Brambilla grew up in Monza and began racing motorcycles in 1957, winning the Italian national 175cc title the following year. He continued motorcycle racing on a casual basis throughout his career, including a guest appearance at the 1969 Italian 500cc motorcycle Grand Prix riding a Paton. His older brother Ernesto, known as "Tino," was also a racing driver.
After working as a mechanic and racing go-karts, Brambilla returned to circuit racing in 1968 in Formula 3. He won the Italian Formula 3 championship in 1972, by which point he was also competing in Formula 2. He showed consistent form in the junior formulas, finishing second to Jacky Ickx in a 1970 Formula Two race at the Salzburg Ring, and placing fourth in a 1973 Hockenheim Formula Two event in a March BMW. He also won the City of Enna Cup in the 1973 European automaker's championship for 2,000cc cars, averaging 195 km/h over 290 km in an Abarth-Osella.
Brambilla made his Formula One debut with March in 1974. In his first season he showed raw pace comparable to teammate Hans-Joachim Stuck, though he was more prone to accidents and mechanical drama. He finished tied last in the 1974 championship standings.
The 1975 season brought his finest moments. At the Belgian Grand Prix he led convincingly until brake problems after 54 laps ended his challenge. At the Swedish Grand Prix he secured pole position before a transmission failure forced retirement. His career high point came at the Österreichring: in a wet Austrian Grand Prix he dominated and crossed the line 27 seconds ahead of James Hunt after just 29 laps. On taking the chequered flag he spun off and damaged the nose of his March, then completed his slow-down lap waving to the crowd with the front of the car wrecked. Because the race was stopped before 75 percent distance was completed, he received only 4.5 championship points rather than the full nine. The win was the first by an Italian driver in Formula One since Ludovico Scarfiotti at the 1966 Italian Grand Prix.
Later that season a qualifying accident at Watkins Glen for the United States Grand Prix destroyed his car, though Brambilla escaped unhurt. In 1976 he managed only a single championship point, scored at the Dutch Grand Prix, amid a series of accidents and mechanical failures.
Brambilla joined the Surtees team for 1977 and scored six championship points over the course of the season. He also drove for the Alfa Romeo sports car team that year, contributing to the team's World Championship campaign. He continued with Surtees into 1978, but the season was overshadowed by the catastrophic accident at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. On the opening lap a multiple car collision sent a wheel flying into Brambilla's cockpit, inflicting serious head injuries. The same accident claimed the life of Ronnie Peterson.
After recovering from his Monza injuries, Brambilla drove briefly for the Alfa Romeo Formula One team in 1979 and returned to the grid for the 1979 Italian Grand Prix at Monza. For 1980, Alfa Romeo named Brambilla alongside Patrick Depailler and Bruno Giacomelli as its drivers, campaigning a wing car powered by a V-12 engine producing more than 520 horsepower. Brambilla retired from Formula One at the end of that season.
After leaving racing, Brambilla opened a Formula One memorabilia shop in Milan in the early 1990s and occasionally drove the safety car during the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. He died on 26 May 2001 at Lesmo, near Milan, of a heart attack while gardening at his home.
Vittorio Brambilla remains a cult figure in Italian motorsport. His Austrian Grand Prix victory — chaotic, rain-soaked, and ended with a damaged car and the driver beaming in triumph — stands as one of Formula One's most vivid and enduring images. His willingness to attack whatever conditions were thrown at him, regardless of the consequences, defined a generation of racers who competed on instinct and courage.