The deads of Formula 1

The more you investigate and document yourself about F1 the more you discover exceptional photographs and information, realizing how immense the material about the sport is, all there, motionless forever in time and at your disposal. It transmits the teachings that the racing world gives us and which are the priceless treasure for posterity. There are no places on this planet freed from life and no defense is granted to us to escape our human destiny. However, you can avoid taking risks, extending your life and making it more comfortable.

This is not what those drivers did, they chose to live without filters facing death directly every day. They knew they couldn't live long but that didn't hurt them, they wanted more. This attitude involved very different human relationships than those of conventional people. They gave everything of themselves at all times and in all their activities. Everything was magnified, mysterious, romantic. This approach made those men magnetic, very fascinating and very fascinating was that Formula 1, daughter of that time, of a time that will never come back. And then that historical moment will remain an island that will never be reached again, just like its reckless inhabitants.

All that remains for us, who can see it through their testimonies, is the arduous task of handing down these wonderful deeds so that they are never forgotten. So that those crazy heroes of the steering wheel remain present at least in our thoughts. Then, perhaps, they won’t have died in vain.

“The history of Formula 1 is made by cars but the luck of Formula 1 depends on the champions, people, men on the verge of disaster, exposed, gifted, distant. Yet suddenly mysteriously similar to each of us." Giorgio Terruzzi

Jackie Stewart and his wife. Getty Images.

The high-octane world of F1 is a pinwheel of risk, danger and skill. It magnetises a likeminded, thrill-seeking audience who relish in the glitz and glamour that is a derivative of the consequence of the sports wide-ranging lucrative appeal. Picturesque racetracks, fast luxury sports cars, generous sponsors and royalty involvement is just a few of the sports ingredients that manifests hedonism, splendour and indulgence. Now commercialised on a stratospheric scale, the top tier of the single-seat sport has always been synonymous with style, particularly through the audacious and charismatic drivers who perform the unthinkable on and off the track. It is why the crème-de-la-crème of the stylish elite, from Hollywood, royalty, politicians and corporators want to join in for the ride.

"For Enzo Ferrari it was essential to do prototype races and win them, after which it was possible, almost like a prize, to dedicate to F1. Because, according to the Commendatore, working in F1 was a prize for the technicians. They had fun, he said …" Mauro Forghieri

Australian Paul Hawkins flies into the harbor in the F1 race in Monaco in 1965. He survived.

But Formula 1 is not just champagne and beautiful women but also hospital beds and funerals. And this is also confirmed by the statements of the drivers or those who have lived directly or simply heard of the roaring years of the top formula.

Niki Lauda with James Hunt.

"Every year 25 drivers take part in the Formula 1 world championship and every year two of us lose their lives. Who can choose such a job? Not normal people, that's for sure. Rebels. Crazy people. Dreamers. People who would do anything to make their mark and who are willing to die to succeed. My name is Niki Lauda, and, in the racing world, I am famous for two things. The first is my rivalry with James Hunt. I don't know why it became such an important story. We were just two drivers pissing each other off. I don't find anything freaky about this but the others obviously didn't see it that way and, in whatever happened between us, they saw something deeper [...]. The other thing I am remembered for is what happened on August 1st, 1976, while I was chasing him like an idiot." Niki Lauda

Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus E20 Renault, wore the black helmet design used by James Hunt, world champion in 1976, at the Monaco Grand Prix in Monte Carlo on May 24, 2012. It's not the first time Raikkonen has acknowledged the legacy of Hunt. Copyright: Andrew Ferraro / LAT Photographic.

"In Hunt's time there was greater respect among the drivers. Back then, if you hit someone you could lose your life, because the petrol tanks were placed on both sides of the car. Today, when everything is under the banner of safety, you can do even foolish things. It wasn’t like that back then. We respected each other a lot because everyone knew that life was hanging by a thread. Today, if you cut off a car’s route, nothing happens. The drivers, in those days, spent much more time with each other and they went out together. Certainly that sense of solidarity was the son of the common fear of dying." Kimi Raikkonen

Ernest Hemingway and his Lancia Flaminia.

“There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games.” Ernest Hemingway

Juan Manuel Fangio in the new Mercedes-Benz W196 streamliner at the French GP in Reims on July 04, 1954. Photos by Louis Klemantaski.

Monaco 1966 crash.

This photo by Trevor Legate that he captured at Brands Hatch in October 1967 shows that roll bars aren’t just for rolling. As I understand it, no injuries.

Aftermath of Mauro Bianchi's crash at Le Mans in 1968.

The picture speaks volumes. Racing was a very hazardous profession not too many decades ago. Foto di Nigel Smuckatelli.

N.2 Ickx’s Ferrari 312B and Oliver’s white BRM P153, inside an inferno. ‘Bag type’ safety bladder fuel tanks mandated from the start of the 1970 season. Unattributed.

Jackie Oliver has punched the release on his Willans 6 point harness and is jumping out of the BRM, Ickx is in the process of popping his Britax Ferrari belts. Johnny Servoz-Gavin’s Tyrrell March 701 Ford 5th passes. Unattributed.

Ickx disoriented and on fire in search of a marshall.

Jackie Stewart, March-Ford 701, GP of Spain, Jarama, April 19, 1970, on his way to victory passes by the flaming debris of the cars of Jackie Ickx and Jackie Oliver. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

Crash Formula 1, John Watson in a Brabham.

Indy.

Stan Fox.

Perhaps one of the most iconic images of all time as the Mercedes CLR of Mark Webber flips at Le Mans in 1999.

The families of the drivers hit by a violent turn of fate never gave up, never gave up, keeping intimate accounts with pain.

And many have been the deaths of F1 drivers caused by accidents, which occurred during tests or races in Formula 1 or other racing series. Some drivers did not die in their car but a few days or even months after the accident. In addition to those we have talked about on this web site in previous articles, those that we will list in this article and others that we do not mention, we count among the F1 drivers who died tragically Charles de Tornaco, Onofre Marimon, Louis Rosier, Luigi Fagioli, Stuart Lewis-Evans, Giulio Cabianca, Mario Alborghetti, Chris Bristow, Alan Stacey, Carel Godin de Beaufort, John Taylor, Bob Anderson, Helmuth Koinigg, Riccardo Paletti and Jules Bianchi, who sadly closes the list. Our fond memories and thanks go to all of them for sacrificing their lives on the racing altar.

The deeds of some of these daring drivers who died tragically - and precisely Castellotti, de Portago, Musso, Collins and Hawthorn - have been admirably described by Luca Delli Carri in his book “The undisciplined: living and dying in a Ferrari: five stories of young drivers". At the time of the facts mentioned in the book, Fangio asked for a salary that the Commendatore "cannot" pay him (12 million) and "emigrated" for his last World Championship to Maserati which, however, will close the Racing Department two years later. Without a real team leader, Ferrari drivers are free to race for themselves. Four of them lost their lives, with the only Hawthorn able to bring the world championship laurel crown to Maranello. The world title will be the last for a pilot driving a single-seater with a front engine. Thus Delli Carri writes of that period. “Half a century ago, in a handful of years between 1957 and 1959, five young Ferrari drivers lost their lives in their car. Their names still live today in the memory of some and in the imagination of many. They were called Eugenio Castellotti, Alfonso de Portago, Luigi Musso, Peter Collins, Mike Hawthorn. They were great, better than their cars. They were bold, they snubbed fear. An Italy insatiable of heroes worshiped them, waiting for them for hours on the side of the roads. They darted like missiles, simply risking everything behind the wheel of a vehicle that was much more powerful than safe, launching the car towards that breaking point that was not related to the engine but to the sum of circumstances that we usually call fatality. This search for a contact with fate, the race at three hundred kilometers per hour following the unexpected, gave them a precious and inimitable aura, detached them from the ground and made them visible to the crowds. And to the crowds they also appeared beautiful, as well as damned. Superb women surrounded them, to be loved and abandoned, but in any case to conquer themselves a biographical note on the sidelines of their lives. In contemplating their luck and their beauty, but above all in evaluating the madness price paid for them, the spectators transformed motoring into a mass sport: because the distance of the normality of the people from all this made the daily life of the excluded perfectly understandable, habitable, shareable. Still, the five young heroes had a daily life of their own, just as the accidents that led to their death have a technical explanation. The book speaks of this background and of nothing else. It does not attempt only an academic reconstruction of the human side of the drivers, nor does it limit itself to investigating the dynamics of those disasters. Looking for the traces of people in the rubbles of the characters, “Gli indisciplinati” also tries to analyze that myth-making process that, in the world of motors, created from the beginning immense and ephemeral champions. And it wonders about the role that, in the construction / destruction of these fragile Gods, had the most unfathomable of men: Enzo Ferrari.”

We too want to pay tribute to all these wonderful men who have made us love Formula 1 and Ferrari so much, in the hope that their extreme lives can be a lesson for all of us.

Alberto Ascari

Ascari used to go by car with a friend on the Milan-Como road, but only when there was fog, to test his reflexes, causing great fear in his friend.

The son of one of Italy's great pre-war drivers, Alberto Ascari went on to become one of Formula One racing's most dominant and best-loved champions. By Gerald Donaldson.

Noted for the careful precision and finely-judged accuracy that made him one of the safest drivers in a most dangerous era, he was also notoriously superstitious and took great pains to avoid tempting fate. But his unexplained fatal accident - at exactly the same age as his father’s, on the same day of the month and in eerily similar circumstances - remains one of Formula One racing’s great unsolved mysteries.

Silverstone, July 1953: the four Ferrari drivers discuss tactics ahead of the British Grand Prix, along with French journalist / photographer Bernard Cahier. From left: Alberto Ascari, Guiseppe Farina, Bernard Cahier, Mike Hawthorn and Luigi Villoresi. Credit: Sutton Images.

Silverstone, October 1948: from the pre-world championship era – Alberto Ascari on his way to second place in the British Grand Prix. Maserati team mate Luigi Villoresi won the race. Credit: Sutton Images.

Silverstone, July 1952: Ascari’s British Grand Prix victory was the third in a nine-race winning run for the Italian. Here he chats with fellow Ferrari drivers Piero Taruffi, left and Giuseppe Farina, centre. Credit: Sutton Images.

1952: Alberto Ascari at the wheel of the Ferrari 500 on the way to the first of his two world championships. Credit: Sutton Images.

Silverstone, July 1953: reigning champion Alberto Ascari prepares for qualifying at the British Grand Prix. He went on to take pole position in his Ferrari 500 from the Maserati of Jose Froilan Gonzalez. Credit: Sutton Images.

Alberto Ascari with his father Antonio.

October 10, 1924, Antonio Ascari, Alfa Romeo P2.

Antonio Ascari in an Alfa Romeo P2 in 1925.

Alberto Ascari, born in Milan on July 13, 1918, was just seven years old when his famous father Antonio, the reigning European champion, was killed while leading the French Grand Prix at Montlhery.

Enzo Ferrari, (left) and one of his drivers, Alberto Ascari talk over their strategy for the Italian Grand Prix in the pits at Monza, 1st September 1950. Photo by Keystone / Hulton Archive / Getty Images.

Gigi Villoresi, Enzo Ferrari and Alberto Ascari around 1953. Photo by Keystone – France / Gamma - Keystone via Getty Images.

Enzo Ferrari meets up with champion racing driver Alberto Ascari at a hotel in Salsomaggiore Terme, Italy, 28th August 1954. They are discussing Ascari's potential participation in the upcoming Italian Grand Prix at Monza. Ferrari is on the left and Ascari is second from the right. Photo by Keystone / Hulton Archive / Getty Images.

Nino Farina, Alberto Ascari, Grand Prix of Italy, Autodromo Nazionale Monza, 05 September 1954. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

Museo Nicolis, Alberto Ascari.

Alberto Ascari and his fellow drivers.

By that time little Alberto was already immersed in his father's milieu, having met the many big names in racing, including Antonio's close friend Enzo Ferrari, who frequented the thriving Ascari Fiat dealership in Milan. Despite the tragic loss of his beloved father Alberto succumbed to the lure of racing. His famous name helped get him started, though it was on two wheels, not four, when, as a 19-year-old he was hired to ride for the Bianchi motorcycle team. His first four-wheel foray came in the 1940 Mille Miglia, where Enzo Ferrari gave him a ride in a Tipo 815 Spyder. When Italy entered World War II the Ascari garage in Milan, now run by Alberto, was conscripted to service and maintain military vehicles. During the war years he also established a transport business, supplying fuel to Italian army depots in North Africa. His partner in this enterprise was Luigi Villoresi, a racing driver with whom he developed a father-son relationship.

Alberto Ascari with his wife Mietta.

By the end of the war Alberto was a family man, having married Mietta and become the father of Patrizia and Antonio, who was named after his celebrated grandfather.

Alberto Ascari.

Alberto Ascari.

Alberto Ascari drinks from a bottle in 1948. Photo by Maurice Jarnoux / Paris Match via Getty Images.

Given his family responsibilities Alberto was prepared not to race again, but Villoresi persuaded him to continue. In 1949 they became team mates in Enzo Ferrari's team, where Ascari's dominance would make him Formula One racing’s first back-to-back champion.

Ascari gets the flag as winner of the Gen. San Martin Trophy Auto Race at Mar Del Plata on January 20, 1950. Photo by Getty Images.

Alberto Ascari in Monaco on 21 May 1950.

Alberto Ascari in a Ferrari at the German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring on 20 August 1950. Photo by Ullstein Bild / via Getty Images.

Alberto Ascari being chaired after victory at the Penya Rhin Grand Prix in Barcelona October 27, 1950. Photo by S&G / PA Images via Getty Images.

Alberto Ascari, Ferrari, Indianapolis 500, May 30, 1952.

The Ferrari team of 500 F2 cars: number 26 Luigi Villoresi, number 20 "Nino" Farina (plus a spare car), number 22 Alberto Ascari and number 24 André Simon, Monza Autodromo, June 07, 1952. Photo by Corrado Millanta / Klemantaski Collection / Getty Images.

Alberto Ascari at the wheel of his Ferrari on the Francorchamps racing circuit in Belgium in 1952, training in view of Europe's Grand Prix, which he won. Photo by Keystone-France / Gamma -Keystone via Getty Images.

In 1952 he drove his Ferrari 500 to victory in six of the seven championship races.

Alberto Ascari at the wheel of a racing car in 1953. Photo by National Motor Museum / Heritage Images / Getty Images.

Alberto Ascari in a Ferrari in 1953, being photographed with a female fan and a young driver. Photo by National Motor Museum / Heritage Images / Getty Images.

Alberto Ascari, Ferrari, in 1953.

Alberto Ascari's wrecked car in the non-championship VI GP dell'Autodromo di Monza in 1953 after being forced off the track by Maria Piazza's Ferrari 250MM. Reports suggested the shunt was "minor" but the damage to his Ferrari was severe. The car, 0428MM, was later rebuilt with Scaglietti bodywork.

World Champion Alberto Ascari won for the second time the Grand Prix of Pau, France, on April 07, 1953, breaking records. The picture shows (from right - left), the second place, who was the British Hawthorn, the third Harry Shell and the first one, Ascari, next to Madame Bournac, wife of the President of the A.C.B.B. and Madame Delaunay after Ascari's victory.

Alberto Ascari, Ferrari 500, Grand Prix of Belgium, Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, 21 June 1953. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

Alberto Ascari, Ferrari 500, Grand Prix of France, Reims-Gueux, 05 July 1953. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

Alberto Ascari during practice of the Grand Prix of Italy, Autodromo Nazionale Monza, 13 September 1953. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

In 1953 he again overpowered the opposition, winning five times and cruising to a second successive driving title. A great driver admired by his peers, Ascari was also a charming man idolized by a legion of admirers. His illustrious heritage helped, as did his superlative driving skill, but his winning persona also contributed to his huge popularity. It was easy to like a hero who was so obviously no prima donna, the driver with the plump physique whom the Italian fans nicknamed 'Ciccio' (chubby) and whose open and friendly disposition was apparent from his genial smile. Even his idiosyncratic superstitions were endearing, an entirely human response to the dangers of racing. He avoided black cats like the plague, had a horror of unlucky numbers and never allowed anyone else to handle the briefcase that contained his racing apparel: the lucky blue helmet and T-shirt, the goggles and gloves.

But perhaps he also had inner demons, for he was a chronic insomniac and prone to stomach ulcers.

Alberto Ascari at the sea in Santa Margherita Ligure in company of the sons Tonino and Patrizia on July 01, 1952.

Enzo Ferrari, who knew Ascari was deeply devoted to his family, once asked him why he didn't demonstrate his affection. "I prefer to treat them the hard way", Alberto said. "I don't want them to love me too much. Because they will suffer less if one of these days I am killed."

Such an eventuality seemed most unlikely for a driver who always strictly observed self-imposed safety margins, who studiously avoided exceeding the limits of his car or himself and whose relaxed and smooth style looked so effortless as to suggest he would have plenty of skill in reserve to correct any rare mistake.

Following his runaway championships he moved to Lancia for, he admitted, more money than Ferrari was prepared to pay him.

Brescia, the eve of the 1954 Mille Miglia. Eugenio Castellotti, Alberto Ascari and Piero Taruffi.

Having been sidelined for most of 1954 because the Lancias were not yet raceworthy, he embarked on an ill-fated 1955 campaign.

Juan Fangio (Mercedes W196), Alberto Ascari (Lancia D50) and Stirling Moss (Mercedes W196) in the front row, Monaco Grand Prix, Monte Carlo, May 21, 1955. Photo by Yves Debraine / Klemantaski Collection / Getty Images.

Juan Manuel Fangio, Alberto Ascari, Stirling Moss, Grand Prix of Monaco, 22 May 1955. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

The D50 in 1955 at Monte Carlo whizzes past the sign reminding you to go slow and make no noise. Perfect!

Nice picture of Monaco in 1955.

In the Monaco Grand Prix Ascari's leading Lancia D50 suddenly swerved out of control in the harbour chicane, flew into the Mediterranean and sank, its disappearance marked only by a stream of bubbles and an oil slick. Half a minute later, the familiar light blue helmet bobbed to the surface and Ascari was hauled aboard a rescue launch manned by frogmen.

Alberto Ascari's Lancia recovered from the waters of the port of Monte Carlo, following the accident that occurred during the 1955 Monaco Grand Prix.

Monte Carlo, 22 May 1955. The wreck of Ascari’s Lancia D50 after the accident.

In the Monaco hospital, where he was treated for a broken nose, bruises and shock, Ascari seemed as embarrassed as he was thankful for his miraculous escape.

Four days later he unexpectedly appeared at Monza to watch a practice session in which Eugenio Castellotti was testing a Ferrari sports car they were scheduled to share in a forthcoming endurance race. Ascari surprised everyone by announcing he wanted to do a few laps to make sure he had not lost his nerve. He was wearing a jacket and tie and had left his lucky blue helmet at home, so he borrowed Castellotti's white helmet and set off around Monza.

26th May 1955, Italian motor racing ace Alberto Ascari died when this Ferrari car he was testing skidded and somersaulted throwing him from the car. Photo by Paul Popper / Popperfoto via Getty Images.

26th May 1955, Alberto Ascari died when this Ferrari car he was testing skidded and somersaulted throwing him from the car.

On the third lap the Ferrari crashed inexplicably and Alberto Ascari was killed.

Had he suffered a blackout, a legacy of his Monaco accident? Was there a sudden gust of wind, had his flapping tie momentarily obscured his vision? Had he swerved suddenly to avoid a wandering track worker, or an animal, perhaps a black cat?

The eerie certainties were that Alberto Ascari died on May 26, 1955, at the age of 36. Antonio Ascari was also 36 when he died, on July 26, 1925. Both father and son had won 13 championship Grands Prix. Both were killed four days after surviving serious accidents. Both had crashed fatally at the exit of fast but easy left-hand corners and both left behind a wife and two children. A distraught Mietta Ascari told Enzo Ferrari that were it not for their children she would gladly have joined her beloved Alberto in heaven.

27th May 1955, the coffin of Alberto Ascari in Milan. Photo by Popperfoto via Getty Images.

27th May 1955, the body of Alberto Ascari in Milan.

27th May 1955, the funeral of Alberto Ascari in Milan.

All of Italy mourned the loss and, on the day of the funeral in Milan, the whole city fell silent, as a solemn procession carrying the fallen hero moved slowly through the streets lined with an estimated one million silent mourners dressed in black. It required 15 carriages to carry the profusion of wreaths and flowers and in the hearse, drawn by a team of plumed black horses, his familiar light blue helmet lay on top of the black coffin. And in the Milan cemetery Alberto Ascari was laid to rest next the grave of his father.

The June 07, 1955 cover of ‘Settimo giorno’ magazine.

September 06, 2018, Turin, Piedmont, Italy. The pit lane where Alberto Ascari won the 1955 Valentino Grand Prix.

Inauguration of the monument dedicated to Alberto Ascari at the presence of Veronica and Selvaggia Ascari, respectively nephew and great-granddaughter of the champion, Milan, Italy, 11 Jun 2021.

He is one of the two Italian Formula 1 world champions along with Nino Farina, he is the last to have succeeded. After him, we are still waiting for a tricolor F1 world champion driver. He is remembered as the only driver at the level of Juan Manuel Fangio.

To race Ascari challenged and fought tenaciously the maternal resistance, starting with races in Monza, paid with the Greek vocabulary that he sells. His mother buys it back for him several times, thinking that his schoolmates are stealing it, until she finds out everything and lets him do it, resigned. Alberto Ascari, just seven years old when he is orphaned, decides that he will follow in his father's footsteps and, in 1936, starts with motorcycle racing. He made his debut on four wheels in 1940. He drives the first Ferrari in history, when it still did not bear the Prancing Horse logo: the Auto Avio Costruzioni 815 with which he raced the 1940 Mille Miglia. He then raced with Cisitalia, Maserati, Alfa Romeo and, obviously, Ferrari, with which, in 1952 and 1953, he became F1 world champion.

A formidable driver, one of the greatest Italian pilots of the twentieth century, he was the friend of the mechanics in the pits, the champion who after each victorious race climbed the stairs of the building in Viale Abruzzi in Milan, then the temporary post-war headquarters of Pirelli, visiting his trusted technological partner.

He was nicknamed “Ciccio”, as Gianni Brera called him because of his not exactly slim physique. Or again, for the same reason, he was “The mountain that breathes”. His wife Mietta confirmed this to the journalist Nino Nutrizio in the article published in the Pirelli magazine in 1951, dedicated to the rest of the champions: "the mountain is over there sleeping and breathing. Good sign, it means that everything is fine."

Ascari was the first driver to bring an absolutely scientific method in personal and car preparation, probably due to his deep superstition. He thought that the worst could be avoided with the method. So he never raced with race numbers 13 and 17, never on day 26, never with the overalls, underpants and socks used in practice. And he always used the same helmet and the same gloves.

Alberto was for many people also "Ascarino", as he was Antonio's son. Only four days before his death, during the Monaco Grand Prix on Sunday 22 May, Alberto Ascari, driving the Lancia, is second and is trying to overtake Moss' Mercedes which precedes him. On lap 81, Moss abruptly abandons the race due to an engine problem. Ascari doesn’t know it and continues to race. He accelerates to the exit of the tunnel, gets distracted because he sees the audience cheering. He loses control of the car, breaks through the barriers and flies out to sea, into the port. Ascari frees himself from the car that has ended ten meters under the waters of the Mediterranean and comes out almost unscathed. After leaving the hospital after the accident, he returns home to Milan with his wife Mietta. While he is there, on Thursday 26 May he receives a phone call from Villoresi and Castellotti, two top-level drivers who are also two friends. They invited him to test a Ferrari 750 Sport, an absolutely playful test on the Monza track. Ascari joins them, borrows the Ferrari from Castellotti and also the equipment. He renounces all superstitious habits: one among many, never picking up a steering wheel on the 26th. Especially after his friend Silvio Vailati had also died on the 26th, in May 1940, in a race in Genoa. Before having lunch with friends, he gets on board. Alberto only wants to do three laps, the third is fatal to him. We hear a roar. Nobody sees him, nobody knows what happened. Skidding in what was at the time the Vialone curve, now called the Ascari variant in honor of the driver, the car overturns, there is nothing to do. Alberto's body is thrown fifteen meters away. Friends are incredulous. On the asphalt there is the sign of a braking, inexplicable. He dies instantly from the chest breakthrough, crushed under his Ferrari. Lancia decides to leave racing.

«I only obey a passion. The races. Without them, I wouldn't know how to live." Alberto Ascari

"At the start I look Ascari in the eyes and I often understand that I will have to finish second." Juan Manuel Fangio

Lorenzo Bandini

Giancarlo Baghetti and Lorenzo Bandini, Ferrari 156, Grand Prix of Belgium, Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, 17 June 1962. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

Lorenzo Bandini with Mauro Forghieri, Grand Prix of Germany, Nurburgring, 05 August 1962. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

Lorenzo Bandini, Ferrari 156, Grand Prix of Italy, Autodromo Nazionale Monza, 16 September 1962. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

Lorenzo Bandini dies. Monte Carlo. Italian auto racing star Lorenzo Bandini died today of the severe burns and injuries he received when his Ferrari crashed and burst into flames during Sunday’s running of the Monaco Grand Prix. He was 32. Bandini died despite the night and day efforts of leading French and Italian specialists to save his life. Only hours before his death, doctors had said his condition appeared “slightly improved.” He underwent a four-and-half-hour operation following the accident which marred the 25th running of the Monaco classic. The accident, which took place during the 82nd lap of the race at the tricky chicane near the Monaco harbor, has once more raised the problem of the safety of automobile racing. The basic problem what can be done to prevent accidents and, once they have taken place, what measures should be taken to make them as miner as possible. The race was nearing the end of the 100 laps of the 1.95-mile track with Bandini in second place, behind New Zealander Dennis Hulme driving a V-8 three liter Repco Brabham car and was beginning to close in on the leader when he touched the straw bales at the chicane. Bandini’s car bounced on the bales and was thrown into an electric light pole which richocheted it back upside down on the track in the middle of the bales. The car burst into flames and also set the straw afire. From then on it was chaos. The firemen on hand had no anti-fire equipment, their carbon extinguishers were small, nobody in charge took over the situation. It was a photographer, a doctor and an automobile fan, the prince of Bourbon-Parma, who rushed to try to put the car back upright and pull out the driver who was screaming with pain under the blazing car. When they finally managed to pull Bandini out, the wind blew back the flames from the straw bales and swept them over Bandini and his helpers. The state-owned French television service said flatly the Monaco firemen “walked away from the fire."

Terruzzi tells: Lorenzo Bandini. Like an older brother, a symbol of a time full of collective energy and dreams. By Giorgio Terruzzi. Published on 28.03.2017.

His smiling face, simple and clean, appears and reappears in my memory. Since, as a kid, I spied on him when he went to visit the Scuderia Centro Sud, which was then a beautiful villa near the Monza park.

Lorenzo and Margherita Bandini.

Lorenzo and Margherita Bandini.

Lorenzo and Margherita Bandini.

Lorenzo and Margherita Bandini.

Elegant as he was simple, with his Margherita at his side, beautiful and very young too. So, I tell here with pleasure and melancholy of Lorenzo Bandini, the protagonist of a magnificent and poignant adventure in the heart of the Sixties.

He was born in Libya, in Barce, on December 21, 1935, when Libya was an Italian colony. Not rich, a mechanic, as a boy, in Italy, he moved to Milan in 1950 to work in Mr. Goliardo Freddi's garage. The father of Margherita, in fact, his future wife. A beautiful lady still today, while she walks on life with that wound, a pain that does not go away. Lorenzo, to tell those who don't know, is young, he was like an older brother, a tender son, a loved one. For this reason we cheered for him in many. Including Piero Ferrari, Enzo's son, who still finds himself with something in his throat touching on the topic. Because Bandini, after a typical apprenticeship including Formula Junior, Mille Miglia, bread, salami and some frustration, arrived in Formula 1, debuting in Belgium in 1961.

Mimmo Dei, Scuderia Centro Sud, as mentioned. Enough to signal that he is ready, even for a Ferrari. Formula 1, Sports and Prototypes, with a memorable victory at the 1963 24 Hours of Le Mans, paired with the other half of the Italian firmament, Ludovico Scarfiotti.

Lorenzo Bandini, Ferrari 158, Grand Prix of the Netherlands, Circuit Park Zandvoort, 24 May 1964. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

Lorenzo Bandini, Ferrari 158, in Rouen-Les-Essarts in 1964.

Lorenzo Bandini, British Grand Prix, July 09, 1964. Photo by Colin Waldeck / Klemantaski Collection / Getty Images.

Lorenzo Bandini with Pat Surtees, John Surtees' wife, Grand Prix of Italy, Autodromo Nazionale Monza, 06 September 1964. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

In the Drivers' World Championship he won only once, in Austria, 1964, the year in which his captain, John Surtees, took the title.

He continued to do great things with covered-wheeled cars, to chew bitter with Grands Prix, between unlucky races and cars that were not winning at all. He smiled, with that very fine tenderness that signals good people, good men. He wanted to do better, more, he was convinced he would take a lot of revenge in 1967, a year that opened with a success in the 24 Hours of Daytona, paired with Chris Amon. Nope, damn it. The accident happened at the chicane.

Lorenzo Bandini, Ferrari, at the Targa Florio.

Lorenzo, second, perhaps arrived too quickly, the Ferrari hit a bollard, overturned, caught fire, all thinking that he had ended up in the sea. He was in the car, however, trapped in the flames. The images are heartbreaking, as is his agony, the end. While everyone realized that they had lost a part of themselves, something that accompanied a collective dream, a time full of energy, a fresh hope. Date of death: May 10, 1967. There is a sentence from Margherita that counts as a dramatic and final photo: "the number 7 cannot have killed him, but it recurs too often…. It happened on May 7, 1967, he had been racing for 7 years in Formula 1, at 17.07 minutes he was in the wake of Hulme, 17 seconds behind him, there were 17 laps to go when the fact happened. It took them 17 minutes to take him to the hospital, he spent 72 hours of agony in room number 7, he was taken to Milan with a Boeing 727, flight 607, the family tomb was not ready and he had to stay in the Monumentale depot for 17 days, then he was buried in camp 7, niche 7, death certificate from the Princess Grace Hospital of Montecarlo number 7747.”

December 21, 1935: Lorenzo Bandini. 85 years ago one of the most beloved Italian drivers of all time was born, who died following a tragic accident that occurred during the 1967 Monte Carlo GP. Published on 21 December 2020.

Lorenzo Bandini was born on 21 December 1935 in Barce, in the Libyan colony of Cyrenaica, from Italian parents who had gone so far as to seek fortune abroad in the colonies of the reign of Vittorio Emanuele III. After the outbreak of the Second World War Bandini returned to his homeland and, with his family, settled in San Cassiano di Brisighella, a small town near Faenza. Lorenzo spent the first few years in Italy peacefully, as his family, owner of two houses and a hotel run by his father, lived in fairly well-to-do economic conditions.

To ruin everything, in 1940, was the outbreak of the conflict that forced his father to leave his loved ones to go to the front. The hardest moment came in 1944 when Lorenzo was just nine years old: his father suddenly disappeared, only later it was discovered that he had been taken prisoner and shot, while the bombings destroyed that hotel which had costed years of work and sacrifices. The Bandinis suddenly fell into disrepair and the mother, desperate, decided to transfer everyone from San Cassiano to Reggiolo, where she could at least count on the support of several relatives. It was at that time that Lorenzo began working as an apprentice in the workshop of Elico Millenotti, a motorcycle mechanic. After the difficult period of the war, at the age of only 15, the young Bandini already felt ready for the big leap: he wanted to go and seek his fortune in a large northern city. So it was that, in 1950, Lorenzo decided to join his sister Gabriella in Milan. Thanks to his audacity, he immediately managed to find work in the Garage Rex in via Plinio.

In many ways, this opportunity represented one of the most important turning points in his life. The owner of the garage, Goliardo Freddi, the father of his future wife Margherita, represented for him that father figure that fate had taken away from him in the difficult years of the war. Goliardo Freddi began to love him like a son and to take him with him to the races that were held in Monza. It was thanks to him that Lorenzo began to love the world of motors. In that period he began to know the great names of motoring, from Alberto Ascari to Juan Manuel Fangio, up to the legend of Tazio Nuvolari. For a few years Bandini continued to work as a mechanic and became increasingly good at his job but, over time, his passion for racing made him develop a great conviction: that of starting to race and imitating those great myths that, from time to time, occasionally he went to admire in Monza. Goliardo Freddi never hindered him in achieving his goals, on the contrary he was always present in times of difficulty and proved to be a great support for him.

In 1956, when Lorenzo firmly decided he wanted to start competing, Freddi did the best he could to help him. He lent him his car, a two-tone Fiat 1100 TV, to sign up for the Castell’Arquato – Vernasca race. This is how Lorenzo Bandini's competitive career began. A career that, like the first competition he raced, would have been all uphill. In fact, Lorenzo, unlike other great drivers of the time, did not immediately have the opportunity to get noticed by important circles and only reached the major categories after years of training and many sacrifices. In his first race he finished fifteenth, but he was not discouraged because he understood that it took time before he could achieve success. So he started racing in all the races in which he could participate not worrying too much about the result, but with the aim of learning and gaining experience. After the twenty-third place at the Bolzano - Mendola and the second position at the Garessio - San Bernardo, the first long-awaited success came at the Lessolo - Alice. They were two years full of competitive commitments in which he participated in time trials of a certain importance and began to make a name for himself, managing to weave a dense network of acquaintances and friendships. At that time, after taking part in the Trento - Bondone and Pontedecimo - Giovi races, he started racing with a Fiat 8V, a wonderful 2-liter which was then considered one of the most beautiful racing cars.

The first really significant success came two years after the start of his career, in 1958, when, driving a Lancia Appia coupé, he finished first in class, in the 2000 Gran Turismo, at the Mille Miglia. After participating in the prestigious endurance marathon, Bandini was on the lowest step of the podium at the Sicilian Gold Cup with a Volpini Junior. 1959 was perhaps the most intense year in terms of races he attended because Lorenzo, driving a Stanguellini, did not miss a single appointment throughout the season. He once again came third in the gold cup in Sicily and was first in the category in the "Madunina" Cup and in Innsbruck. Later he again participated in the "Sant'Ambroeus" Cup, the Sassari circuit, the Junior Cup in Monza, the Pontedecimo - Giovi, the Catania - Etna, the Shell Cup in Rome, the Montecarlo Junior Grand Prix, the Grand Prix of Pau and in the Crivellari Junior Trophy. They were tough races, at times marked by unfortunate retirements while, on other occasions, they were embellished with good placings. But Lorenzo's goal was to keep racing and accumulate as much experience as possible.

His tenacity was finally rewarded in 1960, when he became an official Stanguellini driver. Two great victories immediately arrived, at the Grand Prix of Freedom in Cuba and at Monza, where he met another young motor enthusiast, Giancarlo Baghetti. The season continued like this between ups and downs and it was at that time that Bandini realized how difficult it was, despite his commitment, to be able to distinguish himself from the immense group of good gentleman drivers who tried their hand at car racing. However, the big opportunity came in 1961. Ferrari would have made one of its cars available to a promising young man who proved to live up to the prestigious name of the Maranello team. For Lorenzo that place became the main goal, the dream to be realized, perhaps the only way to be able to reach the golden world of Formula 1. The commitment was enormous and, once again, it was rewarded because Bandini got the first place absolute in Monza on the occasion of the Junior Cup. Shortly after the announcement of the name of the lucky driver who would sit in a Ferrari, that victory gave Bandini great hopes. Unfortunately, the dreams of glory turned out to be in vain because Enzo Ferrari's chosen one was Giancarlo Baghetti, who would later prove to be Bandini's eternal friend and rival in the years to come. The disappointment for the young Lorenzo was burning but, if the Commendatore had preferred another one, there was still someone who had noticed him. That someone was called Mimmo Dei, owner of the Scuderia Centro-Sud. It was he who offered Bandini a seat in one of his single-seaters, a rear-engined Maserati Cooper 1500.

The debut in Pau was very good, with third place behind the almost unbeatable Lotus Climax driven by Jim Clark and Joakim Bonnier. Given Bandini's more than positive performance, Dei decided to enroll him in the first Formula 1 Grand Prix that would be raced in Belgium on the Spa-Francorchamps circuit. Thus, on June 18, 1961, the young Italian made his debut in the top open-wheel category. However, it was not a lucky debut, because Lorenzo was forced to a sad retirement. Just after that race, Mimmo Dei decided to entrust the front-engined Ferrari 250 Testarossa that Enzo Ferrari kindly granted to the Centro - Sud team to the talented Brisighella. With that car Lorenzo, paired with Giorgio Scarlatti, won a fantastic victory at the 4 hours of Pescara and that success, one of the many arrived in the long years of apprenticeship, finally represented the right opportunity and consequently numerous teams began looking for him. Enzo Ferrari himself who, without saying anything had followed him throughout 1961, began to take him seriously in order to offer him driving one of his cars. The call came in December of the same year and Lorenzo finally made his own that seat he had dreamed of for years. On that occasion Mimmo Dei proved to be a great man even before being an excellent manager and, realizing how important an offer of that kind was, he let Lorenzo leave despite the contract binding him to the Centro - Sud again for the whole following year.

Bandini became an official Ferrari driver for 1962 and it was a very positive season. His debut took place at the Pau Grand Prix, where he finished fifth, while at the Targa Florio he finished second paired with Giancarlo Baghetti. Lorenzo had an incredible desire to show Enzo Ferrari all his value and his results did not prove him wrong. He won the Mediterranean Grand Prix and the Enna Grand Prix, finishing third at the Monte Carlo Grand Prix. Needless to say, Bandini's new goal had become to be an official Cavallino driver in the top flight, that is in Formula 1. Ferrari, despite his efforts, showed that they still did not have full confidence in him and this was confirmed in 1963 when the team, looking for a man to work alongside John Surtess, preferred Willy Mairesse. Unfortunately, only an accident involving the latter would have opened the way. Lorenzo did not yet feel the full support of the team and the period was characterized by various ups and downs, with Bandini who divided himself between the Mondiale Marche raced with Ferrari and that of Formula 1 where he gained experience driving the Cooper-Maserati and the BRM. It was precisely in that difficult phase of his life that a prestigious and extremely important success for his future arrived. In 1963, driving a Ferrari 172P and paired with Ludovico Scarfiotti, he won one of the most important car races, the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Reassured by such a sparkling success, things began to take a decidedly positive turn. In fact, good placings followed one another, in the Reims Grand Prix, the Auvergne Trophy, the Silvertone Grand Prix, the Solitude Grand Prix, Pergusa, the United States and South Africa. All these performances earned him the important title of "Absolute Italian Champion" at the end of the year.

At that point Ferrari could no longer remain indifferent to Bandini's performances and, therefore, Lorenzo became the official driver of the Cavallino in Formula 1, alongside John Surtess, for the 1964 season. The first year in the World Championship proved to be very positive and, on 23 August 1964 at Zeltweg, Bandini won his only career Grand Prix. Another equally important performance for Ferrari came in the final race of the season, in Mexico, when Lorenzo was able to keep behind Graham Hill, teammate Surtess's main opponent in the championship, throughout the race. Also thanks to the contribution of Bandini, the former English centaur managed to graduate for the first time Formula 1 World Champion. At the end of 1964, all these feats earned him the second consecutive title of "Absolute Italian Champion".

1965.

1965 was not a very brilliant year, in which the only positive result remained the victory obtained at the Targa Florio paired with Nino Vaccarella. It was a difficult season in which the Lotus-Clark duo proved unapproachable for anyone, with Lorenzo not going beyond the second place in the Monte Carlo Grand Prix. His second best result came in Monza, when he finished fourth in the Italian Grand Prix in a championship that saw him finish only sixth in the overall standings. At the end of a year that was not very encouraging in itself, also came the heavy judgement against him from Enzo Ferrari, who probably at that moment considered him no different from one of the many young talents present on the national motoring stage: "for now we have a driver and a half: given that the test engineer Parkes works with us, bound until 1967 and also assuming that we have a driver, John Surtees, now unfortunately injured and who is engaged with us until December 1966, we declare ourselves available to train, as we have already started, Italian drivers. Bandini is like another, we will continue to make him race, we will continue to try him. If Bandini goes faster than the others, obviously he will always race. When you have two cars you have to entrust them to the two who go faster: with this I don't mean to underestimate Bandini, but I don't mean to create immovability for anyone who races in a Ferrari either. We will put above those who will give us greater trust.”

So, for Bandini, all those races and victories were not enough to be considered a staple in the team. But, for the umpteenth time in his life, Lorenzo did not give up in the face of the first difficulty and responded in his own way, that is on the track.

Lorenzo Bandini driving a Ferrari 312 at the 1966 Monaco GP. Photo by: GP Library / Universal Images Group via Getty Images.

Lorenzo Bandini and Françoise Hardy at the Bouwes Palace Hotel, Zandvoort, in July 1966.

Lorenzo Bandini, Ferrari, at Nurburgring in 1966.

In 1966 the third place in Monte Carlo and the second in the Belgian Grand Prix suddenly threw him at the top of the world rankings making him one of the main favorites for the title, even if a bad result at the Reims Grand Prix affected him negatively. In the end the championship went to the expert Jack Brabham and for Lorenzo even that season ended "only" with yet another victory of the title of "Absolute Italian Champion".

United States, February 05, 1967, Daytona 24-Hour Race. Race winners Chris Amon and Lorenzo Bandini of Ferrari celebrate their victory. Amon and Bandini started the race fourth on the grid and did 666 laps in the 24 hours in their Ferraris 330 P3. Photo by Bob D'Olivo / The Enthusiast Network via Getty Images.

Daytona Beach, Florida, February 05 1967. Lorenzo Bandini (left) and Chris Amon won the Daytona 24 in a Ferrari 330 P4. The trophy queen is Winkie Louise. Photo by ISC Archives / CQ - Roll Call Group via Getty Images.

Lorenzo Bandini and Chris Amon being congratulated by Miss Firebird 1967, Edwina “Winkie” Louise, at the Daytona 24 Hours on 05 February 1967.

Even by today's standards of beauty Miss Edwina "Winkie" Louise would be considered a beauty. When the legendary Linda Vaughn decided to abdicate her title of Miss Firebird and become Miss Hurst Golden Shifter Winkie Louise stepped in and assumed the title. The picture was taken at Daytona in 1966, almost 50 years ago.

Lorenzo Bandini in February 1967.

For Bandini 1967 got off to a great start with two resounding victories. The first at the 24 Hours of Daytona and the second at the 1000 Km of Monza, both paired with Chris Amon, at the wheel of the beautiful Ferrari 330 P4. Lorenzo became the first Ferrari driver and realized that, after years, he had finally won the trust of the whole team and of the Commendatore. At that moment he was the top man of the Red team, the driver who had become the darling of all the Cavallino fans. It seemed to be finally the right year, the season of his consecration. Bandini did not feel inferior to any rival of the other teams and the only one he seriously feared was the second Italian in the team, Ludovico Scarfiotti, especially after the latter's victory the year before in Monza. As Enzo Ferrari would later declare, Bandini saw in Scarfiotti everything he had missed in his youth. Scarfiotti came from a wealthy family and had always been able to face his career in a calm, autonomous way, without too many worries. On the contrary, Lorenzo came from the mess tin and had sweated the much-needed Ferrari seat. With that climate and pressure on him, Bandini turned up at the highly anticipated Monaco Grand Prix, the first race after a long break following his debut at Kyalami. The only street circuit left on the Formula 1 calendar together with that of Pau in France.

That day, May 07, 1967, the Principality track was packed with people. Over one hundred thousand spectators arrived in Monaco to follow one of the best races of the season. Bandini's start was perfect and the Italian immediately took the lead, gaining almost two seconds over Denis Hulme in the first lap. However, Lorenzo remained at the head of the Grand Prix for only a few laps because, after a few laps, he lost several positions following a spin on the oil left on the track by Jack Brabham, himself a victim of engine problems. Lorenzo was passed by Hulme and Jackie Stewart and slipped to third place, managing to stay ahead of a fierce group formed by Surtess, McLaren and Clark. That unfortunate and apparently harmless episode would have been paid dearly by Bandini. In fact, from that moment on, Lorenzo began to go faster and faster, convinced that he could catch up with that victory that no one would have been able to snatch from him without that wildfire. Later, thanks to Stewart's retirement, the Cavallino driver climbed back to second place, just over seven seconds from the top. To divide him from Hulme, however, there were also two lapped drivers, Rodriguez and Graham Hill. The former immediately stepped aside while the latter, who perhaps had not yet forgotten the incident that occurred in Mexico a few years earlier, hindered him for two laps making the gap from the leader rise to 12 seconds. After having overtaken the English driver Bandini appeared visibly tired, so much so that the delay continued to rise, passing between the 65th and 80th laps from 12 to 20 seconds. Lorenzo was driving down lap 82 when his Ferrari arrived at the chicane after the tunnel at an inexplicable speed, far exceeding that with which one would normally tackle that corner. The driver could do nothing more to control the car, which began to bounce several times from one side of the track to the other before rising into the air and capsizing. The car, already in flames and upturned, continued to crawl on the asphalt for over thirty meters and everyone immediately realized the severity of the accident.

8th May 1967, Monte Carlo, France, Monaco Grand Prix, Lorenzo Bandini loses control of his Ferrari and crashes into a lamp-post in a dreadful accident. Photo by Paul Popper / Popperfoto via Getty Images.

9th May 1967, Lorenzo Bandini in a Ferrari crashes and the car begins to roll over after hitting the straw bales after losing control at the chicane, The straw from burning oil and the car became a fireball. Bandini survived the crash but had severe burns, also the overturned car had crushed his chest and he succumbed to his injuries and died 3 days later. Photo by Bentley Archive / Popperfoto via Getty Images.

The Monaco Grand Prix, Monte Carlo, May 07, 1967. Chris Amon in the remaining Ferrari passes the horrifying crash of his teammate, Lorenzo Bandini. Bandini had clipped the chicane and his car was thrown across the track into the straw bales in front of the harbor which caused it to overturn and catch fire. The well-liked Italian succumbed to his injuries and burns three days later. Photo by Klemantaski Collection / Getty Images.

9th May 1967, Italy's Lorenzo Bandini in a Ferrari crashes after losing control at the chicane and the car ignites the straw bales causing a fireball, A man can be seen trying to retrieve a wheel which had broken away in the accident. Photo by Bentley Archive / Popperfoto via Getty Images.

The commissioners immediately tried to understand where the Italian driver was, convinced that he had been thrown out of the cockpit during the crash. A completely legitimate fear because, at that time, there was still no obligation to use seat belts. They immediately looked inside the quay and checked that he had not ended up in the sea as had happened to Alberto Ascari several years earlier. Only after about three minutes, which were needed to put out the flames, they noticed the state of things. Bandini was still inside the cockpit, with his face completely disfigured and his suit full of burns. The Ferrari n. 18 was immediately overturned by two commissioners and two civilians, the Prince of Bourbon in a white silk shirt and Lorenzo's friend, Giancarlo Baghetti, who immediately rushed to the scene of the accident.

Lorenzo Bandini being removed by his car. Shutterstock.

The pilot's body was immediately extracted and transported urgently to the hospital in Monte Carlo.

In May 1967, during the Monaco Grand Prix, the Italian driver Lorenzo Bandini, in a Ferrari 321, had an accident in the Principality and was transported to the Princess Grace Hospital where his wife Margherita came to visit him supported by friends. Photo by Georges Menager / Paris Match via Getty Images.

In May 1967, during the Monaco Grand Prix, the Italian driver Lorenzo Bandini, in a Ferrari 321, had an accident in the Principality and was transported to the Princess Grace Hospital. His wife Margherita anxiously awaited the doctors' verdict. Photo by Georges Menager / Paris Match via Getty Images.

In May 1967, during the Monaco Grand Prix, the Italian driver Lorenzo Bandini, in a Ferrari 321, had an accident in the Principality and was transported to the Princess Grace Hospital. His wife Margherita anxiously awaited the doctors' verdict. Photo by Georges Menager / Paris Match via Getty Images.

In May 1967, during the Monaco Grand Prix, the Italian driver Lorenzo Bandini, in a Ferrari 321, had an accident in the Principality and was transported to the Princess Grace Hospital. His wife Margherita anxiously awaited the doctors' verdict. Photo by Georges Menager / Paris Match via Getty Images.

In May 1967, during the Monaco Grand Prix, the Italian driver Lorenzo Bandini, in a Ferrari 321, had an accident in the Principality and was transported to the Princess Grace Hospital where his wife Margherita came to visit him supported by a friend. Photo by Georges Menager / Paris Match via Getty Images.

Upon arrival at Princess Grace's emergency room, the gravity of the situation was immediately understood: the metal sheets had entered his left side causing injuries to his spleen and lung, while over 60% of his body was covered with severe burns. Bandini underwent emergency surgery to remove his spleen, but it was mainly due to the damage caused by the flames that the unfortunate Italian driver was unable to survive. Lorenzo died after about 70 hours of suffering and agony on May 10, 1967. During the checks following the crash the car was found in fifth gear in a section that is usually travelled in third. Even today, almost fifty years later, the main cause of the accident is attributed to physical fatigue that could have led him to make a mistake. Furthermore, the security measures of the time certainly did not help.

The metal bars used for mooring boats, which paradoxically prevented the car from falling into the sea but whose absence would perhaps have caused less serious consequences, the bales of straw present at the edges of the circuit that were the first to fuel the flames, as well as the lack of fireproof suits and of a sufficient number of fire extinguishers for the commissioners, amplified a dangerous situation that was already out of control. Elements that, following the death of Bandini, sparked fierce controversy on the issue of racing safety. In the meantime, that May 10, 1967, a great champion and a man everyone loved had gone. A young man like many who was seen as the classic example of someone who, thanks to his tenacity, had managed to reach the Olympus of motorsport. Bandini perfectly embodied the stereotype of the good guy who, after years of sacrifice and a lot of sweat, had managed to make a dream come true. His life and career broke apart when he was just over thirty years old and no one will ever know if he, the son of a humble mechanic from Emilia, would have really won the world title in 1967. One thing is certain, Lorenzo Bandini had managed to break through the hearts of millions of Italians as few others would have been able to do in the following decades and this is probably still the reason that keeps the memory of his exploits alive.

Lorenzo Bandini’s funeral.

On the day of his funeral in Milan his wife Margherita, daughter of the first man who believed in him when he was still a complete stranger, was accompanied by thousands of people who came to the Lombard capital to pay their respects to the most beloved driver.

In my opinion we are right in front of the offending pole. Behind, we see a bollard and some very inclined handrails. It should be noted that the sea is much further down, I would say 3 meters below. Further ahead you can see the strip of asphalt (already present) and the railing (you can see the bollards). Warning: it is small, but it is clear that the offending point is the same. Here, in 1965, Paul Hawkins went overboard, passing straight between the pole and the bollard. Bandini will be much less fortunate. Image taken during the film Grand Prix, with a re-presentation of the dynamics of the Hawkins accident. It gives us the proportions between the road and the sea. The "handrails" can be seen hanging.

Even Borsari's statements were not always clear: ".... from the pits we exchanged conventional signs, then Lorenzo began to stop responding but, the lap before the accident (or the lap before that), Lorenzo widen his arms as to say ‘more than this I can’t do ...’"

 

The newspaper l'Unità of 08 May 1967.

One last contribution, thanks to Google Maps 1967: two mosaics of frames from films reconstructing the scene of the accident that has just occurred.

In this you can see the whole area starting from the chicane.

In the enlargement it is easy to see the two offending points, the pole and the railing. In particular, you can see very well the famous staircase to the sea and elements of the protective railing torn up.

That Bandini was tired is plausible but everyone was tired. Hulme came out of the car destroyed and, during the GP, he had also touched the straw bales almost in the same place where Lorenzo hit them.

Among the images of "L'Europeo" of 18 May 1967, there is an exceptional panoramic photo. The title, although cut, refers to the moment before the accident. Let’s see the image gradually enlarged.

 

 

The position of the car is out of the ideal line, too far inside. And, above all, the driver's head is shifted to the left and looks to the right, towards us, instead of to the incoming curve, just like in the grainy photo, even if a few meters before. It is not hazardous to assume that the two photos were really taken almost simultaneously and that they refer to the crucial moment. And, perhaps, they contain clues to trace the causes. It is obvious that something unexpected is happening and the driver reacts in an unusual way. But what could have caused such a "rash" movement? What is it that can turn the driver's gaze away from the corner he is about to face and even force him to an unusual position in the car, all shifted to the left?

Lorenzo Bandini, Ferrari 312, Grand Prix of Monaco, 07 May 1967. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

Lorenzo Bandini at Monaco in 1967.

“A car was burning near the harbor section and it was Lorenzo's. But I couldn't know more. After a few laps I punctured a tire passing over his debris and was forced to a pit stop. I have before my eyes the shocked faces of Forghieri and the mechanics, as white as sheets of paper. Something terrifying was happening to my friend Lorenzo and I couldn't do anything about it. I've been troubled for a long, long time. So much so that in Spa, when the accident happened to Parkes, my other teammate, the unthinkable happened. I thought it was over for him too. So it was that, from the pits, to reassure me they displayed the sign with the words “Parkes OK”. Mike had a broken leg, yet that signal meant "Parkes will survive." At that time it was a great reason to try to break the lap record right away. I lapped three seconds faster. The psychological support therapy had worked ... I still have a photo of the winter of 1966, with me, Bandini, Scarfiotti and Parkes. United, smiling, happy. A few months and I was the only one who could hope for a career as a driver.” Chris Amon

"I'm writing a book and I was thinking of devoting a chapter to dead friends. But, after a couple of minutes, I realized how long the list was." Chris Amon

Spada Amphitheater of Brisighella, July 2012. The driver Bruno Senna with the mayor of Brisighella Davide Missiroli and Gabriella Bandini, the sister of Lorenzo. Photo by S. Cantoni.

Lorenzo Bandini said, "if you have to go, if it's written that your moment is that day, you will die whether you race or not. In case of an accident, don't make any drama." But that day it was impossible not to despair, because that day went away, as well as a great man, the hope of an entire nation.

Jean Behra

Jean Behra: 'he never knew the meaning of fear'. Fifty years after his death, Jean Behra is still remembered by his contemporaries as one of Grand Prix racing’s bravest souls. By Nigel Roebuck.

Behra at the wheel of his Maserati 250F in the 1958 Argentinian Grand Prix. Grand Prix Photo.

Back in June 1980 I interviewed Patrick Depailler at Brands Hatch. He was a lovely fellow, a man out of his time, I always felt, very much a throwback to motor racing’s heroic age.

At the time tennis was fashionable in Formula 1 circles and often at airports – most of them flew ‘commercial’ in those days – you’d come across a driver with a briefcase in one hand, a racquet in the other. Depailler would snort at that: he loved skiing and sailing and overpowered motorcycles. His heroes were Jacques Anquetil and Eddy Merckx, five-time winners of ‘Le Tour’.

And there had been another. When I mentioned that my childhood life had revolved around Jean Behra, Patrick’s face lit up: “no, really? I was the same …”

A few weeks later I spent a morning at the Williams factory. It was August 1, the date of Behra’s death and I was thinking about him as I drove to Didcot. On the way back I heard of Depailler’s fatal accident during testing at Hockenheim.

Now we are far on from there and Behra has been gone 50 years. I happened to be alone in the house that Saturday afternoon, watching Grandstand, when the newsflash came in: ‘the French racing driver Jean Behra has been killed in an accident in Berlin …’

I will never be able to explain why ‘Jeannot’ so dominated my young life and perhaps that’s as it should be. One shouldn’t, after all, seek a rational explanation for everything; an element of mystery is surely essential in a hero.

Behra (red shirt) in 1957. Grand Prix Photo.

It didn’t matter that there were greater drivers, that he was never World Champion or whatever. What appealed to me primarily about Behra was his utter fearlessness – that and his dedication. Raymond Mays once related to me an anecdote revealing of Jean’s love affair with his job.

“He was a magnificent driver and a charming man, but terribly temperamental in a French sort of way. Sometimes he’d get a bit demoralised, but it never lasted long and I asked him how he kept his spirits up. “When things were bad, he said, he would get his passport out: ‘I look at all the stamps, the places racing has taken me and then at the first page. Name: Jean Behra. Profession: Pilote. And I remember how lucky I am to have this life.’ I found that rather moving – and somewhat different from most racing drivers I’ve known.”

1952 Grand Prix de la Marne at Reims, Jean Behra's Gordini defeats Ferrari. August 1952 Issue.

Behra, born in Nice in 1921, was one of life’s natural competitors, racing bicycles, then motorcycles, in his teens until the war intervened. Afterwards he carried on as before, champion of France for several years on his red Moto Guzzi. A move to cars, though, was increasingly in his thoughts: by the end of 1951 he had turned his back on bikes and headed to Paris, to 69 Boulevard Victor, where resided the team of Amedée Gordini, whose cars were sometimes fast, always fragile. A contract was signed.

The following June Behra broke into the national consciousness and he would remain an idol in France for the rest of his life. At Reims, totally against expectations, he defeated the Ferrari team in the Grand Prix de la Marne, fighting off even Alberto Ascari.

“It was impossible,” said Jabby Crombac, “to overstate the importance of that victory in France. It was only two weeks after Le Mans, where [Pierre] Levegh tried to drive the whole race on his own and failed at the very end – leaving victory to the Germans! This was not so long after the war, you know …

“Wimille and Sommer were gone, so when Jean – who was new in car racing – won at Reims, he was instantly a national hero. Beating the Italians was almost as good!”

Louis Rosier leads Jean Behra, who would go on to win, at Reims in 1952. Heritage Images / Getty Images

Crombac adored Behra: “he was like Jean Alesi – lovely guy, looked the part, tremendous guts, too emotional, drove with his heart …” Shortly before Jean’s death, indeed, he asked Jabby to become his manager: “I didn’t go to Avus – we were to have dinner in Paris the week after to discuss it, but he never came back …”

Jean Behra in 1953.

Jean Behra (left) with Fritz Huschke von Hanstein, Richard von Frankenberg and Edgar Barth.

Behra stayed with Gordini for three years, but the cars rarely lasted and his frustration mounted. There were, however, occasional successes, as in the 1954 Pau Grand Prix, where he defeated Maurice Trintignant’s factory Ferrari.

On Sportsview, a BBC programme of the time, a clip of the race was shown and I was captivated by the battle between the dapper, fastidious Trintignant and the stocky, charismatic Behra. Right there I was hooked and a few months later, in the Oulton Park paddock, gazed endlessly at Jean’s light-blue Gordini. It had qualified second for the Gold Cup, but disappeared after a couple of laps.

Soon after there was a non-championship race at Avus, put on as a showcase for Mercedes. Karl Kling was allowed to win at home and the only happening of note was that Behra’s Gordini clung on to the three streamlined W196s, achieving speeds unthinkable without a tow.

Needless to say, the Gordini expired after 15 laps, but Denis Jenkinson was ever after inclined to cite Behra’s drive as the quintessential example of what he called ‘tiger’, this an indomitable refusal to give in.

Behra’s tiny Gordini hangs on to Mercedes streamliner trio at Avus in 1954. Daimler-Benz.

Jean Behra, Andre Simon, Roberto Mieres, Luigi Musso, Maserati 250F, Grand Prix of Great Britain, Aintree Motor Racing Circuit, 16 July 1955. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

Jean Behra, Grand Prix of Italy, Autodromo Nazionale Monza, 11 September 1955. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

For 1955 Behra moved to Maserati, but how different his career might have been had he stayed his hand on the contract a little longer, for Alfred Neubauer, needing support for Fangio, was looking around: “I thought of Behra – but he had already signed for the opposition …” Eventually, of course, he signed one Stirling Moss.

As it was, Jean found at Maserati his spiritual home and his three years there were to be the happiest of his racing life. Through another Mercedes summer the 250F was unable to trouble Fangio and Moss, but Behra was invariably ‘best of the rest’ and won non-championship Grands Prix at Pau and Bordeaux, as well as several sports car races.

At the end of the season, though, he crashed in the Tourist Trophy at Dundrod, suffering a broken arm and torn tendons in his right hand. As well as that, his right ear was severed and this was to be his most celebrated injury. Thereafter he would wear a plastic ear, which he was wont to remove when the occasion demanded, as in a crowded restaurant. “There’s always a table available then,” he would grin. “Sometimes several …”

In the course of his career Behra did indeed have an enormous number of accidents and this was long before the advent of proper helmets and fireproof overalls, let alone seat belts and rollover bars and gravel traps.

In 1949 he came off his Guzzi at Tarbes (broken arm and collarbone) and the following year at San Remo (broken kneecap); in ’52, while leading the Carrera Panamericana, his Gordini went off the road and into a ravine (seven broken ribs) and then he crashed at Sables d’Olonne (broken arm); in ’53 there was an accident at Pau (broken arm, displaced vertebra); in ’55 came the Dundrod accident and in ’57 shunts during Mille Miglia testing (broken wrist) and at Caracas (serious burns to arms and face). The list went on.

‘Jean Behra’, wrote DSJ in September 1959, ‘had more guts than the majority of today’s drivers put together. He never knew the meaning of fear and in consequence tended to drive over the limit more often than not. The way in which he would recover from injury and return straight away to racing was remarkable. A lot of people, drivers included, openly disliked Behra for no other reason than that they were secretly envious of such a tough little man, who would have the most almighty accident, climb out of the wreckage and come back for more.’

In the ’50s Jenks was frequently in Modena, where Behra was an almost permanent resident at the Albergo Reale. “What I liked most about Jean,” he said, “was his pure love of racing cars. He was a good mechanic, but he never worked on cars for the fun of it: what mattered was making them faster. They loved him at Maserati, because he was happy to ‘live above the shop’. There was no bullshit about Jean. He was a racer’s racer.”

Behra accepted Moss as number one at Maserati. Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

At the end of 1955 Mercedes withdrew from racing and Fangio signed for Ferrari, while Moss joined Behra at Maserati. Plainly Stirling was the best driver in the team, the accepted number one, but Jean welcomed him and had an untypically consistent season, finishing fourth in the World Championship and again winning a number of sports car races, including the Nürburgring 1000 Kms.

“Behra was one of the greatest fighters I ever came across,” says Moss. “If you passed Castellotti or Musso or Collins or Hawthorn, that was the end of it, but with Jean there was no way you could put him out of your mind – you had to keep your eye on your mirrors, boy!

“He was an incredibly tough competitor, you know and that made him unpopular with some of the drivers, but I thought it was his greatest strength and I very much identified with it. He was always fair, too – I mean, he wasn’t about to say ‘after you’, but he’d never do a Farina on you! I’d always feel quite happy going into a corner alongside him.

“Fangio, I believe, said Behra was ‘too brave’, but I’m not sure I’d say too brave – not in the way that Stuart Lewis-Evans was, for example. I always liked Jean: he was there to get on with what he was doing and he did it bloody well …”

Jean Behra, Maserati 250F, Grand Prix of Monaco, Circuit de Monaco, 13 May 1956. Jean Behra drove a fine race and finished on the podium in third position. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

Behra shared victory with Fangio at Sebring in 1957. Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

Cockpit of the Maserati 450S which will be driven by Jean Behra and Andre Simon in the 24 Hours of Le Mans race, Le Mans, June 1957. Behra challenged for the lead, but the transmission eventually broke in the third hour. Photo by Klemantaski Collection / Getty Images.

Juan Manuel Fangio and Jean Behra, June 21, 1957, Le Mans. Photo by Keystone-France / Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images.

Jean Behra, Maserati 250F, Grand Prix of France, Rouen-Les-Essarts, 07 July 1957. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

For 1957 Moss left Maserati for Vanwall, but any hopes Behra may have had of regaining his number one status were dashed when it was announced that Fangio was coming aboard for what would be his last season.

Jean revered Juan Manuel and in point of fact had the finest year of his career. The pair shared the winning Maserati 450S at Sebring and, in a similar car, Behra won the Swedish GP, partnering Moss. Clutch failure kept him from winning the British GP, but there were F1 victories at Pau, Modena and Morocco and a couple more – in a BRM, no less – at Caen and Silverstone.

Financial problems drove Maserati out at the end of 1957, whereupon Jean signed for BRM. But the following season was unsatisfactory, for the car, while sometimes quick, was lamentably unreliable and frequent brake failures – one of which pitched him into the Goodwood chicane wall – did nothing for his confidence.

Jean Behra, Giorgio Scarlatti, Tony Brooks, Maserati 300S, Grand Prix of Cuba, La Havana, 23 February 1958. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

Jean Behra at Rennes in 1958. Photo by Ullstein Bild via Getty Images.

What kept Behra going in 1958 was a new relationship with Porsche, for whom he was consistently brilliant in the little RSK sports cars, finishing second at the Targa Florio and third at Le Mans, as well as winning events as disparate as the Mont Ventoux hillclimb and the Berlin Grand Prix – at Avus.

By general consent Avus was a singularly stupid race track, comprising two flat-out autobahn blasts, with a hairpin at one end and the notorious steeply-banked curve at the other.

To Behra, though, a race was a race. When the USAC brigade came over in 1957 for the Trophy of Two Worlds at Monza, the Europeans had little enthusiasm for a banked track which Tony Bettenhausen’s Novi would lap at 177mph! Maserati, though, built up a special car and Jean was mortified to find it too slow to compete with the Americans. I could always readily picture him in a roadster at Indianapolis.

Behra, at the Nürbirgring in 1958, found little success with BRM. Grand Prix Photo.

Fundamentally, Behra had enjoyed the BRM team, if not sometimes its cars and he would probably have stayed on in 1959 – had not there come a call from Maranello.

This was like coming home – Modena, the Reale, ceaseless testing – and the new association began well: in the Dino 246 Jean won the Aintree 200 from team-mate Tony Brooks.

“I rated Behra very highly as a driver,” says Brooks. “In a decent car he could give anyone a run for their money. Mind you, although we were team-mates I didn’t know Jean that well – he didn’t speak English and I didn’t speak French. ‘Ciao’ and ‘bonjour’ was about as far as we got!”

“We shared a Testa Rossa a couple of times. At the Targa he started the race and rather modified our car – by rolling it down a mountainside! He crawled out from underneath it and got some Sicilian peasants to help him right it and push it back to the road. When he brought it into the pits I thought, ‘well, that’s ready for the knacker’s yard’, but Jean had different ideas and so did [Romolo] Tavoni, the team manager. I said something along the lines of ‘you’ve got to be joking’, but they weren’t! I went out, but the steering was all over the place and eventually the car went straight on – fortunately at a slow corner …”

The start: (left to right) Stirling Moss (Cooper T45), Jean Behra (Ferrari 256F1) and Jack Brabham (Cooper T51) form the front row, Monaco Grand Prix, Monte Carlo, May 09, 1959. Photo by Edward Eves / Klemantaski Collection / Getty Images.

Juan Manuel Fangio, Jean Behra and Maria Teresa de Filippis at the 1959 Monaco Grand Prix. Photo by Maser.

At Le Mans Behra was paired with Ferrari’s newest recruit, a youthful, crew-cut American named Dan Gurney, but although fastest in practice he was almost the last man away, his car reluctant to fire up. After an hour or so, though, the TR59 was leading; as a piece of sheer driving brilliance Behra’s performance that day stands comparison with any ever seen at the Sarthe.

“Jean really flew in the early stages,” Gurney recalls “and just left everyone behind, including Stirling. A lot of people said he over-stressed the car, but I don’t believe he did. We were still leading in the early hours of Sunday and then the crown wheel-and-pinion went – that shouldn’t have been hurt by going hard. Yes, Jean was going for it, but he was a proud man and a fighter – and, believe me, he wasn’t slow!

“After the race we drove back to Modena together, just the two of us and pretty soon we’d worked out a system of English and French and hand signals and hieroglyphics, so that we could communicate with each other.

“I was this young kid coming into the team, but I never felt any resentment from Jean – he was more interested in the next race than anything else. I liked him a great deal – and when he found out that I could steer OK, we became very close. He had come from a motorcycle background, so for me that was already a plus.

“Even back then Jean was something of a throwback to a different time. He wasn’t a moaner at all; he was a fiery guy and he was there to race. I thought that was great. He had a look in his eye – he didn’t mind getting with the programme, that was for sure …”

Behra comeback (here he passes Ron Flockhart) ended in a punch-up at Reims in 1959. Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

Behra raced a Ferrari for the last time at Reims in early July. Team-mate Brooks led away and was never headed, but ‘Toto’ Roche, the fat buffoon who – for reasons unclear – was the ‘doyen’ of French motor racing at the time, chose to drop the starting flag while standing in front of Behra’s car. As a consequence Jean stalled and was by some margin the last away.

Before his own people and at the circuit where the Behra legend had begun seven years earlier, Jean drove right to the edge and sometimes over. After 20 laps he was up to third, but not long afterwards the Ferrari smokily retired, whereupon Tavoni angrily suggested it was Jean’s fault, that he had over-revved.

Big mistake. With a single punch Behra felled him – and soon there came news from Maranello that Jean’s contract was cancelled forthwith.

“That was my first Grand Prix,” says Gurney, “but I didn’t see the incident when Behra smacked Tavoni. We don’t know that the fight was entirely Jean’s fault, but it’s been assumed that’s the way it was. It was a doggone shame – Tavoni was a good guy and so was Behra, so why did that have to happen? Sometimes, if you have a lot of honour and pride, you can get easily offended and I think there was an element of that …”

Perhaps there was another ingredient, too. Over the previous winter Behra had built up a single-seater Porsche, an F2 car based on the RSK. His Ferrari contract precluded his racing the car, but – perhaps unwisely – he entered it in several events, nominating different drivers. In the F2 race at Reims Hans Herrmann drove it, finishing second to Moss’s Cooper; rather more to the point was that it proved significantly quicker than Cliff Allison’s factory Ferrari. This may well have played a part in Enzo’s decision to end the association with Behra.

Immediately Jean sought a return to BRM for the German GP at Avus. “Unfortunately,” Mays recalled, “there wasn’t time to get it organized, so Jean turned up with his own F2 Porsche.”

The day before the Grand Prix there was a sports car race, for which Behra had also entered. It was raining when they went to the grid and most drivers thought it insane to race in the wet at this place – not a lot different from an oval, after all. On the grid Behra’s friend Herrmann tried to persuade him not to start, but Jean – of course – would hear nothing of that.

On the second lap the Dutch amateur Godin de Beaufort lost his RSK on the brick banking – according to Brooks, ‘like polished tiles’ in the rain – spinning up to and over, the lip of it. The Porsche fell some distance, but landed on its wheels, whereupon the unimaginative driver selected first gear and resumed the race!

Jean Behra: Nigel Roebuck’s Legends. March 1998 Issue. By Nigel Roebuck.

Afterwards de Beaufort talked proudly of his exploit and even had himself photographed at the top of the banking. The late Phil Hill told me that this did not sit well with the other drivers: “he was coming out with all this stuff – and we really weren’t inclined to listen. I mean, how crass and insensitive was that? By then Behra was dead, for Christ’s sake …”

Jean Behra, Heini Walter, Porsche 718 RSK, Grand Prix of Berlin, AVUS, 01 August 1959.

Jean Behra, Heini Walter, Porsche 718 RSK, Grand Prix of Berlin, AVUS, 01 August 1959. The mangled Porsche 718 RSK of the unfortunate Jean Behra, who was killed when his car went off the track, lies on top of the banking during a support sports car race on the eve of the 1959 German Grand Prix. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

The accident came on the fourth lap, as Behra disputed the lead with Wolfgang von Trips. On the banking his Porsche, like de Beaufort’s, broke loose, then began to spin. At the lip of the banking was a concrete gun emplacement, left there since the war and the RSK hit it. Behra was thrown out, a lurid photograph showing him like Icarus, silhouetted against the grey sky.

“We were all traumatised by Behra’s death,” Hill said. “Gurney and I were standing in the tower, watching and we saw the whole thing. His car hit the concrete block and was chopped in half. He was hurled out and then hit that flag pole – it was just like he was flying …”

“I was very saddened when Jean was killed,” says Gurney. “I felt I’d lost what was going to be a close friendship. And of course there was the thought, ‘did this happen because he was so angry at the way he had been treated by Ferrari?’ The poor guy got wasted at a time when he was still very capable of winning races.”

“Jean was in the next pit to us that weekend,” said Mays “and I remember feeling very sorry for him – he seemed very much alone during those last few hours of his life. In hindsight, all the elements of a Greek tragedy were there …”

It fell to his countryman, Trintignant, to call Joseph Behra in Saint Raphael, to inform him of his son’s death.

Wolfgang von Trips next to the coffin of Jean Behra on August 03, 1959. Photo by Ullstein Bild via Getty Images.

Six days later the funeral took place in Nice, at the Eglise de Saint Barthelemy. Close by is the Boulevard Jean Behra.

Behra could have been France's first title winner but, despite having the talent, never won a world championship Grand Prix.

A fighter in the Gilles Villeneuve mould, with courage and car control to spare, he became a national hero leading the Gordini team after winning the non-championship Grand Prix de la Marne at Reims in 1952.

His days with Maserati were only slightly less frustrating. In 1955 he had little chance against the all-conquering Mercedes W196s, then played second fiddle to superstar team-mates Stirling Moss and then Juan Manuel Fangio in 1956 and 1957.

Punching Ferrari team manager Romolo Tavoni after retiring on his Ferrari debut in 1959 was a bad career move and he was promptly sacked. A few weeks later, he was killed after being thrown from his Porsche RSK and hitting a flagpole during a sportscar race at Avus.

Jean Behra – Behra The Brave. By Thomas Maher. 29th August 2019.

Jean Behra never won a Formula One race, but that statistic does a tremendous disservice to the Frenchman’s abundant talent.

Born in Nice in 1921, Behra was plagued by many horrific crashes throughout his racing career. A more cautious driver may have decided to ply his trade in a safer environment after some of these crashes but Behra, shaking every one of them off, seemed almost completely fearless.

The incident that was to leave its biggest mark on Behra’s life was the one he suffered at the Dundrod TT in Northern Ireland in 1955. Racing in the RAC Tourist Trophy, Jean overturned his Maserati on a banking, resulting in his goggles slicing his ear off. Jean was given a plastic substitute ear by doctors and delighted in displaying a somewhat macabre sense of humour, by occasionally popping his ear off in front of people that were unaware of this physical oddity.

Jean began his motorsport career on two wheels, starting off cycling as a child, before moving onto motorbikes at the age of seventeen. Showing an immediate panache for speed, Behra was to be denied the next few years of racing due to the outbreak of World War II. Resuming his career after the war, Behra began racing for a team called Moto Guzzi and was to win four French national motorbike titles for them between 1948 and 1951.

At one of his many motorcycling races, Jean drove a Maserati for fun at the Mont Ventoux circuit in 1949 and decided to give car racing a shot, should the opportunity arise. Some opportunities did arise and Behra piloted a Talbot car to sixth place at Montlhery in 1949. He took part in the Le Mans in 1950, which was a frustrating race as he suffered technical problems and had to retire. Driving a Simca in the Monte Carlo Rally the same year, Jean brought the car home in 3rd place, his first car racing podium.

Between his extremely successful bike racing career and noticeable car appearances, Jean had come to the attention of a man called Amedee Gordini. Gordini ran the Simca-Gordini Formula 2 team and signed Behra alongside fellow French drivers Maurice Trintignant, Andre Simon & Robert Manzon. Unfortunately for Behra, the team’s cars were underwhelming on the performance front and unreliable to boot. However, he was able to show his mettle at the 1952 Reims Grand Prix, otherwise known as the Grand Prix de la Marne. Despite holding off the Ferrari F1 works team, this was not a Formula 1 event, so he could not yet be considered an F1 winner.

Jean Behra (number 4) in his Simca-Gordini, holding off the Ferrari of Piero Taruffi, at the 1952 French Grand Prix. Photo by Pinterest.

In 1953, Jean was to suffer back injuries at the Pau circuit, again in a non-F1 event. It wasn’t unusual at the time for F1 drivers to take part in other championship events and it really is a testament to Jean’s love of racing that he would enter as many races as he could. The crash ruled him out of racing until 1954, where he continued with Gordini. He was to win at Pau, Montlhery & Cadours, but, again, outside of the official championship.

Finally frustrated of the Gordini efforts, Behra was to jump ship to drive for Maserati in 1955. While undoubtedly a step up, Behra was to be taking on the Mercedes works team of stronger opposition such as Juan Manuel Fangio & Stirling Moss. He won the non championship event at Pau again, but went winless in F1. It was frustration all round for Behra over the following years. In 1956, Stirling Moss left Mercedes and ended up at Maserati, where Stirling won the Monaco & Italian GPs. Showing that his lack of success in Formula 1 wasn’t related to his level of talent, Behra won the Nurburgring and Paris 1000 km sportscar events, as well as the Cortemaggiore sportscar race at Monza sharing a car with Luigi Musso.

Driving a Maserati at the Grand Prix of Rome in 1956, he also set an average speed record of 174 km/h around the circuit. At this point, there was no questioning Jean’s immense bravery as he recovered from yet another crash. This time, it was at the Mille Miglia in 1957, but Jean was to recover and win two more events in 1957, at the Swedish & Italian rounds, as well as winning the non-F1 Pau Grand Prix yet again.

Jean Behra at the Sebring 12 Hours Race in 1957.

A superstitious man may have thought that his numerous crashes were tempting fate, but Jean was not one to allow bad luck to play on his mind, which was perhaps for the best. Moving to the British BRM team for 1958, he immediately suffered a very bad crash in his very first race for the team. Racing at Goodwood, the brakes on his car failed, resulting in Behra colliding heavily with a brick chicane. Other incidents served to unsettle Behra, such as brake failure again on his BRM at the Aintree Grand Prix. Jean escaped injury when his goggles got smashed at Silverstone. F1 was not treating the Frenchman particularly well, but he was faring better in sportscar racing, winning at the Nurburgring, Avus, Reims & Mont Ventoux.

Jean was to get his big opportunity in 1959, when he was signed by the Ferrari team. Driving alongside team-mate Tony Brooks, Behra won at Aintree but, unbelievably, this was still a non championship event. The final straw in F1 came at the French Grand Prix at Reims. Behra had been running in third place, when his engine threw a piston and he was out of the race. Following this, Jean was to get into an argument with his team boss Romolo Tavoni in a restauraunt. As the argument grew more heated, Behra threw a punch at his boss as well as at another restaurant patron and Jean was dismissed from the team.

For Behra, this was a mixed blessing, as he now had time to concentrate on his own project, which was a Formula 2 car, as well as driving a Porsche RSK at sportscar events. The first of these events was at the Avus circuit near Berlin, only three weeks after his dismissal from the Ferrari team.

Avus was a circuit of insanity, even for those less safety-conscious days. It featured two 5 miles blasts along public roads which were to become part of the Autobahn freeway systems, linked by two corners. One was a slow, tight hairpin, while the other was a monstrous banked, flat out curve, which featured a 43 degree banking. This is twelve degrees steeper than that at Daytona International Speedway. Speeds averaged around 260-270 km/h and it was here that Jean brought his Porsche to race on a day that saw heavy rain and a wet and slippery track surface.

The Avus Ring. Photo by Reddit.

Jean passed Jack Brabham at around 110 mph entering the banking, when the back of his Porsche stepped out. Attempting to correct the slide, Jean started to fishtail around in ever increasing angles, while also climbing higher and higher up the embankment. Finally, the Porsche reached the top of the banking and was thrown off into the air. It landed heavily on its side at the top of the banking, where it remained resting as the race continued.

Unfortunately for Jean, he had been thrown clear of the car as it destroyed itself. While being catapulted through the air, he collided with a flagpole – one of eight flagpoles that lined the embankment. With no barriers between the track and the flagpoles, Jean struck the pole like a ragdoll and died instantly of massive head injuries. He also broke most of his ribs in the collision.

Jean’s funeral took place six days later in Nice, an event that saw 3000 mourners line the streets of his hometown. F1 never treated Jean as well as his talent deserved and a final insult was delivered on his final day. While the racing community turned out to pay their respects to Behra, a notable absentee was Enzo Ferrari. He had fired Jean only a few days prior to his fatal accident and never acknowledged the death of his former driver, nor sent any form of remembrance to the funeral.

The spectacular injury list of legendary French racing driver Jean Behra. I don’t speak French and I don’t understand medicine, but this old newspaper photograph of a racing driver proudly showing off his injuries had me fascinated. Who is this man, stood smiling in just his undercrackers and how on earth did he end up with the painful sounding ‘oreille droite arrachée‘ in 1955?

This is Jean Behra, a man who would not let a spectacular injury list stop him enjoying a long and successful career in motor racing. Behra puts me in mind of the sword fighting Knight in ‘Monty Python’s Quest for the Holy Grail’, losing both arms and legs in a bloody fight the Knight refuses to surrender; ’tis but a scratch!’. Let’s look at the spectacular injury list and career, of ‘fifites French racing driver Jean Behra.

1, 8, 17 & 18 – Carrera Panamericana, 1952, Mexico. This was, at the time, considered to be the most dangerous race in the world. A 2000 mile Targa Florio style rally across the inhospitable Mexican countryside. Eventual winner Kling’s navigator, Hans Klenk, was knocked unconscious when a vulture came through their Mercedes’ windscreen. Behra was competing in a Gordini and won the first stage, but when a spectator hung a coat over a warning sign he ended up driving into a deep ravine at speed on day two and suffered seven broken ribs, a broken nose and head injuries.

2, 13 & 14 – Caracas Grand Prix, 1957, Venezuela. Driving a Maserati 450S, Behra was in a strong second place and competing for the win against Stirling Moss when he came into the pits to refuel. Tank full, the mechanical gave the ‘go’ signal and, as Behra hit the start button, his car exploded in a ball of flame. He bruised ribs leaping from the car and suffered second degree burns to his forearm, burns to right arm, and a burned face.

3 – Tarbes, 1949, France. Behra started out as a motorbike racer and his big break came in car racing a Maserati 4CL in ’49, but he was also still racing ‘bikes at this time. We can find no record of a circuit at Tarbes, but it’s c.2 hours from Albi, where Behra’s name was recorded as a ‘did not start‘ for a hillclimb there around that time. Perhaps the broken arm and broken collarbone he suffered were on public roads en-route to this event? This injury early in his career certainly didn’t harm his prospects.

4 – Carrera Panamericana, 1959, Mexico. I’m not sure how reliable this newspaper report is because the Carrera Panamericana ended in 1954 (after the deaths of seven contestants and spectators). In 1959 Behra was at his peak, racing elsewhere, so perhaps the fractured elbow mentioned here was actually caused by his crash in Mexico of ’52, or ’53.

5 & 6 – San Remo, 1949, Italy. Behra was down to drive a 3.7-litre Maserati 6C-34, but didn’t start the race and didn’t appear in qualifying either. It’s quite likely that he came unstuck during practice. We had a blast around the historic San Remo street circuit a couple of years ago and it’s tight and twisty like Monaco. There are plenty of places where a miscalculation at speed and clinging to the steering wheel of a stricken car would have resulted in the broken wrist, broken thumb and broken ribs Behra suffered here in 1949.

7 – “Lincoln”, 1957, UK. Another editorial error in this old ‘paper. Behra actually broke these two ribs racing at Goodwood, in a Maserati. I think the Lincoln connection comes because, shortly after this crash, he signed for Lincolnshire-based BRM (later giving the their first win on foreign soil).

9 – Unknown. The picture is tantalisingly cropped just above the text so we don’t know the year or location that caused him to have an operation on his right thigh. Behra could not have allowed time for his injuries to properly heal before racing again. His ribs, in particular, must have looked like bits of broken coat-hanger under x-ray. Yet in an era when fatalities were commonplace, the bravery in choosing to race again so soon after big accidents is remarkable. Behra wasn’t particularly accident prone, or a bad driver, he just survived more big crashes than his contemporaries and was utterly determined to race as soon at every opportunity, fit or otherwise.

10, 16 – Tourist Trophy, 1955, Northern Ireland. This race probably should never have started, it should have been stopped after the first two laps when there’d been nine accidents and there’s no excuse for it continuing by the time three drivers had died before the half way mark. Behra’s Maserati was competitive on tight, wet lanes but, on lap 63, the inevitable accident came. This time he suffered a broken arm, broken forearm, broken right hand and severed tendons. He also had his right earn torn clean off. He later had it replaced with a prosthetic ear, dropping it in the drinks of party-goers for a laugh.

11 – Carrera Panamericana, 1953, Mexico. One might think that, following the massive accident he had on the Panamericana in the previous year (see injuries 1, 8, 17 & 18), that he’d give this race a miss, but he was back for a race that eventually killed nine people in various gruesome accidents. He raced well but crashed again, this time suffering a broken right arm and damaging lumbar vertebrae.

12 – Mille Miglia, 1957, Italy. Maserati were in administration but still managed to put together a works team to enter what would turn out to be the last ever Mille Miglia. Behra crashed during pre-testing, breaking his wrist. His fellow Maserati driver, Stirling Moss, was also out of the race with a broken brake pedal. The Italian government banned racing on public roads after the race following de Portago’s 150 mph crash which killed him, his co-driver and ten spectators.

15 – Les Sables-d’Olonne, 1952, France. Racing for Gordini, perhaps the first team to give him a real break, Behra qualified fourth fastest in this F2 race in the pretty French seaside town. But then the rain came down and he crashed into a ditch early in the race, this time suffering head wounds and breaking both arms. Despite his injuries, plus a damaged wheel and broken steering, he managed to drive the wrecked car back to the pits.

Behra had a reputation for being incredibly courageous, or rather disinterested. By ’59 he was driving for Ferrari but left after an argument at the French Grand Prix about poor reliability which culminated with him punching the team Manager in the face. Ten days later he joined a sportscar race, driving a Porsche at Avus, the high-speed circuit in Berlin which was essentially two straights of Autobahn joined by two primitive banked sections. These were mossy, wet and without guard rails and, when Behra lost control at 110 mph, it was to be his last crash. He was thrown clear of the car, flattened a flagpole and died instantly.

I’d like to think, as he flew through the air to his death, that Behra thought “ah – this will be just another scratch for to my collection.“ His race results were pretty impressive, but the fact that he survived so many colossal accidents during motorsport’s most dangerous era is even more so.

Salut, Jean Behra.

Eugenio Castellotti

Eugenio Castellotti had it all, money, good looks, an actress girlfriend, Delia Scala and the skill to become one of Italy's outstanding drivers. Tragically killed in a pointless test session at the Modena Autodrome in 1957, Eugenio Castellotti died 65 years ago, when he was 27. He would have been 92.

Born in Lodi, not far from Milan, Castellotti came from a family of means. He bought a Ferrari sportscar in 1950, when he was still only 20 years of age and he campaigned it enthusiastically in Italian events in 1951 and 1952. In the second year he began winning, taking victory in the Sicily Gold Cup, the Circuito di Senigallia and the sportscar Portuguese GP. He also finished second in the Monaco GP, run that year for sportscars. But he really hit the headlines when he ran second in the Mille Miglia, this led to him being offered a drive with the Lancia sports car team for the 1953 Carrera Panamericana. He finished third behind Juan Manuel Fangio and Piero Taruffi. He also won the Italian hillclimb championship and the 10 Hours of Messina.

The Lancia connection resulted in him being signed by the Turin company for its Formula 1 programme in 1954. The cars were late arriving and Castellotti did not get to race one of the D50s until the start of 1955.

Scuderia Lancia D50 of Eugenio Castellotti at the 1955 Pau Grand Prix, where he finished second. Photo J. Alexander.

At Pau he finished second ahead of his team mates Gigi Villoresi and Alberto Ascari (although the latter had mechanical trouble).

The Monaco Grand Prix, Monte Carlo, May 22, 1955. The Lancia team cars lined up at Monaco, their last race in force. These were the only cars that could challenge the new Mercedes. Photo by Klemantaski Collection / Getty Images.

He also finished second at Monaco.

Eugenio Castellotti and Gigi Villoresi carry the coffin of Alberto Ascari at Monza in 1955.

A few days later Ascari was killed testing a Ferrari sportscar and, with Villoresi talking of retirement, Castellotti became team leader for one Grand Prix. Then Lancia closed its racing programme and the D50s were sold to Enzo Ferrari.

Ferrari team leader Eugenio Castellotti chats with two ladies during scrutineering in the Piazza Vittoria in Brescia, Italy, before the start of the Mille Miglia, 30th April 1955. Castellotti would drive a Ferrari 121LM into an early lead but would retire with engine failure shortly after the Ravenna control on the Adriatic Coast. Photo by Klemantaski Collection / Getty Images.

Maurice Trintignant, Mike Hawthorn, Eugenio Castellotti, Grand Prix of Netherlands, Zandvoort, 19 June 1955. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

October 16, 1955, Targa Florio, Ferrari 857 S 0570M Castellotti - Manzon.

Eugenio Castellotti, Targa Florio, Sicily, 16 October 1955. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

Eugenio Castellotti, Ferrari 860 Monza, Targa Florio, Sicily, 16 October 1955. Castellotti was very popular in Sicily with the Targa Florio race. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

Castellotti thus became a Ferrari driver but there were too many drivers on the books and so Eugenio concentrated on sports cars, winning the Mille Miglia driving half the race in the pouring rain with no visor and the Sebring 12 Hours. In F1 the high point of his year was second place to Peter Collins in the French Grand Prix at Reims, while he spun out of the race at Monza with tyre failure after an indisciplined battle with team-mate Luigi Musso.

In the early months of 1957 Castellotti featured more in the gossip columns than the motoring magazines due to his high profile affair with opera singer Delia Scala. While on holiday in Florence, he was annoyed to be summoned back to Modena by Enzo Ferrari to do something about the new unofficial lap record which had just been set by Jean Behra in the latest Maserati 250F at the Modena Autodrome. On only his third lap, Castellotti crashed into a small grandstand and was killed instantly.

Four years later another Italian driver, Giulio Cabianca, Castellotti's best friend, died at the same track.

Major career wins (sportscars):

Mille Miglia

12 Hours of Sebring

Sicily Gold Cup

Circuito di Senigallia

Portuguese Grand Prix

Eugenio Castellotti was an Italian racing driver.

An aggressive and fast driver, he was considered the heir of Alberto Ascari. Very well liked by the Italian press and by Enzo Ferrari.

Castellotti came from a family of wealthy landowners. His father was passionate about racing cars, but did not look favorably on his son's interest in motor racing. The death of his parent, in 1950, therefore allowed Castellotti to start his career by buying a Ferrari 166 MM. With this car he took part in various events in the following two years, also finishing sixth in the 1951 Mille Miglia. The following year he began to diversify his commitments by taking part in Formula 2 open-wheel races and obtained his first victories, including the Coppa d'Oro di Sicilia and the Portuguese Grand Prix in the sports car edition. The same year he met, during the Italian Grand Prix in Monza, Alberto Ascari, who then played a fundamental role in the continuation of his career and with whom he became a great friend. A second place obtained in the Mille Miglia, then, allowed him to obtain a contract with Lancia to compete in the Carrera Panamericana of 1953. In the South American appointment the Italian driver stood out finishing in third place, preceded by Juan Manuel Fangio and Piero Taruffi, his teammates.

Given the good results, Ascari managed to get him a contract with Lancia, which included him in the program to debut in Formula 1 in the 1954 season.

Eugenio Castellotti with Cesare Perdisa, his closest friend, in 1955.

The design and development of the Lancia D50 proved, however, longer than expected and the debut took place only in 1955. He, therefore, obtained a second place in Monaco but the death of Ascari, which occurred less than a week later, led the Turin firm to decide to withdraw from the world championship. Castellotti was allowed by Gianni Lancia to race the Belgian Grand Prix with one of the D50s and the Italian obtained his only career pole position on a track unknown to him. In the race, however, he was forced to retire while occupying the third position behind the two Mercedes of Fangio and Moss. After the race in Spa he therefore moved to Ferrari, with which he competed in the last rounds of the season. After a fifth place in the Netherlands and a sixth in Great Britain, for the Monza race the Maranello team brought the D50s donated by Gianni Lancia to their debut for the first time but the single-seaters highlighted several problems during the tests. Castellotti, in order to race with the more powerful Turin cars, declared himself willing to sign a declaration of responsibility, but Enzo Ferrari denied it. Despite this he managed to reach third place, behind Fangio and Taruffi and, therefore, closed the drivers' championship in third position with twelve points obtained.

Fangio, Musso, Castellotti, Shell and de Portago at Sebring on 24 March 1956.

Castellotti and Fangio at Sebring on 24 March 1956.

Juan Manuel Fangio (right) and co-driver Eugenio Castellotti victorious with press after winning the race at Sebring International Raceway, Sebring, Florida, March 24, 1956. Photo by Richard Meek / Sports Illustrated via Getty Images.

Juan Manuel Fangio, Eugenio Castellotti and Luigi Musso, Grand Prix of Sebring, 24 March 1956. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

Luigi Musso, Enzo Ferrari, Eugenio Castellotti (the eventual winner) and Peter Collins discuss the upcoming Mille Miglia at Maranello, April 1956. Photo by Klemantaski Collection / Getty Images.

Eugenio Castellotti and Fiamma Breschi at the Monaco GP in Monte Carlo on 13 May 1956.

Juan Manuel Fangio, Eugenio Castellotti, Andrea Beba Berruet, Grand Prix of Monaco, Monaco, 13 May 1956. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

Eugenio Castellotti, Grand Prix of Monaco, Monaco, 13 May 1956.

Juan Manuel Fangio, Eugenio Castellotti, Harry Schell, Ferrari D50, Grand Prix of Monaco, Monaco, 13 May 1956. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

Eugenio Castellotti and Peter Collins, Grand Prix of Germany, Nurburgring, 05 August 1956. Ferrari teammates Peter Collins and Eugenio Castellotti having some fun in the pits during practice for the 1956 German Grand Prix. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

The sports magazine “Il Campione” of October 1955.

For 1956 Castellotti had the opportunity to dedicate himself both to races with sports cars, winning the Mille Miglia and the 12 Hours of Sebring and to Formula 1. With regard to the season in the top car series, despite the good performances provided in practice, in the race he was often forced to retire. At the French Grand Prix he had the opportunity to win the race but Eraldo Sculati, the team's technical director, forced him to let Peter Collins pass, as the English driver was better placed in the standings, thus forcing him to finish in second place.

Eugenio Castellotti and Delia Scala in 1957.

Eugenio Castellotti with Enzo Ferrari in 1957.

Eugenio Castellotti, Enzo Ferrari and Della Scala in March 1957. Photo by Ullstein Bild via Getty Images.

In March 1957, while he was in Florence, he was recalled by Enzo Ferrari to carry out tests on the Modena Aerautodromo and wrest the circuit record from Jean Behra. While Castellotti was preparing to face a curve near the straight of the Tribunette, he lost control of the car and crashed at about 200 km per hour.

The car of Eugenio Castellotti after the crash in Modena.

The pilot died instantly, but the causes of the accident were never fully clarified. Various hypotheses were formulated, including the alleged fatigue of Castellotti, who often traveled between Modena and Florence, where his girlfriend Delia Scala held a theatrical show, or a sudden failure of the transmission shaft of his car.

Cathedral of Milan, the crowd that took part at the funeral of Eugenio Castellotti in 1957.

The news was received with great despair in the world of motoring and almost all of his colleagues attended his funeral, which took place on March 16. Castellotti was interred in the family tomb in the Maggiore cemetery of Lodi.

Castellotti, the playboy driver with a big heart. Like his Lodi. By Umberto Zapelloni, March 17, 2020.

In these difficult days for Lodi and its province, I wanted to tell the story of a great driver born in Lodi in 1930: Eugenio Castellotti.

Eugenio Castellotti had the image of a playboy, but the heart of a real driver. He could have allowed himself a comfortable life by following in the footsteps of his father, notary and landowner, more than wealthy, in Lodi and, instead, he let himself be infected by the love for speed. He began when his father was no longer there, because the old Castellotti loved engines but did not want his boy to race, even if, in secret and without age yet, he had already started running around in the nights of Lodi.

Eugenio actually became a Castellotti only at 9 years old, before he was called Clerici like his mother Angela, who had had him at the age of 16 while she was serving in the Castellotti house. His father recognized him only after many years and then he also married his mother and his life suddenly changed.

When his father dies, Eugenio is 18 years old, inherits infinite properties and finds himself having to pay over sixty million lire in inheritance taxes when the average salary of an Italian was 30,000 lire a month.

He had no shortage of money and, in 1950, he bought a Ferrari 166MM that everyone would like to have in his garage today. With that car, in 1951, he also won sixth place in the Mille Miglia. He gets his first victories, including the Sicilian Gold Cup and the Portuguese Grand Prix, in the sports car edition. During the Italian Grand Prix in Monza he becomes friends with Alberto Ascari; he obtained a second place in the Mille Miglia and then a contract with Lancia to compete in the 1953 Carrera Panamericana: third.

Endurance races were his passion, in 1956, in addition to the Mille Miglia, he also won the 12 Hours of Sebring paired with Juan Manuel Fangio, but he also began to race in single-seaters, first in Formula 2, then in Formula 1 (14 races, 1 pole position, 3 podiums from 1955 to 1957).

He attended the races and circuits with the same fascination with which he frequented the salons and the beautiful ladies. After the flirtations with Edy Campagnoli and Sandra Milo, he became engaged to Delia Scala, whose real name was Odette Bedogni, one of the stars of the show of a time when they were called soubrettes. They were the classic gravure couple. Beautiful, friendly, always at the center of attention. The beautiful showgirl had managed to cage the unrepentant playboy. A story that would depopulate today at the time of social media.

Eugenio had become great friends with Alberto Ascari and Luigi Villoresi. They challenged each other on the track, but they frequented each other away from the circuits. It was a phone call from him that made Ascari return to the track in Monza a few days after his flight in the sea in Montecarlo. Castellotti was testing his Ferrari in Monza and called his friend: come and see me, you and Gigi. Villoresi picked up Ascari in Corso Sempione and, once they arrived in Monza, Ascari felt an irresistible desire to get back behind the wheel.

"Euge, will you let me try it?"

"Why not, come on ..."

"But I don't have a helmet and gloves."

"I'll lend you everything, don't worry."

Ascari was no longer a Ferrari driver, he had moved on to Lancia. But it happened what could never happen today. Castellotti lent him his Ferrari for a lap. Ascari went out and never came back. It was May 26, 1955.

Castellotti also left in a test, at the Modena racetrack, where he was suddenly summoned by Ferrari to beat a record set by Maserati, the hated Maserati, while he was in Florence to attend a theatrical show of his girlfriend.

It tells of a sleepless night spent arguing with his girlfriend. They loved each other and left themselves, prisoners of their passions, the speed for him, theater and entertainment for her. They came to promise to get married and leave everything, racing and acting. But then, again to argue.

The tiredness for that nocturnal comings and goings from Florence, to his love. Mechanical break. You never knew for sure. But, at 26 and a half, his big heart stopped beating just when he could have reaped more triumphs. It was 5:19 pm on March 14, 1957.

Peter Collins

Peter Collins, "the kind driver" of Formula One who died at the 1958 edition of the “green hell”. Of him, in addition to the three victories obtained in F1, one remembers above all the gesture of enormous altruism made towards his teammate Juan Manuel Fangio in Monza in 1956.

Juan Manuel Fangio, Peter Collins, Alfonso de Portago and Luigi Musso.

That year he was competing for the world championship with the Argentine and Stirling Moss. The race, however, immediately took a turn in favor of Moss, who was in command, but Fangio just needed to finish second to win the world championship. On lap 34, however, the Argentine was forced to return to the pits due to a steering failure, thus cut off from the race for the world championship. At this point Collins, third behind Moss and Musso, had to recover and win with the fastest lap to become champion. Against all the expectations, when the Englishman returned to the pits decided to give Fangio his car which Musso, the other Ferrari driver, had refused to do. But, thanks to Musso's retirement, the Argentine managed to reach the finish line second behind Moss, winning his fourth world title. "Look, it is more right that you win this world championship, I am young and I will have other opportunities." Destiny was against him, but this does not prevent us from placing him among the greats ...

Peter Collins, a gentleman both behind the wheel and out of the cockpit.

Peter Collins. 16 Sep 2021. Debonair, handsome and a favourite of Enzo Ferrari, Peter Collins had everything going for him at the start of the 1958 Grand Prix season, but success would ultimately end in tragedy. Words – Gavin Green.

Peter Collins, Louise Collins, Mike Hawthorn, Grand Prix of Monaco, Monaco, 18 May 1958. Peter Collins and his wife, actress Louise King; Hawthorn looking the other way. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

Peter Collins, Louise Collins, Grand Prix of Monaco, Monaco, 18 May 1958. Peter Collins and his wife, actress Louise King. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

Peter Collins, Louise Collins, Grand Prix of Monaco, Monaco, 18 May 1958. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

Mike Hawthorn and Peter Collins sitting in a small motor-boat at Monaco. Photo by Fox Photos / Getty Images.

Peter Collins, Jack Brabham, Ferrari D50, Cooper-Climax T45, Grand Prix of Monaco, Monaco, 18 May 1958. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

Peter Collins, Mike Hawthorn, Grand Prix of Belgium, Spa Francorchamps, 15 June 1958. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

Mike Hawthorn, Peter Collins, Grand Prix of Great Britain, Silverstone Circuit, 19 July 1958. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

Peter Collins, Mike Hawthorn, Grand Prix of Germany, Nurburgring, 03 August 1958. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

British racing driver Mike Hawthorn arrives at London Airport with Louise Collins, the wife of fellow racing driver Peter Collins, UK, 04th August 1958. Collins had been killed the day before, during the German Grand Prix at Nurburgring. Photo by Mike McKeown / Express /Getty Images.

The 1958 Grand Prix season was the Englishman’s third year as a Ferrari F1 driver, despite being just 26 years old.

Racing driver Peter Collins and his wife Louise.

Racing driver Peter Collins and his wife Louise.

Life was good. A year earlier, he’d met American actress Louise King, whose father was a US representative to the United Nations.

Peter Collins and Louise get married in January 1957.

They married a week after meeting and lived on a yacht in Monte Carlo. She was interviewed in the movie “Ferrari: race to immortality”. Collins also had a close friendship with his Ferrari teammate Mike Hawthorn. They even shared prize money.

The Ferrari 1958 cockpit.

That 1958 season began well for Collins, with sports car victories in Buenos Aires and at the Sebring 12 hours, driving the Ferrari 250 TR (Testa Rossa).

Peter Collins having a drink with a girl.

Peter Collins having a drink with friends.

As the season progressed, tension developed with Enzo Ferrari, who disapproved of his marriage and thought he was living a playboy lifestyle.

Collins was born in Kidderminster, England, in November 1931, the son of a garage owner. He first made his name in sports car racing and joined Ferrari in 1956.

Peter Collins, Ferrari Lancia D40, May 13, 1956, Monaco Grand Prix.

Peter Collins, Targa Florio, Sicily, 10 June 1956. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

Peter Collins celebrating his victory, Grand Prix of France, Reims, 01 July 1956. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

Peter Collins, Grand Prix of France, Reims, 01 July 1956. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

Juan Manuel Fangio, PeterCollins, Ferrari D50, Grand Prix of Germany, Nurburgring, 05 August 1956. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

Peter Collins, team driver for the Scuderia Ferrari, plays on a toy replica Ferrari as his wife Louise King watches on 01 April 1957 at the Ferrari headquarters in Maranello, Italy. Photo by Keystone / Hulton Archive / Getty Images.

Peter Collins arrives at London Airport with his wife, actress Louise Cordier (stage name Louise King), 27th March 1957. The couple met in Monte Carlo and were married in January. Photo by Keystone / Hulton Archive / Getty Images.

Peter Collins, Louise Collins, Ferrari 250 GT Convertible Prototipo, Grand Prix of Monaco, Monaco, 19 May 1957. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

Peter Collins, Louise Collins, Grand Prix of Monaco, Monaco, 19 May 1957. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

Juan Manuel Fangio, Peter Collins, Stirling Moss, Maserati 250F, Ferrari 801, Grand Prix of Monaco, Monaco, May 19, 1957. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

Phil Hill, Peter Collins, Louise Collins, 24 Hours of Le Mans, Le Mans, 23 June 1957. Phil Hill watches Peter Collins and his wife, actress Louise King. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

Mike Hawthorn, Peter Collins, Grand Prix of Great Britain, Aintree, 20 July 1957. Mike Hawthorn and Peter Collins, mates. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

Peter Collins, Louise Collins, Grand Prix of Great Britain, Aintree, 20 July 1957. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

Peter Collins, Ferrari 801, Grand Prix of Great Britain, Aintree, 20 July 1957. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

Peter Collins, Louise Collins, Grand Prix of Sweden, Kristianstad, 11 August 1957. Peter Collins and his wife, actress Louise King. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

Yet a few months later, he scored a wonderful win at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, his third F1 victory for the Scuderia. Teammate and fellow countryman Mike Hawthorn came second, in a memorable Ferrari 1-2. Two weeks later, in the German GP at the daunting and dangerous Nürburgring, Collins ran off the road while dicing for the lead, after entering the tricky Pflanzgarten section a touch too quickly and slightly off-line. In those days, high-speed mistakes meant either lucky escapes or tragedy. As another English driver and future Ferrari star Tony Brooks put it: ‘sometimes we got away with it and sometimes we didn’t.’

Peter Collins after the crash.

Peter Collins fatal crash at the 1958 German Grand Prix in Nurburgring in a rare photo.

Collins’ coffin.

Poor Collins didn’t. He was thrown from his somersaulting car – this was before drivers wore seat belts – and hit a tree. He was the second Ferrari F1 driver killed in just four weeks. A month earlier, teammate Luigi Musso died in a similar accident in the French GP.

The Englishman greatly impressed Enzo when he took the trouble to learn Italian after joining Ferrari and cheerfully adopted the Italian way of life.

A few months later Hawthorn was also killed, although not on the track. Partly because of Collins’ death, he retired from racing at the end of the 1958 season, after securing the world title for Ferrari. He died in a road accident in England early in 1959.

Collins joined Ferrari in 1956. That same year Enzo Ferrari’s son Alfredo (nicknamed Dino) died aged just 24 – the same age as Collins. The blond English driver showed great kindness to Dino. Enzo and his wife Laura turned to Collins for solace, treating him almost as a surrogate son.

Collins' main rival was Juan Manuel Fangio.

His sportsmanship and driving skills were also endearing.

During his first season for Ferrari, in 1956, he scored memorable wins at Spa in Belgium and in France. Going into the final round, the Italian GP at Monza, he had a chance of winning the World Championship. His main rival was Ferrari teammate Juan Manuel Fangio, the greatest driver of the 1950s and already a three-time World Champion. Fangio retired with steering problems before half distance, gifting Collins his big chance.

In those days, drivers were allowed to hand over their cars to teammates, particularly if they were senior. In a remarkable act of sportsmanship, Collins gave his car to Fangio. The great Argentinian duly finished second in the race to Stirling Moss’s Maserati, shared the points with Collins and won his fourth world title.

‘I was moved almost to tears by the gesture, Peter was one of the finest and greatest gentlemen I ever met in my racing career’, Fangio later said. At just 24 years old, Collins reckoned he’d have other opportunities. Less than two years later, he was dead.

Louise Collins on 28 August 1959. Photo by Shutterstock.

Louise Collins on 13 July 1960. Photo by Shutterstock.

Louise Collins on 23 May 1961. Photo by Shutterstock.

Snapshot, 1957: a kiss for luck on the Mille Miglia. 13 May 2017.

Peter Collins kissing his American wife Louise Collins at the Mille Miglia Automobile Race. Italy, May 1957. Photo by Emilio Ronchini / Mondadori via Getty Images.

It’s May 1957 and Peter Collins spends the last few moments prior to the start of the Mille Miglia to share a laugh with his new wife Louise — even stealing a kiss in full racing regalia. Is that steam we see filling up those goggles?

Louise Collins looking at her husband and British racing driver Peter Collins checking his racing goggles at the Mille Miglia Automobile Race. Italy, May 1957. Photo by Emilio Ronchini / Mondadori via Getty Images.

Peter Collins wearing crash helmet and racing goggles and kissing his American wife Louise Collins seated at the table at the Mille Miglia Automobile Race. Italy, May 1957. Photo by Emilio Ronchini / Mondadori via Getty Images.

Peter Collins hugging his American wife Louise Collins seated at the table at the Mille Miglia Automobile Race. Italy, May 1957. Photo by Emilio Ronchini / Mondadori via Getty Images.

Louise Collins posing smiling leaned on the car driven by her husband and British racing driver Peter Collins at the Mille Miglia Automobile Race. Italy, May 1957. Photo by Emilio Ronchini / Mondadori via Getty Images.

Louise Collins posing smiling at the wheel of the car driven by her husband and British racing driver Peter Collins at the Mille Miglia Automobile Race. Italy, May 1957. Photo by Emilio Ronchini / Mondadori via Getty Images.

Whether this little peck will have a positive or negative effect is yet to be determined. But, after a good hop off the start line just moments later, Collins — along with his navigation partner, photographer Louis Klemenstaski — would make the best of the kiss’s powers, keeping with the front of the pack over the next five hours and even leading for a while. Unfortunately, the kiss’s luck would not last the entirety of the race, as Collins and Klementaski’s 335 S would break down by the side of the road just before Rovigo. But, with Alfonso de Portago’s tragic fatal crash just miles ahead, maybe the smooch was actually luckier than originally thought?

Piers Courage

Etonian Piers Courage, heir to the Courage Brewery Company, was a young Formula 1 driver tipped for success by many, but was sadly never destined to realise his full potential.

Piers Courage with his fiancée, Lady Sarah Curzon. Fotomax Vintage photo.

Piers Courage plays golf in Australia, watched by Jochen and Nina Rindt. Source theroaringseason.com.

Sally Courage wife or Piers Courage.

In his schooldays, Piers would ‘bunk off’ and head to Silverstone, where he first found a taste for racing cars that would stay with him for the rest of his life.

In an effort to do the decent thing and repay his parents’ investment in his schooling, Piers pursued a career in accountancy, but on discovering that an office job wasn’t really for him and, his parents being of considerable means, he was able to convince them to buy him a Lotus 7 with which to go club racing. This was on the understanding that it would be part-time and his main focus would continue to be studying for his accountancy exams.

This two-pronged attack on life lasted for another couple of years, before Piers flung himself headlong into Formula 3 where he’d spend four seasons, showing definite speed, albeit with a bravado that would contribute to a number of DNFs.

Lady Sarah Curzon, 21, marries Mr Piers Courage, son of Mr Richard Courage, chairman of the brewing firm. She is the youngest daughter of the late Earl Howe and Sybil, Countess Howe, of Penn. Holy Trinity, Brompton, London, 29th March 1966. Photo by Eric Harlow / Mirrorpix / Getty Images.

The wedding of British racing driver Piers Courage, heir to the Courage brewing dynasty and Lady Sarah Curzon, 29th March 1966. Photo by Philip Townsend / Express / Hulton Archive / Getty Images.

29th March 1966. Piers Courage and Lady Sarah Curzon. Fotomax Vintage photo.

Piers Courage and Lady Sarah Curzon after their wedding at the Holy Trinity church in Brompton, London, 29th March 1966. Photo by John Wilds / Keystone /Hulton Archive / Getty Images.

Lady Sarah Curzon, 21, marries Mr Piers Courage, Holy Trinity, Brompton, London, 29th March 1966. Photo by Eric Harlow / Mirrorpix / Getty Images.

Lady Sarah Curzon, soon after her marriage to British racing driver Piers Courage, UK, 1966. Photo by Evening Standard / Hulton Archive / Getty Images.

Piers Courage and his wife Lady Sarah Curzon, also known as Sally, sit aboard the Charles Lucas Team Lotus Lotus 41 Ford Cosworth to celebrate his victory in the Formula 3 race on 8th May 1966 at the Brands Hatch Circuit in United Kingdom. Photo by Victor Blackman / Daily Express / Getty Images.

Piers Courage with his wife Lady Sarah Curzon, before the Radio London Trophy race at Silverstone, UK, 13th May 1966. Courage is driving a Charles Lucas Team Lotus Lotus 41 Ford Cosworth. Photo by Evening Standard / Hulton Archive / Getty Images.

Piers Courage sits aboard the n.24 Lotus 41 as his wife Lady Sarah Curzon stands beside him in the paddock on 13th May 1966. Photo by Victor Blackman / Daily Express / Getty Images.

It was in F3 that Piers came to the attention of Colin Chapman. This would lead to him not only winning a number of F3 races in one of Chapman’s Lotus 41s, but some time later being offered the seat in the second Formula 1 Lotus following Jim Clark’s death in 1968 – an offer Piers would turn down.

During Piers’ heady F3 days he would share a London flat with good friend Frank Williams, penniless at the time, but with a grand vision of getting a team into Formula 1 (but not before he’d attempt to realise his own driving ambitions).

Piers was signed by BRM in 1967, where he was pitted against another young British charger Chris Irwin for a single Grand Prix seat. Two drives and a spin and a crash later it looked like his chance had gone, but he headed to Australia for the Tasman series and, after beating Jim Clark and Graham Hill no less to for the win, his F1 dream was back on.

Piers Courage tackles a very silly photo shoot in a pub in 1968, modelling a classic two-piece racing suit. The lady model carrying his helmet is his wife Sally. Source Peterwindsor.co.

Lady Sarah Courage, model and wife of English racing driver Piers Courage, arrived at Sydney Airport on February 09, 1968 to go with her husband to the races at surfer's Paradise. Lady Courage is wearing a Bonnie and Clyde type outfit. Photo by Trevor James Dallen / Fairfax Media via Getty Images.

Lady Sarah Curzon pictured at Warwick Farm on February 28, 1968. Her husband, Piers Courage is a contender in the Tasman Series to be run on Saturday, Lady Curzon, 23, is a Mary Quant model. She has been married to Mr. Courage for one year. Photo by John Patrick O'Gready / Fairfax Media via Getty Images.

Fashion model Lady Sarah Curzon, 16th May 1968. Photo by Dove / Express / Hulton Archive / Getty Images.

Jacky Ickx, Jackie Stewart and Piers Courage, Grand Prix of Italy, Autodromo Nazionale Monza, 08 September 1968. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

Piers Courage with his wife Sally on 08 September, 1968 at the Italian GP.

Some skilled fashionista was able to match these legs to Piers and Sally Courage, 08 September 1968. We want long socks to come back in. And racing drivers getting endearingly mucky.

Piers Courage, BRM P126, Grand Prix of Mexico, Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Mexico City, Mexico, November 03, 1968. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

Piers Courage with team boss Frank Williams in 1968.

Opting to drive again for Reg Parnell & BRM rather than taking up Colin Chapman’s offer to play a supporting role to Graham Hill at the mighty Team Lotus, Piers put in some sterling drives in sub-par machinery in Formula 1, alongside a limited Formula 2 campaign in a Brabham, entered by his old pal and now team-owner Frank Williams in which he scored a hatful of podiums including a win in the last race of the season in Argentina.

Piers Courage and girls in 1969.

Piers and Sally Courage talking with the Victorian Governor Sir Rohan Delacombe and his missus, Sandown, Tasman, February 16, 1969. Photo by John Stanley / Getty Images.

Piers Courage and his wife Sally photographed during the practice sessions for the Formula 2 race at Thruxton in April 1969.

Beautiful shot of the Rindts and the Courages at an F2 race at Thruxton on April 07, 1969. Source Facebook.

Piers Courage drives the n.9 Frank Williams Racing Cars Brabham BT26A Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 in the French Grand Prix at the Circuit de Charade motorsport race track, near Clermont-Ferrand, on 06th July 1969. Photo by Bob Thomas / Popperfoto via Getty Images / Getty Images.

Piers Courage driving in the air the Brabham BT26A Ford for the Frank Williams Racing Team at the German Grand Prix in Nurburgring on 03 August 1969.

Bruce McLaren and Sally Courage, Monza, Italy, September 07, 1969.

Bruce McLaren and Sally Courage, Monza, Italy, September 07, 1969.

Piers-Courage, Brabham BT26, Monza, September 07, 1969.

Award ceremony in Watkins Glen on October 05, 1969: winner Jochen Rindt, Lotus Ford and Piers Courage, Brabham Ford.

Buoyed by their success, Frank made the step up to Formula 1 in 1969 and took Piers with him. Equipped with a Brabham BT26 with a Cosworth DFV bolted in the back, Piers was to mix it with the likes of Jackie Stewart, Graham Hill and Bruce McLaren all season long, eventually finishing the season with a couple of second places and a bagful of points.

In the 60s and 70s, drivers’ partners weren’t just pretty faces. Here, in 1970, Nina Rindt shows Sally Courage the correct way to fill in a lap chart. Source rookiemag.com.

Piers Courage, De Tomaso-Ford 505/38, Grand Prix of Monaco, Circuit de Monaco, Monaco, May 10, 1970. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

Piers Courage, Jackie Stewart and Graham Hill during the BEA Trident Trophy at the Brands Hatch circuit in Fawkham, England, United Kingdom, May 24, 1970. Photo by Keystone – France / Gamma - Rapho via Getty Images.

Piers Courage, in a De Tomaso Ford-Cosworth 505, with team boss Frank Williams in 1970.

1970 brought a new deal for Frank to switch to the newly designed De Tomaso chassis, but the new car quickly proved to be cumbersome and unreliable and the season started poorly.

In the Dutch Grand Prix, held on 21st June 1970, Piers started in 9th place and things appeared to be improving for the Englishman and his De Tomaso.

Piers Courage, the Netherlands, 1970. By F1 history.

Holland, 21st June 1970, workmen clear away rubble from the wreckage of Piers Courage's De Tomaso Ford car in which he died whilst competing in the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort. Photo by Popperfoto via Getty Images.

He was moving steadily through the field when, on lap 22, he crashed fatally after something broke (quite what has never been determined) on the car as he rounded the Tunnel - Oost right hander on the quick back section of the Zandvoort circuit, the car leaving the track, disintegrating on contact with the dunes and bursting into flames, fuelled by magnesium used in the De Tomaso’s construction.

It is presumed that, on impact with the sand dunes, a wheel hit Piers on the head dislodging his helmet and killing him instantly; The ferocity of the fire and the length of time it took to extinguish the flames made it impossible to subsequently determine the cause of the accident from what was left of the car.

This is a paperback edition of the biography published to great acclaim in 2003. Paperback July 15, 2010.

Piers is remembered as being a gentleman. As courageous a driver as there has ever been, he was blisteringly quick, if not a little erratic – something he was quickly overcoming. Sadly he never got the chance to prove how good he was in a truly competitive car.

Mark Donohue

"If I am I afraid of the more than 1000 horsepower in my car? I wouldn't say so. There isn't enough power for me until the wheels skid at the end of the straight when I'm in top gear." Mark Donohue

In search of Team Penske racing legend Mark Donohue. Racer helped build the foundation for Roger Penske's racing success. By Bruce Martin. June 19, 2018.

When David Donohue was young, he never really got to know his father, Mark Donohue, one of the great technical drivers of his era. Donohue’s dad was often racing in the United States or Canada for a fledgling operation called Penske Racing. Worse yet, when Donohue wasn’t racing, he was working 18- to 20-hour days at the team’s small race shop, located in a garage in Newton Square, Pennsylvania, a Philadelphia suburb and, later, a more modern facility in nearby Reading. The Newtown Square facility was a small, 4,000 square-foot garage out back with a small bungalow in front of the shop. The bungalow is where team manager Chuck Cantwell and the team’s public relations director Dan Luginbuhl worked, along with secretary Maryann O’Donnell. Upstairs was a small room with a bed that had an outside private entrance. That is where Mark Donohue often slept when he worked his way to near exhaustion at the race shop.

Mark Donohue spent many late nights in the bungalow in front of the original Penske garage in Newtown Square, Pa. Bruce Martin.

Mark’s wife, Sue, raised young David and his older brother Michael.

His father’s absence from the family took its toll and eventually the marriage dissolved into divorce. Mark won the 1972 Indianapolis 500 when David was just five. Three years later, Mark was gone, dead from a cerebral hemorrhage suffered in a crash during practice for the Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix at Österreichring. An investigation determined tire failure caused Donohue’s fatal crash and the family won a $12 million settlement. David followed his father into sports car racing for Porsche. Today, he works for Porsche Cars North America as client relationship manager. Through racing and after more than four decades after the tragic death of his father, David Donohue believes he has found Mark Donohue. “My involvement in racing has been like a jigsaw puzzle,” David Donohue told Autoweek. “No one piece tells you what the puzzle is. I get all of these tiny little stories from everybody where my dad grabbed this guy as a kid and sat him in the car - and that motivated him enough to go to engineering school. Or, signing some autographs.”

Penske's first race shop in Newtown Square, Pa. Bruce Martin.

“All of these tiny little stories you get to put all of these puzzle pieces together and get a much better picture of my father. That is something I would have never had if I didn’t go to races. Racing is a very weird circus that way. You can go away and the void that you leave gets filled quickly, but when you come back, you are greeted with open arms. It is strangely rewarding in a way I never thought racing would be for me, personally.” Among the most impressive cars in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum is the beautiful blue and yellow n. 66 McLaren / Offenhauser that Mark Donohue drove to win the 1972 Indy 500. Every time David Donohue sees that car, he sees his father. “It’s something that I’ve looked at since I was really young as a kid,” Donohue said. “It was an iconic car, iconic colors for the day and it really brings back memories. Seeing it in real life when you come into the museum here, I know one thing: I fit in it really well. When you see the car in real life, it becomes so much more real.”

The n. 66 Penske Racing entry went on to win at Indianapolis in 1972 to give Roger Penske the first of his 17 Indy 500 wins. IMS Archives.

That sense of realism often hits Mark Donohue’s son. It’s as if his father is in his presence. “I didn’t expect that at all,” David Donohue, 51, said. “I got into racing because it seemed like an easy thing to do. And my wife gave me permission, so when something like that happens you have to go. I didn’t get to know my father very well because he passed away when I was young, but racing has given him back to me. It’s made me realize it’s an honor to be his son. It’s always great that history is reviewed and remembered and adds more to the prominence and significance of the event to bring it all together.” The 1972 Indy win was a classic race for the man who not only drove the race car but also served as its engineer and mechanic back at Penske Racing. Donohue paced himself that day and took the lead for the first time with 12 laps to go. “I was at Lime Rock, Connecticut,” Donohue said. “We were in Lime Rock and I was in a motorhome and my mom came out and woke my brother and I up so we could watch the end of the race. Back then it was tape-delayed and she was watching the race on TV. When she brought us in to see the finish, I don’t think she knew he had won.”

1972 Indy 500 winner Mark Donohue. IMS Archives.

“I know their first conversation after the race, he didn’t say (that he had won). He wanted to know how we were doing. He was just that way.” Mark Donohue was an enigma. He would greet those who didn’t know him with a smile, but he was so focused and obsessed with making the race car go fast, he was distant. To those who knew him best, he had a tremendous sense of humor and enjoyed pulling pranks. “I used to hate riding with him to the airport,” said Don Cox, a former chief engineer at Penske Racing when Donohue was with the team. “The trip to the airport was like the Mille Miglia. Sometimes, I would leave early and take my own car to the airport because I didn’t want to put up with him. Amongst his friends, he liked practical jokes and liked catching people out on things.” Donohue was fiercely motivated and was one of the first drivers to bring a sense of mechanical engineering to his craft. Racing was Donohue’s obsession.

Early Team Penske engineer Don Cox. Bruce Martin.

Walt Czarnecki, Team Penske vice chairman and among the operation’s early members, has a deep admiration and respect for what Donohue meant to the Penske organization. Czarnecki saw the brilliance, humor and darkness - all part of Donohue’s character. “The thing that impressed me most about Mark is how serious he was about racing, vehicle preparation and all of the things that we know that contribute to success,” Czarnecki said. “Conversely, Mark had one of the greatest senses of humor of anybody I ever met. One night I was in Philadelphia and was following Mark to the old shop in Newtown Square. He said, ‘just follow me.’ Following Mark Donohue on a two-lane road with no street lights was an exercise. I did everything I could to keep up. He did everything he could to lose me. He busted a gut when we got back to the shop.” Then there was Mark’s other side. “Prior to a race, he would sit in the back of the transporter by himself in the dark and think about the race,” Czarnecki said. “When he came out, he was a different person. That was the most striking thing I ever saw him do.”

Roger Penske and Mark Donohue following Donohue's IROC win in 1974. Motorsport Images - LAT.

“As a person, he was always fun to be around, but I always admired that work ethic he displayed when it was time to race.”

Donohue was known as “Captain Nice.” To some, however, Donohue seemed distant and was later nicknamed “Dark Monohue.”

“Donohue was a good guy,” said long-time racing journalist Robin Miller, who was a young reporter for The Indianapolis Star when Donohue raced at Indy. “Strange and smart, but very driven.”

The drive set Mark Donohue apart and made him the winningest driver in Team Penske history. As Roger Penske said, “Mark wasn’t flashy, but he put the numbers on the board.”

His 59 wins remain the most of any driver for Team Penske. Brad Keselowski is second with 54 wins in NASCAR Xfinity and Monster Energy Cup Series racing.

Mark Donohue racked in 59 career wins for Team Penske in several different series. Motorsport Images - LAT.

Most of Donohue’s wins (28) came in Trans-Am, the United States Road Racing Championship (12) and Can-Am (10). His Porsche 917-30 was so dominant it was called the “Can-Am Killer,” as he won seven of eight races and the 1973 Can-Am Championship. He won three times in IndyCar competition and won the 1973 NASCAR Cup Series race at Riverside Raceway in Riverside, California, driving an AMC Matador.

Donohue won in every type of race car he climbed into except for one - the Formula 1 March 751 that ultimately cost him his life.

It’s been 43 years since Donohue’s death, but he remains Penske Racing’s cornerstone. He was young Roger Penske’s equal. The two had a tremendous respect for each other and put their own personal egos aside to win races.

“He was my original partner in racing,” Penske told Autoweek. “Think about the championships we won together, the first Indy 500 victory for the team, three Trans-Am championships. He won many races for us and the first IROC championship with the Porsche. He gave us a lot of credibility and was the keystone of our racing. He also gave us our first NASCAR win. He could drive a car in the 24-hour race at Daytona, a Trans-Am Car, an Indy car and a NASCAR car.”

Mark Donohue at the 1971 Canadian Grand Prix. Motorsport Images - LAT.

“Today, we have specialists, but Mark was such a versatile guy, he drove everything for us.”

Mark Donohue did not take a traditional route to racing or to Penske’s side.

“Mark was an engineer from Brown University,” Penske said. “He was passionate about racing. I saw him race at Lime Rock in an Elva and (longtime Penske friend and later president of the IROC series) Jay Signore said I should watch this guy. I got to know Mark and hired him to run our Can-Am car. He turned out to be a real partner of mine.”

“He’d drive the truck, he’d drive the race car, he would work on the car. He was really the first person that I knew in racing that not only had the driving skills, but also the technical knowledge. A lot of the things we saw on today’s cars are things Mark thought about and brought to the surface.”

Mark Donohue stood out more ways than one when he was dominating the Can Am Series in the early. Motorsport Images - LAT.

The original Penske Racing team included Penske, Donohue, chief mechanic and crew chief Karl Kainhofer. There was also Earl McMullen and Bill Cox, who worked for the team’s sponsor, Sun Oil. Don Cox would later join the team in 1969 after working as an engineer for General Motors.

“I was the chief engineer because I was the only engineer,” Cox recalled.

Donohue’s degree from Brown in Mechanical Engineering got him a job designing filters for air conditioners - not quite what he had in mind. His true passion was racing.

Donohue’s father was a patent attorney. Mark contracted polio when he was 6, but he fully recovered. In 1961, Donohue bought the Elva and battled with another young racing star, Peter Revson, for the SCCA divisional championship. Donohue won.

Mark Donohue races to the win at the 1972 Indy 500. IMS Archive.

Walt Hangsen, a former SCCA champion and road racing veteran who even make a pair of F1 starts, helped Donohue get a ride in John Mecom’s Ferrari 250LM at Sebring in 1965. The team was third at Daytona and second at Sebring. Hangsen was killed testing a car for the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans.

It was at Hangsen’s funeral that Roger Penske approached Donohue to drive for him. With Donohue’s methodical approach and his commitment to work for Penske fulltime “that counted for a lot,” Penske said.

Donohue was obsessed with finding any possible advantage through engineering - and loopholes in the rules.

In 1967 he became the USRRC champion, winning six out of eight races. In 1968 he was USRRC champion again, winning five of eight and he was also Trans-Am champion, winning 10 of 13. In 1969 Mark repeated his Trans-Am championship, winning six of 12.

“They were just forging ahead,” David Donohue recalled. “It was always on to the next project.”

David Donohue drives his dad's 1972 Indy 500-winning car at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2016. Motorsport Images - LAT.

And, according to Cox, “Roger certainly did his part in coming up with ‘next projects.’”

In 1969, Penske brought his team - and the Penske way - to the Indianapolis 500 for the first time.

“We were the college kids with the crew cuts and the polished wheels,” Penske said. “We had a polished yellow tile floor in our garage in Gasoline Alley and took everything out at night and cleaned the floor. That got everybody’s attention - the polished wheels, the way our guys looked, the way the cars were prepared and, obviously, the performance was good.”

“We started with a Lola 4-wheel drive and, in 1971, we got a McLaren. We went to Phoenix and tested it with the wings off and then put the wings on and couldn’t believe how fast it was. We went to the Speedway in 1971 and we had this card that translated the speed on the stopwatch to your average speed. He went over 180 miles per hour for the first time and it wasn’t on the chart, so nobody knew how fast he went.”

“We had some good times back then.”

Fellow racer and former teammate Sam Posey called Donohue, “a gunslinger who also happened to have designed the gun.”

Mark Donohue and Roger Penske during a break in the Indy-car action at Michigan International Speedway in 1974. Motorsport Images - LAT.

Donohue, no matter what he accomplished, couldn’t rest. He obsessively lived at the shop, working as many as 20 hours a day. Even the win at the 1972 Indianapolis 500 created more sleepless nights, because the win did not come on his own terms. The setup he designed for his car didn’t have as much speed as teammate Gary Bettenhausen’s setup.

Begrudgingly, Donohue used Bettenhausen’s setup for the race. That day at Indy, Bobby Unser’s Eagle dominated the contest before Unser dropped out. That put Bettenhausen in the lead before a pinhole leak in the Bettenhausen car’s cooling system with 12 laps to go put Donohue in the lead and the first of Penske Racing’s record 16 Indy 500 victories.

“For him, it was a check in the box,” Penske recalled. “Mark wasn’t an emotional guy. It’s a goal he had and a goal he checked off. I don’t remember him changing a bit.”

“He was very quiet, very unassuming,” Mario Andretti told Autoweek. “He was a sweet gentleman in every race. There was no real color out of it. You never saw him in an argument with anybody. He flew under the radar a lot, but he was always there.”

“But he always had good equipment, too. With Roger Penske, you are always going to have good equipment. He was good in Trans-Am, Indy cars, Can-Am and Formula One. He did the job for Roger, no question. And I know that Roger loved him. The guy never gained that flashy status. He was so gentlemanly, he was boring.”

“He won Indy and we juiced him up and he was out there giving a speech and he was so funny that his sense of humor came out and everybody loved it. The real Mark came out.”

Jackie Stewart interviews Mark Donohue prior to an IROC race in 1974. Motorsport Images - LAT.

Five weeks after winning the 500, Donohue was testing his Can-Am Porsche 917-10 at Road Atlanta when the car got airborne at 160 mph. The car did a series of cartwheels and Donohue broke both legs. Painkillers affected his memory and he began drinking heavily to deal with the pain.

Two months later, he was winning again.

With his marriage to Sue falling apart, Donohue’s personal life was in turmoil. In 1974, he quit driving and became president of Penske Racing. That didn’t satisfy his competitive spirits, so he decided to take on Formula One. By then, he had remarried to a model from Atlanta named Eden.

Donohue began the 1975 Formula 1 season as a 38-year-old rookie and the oldest driver on the grid.

“He just decided it was time to get out and he wanted to do the Formula 1 program,” Penske said. “He wanted to show he could do it all again.”

“We had the tragic crash in practice and he seemed like he was all right, but he ended up losing his life.”

“It affected the whole team. Losing a driver is something you can’t replace. He lost his life doing what he wanted to do, which is one thing, but it took us a long time to get over that. He was so key in the operation when he was there, it’s something we had to rebuild. That took a couple of years.”

“He was a partner, he was a friend and a critical piece of the foundation of our race team.”

The search for Mark Donohue concludes in the upscale community of Summit, New Jersey, just outside of New York City. It is there, at Saint Teresa Cemetery and Mausoleum, that Donohue is buried alongside his mother and father.

Toy cars at the gravesite of Mark Donohue in Summit, New Jersey. Photo by Bruce Martin.

A visit to the gravesite on a gray, cold, foggy March day revealed little toy race cars on the gravestone, along with a plastic checkered flag - a testament of the life of Mark Donohue.

David Donohue. Motorsport Images - LAT.

To those who work at the cemetery, Donohue is simply known as “The race car driver”.

“The guy that is most like Mark that I’ve ever met is David,” said Don Cox. “He is really, really like Mark – for good or ill. I’ve worked with David for a little bit. He thinks the same way. He finds the same things funny. He approaches things the same way. It would have really been great watching those two together in the later years if it had gotten that far.”

“David Donohue is proof positive that apples don’t fall far from the tree. I’m sure David really missed out on a lot. It would have been really fun to watch the two of them because they are so much alike. Michael is another guy but there is this thing between Mark and David, even in terms of their life experiences.”

“It would have been interesting.”

Mark Donohue: returns to die. By Michael Katz. August 21, 1975.

The doctors in Graz, Austria, said yesterday that the racing driver would have been crippled for life had he survived. And Mark Donohue couldn't live with retirement.

Donohue, who retired from one of the greatest careers in auto racing history at age 36, unretired at 37 and died Tuesday night at 38 of brain injuries suffered in a crash before the Austrian Grand Prix.

He knew racing drivers couldn't come back. He said so himself many times. But, in eight months of retirement, the quiet, well‐spoken kid from the “other” side of the tracks learned that the hobby that had become an obsession still haunted him. He knew, maybe all along, that he would come back.

And so, last Sunday, while warming up his car at the Oesterreichring, a hill five hours by train from Vienna in the middle of nowhere, he had an accident.

“No, I never worried about the dangers of racing,” he said in March, 1974, while being honored at a luncheon following his retirement. “I always said driving wasn't really a dangerous situation. The driver must accept the risks involved, which I did — and I spent my time in the hospital as a result.”

Twice before he had had serious accidents and he walked like a man who had had his knees shattered and put back together again. But this was a “safe” driver, a man who knew his limits, his car's limits and didn't go’ “over the edge,” as they say in racing.

He was “the thinking man's driver,” maybe because, unlike most of his rivals, he had an Ivy League education and maybe because, looking at that cherubic face, which was several years younger than his race‐scarred body, there was no other way to explain how this kid was winning.

In auto racing, though, even “thinking man's drivers” can get killed by punctured tires. Maybe it was some Austrian rock, but whatever it was, one of Donohue's tires blew at 160 miles an hour.

The single‐seat, open‐cockpit Formula One cars used in Grand Prix racing have been called torpedoes. Donohue's rocketed 7 through four wire catch‐fences and several roadside billboards. The supposition is that a support post from one of the advertising signs caught Donohue's helmet. It was, as they say in racing, a “freak” accident.

At first, the former Indianapolis 500 winner was thought to have just a mild concussion. But he kept complaining of headaches and Mario Andretti, who also has an obsession with Grand Prix racing, said Donohue was lapsing in and out of consciousness. Donohue was rushed to a hospital at Graz where g‐rays revealed blood clot on the brain. It meant immediate surgery. He never regained consciousness.

Prof. Fritz Heppner, head of the neurosurgical department at Graz Hospital, said irreparable damage had been done to that part of the brain that controls involuntary body functions.

At Donohue's bedside were his wife of eight months, Eden, his father, Mark Sr., a retired patent lawyer and Roger Penske, for whom he drove since 1966 and a close personal friend.

Donohue died in the one aspect of auto racing he had not conquered — Grand Prix. As an American driver, he had done it all. He was one of the best American road‐racers in history, but his biggest triumph was on the oval at Indianapolis, where in 1972 he won the 500.

He will be ranked with A. J. Foyt, Dan Gurney and Mario Andretti in the leading group of American drivers.

Mark Donohue is congratulated for his victory in the 1966 Nassau Trophy race as Roger Penske looks on.

He won three national sports car championships as an amateur before he turned professional in 1966, first as the late Walt Hansgen's co‐driver, then for the rest of his life with Penske.

Mark Donohue with the Buckeye Cup and wife Sue after winning the final USRRC race at Mid Ohio on August 18, 1968 in Lexington, Ohio. Photo by Alvis Upitis / Getty Images.

Daytona Beach, Florida, February 02, 1969. Drivers Mark Donohue and Chuck Parsons are joined in victory lane by car owner Roger Penske and three of the race queens, including Miss Universe, following their win in the 24 Hours of Daytona at Daytona International Speedway. Photo by ISC Images & Archives via Getty Images.

Mark Donohue, AMC Javelin driver, before the Trans Am race held on June 07, 1970 on the Mid-Ohio track near Lexington, Ohio. Photo by Alvis Upitis / Getty Images.

He won the Can - Am championship, the Trans‐Am title in 1968, 1969 and 1971. He was a winner at the 24 Hours of Daytona and in stock cars. In all, there were 57 major victories and more than $1million in purses for this pleasant, intelligent man who gave up a career in mechanical engineering because racing is what he wanted to do.

And, when he thought he had done enough, he quit. But there was always that “missing link,” as he called it — Grand Prix. Once, in 1971, he and Penske showed up at the Canadian Grand Prix and Jackie Stewart, the former world champion, kidded them: “welcome to the major leagues.”

Neither Donohue or Penske forgot that remark, even after Donohue drove an astounding race and finished third. Some day, they promised each other, Donohue would try to become the first American since Phil Hill in 1961 to win the world driving championship.

Mark Donohue chats with Jackie Stewart at the Donnybrooke International Raceway before the Minneapolis Tribune Grand Prix, round 6 of the Can Am Series, held on September 17, 1972 at Brainerd, Minnesota. Photo by Alvis Upitis / Getty Images.

But Donohue knew that time was running short and his skills and reflexes weren't getting any better.

January 22, 1973, NASCAR Winston Western 500. Race winner Mark Donohue and team celebrate with the Winston Western grid girls and Hurst model Linda Vaughn. Photo by Bob D'Olivo / The Enthusiast Network via Getty Images.

January 22, 1973, NASCAR Winston Western 500. Race winner Mark Donohue celebrates with the Winston Western grid girls, holding the first place trophy. Photo by Bob D'Olivo / The Enthusiast Network via Getty Images.

Daytona Beach, Florida, February 04, 1973: Mark Donohue and George Follmer co-drove Roger Penske’s Porsche Carrera RSR 911 in the 24 Hours of Daytona at Daytona International Speedway. Engine trouble forced the team out late in the going, but they still managed a 21st place finish. Photo by ISC Images and Archives via Getty Images.

Jody Scheckter, Kathy Penske and Mark Donohue, Can AM, 1973.

Late in 1973, when Penske decided to build a Formula One car for the 1975 season, Donohue knew what would happen.

Mark Donahue with his wife, socialite model Eden White and the Mini he gave her, his black Porsche in background, April 02, 1975. Photo by Ben Martin / Getty Images.

As one of the best test drivers and developers in the business, he would get the car ready, then Penske would have to turn it over to a “younger hot‐shot.” But the intended hot‐shot, Peter Revson, was killed in a Grand Prix accident in March, 1974. Revson's death made it almost inevitable that Donohue would come out of retirement. It became official last September.

The Penske Grand Prix car proved a disappointment and Donohue's best finish this season was a fifth place in the British Grand Prix. But he was still a great driver. Two weeks ago, he took the 1973 Can‐Am car out of mothballs and set a world speed record for a closed course of 221.160 miles an hour.

His body will be flown to the United States tomorrow and the funeral will take place Monday in Summit, New Jersey, where Donohue grew up and first “got caught up in the hot‐rod phenomenon.” A Mass of the Resurrection will be celebrated at 1,00 p.m. in Saint Teresa's Church. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that all memorial donations be sent to the Auto Racing Fraternity Foundation, 135‐39 Northern Boulevard, Flushing, Queens.

Mike Hawthorn

John Michael Hawthorn, 10 April 1929 – 22 January 1959, was a British racing driver. He became the United Kingdom's first Formula One World Champion driver in 1958, whereupon he announced his retirement, having been profoundly affected by the death of his teammate and friend Peter Collins two months earlier in the 1958 German Grand Prix. Hawthorn also won the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans, but was haunted by his involvement in the disastrous crash that marred the race. Hawthorn died in a road accident three months after retiring; he was allegedly suffering from a terminal illness at the time.

Mike Hawthorn was born in Mexborough, West Riding of Yorkshire, England, to Leslie and Winifred (née Symonds) Hawthorn and educated at Ardingly College, West Sussex, followed by studies at Chelsea technical college and an apprenticeship with a commercial vehicle manufacturer. His father owned the Tourist Trophy Garage in Farnham, franchised to supply and service several high performance brands, including Jaguar and Ferrari. His father raced motorcycles and supported his son's racing career; when he died in a road accident, in 1954, Mike Hawthorn inherited the business.

Mike Hawthorn made his competition debut on 2 September 1950 in his 1934 Riley Ulster Imp, KV 9475, winning the 1,100 cc sports car class at the Brighton Speed Trials. In 1951, driving a 1+1⁄2-litre T.T. Riley, he entered the Motor Sport Brooklands Memorial Trophy, a season-long contest run at Goodwood, winning it by one point. He also won the Ulster Trophy Handicap at Dundrod and the Leinster Trophy at Wicklow that year.

 

The Sussex International Trophy Race, Goodwood, June 02, 1952. Perhaps Klemantaski’s most famous picture, this photo is of Mike Hawthorn really trying hard in a 2-liter Cooper-Bristol. Hawthorn’s courageous performance in this uncompetitive F.2 car (entered for him by his father, Leslie Hawthorn, owner of the famous Tourist Trophy Garage in Farnham near London) created Hawthorn’s early reputation and did much to earn him his first 'ride' with Ferrari. Photo by Klemantaski Collection / Getty Images.

By 1952 Hawthorn had switched to single-seaters and, during that season, won his first race in a Formula Two Cooper-Bristol T20 at Goodwood. Further successes followed which brought him to the attention of Enzo Ferrari, who offered him a works drive. He made his Formula One debut at the 1952 Grote Prijs van Belgie on the legendary Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, finishing in fourth place. By the end of the season, he had already secured his first podium, with a third place at the RAC British Grand Prix and a brace of fourths driving a Cooper.

 

Enzo Ferrari, centre, in the Ferrari pits at Monza with Alberto Ascari, left and Mike Hawthorn, right, on 13th September 1953. Photo by Picture Post / Hulton Archive / Getty Images.

 

Mike Hawthorn opens the appeal, with a bit of help from a familiar character in a Volkswagen Beetle, on December 08, 1953. Photo by Barratts / PA Images via Getty Images.

At Scuderia Ferrari for the 1953 season, Hawthorn immediately showed his worth with victory, at his ninth attempt, in the French Grand Prix at Reims, outmanoeuvring Juan Manuel Fangio in what was dubbed 'the race of the century' with the top four drivers finishing within five seconds of each other after 60 laps. This and two other podium finishes helped him end the season fourth overall. He also won the BRDC International Trophy and the Ulster Trophy as well as the 24 Heures de Spa Francorchamps with Ferrari teammate Giuseppe Farina.

 

Mike Hawthorn with a female friend at Monza for the Italian Grand Prix, 05th September 1954. Photo by David Lees / Picture Post / Hulton Archive / Getty Images.

 

Mike Hawthorn with a girl at the Monza Grand Prix, September 1954. Photo by David Lees / Picture Post / Hulton Archive Getty Images.

Hawthorn's liability for conscription was brought up in the House of Commons. In a crash during the Gran Premio di Siracusa Hawthorn suffered serious burns, but finished the year with three seconds and then victory in the season finale in Spain, placing him third in the Drivers' Championship. Following the death of his father, Hawthorn left Ferrari to race for Tony Vandervell's Vanwall team, as he needed to spend more time at the family garage he had inherited but, after two races, returned to Ferrari. In January 1955, Hawthorn joined the Jaguar racing team, replacing Stirling Moss, who had left for Mercedes.

 

Mike Hawthorn celebrating his victory at Le Mans on June 06, 1955. Copyright Shutterstock.

Hawthorn won the 1955 les 24 Heures du Mans following what has been described as an inspired drive in which he set a lap record of 4 minutes and 6,6 seconds during a three-hour duel with Fangio in the early stages. However, the race was marred by the worst disaster in motor racing history, a crash which killed 84 spectators and Mercedes driver Pierre Levegh. After overtaking Lance Macklin's Healey, Hawthorn suddenly braked in front of him on noticing an order to enter the pits to refuel, causing Macklin to swerve into the path of Levegh's Mercedes. After colliding with the Healey, the Mercedes skipped the earthen embankment separating the spectator area from the track, bounced through spectator enclosures, then hit a concrete stairwell parapet head-on. The impact shattered the front end of the car, which then somersaulted high, pitching debris into the spectator area, before landing atop the earthen embankment. The debris, including bonnet, engine and front axle, which separated from the frame, flew through the crowd.

Eight hours later, while leading the race 1,5 laps ahead of the Jaguar team, the Mercedes team withdrew from the race, ostensibly as a mark of respect for those who had perished in the accident; the Jaguar team was invited to join them but declined. The French press carried photographs of Hawthorn and Ivor Bueb celebrating their win with the customary champagne but treated them with scorn.

The official inquiry into the accident ruled that Hawthorn was not responsible for the crash and that it was merely a racing incident. The death of so many spectators was blamed on inadequate safety standards for track design and led to a ban on motorsports in France, Spain, Switzerland, Germany and other nations, until the tracks could be brought to a higher safety standard. In Switzerland motorsports are still banned with exceptions.

 

Stirling Moss with Harry Schell and Mike Hawthorn, Crystal Palace, July 1955. Moss is to the left in the grey suit, Schell in the centre and Hawthorn on the far right. Schell and Hawthorn both took part in the London Trophy at Crystal Palace, Hawthorn coming first in a Maserati and Schell coming second in a Vanwall. Photo by National Motor Museum / Heritage Images / Getty Images.

Whilst sharing the Jaguar D-Type with Desmond Titterington during the 1955 RAC Tourist Trophy at Dundrod, Hawthorn passed Fangio twice and set the lap record for the RAC Tourist Trophy on the Dundrod Circuit, only to lose in the final stages when, running on full tanks, he was passed by Stirling Moss when the D Type's engine failed on the last lap.

 

Mike Hawthorn in the cockpit of a Lotus Climax talking with Graham Hill on 12 April 1956. Photo by SSPL / Getty Images.

Another change of team for 1956, this time to BRM, was a failure and Hawthorn's only podium came in Argentina where the non-appearance of his BRM allowed him to guest drive a Maserati 250F. However, when it appeared, usually only in British races, the new 2.5 BRM was very fast while it lasted and Hawthorn held off Fangio, leading the first 25 laps at Silverstone in the British GP. He retired the car before half distance owing to deteriorating handling and brakes. Deeply unhappy with the BRM team's management and car preparation, Hawthorn walked out of the team at this point. Hawthorn had left Ferrari because driving for the British Jaguar sports car team was his first priority. He was favoured to win at Le Mans again, but lost ten laps in the pits early in the race and, while the D type repeatedly set fastest laps, the fuel consumption rules meant he could only finish sixth.

Racing the D type in Italy, Hawthorn crashed and suffered very serious burns, his second bad accident of the year, leaving him disillusioned with racing. However, he believed a return to Ferrari could give him the championship in the superior Lancia Ferrari D50. He had put the original Jano version of the car on the front row at its debut in the final F1 race of 1955 at Oulton Park. However, Ferrari's modified version of the design for 1957 was slower than Fangio and Collins's all-conquering 1956 Lancia Ferrari. The 1957 version, with the polar centred pannier tanks removed, still handled well, but was not the masterpiece Jano designed; it lacked straight line speed and was uncompetitive by mid 1957, clearly inferior to the new Vanwalls.

 

Mike Hawthorn standing next to his car in conversation with team manager Romolo Tavoni and others in the Ferrari pits during practice at the Nurburgring 1000 km Race, Nurburgring, 26th May 1957. Peter Collins sits reading on the pit wall with his wife Louise beside him, partly hidden by the lady in the red coat. Photo by Klemantaski Collection / Getty Images.

 

Mike Hawthorn on the Mulsanne Straight in his Ferrari 335 Sport, shared with Luigi Musso, which did not finish, Le Mans 24 Hours, June 21, 1957. Photo by Yves Debraine / Klemantaski Collection / Getty Images.

 

Mike Hawthorn and Peter Collins, Grand Prix of Great Britain, Aintree, 20 July 1957. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

Hawthorn rejoined the Ferrari factory team in 1957 and soon became friends with Peter Collins, a fellow Englishman and Ferrari team driver. During the 1957 and 1958 racing seasons, the two Englishmen became engaged in a fierce rivalry with Luigi Musso, another Ferrari driver, for prize money.

 

The German Grand Prix, Nürburgring, August 03, 1958. Mike Hawthorn is pushed off for practice in his Ferrari 246/F1. Photo by Klemantaski Collection / Getty Images.

Hawthorn won the 1958 Formula One Championship despite achieving only one win, against four by Moss.

 

Enzo Ferrari with Mike Hawthorn, Grand Prix of Italy, Monza, 07 September 1958. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

 

Enzo Ferrari and Mike Hawthorn, Grand Prix of Italy, Monza, 07 September 1958. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

Hawthorn won the 1958 French Grand Prix at Reims, in which Musso was fatally injured while in second place. Leading easily in the 1958 Monaco Grand Prix at half distance, his 246 engine blew, while at Monza he was a minute ahead of Tony Brooks when his clutch forced him to slow to second place. Hawthorn benefited greatly from the gentlemanliness of Moss, as demonstrated at the 1958 Portuguese Grand Prix at Porto. Hawthorn was disqualified for bump starting his stalled car downhill in the opposite direction, on the way to a second-place finish. Moss interceded on Hawthorn's behalf and the decision was ultimately reversed. After a pit stop midway through that race, Hawthorn accelerated back through the field to gain an extra point for fastest lap. Moss had failed to respond, possibly doubting Hawthorn could lap so fast with damaged drum brakes. This extra world championship point plus the second place points contributed to Hawthorn winning the championship with a season total just one more than that of Moss. In the final race, the 1958 Moroccan Grand Prix, Hawthorn drove a conservative tactical race aiming to stay ahead of Moss's Vanwall teammates. Brooks's car broke while narrowly leading Hawthorn and Stuart Lewis-Evans in the third Vanwall crashed after a desperate attempt to move through the field and challenge Hawthorn running third; Evans later died of burns. In the last laps, second-placed Phil Hill slowed and waved Hawthorn through to gain enough points to take the Championship; the first ever to be won by an English driver.

After winning the title, Hawthorn immediately announced his retirement from Formula One.

Hawthorn was noted for wearing a bow tie when racing; to the French, he became known as 'Le Papillon' (The Butterfly).

Fiamma Breschi, Luigi Musso's girlfriend at the time of his death, revealed the nature of Musso's rivalry with Hawthorn and Collins in a television documentary, “The secret life of Enzo Ferrari”, many years after the death of Hawthorn. Breschi recalled that the antagonism between Musso and the two English drivers encouraged all three to take more risks: "the Englishmen (Hawthorn and Collins) had an agreement", she says. "Whichever of them won, they would share the winnings equally. It was the two of them against Luigi, who was not part of the agreement. Strength comes in numbers and they were united against him. This antagonism was actually favourable rather than damaging to Ferrari. The faster the drivers went, the more likely it was that a Ferrari would win." Breschi related that Musso was in debt at the time of his death and the money for winning the 1958 French Grand Prix, traditionally the largest monetary prize of the season, was all-important to him.

After visiting the mortally injured Musso in hospital, Breschi returned to her hotel, where she and the rest of the Ferrari team were informed by the team manager that afternoon that Musso had died. Within thirty days Collins too was dead and, the following January, Hawthorn. Breschi could not suppress a feeling of release: "I had hated them both", she said, "first because I was aware of certain facts that were not right and also because, when I came out of the hospital and went back to the hotel, I found them in the square outside the hotel, laughing and playing a game of football with an empty beer can. So, when they died too, it was liberating for me. Otherwise I would have had unpleasant feelings towards them forever. This way I could find a sense of peace."

 

Grand Prix of France, Reims, 05 July 1953. Rare photo of Mike Hawthorn with Jacqueline Delaunay, with whom he fathered a son, Arnaud Michael Delaunay. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

Hawthorn never married but fathered a son, Arnaud Michael Delaunay, with Jacqueline Delaunay, whom he met in Reims after winning the French Grand Prix in 1953.

 

Miss Jean Howarth, the beautiful West End model and close friend of Mike Hawthorn, who broke down and cried when she heard the news at her parents’ home in Almondbury, Huddersfield, on January 22, 1959. In December, when her name was linked with Hawthorn, the racing ace denied he was getting married. Photo by Retro Images.

He was engaged at the time of his death to the fashion model Jean Howarth, who later married another racing driver, Innes Ireland, in 1993.

On 22 January 1959, only three months into his retirement, Hawthorn died in a car accident on the A3 Guildford bypass while driving his comprehensively modified 1958 Jaguar 3.4-litre saloon (now known as the 3.4 Mk 1) VDU 881 to London. While the circumstances of the accident are well documented, the precise cause remains unknown.

The accident occurred on a notoriously dangerous section of the road, the scene of 15 serious accidents (two fatal) in the previous two years; the road was also wet at the time. Driving at speed (one witness estimated 80 m.p.h.), Hawthorn overtook a Mercedes-Benz 300SL 'gull-wing' sports car driven by an acquaintance, the motor racing team manager Rob Walker. On entering a right-hand bend shortly after passing the Mercedes, Hawthorn clipped a 'Keep Left' bollard dividing the two carriageways, causing him to lose control.

 

 

The Jaguar glanced an oncoming Bedford lorry before careering back across the eastbound carriageway sideways into a roadside tree, uprooting it. The impact caused Hawthorn fatal head injuries and propelled him onto the rear seat.

There was inevitable speculation that Hawthorn and Walker had been racing each other, fuelled by Walker's persistent refusal at the coroner's inquest to estimate the speed of his own car at the time. In an interview with motor racing journalist Eoin Young and writer Eric Dymock in 1988, Walker admitted he had indeed been racing Hawthorn, but had been advised by a police officer investigating the accident to make no further mention of it lest he incriminate himself.

Possible causes of the accident include driver error, a blackout, or mechanical failure, although examination of the wreck revealed no obvious fault. There is evidence that Hawthorn had recently suffered blackouts, perhaps because of kidney failure. By 1955, Hawthorn had already lost one kidney to infection and had begun suffering problems with the other; he was expected at the time to live only three more years.

At the coroner's inquest, on 26 January, the jury returned a verdict of accidental death.

 

Funeral mourners.

 

Funeral mourners.

 

 

 

 

Hawthorn was buried in West Street Cemetery in Farnham on 28th January 1959.

 

The tomb of Mike Hawthorn in 2018.

In Farnham, the town where he lived up to the time of his death, there is a street named Mike Hawthorn Drive. It was in this town that Hawthorn ran the Tourist Trophy Garage, which sold Jaguars, Rileys, Fiats and Ferraris. There is a hill and corner named after him at Brands Hatch and a corner at the Croft racing circuit at Croft-on-Tees in North Yorkshire while in Towcester, on the Shires estate, three miles from the Silverstone circuit, Hawthorn Drive is named after him. There is a statue at Goodwood Circuit commemorating Hawthorn as the UK's first Formula One World Champion.

The Hawthorn Memorial Trophy has been awarded to the most successful British or Commonwealth Formula 1 driver every year since 1959. Lewis Hamilton has won the award the most times, taking the trophy on nine occasions and being its current holder, as the 2019 World Champion.

On this day: Mike Hawthorn, just what DID happen on 22nd January 1959? 22 Jan 2020. By Paul Tarsey.

The story of Mike Hawthorn's death on January 22nd 1959 has proven to be one of our most-read articles of 2019, so this seems an appropriate time to once more bring you the story of Britian's first Forrmula One World Champion and his demise just a few short months after winning that title: Britain basks in the reflected glory of a new Formula One world champion. The champion is loved by many, reviled by some but nonetheless a star wherever he goes. Sound familiar?

 

Well, this was the scene this time 60 years ago, with Mike Hawthorn having recently captured the World Championship, being feted by the great and the good of the nation’s institutions. Indeed, on the 19th January, John Michael ‘Mike’ Hawthorn was guest of honour at the National Sporting Club dinner where, somewhat incongruously to our modern day sensibilities, he was presented with a cocktail cabinet to mark his achievement! In typical Hawthorn style he invited the packed room to come and see him sometime and help him to empty it! Nobody in the room could have known that he had 60 hours left to live.

Hawthorn was, by modern standards, an ‘interesting’ character. An only child, he was doted upon by his parents and enjoyed a privileged upbringing, being sent to the upmarket Ardingly College in Sussex. By the standards of 2019 he might be described as boorish. He demonstrated the traits of snobbism which were prevalent at the time and also displayed the kinds of xenophobia and chauvinism which were very prevalent in daily life. This was shown by his referral to Stirling Moss (behind his back) as Moses, his way of highlighting his Jewish ancestry. We interviewed a lifelong Farnham resident a few years ago. She recalled seeing Hawthorn pour a pint of beer over a fan who had the temerity to ask for an autograph when in a local pub. Different times indeed, for that would have been all over social media in modern times, with all the accompanying comments!

This should all be seen in context though. The war was only recently over and human life had inevitably been seen as cheap during that time. War brings out both the best and the worst in people and the men just a few years older than Mike had spent years in combat with fellow Europeans and hence memories were still held in sharp focus. Indeed, had he been that few years older he would be the personification of the RAF fighter pilot, with a pint of bitter in one hand and his trusty pipe, smoking away in the other. His boyish good looks and devil-may-care attitude made him a hero to many and a role model for the ‘bright young things’ seeking adventure.

But there was another side to J.M. Hawthorn. He had been diagnosed with kidney disease and, at the time of his death, this was becoming worse by the month. In the 1950s there were certainly no transplants, Christiaan Barnard’s ground breaking first heart transplant wouldn’t happen until the end of 1967. But there were no dialysis machines either because although Willem Kolff had piloted the concept in the 1930s, the clinical use of dialysis machines was still five years away. The disease caused him to have off-days when he was racing and had even caused blackouts, but he chose not to share the information with anyone but his closest confidants, not least for being afraid of losing both his driving licence and his racing permit.

‘Golden Boy’ was an interesting character in many ways. Maybe because of his illness he found it difficult to establish deep friendships. Much has been made over the years of his closeness to ‘Mon Ami Mate’ Peter Collins and indeed the two were inseparable over a race weekend, particularly when they both drove for Ferrari. But they rarely socialised away from the racetrack. Mike had many acquaintances and was very much the centre of attention in the lounge bar of his favourite pub, the Barley Mow at nearby Tilford.

He had been pilloried by the press and much of public opinion for avoiding National Service. This was a requirement of all young men at the time to devote two years of their lives to working in the Army, Airforce or Navy. Mike was seen as, what would be termed a few years later a ‘draft dodger’ although there may have been health issues which kept him at home, which he may have chosen not to disclose to the public. There was also always a cloud which hung over his reputation after the Le Mans disaster in 1955 which killed 87 people. Although exonerated by the public enquiry, many felt that he had been at the very least, partially culpable for the catastrophe. These attacks by the press hurt Mike and he carried this to his death.

One of the must-have attributes any racing driver possess is a competitive spirit and Mike had that by the ton. This probably explained why every trip from his home in Farnham was nearly always a race. Undoubtedly he would be a magnet for every jack-the-lad who wanted to blow off a Grand Prix driver but Mike was rarely the model of self-restraint that maybe he should have been. Which is why perhaps he had such a fine cavalcade of road cars; Riley Sprite, Alfa Romeo 8C and a Lancia Aurelia B20 all came and went, but were frequently supplemented by loan cars from manufacturers like Ferrari and Jaguar. One of which was a Jaguar ‘Mark 1’ 3.4 litre which bore the registration number VDU 881. It was this car in which Hawthorn was to lose his life.

 

On the morning of 22nd January 1959 Mike Hawthorn was chatting on the forecourt of his Tourist Trophy garage in Farnham, Surrey, prior to taking a drive to an appointment in London, 40 miles to the northeast. He had inherited the business from his father and the thriving business was assisted by the reputation of its proprietor, indeed by now the signboard above the garage proclaimed “Mike Hawthorn’s Tourist Trophy Garage”.

As Hawthorn stood on the forecourt a grey Mercedes 300SL slowed down in the road outside. R.R.C. ‘Rob’ Walker, owner and entrant of many Grand Prix cars and patron of Stirling Moss, spied Mike and, making eye contact, gave a large, light hearted V sign! He then drove off in the direction of Guildford at some speed. This was obviously like a red rag to a bull to the super-competitive Hawthorn and he leapt into his Jaguar to make chase.

Inevitably the reigning world champion closed in on the Mercedes, Rob saying, in his characteristic mahogany tone, “I wasn’t used to a Jaguar catching me like that”! The road between Farnham and Guildford, known as the Hog’s Back, is a long and fairly straight piece of trunk road which has always been a magnet for speed freaks and these two drivers were as mad about speed as anyone. By the time they got to Guildford the Jaguar was ahead.

In 1959 a by-pass was different from our expectations today. The recently built Guildford by-pass had four lanes, two in each direction, but no barrier between the two directions of traffic and is joined from the Hog’s Back just south of Guildford by a long left handed bend. The weather in Guildford that lunchtime was horrible. Heavy rain was made all the more unpalatable by high, gusty wind and the two cars joined the bypass (the A3) with a typical amount of traffic for a weekday lunchtime (bearing in mind we are talking about 1958 levels and not what you would see today).

The next bend on the road was a long right hand bend and Walker watched in horror as the tail of the Jaguar stepped out as traction was lost by the rear wheels and the car swapped ends. It clipped the tail of a lorry travelling in the opposite direction before heading backwards across a grass verge and colliding side on with a tree.

The irony of the collision with the tree, which was not a large one, was that it was the only one for several hundred yards, unlike the area which is covered with vegetation today. The damage to VDU 881 was catastrophic though. The impact was between the front and rear doors on the left hand (passenger’s) side and, this was long before seat belts, Hawthorn was thrown about the inside of the car. His lifeless body was found lying across the rear seat.

 

It can clearly be imagined what a huge story this was. The reigning World Champion, newly retired, was dead. Immediately the stories started that Hawthorn and Walker were racing but Walker denied this for several years, saying it was coincidence that he had been on the same piece of road at the same time, but the bigger question was just why and how the hugely experienced Hawthorn had lost control.

The Jaguar was, by all accounts, far from standard. Although it was owned by Jaguar Cars Ltd it had been modified at various times in its life. Indeed it had raced at Silverstone, driven by Hawthorn in 1958 and had ‘disappeared’ from its home at the Tourist Trophy Garage for two weeks before, probably for preparation by Jaguar’s competition department. Hawthorn was also suspected of having his own modifications done in Farnham, although this would be in contradiction to the way a loan car would normally have been treated. Nonetheless, these petty details may not have worried the cavalier Mike Hawthorn.

 

The first possibility for the cause of the accident would be human error. Whilst we all like to believe that our heroes are invincible, even the very best do sometimes make mistakes and the wet road and strong, gusty wind may have just caught Mike of guard. In addition, VDU 881 was shod with Dunlop’s new radial tyre. Mike Hawthorn had, of course, used these tyres on the D Type at Le Mans but in very different conditions. Early radials did not share the progressive breakaway of their crossply equivalents, which is why the four wheel drift was so prevalent in racing, instead they maintained their grip for longer but then broke away quite suddenly.

Some have blamed the car. There was talk of a hand-throttle being fitted (a sort of early day cruise control) but there was no evidence found to support this theory. That Mike Hawthorn, world champion would be using a hand throttle whilst dicing on the Guildford bypass is far-fetched although there has also been the theory that this somehow failed in some way. With no evidence that this was even fitted, even after the police inspection of the wreckage, this would seem unlikely.

The third possibility is something to do with Mike’s health. By now he was aware that his condition would be terminal, possibly in the near future. The pain and the blackouts were indeed attributed by some to his reasons for retirement, indicating that perhaps the situation was worse than most people suspected. Did he black out? Was he overcome with nausea as his car scrabbled for grip? We shall never know.

Mike Hawthorn died on 22nd January at approximately midday. He was 29 years old.

 

Stirling Moss fixes his friend and rival Mike Hawthorn's helmet in 1958. Stunning images of extraordinary men, before than drivers. Photo by Hulton Archive / Getty Images.

Luigi Musso

Luigi Musso, racing driver. 28 July 2017. Wealthy Roman who found expectations hard to bear.

Luigi Musso, who for a period of his life was Italy’s top racing driver, was born on this day in 1924 in Rome.

He competed six times for the world drivers’ championship, three times for Maserati and three times for Ferrari. His finished third in the 1957 season, driving for Ferrari.

His solitary Formula One Grand Prix victory came in 1956 in Argentina, although he had to content himself with a half-share of the points after being forced to hand over his car to Juan Fangio, the local hero and Ferrari team leader, after 29 of the 98 laps, when Fangio’s car failed.

Luigi Musso with his fiancee Fiamma Breschi at Aintree for the British Grand Prix. Source dellicarri.it.

Sadly, two years later he was killed in an accident at the French Grand Prix in Reims, which his girlfriend, Fiamma Breschi, blamed on the ferocity of his rivalry with his fellow Ferrari drivers Mike Hawthorn and Peter Collins.

Luigi Musso and Maria Teresa de Filippis.

Born into a wealthy Roman family, his father was a diplomat, Musso grew up in a luxurious building off the Via Veneto. He acquired his love of cars from his brothers, who were also racing drivers.

He began to compete in 1950 in a car he bought himself, a 750cc Giannini sports car. He made an inauspicious start, his first race ending when he left the track and collided with a statue of the national hero, Giuseppe Garibaldi.

But he soon began to enjoy success racing sports cars and his talent was noted by Maserati, for whom he dominated the 1953 national 2000cc sports car championship.

Luigi Musso, Maserati A6GCS, in 1954.

More success the following year, when he placed highly in the two big endurance road races, the Mille Miglia and the Targa Florio, as well as winning several smaller events, that saw him named reserve driver for Maserati’s Formula One team. In that capacity he finished second in the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona.

The Syracuse Grand Prix, Syracuse, April 15, 1956. At lunch before the race, from the left: Luigi Musso, his girlfriend Fiamma Breschi, Louis Klemantaski, Peter Collins and Denis Jenkinson. Photo by Klemantaski Collection / Getty Images.

Luigi Musso, Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa, Targa Florio, Sicily, 05 November 1956. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

He moved to Ferrari in 1956, a season which began with his handover to Fangio in Buenos Aires and was interrupted by a major crash in Germany, in which Musso was lucky to escape with only a broken arm.

When he returned for the Italian Grand Prix, the last race on the calendar, he found himself facing a repeat of the first, when his team asked him to surrender his car to Fangio. This time, risking his Ferrari career, he refused, taking a gamble that almost paid off.

Luigi Musso, Lancia D50 n. 28 with broken steering, at the Italian Grand Prix on September 02, 1956.

In the lead with four laps remaining, he suffered a puncture and then steering problems and was forced to quit, leaving Stirling Moss, in a Maserati, to win.

The pit lane at the Argentine Grand Prix of 1956 in which Musso, whose car is n. 12, gained his only F1 win.

Musso was embarrassed. Yet far from attracting ignominy he endeared himself to the Monza crowd, who appreciated his daring.

January 13, 1957, Argentine Grand Prix.

Luigi Musso sits aboard the n. 10 Ferrari 801 in the pits during practice for the French Grand Prix on 6th July 1957 at the Rouen-Les-Essarts circuit in Rouen, France. Photo by Grand Prix Photo / Getty Images.

Peter Collins, Mike Hawthorn and Luigi Musso, Grand Prix of Germany, Nurburgring, 04 August 1957. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

Come the 1957 season he was firmly in the spotlight, the Italian press loving the new rivalry between Musso and his fellow Italian, Eugenio Castellotti.

When Castellotti suffered fatal injuries in a crash while testing, Italian motor racing fans looked to Musso more than ever to deliver success.

Yet he found the weight of expectation hard to bear. He was now the best Italian driver, built up by the press as the heir to Alberto Ascari, the winner of back-to-back Formula One world titles in 1952 and 1953 but who had himself been killed in an accident in 1955. The pressure on Musso to win races became intense.

There were rumours of debts, the result of a gambling habit that saw him lose large sums in the casinos. His personal life was in turmoil too, after leaving his wife and two children for Fiamma, a beautiful blonde. And then there was the growing animosity between Musso and his Ferrari teammates, Hawthorn and Collins, two close friends who had a deal to pool their prize money and share it, from which Musso was excluded.

It all came to a head in the French Grand Prix at Reims in July. Musso was second on the grid behind Hawthorn, having matched his best-ever performance in practice. The race was the most lucrative on the calendar and Musso was determined to win.

Hawthorn made a flying start and began to pull away from the field. Musso felt he had no option but to chase hard. He took more and more risks until, on the 10th lap, he took one too many. Attempting to take a corner at 150 mph, he was unable to keep the car on the track and one of the wheels clipped the edge of a ditch, sending it somersaulting into the air.

Musso was thrown from the car but suffered severe head injuries. He was taken to hospital but died later that evening.

Breschi later recalled that, after spending several hours at the hospital, doctors told her she should return to her hotel to rest.

Luigi Musso was born on 28 July 1924 in Rome. The Italian competed in 24 Formula 1 races, fifteen of them at the wheel of a Ferrari. His record features the 1956 Argentinian Grand Prix, sharing a car with Fangio, the 1957 Buenos Aires 1000 Kilometres, driving with Castellotti and Gregory and the 1958 Targa Florio, teamed with Gendebien.

Musso died on 6th July 1958, from injuries sustained in an accident at the French Grand Prix, when he went off the track, while fighting with team-mate Mike Hawthorn. In the opinion of many, the fierce rivalry between the Italian and the two Englishmen, Hawthorn and Peter Collins, was the true cause of the accident. Enzo Ferrari had this to say about the incident in his book “Piloti, che gente”: “when the stress of winning pervades a big hearted driver, it can easily happen that he takes uncalculated risks, especially when the main adversary is driven by the same obstinate will to win. And it’s not that these racing conflicts happen only between racers from different teams.”

To those who occasionally like to criticise the Scuderia for the way it manages the competition between its drivers, it is worth remembering these words from the Founder and the incident to which he referred.

Luigi Musso, the beautiful Italian style.

It was a season of great rivalries, with a car, the Ferrari Dino 246, poised to win the world title and three drivers: Luigi Musso, Mike Hawthorn and Peter Collins aspiring to the top spot on that symbolic podium of the Drivers' World Championship.

"The old Ferrari mechanics used to say that Musso, when it was his day, drove like Varzi, that is, if he had to pass within 10 cm from the grass to be faster, Luigi was constantly able to do it every lap.” This is how Romolo Tavoni, then Sporting Director of the Maranello team, describes him. “He went in the car and drove with great ease and precision, when he got out he had his back just wet with sweat.”

The race starts, Hawthorn is on his day, Moss is behind, you have to re-establish the hierarchy in the team, you have to enter the Calvaire really fast in order to break away from the English. It is the challenge for the primacy, Musso has to intimidate his opponent, he feels strong and, if Fangio does it I have to do it too, he probably thinks in his mind while that point where to brake is getting closer and closer.

"Musso, in Reims, had won the year before. The circuit suited to his skills as a stylist and, therefore, gave him confidence, they are still the words of the Drake, Musso was chasing the title of champion ... maybe he could have won it. But for him, at that moment, other things also counted. On the eve of the race he had received an incitement: “it is necessary to win”, those few words pasted on the white strip of paper told him. Reims' first prize was ten times more substantial than any other. Musso then had his own well-founded secret, which he was convinced had made him win the previous year. Fangio had told him, in fact, that, by keeping his foot crushed at the bend of Muizon, where everyone was crushing, he could gain half a second. And Musso, the year before, had kept crushed. The following year the Ferraris were more powerful and Musso realized in the tests that the risk was great. So they reached the curve together, Hawthorn in front, Musso about twenty meters away. I am convinced that the heat of the competition made him keep the pedal to the metal."

They are two red missiles, Mike against Luigi, identical cars, neither of them gives up but Luigi is on the outside, the car still has a full tank, it is too heavy to withstand that centrifugal force and goes off on a tangent. It is July 06, 1958, the Dino 246 goes off the road, ends up in the outer moat and overturns. Luigi Musso, transported to the hospital, died a few hours later following his injuries.

It is difficult to know exactly what happened. The few witnesses, race officials, told a story in which the fear felt prevailed over the fidelity of the news. And, with Musso, the beautiful Italian style ended.

Luigi Musso: a lion on the track. Published on 06 July 2021.

 

 

Luigi Musso was an eclectic character. Difficult to interpret, obscure in his unpredictable reactions, fearless if he woke up with the right mood, childish and unreliable on bad days.

We thought of defining him as a “lion” because on the track he could really be a king, fierce and courageous and because in everyday life he was indolent, like the ruler of the savannah and… it depended on the women who were next to him. Unfortunately, he was the victim of his vices: he smoked until the last second available before the start of each race, he squandered money in casinos, he never knew how to be satisfied. But speed flowed in his veins and his opponents knew it.

Luigi Musso was born from an extremely wealthy family: his father Giuseppe was an enterprising diplomat and businessman, who had built his fortune in China and, upon his return, he had founded ICI, a film production company of success. Luigi was the youngest child, the most pampered, raised in a wonderful villa near Via Veneto, between luxury and opulence, revered by waiters and butlers. Unfortunately, at the age of 16 he lost his father, losing not only an important figure in the family, but also a guide who made him understand the value of money, sacrifice and the importance of work. He had two brothers, Luciano and Giuseppe and two sisters Elena and Matilde.

In 1945 he bought his first car, a Fiat Topolino, despite not having a driving license yet. In 1947 his brother Giuseppe started racing with Alfa Romeo, but it was Luigi who had motoring in his blood. Tall, thin, always very elegant, he seemed to many unsuitable for the life of a driver. Too moody, too spoiled. They thought he was the usual rich man who wanted to take off the whim of competing and then end up in the magazines and bask in his ephemeral success. Luigi, instead, really wanted to race.

He began to prepare himself for his future career by studying, analyzing the circuits, the trajectories, trying to understand the fundamental physical laws, in short, a truly theoretical approach, but which will then allow him to become a precise and very attentive driver. He was not a reckless one: he knew very well that, with those cars, one would die and he was determined to win without too many risks. He was not one who spared himself, but he preferred to calculate rather than risk. It will in fact be a gamble to take him away. In everyday life, on the other hand, the head shots were continuous: the casinos were his Achilles heel. He played incredible figures and lost, he really lost a lot, but always with elegance.

He never gave up on anything, luxury was necessary for him ... on the other hand he was born in luxury, it was in his DNA. He often invested in bad deals, but never took too long to think about it. Things slipped on him. When he seriously started racing he achieved one success after another.

 

The beginnings were aboard a Maserati, the only truly profitable investment, he raced on all the most important occasions, often winning rich prizes and gradually making a name for himself in the racing world. He won the title of Absolute Italian Sport Champion, class 2000, in 1953. In 1954 he finished second in the Targa Florio on Maserati A6GCS and third in the Mille Miglia on Maserati A6GCS number 500 with Augusto Zocca.

Luigi Musso in September 1955. Photo by Kemsley / Mirrorpix / Getty Images.

In 1955 he became Champion Italian Sport class over 2000. Formula 1 was still his real goal. He wanted to fly high.

In 1954 he began his brief but incisive adventure in the F1 circus, as official driver of the Maserati team. Despite some important successes (in 1955 he finished third at the Dutch GP, behind Fangio and Moss and beating his closest friend-enemy: Eugenio Castellotti, who raced for the Maranello team) he knew that, to achieve his goals, the right team was only one: Enzo's Rossa. On 30 April 1955 he took part in the Mille Miglia with the number 651 Maserati A6GCS but was unable to complete the race.

Relations with the Drake were never completely serene, Musso often felt neglected to the advantage of his teammates and Ferrari did not like the Roman's vices and delusions of grandeur ... However, his debut with Ferrari is dated 1956, the year in which he obtained his most beautiful victory at the Argentine GP.

Always in 1956 Musso raced the Mille Miglia in a Ferrari 850 Monza number 556, finishing 3rd. At the end of the same year, the team's drivers were presented: Luigi Musso, Eugenio Castellotti, Alfonso de Portago, Mike Hawthorn and Peter Collins. A host of champions with a sad fate already sealed. Musso knew that, in addition to competing with his opponents, the first to beat were his teammates.

In 1957 he won the 1000 miles of Buenos Aires. His notoriety was at the highest level and the Italian public praised him. The death of Castellotti, however, marked him deeply and he was so impressed that he also changed his character. Alfonso de Portago also died in May.

In 1958, despite being the only Italian to compete for the world title, he was demoted to third driver behind Hawthorn and Collins, because the previous year, at the Monza GP, he refused to give his car to Fangio. His desire for redemption was great. And the best opportunity for him was to conquer the top step of the podium in Reims. The victory also meant a prize of 15 million, a figure he needed to solve his enormous financial problems.

Unfortunately, he hadn't come to terms with that damned curve that everyone called the Calvaire. On 6 July 1958 Luigi was second behind Hawthorn on lap 10. At Calvaire Luigi decides not to take his foot off the accelerator to pass his opponent out of the corner. But no one could make the Calvaire at full speed, everyone knew that. For Luigi it is the end.

Luigi Musso’s funeral.

Musso's daughter, Lucietta, between her mother and grandmother on 09.07.1958.

He died at just 34 years old and joined his friend Eugenio Castellotti. That day, for the first time, he had not respected his superstitious ritual: the last person to speak to him before the race had not been his partner Fiamma ... A month later, Collins also died. And, in 1959, it was Hawthorn's turn. Two years of mournings that deeply marked the history of F1.

Peter Revson

The story of America's lesser-known Grand Prix winner. By David Tremayne on 13 October 2018.

Mario Andretti is a household name and US racing legend; Phil Hill revered as the first American to win a Grand Prix and the world championship; and Dan Gurney fondly remembered for building and racing the only American car to win in F1. But how many people know Peter Revson, the fifth American to have won a GP? Ahead of the United States Grand Prix in Austin next weekend, David Tremayne tells the story of a dashing racer lost too soon ...

As befitted his birthright as heir to the Revlon cosmetics empire founded by his father Martin and uncle Charles, Peter Jeffrey Revson was an urbane character, a deep thinker prone at times to quiet cynicism. When he was racing he was happy to discuss it, but could just as easily discourse about Hemingway, philosophy and sailboats. He was a jazz fan and loved the alto sax. Women found him irresistible.

After working for Seagram's market research department and then on Madison Avenue for Williams & Saylor advertising agency, he started racing the Morgan he’d bought in Hawaii in 1960. He was second in his first race and won the next.

Three years later he scraped together $12,000 from savings and the remains of the trust his mother Julie had set up for his education and headed to Europe equipped with a Formula Junior Cooper, a Ford Thames bread van called Gilbert and mechanic Walter Boyd. Like fellow hopefuls Chris Amon and bike star Mike Hailwood, he washed up on veteran racer / manager Reg Parnell’s shore.

On his F1 debut in a tired Lotus-BRM he finished ninth in the 1963 Oulton Park Gold Cup and ran in four Grands Prix and five non-championship races with Parnell again in 1964, in an old spaceframe Lotus 24 with BRM V8 power as team mates Hailwood and Amon had monocoque Lotus 25s. His best Grand Prix result was 13th at Monza, but in the non-title races he was fourth at Solitude and sixth at Enna.

“He was a real gentleman,” Parnell’s son Tim remembered. “He was going to drive an F2 car for us the following season, but he got signed up for Ron Harris in the works F2 team.” Revson made the best use of that opportunity and also walked the Monaco F3 support race in 1965 in one of the film maker's cars.

Peter Revson, McLaren M23 Ford, on his way to his second F1 victory at Mosport Park in Canada, 21-23 September 1973. World Copyright: LAT Photographic.

Revson was disillusioned with his meagre results and went back home to focus on building his career in CanAm sportscars and the popular TransAm series. It rocked him when his brother Doug was killed when he ran into a backmarker in the Grena F3 Grand Prix at Djursland Ring in 1967.

They had frequently fought, figuratively and literally, but he flew straight back from the funeral and channelled everything into victory in a Mercury Cougar in the TransAm race at Bryar Motorsports Park in New Hampshire.

Things began to turn for him in 1969 when he took an unfancied, normally-aspirated Brabham BT25 Repco from 33rd to fifth place in the Indianapolis 500, but it burned him that Mark Donohue took the Rookie of the Year honours.

United States, January 01, 1970, Can-Am races, Riverside, Laguna Seca. Peter Revson drives his L&M Lola T220. Photo by Fred Enke / The Enthusiast Network via Getty Images.

Peter Revson and Steve McQueen at the finish of the 12 Hours of Sebring, savoring their second place overall on 21 March 1970. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

The following March he partnered Steve McQueen to second place at Sebring in the actor's Porsche 908, the pair of them defeated only by Mario Andretti's iron resolve not to be beaten by a movie star. McQueen got all the glory, but Revson drove nearly 11 of the 12 hours.

The real break came when Amon finally called it quits at Indy in May and handed his McLaren M15 over. Chris, the man who could take the Masta Kink flat at Spa without worrying about the houses and the trees, admitted that the Brickyard's wall spooked him. For Revson, it was the passport to the real Big Time.

“I always figured that you only get one chance,” he said and he parlayed that drive into a regular seat. In 1971 he stunned the Indy fraternity by putting his M16 on the pole at 178.696 mph and finishing second, 22.88s behind Al Unser Snr.

Former McLaren mechanic Hywel Absalom remembered him as “a pretty quiet guy, really. He was hyped up to be a playboy, but he really didn't play that part at all. In those days there were a lot more flamboyant drivers about, yet he was the one characterised with the playboy image.”

Revson shows off his iconic helmet design as he sits in his McLaren.

“I think he was very serious about showing what he could do, although it was better for him on the Indy front because they'd probably got more accurate American information on him. He just pulled that one out of the bag at Indy in '71. I remember him just hanging in there on the same lap as Al Snr in the race. When he was killed, he was still climbing as far as I was concerned.”

Can-Am Challenge Cup, Watkins Glen, 25 July 1971. Peter Revson, McLaren M8F, 1st position. Podium. By Lat Photographic.

Peter Revson at the 14th annual Los Angeles Times Grand Prix in October 1971.

There were other good things about 1971, for he had taken the regular seat alongside Denny Hulme in the CanAm series and there he became the first American ever to win the title as his M8F carried on McLaren's glorious North American reputation.

At the end of 1971 came the thing he wanted most of all: another crack at F1. “Being an American, Indy is the race I really want to win, but where I want to race is Formula 1. That's my big challenge," he would tell reporters.

There were suggestions that Goodyear had bought him the ride in Ken Tyrrell's third car at Watkins Glen, but works manager Neil Davies recalled: “we took him simply because he was a very promising young driver.”

They weren't the only ones who now felt that way. Though he qualified 19th only to retire on the first lap with oil on the clutch, Teddy Mayer was interested in his services for more than just USAC races in 1972. He would stand down from the Can-Am (although plans to supplant him with Jackie Stewart eventually foundered through the Scot’s ulcer) and step into the F1 team alongside Denny. Seven years after that first abortive sortie, he was back full time.

He learned a great deal as the year progressed, despite often having to switch each weekend between F1, Indy and the Can-Am.

Ronnie Peterson and Peter Revson chatting in the pits in Monza on September 10, 1972.

Coolness. Alister Caldwell, Denny Hulme and Peter Revson chatting in the pits in Monza on September 10, 1972. Photo by Rainer Schlegelmilch.

Peter Revson at the Canadian Grand Prix on September 24, 1972.

He did nine of the 12 GPs and there were thirds in South Africa, Britain and Austria to add to fourth in Italy, a fifth in Spain and a seventh in Belgium, where he fought back in style after a puncture.

Best of all was pole position in Canada, where he finished second to Stewart after a brilliant recovery fight with stars Jacky Ickx, Clay Regazzoni, Emerson Fittipaldi, Hulme, Amon and Carlos Reutemann after his throttle had originally jammed in the closed position. In the qualifying stakes, he edged Denny out five races to four and finished a very respectable fifth in the World Championship.

Emerson Fittipaldi, 1971 South African GP.

Former F1 Champion Emerson Fittipaldi karting at GYG. Sky Sports F1® FKS™ 2015.

Though he was disappointed not to have won a race that year, his improvement caught many eyes. “Brands Hatch in particular was a very good drive,” the late F1 writer Alan Henry remembered. “He was the only driver on the same lap as Fittipaldi and Stewart by the end of the British GP.”

Peter Revson in 1973.

Peter Revson and Ronnie Peterson in 1973. Photo by F1 history.

Peter Revson with girlfriend Marjorie Wallace at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indianapolis, on May 30, 1973. Photo by Neil Leifer / Sports Illustrated via Getty Images.

Peter Revson with girlfriend Marjorie Wallace at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indianapolis, on May 30, 1973. Photo by Neil Leifer / Sports Illustrated via Getty Images.

Peter Revson with girlfriend Marjorie Wallace at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indianapolis, on May 30, 1973. Photo by Neil Leifer / Sports Illustrated via Getty Images.

Peter Revson and Margie in 1973.

1973 was better still, as he finally established himself as one of the world's leading drivers.

Yardley McLaren Peter Revson playing cards on a plane before Circuit de Monaco on June 03, 1973. Photo by Neil Leifer / Sports Illustrated via Getty Images.

Yardley McLaren Peter Revson walking to boat at Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo, Monaco, June 03, 1973. Photo by Neil Leifer / Sports Illustrated via Getty Images.

Peter Revson on a boat in the harbor at Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo, Monaco, June 03, 1973. Photo by Neil Leifer / Sports Illustrated via Getty Images.

Peter Revson with photographers and crew before the start of race at Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo, Monaco, June 03, 1973. Photo by Neil Leifer / Sports Illustrated via Getty Images.

He was second to Stewart in South Africa, fending off Fittipaldi by a scant half second, fourth in Spain and fifth at Monaco. He was close, but somehow not close enough, to achieving his aspirations. He maintained there was something amiss with his car and later it transpired that his wing adjustment slots were completely different to the other M23s.

Peter Revson, Grand Prix of Great Britain, Silverstone Circuit, 14 July 1973. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

Peter Revson, USA, McLaren M23, celebrates his first GP win as he takes the chequered flag at the end of the race. British Grand Prix, Rd 9, Silverstone, England, 14 July 1973. Photo by David Phipps / Sutton Images).

A Goodyear celebration following a 1-2-3 finish on their rubber (Left to Right): Denny Hulme (NZL), McLaren, third; first time race winner Peter Revson (USA), McLaren; Ronnie Peterson (SWE), Lotus, second. British Grand Prix, Silverstone, 1973. Photo by David Phipps / Sutton Images.

Peter Revson celebrating his victory in the British Grand Prix with Joan Cahier and Ronnie Peterson (who finished second), Silverstone Circuit, 14 July 1973. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

July 14, 1973, British GP at Silverstone. JPS Lotus girls on parade with the winning McLaren M23 Ford of Peter Revson. Photo by LAT Photographic.

The JPS girls enjoy watching the podium from a track with the winning McLaren M23 of Peter Revson at the British GP in Silverstone on July 14, 1973.

And then came Silverstone.

He qualified on the front row, alongside Lotus’s Ronnie Peterson and Hulme and, when all the dust from team mate Jody Scheckter's carnage had settled and Stewart had got two gears at once at Stowe, he calmly picked off Peterson for the lead on lap 39. Ronnie counter-attacked but Revvie kept his cool and swept neatly home to his first GP win by 2.8 comfortable seconds. To add to his pleasure, the night before he'd backed himself for £150, with £50 each way at 14 to 1 ... He netted an £875 bonus.

Peter Revson, August 1973, Nürburgring.

Austrian Grand Prix, Osterreichring, Austria, 17-19th August 1973. Peter Revson, McLaren, relaxes with a book alongside a female companion. Photo by LAT Photographic.

Peter Revson, McLaren, who retired from the race on the opening lap of the race with a broken clutch, talks with a visitor to the pits. Austrian GP, Osterreichring, 19 August 1973.

Race retiree Peter Revson, McLaren, (nearest) reads a book in the paddock as eighth placed team mate Denny Hulme (background) sits and reflects. Austrian Grand Prix, Osterreichring, Austria, 19 August 1973.

Fourth place followed at Zandvoort and third at Monza, where he'd started from the front row again.

The podium results were pending for several hours due to the pace car confusion that wrecked the lap charts, but were confirmed to be as they stood on the podium: Peter Revson had won the Canadian Grand Prix on September 23, 1973, ahead of Emerson Fittipaldi (left).

In Canada he was again second fastest and, in a wet-dry race of total confusion, he was eventually named the winner after everyone's lap charts had blown up. That one might have been a gift but, after Stewart had kept his Kyalami win despite passing under yellow flags, maybe he'd been owed a little good fortune.

Miss World 1973, Marjorie Wallace, Peter Revson’s girlfiend. USA November 23, 1973.

Miss World 1973, Marjorie Wallace, Peter Revson’s girlfiend. USA November 23, 1973.

Miss World 1973, Marjorie Wallace, Peter Revson’s girlfiend. USA November 23, 1973.

Miss World 1973, Marjorie Wallace, Peter Revson’s girlfiend. USA November 23, 1973.

He was fifth again in the world championship and now there was little doubt about his prowess. He was maturing nicely. “At the end of the day,” Henry said, “at Silverstone he beat Denny, Ronnie, James [Hunt] and Emerson fair and square ...”

His racing philosophy was simple. He always sought a car's limits, but in a controlled manner. His approach was always calculated and the title of his excellent biography said it all: “Speed with style”.

That's Sam Posey on the ground and the late Peter Revson pummeling Sam. It seems that Peter had a difference of opinion on what happened on the track at Riverside Raceway in 1970.

That's Sam Posey on the ground and the late Peter Revson pummeling Sam. It seems that Peter had a difference of opinion on what happened on the track at Riverside Raceway in 1970. Does Peter Revson have a short fuse? Well at Sebring in 1972 he got thrown out of the race because he got black flagged for passing under the yellow. He pulled into the pits and proceeded to threaten a race official. He got tossed soon after. The guy trying to break up the fight is Walter Czarnecki of the Shelby Team. Strangely enough Posey and Revson became good friends after this incident. Photo by Pete Biro.

That's Sam Posey on the ground and the late Peter Revson pummeling Sam. It seems that Peter had a difference of opinion on what happened on the track at Riverside Raceway in 1970.

And, though a slender six footer, he was tough. He once ran boxer Joe Frazier close in a weight-lifting contest.

Henry always liked Revson. “He was good looking and scrupulously polite. I thought he had a lot of star quality. There was an aura about him, which was enlivened further when he turned up at Watkins Glen in 1973 with Miss World, Marji Wallace, on his arm. I hadn't been doing F1 long then and I suppose I was a bit star struck by him. I interviewed him in a camper at Mosport Park, just before he ‘won' that race.”

“He wasn't necessarily world class but he was a lot better than some perceived him to be. He was probably better than Denny in 1973 and Denny had won in Sweden and been on his only pole in South Africa. The M23 was a hot car then, of course, but Revvie was good.”

Peter Revson with model Marjorie Wallace at the Ontario Speedway on March 09, 1974.

There were clouds on the horizon, though. McLaren boss Teddy Mayer offered him only USAC and F5000 races in the US in 1974, because Fittipaldi was bringing four times as much Marlboro money to McLaren than existing sponsor Yardley were paying. After being swept into an unsettling maelstrom of political wrangling, Revson retorted laconically: “it seemed that Teddy's sensitivity index was particularly bad.”

“I liked Peter enormously, actually,” Mayer said. “I think the thing that was probably difficult for both of us was to separate our friendship and then the fact that we'd grown up together, from the professional necessities of motor racing. The Yardley situation got a bit tangled. The sensitivity index thing ... that may well be.”

“I think he could have matured to the top half dozen, but I'm not sure his consistency was there to win the championship.”

Revson wanted to stay in F1 and talked briefly with the beleaguered Ferrari team, which eventually plumped for Niki Lauda, Dan Gurney - who hoped to bring Eagle back - and Graham Hill. But, in the end, he opted for Don Nichols' persistent offers to join Shadow.

“I remember they had a big announcement at the end of 1973 in Paris and Revvie had driven the new DN3 the day before at Paul Ricard,” Henry chuckled. “Maybe he was still feeling a little sore with McLaren, but he said that already it handled better than the M23. Teddy went ballistic!”

Revson’s mechanic Roger Silman was enormously impressed with him. “I had the impression that he didn't expect it to be a world beater immediately, but we had found somebody who very much wanted to help build the team. I was amazed by him. Most impressed. I thought he was a super person. He was a real gentleman and very much a team member. And he had this ability to turn on a really quick lap. A lovely bloke ...”

F1 engineer Trevor Foster agreed. “He was very friendly, very good with the mechanics, very professional. Everyone was quite buoyant. We'd finally got a name, somebody who'd won a Grand Prix. The team were shattered when he was killed. It reeled everybody back.”

Former Shadow team manager Alan Rees said: “he was a really experienced, intelligent driver. The problem after he was killed was that it all just disappeared for us. For sure, it set us back. I think we'd have got much better results, no question of that. He really was a very significant driver.”

Revson loved the DN3, even though the Argentinian and Brazilian GPs yielded him little after practice promise. “It rides smooth as a Packard,” he said. Then, shortly after finishing sixth in the wet Race of Champions, the team went out to Kyalami to test before the South African GP and, on Friday, March 22nd, his Shadow failed to negotiate the very quick Barbecue Bend right-hander when something broke and slammed into the guardrail.

Burning wreckage of Peter Revson’s race car.

Rescuers gather around Peter Revson’s wrecked race car at Johannesburg.

Graham Hill lifts part of the burning wreckage to clear unconscious Peter Revson on March 22, 1974. Stock Photo.

Peter Revson’s Shadow after his fatal crash.

Burning wreckage of Peter Revson’s car.

Peter Revson after his fatal crash.

“Unfortunately, what happened was that the car was of low build and it hit the Armco at a shallow angle,” says designer Tony Southgate. “It struck it at 45 degrees and wedged itself under the barrier, then tried to wrap itself round it and broke its back. The steering column was crushed on to his chest. The barrier didn't do its job of bouncing the car off.”

“Titanium is commonplace now, but the degree of quality control was less than it is now. Things like machine marks, from grinding and turning, could have contributed to a premature failure.”

Just five months earlier Revson had thought long and hard after Francois Cevert's brutal death at Watkins Glen and about the faults in the installation of the barrier that had caused it.

Now, just like the dashing Frenchman, one of America’s most promising prospects had been plucked away as he stood on his own threshold of the last big step forward.

Peter Revson (USA), Shadow DN3, qualified sixth but retired on lap 12 due to overheating in what would tragically be his final GP before a fatal testing accident at the following GP. Brazilian Grand Prix, Interlagos, 27 January 1974. Photo by David Phipps / Sutton Images.

Remembering ‘American racing hero’ Peter Revson, who left us 40 years ago Saturday. By Jerry Bonkowski. March 22, 2014.

The month of March marks the start of spring, but it also has tragically figured in the deaths of a number of race car drivers who left us far too soon.

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver John Nemechek, younger brother of veteran Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series driver Joe Nemechek, lost his life during a wreck at Homestead-Miami Speedway on March 16, 1997.

NHRA Funny Car drag racer Eric Medlen died after a wreck at Gainesville, Fla., on March 17, 2007.

This Wednesday will mark the eighth anniversary of the death of IndyCar driver Paul Dana during practice in 2006 at Homestead.

Formula One great Ayrton Senna would have been 54 on March 21, but was killed in a crash in May 1994.

Indy car great Gary Bettenhausen passed away last Sunday at the age of 72.

And it was 40 years ago today, March 22, that American Indy car and F1 driver Peter Revson was killed during testing for the 1974 South African Grand Prix at Kyalami.

While driving his UOP Shadow Ford DN3, Revson’s car suffered suspension failure, causing him to lose control and crash head-on into a barrier, bursting into flame.

Known in F1 as the “American Racing Hero,” Revson died almost instantly at the age of 35.

In a 2012 story in Motorsport magazine, DN3 designer Tony Southgate gave this recollection of Revson: “Revvie was a fabulous easy-going guy, fitted in well and a very good driver. But tragically he wasn’t with us for long. He qualified on row 2 for Argentina and row 3 for Brazil. Then he and I, our chief mechanic Pete Kerr and two other mechanics went down to Kyalami for testing before the South African GP.

“Revvie was going very well, very happy with the car and then he didn’t come around. We rushed out to the back of the circuit and found the car buried under the Armco (barrier) on the outside of a quick corner. Peter was already in the ambulance and gone. I phoned the hospital and they told me I had to go to the morgue and identify him. When the news got out all hell let loose, journalists banging on my hotel door, then the Revson family lawyer arrived and took over.”

The wreck was caused when a bolt on a titanium ball joint failed, Southgate said.

“We were using titanium quite a lot on the DN3, which was quite a new material then,” he told Motorsport. “Titanium is finicky, it has to be machined smooth and the surface polished and a ball joint which had some coarse machining on it had failed.”

“There was only one layer of Armco and the car, instead of being deflected or stopped, had gone right under as far as the cockpit. I felt personally responsible. It was a very difficult time. The glamour of Formula 1 had gone, replaced by a sort of loneliness.”

Revson was a dashing playboy. But he was also part of what some called the Revson curse: in addition to Peter being killed in a race car, his brother Douglas died in a race in Denmark in 1967 and then Revson’s F1 replacement, Tom Pryce, died three years later (March 5, 1977) in the same South African Grand Prix track that claimed Peter.

Revson, who was posthumously inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1996, was just starting to hit his stride as a race car driver when he was tragically killed.

I just doesn't matter. Marjorie Wallace: what the hell happened?

Marjorie Wallace, the first American crowned as Miss World.

Hey Margi, what happened to ya?

You seemed to be living The Life.

Back home in Indiana, they were calling you the “Hoosier Hotshot.”

You were rocketing toward fame and superstardom.

Then everything. Just. Slowed. To a full stop.

In 1973 you met him — ironically at the site of the Indianapolis 500. At the world’s most famous car chase, the winners often floor it from start to finish. For some, it’s more than just a strategy. It’s a lifestyle.

He was Peter Revson, a wealthy 34-year-old race car driver from the Big Apple, fast and looking for the next thrill. You were Marjorie Wallace, a stunning 19-year-old pageant queen from the Heartland, beautiful and thrilled to be looked at.

What a time it was, oh what a time. It was.

The early 1970s were perhaps the most free-wheeling time in American history. So many curious and rebellious Baby Boomers were finally getting their hands on America’s Levers of Culture as they began to gain access to the nation’s Halls of Power. Anything was possible, it seemed. And everything was available.

Revson was one of a long line of men including singer Tom Jones and Northern Irish footballer George Best. But the uptight UK establishment couldn’t deal with the publicity from your social life, including a rumor that you and Revson were newly engaged to be married.

The result was unprecedented. Just 14 weeks after you were crowned America’s first ever Miss World, they snatched your title away from you. They said you “failed to fulfill the basic requirements of the job.”

Your jet-set romance with Revson was tragically cut short less than a year after you met. It wasn’t your choice. Revson died in March of 1974 when the suspension on his Shadow Ford DN3 failed during practice for the South African Grand Prix.

Your fiance was exiting a turn at more than 110 mph when his car “shot off the track”, “flipped end-over-end and burst into flames,” the Associated Press reported. The vehicle “was still burning when we turned it over and lifted him out,” famed British driver Graham Hill — who would die in November the next year while piloting a small airplane — told AP. “… we managed to keep the flames … away from Revson while we got him out.” He died en route to a hospital. Revson was wearing the gold locket you had given him, according to People magazine. The locket was engraved, “if not for you …,” the magazine reported.

A week later, the Revson family held a closed-casket funeral at Manhattan’s All Soul’s Unitarian Church, attended by about 350 people including 1972 Indy 500 champion Mark Donohue. Donohue would also die in a racing crash the next year.

“One of the greatest injustices was the reputation that Peter got as a playboy,” United Press International quoted Donohue. “He was anything but that. Nobody ever applied himself any harder to succeed in what he did.”

You were at the funeral too, the UPI reported. But newspaper accounts made no other mention about what you may have said, if anything at all. Revson was buried at the family mausoleum in Hartsdale, New York, next to his brother Doug, who had died seven years earlier in a racing crash of his own.

For Peter, there was no public mourning in the media, as there might have been today. No Facebook tribute pages, no auditoriums filled with grief-stricken fans draped in black and gray. There were no Tweets of condolence.

Less than three months later, you were rushed to Indianapolis’ St. Vincent’s Hospital after your sister Nancy found you unconscious in your apartment, the apparent victim of an overdose of the sleeping pill Doriden, according to the Sydney Morning Herald and the AP. One doctor told the AP you were “comatose and in pretty bad shape.” Doctors put you on a dialysis machine to clear your kidneys.

“She might have felt like she couldn’t go on,” your mother was quoted by Alabama’s Florence Times Daily.

After that, it looked like you were able to pick up and move on. According to imdb.com, there were TV acting roles on top shows like “Baretta” with Robert Blake and “Get Christie Love!” with Teresa Graves. You got daytime TV guest shots on the wildly popular “Match Game 73.”

In 1976, you had moved into the L.A. apartment of tennis champ Jimmy Connors after the destruction of his relationship with Chris Evert, according to the Miami News.

“Marji and I don’t even have to talk to each other if we don’t feel like it,” Connors reportedly said. “But I feel I have found someone to share the things I like and that makes it all worthwhile.”

You had a quote in the newspaper article too, Marji, saying Connors was “a fantastic person. A very different person off the court.”

By May 1978 you had married film producer and NFL team co-owner Michael Klein, according to Walter Scott’s Personality Parade. You had a son you named Adam.

Then, in 1981, came a career break that could have changed your life. You were tapped to host a new kind of Hollywood showbiz TV report called “Entertainment Tonight.”

You didn’t know it at the time, but the show would change the way TV reported entertainment world and it would create success for people like John Tesh, Maria Menounos and Mary Hart.

But not for you.

Producers wanted to make a change and offered you a reporter position, which you declined.

In 1982, your marriage with Klein ended in divorce. Newspapers reported you were dating Richard Cohen, estranged husband of Tina Sinatra.

After that, your trail of tear drops stops.

What the hell happened?

Where are you and what are you doing now?

I hope you’re writing your memoirs.

Now that’s a book I would read.

Peter Revson was heir to the Revlon billion-dollar fortune, yet he chose to risk his life many times a year for the thrill of racing automobiles.

Some people wander their entire lives without caring or knowing what they really want. They settle for whatever comes their way and label it a satisfying life.

By the time Revson attended Cornell University in the 1960s, he had developed the wisdom to seek out the life he wanted. Once he discovered racing, he demonstrated his love for the sport by risking his life to pursue greatness in his chosen profession.

Nearly 40 years after his death, Revson remains the last American-born driver ever to win a Formula One contest, both the British and Canadian Grand Prix in 1973.

Racer Peter Revson signed this in May 1973, ten months before he died on a South African track.

He signed his autograph for my dad, who brought it home to me one day in May of 1973.

Pedro and Ricardo Rodriguez

Ricardo and Pedro Rodríguez in 1961.

The Rodriguez brothers, Mexico’s first F1 superstars. 29 October 2015.

Mexico’s newly redeveloped Grand Prix circuit is named after Los Hermanos Rodriguez, but who were the Rodriguez brothers and why do they remain such revered characters in Mexican motorsport?

The Rodriguez brothers.

On the eve of the country’s first F1 race in 23 years, we explain all …

The Rodriguez brothers might have dominated motor sport, it was not to be.

Pedro and his younger brother Ricardo were Mexico’s first motor racing superstars. Born in 1940 and ‘42 respectively in Mexico City, the precociously talented duo both took national titles on motorcycles before - with the full backing of their wealthy father - turning their attention to four wheels in their early teens.

Ricardo Rodriguez.

Despite being slightly later to cars than his older sibling, it was Ricardo who made the bigger waves initially, dumbfounding his rivals by winning his first international event, a sportscar race at Riverside in 1957, at the tender age of just 15.

The Rodriguez brothers, Mexico’s first F1 superstars.

Wow, that’s Max Verstappen-esque. So was Ricardo regarded as the more talented driver?

Ricardo Rodriguez in a Ferrari.

Yes, Ricardo was regarded by most as the faster, more naturally gifted of the two brothers and often outshone his sibling when they were paired together in sportscars. It must be said though that Pedro, whilst enormously talented, was more of a late bloomer and it wasn’t until he committed to racing full-time in 1967 that he blossomed into one of the world’s very best drivers. Sadly, however, Ricardo and Pedro never raced against each other at the height of their respective powers, but more on that later …

Ricardo Rodriguez, 12 Hours of Sebring, 26 March 1960. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

Ricardo Rodriguez, Pedro Natalio Rodríguez, Pedro Rodriguez, Angelina Rodriguez, 24 Hours of Le Mans, Le Mans, 06 November 1961. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

Ricardo Rodriguez, Ferrari Dino 156, in 1962.

 

Ricardo Rodriguez in 1962. Photo by F1 history.

Ricardo Rodriguez, Ferrari 156, spun out late in the race and was not classified as a finisher, at the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort on 20 May 1962. Credit: Sutton Motorsport Images.

Mauro Forghieri with Ricardo Rodriguez, Targa Florio, Sicily, 05 June 1962. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

Ricardo Rodriguez (left) and Phil Hill, Ferrari, at the Belgian GP in Spa on 17 June 1962. Credit: Sutton Motorsport Images.

Ricardo Rodriguez, 4th, leads Phil Hill, 3rd, both in Ferraris 156, at the Belgian Grand Prix in Spa on 17 June 1962. Credit: Sutton Motorsport Images.

Ricardo Rodriguez' wife Sara keeps the times of her husband, 1962, Germany, Nuerburgring, Sports Cars (prototype). Photo by Rainer Schlegelmilch.

Ricardo Rodriguez, Ferrari 156, scored his last ever Grand Prix point with a sixth place finish. German Grand Prix, Nurburgring, 05 August 1962. Credit: Sutton Motorsport Images.

Giancarlo Baghetti, Ricardo Rodriguez, Willy Mairesse, Ferrari 156, Grand Prix of Italy, Autodromo Nazionale Monza, 16 September 1962. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

So who got to F1 first, Ricardo or Pedro?

Ricardo Rodriguez.

Ricardo, thanks largely to his outstanding efforts in sportscar racing.

Ricardo Rodriguez.

In the middle of 1958, his brother Pedro was racing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with a Ferrari and Ricardo wanted to sign up for the party and, together with the whole family, they headed for Europe.

Aged 16, the disarmingly capable youngster had been refused entry to the Le Mans 24 Hours but, two years later, driving a Ferrari for Luigi Chinetti’s North American Racing Team (NART), he finished second in the legendary endurance race alongside Belgian racer Andre Pilette.

Ricardo Rodriguez, Ferrari 156, front row of the grid on Grand Prix debut. Italian Grand Prix, Monza, Italy, 10 September 1961. Credit: Sutton Motorsport Images.

That success helped earn Ricardo an invitation to drive for the Scuderia in the 1961 Italian Grand Prix at Monza, an opportunity he grabbed with both hands.

Phil Hill, Ferrari Dino 246, at the 1958 Italian GP in Monza. That steering wheel is so ‘period’! Photo by Jesse Alexander.

Then the youngest man to ever set foot in an F1 car, Ricardo qualified an incredible second on his debut, just one-tenth back from doomed polesitter Wolfgang von Trips and eight-tenths ahead of that year’s eventual champion Phil Hill, both in identical machinery. That he retired from the race with a fuel pump issue after 13 laps was irrelevant - talent proved, Ferrari signed him to a full race deal for 1962.

Ricardo Rodriguez.

Ricardo Rodriguez’s female friends in the Ferrari pits.

Wow, it sounds like the world was at his feet …

Many, including Ricardo’s friend and future McLaren team coordinator Jo Ramirez, believed it was but, sadly, his career was to be cut short before it had ever really started. 1962 proved to be a terribly uncompetitive year for Ferrari and, as a result, the Italian team elected not to send any cars to the season-ending races in the USA and South Africa, nor to the inaugural non-championship Mexican Grand Prix. Desperate to appear on home soil, Ricardo (whose season-best result was a fourth place in Belgium) agreed a deal to race a Rob Walker-run Lotus at the new Magdalena-Mixhuca track, but it was a decision that would ultimately lead to his demise. Having witnessed John Surtees eclipse his table-topping time in practice, Ricardo, perhaps with pride at stake, went back out to try and undercut the Englishman. He’d never return.

Ricardo Rodriguez’s car after the fatal accident.

Ricardo Rodriguez’s funeral.

Pedro Rodriguez at his brother’s funeral.

Doubts remain over the cause of the accident at the daunting Peraltada turn - some say he was going too fast in an unfamiliar car, some say he experienced a mechanical failure - but what is undisputable is that the world of motorsport had lost one of its brightest racing talents at the age of just 20. “I may be biased, but I think he would have become another Prost or Senna,” Ramirez has said. “He was very, very special.”

Pedro Rodriguez finished seventh in his home GP driving the sole NART (North American Racing Team) Ferrari 312. Mexican Grand Prix, Mexico City, 19 October 1969. © Sutton Motorsport Images.

Pedro Rodriguez, BRM, finished his home race in fourth place. Mexican Grand Prix, Mexico City, 3 November 1968. © Sutton Motorsport Images.

Pedro Rodriguez, Cooper Maserati T81, scored his first GP victory. F1 World Championship, South African Grand Prix, Kyalami, South Africa, 02 January 1967. ©Sutton Motorsport Images.

What effect did Ricardo’s death have on Pedro?

A young Pedro Rodriguez.

Pedro, who’d continued to ply his trade with considerable success in sportscars, often alongside his vaunted sibling, was due to make his F1 debut on that fateful weekend in Mexico but, after his brother’s death, he scaled back his own racing commitments and opened a car import business in his homeland.

Pedro and Ricardo Rodriguez.

However, like Ricardo, Pedro always seemed destined to race at the highest level and soon returned to front-line sportscar action.

When did Pedro make it to F1?

Pedro Rodriguez.

Pedro finally made his long-awaited Grand Prix racing bow at the tail-end of 1963, competing in the USA and Mexico for Lotus but, on both occasions, he qualified down the order before retiring.

Pedro Rodriguez in a Ferrari F1.

Further so-so outings in a NART-run Ferrari and with Lotus followed over the next three years as Pedro continued to compete in sportscars, but it wasn’t until 1967 when the little Mexican was offered a seat at Cooper for the season-opening South African Grand Prix that his F1 career really took off. On the flowing Kyalami track, Pedro qualified a splendid fourth before taking a surprise win in the race. If truth be told, his triumph owed more than a little to good fortune, but it earned him a full-time drive with the increasingly uncompetitive Cooper team for the rest of the season.

Pedro Rodriguez in a B.R.M.

Pedro would be a mainstay in F1 for the next four seasons, driving predominantly for BRM but also for Ferrari.

Pedro Rodriguez.

Often to be seen wearing his trademark deerstalker hat, Pedro was quiet, mildly eccentric and immensely popular with his mechanics, though his fatalistic philosophy and belief that only God could tell you when your time was up often drew the ire of safety pioneer Jackie Stewart.

January 02, 1967, South Africa, 1st F1 win for Pedro Rodriguez, 1st F1 win for Mexico, last of 16 F1 wins for Cooper.

Local hero Pedro Rodriguez finished the race in fourth place in a BRM P133. Mexican Grand Prix, Rd12, Mexico City, Mexico, 03 November 1968. © Sutton Motorsport Images.

Pedro Rodriguez, BRM P153, leads Chris Amon, March 701, into Eau Rouge. Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium, 05-07 June 1970. © LAT Photographic.

The podium (left to right): Chris Amon (NZL), Ferrari, second; Pedro Rodriguez (MEX), BRM, winner; Jean-Pierre Beltoise (FRA), Matra, third. Belgian Grand Prix, Spa-Francorchamps, 07 June 1970. © Best Image / Sutton Motorsport Images.

Pedro Rodríguez winner at Spa on June 07, 1970.

Did Pedro win any other races in F1?

He did, he won the 1970 Belgian Grand Prix on the old, flat-out 14.1 km Spa-Francorchamps and the 1971 non-championship International Spring Trophy at Oulton Park and might have won the 1970 US Grand Prix too were it not for a fuel pump problem. In the former race the rapid Mexican, always at his best on high-speed circuits, defeated Chris Amon by just 1,1 second as he won at a then record average of 241,3 km/h (149,9 mph). “Pedro’s precision was fabulous,” Amon said of his rival. “I knew that I would get past him only if he made a mistake somewhere and he never did.”

Steve McQueen talks to Pedro on June 12, 1970.

Glenda Foreman focusses on the Heuers whilst Pedro Rodriguez runs up-front at Le Mans 1970.

Pedro Rodriguez, Netherlands 1970. By F1 history.

Pretty in pink. Time keepers at the Duch GP in 1970. We think the one on the left with the spectacular sunglasses is Lynne Oliver which makes bubblegum girl either Pedro Rodriguez's girlfriend, Glenda Foreman or someone who was with George Eaton, the other BRM driver. Source: GettyImages.co.uk.

United States, October 20, 1970, Monterey, Castrol Grand Prix, Laguna Seca, Can-Am. Pedro Rodriguez stands with his helmet on next to his BRM P154's bare chassis in the pits. With the bodywork removed the injected Chevrolet engine is clearly visible. Photo by Henry Thomas / The Enthusiast Network via Getty Images.

Jo Siffert with Pedro Rodriguez at Monza in 1970.

Pedro Rodriguez, Netherlands 1971. By F1 history.

In total Pedro claimed seven F1 podiums (and a personal best of fourth on home soil in 1968), but the triumph Pedro always held above all others was not in F1 but at Le Mans, where he tasted overall victory in 1968 driving a Ford GT40 alongside Lucien Bianchi.

So how did Pedro’s F1 career end?

Sadly, like his brother, in tragic circumstances. Throughout his F1 career, Pedro had continued to race sportscars and with increasing success. In 1970 the Mexican teamed up with John Wyer Automotive to race the fearsome Porsche 917 in the world sportscar championship. It was at the wheel of this monstrous machine that Pedro not only demonstrated his speed and deft car-handling, but also his sublime wet-weather abilities. Pedro’s irrepressible come-from-behind victory at a rain soaked Brands Hatch in 1970, one of four triumphs in a championship-winning year, remains arguably the defining performance of his career. But the Mexican’s relentless appetite for racing would eventually prove his undoing and so it was that he was killed in a relatively minor sportscar race in Germany in July 1971, mere days after setting the fastest time at the pre-British Grand Prix test at Silverstone. He was 31.

Pedro Rodriguez, BRM P153, British Grand Prix, Brands Hatch, 19 July 1970. © Sutton Motorsport Images.

A statue to commemorate Pedro Rodriguez and his brother Ricardo, who were both killed in motor racing accidents. Mexican Grand Prix, Rd 15, Mexico City, Mexico, 12 October 1986. © Sutton Motorsport Images.

Pedro Rodriguez's victory at the wheel of a Porsche 917 at Brands Hatch in 1970 is considered one of the best wet-weather performances of all time. © LAT Photographic.

What was the brothers’ legacy?

Where do you start? Immediately after Ricardo’s death the Mexico City track was renamed in his honour, but this was changed to the current Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez after Pedro’s sad demise. But the brothers did more than just give their name to a track, they helped put motorsport on the map in their homeland, inspiring a new generation of Mexican racers and creating an appetite for F1 that remains to this day. More than 44 years after his death, Pedro is still regarded as one of the greatest wet-weather drivers of all-time; Ricardo as one of the sport’s greatest lost talents. It’s also worth noting that, all these years later, Ricardo remains the sixth-youngest driver in F1 history to have finished in the points, behind only Max Verstappen, Daniil Kvyat, Sebastian Vettel, Jaime Alguersuari and Jenson Button (who broke the Mexican’s long-held record in 2000).

What’s the current Mexican superstar’s take on the Rodriguez brothers?

Force India’s Sergio Perez, one of just six Mexicans to have raced in F1, has always spoken in reverential terms about the Rodriguez brothers and their place in Mexican motor racing history. “Pedro and Ricardo Rodriguez are idols for everybody who is interested in motorsport in Mexico,” Perez told Formula1.com recently. “It is an honour to follow in the footsteps of these fantastic drivers and to show the world that they are far from forgotten. Racing in Mexico City, at a track that carries their name, is a dream come true. Whenever drivers were asked about what it’s like to race in their home country I’ve always had to step aside as there was no Mexican Grand Prix. Now there is and I will do my upmost to please my home crowd and to be a worthy successor of the iconic Rodriguez brothers.”

Pedro Rodriguez: the cruel fate of an ace. Pedro Rodriguez de la Vega, who tragically passed away on 11 July 1971, is one of the great names in motoring of the twentieth century and is still remembered today as one of the most multifaceted and eclectic talents in history. “Racing is my life and a weekend without a race is a lost weekend.” That line, said to North American Racing Team boss Luigi Chinetti and which appears in the comprehensive work ‘Brothers Rodriguez’ by Carlos Eduardo Jalife-Villalon, sums up Pedro Rodriguez’s approach to motorsport.

Pedro and his brother Ricardo, also a driver, were nicknamed the "little Mexicans" because they successfully attended the world of motors since childhood. Published on 11 July 2016.

Rodriguez became national motorcycling champion when he was not yet of age and, together with his brother, he approached four wheels at a very young age. Rodriguez was a symbol of his era. Fast, spirited and whimsical he was a spectacular driver but also profitable because of his unique style. Very aggressive and determined, he made the most of the potential of the cars he drove, but without mistreating them. At 15 Pedro was already a winner as he had been able to conquer two national titles on two wheels, while his international debut in the car took place as early as 1957 at the age of 17 during the "Speed Week" in Nassau. In that context, the two Rodriguez brothers were noticed by Luigi Chinetti, the US importer of the Ferrari brand. Elecrocuted by the Mexican kids, the Italian American made one of his cars available for them for the 1958 24 Hours of Le Mans, but the organizers of the French classic banned the participation of the "too" young Ricardo, who was just sixteen at the time.

 

Even if Pedro was admitted, the race direction did so with many reservations because, even though he was eighteen for a few months (he had a birthday in January), he was considered to be inexperienced. At his first 24 Hours Pedro, then teamed up with the transalpine driver José Behra, brother of the more famous Jean, with whom he shared a Ferrari 500 Testa Rossa for what was the first of 14 participations in the prestigious Sarthe marathon. In the years to come, the fame of the two brothers who came from Mexico soon grew also in Europe where the young Pedro and Ricardo were increasingly appreciated. One of the couple's first demonstrations of talent took place at Sebring in 1961 when, again at the wheel of an old Testa Rossa of Nart, the Rodriguezs were the thorn in the side of the factory Ferraris and finished third at the finish. A few months later, at the 1000 km of the Nurburgring, the two replicated another over the top performance by finishing second, but this time aboard a Testa Rossa less obsolete than the one driven in the US race. In June of the same year there was the first masterpiece at Le Mans. Pedro and Ricardo, greeted by the ovation of the public at each pit stop, go like the wind but, at the first light of dawn, their Red is the victim of an electrical problem that forces them to stop for half an hour in the pits.

 

Obviously, once back on track, the race is lost but, from the stands, the public still cheers them loudly. In response, they try to push again, but the crowd falls silent when the Ferrari of the Nart team finally stops due to a broken engine less than an hour before the end of the race. Despite this, the two terrible guys are the object of the standing ovation of the fans present and leave Le Mans as triumphants without even having seen the finish line. At the end of the season the Rodriguez brothers still race in pairs at the 1000 Km of Paris and take an amazing victory aboard a Ferrari 250 Swb berlinetta. Such performances certainly did not go unnoticed and earned both of them a call in the official Cavallino team. Ricardo, considered the fastest of the two at the time, even managed to land in Formula 1, while Pedro, the eldest, concentrated on prototypes. Unfortunately and despite the better means available than previously, Le Mans in '62 is still lacking in satisfaction for the Rodriguez brothers, as it coincides with another retirement in the middle of the race. However, the South American brothers will have another satisfaction, the second in a row, at the 1000 km of Paris where they triumph at the wheel of a GTO. Unfortunately, this will be the last victory together before Ricardo’s tragic death in the F1 Mexican Grand Prix.

 

In November 1962, after a season stingy of successes for the outgoing F1 World Champion Red, Enzo Ferrari decided it was useless to go to Mexico to take part in the last race on the calendar. The Drake had deemed such a trip useless and burdensome in light of the disastrous performance of his cars at that time. Ricardo, however, did not want to give up his home GP and obtained from Ferrari himself the opportunity to compete in a private Lotus. Tragically, during the tests preceding the race, the Mexican had an accident and lost his life. A tile for Pedro who, even during the winter, pondered retirement from competitions. However, after some second thoughts, the Mexican decided to try his luck and went back to sit in a racing car. From that moment Rodriguez began to wear a precious ring on his finger that belonged to his brother, an object dear to him and later the protagonist of a story made of superstition and fate. In January 1963 Pedro immediately returned to victory in the 3 Hours of Daytona, triumphing at the wheel of a Ferrari GTO, a success that he repeated the following year, again with the same car.

 

At that time Rodriguez established himself becoming a star of the first magnitude in the world of covered wheel competitions and, until 1966, he alternated these races with some sporadic appearances in F1, where he also took part in some Grands Prix driving a Ferrari. With the Cavallino he also continued his adventure as an official driver in the Marche Championship and, for this reason, Rodriguez was one of the protagonists of the legendary arrival in the Daytona '67 parade. The absolute debut in the top formula took place a few years earlier, in 1963, at the wheel of a Lotus 25 in the United States GP, but the first points came thanks to Ferrari with sixth place in the home race in Mexico City in 1964: the Grand Prix that delivered the world title in the hands of John Surtees. Those years, decidedly fluctuating, gave us a very strong Rodriguez but who, at the time, gave the feeling of being an eternal unfinished. In fact, Pedro was unable to break through in the Grands Prix as he did in the prototypes but, finally in 1967, the opportunity arrived that allowed him to prove the opposite. For that season Cooper offered Rodriguez an official car alongside Jochen Rindt and, at the first race in South Africa, the Mexican immediately took victory aboard the T81 powered by the Maserati V12.

It was the first and only acute of a difficult season, because the car was never up to par and even the subsequent T86 model showed little competitiveness. Few satisfactions and a few points here and there in the various Grands Prix led him to land in BRM in 1968, but even in this case the situation was certainly not the best. The prestigious British team had entered a spiral of crisis after the triumphal years of Graham Hill and the failed H16 project had too much polarized the attention of the team. However, thanks to his talent, Rodriguez took two podiums and ended the season in a more than decent way with a fourth place in his home race in Mexico. In 1969 he continued to commute between covered and open wheels and, at mid-season, Ferrari offered him an official 312 to compete in F1. Unfortunately, the car is not fast and, while the Maranello team is already working on the future 312 B, Pedro takes part in the last rounds on the calendar. He collects some points, including sixth place in Monza and fifth at the Glen, but his adventure with the Cavallino inevitably ends here.

 

In 1970, he returned to BRM for good and finally managed to snatch a starring role as a talent of his caliber deserved. Rodriguez is always present among the first and wins at Spa, a track for real good drivers, his second career Grand Prix. In 1971, in a very wet Dutch Grand Prix, he was the protagonist of an exciting duel with Ferrari driver Ickx, coming behind him in second position. However, F1 did not distract the Mexican from his commitment to win the World Championship because, taking a step back, it should be noted that in 1968 Pedro finally won the 24 Hours of Le Mans with a Ford GT40. But there is an anecdote behind this story and the protagonist, together with the Mexican, is Jacky Ickx.

The Belgian, to whom this car was initially destined, unfortunately broke his leg in F1 and so the team manager of the team, John Wyer, called him as a replacement. Rodriguez did not betray expectations and, as mentioned, won a well-deserved victory. The following year, 1969, he spent driving the beautiful and unlucky Ferrari 312P and, consequently, had to be satisfied with only a few placings. Problems, the latter, which led him to move to the Matra with which he ended the season.

In 1970, the year of the turning point in F1, even in the prototype championship came a call that changed his life.

And it was John Wyer again, the architect of the success at Le Mans two years earlier, who paved the way for him thanks to the agreement that the two made and allowed Rodriguez to become a Porsche factory driver. The union between Pedro and the 917 was the beginning of the legend that consecrated him as the best interpreter of this car, together with his companion and rival Jo Siffert. "There was great rivalry between the two", Ermanno Cuoghi, then chief mechanic of the Gulf team, recalled on the pages of the weekly Autosprint, "but it was healthy. During the tests it was normal to see them talking and discussing for the best set-up of the car. In the race everything was different: one wanted to prevail over the other, but that was obvious. They swapped paint at least a couple of times, the most famous in Spa in the 1970s, but inside the pits. Frankly we were calm, indeed we laughed at each other because we knew that they were both great professionals who had the ability to perfectly control the situation. In reality, they have never done much damage between them.” In summary, Rodriguez was certainly a tough guy and Siffert probably wasn't exactly amused by the situation. "That little Mexican bastard", the Swiss driver said at the time, "tries to throw me off the track whenever he can." The relationship between the two was not idyllic, but not even his colleagues liked the well-known aggressiveness of the good South American driver. Even Mark Donohue, who was called “Captain Nice” because of his proverbial correctness on the track, was stunned by Pedro's determination.

At Sebring in 1971 the American driver's Sunoco-sponsored Ferrari and Rodriguez's Porsche touched three times and, by the end of the competition, Donohue was really beside himself: “I'm so furious it's better if I shut up.” With an almost seraphic calm, Pedro limited himself to dismiss the matter with a few words: “simple racing accidents. And, in any case, Donohue has the responsibility of 'almost' everyone." Beyond some accidents along the way, Rodriguez was delighted with the 917 and the successes came as a natural consequence of this harmony. Also in 1970, the fast Mexican was joined in the 917 of Wyer by the Finnish Leo Kinnunen, a very fast and concrete driver, still famous today for holding the lap record set at the Targa Florio. At the end of the year the couple could boast numerous successes in the Marche World Championship thanks to the victories obtained at Daytona, Brands Hatch, Monza and Watkins Glen. In 1971, the team decided to put another teammate alongside him, the British Jackie Oliver, an experienced driver with a good track record in F1 at the wheel of Lotus and BRM. But, even in this case, the script did not change and several triumphs arrived: Daytona, Spa and Monza were the theaters of these successes to which was added that of Zeltweg, paired with the expert Dick Attwood, another old acquaintance of the F1 circus. This was the best period of Pedro's career, now launched more and more towards new goals.

Thus comes the fateful Nuremberg race of 11 July 1971, a race in which Rodriguez wanted to participate and of which a detail needs to be told which was later linked to the tragic death of the talented Mexican driver. Pedro had agreed with the organizers of the event, a test not valid for the World Championship but only for the Interserie championship and where he would take to the track with a BRM P167 8100 cc. usually used in the Can Am category. Unfortunately, during the preparation phase of the car, the engine broke while it was on the engine test bench and, therefore, the two-seater would not have been ready in time for the scheduled appointment. As a result of the incident, Gernot Leistner, the patron of the Norisring race, had asked his friend Herbert Muller to lend Rodriguez, guest star of the event, one of his Ferrari 512Ms. In return, the Mexican driver immediately accepted the proposal, because in turn he was on excellent terms with the Swiss Muller, since a few months ago they had shared the cockpit of a Porsche 908/3 together at the Targa Florio. Even in Nuremberg the summer was crazy and it was very hot, so Rodriguez, who arrived punctually in the pits on the Friday morning before practice, immediately made himself noticed with a much appreciated gesture, which was to offer his mechanics a case of cold drinks. Once he got into the car, in a car that among other things he did not know, he immediately went very fast and qualified second on the grid behind a McLaren Can Am powered by a powerful 7500 cc engine. At the start, the Mexican immediately took the lead and staged a solitary escape. Then, on lap 11, for reasons never fully clarified at least officially, Pedro lost control of his Ferrari in the S opposite the finish line and met death. The investigations opened at the time were never completely exhaustive and many, including Rodriguez's colleagues, did not believe the thesis of human error.

Nuremberg, Germany, 11th July 1971, the remains of the Ferrari in which Mexican driver Pedro Rodriguez was killed during the first lap of the 200 mile Inter-Series race. Photo by Popperfoto via Getty Images.

"Impossible that he made a mistake, Pedro was an ace," declared dismay from Road Atlanta Denis Hulme, engaged in a Can Am race that weekend. One of the first hypotheses was that of structural failure since it was said that the Ferrari of which Muller was the owner was in very bad shape. The car had been purchased at an auction that offered for sale a lot of cars participating in the filming of the film "The 24 Hours of Le Mans" by Steve McQueen, but Muller himself later explained that the 512 had been directly overhauled in Maranello before being put on track at Norisring. Therefore, even this hypothesis lost its vigor and they passed to hypothesize a possible contact with a slower dubbed that would have triggered the accident. The alleged culprit was that Kurt Hild, but even this idea was inexorably abandoned after watching an amateur video that testified to the contrary. In the end, it was never quite clear what happened that day, although something unexpected certainly happened. In any case, it seems very unlikely that Rodriguez was a victim of heat or an illness, given the great experience aboard such cars in endurance races. Paradoxically, his death closely resembled that of his brother Ricardo nine years earlier, when he too perished behind the wheel of a private car in a race that on paper he shouldn't have disputed.

 

That Pedro's ring. By Marcello Sabbatini, from Autosprint in 1971. "He is the only driver today who, when he gets in the car, you already know that he will ask everything from the vehicle he drives. Without energy or risk reserves. A Rodriguez is worth more as a test for a racing car than all the mechanical fatigue stunts aroused in the laboratory.” Who talked about him like this, with this admiration, was the engineer Ferdinand Piech, the Porsche general manager. We were on his Piper Navajo above the Swiss Alps and we had come, for once, to talk about drivers without a competitive or technical reason. The name of Pedro had been pronounced by Mrs. Corina Piech for the story of a ring. I don't remember how the episode I am about to tell turned out, due to the unusual premonitory dimension it assumes in what was the sudden tragedy of Sunday 11 July at the "esse" corner of Norisring.

It seems to me that "frau" Corina and my wife were talking about embarrassing forgetfulnesses, which cost you something that you can no longer find and that you cannot replace no matter how much you can do. Thus the story of that ring came out. “You think”, Mrs. Corina said, “Pedro was on the plane a few weeks ago and went to the toilet to wash his hands. It was a transoceanic jet. He thus took off a ring that I have always seen on his finger. A beautiful ring, very expensive, I know. But Pedro cared not for its economic value but for its emotional value. It was the ring of his brother Ricardo. He had put it on his finger the day of his death and had never taken it off. Do you know what the Latins are like? They believe these things. Even if they pretend not. And Pedro cared about that ring and not just for its sentimental value. He regarded it as an amulet. He used to say: 'as long as I have this ring nothing will happen to me.' So he left it on the sink. A trivial forgetfulness. He noticed it almost immediately and went back to look for it. But the ring was gone. And there was no way to find it. Rodriguez was distressed by it. Then he decided to have another one made the same. It cost him an arm and a leg, but he wanted to get it back. But it wasn't that ring ..."

 

This was what Mrs. Corina Piech told me on the last day of June, just by chance. Eleven days have passed and Pedro is gone. You know that he sacrificed himself with a battered 5-liter Ferrari that jumped out of the auction of the surviving cars from the fleet of the film "The 24 Hours of Le Mans". He crashed into the most difficult corner of the German track while, with that normal 5-liter, he led in the lead even ahead of cars with engines of seven liters and more. He died in a dramatic accident for which a technically rational explanation still cannot be given. And there is always that story of the detached wheel, or of the punctured tire, or more simply of a broken shock absorber. Pedro is no longer there, they took him home to Mexico City for the solemn state honors that the Mexican President himself wished to dedicate to him. "He deserves it. It is the least we can do for a boy who has honored his nation in this way.”

 

Maybe Pedro still has that ring on his finger. The ring they had given him a few days ago to replace the lost one. He already had it on his finger a week ago at the Castellet. And I know he showed it to some friends. He showed it to everyone and told about the episode of the plane and that he wanted a ring similar to the new one. But he concluded: “however, it is not the same ring, it will never be the same. It is not the memory of my brother Ricardo. And I don't know now if it will bring me the same buena suerte.” He said it right in France. And he looked worried, they tell me, when he said these words. It didn't bring him buena suerte. In the second race without his real ring - amulet on his finger, Pedro Rodriguez found the decisive appointment with his destiny as a driver. Can a ring decide a man's fate? It is irrational to think that in today's world. But also the life of the drivers, of those who make risk their daily job, seems viscerally linked to these manifestations that they are used to call superstition. The irrational remains the most congenial insurance policy for those who never know what can await them behind a curve or on a straight, like at sea or in the sky, for all those that is who face the risk without knowing the human feeling of fear.

Joseph Schlesser

Jo Schlesser was a successful sports car and GT driver. He drove in three Formula One races, the 1966 and 1967 German Grand Prix in F2 spec cars and the 1968 French Grand Prix in which he was killed in the Honda RA302. Jo Schlesser died 54 years ago, he was 40, He would have been 94.

Jo Schlesser models an early French take on the murderous truck driver look. Source pinterest.com.

Born in Liouville, in North-East France, Schlesser spent most of his youth growing up in Madagascar. He moved back to France and studied at Nancy before starting work as a clerk in a factory that made adding machines.

Jo Schlesser, Guy Ligier, Henri Chemin and the Mark II.

He started racing in 1952, in a Dyna-Panhard, taking part in the Rally of Lorraine. He cut back on his racing after going back to Madagascar to work. The low cost of living there coupled with a salary three times more than he had been earning in France meant that not only could he continue to compete, winning the Coupe des Monomill at Montlhéry in a Deutsch et Bonnet in 1954 and finishing second in the Circuit de Majvmga on Madagascar, but by 1955 he could afford to buy a Mercedes 300SL.

That year he drove it to victory in the Circuit de Majunga and the Grand Prix de Fianarantsoa and the following year took wins at the Circuit d'Ivato and the Grand Prix du Sud, all on Madagascar.

Back in Europe in 1957, he finished second in the Liège-Rome-Liège Rally with the Mercedes.

By 1960 he had replaced the Mercedes with a Ferrari 250 GT Inter (1509 GT). He took second in class at the Nürburgring 1000 Km driving with Lucien Bianchi and second overall in the 4 Hour Rouen GP. He took a class win in the GT Grand Prix d'Allemagne, a second in class in the Tour de France Automobile and a third overall in the 1000 km de Paris at Montlhéry with André Simon. At Le Mans he drove the North American Racing Team (NART) Ferrari 250 GT California (2015 GT) with William Sturgis but they retired with engine troubles.

In single seaters he drove a Formula 2 Hume-Cooper Climax FPF but a sixth place at Syracuse was his only finish of any note.

In 1961 he won the Rallye des Routes du Nord in a Lotus Elite. He came second in the Grand Prix de Cadours in the Ferrari 250 GT and took third in the Coupes de Paris. However, his season was cut short by an accident in practice for the Le Mans 24 Hour race, which left him with a badly broken arm and leg.

He returned in 1962 with a Formula Junior Brabham BT2 Ford and became one of the top drivers. He also teamed up with Henri Oreiller that year and together they purchased a grey Ferrari 250 GTO (3851 GT). They finished second overall in the Rouen-Reims but, in October competing in the Coupes du Salon at Montlhery Oreiller, he had a huge accident. He was taken to the Hôpital Cochin in Paris where he died later the same day. In 1965 the car, which is now red, was sold to Fabrizio Violati who still owns it today.

In Formula Junior he took wins in the Coupe de l'U.S.A. at Montlhery, the Circuito Internazionale Riviera di Cesenático at the Circuito di Cesenático in Rimini, the Grand Prix de Nogaro and the Prix de Paris at Montlhery.

In the Grand Prix de Monaco Junior he could only manage 7th but was second in the Grand Prix de Magny Cours, the Grand Prix des Frontières at Chimay in Belgium and the Trophées d'Auvergne in Clermont-Ferrand. He ended the year with the French Formula Junior Title.

In 1963 he teamed up with Guy Ligier and became a Ford dealer in Paris, his connections getting him a job with the Ford France team. He again won the French Formula Junior Title in a Brabham BT6 Ford with four wins, two seconds and two thirds, including 3rd in the GP de Monaco FJ.

In sports cars he drove an Aston Martin DP214 at Le Mans with William Kimberly, retiring on lap 139 with a burnt piston.

Driving an AC Cobra with Hal Keck, he took a class win in the Daytona Continental and followed that with two more class victories at Sebring and the Reims 12-hour race with Bob Bondurant. He had a number of other good finishes with the Cobra including wins at Vanson and Criterium des Cevennes and a second in the Tour de Corse Automobile.

He continued to race the Cobra in 1964 finishing 6th overall and third in class with Phil Hill at Sebring and taking a class win in the Nürburgring 1000 Km race with Richard Attwood. At the April trials for the 1964 Le Mans race he drove a GT40 but he crashed heavily at the 150 mph kink on the Mulsanne Straight after the car's rear end became light.

He had a couple of good results in F2 with his Brabham Ford, winning the F2 Grand Prix de Rome at Vallelunga and finishing third in the French F2 Grand Prix at Montlhéry.

He also teamed up with Pedro Rodriguez in a Ferrari GTO, finishing second in the Paris 1000 km race.

Always know for driving a wide range of cars and competitions, he took part in a number of NASCAR stock car races in America during 1964.

Dick Thompson, Bob Bondurant, Allen Grant, Umberto Maglioli, Jack Sears, Bob Johnson, Bruce McLaren, Guy Ligier, Jo Schlesser, Maurice Trintignant, Ken Miles, Chris Amon, Innes Ireland, John Whitmore, Ronnie Bucknum, 24 Hours of Le Mans, Le Mans, 20 June 1965. The Shelby and Ford team drivers before the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

At Daytona in 1965, the Cobra Daytona Coupe, with Jo and Harold Keck driving, he was first in the GT class, then, driving with Bob Bondurant, he piloted the Cobra Daytona Coupe to fourth overall and first in class in the 'Sebring 12 Hours'.

In 1966 he joined the works Matra team driving a Formula 2 Spec Matra-Cosworth. In the 1966 German Grand Prix at the Nurburgring he finished 10th in the overall Classification and 3rd in the Formula 2 Classification.

He took a class win at the Nürburgring 1000 Km race with Guy Ligier in a Ford GT40 but crashed the Matra M620 BRM at Le Mans.

Jo Schlesser and Guy Ligier pose for the photographer on June 25, 1967.

For 1967 he continued with the Matra but now under the Ford France banner. At the German Grand Prix he retired with clutch problems after 2 laps. In sports cars he won the 1967 Reims 12-hour race in a Ford France GT40 with Guy Ligier.

Jo Schlesser and Jean-Claude Killy, triple Olympic ski champion, Grand Prix of Belgium, Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, 09 June 1968. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

In 1968, Jo and Guy Ligier ran a pair of customer McLaren M4As under their Ecurie InterSport banner during the first half of that season. Schlesser drove his McLaren M4A to 4th place in the important Monza Lottery GP, 5th at Crystal Palace, 6th place at Hockenheim (the race in which Jim Clark was killed), 8th at Jarama and 12th at Hockenheim.

Honda France wanted a French driver in a second Honda F1 car. The drive was offered to Servoz-Gavin, but he opted for a Cooper-Maserati. Thus Jo, at 40 years of age, cancelled a vacation to the Seychelles Islands and accepted the offer.

Surtees, who had done the testing of the experimental air-cooled Honda RA302 F1 car, had told the factory that it was not ready for racing and was potentially dangerous, however Honda entered it for the French Grand Prix at Rouen.

Jo Schlesser on July 07, 1968.

Jo Schlesser, Honda RA302, Grand Prix of France, Rouen-Les-Essarts, 07 July 1968. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

Jo Schlesser, Honda RA302, at the pits in the French GP at Rouen on July 07, 1968.

Right from the start the car had problems and Jo only just managed to qualify the car on the back of the grid, 8 seconds off pole and 3 seconds behind the car in front of him.

By the second lap, Schlesser had lost contact with the pack. On the third lap the car slid wide at Six Frères. For a moment Jo managed to catch it, but the car was too unstable. It left the track and crashed sideways into a bank.

Jo Schlesser's car in flames during his fatal accident on the Rouen-Les-Essarts circuit on July 07, 1968. Photo by Keystone France / Gamma Rapho via Getty Images.

France 1968. The Ferrari of Jacky Ickx passes the wreck of Jo Schlesser’s magnesium-bodied Honda, which was a new design at the time.

Jo Schlesser's car in flames during his fatal accident on the Rouen-Les-Essarts circuit on July 07, 1968. Photo by Keystone France / Gamma Rapho via Getty Images.

Jo Schlesser, Honda RA302, Grand Prix of France, Rouen-Les-Essarts, 07 July 1968. Photo by Paul-Henri Cahier / Getty Images.

Jo Schlesser, Grand Prix of France, Rouen-Les-Essarts, 07 July 1968.

Juan Manuel Fangio after Jo Schlesser’s fatal crash at the 1968 French GP.

The magnesium bodied Honda, with 58 laps worth of fuel, ignited instantly leaving poor Schlesser trapped inside the wreck with no chance of survival.

Ickx, who won the race, went and placed the laurels on the spot when poor Jo died. Surtees, who was second in the other Honda, dedicated the race to his team mate.

As result, Honda withdrew from Formula One at the end of the 1968 season.

His friend Guy Ligier called all his Ligier cars JS after Schlesser. A practice that was continued when the team was bought by Alan Prost.

His nephew Jean-Louis Schlesser later became a successful racing driver, who started one Formula 1 race and won the Paris Dakar.

"I'm a driver for a meal a day and a pack of cigarettes." Jo Schlesser

Ayrton Senna

On that May 1st the steering wheel of a driver who was traveling over 300 kilometers per hour broke. The Williams becomes a missile doomed to its fate, like a wingless plane or a rudderless ship. At that moment Senna was in his usual condition, first and with the wind in his face. In those last laps, recorded by the onboard camera, the Brazilian left his entire life to show up on time at the Tamburello curve, his last earthly appointment. And there, as a Brazilian journalist commented, "the death has caught up with Ayrton, but not even she has overtaken him."

"During a race you depend on a car that is very complicated, which can always give you problems. It is not a simple tennis racket with which you hit a ball. You depend on an entire team that collaborates, on a set of forces and people that fight for a common goal. It is very complex. If it were easy, we would all be champions." Ayrton Senna

"When you feel the road running away from you, when you say 'it's done, I go off road’ and then you're on the track, then you've reached the limit. You went as fast as possible." Ayrton Senna

"On the last lap I unbuckled my seat belt, such was my excitement to get up and celebrate my first F1 victory." Ayrton Senna

"Pole position is like a 100-meter race. You give everything you have in that minute, minute and a half, holding your breath in certain corners, not breathing to better balance the car, to increase sensitivity. The adrenaline rush is incredible, from one second to the next. I think it's the greatest moment, the strongest, the highest ... I've already got 52 and I hope to get more. Every time I get a pole position, I feel reborn and I want to grab the next one, year after year, pole after pole." Ayrton Senna

"If one day I had an accident that would cost me my life I would like it to be in an instant. I would not want to spend hours suffering in the hospital or spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair. I want to live intensely because I am an intense person." Ayrton Senna

A dream was and a dream will remain. Ayrton Senna photographed with the Ferrari mechanics.

Portugal, 1993 winter test sessions. Journalist: "what does Ferrari mean to you?" Senna: «it's a color, a way of being in sport, it's my dream. One day, before my retirement from F1, I will race for them."

 

"We have to reduce costs, we have to go back to the era when men counted, not computers." Ayrton Senna

«When you have 200 liters in the tank, you have to keep the situation under control, so as not to sacrifice performance. Now that we race a lot more unloaded and for shorter runs, it's more of a close your eyes and push hard. You don't have to worry about your tires getting damaged. This takes away some of the driving experience and the technique of controlling tires wear. So I kind of wonder if refueling really helps the drivers or not." Ayrton Senna

"Following Keke (Rosberg) in the traffic was incredible! He sees a hole and he slips right into it. Perfect in the evaluation, no hesitations. It was a great lesson for me today. I hope I can be like him ..." Ayrton Senna

Aeromodelling, Senna's famous hobby, was cultivated in England, while he raced in Formula Ford and Formula 3 (beginning of the 80s, between 1981 and 1983), alongside his friend Maurício Gugelmin. The hobby continued during his time in Formula 1, in Europe and Brazil, including playing with cousins, nephews and friends.

 

Ayrton and Maurício Gugelmin in the backyard of their home in Esher, England in 1985.

 

Ayrton in the backyard of his home in Esher, England in 1985.

 

Ayrton in the backyard of his home in Esher, England in 1985.

 

Ayrton with his cousin Fabio at Senna’s farm in ‘Dois Lagos’, Tatui’, countryside of Sao Paulo, February, 15, 1994. Photo by Gianni Giansanti via Getty Images.

“One day Ayrton came from Europe with a styrofoam model, with a motor and remote control. It was in the early 80's, maybe at the time of Formula 3. We didn't know how to use it but we kept trying, we broke several. I practiced more, because he spent a lot of time in Europe. But he had a great ability to assimilate the controls, so he flew better than me. My controller had throttle on the left side and his on the right side and yet he was able to use both normally. People knew that he liked to fly, so they sent planes as gift, one for him and one for me, with inverted controls [Senna was left-handed and Fábio is right-handed]. The Honda engine team, which worked with Ayrton at Lotus and McLaren, was also involved. They got, I don't know from where, a special fuel to improve the performance of the little planes. And every year they held an event in Tokyo, which yielded a model airplane.

 

Ayrton with the controller in his hand and Fabio with his arms crossed on the right side, in Japan playing model airplanes in 1990.

After the Suzuka Grand Prix, we stayed in Japan for another week. Sunday he raced, Monday we played model airplanes and, from Tuesday on, business. Business never invaded Monday's agenda, nor did the playing extend to Tuesday. A Honda employee would assemble a plane and deliver it to Ayrton to try it. There were 20 or 30 people of the team, flying too or just watching. It was a party. At the end of the afternoon, they packed the plane and sent it to Brazil. The seaplane in the photo is one of them. This ritual with the Honda people continued even after they left Formula 1.

 

 

 

We were always full of pieces, there were more than in a store. We put it all together in a farmhouse. We finished dinner and went there, to get the planes ready for the night to play the next day. These model airplanes fly at 150 km/h, they have a very sensitive control and, as they pass over you, what was right turns left. Keeping them under control is an adrenaline rush. But flying was no longer enough for him, he was creating new challenges. He would let the plane get lost in the clouds, let go and wait to see where it was falling, then regain control. He liked to fly with strong wind, to chase the birds... In one of the games, I took off and he came behind, trying to take me down. In an airspace of hundreds of meters, with two planes so fast and agile, he was trying to hit the spot where I would be in the next moment. Once he did. My plane dropped like a stone, fell straight to the ground. His was damaged and started to fall too, but Ayrton didn't regret it. It was the happiest day, he was jumping for joy, he couldn't stop laughing. With Senna's death, the planes from the farmhouse were stopped. Only the cleaning lady moves them. Ten years later, my son asked me to teach him. I returned to fly, but with other models. The ones I used with Senna, never again.” Fábio Machado da Silva, Ayrton's cousin.

 

 

Rio Grand Prix: tests in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on February 24, 1987. Philippe Jeantot and Ayrton Senna. Photo by Jean Guichard / Gamma Rapho via Getty Images.

 

 

 

Ayrton Senna with a model boat.

 

 

Ayrton Senna was also a great aviation enthusiast.

 

In March 1989 the Brazilian driver flew faster than sound aboard an Aermacchi MB-339 military jet.

 

March, 1989. Briefing, simulator and off we go for a supersonic flight.

 

March, 1989. The maximum speed reached by the plane during the flight was Mach 1.4, about 1,700 kilometers per hour.

 

In 2019 the Brazilian Air Force recalled that flight by repainting a Mirage 2000 with the colors of Ayrton's helmet.

 

Ayrton's private jet, a British Aerospace BAe 125 with registration number N125AS (where AS stood for Ayrton Senna). Senna loved to personally fly helicopters and private planes.

 

Ayrton Senna with a trophy in front of his private plane. Source: esporte.uol.com.br.

Ayrton Senna liked speed boats and water sports as well.

 

Ayrton Senna on his speedboat, in 1992. Since the pilot's death in 1994 the boat, named Joana II, has been maintained by his cousin Fábio da Silva Machado who, until today, has never thought of selling it. "But who knows, maybe one day. Ayrton liked it a lot and so did I", says Fábio, who keeps the gem in a condominium facing the sea on the beach of Enseada, in Guarujá, from where, very occasionally, he goes out to take a ride with the famous boat .... However, hardly anyone else knows that the boat once belonged to the Formula 1 idol. The speedboat, built in 1986, is a sports model Panther 33, coincidentally designed by former Formula 1 wizard Colin Chapman. But it came into the pilot's hands by pure chance, because it was part of the house in Angra dos Reis that he bought, in 1991, from businessman Antonio Carlos Almeida Braga, known as Braguinha. That’s why the name of the boat, kept until today, is that of the former owner's daughter. "But it's not just the name of the boat that is original", says Fábio. "The entire boat is exactly as it was in Ayrton's days", says the ex-pilot's cousin. Despite the intense racing schedule, Senna used the speedboat a lot.

 

Ayrton Senna with Adriane Galisteu in 1993.

Whenever he went to rest at Angra's house, he went out for a ride with it, often taking equally famous guests on board, such as his friend and fellow driver Gerhard Berger and the then owner of the McLaren team, Ron Dennis, as well as some girlfriends, such as Adriane Galisteu. With Joana II, a high-performance speedboat even for today, equipped with two 200 hp engines each and two propellers per engine, Senna also acquired a taste for speed on the water. But he never thought of trying a speedboat race, unlike some colleagues in Formula 1 at the time.

 

Ayrton Senna on the speedboat, in 1992. Photo by Reproduction.

 

Ayrton Senna with Adriane Kelemen Galisteu Iódice. Senna had beach houses in Angra dos Reis, Brazil and Faro, Portugal; there was the farm at Tatoi, near Sao Paulo, with its own karting track and a lake big enough for jet and water-skiing; there were expensive apartments in the exclusive Sao Paulo suburb Jardims and in Monaco. He flew the world not in a small jet, but in a small airliner all of his own. He had every toy money can buy.

 

Ayrton Senna was a good waterskier.

 

Without automatic transmission, without traction control, without ABS, the TV also vibrated. "Ayrton is looking at his left hand, which is red and blistered, while the corresponding glove is still tight around the steering wheel." Michael Hewett took this photograph on May 06, 1989 in Monaco, at the end of practice for the Grand Prix of Monte Carlo, in which Magic had just beaten Alain Prost to take pole with the incredible advantage of one second and 148 hundredths of a second.

A very young Ayrton Senna gets it right for once, pairing a simple hoodie with natural curls and a little attitude. Source prints.colorsport.co.uk.

“In Formula 1 I found a violent environment in the sense that, if you weren't quick right away, your reputation would immediately become bad. Ayrton Senna was fast every single day, even on the Thursday of the first tests when the race was on Sunday, because he didn't want anyone, even the team truck drivers, to have doubts about the fact that he was the strongest." Paolo Barilla

"With Senna I learned how things should be done, with Nigel [Mansell] instead how they shouldn't be done." Mika Pauli Häkkinen

"There was someone with whom Senna was competing who had beaten him in the rain and teased him: "you may be good in the dry, but in the wet ..." He got so angry that he trained all days of rain. What he learned driving karts in the rain helped him in F1." Lucio Pascual aka Tche, first coach of Ayrton

 

Ayrton Senna mastering the rain like no other.

"He was furious, he was mad with rage at having lost a race because of the rain. After that, whenever it started raining, he would leave the house, get in the kart and drive around until it got dark. He kept doing this every time it rained, coming home dripping with water until he learned to be in total control of the situation." Viviane Senna

"He was a loner, a mystic. He was isolated: they were angry with him because he did not keep in touch with the environment. He had a very strong bond only with the public. I didn’t have a true friendship with him either, although I remember a nice episode when, with the Tyrrell at my Phoenix debut, I didn't have a fireproof shirt and a mechanic got me one from Senna at McLaren. On the podium I showed it to him and told him: you see, your name has brought me luck. I considered myself an admirer of him, I wanted to imitate him because with him Formula 1 became a show. As he drove divinely and put on a show. It was not the successes that kept him in people’s hearts: the fan does not judge with palmares in hand, like an accountant. The fan falls in love with those who give sensations and Ayrton provided more than any other.” Interview excerpt released by Jean Alesi on May 01, 1999

On May 01, 1994, Commander Owen O'Mahony watched the Formula 1 Grand Prix on a small television at the Forli airport, a few kilometers from the Imola circuit. Outside, his boss's Lear Jet, a British Aerospace 125, was waiting on the tarmac, freshly refueled and ready for takeoff. He always stayed with the plane on race day and this had been an horrible weekend: leaving quickly would have been important. That morning, in the hotel, the phone rang at 7:00. "Baggage service", he jokingly answered instantly, knowing exactly who was on the other side of the handset. Then, as usual, he picked up bags and suitcases and greeted him. "Good luck in the race, Ayrton", he had told him. The various experiences of his life had not prepared him for the instant the blue and white Williams crashed off the track at the Tamburello curve, hitting the concrete wall. Years in the RAF had taught him to repress emotions: of his 13 classmates at the training school only three were still alive. The tragedy was, therefore, nothing new to him. But, somehow, that was a different experience. For the first time Owen O'Mahony did not know what to do ... The chronicles tell us that Senna was transported by helicopter to the hospital in Bologna, so the Englishman took the Lear Jet and flew to the airport of that city, waiting there to receive instructions either from Julian Jakobi, the manager based in London, or from Celso Lemos, who has just joined Senna's entourage. Late in the afternoon he saw the familiar figure of Gerhard Berger running towards him to hug him. Gerhard had arrived from the circuit in a helicopter and had no fresh news to give him but, being one of Ayrton's closest friends, he had instinctively understood how lonely he was ... Anyone who does a job of that kind, as a 'luxury taxi driver', like he defines it himself, shouldn't be familiar with his clients and, throughout his career, O'Mahony had obeyed the rules. His relationship with Ayrton Senna began like all others: by not following motoring he was not even sure who the young Brazilian who had hired him was and, for the first three months of that late 1990, nothing foreshadowed that a normal professional relationship would have turned into a sincere friendship, destined to dramatically end four years later. O'Mahony received his instructions from Senna's office in Brazil and simply did what he was asked: "Ayrton was always courteous, but I didn't want to annoy him with pointless chatter. Then, one day, he turned to me and said: 'Owen, in the future try to talk to me ..." You can't stay with O'Mahony for long without getting involved from his brilliant 'sense of humor' and, since at that time Senna really needed a touch of lightness, it was above all his humor that attracted him: "once Ayrton asked me to do something for him, but I forgot myself. So, when he saw me again, he asked me: 'how long have you been working for me, excluding tomorrow?' A joke that I had taught him a short time before ... I like to think that it was also thanks to me that he learned some English humor ... But, ultimately, I was just the tool that allowed him to move around in the most comfortable and fast way. Senna was the star and, with everyone always wanting something from him, he certainly didn't want to have another moaning and demanding guy next to him all the time. And I was old enough to be his father: maybe that's why we bonded so well. We would leave, then he would sit next to me and start asking me questions about this or that …” Senna was having trouble with O'Mahony's pronunciation. At first he called him '"O'Marny', then he eliminated the 'O' and said 'Mahny', with the accent on the second syllable. Then, when he spent long periods in Brazil speaking only Portuguese, he could not even pronounce Owen anymore and so he ended up always addressing him with that nickname, 'Mahny': "I remember that, when he was having problems with Ron Dennis for the McLaren contract, he made me park the Lear Jet behind the hangars, so that he could enter the Frank Williams plane without anyone seeing him ... The funny thing is that, after a Grand Prix, I could never tell from his way of doing if he had won or lost. The only thing that made me think he might have won was being asked what the weather was like in Faro (where Senna had a house), a question that was our special coded message: he actually wanted to know if he could take care of land the plane. Even if he didn't have a license, in fact, I often put myself in the second driver's place and let him take the controls. If, on the other hand, he hadn't had a good race, it took a long time to get even a single word out of his mouth ..." Looking back on that Imola weekend that changed his life, O'Mahony erased a lot of the details and with them a lot of the pain. Senna was not the usual Senna from the moment he went to pick him up in Faro and then there was the strange episode of the photograph. Coincidentally, O'Mahony had mentioned Norio, his personal photographer, that after four years of serving him he still didn't have a photo of the two of them together. And that Friday afternoon, in the midst of all the other distractions, Ayrton found time to present himself to him with an autographed photo, a photo that is now in O'Mahony's studio. Later, after Rubens Barrichello's accident, noticing his upset Owen asked him if there was anything he could do. And it was a friend's question, not an employee's ... The rest is confused and out of focus. His wife recorded the race and the accident, but Owen never watched it. And he doesn't intend to. Once is enough, he says. The day after Senna's death, he flew to Paris, next to the Jumbo that would carry Ayrton's body. They removed a row of business class seats to make room for the coffin. O'Mahony was secretly grateful that the doors of his Lear Jet weren't wide enough for it to pass: "I'm not sure I would have had the guts to make that trip," he says. It was bad enough the following July, having to accompany his mother and sister to Portugal to clear Ayrton's house to bring his belongings back to Brazil, including all his trophies ... As Ayrton's body flew home, O'Mahony quickly returned to London, changed his uniform with a civilian suit and took the first BA flight to Sao Paulo. Upon his arrival, he was given a sticker that read 'A', Amigos. But then Ayrton's mother, Neide, gave him one that read 'F', Familias, which allowed him to have one last private moment with him. He went to the funeral by helicopter, with Alain Prost and the Stewarts, Jackie and Paolo. He had never seen five million people cry all together before. Finally he went to pay homage to Ayrton's father, who had six packets with him. Milton Da Silva doesn't speak English very well, so he addressed him through an interpreter: "Ayrton had many acquaintances and friends, but there were only six people in the world he trusted. You were one of them," he told him handing him the package. Inside was a gold bracelet engraved with his name ... After a few years, O'Mahony began working part-time for the Senna Foundation, which funds a number of educational, sporting and cultural projects for helping street children in Brazil. Time has passed, but he still has a hard time letting go. Closing the valves of emotion, the protective mechanism of both the trained pilot and the English citizen did not work. Every time he looks at the bracelet or passes in front of photos, his memory rebels. The truth is that Owen doesn't want to forget. His contract said that, if Senna died, his employment would cease to exist instantly. But the Senna family knows they can call him whenever they need to: "I really liked Ayrton: he wasn't like those selfish jerks I used to fly around with. I try not to think about it, that's what I'm trying to do. But it is difficult." He worked for Berger and Michael Schumacher, but it wasn't the same: collaborating with his Foundation is a more appropriate catharsis. "I no longer need to fly around the world. My heart is no longer there. I prefer to occupy my time by making a contribution, albeit a small one, to a constructive project. We cannot solve problems in Brazil, but we can give some happiness to some child in need. Ayrton had a lot of compassion for those children." O’Mahony does not say it openly, but he still waits for the phone to ring, to hear that familiar voice calling him Mahny ... Owen O'Mahony

09 May 1993. Twenty-nine years ago, at the end of the Spanish Grand Prix held on the Barcelona circuit, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher got on the podium. In that season we were witnessing the last act of the historic rivalry between Alain and Ayrton, while the twenty-four year old Michael, whose palmarés counted just one success and a handful of podiums, watched them closely, ready to collect the heavy legacy that those two sacred monsters would leave him the following year. A more unique than rare podium since, incredible but true, it constitutes the only occasion in which "Le Professeur", "Magic" and the "Kaiser" found themselves together to wash down with champagne. 14 world titles, 183 wins, 341 podiums, 166 pole positions, 137 fastest laps. Monstrous statistics contained in a single shot, depicting three drivers unique of their kind and with an extraordinary talent, who have offered a show on the track by making millions of fans fall in love through their exploits and who, to the sound of successes, have written wonderful pages in the history of Formula 1. Photo by ESPN ©

A dispute between Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna at Hockenheimring, in the McLaren pit box, in July 1992. Photo by Hoch Zwei / Corbis via Getty Images.

"My name is Fabio Gnani, I was the driver of the medical car who carried out the first medical interventions on Ayrton Senna after the accident of 01 May 1994 in Imola. The day of the race we are all tense about what happened on Friday and Saturday with the death of Roland Ratzenberger. My crew and I decide that, at least for the first ten - fifteen laps, we remain in the car with the engine running, ready to go. Senna's Williams was really the fastest of all in that stretch and the only car to hit the ground with the flat bottom in a small depression, causing the classic sparks that are seen every now and then. The field of vision allowed me to see the Williams’ off-road exit live and I immediately understand that the collision is extremely violent! The memory of my first impression was to say that the rear suspension had broken because the wheel was not turned but straight and slightly raised ... but then I understood from the videos that the car jumped slightly due to the change of asphalt and that, in any case, it did not swerve! I immediately put the car into the first gear and rev the engine as if I had to start from the pole positon of a race. As soon as all the cars have finished passing, we are in the first laps and they are all still quite grouped, both from the radio of the race direction and from the head of the post they give me the OK to go out so I leave with everything I have. We are the closest and arrive first after about 42 very long seconds, as soon as we touch his car I look inside to see if he reacts and at that moment I see that he makes a slight movement with his head as if he were turning around ... I scream "he's just passed out" ... At first I stay on board to find out if I still have to get closer to give better help then I get out of the car to pass some tools but, just at that moment, the other fast car of Mr. Casoni and of the main managers Mr. Baccarini and Mr. Salcito arrives. They understand the gravity of the situation and find it difficult to remove Senna's helmet because his face swelled up on impact. However in the moment I notice that Senna’s position was with his arms folded over his stomach, this means that he was conscious when he was hitting the wall ... I mean for the inexperienced: when Formula drivers realize that they are going to hit the wall and cannot deviate their trajectory, to save the situation they must take their hands off the steering wheel and put them on their chest to wait for the impact and avoid breaking their arms, otherwise, if they remained attached to the steering wheel, they would break their arms at the elbows due to the inertia of the impact that would be transmitted along the steering wheel. Returning to that moment, Senna was extracted from the cockpit by moving the steering wheel out of the cockpit, without noticing if it was detached or broken ... They do everything possible to take off his helmet, with difficulty because of the swollen face ... On the moment they do not understand where Senna's face hit because the helmet appears intact ..., only afterwards they notice the small slit caused by a toe of the suspension entered through the gap between visor and helmet ... crazy! They manage to make him a tracheotomy to free his lungs and manage to make him breathe, then the heartbeat resumes. Meanwhile, the manager Piana gives the order, resetting all the standard procedures, to land the rescue helicopter on the track and they load him and then take him directly to the Maggiore Hospital in Bologna. In those moments I am waiting and look frozen at the unlikely situation that had arisen ... Just my favorite driver, the strongest up to that moment, he was the strongest, so strong that at times he seemed unpleasant because he was unbeatable and, seeing him in the Italian race in the home circuit of motors named after Enzo and Dino Ferrari in those conditions, had created a crazy situation in front of me! We have learned everything about that accident over the course of many years. From the broken steering column, to the devastating impact against the concrete wall of the Tamburello calculated by the onboard telemetry at 211 km per hour, to the incredible and dramatic real cause of Ayrton's death. It was a very bad fate, because it would have been enough for the splinter of the suspension that detached from the car to go 10 cm higher or lower and the driver would have returned to the pits on foot. Senna's luck had run out as the piece of car pierced the visor of his helmet, killing him. I have a portable camera in my pocket but I don't have the strength to use it, I seem to lack respect to Senna and I decide to throw it in the car, forgetting it. At home I thought about it, I am passionate about photography, my father is a photographer, I don’t know if I did well in such a particular and historical moment not to take those photos to stop those dramatic moments, but now I am convinced and happy to have done so! Senna's respect was more important and those images will never be forgotten in my mind! Obviously we are shocked but on the radio they tell us to return in position to resume the race ... At that point the doctor points out that all the equipment we had in the car was used for the intervention and what remained is dirty and must be replaced with a new one. From the race direction we are told that there is no time and we need to start again so we must proceed to return to the Tamburello position as soon as possible. We are thrilled but we follow orders. Throughout the race we decide to stay in the car with the helmets fastened and the engine running, ready to intervene at any time. We are stunned, the doctor tells me something about Senna's conditions but I understand that it is very serious because, while he speaks, his tears fall ... He too was a great fan and, at that moment, he is suffering a huge contrast between his profession and his passion ... Then, through "radio race", we hear but we do not understand exactly what happens because, after the restart of the race, everything happens in the pits, so increase in tension and then we are ready to start again ... but we wonder, how can we practice and intervene in another accident if we have nothing left to operate? At the end of the race there is no desire to celebrate ..., usually we celebrate with all those of the medical staff but today is different ..., we experienced a peaceful weekend of terror at the Imola racetrack that will go down in history. Obviously I come to know other details of Senna's situation before and after the race such as the one that, in resuscitation, while they removed the suit in his pocket there was a note with a woman's name and Montecarlo written as if he had to tell someone to warn them if something happened ... And others that I don’t think appropriate to report to respect his privacy, that of a much loved person and driver.” Fabio Gnani

The season draws to a close, Mansell celebrates his first and only title in Formula 1. As usual, drivers, insiders and journalists included leave for a trip around the world. In short, a cheerful bandwagon. During that holiday, one evening, a long discussion takes place on the Senna-Schumacher dualism. Among the Knights of the Round Table there are also Maurizio Arrivabene (at that time at Marlboro) and Riccardo Patrese. Arrivabene expresses all his antipathy towards the future German prodigy, while Patrese tries in every way to make him think since, as a driver, he immediately understood how great the qualities of that boy were. Suddenly, Riccardo stands up and takes the floor: "I'm sorry, that's enough. If you allow me, I only saw one man who, at his debut, was like Mr. Schumacher. And I'm talking about Ayrton."

Doctor Giovanni Gordini, 67, who followed Senna in his last hours of life.

F1, the death of Senna. The 118 doctor: “I'll tell you about his last hours of life.” Gazzetta Motori. On May 01, 1994, during the F1 GP in Imola, the person in charge for 118 of the Ausl in Bologna, Giovanni Gordini, was one of the first to assist Ayrton Senna at the Tamburello curve: "I remember the blood, the transport by helicopter, the silence and the tears of his friend Berger.” The story of that tragic day. By Lorenzo Pastuglia. 01 May, Milan.

27 years have passed, but it's a bit like it was yesterday. Seeing the images of the accident at the Tamburello still hurts. Ayrton Senna died on that 1st May 1994, after an accident at the San Marino F1 GP in Imola. Even stronger emotions if seen in the eyes of those who tried to save him and remained close to him in the last hours: from that curve to the arrival by helicopter at the Maggiore hospital in Bologna, where the heart of the Williams drivers stopped at 18.37 in the intensive care unit, on the 11th floor. The memory is still clear in Giovanni Gordini, 67, at the time in charge of 118 in Bologna and today director of the Intensive Care and Emergency Department. The same one that tells how the last hours of the three-time World Champion's life have passed.

Doctor Gordini, at 14.17 Senna's Williams crashed at over 200 kilometers per hour against the outer wall of the Tamburello curve. What were you doing at that moment?

“I was around the circuit. I headed to the central grandstand to check on the accident between JJ Lehto and Pedro Lamy at the start, as several car debris had flown into the grandstand, including some tires. A few minutes later the voice of Mauro Sacchetti (then 118 health coordinator who worked that day at the Santerno circuit) reached me via radio with three clear words: “Senna, Tamburello, accident.” I was also a little worried, as that curve often evoked harmful crashes like that of Gerhard Berger in 1989, stuck in his burning Ferrari and saved thanks to the timely intervention of the men of the fire service. So I took my medical scooter and headed to the Tamburello.”

A photo of Senna in the area of the accident in Imola. Lapresse.

What did you find in front of you?

“I arrived a few minutes after F1 doctor Sid Watkins. Senna was still breathing autonomously but had gone into a coma: he had lost a lot of blood from the wound above his right eye, as well as having a fracture at the base of his neck due to the suspension that had detached from his Williams. The resuscitation maneuvers had already begun, but he gave no sign of life. We all immediately understood the gravity of the situation and decided to set the helicopter down on the track to take him to the Maggiore hospital. Almost unique, I don't remember similar rescue dynamics in F1. The day before, Roland Ratzenberger, a Simtek driver who died during qualifying at the Villeneuve corner, had in fact first been taken to the circuit hospital."

Senna, after the accident at the Tamburello. Getty.

If the conditions were already critical, did they get worse during the flight with the helicopter rescue?

“Senna had already been immobilized, we had intubated him by doing a tracheotomy. In the helicopter he continued to breathe with the mechanical lung ventilator. His heart also slowed down but we were able to get it started again. In the meantime, we alerted Dr. Maria Teresa Fiandri, at the time Primary of the Intensive Care Unit and of the 118 of the Maggiore hospital, who gathered all the medical team, of which I was a part, to be ready for our arrival."

And once you got to the Maggiore hospital, how did it go?

"We immediately took Senna to the emergency room and, after lowering the top of his suit, we checked his blood level and did a CT scan. There are several rooms there, we have placed him in the reception room. Then we headed to the 11th floor of the hospital for intensive care. There were 10 of us assisting him. From the first images we understood how critical the situation was, we later had confirmation with the electroencephalogram: it had a flat track, his brain did not respond to electrical stimuli. The hemorrhage was too large and widespread due to both the injury to the right frontal lobe and the fracture at the base of the skull. Receiving little blood, Senna's brain turned off going into what we call electric silence.”

How was Ayrton on arrival at the Maggiore?

“Despite the large amount of blood lost on the track, he only had a swollen face. A natural effect, due to the trauma and the very aggressive rescue therapies that are given to unconscious patients. The body remained unchanged.”

But the clinical picture was too serious to operate, how did you act before declaring his official death?

"We tirelessly continued with the resuscitation maneuvers and done, with the machinery at our disposal, everything that cannot be done directly on the scene of the accident: we took care of the vascular accesses with infusions in the most stable ways, changed the tracheotomy putting a more consistent one, administered some drugs. I can assure you, we have tried everything, but there was nothing to do. With Senna's brain death and after his heart stopped beating, we were faced with another arduous task: to announce the death to the many present at the hospital.”

Is there anything that particularly struck you in Ayrton's last hours?

"Without a doubt, Berger's entry into the room. I was impressed by the fact that he wanted at all costs to come in to see a friend of his who was dying. He, who had already been hospitalized in the same room in April 1989. A rare and meaningful gesture. I was able to speak little to him, he was of few words, he remained silent and grieved on the sidelines. He didn't want to talk, he already knew what was going to happen. I also remember that his personal physiotherapist Josef Leberer, the manager Julian Jakobi and Watkins came.”

How did the Formula 1 doctor, who was very attached to Senna, react?

"Sid and I talked for a long time after Ayrton died, he was disheartened by what happened but I remember he didn't cry. He told me that, already from the accident at the Tamburello, he had understood that it was impossible to save him. He came to Bologna with another helicopter together with Franco Servadei, a neurosurgeon specialized in operations on the cranial-spinal parts who was with us in Imola, but he was unable to intervene given the impossibility of saving the Brazilian."

There were so many people at the Maggiore hospital, who came to push Senna towards a salvation that would have been miraculous ...

Doctor Maria Teresa Fiandri announces that Ayrton Senna closed his eyes for good. Photo by Alberto Pizzoli / Sygma via Getty Images.

“I still have clear images. Already upon our arrival from Imola, the hospital lobby was full of people who had seen the incident on television: the only way back then to find out about the news. The many journalists who arrived were accommodated in the main hall next to the Maggiore's entrance. Fiandri managed to find the words for such a difficult moment and, despite the limited emotion of those present, the great sadness on their faces was noted. Some of them stayed for a long time even in the following hours, so much so that participated in the television program “La Domenica Sportiva” aired by Rai. Ayrton was loved and you could see it in this too. F1 has changed since that accident, especially from the point of view of safety."

Your memory is still very defined even after 27 years, do you ever think back to that day?

“As a Formula 1 fan, absolutely yes. Although I've never had a particular favorite driver. We tried to save Ratzenberger on Saturday and Senna on Sunday, but there was absolutely nothing to be done. But I want to say one thing: that damned weekend in 1994, where Rubens Barrichello was also seriously injured (on Friday with the Jordan at the Variante Bassa), showed the world how an emergency system must work in these cases."

"That day he let me win. For me the best driver is still Ayrton. He died early but, until then, he had all the records at hand. He had put himself in the car that was then successful in the following years. I think that Ayrton would have become champion again several times. Probably the counts would have been very different with him still alive. Without taking anything away from Schumacher and Hamilton, whose records have great value, Senna is still the greatest for me." Gerhard Berger

Ayrton Senna in a Lotus coloured tracksuit.

"Ayrton Senna was a special driver, different from anyone else. I have driven against the strongest, starting with Lauda, Rosberg, Piquet, Mansell, Alesi. But he was on another level, even compared to Prost, in personality, speed, concentration, self-denial, reputation in the world of Formula 1. He was in front of all of us. When we started to work together I knew he was of another kind, fast, always fast, expert, trained, focused. He was a fantastic person, but in car he had 'the killing instinct': he thought only of himself. I started cautiously, but soon realized that there was no chance of beating him. My time in McLaren was very good, the team was fair towards me and well organized, but at his side it was very hard. When I decided to return for the second time to Ferrari from McLaren, Ayrton said to me: "are you going to Ferrari? Within a year I will arrive too ..." and I replied: "no, no, no! As long as I'm there you won't come!" He has always wanted to race for Ferrari, but he has always been very careful to understand if the conditions were right. His dream was still to race in Maranello one day. Schumacher is the most successful driver of all time, with great results, great performances; in a few years Vettel could even beat him but, when you met Senna, his personality, how he was inside, you feel he is different. You know it. He won 'only' three titles but his life was short and, if he hadn't disappeared so soon, he would have certainly won other championships. When you think back to his pole positions and his 'impossible' victories you understand how fantastic Senna was. For me he is number one of all drivers." Gerhard Berger

"I was behind him at the time of the accident and I saw him go against the wall, then continuing to drive I found myself right parallel to where he was hitting. I looked at him out of the corner of my eye and the blow didn’t seem so bad to me because the angle of impact wasn't the worst. I thought it was nothing serious. I had seen worse crashes in that corner, much worse. I had hit that wall myself, right from the front. Instead, he had impacted with a better angle. Consequently, for me, everything was fine. So I finished the lap and, when they stopped the race to clear the track, I lined up again on the starting line. And there too the atmosphere was calm. Everyone said, "well, he's out of the car ...' Nobody thought it could be something very serious, me too. Then, once we had the green light, we started again. Up until that point, I had no idea how bad he was although, immediately after the new start, I started to feel a strange sensation, to which however I have not given much weight. It was while I sat in the garage after I retired that they came and said to me, 'do you know your friend is in the hospital fighting for his life?' And all of a sudden I began to understand ... I immediately gathered my stuff, saying: 'let me go to the hospital to see exactly what's going on', I took a helicopter and went to the hospital in Bologna ... Ayrton died shortly thereafter and, after a few days, I was among those who brought his coffin during the funeral, in Sao Paulo, among millions of Brazilians who took to the streets to pay homage to him… There is not much more to say because you just have to watch the videos, just look at the people, just look at how he was treated. It is something special. Because he was a special type. In his life he was always at his peak. The Formula One champions are quite famous, they are considered successful men and, in all the countries where we arrived, there was always someone ready to invite us to some event, some dinner, some party, but in Ayrton's case it was usually the most important authorities who asked to be able to receive him, to be able to see him… He had this thing, this unique and special charisma that cannot be described or even less acquired. You have it or you don't. And he had it, from birth. For me, emotionally and competitively, he was the greatest driver in Formula One history." Gerhard Berger, 2009

"We became intimate, we had great trust in each other, we talked about everything. If we signed a contract we would pass on information about the clauses and how to improve them. The girls were also a topic of conversation. We were the same age and had similar interests, we had a lot of fun. I tried to observe him in our work and he tried to follow me into the nightlife. It was a great combination." Gerhard Berger

 

"Once, in Milan, I found myself having Ayrton Senna as a driver. We were returning from Monza to the Principe di Savoia hotel. He was driving my Ferrari, I was sitting next to him, on the passenger side. People recognized us and stopped us at traffic lights, on the street, took pictures, clapped. Then at a certain point, while we were standing at an intersection, I turned off the car, removed the keys and threw them on the nearby lawn. I'm not saying the mess, with the people around us and with Ayrton bent over the grass looking for the keys to be able to leave ..." Gerhard Berger

«The Wednesday night before his last race he was having dinner at my house in Bologna. We talked about many things, he complimented Ferrari for their battle against electronics, for the desire to bring the driver back to center stage. Ayrton was a great driver and he always wanted to show his strength. He said to me: 'every time I arrive in Bologna, I get off the plane and find a lot of people applauding me. Then the Ferrari driver on duty arrives and the cheers are all for him: how nice it is.'" Senna would have liked to drive the Red, right? "Yes. At Williams he was not feeling well, he told me about his worries and the difficulties in driving a car that in Brazil had spun just trying to push it to the limit. And, even though we had Berger and Alesi under contract at the time, when I walked him to the door I told him I'd talk to Jean Todt anyway. Unfortunately, fate made its mark ... Ayrton still wanted to end his career in Ferrari, perhaps by winning a World Championship. It was his childhood dream.” Luca Cordero di Montezemolo

Ayrton Senna, Gianni Agnelli and Luca di Montezemolo in Monaco in 1986.

 

Ayrton tries out geography teacher chic for size. We think he's doing his ‘face of Audi in Brazil’ thing.

G.P. of France. Saturday afternoon, from 1pm to 2pm, at the Signes curve. The same as always, the usual very interested spectators of this 'Grand Prix of Courage', namely Jackie Stewart, Clay Regazzoni, Pierluigi Corbano and the colleague Pino Allievi. From the correspondent of AutoSprint on July 02, 1988. "The task was always to evaluate, with the help of experience, eyes, ears, as well as the private timing service of the teams that detects the maximum speed, who, among the drivers, was tackling in the best way the most difficult corner of the world championship: the legendary Signes corner. A bend, at the end of the Mistral straight, to be taken at over three hundred and thirty kilometers an hour, at full speed or, at most, slightly lightening. In the two previous editions, the loggionists of this very particular Scala had awarded Ayrton Senna's Lotus, albeit after a rather uncertain ballot. That year it remained to be seen if there was the possibility of a three of a kind that would probably have been the definitive one. Because Signes had become Signes after the abolition of side skirts and the advent of qualifying turbo engines, that is those with over a thousand horsepower that made it possible to get to the end of the Mistral straight at the sensational speed mentioned above. With the naturally aspirated engines of the future and with the evolution of aerodynamics, Signes will be taken, as in the past, at no more than 280 kilometers per hour and, therefore, even a rookie will, in theory, be able to keep the pedal to the metal to the end. And the latest masterpiece, once again, came from Senna. On the last lap, just before the end of practice, Ayrton got his sharp out. That of having the courage, at three hundred and thirty-three kilometers per hour, as recorded by the detection of the maximum speed, not to take his foot off the accelerator pedal even for an infinitesimal fraction. The sound of his Honda moving away without the slightest drop in tone of the roar was lost in the vision of four hands frantically writing down on the notebooks, instead of the number One, a single name: Ayrton, the only one who entered at full speed."

"I can't stand him, he seems to sleep in the pits: when I leave, he stays. When I arrive in the morning he's already there! It would be a personal victory to convince Ayrton that there is not only racing in life." Alain Prost

“This Brazilian never gives up.” Alain Prost

“There is nothing to be done against Senna at the moment. He might as well win the World Championship." Alain Prost, 1988

09 April 1994, Imola. "In the morning I was following the qualifyings from the French TV position. I had stopped racing, we started listening to Ayrton on the radio while he was driving and the first thing he said was not, for example, I do the first corner in second gear but it was: ‘a greeting to my friend Alain ..., I miss you Alain.’ ... It seemed so strange to me, it was as if all the friendship between us had been hidden by our constant challenge ..., in those last 2 weeks things were changing another time in a strange way.” Alain Prost

Alain Prost, Ferrari and Ayrton Senna, McLaren-Honda, return to the pits after their collision during the Formula One Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka Circuit on October 21, 1990. Photo by The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images.

“How many times do I think of Ayrton? Very often: when I'm in my office and I look to the left there is a photo of the two of us, while to the right there is his helmet. I can't do without him, because he is part of my history in Formula One. Do I regret our fights? I'm someone who never regrets anything ... I really insisted on him coming to McLaren ... Ours was an exceptional rivalry that, physically speaking, was sometimes taken to extremes, as everyone knows. But it was part of the game and, in the end, this is the reason why together we made history in our sport; a story that people talk about almost every day or every week. It was the battle of two drivers, it was a human battle. We were different, charismatic people with a different background and almost from different generations. I can't be dissatisfied, because if you talk about my history in Formula One, you are talking about Senna. And when we talk about Senna, we talk about Prost. I find it really fantastic." Alain Prost, 2014

"His biggest motivation was almost exclusively to beat me, even though I wasn't that focused on him. For this reason, after I retired in '93, Senna was never the same. His armor that he had built in our rivalry was gone and he looked fragile. For 1994 I had received an offer from McLaren, which had switched to Peugeot as an engine supplier. Two days after the last GP of the 1993 season Senna called me and asked me to accept: 'Alain, you have to stay in F1. Nobody motivates me among other drivers like you' [...] I don't regret choosing him as my teammate. I thought about the good of the team, but already in the first season I perceived a preference for Ayrton from everyone. The audience was divided between me and Senna and I was seen as the villain. Besides, he was the young boy who was advancing, while I was the oldest driver. A bit like what happened in Ferrari with Leclerc and Vettel. [...] After Imola 1989 there was a discussion between us and Ayrton was really destroyed because he realized he was wrong and was almost in tears. I told a French journalist what had happened in confidence, but he spread the news. It was a serious mistake on my part. From there Senna cooled relations. My life is linked to Ayrton. Today Brazil is like my second home, I have many followers from that country on social media.

Viviane Senna, sister of Ayrton, with Bruno Senna.

October 02, 1997. Viviane Senna, sister of the late Ayrton Senna, launches the 1,500 Senna watch by Universal Geneve at Harrods, London. The watch was commissioned by the Ayrton Senna Foundation with a percentage of the profits going to Brazil's street kids. Photo by Peter Jordan / PA Images via Getty Images.

Ayrton Senna's sister Viviane Senna Lalli on the podium on April 11, 1999. Photo by John Marsh / Empics via Getty Images.

Viviane Senna and Bruno Senna talk with Gerhard Berger after he drove Ayrton Senna's first Lotus, prior to the San Marino F1 GP on April 25, 2004 at Imola. Photo by Paul / Gilham Getty Images.

Viviane Senna arrives for the wedding of Greek heiress Athina Onassis Roussel to Brazilian equestrian Alvaro Affonso de Miranda Neto, also known as Doda, at the Maria Luisa and Oscar Americano Foundation on December 03, 2005 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Photo by Jefferson Bernardes / Getty Images.

I am still in contact with Senna's sister Viviane. It is as if the division that existed during our rivalry has disappeared and the human side has taken over. Perhaps the most beautiful legacy of an exciting story." Alain Prost

Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell at Monaco in 1992. Photo by F1 history.

If you think of Monte Carlo and its performers, you think of its first king: Graham Hill, the gentleman of Formula one par excellence, winner of five editions, the only one to have conquered the "triple crown" (Monaco Grand Prix, Indianapolis 500, 24 hours of Le Mans). His son Damon in 1993 said: "if my father were here, he would be proud that his record was only surpassed by Senna."

Ayrton Senna and Rory Byrne, Toleman test, 1984. “He is the man, he is brilliant, we have to hire him.” Rory Byrne

 

Ayrton Senna, Toleman-TG-184-Hart, talks with Pat Symonds and Rory Byrne.

"In Dallas it was really hot, it was a terribly difficult race. For Ayrton it was turning out to be a bittersweet GP: qualifying went according to our plans, but a mistake in the race forced him to make a comeback from the back. He would also have achieved a good result if he hadn't had that accident: touching the wall he damaged a wheel and broke the drive shaft. At the end of the race he was literally upset, he couldn't understand how he could have touched the wall. I remember it like it was yesterday: we were sitting, we were talking during the debriefing and he said 'it's impossible that I hit the wall. It moved.' What do you think I replied? ‘Sure, it has definitely moved.’ It was all made of huge concrete blocks, it was impossible. Yet he was so insistent and I had such faith in that boy that I said 'ok, to understand if what you say is true all we have to do is go to the track and check if the wall has really moved.’ I admit I thought even in that moment that he was talking shit, but he seemed to really need to prove to me that he was right. So we went out, we got to where he hit the wall and guess what? The wall had really moved. They had outlined the limits of the circuit with very heavy concrete, but one of the drivers who had passed that point before Ayrton had touched one of the blocks on one side, making the opposite edge protrude towards the inside of the circuit by just a few millimeters. Ayrton in that phase of the GP was driving with such precision that those millimeters and believe me when I tell you that we are talking about 10 of them, were enough to make him hit the wall rather than to avoid it following his usual trajectory. That episode really opened my eyes. I had sensed that that boy was good, but in that circumstance I realized how special he was. Not only was his driving style unique, but also his belief in his own means, the analysis of the situation and the ability with which he was able to draw conclusions: I can't be wrong, so it must have been the wall that moved. Anyone else would have said 'damn it, but how on earth did I get it wrong like that?'. But he was immovable." Pat Symonds

"They say we have a trick, but if you want to disqualify us do it because we have Senna. He's magical." Gerard Ducarouge, Lotus, 1985

Ayrton Senna takes a lift from Nigel Mansell at the Silverstone GP in 1991.

Nigel Mansell with Ayrton Senna in 1992.

Nigel Mansell, in an interview with the BBC, spoke of his friendship and rivalry with Ayrton Senna. The English lion has faced many battles on the track with the Brazilian. A feeling comforted by his words: "Ayrton never left any stone unturned, if he could get the most out of his car he did it. He was the toughest opponent I have faced. Although I was one of the lucky ones to drive in the 80’s where dozens of high-level champions have raced, I have always defined him a notch above the others. Ayrton was a very exuberant, very aggressive driver, an example was the 1987 Belgian Grand Prix when he touched me on the inside after overtaking him on the outside. On that occasion he admitted the mistake. We have always esteemed each other because, after all, we have always esteemed and understood each other.” Nigel Mansell

"In the end we had become good friends. In Hungary I couldn’t have asked for better: me world champion and Ayrton with me on the podium because he had won the race. He hugged me and told me there was no better feeling than feeling like a world champion. And he was right. There were some misunderstandings, for example in Spa. Ayrton and I had had an accident and were going fast. I didn't like his way of driving so I went to his garage to talk to him. It was a lively chat and there were four mechanics holding me and Ayrton gave me a couple of punches but I felt nothing. I kept telling him to hit me even harder. It was fun." Nigel Mansell

"Ayrton and I were born to compete against each other. Some of the best overtaking maneuvers in the history books, he and I share. But he hated when I overtook him in Hungary in 1989." Nigel Mansell. One of the lion's masterpieces. After a great comeback, the Englishman comes close to the rear of the Brazilian's car. He is faster but he does not find the hole to overtake him. The opportunity arises when the two cars find themselves in front of Johansson to lap. Senna is uncertain, Mansell doesn't think twice and overtakes them both, taking the lead and going on to win the second race with Ferrari.

"I'm not a particularly emotional person, but these guys [Senna and Prost] gave their all. They always gave 100 percent on the track and even in the pits. This gives an idea of their personalities. Thinking about it can only provoke emotions." Ron Dennis

"I was 20 when I first saw him. He was still at Lotus, he was a beginner. He had sincere eyes, I didn't see a mischievous boy so I let myself go. One day he said to me: "I need to talk to you, I have a bad feeling, I feel that I will not live long." On the sofa in our room there was a book with the story of Gilles Villeneuve, I asked Senna for an explanation and he replied: "he was a great driver, but I think this will also be my end." I left him, I didn't feel like leading that sort of life." Cristina Pensa, Ayrton Senna's ex-girlfriend

March 28, 1993 Brazilian GP: at the invitation of Brahma, Fangio was brought onto the podium to present the trophy to Ron Dennis. Senna's trophy was presented by Paulo Maluf. Ayrton came down from the top of the podium and hugged Fangio for exactly 13 seconds. It was the public gesture that best showed the affection between the two. When Fangio returned to Buenos Aires, the Argentine happily told his friends: "Ayrton told me that he came off the podium because nobody deserved to be above me." On May 1st, he followed the race with friends. After the accident, he said he wanted to go home. He was shocked by the measures taken by the doctors on the route. After hearing of Ayrton's death, he said he would never watch Formula 1 again. On Monday evening he immortalized one of his most famous sentences in an interview with Miter Radio: "my successor has died."

Interlagos 1993. The embrace between Senna and the Argentine champion who came up to deliver the trophies. Meanwhile, a German is watching ... for now ...

Ricardo Aimar in "La Nación": "Senna and Fangio did not die, they are only one lap ahead of us.”

Ayrton Senna with a cake to celebrate his 100th Grand Prix start at the 1990 Mexican Grand Prix.

“1990s, Milan. One evening I was at the Open House and there was Ayrton Senna, the great Formula One champion. As soon as he saw me, he got closer and asked me for all the two hundred red roses He had to give them to Carol Alt, who was there with him. I also remember the amount of money he gave me: three hundred thousand lire." Lady Felicita

FIA Grand Gala in Paris in 1990, Ayrton Senna was excited and happy to have spent the evening with the Honda Patron Soichiro Honda. He was so moved that he almost could not have dinner, he was in symbiosis with the Japanese people, so much so that they adopted him as if he were a son of the Rising Sun. You had to see how good he was together with the Honda technicians and engineers. Mister Soichiro Honda was thrilled to have Ayrton with him, he had already met him in 1987 when Honda supplied the engines to the Lotus team and pushed for Ayrton to switch to McLaren in 1988, which would mount Honda engines. The founder of the Japanese motor company had encouraged Ayrton, thanked him for the season just ended, for the title won in Suzuka's revenge and had made him a promise that Honda would give him a great engine for the 1991 season. Soichiro Honda, who died in August 1991, said that the value of one's life can be measured based on the times in which one's soul has been deeply shaken, which is why Ayrton Senna and Soichiro Honda had perfected a great understanding, a deep and sincere friendship. When Ayrton learned of Soichiro Honda's death at the end of 1991, he could not hold back tears, this shows the bond that had been established between them.

1992 Belgium Grand Prix in Spa. The great humanity of Ayrton Senna.

His biggest victory: "he always wanted to win but, on this day, he understood that the best victory was to help others ...." Eric Comas, victim of an accident and passed out, with the car still with the engine running ... Ayrton sees, senses, understands ...., he stops at the side of the road and crosses the track, putting himself in danger, but saving another man. First he turns off the engine that risked catching fire, then he opens Eric Comas's mouth and prevents the driver from choking with his tongue, the marshals rush to assist Ayrton's rescue maneuvers. This was Ayrton Senna, a man full of humanity. "I'm Eric Comas, a former Formula 1 driver and if I'm here now it's thanks to Ayrton Senna that saved my life. It was 1992 at the Belgian Grand Prix and, after a serious accident, I was unconscious. Ayrton stopped and came to help me. I would have died without Ayrton's help, first of all because my Ligier would have exploded if he hadn't turned off the engine and secondly because I would have been choked on my own tongue if he hadn't supported my neck while I was passed out. Ayrton stopped to help me when even my teammate had pulled straight. He had a pure and extraordinary heart ... Two years later I was the last driver to see him on the track, while he received first aid next to the wreck of his Williams. When they took him away I got out of my car and stood next to his helmet. I knew he died without anyone telling me ... I was devastated because I couldn't do for him what he had done for me." Érik Comas

"I met Ayrton, he was truly a different man, out of all categories. You think he was a mystic but on the track he was an animal, a beast. He was not afraid of anything. The devil looked like a Swiss compared to Ayrton." Lucio Dalla

"The right distance." So says Mr. Rudolf Ratzenberger, 81 years old. He is the father of the Formula One unknown soldier. More simply: the father of the other, of Roland, who died on the wrong day. Unknown to most, an Austrian boy from Salzburg, without too much luck. "Ayrton and Roland knew each other, the physiotherapist of Senna, Austrian too, had introduced them. But my son was respectful, he understood that there was a gap, indeed an abyss, between him who had been in F1 for 53 days and Ayrton for 10 years." The right distance between a number one and a nobody. Same age, 34 years old. Senna was the God of pole positions, instead Roland struggled to qualify, he was at his third attempt. Senna had billionaire contracts, Roland paid to race, as a freelance. The Brazilian drived cars, the Austrian, as he said, "a cucumber" that had a gap of 6 seconds from the first. Simtek, his team, until the year before had built sewing machines. But Roland had will, desire to do and was really passionate about cars. The father reminds him: "we are not a rich family. I was a former pension manager, but try to put yourselves in my shoes to make a boy change his mind, a boy who, since he was four years old, repeats that he will be a driver. His idol was Lauda. At 12 he built the first small wooden car with which he challenged his friends on the hairpin bends, at 17 he fixed an old Beetle with which he run around in the fields of a farmer. He left the professional school, he began to be a mechanic, then an instructor and a test driver, he also worked in Italy, in Monza, where they had nicknamed him "Rolando Mountain Mouse." And, with his sacrifices, he paid the entry into F1 at an age in which many leave today." The right distance is also between San Paolo and Salzburg: 9.900 kilometers. Roland, also with Senna, kept it until the last. He died first, as a squire, 24 hours early, on April 30, same GP, same Imola track, Villeneuve curve. April 30. At his Simtek number 32 the front wing comes off and slips under the car, that goes straight towards the wall at over three hundred kilometers per hour. Seven-eight spins, three wheels fly away, then the car returns to the middle of the track and crawls up to the hairpin bend of the Tosa. From the carcass Ratzenberger's head leans to the side, a broken sunflower. The cockpit is ripped open, Roland's white suit stained red, at arm and left thigh level. Terrible the rest: fracture of the skull in half, two broken vertebrae, damaged marrow, pulped spleen. No brain function, but they gave him cardiac massage anyway and take him to the hospital by helicopter. Senna sees the replay of the accident in the pits. He takes off his helmet (which, 24 hours later, they will take off to him), gives a long sigh, grimaces in pain, is upset. He wants to see, to know, gets into a service car and is led to the Villeneuve curve. "It can not be done." It is a gesture for which the FIA fines him. Roland's parents are on vacation in Mexico, no one warns them. The father sees on TV that there has been an accident, he does not understand the language but he senses. "I remembered his last phone call to his mother: ‘it's a dangerous track, if you make a mistake, you risk too much, I have a poor car, unsuitable brakes.’" Roland died instantly, as demonstrated by the autopsy, but everyone pretended nothing had happened, otherwise the plant would have had to be confiscated and the GP suspended. Senna arrived at the hospital two hours later, Dr. Giuseppe Piana shook his head no. Ayrton backed off. Piana met a colleague: "you won't believe it, I just saw Senna go out: he was crying." Who knows, maybe at that moment the right distance disappeared. Between the number one and the last number there was compassion, sharing, transport. Perhaps Senna saw and glimpsed another himself in that stubborn boy, without means, who had also started with karts and who was the same age as him. He saw himself as an amateur, competing just for the sake of playing and challenging each other, without a lot of technology in the way. Ayrton wrote a letter to Roland's parents, asked Williams if the race could be canceled, no one knew if he would be back on track the next day. He did. "The other one" had warned him. Ayrton had felt it. But the right distance returned in between. A number one has obligations, commitments, presences. The return trip was also different. Ayrton returned in business class on a Varig flight, his mother had insisted that the coffin did not travel in the hold. The world went to his funeral. Only the Austrian drivers went to Roland's: Berger and Lauda, who gave the farewell speech. Roland is always remembered because he was the other one. Not even a person, but a shadow, an omen. The lightning before the storm. Mr. Ratzenberger has two other daughters: Gabi, 42 and Elisabeth, 21 and, with his wife Margit, will be in Italy to remember that, twenty years ago, two boys left or rather two drivers. "Thank you for not forgetting Roland. And I also bless Ayrton for that thing there." That thing there was the Austrian flag. Senna hid it under his suit, he would wave it the next day. The nurses found it. The right distance was also dead. By Emanuela Audisio, La Repubblica.

Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher.

What was Senna like from a human point of view?

"Personally I think he was a very deep, polite and good person in private life, with a great sense of justice. He did a lot of charity. But, on the other hand, he had a sense of competition so strong that it sometimes led him to be aggressive on the track, like in Suzuka in 1990, in my opinion a stain on his career. He was a kind of Doctor Jeckyll and Mr. Hide."

And instead as a driver?

"Unique, a super champion. He was very particular. We can categorize Lauda and Stewart among the meticulous, while Ayrton had charisma and intensity, characteristics that were unique to him."

Is there anything you saw him do on the track that impressed you?

"When I was a McLaren test driver, before the Grand Prix where he fought for the World Championship in 1991, they asked me to reproduce Ayrton's braking and downshifting in the previous race in a simulation on the track. We looked at his telemetry. At 13,900 rpm the engine would have broken: throughout the race he shifted gears between 13,500 and 13,800 rpm. A crazy thing. He had incredible control and precision."

Over the past 20 years, has Formula 1 found another Senna?

"Ayrton was a work of art: you can't paint another Mona Lisa. I don't know if he was the strongest ever, because Schumacher, for example, won more. But people have always felt his strength, his courage, his intensity. He arrived exhausted at the finish line because he gave everything, something that is perhaps lacking in today's Formula 1. He was not ashamed of struggling: even in this he was unique."

Interview with Emanuele Pirro, in McLaren from 1988 to 1991 as a test driver.

Ayrton Senna prepares his kart in Sao Paolo, Brazil, on February 15, 1994. Photo by Gianni Giansanti / Gamma Rapho via Getty Images.

Ayrton's head was all in the kart. And he knew what he was doing: "once he was lapping on a track where there was a hole near a curb. And he always went in it: the stub axle bent. Achille yelled at him: 'don't go over it, go a few centimeters farther!' Nothing to do: boom, boom. He always went through that hole. Why? Because that was how the best lap time came out. He drove like this: he was different from the others. When he braked to turn you could hear the engine scream. It went crazy. Then he would get out and tell you what was wrong with the kart. Now, those who get in say: 'it doesn’t hold the road, nothing works.' Instead, he got out and looked at everything: the circumferences of the tires, the pressure, what engine there was ... Then he said: 'put this like this.' You may have had your theories, but it was done as he said. And he was right." And his aggressive driving left traces: “after he drove once, it looked like the chassis had done a year of racing. He consumed it. With his foot he pushed hard enough to peel off the paint. When the others get in now they barely put their foot down. With him you could see the heel marks." The young Ayrton began to make himself known around the world and fought to win the world title in both 1979 and 1980, the two seasons he spent with Dap. He didn’t make it by a hair. And the opponents were well aware of the talent they had in front of them: “the opponents knew that he was strong and that they would never catch him again if he had passed in front. They tried to throw him out. I remember a race in Jesolo. On Saturday he hit the nets, he was full of bruises ... a mess. In the emergency room they told him: 'you absolutely cannot compete tomorrow.' What did he do? He raced." Paolo Amoruso, Team Dap Kart mechanic

“One front tire is bigger than the other,” Ayrton told me. "No, no it's impossible," I exclaimed. But he was right, one of them was bigger ... of a millimeter! This was the most surprising event of my life." Angelo Parrilla, founder of the DAP

“My father had a friend who emigrated to Brazil. His children raced on karts: one day this friend called me and told me that he had seen an incredible talent. I invested in him and took him to Italy. The first time I saw him he was a kid, I put him on a kart and, after five laps, he was doing the same times as world champion Terry Fullerton! He was a Martian, a shotgun bullet.” Angelo Parrilla, founder of the DAP and discoverer of the Paulist phenomenon

"At the 1984 1000 km of Nurburgring Ayrton Senna arrived, left me four seconds per lap behind him and walked away saying the car was heavy, it didn't move and it wasn't interesting at all!" Henri Pescarolo

The French Formula 1 Grand Prix at Magny Cours on July 05, 1992: Ayrton Senna in his McLaren Honda. Photo by Pascal Le Segretain / Sygma via Getty Images.

Ghinzani tells of two Ayrtons. “The first was the professional one, who studied to win and who spent whole hours going around the car. He looked at it as if with that gaze he could transmit an energy, a particular harmony." Then there was Senna the man without a car, as when he came down from that mechanical half of his being he was "very human, Ghinzani continues, undressed of that competitive spirit that he had to the core he showed his extremely sensitive, almost fraternal character, I never once heard him raise his voice toward anyone, not even a mechanic. He was shy. And then he was, like, charitable, he liked helping others.”

Ayrton Senna's grave. Photo by Pascal Le Segretain / Sygma via Getty Images.

Ayrton rests in grave number 11 at Morumbysta Cemetery, buried under a simple headstone. "Nothing can separate me from the love of God", it is written. But for Ghinzani Ayrton is still there, stopped in that corner of Imola. The curve of immortal time.

Ayrton Senna, training with Nuno Cobra in 1989.

1994 ... a race before Imola ... "In Aida we were staying in the same hotel and, as I was leaving my room, I passed Ayrton who was coming out of his. He asked me where we were headed and I replied that we were going to Disney, whereupon he asked if he could come with us. "Sure you can", so we visited the playground. Then we got hungry, but there were only fast foods around us: after all we were at Disney world. So I told him I'd have a burger and he, as if mad, explained to me that he hadn't tasted one for two years. Then he continued: "Nuno Cobra is not here: this time I'll eat a hamburger ..." And he ate three of them!" Rubens Barrichello

Ayrton Senna with his mother Neyde in 1984.

"When my son started school I, like all mothers, took care in the morning to give him the snack that he would eat during the break. Once a sandwich with the salami he loved, another time a brioche with jam which must have been an apricot one, yet another with pan de chesgiu. When I went for the first time to talk to his teacher, she told me that my child was good but a little inattentive, perhaps also due to the fact that in the interval he never had anything to eat. How? I thought. Nothing to eat? When Ayrton came home from school that day I asked him where on earth he put all the good things I gave him every morning. Mom, he replied, to go to school I pass by a street where there are many children like me, but who really never have to eat and I give them my snacks.” Neyde Senna

"At the Imola racetrack the word had spread that Angelo was the only photographer present at the Tamburello. Press agencies all over the world began looking for him to offer him mind-boggling figures that could be worth an apartment in exchange for ... that shot. It would have been the scoop of the year. But Angelo did not betray Ayrton ..." We wish happy birthday to Angelo Orsi, esteemed photographer and friend of Ayrton Senna. A friendship never betrayed, not even at Imola in 1994. Franco Nugnes

Ayrton Senna, McLaren MP4/6 Honda RA121E 3.5 V12, seen from an in-car camera during testing in Jerez, Spain, circa February 1991. Photo by Leo Mason / Popperfoto via Getty Images.

"He did things with a racing car that I haven't seen anyone do, before or after [...]. It wasn't just the speed he was going but the way he controlled the car, shifted gears, turned the steering wheel [...]. Being able to do even one of the things he did at the speed at which he did was already remarkable, but doing them at the same time, as he could, was impressive. Even today I don't understand how he did it. He had this amazing mental ability to give an incredible number of inputs to the car at the same time. And he was frighteningly quick." John Watson

The idea was born by chance, during a dinner with friends at the 'La lampara' restaurant in Cattolica in the aftermath of the 1993 San Marino Grand Prix. While Norberto Ferretti and Luca Ferrari told how, with their offshore, they had just won the Italian championship race held in Rimini, Ayrton Senna confessed that he had never boarded an offshore and that he had never even seen one up close. The hull was still moored in the dock, awaiting maintenance after the race and so the Brazilian champion was invited to take a 'ride' off the coast of Romagna. The next morning Ayrton arrived punctually for the appointment, immediately showing himself intrigued by the imposing 45-foot-long catamaran and by the two 12-cylinder Lamborghini engines of 8000cc, capable of over 900hp each. Wearing a white overalls and asked for any information on mechanics and electronics, he began to show the impatience to 'feel' in the water how much the two engines could push. First outing with Senna at the wheel, Ferrari at the throttles (the most difficult task on an offshore) and Ferretti as a navigator. After the first few minutes used to familiarize himself with the hull and understand the reactions of the rudder, Ayrton immediately engages with a series of slaloms and tacks simulating curves and chicanes, showing great appreciation for long glides on the water's edge. Second outing with Senna in place of the throttleman (the man who governs the throttles by hand and governs the performances of the steering wheel). Ferrari, before going out into the open sea, rearranged the vehicle explaining him the functions and the maneuver of the flap and trims for trim adjustments and which, like the ailerons on a racing car, ensure the aerodynamic load of the hull. After a few tastings, Ayrton begins to give power to the engines, pushing the hull at a speed of 120 miles per hour: then, after becoming familiar with the adjustments system, he begins to make some set-up changes, immediately managing to understand how to acquire greater speed. With his adjustments the hull immediately went very fast, favored by the calm sea, reaching a peak of 130 miles, equal to about 212 km / h, which on the water is an incredible speed. At the end of the test he was enthusiastic: “the two engines really give the sensation of speed: on the track you have to work on the car to keep it firmly planted on the ground, on the sea to go fast you just have to fly the offshore. Too bad that the sea was so calm: I would have liked to go fast riding the waves.” Ferretti especially appreciated his great sensitivity in adjusting the throttle and in decelerating as soon as the boat rose gliding: “luckily he doesn't do offshore racing: if in a few minutes he understood every adjustment to be made, in the race he would be a very bad customer for everyone ..."

"We first met during a brawl of epic dimensions in which we disputed the last point at the Detroit GP in 1984: as real bad boys we pinched each other under braking an incalculable number of times, as if we were still in a race of Formula Ford. But that challenge did not continue after the finish line with unpleasant consequences: at the end of the race we introduced ourselves, exchanged comments and made an appointment in Canada. I was immediately fascinated by his incredible ability to go fast even in a car that was not really competitive but, above all, by his great loyalty. Contrary to what the gossips claimed, out of envy and jealousy, he was very determined in the race but always fair towards his colleagues. Perhaps he was not only at Suzuka in 1990: the desire to take revenge was too much ... Some time later we took our first holidays together, invited by Club Med to Mauritius. There I discovered a private Senna who, after all, was nothing more than a relaxed copy of the driver Ayrton, always determined and very focused on everything he did: from building a kite (with which he obviously let us win the contest organized by the animators) to water skiing (we both went and successfully to take bare-foot lessons), from toy car races to endless jogging sessions. He was a man who adored life and who conceived it only through perfection. Also out of respect for his friends, who were very few. It is very rare for two Formula One drivers, whoever they are, to get along and meet in private: the rivalry involved is too strong, the pressure from the manufacturers, team managers and sponsors is often unbearable. Instead, over time, our friendship became stronger: Ayrton was a true friend, one of those you see in time of need, in fact when things were going well he could not be seen or heard for months but, as soon as there was any problem, he was always there for you and for your family. We met very often outside the circuits and, above all, not talking about cars except once, in the winter of 1990-'91, which was summer for us who were in Brazil: at the time he was in contact with Ferrari and asked me to do not sign any contract because, if the negotiations were successful, he would have proposed me as a teammate. Unfortunately it went differently ... Airplanes were a common passion as well as children, although he didn't have any perhaps because he hadn't found the right woman at the right time. He loved playing with my eldest son Kevin and the greatest proof of his friendship with me was his immediate and enthusiastic consent when I asked him to be the godfather of Cedric, the younger. This happened a few days before Imola ... He is dead now, but I have not lost my friend; he's always there: I haven't finished the list of advice he gave me yet." Thierry Boutsen

Milton Da Silva, Ayrton Senna's father, passed away at the age of 94. “Milton is Ayrton's father and he always followed him when he was racing in F1, especially in the early days, but his health didn't allow him to be close to him in the last two seasons. It was thanks to Milton that I met Ayrton Senna. During the Grand Prix we always found ourselves at a table in the Minardi motor home: “only here they know how to make pasta properly”, he always said. For a few races we were lunch companions, thanks to the hospitality of Giancarlo Minardi. One day Milton asked me: "which is your favorite driver?" I replied dryly: “I discovered Ayrton Senna by looking at him around the tracks, at first I didn't like him but he knows how to drive better than everyone else. Too bad he's an asshole: every time I approach him to talk to him he answers me badly and turns around. He didn't understand that I'm a journalist or maybe he doesn't give a damn about Rombo.” Milton looked me in the face and said, “don't worry, Ayrton won't do that anymore. Come with me." We got up from the table and walked to the McLaren garage. We were in Monza, September 1990, a few days before the Italian GP. Milton approached and Senna glared at him: "Ayrton, you have to talk to Paolo, do you understand?" Senna snorted, put the spoon in the Styrofoam plate that contained jam and cereals and said: "but dad, I am eating, right now?" And Milton: “yes, porque Paulo es amigo meu!” Milton Da Silva was Ayrton's father and I didn't know it, I had called his son an asshole and he, in response, accompanied me to Ayrton and forced him to answer me because I was a friend and Ayrton had to behave well with friends! I wanted to hide myself out of shame but Senna took me aside, pushed away a mechanic who wanted to kick me out of the pits and apologized: "I've been looking for you for some time because I always read Rombo but you never let yourself be recognized, excuse me and ask me what do you want." I asked him about Ferrari and he replied seriously: “Fiorio had contacted me for next season but someone didn't want to and I had to give up a pre-contract. You write it down, let it be known that I had one foot at Ferrari.” Thus was born the professional relationship with Ayrton Senna: it was enough to look each other in the face to understand each other and, if he did not want to answer, he waved to me or he himself spoke to me. When Ayrton raced, Milton Da Silva almost always followed him. He was on the sidelines in the pits, he never pestered him. He was a discreet but constant presence. Ayrton knew this and was pleased with it. Especially in the early years of his career, those spent at McLaren competing with Alain Prost. Milton's presence was always a constant. But, in order not to create further pressure on his son, Milton went around the paddock often stopping for a coffee or a plate of pasta at the Minardi motor home. Nobody could think that the father of the great Ayrton Senna was that quiet gentleman with glasses, intent on eating a plate of pasta and discussing the recipe with the cook because, as soon as he got home, he would let his son try it. “One day, when Ayrton decides to stop racing, we have already decided: the last season will be with Minardi. It is a promise we made to ourselves and that when we tell Giancarlo Minardi he will have a fit. Because, to repay him for all these plates of pasta, we owe him at least one season for free." Milton was not joking, he meant it. Ayrton confirmed it to us one day when he was calm and peaceful. "And do you image how will they take it at Ferrari?" he added amused. That day never came, we all know. As we also know why. Now Milton avoids F1. When the world-famous circus arrives in Sao Paulo, he escapes to one of the fazende owned by him scattered around Brazil. The year after Ayrton's disappearance Milton was in Goiania, a couple of hours by plane from Sao Paulo. In a fazenda without TV, without radio, alone with all the space in front of him. With the only company of the silence of the Brazilian countryside and a distant echo of engines." Paolo Ciccarone

Ayrton Senna in action in his McLaren Honda during the 1993 Portuguese Grand Prix at the Estoril circuit. Credit: Pascal Rondeau / Allsport.

"The guests who come to my house often ask me how much I esteemed him [Ayrton Senna]. I show them the corridor. Hanging on the wall there are two large pictures autographed by the respective drivers. One is Juan Manuel Fangio. The other is Ayrton. So much, I say." Stirling Moss

“And to think that, if my daughter Gianinna had been a boy, I would have called him Ayrton.” Diego Armando Maradona

Ayrton Senna, 3 years old.

Canadian Grand Prix, circuit Gilles Villeneuve, June 17, 1984.

Ayrton Senna with Frank Williams at Donington Park in 1983.

The beginning of the legend. The cockpit of the Toleman TG184-2, in which Senna showed himself to the world in the extraordinary race under the flood of the 1984 Monaco Grand Prix.

Maniacally-boosted 1.5-liter turbo engines and limited grip made this qualifying session during the last F1 race in 1985 a stunning test of bravery for a young Ayrton Senna.

Ayrton Senna, McLaren-Honda MP46, emerges unhurt from his big shunt at the Peraltada Curve at the 1991 Mexican GP.

Ayrton Senna and his helicopter in Sao Paolo, Brazil, on February 15, 1994. Photo by Gianni Giansanti / Gamma Rapho via Getty Images.

Ayrton Senna in a helicopter over Sao Paolo, Brazil, on February 15, 1994. Photo by Gianni Giansanti / Gamma Rapho via Getty Images.

Ayrton Senna on vacation in Tatui, Brazil, on February 15, 1994. Photo by Gianni Giansanti / Gamma Rapho via Getty Images.

 

Ayrton Senna on vacation in Tatui, Brazil, on February 15, 1994. Photo by Gianni Giansanti / Gamma Rapho via Getty Images.

Fans hold a huge flag in support of Williams Renault driver Ayrton Senna during the Brazilian Grand Prix at the Interlagos circuit on March 27, 1994. Senna retired from the race after spinning off the track and stalling. Credit: Pascal Rondeau / Allsport.

 

Ayrton Senna’s last lap at Imola on May 01, 1994.

Ayrton Senna’s last lap at Imola on May 01, 1994.

The Williams of Ayrton Senna lies shattered on the track after he crashed into the concrete barrier during the early stages of the San Marino F1 GP at Imola on May 01, 1994. Credit: Anton Want / Allsport.

Ayrton Senna's Williams Renault is hauled off the circuit after Senna crashed during the San Marino Grand Prix at the Imola circuit on 01 May 1994. Credit: Anton Want /Allsport.

The accident of Ayrton Senna in Imola, Italy, on May 01, 1994. The car of Senna after the crash. Photo by Jean-Marc Loubat / Gamma Rapho via Getty Images.

Ayrton Senna arriving at hospital in Bologna on May 01, 1994. Photo by Alberto Pizzoli / Sygma via Getty Images.

May 03, 1994. Photo by Alberto Pizzoli / Sygma via Getty Images.

May 03, 1994. Photo by Alberto Pizzoli / Sygma via Getty Images.

May 03, 1994. Photo by Alberto Pizzoli / Sygma via Getty Images.

Ayrton Senna: the day a million Brazilians mourned their golden boy. By The Guardian in 2014. São Paulo came to a standstill 20 years ago as young and old, rich and poor, said goodbye to the man they all idolized.

The first flush of daylight was lining the eastern sky as Flight RG723 said goodbye to its fighter escort and swung into the landing pattern, bringing Ayrton Senna home for the last time. Already his people were gathered along the expressway from the airport through the suburbs, a million of them or more, preparing to shed their tears of welcome and lamentation as the big jet, 11 hours out of Paris, floated above the endless clusters of high-rise blocks with their shanty-town infills.

São Paulo may be one of the biggest and ugliest cities on earth, a vast megalopolis of extreme wealth and extreme poverty, but in that dawn its inhabitants turned into villagers, sharing in the mourning for their golden boy, their favourite son, their champion. At 6.12 am the plane touched down. Over the next 30 minutes the polished mahogany casket was removed from the business-class section and carried by soldiers to a waiting fire engine, where it was draped with the bandeira, the familiar green and yellow flag of Brazil.

At 6.45 am, under a sky already bright blue, the fire engine moved off, preceded by an arrowhead of 17 police outriders in white leathers who led the motorcade on the 30-kilometre journey into the city.

As the parade gathered pace on the six-lane highway, it was joined by dozens, then scores, then hundreds of vehicles, in all shapes and sizes and states of repair: battered Beetles, shiny Subarus, jeeps and pick-ups, even a huge truck flying a Brazilian flag the size of a house, many crossing the central reservation and using the opposite carriageway in an attempt to keep up with Senna's last ride. Most of the vehicles had his picture taped to their windscreens, or black scarves tied to the radio aerials. From many side windows, in an echo of Senna's trademark gesture on so many afternoons of triumph around the world, a spare hand held a bandeira, its colours stiffened in the airstream.

Witnesses to this Mad Max remake of a Grand Prix lap of honour, the people of Senna's home town thronged the pavements and overpasses and the windows and parapets of their crumbling concrete canyons, applauding the passage of their champion, displaying their banners – one reading ‘thank you, Senna, for making our Sundays so happy’ – and shedding neither the first nor the last of their tears. Above them a dozen police and television helicopters hovered and circled, marking the motorcade's progress like a cloud of midsummer midges.

Ayrton Senna’s funeral. Photo by Pool Ribeiro /Sassaki / Gamma Rapho via Getty Images.

As it neared its destination in Ibirapuera Park, the procession slowed. The motorcycles peeled away, replaced by an honour guard of mounted lancers: five at the front on white horses, two dozen more on bays, flanking the fire engine as it crawled between crowds now 20 deep, jammed together, their hands outstretched above their heads as they applauded.

All the way round the July 09 Palace, the state legislative assembly building, tens of thousands were already waiting calmly in line under the paneira trees' pink blossom. Inside, a 20-minute religious ceremony took place in the presence of the dead man's family. By the time the doors were opened, the queue of those wishing to pay their respects was three miles long, winding up the drive, out of the entrance and around the perimeter of the compound, unsupervised but in perfect order.

Ayrton Senna's funeral in Sao Paolo. Photo by Pascal Le Segretain / Sygma via Getty Images.

Ayrton Senna's funeral in Sao Paolo. Photo by Pool Ribeiro /Sassaki / Gamma Rapho via Getty Images.

It would take those at the back seven hours, in 80-degree heat, to reach the casket, now surmounted by a new flag and one of Senna's helmets, guarded by two soldiers with pikes and two riflemen, their weapons reversed.

Ayrton Senna's funeral in Sao Paolo. Photo by Pascal Le Segretain / Sygma via Getty Images.

Coffin of Ayrton Senna. Photo by Pool Ribeiro / Sassaki / Gamma Rapho via Getty Images.

The country's president had declared three days of national mourning, so Brazilians of all types and ages were able to make their way to say a personal farewell. Among the first was Adelia Scott, aged 84, who had travelled many hours from her home in the south of the country. Near her was a 13-year-old schoolboy, Marco Putnoki, who had been in line since the previous afternoon.

Milton da Silva at the funeral of his son Ayrton. Photo by Pascal Le Segretain / Sygma via Getty Images.

Senna's older sister Viviane at the funeral of her brother. Photo by Pascal Le Segretain / Sygma via Getty Images.

Adriane Galisteu, Ayrton Senna’s girlfriend, at the funeral of her boyfriend in Sao Paolo. Photo by Pascal Le Segretain / Sygma via Getty Images.

Adriane Galisteu at Ayrton Senna’s funeral. Photo by Pool Ribeiro / Sassaki /Gamma Rapho via Getty Images.

 

Adriane Galisteu at Ayrton Senna’s funeral. Photo by Pascal Le Segretain / Sygma via Getty Images.

Frank Williams at Ayrton Senna's funeral in Sao Paolo. Photo by Pascal Le Segretain / Sygma via Getty Images.

Ron Dennis at Ayrton Senna's funeral in Sao Paolo. Photo by Pascal Le Segretain / Sygma via Getty Images.

Emerson Fittipaldi, Alain Prost and Gerhard Berger next to the coffin of Ayrton Senna. Photo by Pool Ribeiro / Sassaki / Gamma Rapho via Getty Images.

"He absolutely had to make it at Imola. Yet on track we talked a lot, even about other things. He tried to convince me to accept the presidency of the Drivers' Commission. I said instead that he should have been the president. That weekend, as we all remember, was a nightmare: Barrichello against the barriers on Friday, Ratzenberger died on Saturday. And then, on Sunday, something incredible, during the warm-up Ayrton greeted me via radio … ‘and a greeting to my dear friend Alain Prost, who follows me from the pits. I miss you Alain.’ On Monday, back in France, I went to the office: the Senna family had invited me to the funeral in Brazil, but I was undecided. In his country I had been the great enemy: I didn't want to incite any violent behavior. Yet I wanted so much to go and pay him homage. I decided to call a friend: Jean-Luc Lagardére, president of Matra. His wife was Brazilian: I asked her for advice and she had no doubts, I had to go. I owe her a lot. I was received in São Paulo as a head of state. His family welcomed me with great affection and I won't be able to forget the honor they offered me, allowing me to carry his coffin on my shoulders in the midst of an incredible sea of crowd who shouted his name, who cried, who despaired. Binding me to Ayrton forever." Alain Prost

Emerson Fittipaldi, Alain Prost, Gerhard Berger and Rubens Barrichello at the funeral of Ayrton Senna. Photo by Pascal Le Segretain / Sygma via Getty Images.

Alain Prost, Emerson Fittipaldi and Jackie Stewart at the funeral of Ayrton Senna. Photo by Pascal Le Segretain / Sygma via Getty Images.

Damon Hill and Alain Prost at the funeral of Ayrton Senna. Photo by Pascal Le Segretain / Sygma via Getty Images.

Thierry Boutsen, Gerhard Berger and Michele Alboreto at the funeral of Ayrton Senna. Photo by Pascal Le Segretain / Sygma via Getty Images.

Opposite the coffin, the famous faces of Senna's friends and rivals and associates slipped in and out, joining members of the family in a special enclosure, some keeping a tight grip on their emotions, others unable to contain the flood of grief. But it was the ordinary people of Brazil who took the eye. Hour after hour the young and old filed by, some leaving flowers, flags, handwritten notes and other keepsakes.

Funeral of Ayrton Senna. Photo by Pascal Le Segretain / Sygma via Getty Images.

Funeral of Brazilian Ayrton Senna. Photo by Pascal Le Segretain / Sygma via Getty Images.

So grievous had been his injuries that, at the family's request, the usual cosmetic preparations were abandoned and the coffin lid stayed shut. But many of those who passed by in a ceaseless flow blew kisses, or waved, or crossed themselves, or moved their lips in a silent prayer. Others could do little more than clutch each other in grief, some giving way altogether and collapsing into the arms of waiting paramedics. A man of advanced years halted, threw his arms wide and began a formal valedictory address before being gently cut short and moved on by an attendant. In the late afternoon, a blind man in a business suit passed by, led by a friend. He, too, had spent seven hours in line.

Ayrton Senna's funeral in Sao Paolo. Photo by Pascal Le Segretain / Sygma via Getty Images.

Most of those who came to say farewell were young, a high proportion of them – the girls, mostly – with his name inked across their foreheads, often with three stripes painted on their cheeks: yellow, green and black. A friend explained that the custom had its origins in incidents two years earlier, when the country's youth took to the streets in protest against a corrupt president. "They painted themselves with the colours of Brazil," she said. "Now they've added a black stripe, for mourning."

Ayrton Senna’s funeral in Sao Paulo on May 04, 1994. Photo by Pool Ribeiro / Sassaki / Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images.

Outside the railings were festooned with banners, many of them bearing the same word: ‘saudade’. "It's the most beautiful word in the language," my friend said as we went outside to buy some bottled water. "And it's one of those for which there's no direct translation. It means the sense of loss and sadness you feel when the person you love isn't there any more. No other language has this word."

Funeral of Ayrton Senna at the Morumbi cemetery. Photo by Pascal Le Segretain / Sygma via Getty Images.

This is an extract from ‘The death of Ayrton Senna’ by Richard Williams, published by Penguin.

Brazilian players celebrate their victory over Italy in the final of the FIFA World Cup on July 17, 1994. They hold a banner in Ayrton Senna's memory. Photo by Christian Liewig / TempSport / Corbis via Getty Images.

The scene of the accident of Ayrton Senna decorated with flowers by fans in the Tamburello curve on the Imola circuit where Senna died, August 01, 1994. Photo by Melzer / Ullstein Bild via Getty Images.

Ayrton Senna, Grand Prix of San Marino, Imola, 30 April 1995. Photo by Paul-Henri Cahier / Getty Images.

The plaque positioned on the grave of Ayrton Senna surrounded by flowers in the Morumbi Cemetry during the weekend of the Brazilian Grand Prix, Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo, Brazil, on the 21st November 2013. Photo by Darren Heath / Getty Images.

Bruno Senna is pictured after he received an award for his deceased uncle Ayrton Senna during the FIA Hall of Fame Induction ceremony at Automobile Club de France on December 04, 2017 in Paris, France. Photo by Julien Hekimian / Getty Images.

Sculptor Paul Oz attends a Ayrton Senna's sculpture tribute inauguration on the 25th anniversary of his death on May 08, 2019 in Barcelona, Spain. Photo by Robert Marquardt / Getty Images.

The public attends a Ayrton Senna's sculpture tribute inauguration on the 25th anniversary of his death on May 08, 2019 in Barcelona, Spain. Photo by Robert Marquardt / Getty Images.

Flags and tributes hang from the perimeter fence next to Ayrton Senna's memorial near the Tamburello corner during previews ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Emilia Romagna at Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari on October 29, 2020 in Imola, Italy. Photo by Dan Istitene / Formula 1 via Getty Images.

A bronze statute of Ayrton Senna at his memorial site near the Tamburello corner during previews ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Emilia Romagna at Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari on October 29, 2020 in Imola, Italy. Photo by Dan Istitene / Formula 1 via Getty Images.

A general view of the Ayrton Senna memorial during previews ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Emilia Romagna at Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari on April 15, 2021 in Imola, Italy. Photo by Clive Mason / Formula 1 via Getty Images.

There are strange sensations in this place, it seems that he is there waiting for you, as if that race has never ended.

A detail shot of the Ayrton Senna inspired helmet of Pierre Gasly of France and Scuderia Alpha Tauri is pictured in the garage during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Emilia Romagna at Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari on October 31, 2020 in Imola, Italy. Photo by Peter Fox / Getty Images.

McLaren has announced that it will put Senna's "S" on its single-seaters from the 2022 Monaco GP onwards. "Ayrton is and will be a McLaren legend. We want to honor his contribution to the sport," Zak Brown, McLaren team principal, said.

Joseph Siffert

Jo Siffert in a Porsche 911. Source maggiolinomane.blogspot.co.uk.

On this day: Jo Siffert dies at Brands Hatch in 1971. 24 October 2019. By Paul Tarsey.

Jo Siffert died at Brands Hatch on 24th October 1971. Paul Tarsey was at the circuit that day and it had a profound effect on the way he viewed the sport he loves.

Jo Siffert, Switzerland’s Mr Versatile.

To put things in perspective, you have to think about the way Formula One was run in the 1970s. Formula One was simply a formula, a set of regulations to which cars were built and a number of races were run all over the world to that set over regulations. Some counted towards the World Championship and others did not. Britain had more races than anyone else and it was not unusual for the odd event to be slotted into the calendar to suit the sponsors wishes. Thus the world championship victory race sponsored by Rothmans was scheduled for the 24th of October 1971 and was run to recognise the newly-crowned Jackie Stewart’s success. The race was run to Formula One regulations with a number of Formula 5000 cars in the entry to make up the numbers.

Joseph Siffert. Photo by Roger Dixon.

Although the championship season was over, BRM were running strongly and were making signs that they would be the team to watch in 1972. To support this idea Jo Siffert put his Yardley McLaren BRM on the pole ahead of the rest of the field. He made a poor start but began a strong run up the field and was in fourth place by lap 15 when his car ran off the road at the approach to the fast right-hand bend at Hawthorns on the Brands Hatch Grand Prix loop. The accident itself was not huge but was large enough to rupture the fuel tanks of the car which immediately burst into flames.

Race organisers and marshals were well aware of the dangers of fire and indeed the marshals on scene were dressed in a silver heat resistant suit which was supposed to allow them to go into the flames to retrieve a driver from a burning car. Siffert’s car was very quickly an inferno and it was clear that this was a major accident. Footage from the time shows a suit equipped marshal having trouble getting into the flames to rescue the stricken driver. The reason that the marshal was unable to carry out his tasks we shall never know. Jo died at the scene from lack of oxygen as so often happened in fiery accidents and, ironically, his other injuries were minimal and would not have been life-threatening.

Jo Siffert and Clay Regazzoni, rivals, friends and the best Swiss drivers ever ...

I was at Brands Hatch that day and saw some of the events occur before my eyes. Thankfully I was not at the scene of the crash but had decided to watch the race from South Bank behind the pits. As soon as the accident happened the race was stopped immediately and I recall seeing the clerk of the course driving his road car to the accident site as quickly as he possibly could. Sadly, because of the way the car had come to rest, the track was blocked, causing many drivers to come to a stop right at the scene. The effect that that must have had can only be imagined. As was then the case no announcement was made but racing was immediately abandoned for the day.

As a spectator I had no idea of the severity of the accident and took the race stoppage as an opportunity to walk across to the paddock to soak up some of the post race atmosphere. My fears were heightened however when the BRM was brought in to the paddock covered in a tarpaulin and placed in a lock up. To this day I do not know whether Jo’s body was still in the car. Shortly afterwards there was a call over the paddock PA which called BRM boss Louis Stanley to the paddock office to accept his pre-booked call to Switzerland. In those days there was no such thing as a direct dial international call and all such conversations needed to be pre-booked with an international operator.

Jubilant winner Jo Siffert with a victory garland round his neck stands with his wife. Photo by Shutterstock.

Clearly by now it was pretty clear that this had been a very major accident although we had no idea just how serious it had been. We returned to our car parked on South Bank and whilst queueing to leave the circuit heard the sad news on the radio that Siffert had died.

This was my first experience of being at a race circuit when a driver died. I had been visiting races since the age of six and, particularly in those days, I was well aware that motorsport was indeed very dangerous. But the reality of being that close to a fatal accident had a profound effect on my view of the sport.

Jo Siffert strips off again, to the pleasure of a watching lady. Source 20min.ch.

This was very much at the time when Jackie Stewart's campaign for safer racing was in full swing and there was much debate at the time. Diehards were often heard to say that not only was racing dangerous but that injury and even death were part of the sport, whereas Stewart and his colleagues in the Grand Prix Drivers Association continued to press for safer cars and safer circuits.

Jo Siffert attempts to impress the fabulous Dutch touring car driver Liane Engeman. Source autodiva.fr.

Liane Engeman, famous race car driver and fashionmodel.

I suppose up until that point I have had a foot in both camps but the harsh reality of that day forever changed my view and of many other people as well. Nowadays the non-championship F1 races are long gone, but I have often found myself at Brands Hatch for some end-of-season race meeting or other, frequently in October. Taking a few minutes to walk onto the Grand Prix loop and to remember Jo Siffert is always part of my day.

Jo Siffert, Claude Sage, Grand Prix of France, Rouen-Les-Essarts, 08 July 1962. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

Jo Siffert, Brabham-BRM BT11, Grand Prix of the Netherlands, Circuit Park Zandvoort, 24 May 1964. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

Jo Siffert is injured in a crash at Goodwood, UK and taken away by St John's Ambulance, 19th April 1965. Photo by Victor Blackman / Express Hulton Archive / Getty Images

Jo Siffert and Jim Clark in August 22, 1965 at an hill climb race in St. Ursanne. Photo by RDB / Ullstein Bild via Getty Images.

Jo Siffert, Cooper T81 Maserati, during practice in 1967. Credit Motorsport Images.

Jo Siffert with his wife Simone Siffert, Targa Florio, Sicily, 14 May 1967. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

In Monza on October 29, 1967 Jo Siffert and his team set 5 world hour records. Photo by Sigi Maurer / RDB / Ullstein Bild via Getty Images.

In Monza on October 29, 1967 Jo Siffert and his team set 5 world hour records. Photo by Sigi Maurer / RDB / Ullstein Bild via Getty Images.

Jo Siffert sitting in a Porsche 906 setting a world record in Monza on October 29, 1967. Photo by Blick / RDB / Ullstein Bild via Getty Images.

United States, February 05, 1968, Daytona 24 Hour Race. Race Winners Vic Elford, Jochen Neerpasch, Rolf Stommelen, Jo Siffert and Hans Herrmann of the Porsche Works Team drive their Porsche 907. Photo by The Enthusiast Network via Getty Images.

Jo Siffert and his wife Simone on July 01, 1968. Photo by RDB / Ullstein Bild via Getty Images.

Jo Siffert with his wife Simone and Rob Walker on July 01, 1968. Photo by RDB / Ullstein Bild via Getty Images.

Rouen, France, July, 07 1968. Center Jo Siffert, back right Piers Courage.

French Grand Prix on July 07, 1968. After retiring, Graham Hill donates his visor to teammate Jo Siffert. A gesture immortalized by this unforgettable shot that serves, in part, to redeem that Grand Prix marred by the mortal stake of Jo Schlesser with his Honda.

British Grand Prix, Brands Hatch, Great Britain, 20 July 1968. Jo Siffert, Lotus 49B-Ford, 1st position, podium. Copyright: LAT Photographic.

The Porsche 908L of Jo Siffert and Hans Hermann gets ready for the start of the 24 Hours of Daytona at Daytona International Speedway on February 01, 1969. Photo by ISC Images & Archives via Getty Images.

Sebring, March 12, 1969, Jo Siffert in the middle, Rico Steinemann on the left, Mrs. Mitter in the background.

Jo Siffert examines a model of the F1 Lotus Ford racing car in which he won the British Grand Prix the year before, 1969. The model was presented to him by a Japanese model car manufacturing company. Photo by Keystone / Hulton Archive / Getty Images.

Sporting the sky blue and orange Gulf Oil livery, the Porsche 917 dominated the World Marques Championship in 1970 and 1971. Michel Janvier and Olivier Marin / Editions Parquet.

Jo Siffert at the March factory in 1970. Source swissinfo.ch.

Steve McQueen and Jo Siffert.

Steve McQueen, who was producing his landmark film Le Mans with Porsche factory driver Jo Siffert before the 24 Hours race, Le Mans, 13th June 1970. Photo by Klemantaski Collection / Getty Images.

Jo Siffert with wife of Jacky Ickx on July 01, 1970. Photo by Blick Sport / RDB / Ullstein Bild via Getty Images.

Jo Siffert in 1971.

Simone, wife of Jo Siffert, March 01, 1971. Photo by Blick Sport / RDB / Ullstein Bild via Getty Images.

F1 racing in Oulton Park on March 10, 1971: Simone and Jo Siffert. Photo by Blick / RDB / Ullstein Bild via Getty Images.

F1 racing in Oulton Park on March 10, 1971: Simone and Jo Siffert. Photo by Roger Benoit / RDB / Ullstein Bild via Getty Images.

F1 racing in Oulton Park on March 10, 1971: Simone and Jo Siffert. Photo by Roger Benoit / RDB / Ullstein Bild via Getty Images.

F1 racing in Oulton Park on March 10, 1971: Simone Siffert. Photo by Blick / RDB / Ullstein Bild via Getty Images.

F1 racing in Oulton Park on March 10, 1971: Simone Siffert. Photo by Roger Benoit / RDB / Ullstein Bild via Getty Images.

Pedro Rodriguez, right, talks with fellow Brabham driver Jo Siffert and mechanic at the Questor Grand Prix at the Ontario Motor Speedway in which Formula One cars competed with Formula A cars on March 28, 1971 in Ontario, California. Photo by Alvis Upitis / Getty Images.

Pedro Rodriguez, right, studies gear charts with fellow Brabham driver Jo Siffert and mechanic at the Questor Grand Prix at the Ontario Motor Speedway in which Formula One cars competed with Formula A cars on March 28, 1971 in Ontario, California. Photo by Alvis Upitis / Getty Images.

Jo Siffert, Questor GP, Ontario, 28th March 1971. Photo by GP Library / Universal Images Group via Getty Images.

Graham Hill and Ronnie Peterson at the Questor GP, Ontario, 28 March 1971. Photo by GP Library / Universal Images Group via Getty Images.

Jo Siffert, Ronnie Peterson, Henri Pescarolo and Jacky Ickx, 28 March 1971, Ontario. Photo by GP Library / Universal Images Group via Getty Images.

Graham Hill and Jo Siffert on July 01, 1971. Photo by Blick Sport / RDB / Ullstein Bild via Getty Images.

Jo Siffert and his wife Simone on July 01, 1971. Photo by Blick Sport / RDB / Ullstein Bild via Getty Images.

In 1971, Jo Siffert was driving for BRM, in a car sponsored by Yardley. Sue Lehmann was employed by Yardley, running one of their top cosmetic accounts during the week and the promotion team at the Formula One races on the weekends. In July 1971, Siffert drove in the British Grand Prix, at Silverstone, finishing 9th. Here are some photos taken of Jo Siffert and Sue Lehmann during the Silverstone weekend.

Jo Siffert and Sue Lehmann during the Silverstone weekend in July 1971.

Jo Siffert and his wife Simone in Monza on August 04, 1971. Photo by Blick Sport / RDB / Ullstein Bild via Getty Images.

Howden Ganley, Jo Siffert, Jacky Ickx, Chris Amon, BRM P160, Ferrari 312B2, Grand Prix of Italy, Autodromo Nazionale Monza, 05 September 1971. Start of the race with Howden Ganley in the lead. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

Jo Siffert is killed when his car catches fire after a crash in the World Championship Victory Race at Brands Hatch, UK, 24th October 1971. Photo by Evening Standard / Hulton Archive / Getty Images.

Jo Siffert is killed when his car catches fire after a crash in the World Championship Victory Race at Brands Hatch, UK, 24th October 1971.

Jo Siffert, fatal crash, Brands Hatch, 1971. Photo by RDB / Ullstein Bild via Getty Images.

Jo Siffert killed at Brands Hatch on October 24, 1971.

Jo Siffert killed at Brands Hatch on October 24, 1971.

Jo Siffert's funeral, Fribourg, October 29, 1971. Photo by Blick / RDB / Ullstein Bild via Getty Images.

Jo Siffert's funeral, Fribourg, October 29, 1971. Photo by Gody Bürkler / RDB / Ullstein Bild via Getty Images.

Jo Siffert's funeral, Fribourg, October 29, 1971. Photo by Gody Bürkler / RDB / Ullstein Bild via Getty Images.

Jo Siffert's funeral, Fribourg, October 29, 1971. Photo by Gody Bürkler /RDB / Ullstein Bild via Getty Images.

Jo Siffert's funeral, Fribourg 1971. Photo by Blick /RDB / Ullstein Bild via Getty Images.

Jo Siffert's funeral, Fribourg, October 29, 1971. Photo by Gody Bürkler / RDB / Ullstein Bild via Getty Images.

Jo Siffert's funeral, Fribourg, October 29, 1971. Photo by RDB / Ullstein Bild via Getty Images.

Jo Siffert's funeral, Fribourg 1971. Photo by Blick / RDB / Ullstein Bild via Getty Images.

Jo Siffert's funeral, Fribourg 1971. Photo by Gody Bürkler / RDB / Ullstein Bild via Getty Images.

Jo Siffert's funeral, Fribourg 1971. Photo by Gody Bürkler / RDB / Ullstein Bild via Getty Images.

Jo Siffert's funeral, Fribourg 1971. Photo by Gody Bürkler / RDB / Ullstein Bild via Getty Images.

Jo Siffert's funeral, Fribourg 1971; widow Simone Siffert Guhl. Photo by Blick / RDB / Ullstein Bild via Getty Images.

Jo Siffert's funeral, Fribourg 1971; widow Simone Siffert. Photo by Blick / RDB / Ullstein Bild via Getty Images.

Jo Siffert's funeral, Fribourg 1971; widow Simone Siffert. Photo by Gody Bürkler / RDB / Ullstein bild via Getty Images.

Jo Siffert's funeral, Fribourg 1971; widow Simone Siffert Guhl. Photo by Gody Bürkler / RDB / Ullstein bild via Getty Images.

Jo Siffert's funeral, Fribourg 1971; widow Simone Siffert Guhl. Photo by Gody Bürkler / RDB / Ullstein bild via Getty Images.

Jo Siffert's funeral, Fribourg 1971; widow Simone Siffert Guhl. Photo by Gody Bürkler / RDB / Ullstein bild via Getty Images.

Jo Siffert's funeral, Fribourg 1971. Photo by Gody Bürkler / RDB / Ullstein bild via Getty Images.

Jo Siffert's funeral, Fribourg 1971. Photo by Blick / RDB / Ullstein Bild via Getty Images.

Simone, widow of Jo Siffert, with her son Philippe on July 01, 1973. Photo by RDB / Ullstein Bild via Getty Images.

Simone, widow of Jo Siffert, with her son Philippe on July 01, 1973. Photo by RDB / Ullstein Bild via Getty Images.

Gilles Villeneuve

Among so many drivers Gilles Villeneuve was the only one to give of the you to Enzo Ferrari, to the others he had never allowed it.

“I don't think about death but I accept that it is part of the game.” Gilles Villeneuve

In memory of the great Gilles Villeneuve, who today would have blown out 72 candles. Maranello, the end of August 1977. Enzo Ferrari summons Ennio Mortara, his faithful collaborator.

"Call this number in Canada, a certain Villeneuve will answer you. Ask him if he is willing to race for me."

Mortara calls.

"Am I talking to Gilles Villeneuve? Mr. Ferrari has asked me to ask you if you want to race for him."

"What?"

Gilles responds in this way, surprised to receive that proposal as dreamed as it is unexpected. Obviously, he communicates his willingness to race with the Cavallino.

"We will pay you the plane ticket but leave immediately, the Commendatore is waiting for you."

The next day, in the early afternoon, Mortara and a Ferrari mechanic reach Milan-Malpensa airport in a white Fiat 131, taking with them a small photo of Villeneuve cut out of a magazine, as an aid to recognize that "unknown" driver. When Mortara turns to the information officer to ask about the flight arriving from Toronto, to his right stands a small, thin young man with a shoulder bag, a kind of bewildered tourist, who asks if he can call Milan. Mortara, after having looked at him closely, asks him if he was Villeneuve and the latter, who appears bored, replies decisively:

“Yes, why?”

"It was I who called you. Ferrari sent me", Mortara specifies before boarding the 131 to join Enzo Ferrari.

Gilles, who was not very expansive, asks how many kilometers were missing to get to Modena, before going to sleep. Almost halfway, he wakes up. He is taciturn: just to say something, he asks for information on what the weather was like in Italy, in particular in Modena. Finally, having reached their destination, Enzo Ferrari receives him in the historic headquarters of the Cavallino in Via Trento e Trieste. First, Ferrari asks Villeneuve what salary he wanted to be happy with. There would have been drivers who would have paid to race with the Red. Gilles then informed him that there was an option with McLaren and Marlboro. Ferrari replies that those would have been "surmountable things" and they reach an agreement. Before leaving, Gilles asks him for a cash advance. The imperceptible grimace of Ferrari at this request does not escape Mortara, who acts as interpreter: "tell him I usually don't do these things, but an exception will be made for him", the Drake concludes. The first test of Villeneuve on the Fiorano circuit, according to Mortara, is not exciting: a spin, some skids, some controlled and some not. The car, then, is too big for him. Gilles, in the cockpit, looks like a chick. For Enzo Ferrari, however, that's okay. "Well, here he will have a chance to grow", he comments. And so, Gilles takes the place of Niki Lauda. How the story ended, we know well. But his deeds, his giving everything will make him the most loved driver by the fans, who have always followed and supported him, who fell ill with Villeneuve Fever even before crying and regretting him. From the day that Enzo Ferrari wanted him in Maranello, his star began to shine. A star who would have turned seventy-two today. Salut Gilles.

The Gilles Villeneuve tribute on the start finish line is seen during previews ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Canada at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on June 05, 2019 in Montreal, Canada. Photo by Dan Mullan / Getty Images.

"When they called me the Aviator this was not nice to me. People didn't realize that I was an inexperienced driver and my off-road excursions were in the news because I was racing for Ferrari." Gilles Villeneuve

"In this job I earn a lot, but one thing I can say with certainty: if the money disappeared from one day to the next, suddenly, I would still be here racing, because it is something I love." Gilles Villeneuve

"You can't take your foot off the accelerator while you're going fast. The only hope is that the other driver is watching you from the rearview mirror." Gilles Villeneuve

"I was traveling at almost 280 kilometers per hour and the tires were probably still cold. The fact is that, at the braking of the Tosa, a tire exploded and the car swerved violently to the left smashing against the protective wall, it was a terrible impact." Gilles Villeneuve. On the Imola circuit, in September 1980, Gilles suffered the most frightening and spectacular accident of his career. We are on lap six and the Canadian's Ferrari 312 T5 goes off the road before the Tosa curve (the curve that will be named after him after his death). The car bounces on the track and Villeneuve is miraculously avoided by the group that still follows him compactly, only Bruno Giacomelli's Alfa Romeo ends up on the debris puncturing a tire that forces him to retire. Fortunately Gilles is unharmed and comes out of what remains of his car stopped in the middle of the track. A fright so great that even the Drake, as soon as he had the opportunity to meet his pupil, unusually for him hugged him and kissed his head as well.

Gilles Villeneuve does a little Latin dance, in a nice velour jumper.

"If it is true that the life of a human being is like a movie, I have had the privilege of being the extra, the screenwriter, the lead actor and the director of my way of life." Gilles Villeneuve

"You know what I tell you? If you take away from a driver like me the pleasure of the clutch pedal and of the gearbox to be operated manually, well, you kill me, you make me feel like an employee, you turn me into a speed travet and I’ve been running all my life to escape from a destiny as an employee." Gilles Villeneuve after the first test of a rudimentary semi-automatic gearbox

"With the same car, if I want someone to be behind me, you can rest assured he will stay there." Gilles Villeneuve

Berthierville, Quebec, Gilles Villeneuve’s hometown.

"I deeply love my country, its long winters, the snow, the silences. And the nostalgia becomes even stronger when I think that I will probably never return to live in the town where I was born." Gilles Villeneuve

“Being brave doesn't mean not being afraid. It means being afraid and trying anyway." Gilles Villeneuve

"The ideal race would be to qualify on pole, have a problem with the tires after 5 laps, enter the pits to change them, go down to the twelfth position, get back on track, overtake everyone and win." Gilles Villeneuve

The Molson Grand Prix of Trois-Rivières is the most important automotive event in all of Québec and the presence of the Formula 1 aces gave the race an international scope. In 1976 the line-up of the big names is led by James Hunt, between him and the conquest of the Formula 1 World Championship there were only four races. The McLaren driver was given a March identical to the one that won almost all American Formula Atlantic races and his teammate would have been a certain Gilles Villeneuve. Another big name who would participate in the race was the Australian Alan Jones, in addition to him Vittorio Brambilla, then Patrick Tambay and the rising star Patrick Depailler had guaranteed their presence. These were the guests against whom the best Formula Atlantic drivers would compete. Villeneuve underlines the importance of that race as follows: “I would gladly trade all my victories for a success at Trois-Rivières. In my opinion it is the most important race of the season because it attracts the attention of many European teams and a lot of foreign journalists. It is very important for me to win.” Ray Wardell prepares three Marches in the Ecurie Canada pits: one for Hunt, one for Depailler and the other for Gilles. The stopwatches are ready for qualifying, fundamental tests on that narrow city circuit that would have offered few overtaking opportunities to the drivers during the race. Gil starts off fast, immediately arousing the enthusiasm of the public, but at the same time the concern of the team for his slightly braggart attitude. During the first few laps of qualifying his March is often spinning, but Villeneuve is able to charge up and give his best immediately, without the need for a lot of warm-up. After a few laps an extraordinary exploit comes. No one is able to compete with the wild Canadian, with his skill, his familiarity with the car and his familiarity with that circuit. Gilles took pole position, despite some oversteer problems, exploiting every meter of asphalt, sometimes making the rear wing swipe against the walls with a lot of courage. The race is a monologue, Villeneuve is in the lead immediately driving as only he knows how, he has a lot of fun at every bend in capturing the attention of the public and photographers in a spectacular way. When the checkered flag decrees his victory, Gilles can enjoy the affection of the public for that epic day: many spectators who had fervently encouraged him even wept with happiness, moved by the success of a driver who was one of them, one of their compatriots. The organizers were also extremely pleased that the winner was a Canadian. Villeneuve had shown the world what he was worth and the Formula 1 drivers were rightly impressed, especially James Hunt who spoke very highly of Gil on his return to England. The European specialized press gave a lot of emphasis to the Trois-Rivières episode, expressing a certain astonishment towards a "stranger" who had allowed himself to punish so harshly more famous and experienced drivers than him. Many began to show interest in the French-Canadian phenomenon: the leaders of Brabham, Wolf and McLaren at that time were looking around for the next season and Gilles was highly regarded after the words of praise of Hunt, who said to the manager of Marlboro, main sponsor of Team McLaren: “I have just been defeated by this Villeneuve. He is truly extraordinary, you would do well to hire him." Hunt's enthusiasm will also convince McLaren director Teddy Mayer to give Gilles a chance, thus opening the doors of F1 to the young Canadian. The rest is history. Taken from TuttoMcLaren.it.

Gilles Villeneuve and Manuel Fangio at Grand Prix gala in Monte Carlo on June 01, 1981. Photo by Vittoriano Rastelli / Corbis via Getty Images.

«Look son, you have to think above all to rest on the straights. This is a very tiring circuit. On the straights relax, don't force any muscle." Juan Manuel Fangio advises Gilles Villeneuve before the 1978 Argentinian Grand Prix

Ferrari team boss Forghieri (left) with a preoccupied Villeneuve before qualifying at Zolder for the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix.

"In those days people were dying regularly on the track and this could seriously affect your psyche. With Gilles we were friends, he gave me a lot of advices and I admired him a lot. I will never forget the tragedy that hit him in Zolder: I was in the cockpit, I saw him fly through the air out of the Ferrari and then land on the fence. I immediately thought his chances were practically nil: it was the most shocking thing I have ever witnessed. I was angry then and I still am." Nigel Mansell

"The track was very risky in those conditions, but our wet Michelins weren't bad. I decided to do a couple of timed runs anyway. Few of us did times that Friday, only seven, eight cars at the most. I was sure of having obtained an excellent time, but when the bulletin was handed to me in the pits, I could not believe the time did by Gilles [more than nine seconds faster than the South African]. It was crazy, I thought it was a mistake." Jody Scheckter, Watkins Glen, 1979

 

"He has passed in this moment! He has passed! Obviously Jones's car has problems. Villeneuve is in command of the Monte Carlo Grand Prix! We must be frankly moved by this return of Ferrari to the top. They tell me that the mechanics are in tears." Mario Poltronieri, commentary Monaco 1981

Gilles Villeneuve, by Jody Scheckter. Author: Jody Scheckter. August 1999. There is perhaps no name more charismatic in motor racing than that of Gilles Villeneuve. He was taken from us too soon but while he was at the top just one man was truly in a position to judge his abilities: his friend and team-mate Jody Scheckter.

Jody Scheckter and Gilles Villeneuve enjoyed a straightforward relationship as Ferrari team-mates. Photo by Klemantaski Collection / Getty Images.

How good was Gilles?

“Well, he didn’t win the World Championship. He was capable of it, no question but he was always trying to be the fastest, not worrying about winning the title and he paid for it. If he wanted to be World Champion and concentrated on that, he would probably have lost this image of being a daredevil.”

Gilles might have won the title in 1982 and Ferrari was certainly capable. But you never can tell; he was still at that early stage of his career. At one time I was more aggressive, but as you grow older you realise you’ve got to finish races. The way the points work, that’s how you become Champion. Some people never lose that stage. Gilles thought fastest laps were important and, in a way, they were; the press loved it when he put on qualifiers and went quickest.

Jacques Villeneuve, Williams, with girls at the 1996 Australian GP in Melbourne. Photo by Alexander Hassenstein / Bongarts via Getty Images.

A Jacques Villeneuve’s grid girl.

I guess I wasn’t surprised by what happened to his popularity after he died. People liked his image and I suppose if you get killed in the middle of it all, you get bigger, not smaller. But I think it’s gone away a little recently, especially since Jacques has come along. Gilles is getting more forgotten now and Jacques has achieved more than his father ever did.

I signed for Ferrari at the end of 1978 and at the time it wasn’t clear who’d be leaving the team.

Gilles Villeneuve, his wife Johanne and Carlos Reutemann.

Carlos Reutemann was driving with Gilles. I met Carlos in France and I said, “I’m going to be number one, because that’s my agreement. If you stay that’s fine with me, we can work together.” I think after that meeting he ran away and signed for somebody else! So my team-mate was Gilles.

The team orders were simple. Whoever was in front stayed there as long as you weren’t going to lose a place. If you were first and second and the third guy was a long way back you’d stay there and if you were fifth and sixth and nobody was trying to pass, you would stay there. In other words you didn’t fight when it wasn’t necessary and we stuck to that.

I didn’t really know Gilles at the start of ’79 and in fact I don’t remember the early races. Quite often you get people that come in to F1 and you don’t really notice them until they start to beat you. I suppose the first time I really paid attention was when he beat me in South Africa.

I should have won very easily, but he ended up winning it. It was painful. I went out on dry tyres and it was slightly wet. It was the right decision and I was 30 seconds ahead. He started on wets then changed to dries. But my dries went off – the Michelins weren’t very solid – so the car became undrivable at the end.

In a close ’79 title fight with Villeneuve, Scheckter ultimately won out by four points from the Canadian. Grand Prix Photo.

He caught me up so I went in and put on a new set of tyres and started catching him again, but it was all over by then. It was at that stage that team orders came into being. He then won in Long Beach. So all of a sudden I was under massive pressure; I was the number one, but he’d won two races. This was tough stuff.

However, I always worked very well with Gilles. We had an honest and open relationship, which was part of our success. There was no bullshit: if he made an adjustment and went quicker, he’d tell me and I would tell him. That’s what kept us in such a good relationship and was part of us winning the championship.

Ferrari drivers were traditionally always fighting each other and that’s what the press liked. Part of our skill was to keep working as a team. Gilles had a good relationship with Enzo and would say it was friendlier than mine. He certainly had a lot of respect for Enzo; I never remember anything other than that.

We spent a lot of time together in Monaco. He liked to dance and he liked girls. He was fun, intelligent and he was a mate. But more than anything, there was mutual respect between us.

But I always felt he didn’t care about the tifosi. I think in his part of Canada they looked down on Italians and I think he had that attitude. I always used to think it was funny that they liked him so much. Perhaps he was putting it on and inside he did like them a lot, but outwardly he would make the odd remark …

One story sums him up – he had air-conditioning and a fire so he put both on. He wanted to do photography and bought thousands of pounds worth of equipment he hardly used. Then he wanted tools, because he used to work as a mechanic. He went to Beta and bought a whole garage full of the best stuff and never used them!

I then won in Belgium and Monaco, which put me back on track, but he was dominant over me in Dijon. I battled like mad, but he was quicker and I couldn’t really work out why. That was the race where he had the fight with Arnoux. I thought what they did was stupid. I told Gilles and I think he knew it was stupid.

I was the President of the Grand Prix Drivers Association at the time and Gilles really worked with me. From a safety point of view he was very responsible. I think we both wanted to make it as safe as possible. That didn’t mean to say we were driving carefully; you still drove with aggression. But you felt that if something happened, you wanted to have a chance.

I don’t think he tried to do things that put him in uncalculated danger. I think from that point of view he was a responsible driver. He always had this image of being crazy and he wasn’t really. He was only crazy when he wanted to be, it was his image. I always tell the story about driving from Monaco with him. I didn’t want to do it, because I hated to be a passenger. But the whole time he drove perfectly, until we got just outside Modena and soon the wheels were spinning and he started sliding around and everything. That was the proof of what I felt.

Gilles Villeneuve in his helicopter.

I also remember going with him in his helicopter and again once we got over Modena he started his tricks again. I stopped that really quickly. I hated flying. He was going down and then up. I said you better stop now or I’ll wring your neck. He knew I meant it.

Zandvoort was really the turning point that year. I messed up the clutch at the start and dropped to the back. He was at the front and then his tyre went down, which was pretty spectacular. I went through the field and came second behind Alan Jones and that really put me into a dominant position.

I had it under control in Monza. What gave me confidence was I knew Gilles was doing these silly things to keep his image up and that gave me comfort. He was testing qualifiers and getting the quickest times and I was sticking to hard tyres and testing bits of the car I knew would help me in the race. In qualifying I think that was the biggest gap between us all year and in the race I was quicker. As soon as Jacques Laffite dropped out, I cut my revs back and sat ahead of Gilles. Only on the last lap did I accelerate away again. Although I trusted him, I didn’t want to take a chance; it was too important a thing to take a chance with!

I think we were professionals. We tried as hard as we could and the one who came out in front, won. There were lots of times when he was faster than I was and times when I was faster than he was.

We raced hard and I beat him. I won the Championship because in the races that counted I got out in front and was in front when it settled down. At that stage there was no point in fighting. There were no circumstances where he had to give up a place to me, so I don’t think it was frustrating for him.

Scheckter struggled with the ’80 Ferrari, but Villeneuve occasionally made it fly. Grand Prix Photo.

The 1980 car was a disaster. Gilles had very good performances in it. I didn’t. I was more advanced in my career and found it very difficult racing for tenth place, whereas he just drove. He brought it near the front a few times, which I couldn’t do. I announced my retirement halfway through the year and felt out of place soon after I did that. The cause wasn’t there, like it had been before. You were retiring, you were last year’s driver.

After I retired there was talk of Gilles starting a team. I don’t think he ever felt tied to Maranello. Gilles would have left Ferrari if he felt he could go where he would win races. From that point of view I don’t think he was particularly sentimental. There was supposedly a sponsor – a cigarette company – that had masses of money to help him start this team. I think he would have liked his own team and he was quite excited doing something like that and the idea was that I was going to be team manager.

I volunteered to look into it and found out this guy was nobody, a bullshitter basically. I came back to Gilles with the news. If the sponsor was real, it could have happened. Later we had a bit of an argument over something personal and I didn’t see him for a year. However, after Didier Pironi overtook him at Imola in 1982 to steal the win, he called and we went to Modena in his helicopter. I suppose a relationship is worth more than one argument; at least that’s what I felt.

We talked a lot. He hated what had happened at Imola. He realised what a good relationship we’d had and that we never double-crossed each other and we were very honest and open and that Pironi hadn’t been that way with him. I don’t think he ever thought that it could ever happen.

Scheckter says the Imola incident with Pironi brought himself and Villeneuve closer together once more. Grand Prix Photo.

Gilles was a really genuine, honest guy and in fact if he had a weakness he was honest to the point of being naive. He trusted Pironi. It would have affected him badly for quite a while and I say that because very honest, naive people are shocked when something like that happens to them. Crooks think that’s the way it should happen. If he had not trusted Pironi, could he have avoided that situation? Probably.

I think at Zolder he was under massive pressure to beat Pironi, who had been faster than him in early qualifying. In F1 we all had problems with that sort of situation; I well remember nearly smashing into a TV cameraman at Monaco, because I thought Gilles was quicker than me, but it turned out I had been quicker. You’re trying so hard, you get so aggressive.

I certainly got angry in a racing car a lot of times. You get to the end of practice and are so wound up and wanting to go for it, you do stupid things. I don’t know exactly what happened at Zolder, but it seems to me that’s the most likely reason for the accident. Gilles took a chance that didn’t pay off. He went for a gap that wasn’t there and he got caught. I’ve done it myself and got away with it.

Gilles and Joanne Villeneuve.

That weekend I was in Monaco and had just had an operation. I got a call from Zolder, I went straight to see his wife, Joanne. My wife went to Belgium with her. A couple of days later we all went on a Canadian Air Force plane to Montreal for the funeral.

I spent a year after he died working on his sponsorship deals, getting all the money I could for his family. I suppose I took it upon myself as my task. I had a cause and negotiated with Ferrari for a massive amount of money and got rather more money than I really should have done, by putting pressure on them.

Gilles and Joanne Villeneuve.

For a long time I really didn’t keep in touch with Joanne and the family and I had no contact with Jacques until I met him in Monaco when he was doing Formula Three. He was complaining about how difficult everything was and I thought to myself, “you’ll never make it!” The next time I remember seeing him is on TV in America, after he won the Indy 500. I thought, “boy, that is incredible.” I felt good for him. His father would have been proud.

I think poor Jacques is completely run out on questions about Gilles. It’s nearly become a complex for him, or at least that how it seems from the outside. There’s nothing that really stands out in terms of similarities between them; you wouldn’t know they were father and son. In a way it almost seems that Jacques is trying to do the opposite to his father.

I wouldn’t have thought that Gilles would like Formula One in 1999. He was a racer and he probably would have got into the grooved tyre argument. But if he had the same spirit he would probably have still made holes in places where there weren’t any …

Jody Scheckter was talking to Adam Cooper.

Gilles Villeneuve testing a naked 1980 Ferrari 312T5 at Fiorano.

Stefano Mancini for "la Stampa"

«My memory of Gilles? That of a great friend with whom I enjoyed myself with». Jody Scheckter was many things: Villeneuve's teammate in Ferrari in 1979 and 1980, Formula 1 World Champion ('79), manufacturer of military defensive systems and today, at the age of 72, mozzarella producer in the English countryside. "The best in the world", he guarantees. "But my biggest feat was surviving the races."

Scheckter responds from Cape Town, his South Africa.

He rotates his smartphone and shows a sea at sunset "just to make you feel envious."

May 08, 1982, the last, tragic flight of Gilles Villeneuve. When did you last meet?

Imola 1982, podium.

Imola 1982, podium.

«Two weeks earlier, when he argued with Pironi in Imola. He couldn't accept that a teammate betrayed his trust in him. He came to talk to me: he knew I had always been honest with him. He was looking for my support».

Was there a pact between the two?

«No, it was a Ferrari rule: if the drivers had been first and second, they would have had to keep the position. Pironi, instead, overtook him and won».

What did you do?

“I accompanied him to Maranello, where he did not receive the support he thought he deserved. From the next race in Zolder he would have rebelled».

And, instead, there was the fatal accident with Jochen Mass: where were you when you found out?

«I was in Monaco, I had been operated on with hernia. My wife joined hers in Belgium. She stayed by his side when they decided to unplug the machines».

Jody Scheckter, Gilles Villeneuve, Ferrari 312T4, Grand Prix of Italy, Autodromo Nazionale Monza, 09 September 1979. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

In '79 in Monza Gilles respected the orders and effectively handed you the title. Didn't you really fear an attack?

«Oh yes, in the last two laps I pressed on the accelerator. I trusted, but you never know. I didn't want to take risks but Gilles was a loyal person, which is why he was so embittered three years later by Pironi's behavior».

Did you ever fight with him?

"Never. Just some discussion».

What kind of?

Gilles Villeneuve, Ferrari 312T4, Grand Prix of France, Dijon-Prenois, 01 July 1979. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

Arnoux and Villeneuve at Dijon in 1979. Photo by Ercole Colombo.

"After the duel in Dijon I spoke to him straight in the face".

But it is the symbol of the F1.

“Everyone thought it was fantastic, the sponsors liked it, the public had fun, but in those days it only took a moment. I told him "you're a fool, you think it's funny and great, but you die fast here." Fighting hard was very dangerous, he agreed on this, but the next time he would do it the same again».

It tells of your journey between Montecarlo and Maranello in 2 hours and 45 minutes. Truth or legend?

“I don't remember keeping the time, but yes, he drove like a madman. I had advised him not to overdo it, but a few kilometers from the arrival he began to screech the tires. He liked this image of reckless man. It was his weakness".

You were Ferrari's last world champion for 21 years. Were you sorry when Schumacher broke this record?

"No. After retirement I spent 12 years in America developing the company I had founded. Upon returning to Europe, I had become more famous for being the last Ferrari champion. Yet I hadn't done anything anymore».

Why did you retire a year after the title?

«In '79 I was competitive, Gilles and I were more or less on the same level. In the following season I wasn't that fast anymore, I don't know why. I woke up in the middle of the night and didn't understand what was happening to me. It was over. After a few races I announced that I would quit. Villeneuve was faster».

Were you afraid of an accident?

"Yes. My era was one of the most dangerous. One year you took a corner in third gear, the next in fifth. The same curve, do you understand?»

Let's jump to today: do you like hyper-technological and safe F1?

“Seeing Mercedes always win was very boring. This year is much more exciting: Ferrari is doing well and the races are better. Last year's duel between Hamilton and Verstappen was also fun: finally there was a new winner».

Raikkonen in 2007 was the last champion in red. It's not your 21 years, but we're getting closer.

«Leclerc is very good, he understands the tactic and is tough. He can compete with Verstappen».

Was it right in your opinion to exclude the Russian drivers?

“They have to kick them out of all sports. What is happening in Ukraine is horrible».

Do you have any regrets?

"No I don’t".

What does Jody Scheckter do today?

«I started a company in America, I bought a farm in England that produces the best mozzarella in the world and, in the meantime, I am renovating a house in Italy. After F1 I had a lot of commitments».

"Gilles Villeneuve? He used to say to me: 'René, as long as we have the steering wheel and the brakes we can do something.' At Watkins Glen I asked him how he approached a certain curve, he replied that he was partializing the throttle the way I did. Then he said: ' in qualifying I try to make it at full speed". At a certain point, I see a damaged Ferrari without the wheels, Gilles next to it with his helmet. I go back to the pits and ask: 'so?'. And he: 'it cannot be made at full speed'.” René Arnoux

"The duel with Gilles is something I will never forget, it's the best memory of my driver career! He beat me, yes and in France, but that didn't worry me at all." Rène Arnoux

 

"I liked Gilles Villeneuve very much; I liked everything about him, even if I didn't agree with his habit of introducing a percentage of risk in his performances. It could happen that he came out of the pits for a first training and, on the first lap, led to a carambolage simply because he drove to the max in all circumstances and the cold tires did not worry him at all. His nature as a fighter was worthy of admiration and helped to create that image of him which today, long after his death, still persists and always becomes more legendary. He was the most daring individual I have ever met in Formula 1. A typical situation of Gilles: I was staying in the hotel in Zolder, it was about ten in the evening, or maybe later, anyway it was dark when, suddenly, I heard the din of a helicopter. I looked out the window and saw that it was looking for a landing point with the projector. Crazy things! Forbidden, impossible, insane. […] There have been many other circumstances, in the air and on the track, in which he has exceeded all limits and which perhaps have managed to corroborate his thesis on life, namely that a man must always and everywhere be ready to risk as much as possible. The fact that, despite this, he was not a stubborn and blind braggart but a sensitive and lovable person makes him even more irreplaceable from a human point of view. Villeneuve's death, which took place in 1982 in Zolder, is linked to his willingness to take risks, but it was the cause of a very special misunderstanding [...]. The camera did not follow the cars until the end of the curve, but it was possible to see that Jochen Mass, [...], at the last moment, swerved to the right from his ideal line. Of course he wanted to favor Villeneuve [...], such maneuvers always have the germ of the misunderstanding within them [...]. Leaving the ideal line free at the last moment means introducing an element of surprise. So, in my opinion, Jochen Mass's maneuver was not correct, on the other hand I do not think that a driver in place of Villeneuve would have chosen the alternative of overtaking at full speed a car that was moving slowly near the ideal line; the possibility of a rash reaction or a misunderstanding was taken for granted. [...]". Niki Lauda, Meine Story, 1985

 

"Gilles was the toughest son of a bitch, it was really hard to fight with him. But he was honest, he would never throw anyone out on purpose. That's why I get pissed off today when someone compares him to Senna. He was another level, a real driver." Keke Rosberg

Alain Prost, Niki Lauda and Gilles Villeneuve in 1982.

“He was the last real driver. The rest of us are a bunch of good professionals.” Alain Prost

"Villeneuve, with his temperament, immediately conquered the crowds and soon became ... Gilles! Yes, there are those who defined him as an "aviator" and those who considered him a nut, but with his generosity, his daring, with the "destructive" ability that he had in driving cars grinding axle shafts, gearboxes, clutches, brakes, he taught us what needed to be done so that a driver could defend himself in an unpredictable moment, in a state of need. He was a champion of combativeness and gave so much notoriety to the Ferrari." Enzo Ferrari

Zolder, May 08, 1982. Didier Pironi returns to the pits holding his helmet and that of Gilles Villeneuve.

“Between Villeneuve and Pironi I think there were also feelings that almost disappeared the day that, hungry for success, Pironi overtook him in Imola. Regarding that duel, I said what I have always repeated to my drivers to whom I have never given orders. I said that, at that moment, they took unnecessary risks that could affect them first and the company secondarily. If he went back to racing, would you still want Pironi at Ferrari? Certainly.” Enzo Ferrari

Gilles Villeneuve at the 1981 Monaco Grand Prix.

“At a 1981 Grand Prix, Enzo Ferrari phoned me saying he would send an experimental engine to be mounted on Villeneuve’s car on Sunday morning. He instructed me to tell Gilles that the important thing was to test it in the race, to test its resistance: he was, like, lined up on the fifth row and I repeated the concept several times: "Gilles, we're behind, we don't care about the result, bring the engine up to the end that we have to understand how it works!" He replied, of course Mauro, of course, I understand. When the traffic light turned green he immediately passed the two cars in front of him, miraculously touching them and then sought an impossible space between the following ones, took off on the wheels of an opponent and ended up against the scoreboards of the first corner. This is an anecdote that I often remember and that well expresses the character of the Canadian [...]. Gilles considered each race for itself. He had the physical pleasure of speed and in this he was a true force of nature, capable of giving us impossible victories.” Mauro Forghieri

Gilles Villeneuve, Grand Prix of South Africa, Kyalami, 23 January 1982. Blown turbo for his Ferrari 126C2. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

"I was present at all the races but that day I was forced to stay at home due to a family problem. I would have put up a sign with the words VILLENEUVE - PIRONI. Surely I would not have put out a sign reading SLOW, rather I would not have put out anything. Because what does SLOW mean? To go slow? ... I don’t know." Mauro Forghieri

 

"Gilles was a force of nature, an extremely immature, innocent boy. He could never have thought that someone who claimed to be his friend could betray him. He was pure, he always went fast, even when he couldn't go. Villeneuve probably would never have won a world championship. He would have won many races, but he was not a man who put anything on the balance of programs. Racing for him was life at that moment. That's why he was able to get to the pits with half a car that was missing behind and he asked me ‘can it be repaired?’ Two wheels and the gearbox were missing! He didn't even know how he got there and he asked it not jokingly, he asked seriously believing it." Mauro Forghieri

Gilles Villeneuve poses with the 126 C2 and the helicopter he personally pilots.

"If Gilles Villeneuve arrived by helicopter, the landing on the pit-side pitch at Fiorano was an exhilarating spectacle that was renewed every time. When the lawyer Agnelli came to meet Enzo Ferrari, we punctually saw his pilot's maneuver clearly during the landing, smooth and sweet as a leaf that lands on the ground. Gilles? A knife - folded turn to say hello, then he positioned himself in correspondence with the pitch, not to go down, but to go up until the engine was able to do it and then let himself fall vertically as if to impact on the ground before recovering in the last few meters and touching the ground with bouncing jolts." Antonio Tomaini

Gilles Villeneuve’s Ferrari in 1977.

“We saw him arrive in Fiorano one afternoon. Some of us had even thought of a journalistic fake, it seemed like an incredible choice. Instead it was all true. We were ordered to adapt the pedals: Gilles had to do the first test laps with the car of Lauda, who was taller. When the car was ready, Villeneuve started like a demon. He immediately span. In the pits we looked at each other worried, but Ferrari was there, he sat on the pit wall, looked and smiled …" Ermes Gambarelli, Ferrari mechanic

Jean-Pierre Jabouille, Gilles Villeneuve and Didier Pironi at Interlagos in 1980.

"So, Enzo Ferrari decided to hire Villeneuve. He called my friend Claudio Giberti, the son of a long-time Maranello collaborator who lived in Canada and, as he was a great enthusiast, he filled us with information: this, he said, is one who pushes everything he puts his ass on to the max and wins, whether it's a snowmobile or a prototype. He's obsessed with speed. He's the best of all. My father had no more doubts and summoned Villeneuve to Fiorano for a test. We were used to the methodical Niki Lauda, one who respected the car and its characteristics. That morning we found ourselves in the house a madman who had a wild relationship with cars: he exploited them, consumed them, he made them vibrate to the point of bringing them to the limit. It was as if, in that squeezing them to exhaustion, in addition to speed he sought, among the sheets and pistons, in the inextricable tangle of metal and asphalt, the beauty and harmony of a sublime gesture. After the first five laps in one of our cars, when he got out of it everything was smoking: wheels, tires, axles. I remember Forghieri's dismayed look well. And he hadn't seen anything yet. We really realized what we had done in seeing Gilles finish the first official test. When the order came from the pits to return after the last lap, he began to spin around the circuit or make jumps on the curbs. Or both at the same time. It was a show, too bad it almost always ended up breaking the axle shaft. My father had an unexpected reaction. It was as if, watching that little boy having fun demolishing his cars, he suddenly realized that all those years of Lauda, all those cautions, those tactics in the races, had made him sick." Piero Ferrari

Gilles Villeneuve with his wife Joanne and his two children, Jacques and Melanie, during practice for the Grand Prix of Austria on 11 August 1979 at the Osterreichring in Spielberg. Photo by Getty Images.

"I'm always with my phone close at hand because maybe Jacques is coming from one of the many tracks in America or Melanie, who loves motorcycles. Yes, there's no point in hiding it, when Gilles raced I scared the hell out of myself; with Jacques things go in the same way. But what's the point of being afraid? It’s useless. Father and son have chosen the path they wanted, to prevent them doing so would be madness." Joann Villeneuve

 

“I remember seeing my father do his drawing. In his camper, he used Crayola pencils on his white helmet. There was no explanation on the drawing, but it was very precise. The blue had to be very dark, almost black. The orange also had to be very dark, but not red. He certainly had an idea, but it didn't represent anything in particular. In our time, in Formula 1 helmets were our business card. We had to keep them for our entire career. It was usually the drivers themselves who made the design, whether it was good or bad. Today instead drivers are hiring designers. Their helmets are precise, but from a distance they are a mix of colors that are difficult to identify." Jacques Villeneuve

It happened in 2012, exactly thirty years had passed since Zolder's misfortune. Montezemolo and Domenicali, then at the top of Ferrari, call me. They tell me: ‘Jacques, your father's car is ready here, would you like to do a lap in it on the Fiorano track?’ I was moved. I did go. Dad's mechanics were there to welcome me, I still remembered them, they had wonderful faces, aged and yet always the same. I got into the cockpit and thought: oh dad, I'm here, in your seat, with what was the best in technology in your time. I'm here, dad and a circle closes. It was beautiful, like the end of a journey." Jacques Villeneuve

Gilles Villeneuve with his family at Monaco in 1978.

“Verstappen like Gilles? Maybe Lauda is still facing Ferrari's decision to replace him with my father. I agree that Verstappen risks like my father did, but there is a huge difference between the two. Gilles always respected his opponents and learned from his mistakes. He had a different education from Max and, frankly, I don't understand the comparison." Jacques Villeneuve

 

"Gilles and Ronnie are together all right. After looking at each other from afar, chasing each other, bumping into each other. Those who love one love the other. Speed in the wild. Impetuousness, heart. The remaining champions are like this. They fly in the wind forever. And who cares, but yes, of the rankings. They are in the lead, they remain in the lead, like comets to be observed when an emotion rises, an enigma of existence, the desire to dare, to challenge the shadow that fear produces." Giorgio Terruzzi

"Now on our cars everything is determined by the smallest details, at the time it was more the courage that counted. Gilles was an incredible driver, he always gave 200%, friendly to everyone but when he wore a helmet he became an animal. Everyone knows about the duel with René in Dijon. In Ferrari he left an indelible trace." Charles Leclerc

The Villeneuves, Joann and Gilles, at Mosport in 1977. Photo by Sanya Cruz Graybeard on Flickr.

Gilles Villeneuve at the Canadian GP in 1978. Photo by Ercole Colombo.

Gilles Villeneuve winning the Canadian GP in 1978.

Gilles Villeneuve securing his first win in Formula One ahead of Carlos Reutemann, third, at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal on October 08, 1978.

Gilles Villeneuve, Ferrari 312T4, GP of Monaco, 27 May 1979. Photo by Bernard Cahier Getty.

Gilles Villeneuve, Ferrari 312T4, GP of Monaco, 27 May 1979. Photo by Bernard Cahier Getty.

June 21, 1981 Jarama, Gilles Villeneuve leading the race.

Gilles Villeneuve, Canada, 1981.

Glamour girls at the F1 Canadian Grand Prix at the Gilles Villeneuve circuit in Montreal on June 10, 2001. Credit Clive Mason Allsport.

10 June 2001. Naomi Campbell visits the circuit before the start of the F1 Canadian Grand Prix at the Gilles Villeneuve circuit in Montreal, Canada. Credit Clive Mason Allsport.

Grand Prix of Canada, Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, 08 June 2014. Grid girls during the Grand Prix. Photo by Paul-Henri Cahier / Getty Images.

Wolfgang von Trips

Wolfgang Alexander Albert Eduard Maximilian Reichsgraf Berghe von Trips, 4 May 1928 – 10 September 1961, also known simply as Wolfgang Graf Berghe von Trips and nicknamed 'Taffy' by friends and fellow racers, was a German racing driver. He was the son of a noble Rhineland family.

Wolfgang von Trips pairs a tennis top with a classic lady-model pose on a car bonnet. Source classiccourses.hautetfort.com.

Von Trips was born in Cologne, Rhineland, Prussia, Germany. He had diabetes during his career and always had high sugar snacks during the races to compensate for his low blood sugar levels.

Von Trips in a Ferrari.

He participated in 29 Formula One World Championship Grand Prix races, debuting on 2 September 1956.

Wolfgang von Trips, Ferrari D50, Grand Prix of Italy, Autodromo Nazionale Monza, 02 September 1956. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

He won two races, secured one pole position, achieved six podiums and scored a total of 56 championship points.

Stirling Moss, Mike Hawthorn, Olivier Gendebien, Wolfgang von Trips, Nürburgring 1000 Kilometres, 26 May 1957. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

He sustained a concussion when he spun off track at the Nürburgring during trial runs for a sports car race held in May 1957. His Ferrari was destroyed. It was the only one of its marque to be entered in the Gran Turismo car class of more than 1600 cc.

Portrait of Graf Berghe von Trips on May 30, 1958. Photo by Horstmüllerullstein Bild via Getty Images.

Von Trips was forced out of a Royal Automobile Club Grand Prix at Silverstone, in July 1958, when his Ferrari came into the pits on the 60th lap with no oil.

Phil Hill, Wolfgang von Trips and Olivier Gendebien in the Ferrari garage at the 1000 Km of Nürburgring on 03 August 1958. Photo by Bernard Cahier / Getty Images.

Von Trips, Ferrari 245 F1, Nurburgring, Germany, August 03, 1958. Photo by Jesse Alexander.

The following August he was fifth at Porto in the 1958 Portuguese Grand Prix, which was won by Stirling Moss in a Vanwall. Von Trips completed 49 laps and was one lap behind at the finish. Moss was more than five minutes ahead of Mike Hawthorn, who finished second in a Ferrari.

Von Trips in 1960 in his office. Photo by Jürgen Corleis / Ullstein Bild via Getty Images.

Wolfgang Graf Berghe von Trips with his family and his fellow drivers, about 1960. Photo by Tirtey / Ullstein Bild via Getty Images.

Von Trips, Ferrari, in 1960.

In July 1960 von Trips was victorious in a Formula Two event in a Ferrari, with a newly introduced engine in the rear. The race was in Stuttgart and was called the Solitude Formula Two Grand Prix. It was a 20-lap event with the winner averaging 164.49 km/h (102.21 mph) over 229 km (142 mi).

Wolfgang von Trips in 1961. Photo by Stan Wayman.

Richie Ginther at the Hairpin in his Ferrari 246 SP which he shared with von Trips, they did not finish, Sebring 12 Hours, March 24, 1961. Photo by Chuck Rogers / Klemantaski Collection / Getty Images.

He won the Targa Florio, 10-lap 721 kilometres (448 mi) race, in May 1961. Von Trips achieved an average speed of 103.42 km/h (64.26 mph) in his Ferrari with Olivier Gendebien of Belgium as his co-driver. Von Trips and Phil Hill traded the lead at Spa, Belgium, during the 1961 Belgian Grand Prix, in June 1961. Hill led most of the way in front of a crowd of 100,000 people.

Ferraris captured the first four places at the race conclusion with von Trips finishing second. The Formula One World Championship driver competition at this juncture in 1961 was led by Hill with 19 points followed by von Trips with 18.

Damon Hill, 10 months old, on the day of his baptism driving a miniature car surrounded by Bruce McLaren, Stirling Moss, Tony Brooks, Graham Hill, Joakim Bonnier and Wolfgang von Trips at Mill Hill, England, on July 17, 1961. Photo by Keystone - France / Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images.

In 1961 von Trips established a go-kart race track in Kerpen, Germany. The track was later leased by Rolf Schumacher, whose sons, Michael and Ralf, made their first laps there.

Wolfgang von Trips, driver of the n.4 Ferrari 156 V6, awaits the start of the Italian Grand Prix on 10 September 1961 at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Italy. Photo by Hulton Archive / Getty Images.

The 1961 Italian Grand Prix on 10 September saw von Trips tightly locked in the battle for the Formula One World Drivers' Championship that year with his teammate Phil Hill. During the race at Monza, his Ferrari collided with Jim Clark's Lotus. His car became airborne and crashed into a side barrier, fatally throwing von Trips from the car and killing fifteen spectators.

Clark described the accident, saying: "von Trips and I were racing along the straightaway and were nearing one of the banked curves, the one on the southern end. We were about 100 metres from the beginning of the curve. Von Trips was running close to the inside of the track. I was closely following him, keeping near the outside. At one point von Trips shifted sideways so that my front wheels collided with his back wheels. It was the fatal moment. Von Trips's car spun twice and went into the guardrail along the inside of the track. Then it bounced back, struck my own car and bounced down into the crowd."

The racetrack of Monza after the fatal accident of Berghe von Trips with the Ferrari on September 10, 1961. Photo by Ullstein Bild via Getty Images.

The Ferrari driver Wolfgang von Trips died in a crash that also killed 14 spectators at the Italian Grand Prix in 1961. Credit: Associated Press.

10th September 1961: the body of Wolfgang von Trips lies on the edge of the track at Monza with his wrecked car to the left. On the right is car n. 35 driven by Jim Clark. Photo by Keystone / Getty Images.

Monza tragedy. Monza, Italy: a woman runs screaming after German Baron Wolfgang von Trips' Ferrari spun off during the Italian Grand Prix and smashed into the crowd, killing 11 spectators and himself. At least 25 spectators in all were injured, some of them seriously, in the worst accident in the 32 year history of the race. Photo by Getty Images.

Wolfgang Berghe von Trips is lying dead on the ground, Monza, 10 September 1961. Shortly after the start of the Italian Grand Prix his race car collides with the two English Jim Clark and Ashmore. Trips was hurled out of the car and was dead instantly.

Movie footage of the crash that surfaced after the race showed that Clark's memory of the incident was inaccurate: after colliding with Clark, von Trips' car rode directly up an embankment on the outside of the track and struck a fence behind which spectators were closely packed.

At the time of his death von Trips was leading the Formula One World Championship. He had previous incidents at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, where he crashed cars in the 1956 Italian Grand Prix and the 1958 Italian Grand Prix and was injured in both events.

At the beginning of his career, he held the reputation of being a very good and fast driver who, unfortunately, often met with accidents. Enzo Ferrari never was a fan of the drivers crashing his cars, but von Tips was different. Ferrari couldn’t turn a blind eye to his talent and potential, so from 1956 to 1958, von Trips raced for Ferrari but with modest success.

Unfortunately, a tragic crash had happened during the Italian Grand Prix in Monza. After taking pole position, he made a poor start of the race. While he was trying to protect his position on the first lap, he collided with Jim Clark. His car crashed into the crowd, killing 14 spectators. Von Trips also died, leaving his teammate Phil Hill to clinch a bitter world title.

Von Trips was a true gentleman and wonderful, popular person.

The death of von Trips was one of the biggest tragedies in Formula One up to that moment. Not only was a potential world champion killed but also 14 people lost their lives in the tragic accident, leaving many fans in disbelief.

Funeral of German Formula One driver Wolfgang Graf Berghe von Trips on September 14, 1961 in Horrem, Germany. Photo by Kurt Rohwedder / Picture Alliance via Getty Images.

Funeral of German Formula One driver Wolfgang Graf Berghe von Trips on September 14, 1961 in Horrem, Germany. Photo by Kurt Rohwedder / Picture Alliance via Getty Images.

Funeral of German Formula One driver Wolfgang Graf Berghe von Trips on September 14, 1961 in Horrem, Germany. Photo by Kurt Rohwedder / Picture Alliance via Getty Images.

Funeral of German Formula One driver Wolfgang Graf Berghe von Trips on September 14, 1961 in Horrem, Germany. Photo by Kurt Rohwedder / Picture Alliance via Getty Images.

Funeral of German Formula One driver Wolfgang Graf Berghe von Trips on September 14, 1961 in Horrem, Germany. Photo by Kurt Rohwedder / Picture Alliance via Getty Images.

Wolfgang Graf Berghe von Trips’ coffin, 1961.

At his funeral, everybody from the Formula One world came to pay respect to one of best drivers of the era, a fantastic sportsman and a wonderful gentleman with impeccable manners. Von Trips’ casket was laid on his beloved Ferrari 250 GT Pininfarina road car and was escorted to the eternal memory of every true motorsport fan.

Racing Royalty: Wolfgang 'Taffy' von Trips. By Sam Tomlinson. 23.03.2020.

One of the more memorable names from Formula 1’s early days, Wolfgang Alexander Alber Eduard Maximilian Reichsgraf Berghe von Trips, is possibly the personification of ‘racing royalty’ and born into German nobility on May 4 1928.

While his family wanted young Wolfgang to develop a love and knowledge for agriculture so he could manage the family farming business around its Burg Hemmersbach castle in the Rhineland, in his youth von Trips would frequently visit the nearby Nurburgring, where he developed an underlying appreciation for motorsports.

His affliction was halted by the outbreak of the Second World War, but once the conflict was over, von Trips returned armed with a driving license, plenty of land and the family motorcycle. His two-wheeled thrills tempted Wolfgang to pursue something even more exciting and, without any prior experience, von Trips went car racing in a Volkswagen Beetle.

His early exploits are not adequately recorded, but in 1954 he bought a Porsche 356 and entered the Mille Miglia. In spite of his relative youth and inexperience, he returned from his thousand-mile thrash from Brescia to Rome and back second in class and 33rd overall.

Wolfgang Graf Berghe von Trips, in a Porsche 718. Copyright Porsche Archive.

Luckily for Taffy, as his close friends called him, legendary Mercedes race team manager Alfred Neubauer noticed von Trips and offered the young German a seat in one of his silver arrows sports cars. Von Trips thrived on the opportunity, but progress was to be put on hold by another calamity.

This time it was the 1955 Le Mans disaster where von Trips’ Mercedes teammate Pieirre Leveigh and 82 spectators were killed when his magnesium bodied SLR exploded into the crowd after a collision. Mercedes pulled out of motorsports entirely but, rather than calling it quits, Wolfang reunited with Porsche.

His car won its class en route to fourth place overall in the 1956 Le Mans 24-hour, where in a season that also yielded a couple of class wins at Sebring, von Trips attracted none other than Enzo Ferrari’s attention. A call followed soon enquiring as to the availability of the young count’s driving services …

Ferrari’s quest proved fruitful to von Trips, who went on to spend the majority of his racing career driving Enzo’s cars. The plan was for Wolfgang to make his Formula 1 debut at the 1956 Italian Grand Prix with Ferrari, but yet again, Taffy’s career was put on hold.

His Lancia-Ferrari D50 suffered a steering failure, causing the car to spear into the Monza trees in an accident in which his injuries were fortunately limited to a broken arm. They were still sufficient to delay von Trips’ F1 debut into 1957.

Wolfgang was back in action for the season opener in Argentina, a 100-lap race around the 4 km Buenos Aires circuit, where von Trips had the dubious honour of filling the reigning then four-time world champion Juan Manuel Fangio’s seat after the great Argentinian had jumped ship to Maserati on his mission to a fifth world title.

Fangio’s move proved the right call as it transpired that the top four positions were filled by Maserati’s 250Fs, headed by the great home hero. In an attempt to curb Maserati’s domination, the top two Ferrari cars were shared between five drivers – starting eleventh, the number 18 Ferrari shared by von Trips, Cesare Perdisa and Peter Collins rose to sixth place finish to miss the points by a position.

Taffy was back in action at round 2 in Monaco, but retired ten laps from home after an engine failure before missing the next five races before returning for the season finale at Monza, a year on from his accident. This time, however, von Trips enjoyed a little better Italian luck as he scored his first points and podium with third aboard Ferrari’s 801 to wrap up 14th in the ’57 title race with four points to his name.

1958 started quietly with von Trips’ season commencing at round two at Monaco but marred by a late engine failure. Taffy was only back in a Ferrari again at round six at Reims, a gruelling old school street circuit through the French countryside and villages. Mike Hawthorn won with von Trips in third place in a race marred by the death of their Ferrari teammate Luigi Musso.

Wolfgang followed that result up with a fourth and a fifth at rounds eight and nine in the respective German and Portuguese Grands Prix to see him amass nine points to end up 12th overall in his part season.

1959 proved a quiet year for von Trips but 1960 saw the nobleman compete in his first full season in Formula 1 which, although it did not deliver a rostrum for Wolfgang, his results through the year proved far more consistent with five points-paying finishes delivering ten points over the ten rounds to see Taffy to seventh in the ’60 championship.

Many tipped Wolfgang von Trips as a serious title contender in 1961, armed with the all-new rear-mid engined 1.5-litre ‘shark nose’ Ferrari 156 and the ‘horse behind the cart’ for the first time.

The predictions appeared on point from the get-go when the season started late at Monaco, a race for once free of the reliability niggles that troubled him in the principality over the years. This time, however, von Trips crashed the 156 with two laps of the chaotic race left to run, but he had done enough to grab fourth place.

Race two took the pack from Monte-Carlo to the Dutch beaches at Zandvoort where von Trips qualified second with an identical time to pole man, title-rival and teammate Phil Hill. Von Trips passed Hill on the first tour and led every lap of the race. The two had a clear advantage along Zandvoort’s straights, allowing them to leave the pursuing Jim Clark’s Lotus in their wake as the Ferrari pair to scrapped all the way to the line where they were still under a second apart when the chequered flag flew.

Then, in his fifth year in the sport and with his first win under his belt, Wolfgang was demonstrating his potential as a naturally fast racer. The momentum carried on into Belgium, with Ferrari again dominating in a 1-2-3-4 finish around the 14.1 km circuit with von Trips finishing third over the thirty lap endeavour just 0.7 seconds behind Phil Hill. His run was paused by a retirement at Reims but it will very much be resumed at the British Grand Prix.

Once the torrential rain eventually dried up at Aintree, Ferrari had locked the podium as von Trips stood on the top step following a dominant drive to a 45 second win over Hill. Taffy’s fourth podium of the season came at the German Grand Prix, following another wet race on the daunting Nurburgring Nordschleife, where von Trips ended second behind Stirling Moss following another race-long battle with teammate Hill.

The next round was at Monza, which returned to a road and oval combination format on 10 September 1961, with four drivers that were mathematically in with a shout for the title, but the real fight was between Ferrari teammates Phil Hill and Wolfgang von Trips. Von Trips qualified on pole position in front of the adoring “tifosi”, but he and Jim Clark collided on the run down to the Parabolica.

Von Trips’ Ferrari 156 speared across the track and up a grass embankment where several spectators were watching the race. Von Trips was killed as he was thrown from the airborne car, but the Ferrari somersaulted into the crowd to also take the lives of fifteen spectators.

Unaware of the tragedy, Phil Hill raced on to win the race and secure the driver’s championship, but Ferrari pulled out of the final round at the US Grand Prix in Watkins Glen out of respect of its fallen driver.

Wolfgang von Trips personified racing royalty. Born to a privileged background, Taffy lived his dream as he forged a career out of his passion. In the early days, he raced under the pseudonym Alex Linther to try not to draw attention to his lineage, a move not uncommon. Rarely, however, has there ever been a royal driver so naturally talented as was Taffy von Trips.

Until his tragic accident, there was every possibility he would be crowned champion. Yet fate would not have it.

Wolfgang von Trips. Nicknamed "Taffy" by Mike Hawthorn, von Trips had reputation for erratic driving early in his career however, hitting top form in1961, he won the Dutch and British Grands Prix and went into Italian GP at Monza on the verge of winning the World Championship. Wolfgang von Trips died 60 years ago, he was 33, He would have been 93.

Von Trips was born in Kerpen-Horrem, near Cologne, in Germany. Nicknamed Wölfchen (little wolf) by his parents, the dashing young German Count, descended from a 700 year old dynasty of knights, was raised in a castle on the family estates near Cologne.

His childhood was complicated by a number of illnesses that rendered him unfit for any form of military service. However, his courage and spirit shone through and he made a full recovery only to worry his parents further with his love of speed, making his racing debut in 1950, riding a 500cc BMW motorcycle, breaking his arm in a crash in one the races.

Due to his mother's concerns he started racing under the pseudonym of Axel Linther and, though his early career was beset with crashes, he was never the less a fearless and skillful driver, proving his ability in the mid-fifties racing Porsche and Mercedes sports cars.

The British crowds named him Count Crash but ultimately he was known almost universally as Taffy. Taffy was a name the Welsh immigrants to America gave to their bravest and most fearless men after the River Taff that flows through Cardiff.

Tragically he died along with 14 spectators. After learning of von Trips' death, Enzo Ferrari and his team sat out of final race of the season as a mark of respect, thus denying Hill an opportunity to race in front of his home crowd as the newly crowned champion.

Von Trips was posthumously crowned the runner-up in the 1961 championship. The only other time this has happened was in 1978, when Ronnie Peterson died at the same circuit.

Mario Andretti in a Ferrari F1.

In a recurrence of 1961, the team-mate was American and also won the World Championship; that was Mario Andretti.

How death nearly destroyed Ferrari. 08 August 2018. By Cavallino Rampante and edited by Phil Bruznic.

If you were to ask an F1 fan to name one significant moment in the sports history that would change its future you would likely get a different response from everyone you asked.

One response might be the introduction of turbo engines by Renault, or ground effects on the Lotus 79. Maybe someone would say the introduction of mid and rear engine cars or front and rear wings, maybe the introduction of the Cosworth engine which allowed almost anyone to get into F1. The list is almost endless. But the odds that someone would say the 1958 season would be almost nil. But, in effect, it’s a season that would be a pivot point in history. 1958 was a deadly season for Ferrari which took them years to recover from and, not as least, it opened the door to the privateers which then began the dominance of British based F1 teams – something which continues to his day!

The basic structure that F1 is today was established for the 1950 season by the FIA. That structure was a list of technical specifications that cars had to run to, a calendar of sanctioned races, a point’s structure for the race finishing positions. And finally crowning the F1 champion.

What many people don’t know is that F1 races were run prior to 1950. From 1946 until 1949 the FIA set the technical regulations and that was all. The FIA didn’t sanction races or crown a champion. The only other thing the FIA did was to classify the British, Swiss, French, Belgian and Italian races as “Grandes Epreuves” (great trials), which became the basis for GP’s being a national championship. Until 1950 anyone could organize an F1 race and, in 1949, (with the “Grandes Epreuves” races included) a total of 27 F1 races were run around the globe.

When the 1950 F1 season commenced, the field consisted of a motley collection of cars most of which had their original designs dating back to the late 1930’s. With Europe still in recovery after WW2, motor racing was, outside of Italy, seen as an expensive and unnecessary drain on precious resources. And it wasn’t surprising that other than Alfa Romeo, Maserati and Ferrari, no other medium or large European car manufacturer entered F1. Until 1954, when Mercedes decided to participate. In those first four seasons until the arrival of Mercedes no one, other than Alfa Romeo, Maserati and Ferrari, won a race.

But their racing endeavors did take its toll on the F1 manufacturers. At the end of 1951, Alfa Romeo had no money to fund a new car and withdrew from F1. Mercedes withdrew at the end of 1955 after the famous Le Mans disaster and, even though Fangio had won the drivers title for Maserati in 1957, they were in financial trouble and pulled out at the end of the season. Leaving Ferrari as the sole survivor. Ferrari had been able to largely weather the financial storm which hit Alfa Romeo and Maserati by selling cars in the US at a great profit. There were serious questions raised about whether F1 without the support of major manufacturers was viable.

But all wasn’t well at Ferrari. Enzo’s son Alfredo (Dino) died in 1956 of muscular dystrophy. Peter Collins, one of Ferrari’s drivers, was good friends with Dino and, after Dino’s death, Enzo Ferrari almost viewed Collins as an adopted son. Some have said that Collins was viewed by Enzo Ferrari the same way Gilles Villeneuve was. The parallel would end tragically for both drivers.

1957 would also be another trying year for Ferrari. In the Mille Miglia tragedy occurred; Ferrari factory driver Alfonso de Portago and his co-driver Edmund Nelson were killed in a horrific accident. What made matters worse was that ten spectators, five of them children, were also killed in the accident. Ferrari would be charged with manslaughter by the Italian authorities. It wouldn’t be until 1961 that these charges were finally dropped.

In F1 his cars never won a race, the first time since 1950 that that had happened. And beginning to loom large were the British privateers.

There is a misconception of F1 that in its early days it was a sport for someone with a death-wish. While motor racing is inherently dangerous, the number of deaths during an F1 race from 1950 to 1957 was remarkably small. In fact there was only one: Mario Alborghetti in 1955. There were several deaths in testing and practice, but it was nowhere near what we would see in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. However, 1958 would be different.

As the 1958 F1 season was about to open it was clear that change was coming. The British economy was recovering and support from industry for motor racing was increasing. That money allowed engineers, many from the aviation industries, to get jobs in these new F1 teams. Those aviation engineers fundamentally changed the nature of F1. The main focus shifted from having the most powerful engine to how aerodynamically efficient your car was. Even Enzo Ferrari didn’t grasp what was happening when he stated, “aerodynamics are for people who can’t build engines.” In fact Ferrari would not have a race ready mid-engined car until 1961, four years after Cooper did. It was a miscalculation that Ferrari would pay dearly for.

Another consequence of these new British teams was the opportunity for home grown drivers to enter F1 and not be dependent on the Italian teams for a ride, or having to buy cars from them. This extended to Commonwealth and American drivers who now moved to the UK instead of Italy to race at the highest level.

The 1958 grid was built out of sleek aerodynamic cars from the likes of Lotus, BRM, Cooper and the team Ferrari underestimated the most for 1958 – Vanwall.

There were a few changes for 1958. We would see the introduction of the International Cup for F1 Manufacturers, which was the forerunner of the Constructors World Championship. The most significant technical change was the banning of alcohol based fuels for commercial petroleum race fuel. That change was significant as Ferrari introduced their new Type 246 V6 engine which was designed for the new fuel spec, while the British privateers had to make due with modifying their existing straight fours to work with the new fuel. Enzo Ferrari went into the 1958 season believing that with the new engine and with their drivers, Hawthorn, Collins and Musso, he had an unbeatable car and driver combination.

The first race of the season was in Argentina at the end of January. Most of the British teams had to forego this race to get their engines working with the new fuel spec. One didn’t however. Rob Walker took his privateer Cooper – Climax to Argentina and, as Vanwall weren’t going, Walker was able to get Vanwall driver (and personal friend) Stirling Moss to do a one-off race for him. Fun fact, Moss would give the Lotus F1 team its first F1 win in a privately entered Walker Lotus.

Cooper was a game-changer in F1 as it was the first rear-engined car to compete. Ferrari believed they would easily race away from the field, only to find themselves chasing Moss, who ultimately won. The Ferrari’s of Musso and Hawthorn came in 2nd and 3rd.

With the teams back in Europe the gap to the next race in Monaco was four months. That gave the British teams the time to get their engines ready, but more importantly for Vanwall, to continue their aero development.

 

Monaco proved to be another eye-opener. The Vanwall’s and the BRM’s turned out to be much quicker than everyone else. Unfortunately for both Vanwall and BRM they still hadn’t solved their engine problems and all suffered from it during the race, which in turn opened the door for the works Cooper of Maurice Trintignant to win. The only Ferrari to score was Musso’s who came second. It became clear that, on slow and medium speed courses, the rear-engined Cooper was the best of the field and for sheer speed it was the Vanwall.

Race three was the Dutch GP. The high speed Zandvoort favoured the Vanwall’s and BRM’s and the results showed it. Moss easily won. Hawthorn was lapped once and Musso twice! It wasn’t going the way Ferrari had planned.

The next race was the Belgian GP at Spa. Yet again the Vanwall’s were the class of the field, with Brooks winning and Lewis-Evans coming in third. Hawthorn in the Ferrari was a distant second. The only consolation for Ferrari was the point’s leader, Moss, had an engine failure and therefore did not score any points. The race was also notable as it was the first time Lotus had scored points in an F1 race, with Cliff Allison taking fourth.

“I gave (my drivers) three things: a sense of optimism, a creative environment and the ultimate motivator-competition. By competing with each other in-house, we wound up beating our rivals.” Enzo Ferrari.

If Enzo Ferrari was to return today he would be aghast at what he would see in F1. A number one driver and team orders were something he couldn’t abide to. He believed that competition amongst his own drivers pushed them to perform better. He may have had favourite drivers off-track, but when they were racing they were treated equally. And that competition would have tragic consequences in the next race.

The French GP at Reims was the fifth race and halfway point of the season. The season had been disappointing for Ferrari so far, without a single win. The season was also becoming desperate for Luigi Musso. He was deeply in debt and needed to win the French GP, which had the highest payout and drivers then got a share of the race winnings, to save himself from bankruptcy. He had suspected that Hawthorn and Collins had a private agreement to share their race winnings and so did everything to keep Musso from winning.

The Reims circuit, which was a temporary road course, favoured the Ferrari’s. More so since Vanwall and the other British privateers were still having engine problems. Hawthorn took pole and Musso was second. The race started with a Hawthorn and Musso one-two, easily pulling away from the rest of the field. Musso, desperate to get past Hawthorn, began to take more and more risks. On lap 9 he lost control of his car, it left the course and crashed into a ditch. Musso was thrown out the car and suffered severe head injuries from which he died later that day. He was to be Ferrari’s first F1 race fatality. The race was also notable for being Fangio’s last ever F1 race.

Ultimately Hawthorn won the race with Moss coming second. It left Moss and Hawthorn tied in the Driver’s Championship.

Round 6 was at Silverstone and, as that was the track most of the British tested at, they held a distinct advantage and, during qualifying, that proved to be true. Moss in the Vanwall took pole. Schell in the BRM was second and Salvadori in the Cooper third. The Ferrari’s were way off the pace.

The race however fell into the familiar pattern. Ferrari’s reliability and the British teams’ engine problems gave the Ferrari a one-two, with Collins taking the win and with Hawthorn second. Moss suffered an engine failure and a DNF. Ferrari left Silverstone for the next race at the Nurburgring on a high. Hawthorn led the drivers’ championship and Ferrari the team championship. But Ferrari’s euphoria would be fleeting.

The Nurburgring round of the championship was truly one of the most bizarre F1 races to ever have been run. For a variety of reasons only 13 F1 cars were entered. To fill up the field the organizers decided to run an F2 race at the same time. F1 cars were lapping the Nurburgring at an average speed of 145 kph (90 mph), while the F2 cars were averaging around 130 – 135 kph (low 80’s mph). The speed differential on the long start finish straight was close to 35 kph (20 mph) and more. As the track back then was 23 kilometres long (14 miles) it was assumed the F1 and F2 cars would separate quickly.

 

The Ferrari’s and Vanwall’s were the class of the field. With Hawthorn qualifying first, followed by Brooks, Moss and Collins.

The race got off to a bad start for the championship contenders. Hawthorn had mechanical problems from the start and quickly fell back. Moss had electrical problems. Both would eventually retire. That allowed Brooks and Collins to race away from the rest of the field. Lap after lap Collins tried to find a way past Brookes but couldn’t. On lap 11, Collins overdid things and had an accident eerily similar to Musso’s. He lost control of his car and went off the circuit where the car hit a ditch. Collins was thrown from the car and hit a tree. He suffered massive head injuries and died later that afternoon. He was 26.

Ultimately Brooks would win, with the Cooper’s coming second and third. It was a disaster for Ferrari having their second driver killed in three races. The driver’s championship remained the same but Vanwall were now only four points behind in the International Cup for manufacturers. Another notable aspect was that the F2 race was won by a relatively unknown, but up and coming, driver named Bruce McLaren.

With three races left, Portugal, Italy and Morocco, the title fight was between Moss and Hawthorn.

The Portuguese race was to have a major impact on the driver’s championship. Moss and Hawthorn had qualified one-two on the Boavista circuit, which used public roads. The race took place during a rainstorm and saw many drivers spin off the track, one of them being Hawthorn. The race was to finish as it started, Moss followed by Hawthorn. But after the race the stewards disqualified Hawthorn for driving the wrong way on the circuit after he had spun. Moss, who had seen the incident, went to the stewards and told them he had seen the incident and that Hawthorn was actually off the course when he drove in the wrong direction, so therefore he had done nothing wrong. The stewards agreed and reinstated Hawthorn’s second place. That incident showed the integrity that Moss had and if he was to win the driver’s championship he was going to do it fair and square.

The penultimate race of the season was the Italian GP at Monza. Disaster again for Moss as he had yet another failure and a DNF. Hawthorn was second to Brooks. Hawthorn now had an eight point lead over Moss. The final race would be the Moroccan GP.

The Moroccan GP was held on a circuit that was partly public roads and a permanent stadium area, where the start finish line was. There were some concerns about the quality of some sections of the public roads, but the race went ahead anyway.

For 53 laps Hawthorn chased the race leader Moss but couldn’t catch him. But it didn’t matter. Second was all Hawthorn needed to win the driver’s championship. Mike Hawthorn was the first British F1 driver’s champion. For Hawthorn the championship race had brought little joy. His good friend Stuart Lewis-Evans, one of the Vanwall drivers, had been in an accident and suffered severe burns over most of his body. He would die six days later. Lewis-Evans contribution to Vanwall winning the first International Cup for manufacturers was significant.

Hawthorn would retire from racing after the Moroccan GP. Tragically he would die in a motor accident a mere three months later.

1958 almost destroyed Ferrari as Enzo Ferrari was to say that he considered pulling out of the sport after the deaths of Musso and Collins. Tony Vandervell, the owner of Vanwall, did pull out after Lewis-Evans death.

The 1958 F1 season was one that would begin to define F1’s future. While the new British private teams looked to the aerospace industry for inspiration, Ferrari and what was left of the continental manufacturers still believed that it was all about engines. Ferrari refused to design a rear-engined car until 1961 and by then it was too late. The sleek aerodynamically efficient rear-engined cars from the likes of Cooper, BRM and Lotus became virtually unbeatable. And, once the cheap, powerful and reliable engine from Cosworth was available in 1967, that domination was almost total. Ferrari wouldn’t dominate F1 again until the mid-1970’s with its beautiful 312 series car.

The composition of where the top F1 drivers came from also changed. From 1950 to 1957 Italian and South American drivers won every drivers championship. By 1958 the top five drivers in the final standing were British. In 1959 no Italian or South American driver had a full-time seat in F1. With the exception of the American Phil Hill in 1961, from 1959 until 1970 when German born Jochen Rindt won the drivers world championship (but he did race under the Austrian nationality) every driver who won the championship was British or from a Commonwealth country.

And that’s why I believe 1958 was the most significant moment, that set the changes in motion that have made F1 the sport it is today.

One other factor of why Ferrari was less competitive through the sixties and early seventies was that they were also running works teams in the World Sportscar championship. It was often said the team did not give F1 their full attention until after Le Mans, as most of the sportscar races were in the early part of the year. They had a lot of success there too winning 7 out of 8 Le Mans races between 1958 and 1965 and WSC titles in 1967 and 1972. I believe it was a combination of Fiat, Niki Lauda and Luca di Montezemolo that finally convinced Ferrari to stop running sportscars as a works team.

Decisions by Liberty Media that have infuriated fans. Published on May 19, 2018 by Rahul Venkat.

 

Liberty Media managers.

A couple of years ago, when it was announced that Liberty Media would take over F1, it was a sad moment for fans across the world. It meant that F1 supremo, Bernie Ecclestone, the boss for 40 years would no longer be in charge. But it also had a certain excitement to it, with a new owner meaning ushering in of a new era and the prospects of having American owners, the masters of marketing, was something to look forward to.

Needless to say, the excitement did not last long. Liberty Media set about strutting around and proposed several changes which did not live up to tradition or maintain the old-world charm of F1. Their idea of revolutionising the sport did not match those of the fans.

Here, we list out certain decisions which have infuriated F1 purists and hardcore fans of the sport:

1) Changing the F1 logo

 

Still drooling over the old one

Why, Liberty Media, why? Probably the most bone-headed decision by Liberty has to be changing the F1 logo at the start of the season. While we understand the need to put their stamp on things, the ‘new’ logo does nothing to offer anything new. The old logo was so easily recognisable that even people unfamiliar with F1 could identify it. No one seems to really know how changing a legendary logo could ‘revolutionise’ anything.

2) Banning grid girls

While this decision seems a good one when taken at face value considering that hiring grid girls is actively objectifying women, on further scrutiny you realise it essentially breaks an age-old tradition.

We are all for feminism and not objectifying women, but it was not like the grid girls were made to wear skimpy or revealing clothes. They were not there for merely eye candy. Grid girls were the ones who introduced the drivers, holding their names on pit boards and lined the way when drivers made it up to the podium. It was in a similar vein to ball boys/girls on a tennis court.

As former grid girl Kelly Brook claimed, “it was the best job I had in life.”

3) Ridiculous rule change proposals

Is there anyone who does not agree that Liberty Media’s proposed changes are ridiculous to say the least? Being innovative is imperative to make sport exciting but Liberty Media does not seem to care for the parties involved. It has introduced its own rules without judging market trends or asking for fans’ opinions. If only they did, they would know how opposed they are to the decisions.

The rule changes for 2019 include aerodynamic changes to improve overtaking. While F1 may get exciting with more overtakes, the USP of F1 is speed. These proposed changes are expected to reduce the cars’ speed by almost 1.5 seconds, which in racing terms is a huge number. A thrilling aspect of the sport is the constant breaking of track records by these F1 beasts and surely these will not be seen from 2019.

Their latest proposal of renovating tracks to degrade tyres has met with criticism from track managers while the introduction of budget caps has made teams like Ferrari and Mercedes make threats of quitting the sport. Teams need to be able to spend enough for research and fit their cars accordingly to race. If Liberty Media takes that away, they are just impeding the development of the cars and consequently the sport.

It curbs innovative abilities and teams will have to change their whole budget plan, which represents an arduous task especially when coupled with the ever-changing rules and regulations.

06.01.2022. Of the current architecture, all the basic parameters will be kept unchanged, retaining a displacement of 1.6 liters and a split of six cylinders combined with supercharging via a single turbocharger and the electric assistance provided by the hybrid part. Who will pay the price it’s, instead, the thermal motor generator, also known as MGU H, which has the task of converting the heat and motion generated by the supercharging unit into electrical energy, which is completely removed in order to better manage costs which, at the moment, does not place the component in question under good light.

Arturo Merzario disapproves of the management of the race in Belgium in 2021, neutralized by bad weather: “Enzo Ferrari would have told me to fuck off if I hadn't raced for the rain. You find the term to translate so that you can put this thing in the newspaper as I defined it, this thing they did in Spa. What has been done”, Merzario says, “has no logic, in any sense. In my day, to get the points you had to have done at least 50% of the planned laps plus one. If you only do two laps and what's more behind the safety car you don't have to award points. To do so looks a lot like protecting yourself ... To be safe from sponsors, organizers and, above all, spectators in the stands. We had to go to the track, but certainly not awarding points: this is the scandal. Do you mean that the Spa race was disputed and valid? Okay, but everyone has zero points. I would really like to know what Stefano Domenicali and “Le Petit Napoleon” Jean Todt think of this. Arturo was there, in the most famous wet race in the history of racing cars: at Fuji, in 1976. "Even that day”, Merzario remembers, “we waited a long time before starting, about four hours. But there were so many aspects at stake, on all the costs of the satellite, that was a novelty. There was a meeting: they told us that there was nothing to do, that we had to start, then everyone would do what he wanted. Niki immediately retired, I don't criticize him, I've never done it.” After all, Arturo traveled thousands of kilometers under the water. "Also because, at the time, if you told the Great Old Man (Enzo Ferrari) that you would not have raced because it was raining he would have told you to go to take a shit (to go to hell). And not just him, even Abarth, or those of Ford. Chris Amon and I once raced in the snow at Brands Hatch, not in the rain."

"At Spa you had to start for at least a few laps: the drivers are free to decide how fast to go and whether to continue." Engineer Luigi Mazzola

"I would have said at 15:00, when the race should have started: let's try again at 16:00 or 16:30. It would seem that the conditions are going to improve, but I don't know. Regardless of what happens, the GP will start at that time", he tells the sports pages of the Daily Mail. There is no one who can point a gun at the heads of others. It was up to them to choose. If I had been in the back on the grid I could have decided that it wouldn’t have been worth it, because it was dramatically dangerous," Ecclestone continues. "If I had wanted to score points for the team and for myself, I could have thought of moving forward. Everyone can make their own decisions, it's not like in Afghanistan. We raced in worse conditions than these in Belgium, without stopping the race. Ecclestone agrees with Lewis Hamilton's vision on the economic data linked to whether or not the Grand Prix is held. "I agree with Lewis, it doesn't happen often to me, but this time he's right." Bernie Ecclestone

Rod MacKenzie’s moody, foreboding, evocative image of Jim Clark’s Lotus 49 at Longford in 1968 is one of our favourites …

"In the past years, we have also raced in monsoons. I remember when we raced in Australia (1991) and Japan (1994). Also in Estoril (1985). And I never forget that I raced once in terrible weather in Montecarlo (1984). But we managed to adjust the car to get more ground clearance and more wing to generate more downforce. In the end, Spa was a farce. And I think it hurt Formula 1 a lot, which means it hurts all the fans, it hurts me as a driver of the past. Because we were deprived, I think, of a very, very good race. What could be changed in the regulations? To allow the teams to work on the cars, think a delta time to be respected without the safety car, because a safety car cannot go fast enough for a Formula 1. If any cars remain stationary on the track, it warns the drivers with a red light on the steering wheel so they know they must immediately slow down. Let’s compare it with what we’ve had to do before in the past: Monte Carlo, Estoril, Adelaide ... Ayrton Senna and I were fighting for the lead with nine cars parked on the track!" Nigel Mansell

Fernando Alonso after a huge crash during the 2016 F1 Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.

Alfa Romeo racer Zhou Guanyu suffers horror crash at the 2022 F1 British GP but remains alive and without a scratch.

"The current Formula 1? All the circuits in the world have been sterilized. All the fast and dangerous corners have been canceled, which is a real shame. Many of the fast corners now have huge escape routes, the curbs are very small. You can make a mistake, get off the track and get back on track right away. When we made a mistake, years ago, we paid for the mistake. Now the drivers feel like they are superhuman. They can have the worst accidents and get away with it. They have 30 to 50 engineers available. We had an engineer, a designer and we did it ourselves. There is no sweat, there is nothing, because the most important thing that has been designed in a Formula 1 car is the power steering. We needed to have really strong arms because if you didn't have the physical strength to hold on to a Formula 1 car you would go off the track and have an accident. Now you drive it with your finger: at the end of the race, the drivers seem to have come out of the barbershop." Nigel Mansell

"We have changed mentality compared to many years ago. I was not born at the time when it was normal for there to be deaths in Formula 1. I'm sure it was something difficult to accept even then, but it happened regularly and it was a sort of 'normality'. With the mentality of today, I wouldn’t have been a driver in the 60s: this is a sport, not Russian roulette. We like the risk, but when it comes to life and death it is not worth it." Daniel Ricciardo

Since the advent of Liberty Media in Formula 1 they have entered in chronological order:

- much more safety (safety cars, yellow flags, red flags, marshals that no longer do anything);

- polically correct (abolition of grid girls, black lives matter);

- sports policy (2021 championship awarded by FIA and not on the track and Formula 1 becoming a spectacle and no longer a sport based on merit on track);

- new regulations that prevent development, limit performance, lower team management budgets and homologate cars.

These changes, determined by the thrust of a society changed to the point of having values diametrically opposed to those of the romantic F1, were jointly determined by Liberty Media and FIA and accepted by the manufacturers, now represented no longer by founders but simply by managers-bureaucrats. However, the formula depends on the manufacturers and now it is up to them to decide whether or not to stay in this F1. And this decision, as in the case of the Mercedes from which the 2021 drivers' championship has been stolen, will be taken over the heads of team principals by CEOs and owners.

 

Damon Hill and Bernie Ecclestone in 2009.

Speaking of today's Formula 1, in which two drops are enough to stop a race or cancel a standing start, Damon Hill said on May 29, 2022: "we were in Barcelona in 1996. The track looked like a swimming pool, Bernie Ecclestone looked out in the cockpit of the first five cars and said: ‘the race must start on time. Zero discussions.’"

After Spa in 2021 and Abu Dhabi in 2021, we can say that the last F1 championship based on merit on track was that of 2020. From then on politics took over, as happened in tennis in 2022, our beloved pastime. It is no longer important to be the fastest on the track to win but to have the right political link. For this we can sadly say that the great deaths of Formula 1 died in vain.

Videos

Accidents in Formula 1

 

Alberto Ascari

 

Lorenzo Bandini

 

Jean Behra

 

Eugenio Castellotti

 

Peter Collins

 

Piers Courage

 

Mark Donohue

 

Mike Hawthorn

 

Luigi Musso

 

Peter Revson

 

Pedro and Ricardo Rodriguez

 

Joseph Schlesser

 

Ayrton Senna

 

Joseph Siffert

 

Gilles Villeneuve

 

Wolfgang von Trips