Gunnar Nilsson? How do you remember him? He was a young Swedish scion, born to race. A driver who preferred literary clubs, rather than frivolous parties. A born driver, to confirm his rushing through steps. He made himself noticed ever…

“His passion for races was equal to his technical passion and expertise” Peter Collins, a driver with major moral talent, just as he proved during the 1956 Italian GP. Collins voluntarily stopped to give his Ferrari to Fangio, who stopped…

Lodovico, Ludovico, or Lulù if you prefer, was an eclectic driver, able to give his best in a hill climb race, as if he was driving an F1 car. The support received from his family, since his father was a…

“His stubbornness and resistance as an old-school Viareggio native were especially exalted in the road races. He didn’t equally emerge on track. He died in a hospital ward, due to an incurable disease”, that is the concise description that Enzo…

Volpe Argentata (Silver Fox), this is how his fans called him, due to his prematurely grey hair and his temperament. Engineer Piero Taruffi studied his job deeply and he wrote technical books about race driving. He was a very controlled…

The last bend of the Olympia Bob-run St. Moritz-Celerina is dedicated to the one who wasn’t “capable of turning back when facing challenges”. “FON”, great Spanish noble of extraordinary courage. He adored adventure and racing, he went from a car…

A driver who, in the fifties, knew how to thrill his fans. Aggressive, generous, cheerful, handsome. In 1952, driving a Ferrari 2000 Sport, he won the Coppa d’Oro di Sicilia, the Senigallia racetrack, the Portuguese GP and he came second…

Which driver is the Interlagos racetrack dedicated to? He was Brazilian, born in Sao Paulo. In 1969 he established himself in the UK and in the following year, he won the F3 Forward Trust title, driving a Lotus 59. Then…

“Up until 1969, I had an ‘I have faith in God’ approach. From 1970 to 1972, I went quite fast and reasonably. From 1973 to 1974, I reasoned maybe too much, to the detriment of speed”. De Adamich, a native…

A polite and friendly man with very sweet blue eyes “I was aware, from the beginning of my career, about the risks that I was taking. I was always able to tame my fear, or even better, I never gave…

Which great champion of car racing never managed to win the world championship? We remember his fiery battles: with Fangio, then with Brabham or with Hawthorn… who, in 1958, stole the champion title off him by just one point! He’s…

Monza’s National Racetrack, Formula 1 GP, Sunday 11th September 1977. The cars were aligned, Niki Lauda was in pole position and in the fourteenth position was a novice from Brescia, who turned 25 on the previous day. Bruno Giacomelli was…

Leslie Bruce McLaren had unconventional skills for his time: at 21 years old he was Cooper’s official driver and, at 22, he won his first worldwide championship Grand Prix. The meeting between Bruce and Jack Brabham was the key: a…

“Life is short and I want to enjoy it as much as I can… I shared my time between serious and fun things. I seriously put deep effort into the first and I have deep fun with the latter.” London,…

Three world championships won: ’81, ’83, and ’87. 204 Formula 1 Grand Prix, 23 victories, 24 pole positions. This is Nelson Piquet, nicknamed “The Cat”, the tombeur de femme, you may choose. Seven children from four partners, wives. Two terrifying…

His father put him in a boarding school in Mondragone with the Jesuits, who gave him a very strict education. On the outside, he looked very self-confident, inside, there was a small rift. Musso was the only person in the…

After fifteen years of activity, he decided to leave races to go back to Bull, in New Zealand, without ever winning a Grand Prix. Chris Amon came very close to winning several times, but the unpredictable has always happened to…

He started by driving a 6-cylinder Maserati in Tripoli and at the Targa Florio race. In 1940, he ran the Mille Miglia behind the wheel of the “815” Auto Avio Costruzioni. He raced in Piero Dusio’s team with Cisitalia in…

Joseph Siffert started as a mechanic repairing motorcycles and then raced them. In 1958, he became Swiss champion with a Norton 350. He had to make huge sacrifices to get to race on four wheels, doing the most varied of…

René Arnoux, the co-protagonist of one page in Formula 1’s history: the epic duel, wheel to wheel, with his friend Villeneuve at the Dijon GP in 1979. It was a different F1, it was neither better nor worse, but certainly,…

A great love for four wheels… Facetti, a man who, with great passion and commitment, has seen the world of engines from every angle: mechanic, prepper, tester and driver. Many are the brands that he raced for: Fiat, Alfa Romeo,…

Denny Hulme won the F1 world championship in 1967, after a season-long duel with his teammate, Jack Brabham. Denny built his success steadily. Once he completed his studies, he specialised as a mechanic in a garage in Te Puke, his…

99 races, 27 victories, 359 world championship points, 3 times world champion. Prompt reflexes, concentration, inner calm, resolved wish to win: Jackie Stewart. It was Barry Filer who induced him to start racing in the club races. In 1963, he…

Colin Chapman was born in Richmond in 1928. After graduating in engineering at the University College in London, and a brief service in the RAF, he entered a mechanical construction company as an engineer. On 1st January 1952, Chapman founded…

The nation’s Gigi He started his career with his brother Emilio, they were both confident and very passionate, bold and brave. In 1936, Luigi Villoresi, Franco Cortese and Giovanni Lurani founded the Scuderia Ambrosiana. It’s impossible to summarise concisely the…

Wolfgang von Trips was the only child of a noble German family. His relatives obstructed his passion for racing cars, to the extent that he started racing under a false name, Axel Linther, as his nickname, “Taffy”, was too well-known.…

Phil Hill was a Californian and had a great passion for antiques, classical music, musical instruments, painting and racing cars, or actually, for extraordinary cars! He was introverted and obsessed with perfection, never fully satisfied. Phill was always been considered…

Which driver had a white helmet, with the dollar sign drawn on one side and the writing “this space to let”? After studying in England, Jochen Rindt went back to Austria and found all of his friends again. With Helmut…

First, success in the karting world: Italian Champion, twice European team champion, until 1974 when Patrese won the World Championship. Then came his success with real cars with a very quickly evolving career: in 1975 he debuted with Formula Italia,…

Green helmet, white shirt, polka-dot bow-tie and the courage to surprise his colleagues and to make enthusiasts go crazy. He caught the racing bug off his father, the Hawthorn’s started racing with two Rileys, achieving many victories. Mike immediately showed…

Who was the first Australian driver to win the F1 world championship? John Arthur Brabham. He was nicknamed “Black Jack”, “Chatty Jack by those who knew him, due to his scarce loquacity. He chose mechanics for his university studies, which…

The young Roman driver in three years went from driving karts to F1. At 14 he won the Italian karting championship, and he won the European karting championship in 1976. His debut in F1 was with Shadow and, despite the…

A woman behind the wheel: Lella Lombardi, the little girl who dreamed of becoming a racing car driver. When she was eighteen, she drove the truck of the family business, which transported meat from Frugarolo to the Ligurian Riviera. In…

The unique Hollywood start had such a reckless life that he inspired singers, film directors and generations of youngsters. Terrence Steve McQueen was born in the Indianapolis suburb. He had a difficult adolescence, spent between the street and the community…

In 1984, a young driver, destined to take up a key role in F1’s history, made his debut on the racetrack: Ayrton Senna. The 6th May, at Imola, marked his only “NQ” in his career. In Monaco, he astonished for…

F1 Germany Grand Prix Nürburgring circuit, 22 Km x 22 laps = 484 Km. To this day this race represents something unique. It is considered by historians to have been the most fantastic F1 race in the 50’s. It’s the…

Donohue started racing in 1961 and his career mainly took place in the USA, across the different Can-Am and Trans-Am categories. He achieved a lot of success, including a first place at the Indy 500, in a McLaren. “Captain Nice”…

The Cowboy started racing in 1962 with an Alfa Romeo. In the following years, he participated in hill climb races with an Abarth 1000. He became driver and tester of the Scorpio team from 1968 to 1970. He won the…

The idol of Sicilians and not only: Nino Vaccarella. His career started in his beautiful Sicily, it was 1958 when he won his first race. In 1959, he came first in Pergusa and in the Catania-Etna, while he came third…

After studying at the prestigious American Cornell University, Revson could have become the manager of a leading cosmetic company: Revlon. Revvie preferred motorsports. Initially, he raced in the Sports category, then, in 1963, he moved to Europe and he bought…

“Believe me, we’re talking about the best stranger in the history of racing” Stirling Moss said, while talking about Tony Brooks. His debut took place in 1952, but with no great satisfaction. He was noticed while driving a Connaught and,…

Alain Prost gained McLaren’s esteem on Paul Ricard’s racetrack, during the practice session, he was faster than John Watson. On 13th January 1980, the F3 French champion, nicknamed “The Professor”, appeared for the first time in an F1 GP, in…

After being a motorcycling champion, he switched to car races. Amédé Gordini wanted him in his own team. The cars weren’t competitive and results were late coming. In 1955, he was hired by Maserati and he came second at the…

The 25-year-old Graham Hill, after his first race, in Brands Hatch, hitch-hiked a ride back to London, and it was Mr Colin Chapman who gave him a lift. Their lives’ tracks started to cross and that marked the beginning of…

Ronnie Peterson caught the speed bug from his father, Bengt, a Swedish baker who raced in his spare time. With the “Robardie”, his racing kart, he became well-known across Europe. In 1966, he raced for the world championship, but Susy…

John Surtees had already won the world championship four times with the MV Agusta when he tried a racing car. The motorcyclist turned out to have extraordinary skills, and his search for different trajectories, which enabled him to use the…

A driver with impulsive temperament: Jody Scheckter, South African with Lithuanian origin, didn’t have a natural passion for motorsports, but his ascent was extraordinary. After only eighteen months from his arrival in Europe, McLaren hired him in 1972 to race…

It was 1958 when Luigi Chinetti brought the two Rodríguez brothers, Pedro and Ricardo, to Europe. They were known as the “terrible brothers”. They could convey the impression of being two smooth-faced adolescents, but their impertinence was equal to their…

“I have loved you” Villeneuve raced for the first time in F1 in 1977, driving a McLaren. You read that Enzo Ferrari hired him due to a bet between himself and Lauda, and he made his debut in October 1977…

Carroll Shelby took part in his first race in 1952, behind the wheel of a friend’s MG TC. He didn’t only win in his category, but he also had the better of the Jaguar XK120s. In 1954, he won the…

“I’ve always believed that you should never ever give up and that you should continue fighting even when there is a very small chance to make it”, these were Michael Schumacher’s words in 2007, which are as true and as…

“Jacky Ickx is unreachable when it is necessary”, Mario Andretti. This statement is perfect to define Jacques Bernard, called Jacky, a great pilot who has not consecrated all his life to this activity. An excellent roll of honour: two times…

The former Ferrari driver left a deep empty space due to a tragic accident which occurred on the Lausitzring track. He was testing an Audi R8 Sport. We believe that he was the greatest Italian driver of the past decades.…

One of the most important turning points in his life was working for Gogliardo Freddi, his future father in law. Lorenzo Bandini loved engines and he wanted to get on the racetrack. With the help of Freddi, he started his…

“I think that I was put on this earth to drive racing cars” The twice world champion started with motorbike races. In 1964, Emerson Fittipaldi and his brother, Wilson, created the first “Fitti karts”. Emerson decided to use them on…

Mantovano Volante Tazio Nuvolari is a legendary presence, always alive in the memories of motorsports enthusiasts and non-enthusiasts too. He’s the measuring unit of the fastest race and of the most exciting race which may be run. A timeless legend,…

The last great “traditional” model (front engine and rear traction), the Maserati Birdcage left an important sign in the heart of the Trident brand’s fans, due to the sophisticated technical solutions. Designed for Sports series competitions, it was conceived in…

To the question: what do you want to do when you grow up? I answered Niki Lauda. «It was Regazzoni who comforted me on my choice of driver, who was missing for the 1974 season, by confirming that Lauda was…

Who won the 24 hours of Le Mans with a Gulf GR8 in 1975? Derek Bell, a specialist of long races. A name linked with the Stuttgart automotive company Porsche. Often racing as a duet, with another champion Jacky Ickx,…

An unmatchable optimist, the missed layer Laffite should have followed in his father’s footsteps, but he chose to follow those of his childhood friend, Jeanne-Pierre Jabouille, instead. In 1968, he attended the Magny Cours racing driving school. Tico Martini noticed…

‘Io tigro, tu tigri, egli tigra’ “I adore this job. I wouldn’t want to do anything else. When I have the steering wheel between my hands, I feel a complete, serene and satisfied man. Not even during the darkest of…

“I thought I was the fastest driver in the world. Then, one day, I went to McLaren and I met Alain Prost”. Keke Rosberg should have been a vet, just like his father, but he hated early rises and he…

French, from Boulogne-sur-Seine, was able to bring popularity for motorsports back to his country. Beltoise started his career with motorbike races. After being the victim of a terrible accident, during the Reims “ 12-hour race” in 1964, his career risked…

“Cars, speed, the smell of petrol were within me and I understood that it was the only path to follow…”. Reutemann admired Juan Manuel Fangio and Pancho Gonzales. After Fangio, no other driver was celebrated on the highest step of…

Dan Gurney, born in Port Jefferson, New York, defined by Enzo Ferrari as “an impetuous big guy, who’s a little naive”. In 1959, at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with a Ferrari Sport Testa Rossa, he had a fantastic…

“As I was still very young, I wasn’t able to stop the bike at the finish because my feet couldn’t touch the ground. I had to do a whole lap of the square before I could find a kerb my…

Enzo Ferrari wrote about him “His competitive nature was undisputable. He had a definitely superior view of races and a balance, a competitive intelligence, a confidence in his racing conduct which were truly peculiar…”. Omer Orsi said about “El Chueco”,…

Many adjectives were used to describe this former driver’s qualities: educated, good-mannered, always smiling, clever, organised and handsome. Tambay started his driving school at the Paul Ricard track, completing his courses successfully at the selective final, driving a Formula Renault…