Prior to his brief time in Formula One, Pesenti-Rossi was a regular race winner in Italian Formula Three, narrowly missing the 1975 title when the final race was abandoned due to rain as he was leading it.
Antes da súa breve estadía na Fórmula Un, Pesenti-Rossi era un vencedor habitual das carreiras de Fórmula 3 italiana, quedando a piques de lograr o título de 1975 cando a última carreira foi cancelada debido á choiva cando a lideraba.