Many claim Forti was the last privateer team - it was certainly the last to use a manual gearbox in F1. It had the pedigree of almost two decades of success in other formula, and from 1992 team co-founder Guido Forti developed a relationship with the wealthy Brazilian businessman Abílio dos Santos Diniz. That relationship funded the foray into F1 but also ensured Diniz's son, Pedro, had a driving seat for life. The first car, entered in 1995, was well off the pace, often by several seconds, and even when it did finish it was laps adrift of the winner. Plans were advanced for a replacement in 1996 when Diniz moved to Ligier taking his father's cash with him. Forti limped on but inevitably ran out of cash midway through the season. The end was messy, with botched rescue plans and a final appearance in Germany when the unassembled cars did not leave the garage.