THE HEROES OF FERRARI

Greatness in a sportsperson transcends statistics: above all, it’s the lasting connection they forge with the fans. We tasked our readers, and members of the online community Ferrarichat, with thrashing out the identity of the Scuderia’s greatest ever Fo

In conjunction with Ferrarichat.com, we asked who was the greatest Ferrari GP winner of all time. And now the results are in…

AsFerrari celebrate 70 years since their first racing car, the 125 S, rolled out of the workshop, its 1.5-litre Colombo V12 singing of great deeds yet to be recorded, we thought we’d look back at some of the greats who have raced for the Prancing Horse in F1 since then.

To narrow the criteria we asked our own readers, plus the members of Ferrarichat.com, the world’s largest online community of Ferrari enthusiasts, to nominate one driver from the 38 who have won a Formula 1 world championship grand prix. Thousands took part in the online vote to determine the greatest Ferrari race winner of all time. Here’s the list from 38 to 11, and then, in more detail, the top ten...

STATS Ferrari starts/wins 57/7 Percentage of vote 1.3% 10 SEBASTIAN VETTEL

The young German was the first truly successful product of the Red Bull young driver programme. His victory in 2008, aged 21, for minnows Toro Rosso in the wet of Monza led to a drive at Red Bull, where he won four consecutive world championships between 2010 and ’13.

In his first season with Ferrari in 2015, he finished third overall with three wins and a solitary pole. It was a steady start that should have paved the way for future success, but the following year was a disaster. His newly named machine ‘Margherita’ failed to score a single victory, and out on track his temper started to fray, most memorably at that year’s Mexican GP where he unleashed an expletive-laden tirade against the FIA’S race director Charlie Whiting. There has been an improvement this year and the

tifosi chanted their support of him during his thirdplaced podium finish at Monza. And yet, there have been further signs of pressure leading to mistakes. There was

that moment of road rage when he drove into Lewis in Baku, and then the unfortunate startline shunt with his team-mate Kimi Räikkönen in Singapore.

But Vettel’s love of the sport’s history, and his affection for what his countryman Michael Schumacher achieved at Maranello, has proved an irresistible attraction for Ferrari fans so far. He has three more years to etch his name into Ferrari folklore, but the fans won’t fully take him to their hearts unless he brings home a world championship for them.

STATS Ferrari starts/wins 30/5 Percentage of vote 1.4% 9 ALAIN PROST

He was a man accustomed to winning, yet Alain Prost ultimately didn’t quite live up to the expectations of the faithful, carrying the can for the team’s competitive slump and finding himself unceremoniously dumped before the end of his second season (1991).

He had first endeared himself to the Italian faithful as a Mclaren driver, stooping down from the Monza podium in 1989 to gave away his winners’ trophy, much to the fury of Mclaren boss Ron Dennis. For 1990, he and Gerhard Berger swapped teams and Prost partnered Nigel Mansell for his two-year stint at Maranello. During his time at Ferrari, Prost applied his Jackie Stewartinspired driving to the cockpit: a neat flowing style, never out of shape or offline. Victory was always acknowledged by a discreet wave of the hand.

He took five wins in 1990 and pushed his arch-rival Ayrton Senna all the way for the title until that infamous collision at Suzuka. Politically astute, Prost was always looking for any advantage his relationship with FIA president Jean-marie Balestre might bring. And, as Senna discovered, that made him a dangerous opponent.

His obsessive approach to work and intellectual rigour resulted in long engineering debriefs, but it didn’t pay off in terms of progress and in 1991 Ferrari lost ground to Mclaren and Williams. Prost failed to score a victory that year, and after publicly likening the handling of the Steve Nichols-designed 643 to that of a truck, he was replaced by test driver Gianni Morbidelli for the final race of ’91.

STATS Ferrari starts/wins 27/13 Percentage of vote 1.4% 8 ALBERTO ASCARI

Racing in a smart collared shirt and his trademark light-blue crash helmet, Ascari joined Ferrari in 1949 and took the fight to Alfa Romeo and Juan Manuel Fangio. During his greatest years, 1952-53, a grand prix weekend was a relatively straightforward affair. He would take pole, lead all the way to the finish, and collect another trophy. Back then, the world championship was run to Formula 2 regulations and the Italian won 11 of the 17 grands prix that counted towards his two world titles – and even contested the Indianapolis 500.

Ascari’s popularity lay, perhaps, in his astounding run of success. He won at Spa in June 1952 and did so again in June 1953. Such was the measure of his domination that, in the intervening period, no other driver won a world championship grand prix. Team owner Enzo Ferrari said Ascari had a “precise and distinctive style, but was a man who had to lead from the start.”

Having claimed two drivers’ titles with Ferrari, he switched to Lancia for 1954. This softly spoken gent, born into a racing family, was notoriously superstitious and at Monaco in 1955 he famously crashed into the Mediterranean, escaping with only a broken nose. Later that week, aged 36 and testing a factory Ferrari sportscar at Monza, he suffered a fatal crash at the left-handed corner that now bears his name. It was the 26th day of the month; his father, Antonio, also 36, was killed on the same day at Montlhéry in 1925. For both, their fatal accidents came four days after a miraculous escape.

STATS Ferrari starts/wins 31/3 Percentage of vote 1.6% 7 NIGEL MANSELL

As Enzo’s final signing before his death in 1988, Mansell truly captured the imagination of the Ferrari fans. First time out in Brazil, he surprised everyone by piloting his 640 to victory – and memorably cut his hands on the trophy. It was the first of many theatrics in rosso corsa.

With his dogged determination and fighting spirit, Mansell wowed crowds with his speed and daring overtaking manoeuvres, and the Italians took him to their hearts, labelling him Il Leone – ‘The Lion’. Who can forget his daredevil pass on Gerhard Berger’s Mclaren around the outside of the notorious Peraltada? Or his brilliant opportunistic overtake on Ayrton Senna as they approached Stefan Johansson’s Onyx at the Hungaroring? His skill came to the fore at Imola, when he was pushed onto the grass at over 150mph, pirouetted, and brought his car under control once more.

Mansell raced for Ferrari across 1989 and 1990, but often seemed to bear the brunt of the team’s reliability problems. He also grew increasingly weary of Alain Prost’s status within the team and felt himself politically outmanoeuvred by the wily Frenchman. But he did learn a smattering of Italian, once proclaiming himself to be

“molto, molto contento” – “very, very happy” – in his signature Brummie accent.

When his car broke down at Silverstone in 1990, he memorably threw his gloves into the crowd and announced his retirement from Formula 1 – only to reconsider and sign for Williams the following season.

STATS Ferrari starts/wins 96/11 Percentage of vote 5.3% 6 FERNANDO ALONSO

In Bahrain 2010, Alonso won on his debut for Ferrari, becoming only the fifth driver ever to achieve such a feat. At his next race, in Australia, he was punted to the tail of the field early on, but recovered on a damp track to finish in fourth place. The Ferrari fans knew they had a driver worthy of their team, and he achieved legendary status when he put his scarlet machine on pole at Monza, then scored victory the following day. It was the Scuderia’s first home win in four years.

But then disaster struck at the final race of 2010. Carrying an eight-point lead going into the Abu Dhabi title showdown, a strategic blunder left Alonso stuck behind Vitaly Petrov’s Renault. Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel duly stormed into the lead and stole the title from him. Afterwards, in the darkness of the Yas Marina paddock, the Ferrari hospitality unit was numb with despair. Everyone was in shock. This was the closest Alonso would ever get to winning the world championship with the Scuderia.

The following season, 2011, was a disaster, but Alonso’s performance took an upswing in the second half of 2012. Once again he was eclipsed by Vettel at the titledeciding final race of the season, and a year later finished runner-up to the German once again. His patience had finally expired and divorce came about when he was asked in 2014 what he would like for his 32nd birthday present. When he replied: “La macchina degli altri” – “Someone else’s car,” it was game over.

STATS Ferrari starts/wins 57/15 Percentage of vote 5.4% 5 NIKI LAUDA

Under the new leadership of Luca di Montezemolo, Ferrari hired the relatively unknown and headstrong Niki Lauda for 1974. The team had been in a state of disarray, but thanks to the ambitious and studious Lauda, results swiftly began to materialise.

In his first year there, Lauda netted six consecutive poles, but was let down by engine reliability and his own indiscretions behind the wheel. Everything clicked into place for 1975, though, and Lauda was the class of the field. When he got his hands on the new 312T, he won three of the next five races and romped to the title.

The following season, 1976, is well-documented, and was when he sealed his place in the affections of Ferrari fans for his sheer determination and courage. Six weeks after suffering dreadful burns at the Nürburgring, Lauda showed up at Monza, qualified fifth and finished fourth in the race. As he emerged from his cockpit, he stoically peeled his balaclava away from his fresh wounds, highlighting the true horror of his ordeal. When he decided to retire his car in terrible weather conditions at the Fuji finale, Ferrari suggested they blame a mechanical fault. But Lauda’s belief was that honesty was the best policy – no matter what the consequences.

Of the 24 pole positions that Lauda recorded over his career, only one, at Kyalami in 1978, was not set at the wheel of a Ferrari. He won his second championship for the Scuderia in 1977 before falling out with Enzo Ferrari and departing for Brabham.

STATS Ferrari starts/wins 7/3 Percentage of vote 5.6% 4 JUAN MANUEL FANGIO

It’s worth remembering that Juan Manuel Fangio didn’t arrive in Europe to compete in the newly formed world championship until he was 38 years old. Yet he returned to Argentina a decade later with five world titles and 24 grand prix victories from 51 starts. Over the course of his career he raced for Alfa Romeo, Maserati and Mercedes, and joined Ferrari for 1956, where he won his fourth world title. That year Ferrari were running the ungainly Lancias, handed over to Enzo after Ascari’s death when financial problems led that team to abandon racing.

Perhaps Fangio’s greatest drive for Ferrari came at the Monaco Grand Prix, and it was an uncharacteristically untidy one for the maestro. After spinning on oil at Ste Dévote on the opening lap he began a spirited comeback, but damaged his D50 when he struck his team-mate Peter Collins’ car and then hit the wall at Tabac. He came into the pits to take over Collins’ machine and was a minute and a half behind leader Stirling Moss when he rejoined. He drove on the limit all race and at the finish he was just six seconds behind.

“It was maybe the strongest race I ever drove,” said Fangio years later. “Even in those days it was difficult to overtake at Monaco. And I did overtake a few…”

‘El Chueco’ won the world championship for Ferrari at the final race of the year at Monza, but returned to Maserati for the following season. From the seven races he started with Ferrari, he scored five podiums – three of them in a shared car.

STATS Ferrari starts/wins 66/6 Percentage of vote 10.3% 3 GILLES VILLENEUVE

Perhaps no other racer encapsulates the spirit of a Ferrari racing driver more than Gilles. He doesn’t star in statistical terms – there’s no world championship or pole record. But the sight of Villeneuve, often in a recalcitrant red car, going sideways at 130mph with his foot to the floor, reminds you of everything that is great about grand prix racing. Those who raced against Gilles said that he was hard, but fair. “An honourable man,” according to Keke Rosberg, “but he would always be the last to lift…”

Driving for the Scuderia was all part of Villeneuve’s romantic racing vision. He made his debut for Mclaren at Silverstone in 1977, but from then on, the next 66 races of his Formula 1 career were all at the wheel of a Ferrari. His final moments were on a qualifying lap at Zolder in 1982, when he crashed with fatal consequences.

Villeneuve was both fearless and fast. During practice in a deluge at Watkins Glen in 1979, only eight drivers ventured out. Villeneuve’s team-mate Jody Scheckter admitted he scared himself in the conditions that day. When he returned to the pits, he was astonished when he saw the lap times. He was more than nine seconds slower than Gilles. On every lap, in every session, the FrenchCanadian racer wanted to be quicker than anyone else.

When remembering Gilles, fans always recall his never-give-up attitude, such as when he memorably brought his Ferrari back to the Zandvoort pits in 1982 on three wheels, or his classic wheel-to-wheel duel with René Arnoux at Dijon in 1979. He was a true legend.

STATS Ferrari starts/wins 128/9 Percentage of vote 12.4% 2 KIMI RÄIKKÖNEN

Before Alonso, Kimi was the last driver to win on his Ferrari debut. He memorably claimed victory at the 2007 Australian Grand Prix, but it transpired that, unlike his rivals, rather than spending the weekend before acclimatising to the Melbourne timezone, he’d entered a snowmobile race in Finland, under the pseudonym ‘James Hunt’. Later that season he raced a jet-ski with a group of friends, dressed as a gorilla…

Räikkönen’s Hunt-inspired playboy lifestyle away from the track is in stark contrast to his persona during a grand prix weekend. Aloof and monosyllabic, he shuns the limelight and is famously undemonstrative on the podium. What fuels him is the desire to race cars as fast as possible, and he has an innate ability behind the wheel: smooth and precise.

While the Hamilton/alonso Mclarens were scrapping with each other over the course of the 2007 season, the ‘Iceman’ delivered a late-season surge to scoop the world championship – and he is still the last Ferrari driver to have achieved that feat.

Having been dropped in favour of Alonso for 2010, he explored alternative racing options, including the WRC, but was given a reprieve to return to Maranello when Felipe Massa vacated his seat at the end of 2014. Today he is often close to team-mate Seb Vettel on pace, but is rarely a threat. Yet you suspect that if he had the application of say, a Vettel, then he would have more than just the one championship to his name by now.

“MICHAEL WAS BRILLIANT AT GALVANISING A TEAM AROUND HIM AND TOOK THE SCIENCE OF FITNESS TO A NEW LEVEL”

STATS Ferrari starts/wins 179/72 Percentage of vote 50.1% 1 MICHAEL SCHUMACHER

In Chris Rea’s 1996 homage to Ferrari, La Passione, the music revs up in anticipation of a shot of Michael Schumacher emerging from the gloom, his bright red machine cresting the hill on Barcelona’s start/finish straight. The shot is from the 1996 Spanish GP where he secured his first win for the Scuderia, the wet conditions masking the deficiencies of the F310.

Ferrari had spent years in the doldrums and Schumacher was their saviour, but in the early days, the pressure was immense. There was the nervy, desperate end to the 1997 finale at Jerez; Schumacher stalled on the grid at the Suzuka showdown in 1998; and he suffered an accident at Silverstone that broke his leg and hindered his 1999 campaign. But by 2000, under the watch of Jean Todt, and steered by Ross Brawn and Rory Byrne, Schumacher took Ferrari to unprecedented success.

When he won the drivers’ crown in 2000 it was Ferrari’s first in 21 years and the town of Maranello could finally celebrate. In that year, and in 2001, he took nine victories – tying with Nigel Mansell for the most in a season. He also eclipsed Alain Prost’s race win tally of 51. In scenes reminiscent of Ascari’s feats half a century before, between Indy in 2001 and Japan 2002 he set 19 consecutive podiums. He finished every race of 2002 on the rostrum and took 11 wins across the season. Having taken the title in 2003, he claimed his seventh and final championship in 2004, winning 12 of the first 13 races and settling the title by August.

Schumacher’s name was now inextricably linked with that of Ferrari. His success was often littered with controversy, but he was brilliant at galvanising a team around him and took the science of fitness to a new level. He would spend endless days testing at Fiorano and loved to dine with his mechanics at the Montana restaurant in Maranello. He appeared as himself as a Ferrari F430 in Disney’s Cars, and became an ambassador for the Prancing Horse after hanging up his helmet for the first time at the end of 2006.

He returned to F1 in 2010 with Mercedes, but failed to achieved the same success. When news of his skiing accident emerged in December 2013, there was relief that he had survived, but silence over the extent of his injuries implies they are grave. The fact that one of every two votes in this poll was for Schumi, proves how popular he still is. Keep fighting, Michael.

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