 1975 Austrian GP (for which he received half-points) in the works March. He continued to race occassioanlly in the European F2 championship through 1977 while driving in F1 but his propensity for accidents never made him a contender for a drive with a top team.

In 1977 he and the Beta sponsorship moved to Surtees, where things started promisingly with some points scoring finishes, however, in 1978 things fell apart and came to a head when Brambilla was badly injured at the Italian GP.  He suffered serious head injuries when hit by a flying wheel in the multi-car pile up that claimed the life of Ronnie Peterson. Surtees withdrew from F1 at the end of the season and Brambilla did not drive again until he appeared at the 1979 Italian GP in an Autodelta Alfa Romeo. He made a few appearances before retiring at the end of 1980.

He died at an apparent heart attack while working in his garden at home in 2001.

Formula One Record

TITLES
1972 Italian F3 Champion 

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