Vittorio Brambilla dead.

Formula One lost another of its number over the Monaco weekend, with reports that Vittorio Brambilla has collapsed and died at his Italian home.

Best known in grand prix circles for taking an unexpected Austrian Grand Prix win in 1975 - and promptly crashing into the barriers as he took both hands of the steering wheel to celebrate - Brambilla was also an accomplished motorcycle and sportscar racer.

Having forsaken two wheels for four, the thick-set Monza resident soon picked up the sobriquet 'Gorilla' as much for his aggressive driving tactics as his physique. He moved through Formulas Three and Two, winning in both, before being taken into F1 by long-time sponsor Beta Tools.

There he teamed up with the March factory team, proving to be on the pace of established team-mate Hans Stuck almost from his first race. With his tendency to crash gradually diminishing, Brambilla was an occasional frontrunner, before breaking through with a maiden win at the Osterreichring. Admittedly, the race was cut short by appalling weather - and rewarded with half points only - but it was a grand prix win nevertheless - and March's first as a factory outfit. No-one minded that the driver promptly destroyed the nose of the car in his celebrations!

The following season was not as successful, as Brambilla found that trying to keep the March on the pace resulted in a return to his accident-prone past. Good performances in non-championship events proved that he still had it, however, and he linked up with Surtees for 1977 and '78. Sadly, he was involved in the incident - at Monza - which claimed the life of Ronnie Petersen, and was hospitalised with head injuries for much of the next year. A brief flirtation with Alfa Romeo in both 1979 and '80 produced four retirements and one twelfth place finish, before a couple of sportscar outings marked his exit from the international racing scene.

He competed in 74 grands prix, winning once and adding one pole position and one fastest lap. His career tally amounted to just 15.5 points.

According to reports from the Italian news agency ANSA, Brambilla died yesterday [Saturday] at his home in Camparada di Lesmo. He was 63.