Favourite Ferrari Driver???

[Tony79]

For me it's Alesi. I was too young when Gilles was racing to remember him but I love the fact that Jean turned down a Williams drive because he wanted to race for Ferrari, to drive the number 27 car of his idol and despite very often having fragile and, truth be told, dogs of cars, he would always drive the thing as fast as possible. Sometimes luck went against him (monza 94 and 95 I almost cried for him) but I was so happy that he managed to get his win, in the number 27 at the race named after his idol. Probably the last true heart over head pairing of driver and team that we've seen.

[Rob]

Alesi, Mansell, Schuey, Alonso, to be honest all of them as they drove for Ferrari.

i know bit young to remember him or ever see race, but read alot about him and he drove Alfas but under Scuderia Ferrari, Tazio Nuvolari.

[wisepie]

Awww, it's really nice to read that - I like when people who have seen more Ferrari drivers come and go than some of us cite Felipe as one of their favourites

Thanks for that, Suzie, also forgot to credit Rubens as one of the favourites as he did very much what Felipe is doing, just that he's been a bit naughty since by crying over spilt milk. Shame that he had to turn on them and despite being really friendly with Felipe, I hope it doesn't rub off on him when the time comes, which I hope won't be soon.

[dongtea]

Fernando Alonso.... he doesn't need the 'best/fastest car to win a races. Give him a competitive one and see the final results ....

[brembo man]

Thanks for that, Suzie, also forgot to credit Rubens as one of the favourites as he did very much what Felipe is doing, just that he's been a bit naughty since by crying over spilt milk. Shame that he had to turn on them and despite being really friendly with Felipe, I hope it doesn't rub off on him when the time comes, which I hope won't be soon.

I don't think Felipe has the chance to do what Rubens did for Ferrari. He has to be up front to move over and give points to Alonso. Where he winds up lately is not much help as a #2 driver at all. Hopefully things will change and Massa will be up in the 2nd spot or 1st, and then lets see if he cries when told to move over. I'm sure he'll move over but not with a smile. By the way thanks for recognizing Rubens as a former Ferrari driver! Even if you call him a crybaby he did us right, even the chin will " let him pass" on not being the happiest guy on the team at the time.

[anupa2k]

For me its always going to be Fernando Alonso...

[Italian Spirit]

I was lucky enough to go to Monza in 1967 (won by Surtees in a Honda!) and vowed then to support Ferrari because the atmosphere was so electric. There were tears and tantrums owing to lack of success for years, bad leadership and arguments within the team with Enzo over-ruling everyone and no consistency. The team had become a bit of a joke but the passion was always there and when Scheckter got his title it was fantastic, followed by Lauda's success, but little did we expect to wait all those years for Schuey to deliver, albeit with help from Brits who finally turned the Italian way of doing things into a much more cohesive outfit. There wasn't the media attention then and F1 was a very different scene with less technology and sophistication, and as far as I'm concerned it was still a proper sport but sadly a high price was paid by some drivers. TV coverage wasn't good so there wasn't the opportunity for a team to be slagged off in the way it is now, nor were there sites like the scuderia.net. for us to let off steam!!

What would the world become without the Brits!

NOTE: Given your "Brit" background you probably ignore it, but the "Italian way of doing things" gave rise to the Renaissance (feel free to consult Wikipedia to discover what it is), built cities like Venice and Florence, produced a culture which depth and extent are out of your reach, and... and I could continue for pages on end, but I doubt that these are the sort of things that impress or interest you. And reminding you that, with Greece, Rome was the cradle of western civilization, will leave you perfectly cold, right? But I can probably wake your interest by saying that you'll find better food and wine in any little Tuscan village than wherever in the Kingdom.

PS What precede is not dictated by some nationalistic pride for my roots, old and far as they are, but because I'm a bit saturated by the silly chauvinistic and despising attitude of some people toward whatever is not insular. But don't get me wrong, some of my best friends are British.
Well, truly they are Scots, but I suppose you condescend to consider them British, or...? Not that they care much...

Have a nice Brit afternoon watching the olympics and enjoying your Fish 'n Chips.

[scuderiafan]

To be honest, i can never dislike a Ferrari driver who gives it his best for the team, or is successful.

[Suzie]

PS What precede is not dictated by some nationalistic pride for my roots, old and far as they are, but because I'm a bit saturated by the silly chauvinistic and despising attitude of some people toward whatever is not insular. But don't get me wrong, some of my best friends are British.
Well, truly they are Scots, but I suppose you condescend to consider them British, or...? Not that they care much...

I really don't think wisepie's comment was meant in the derogatory way you've taken it; nor do I think it warranted some parts of your response.

At the end of the day, if we all didn't have an appreciation for Italian things, we wouldn't be Ferrari fans.

Sent from my GT-I9100P using Tapatalk 2

[racingbradley]

What would the world become without the Brits!

[SIZE=1]NOTE: Given your "Brit" background you probably ignore it, but the "Italian way of doing things"[I] gave rise to the Renaissance (feel free to consult Wikipedia to discover what it is), built cities like Venice and Florence, produced a culture which depth and extent are out of your reach, and... and I could continue for pages on end, but I doubt that these are the sort of things that impress or interest you. And reminding you that, with Greece, Rome was the cradle of western civilization, will leave you perfectly cold, right? But I can probably wake your interest by saying that you'll find better food and wine in any little Tuscan village than wherever in the Kingdom.

Italian spirit this cannot be from you (maybe your younger brother) I usually enjoy reading your posts.
I don't think Wispie was being critical of the whole Italian culture as indeed would any of us here.
Many Italians have settled in Britian and have enriched our culture too.
I just think Wispie was talking about the management team at Ferrari pre the Schmi years.
Most teams employ the best people they can get irrespective of nationality.

[Hornet]

Most teams employ the best people they can get irrespective of nationality.

Heh, true. For the critical or important position, talent comes first.

Which is why I think we should avoid bringing up nationality factor to avoid derailing the discussion here. Doesn't matter if a person is from Britain or Japan or Mars, they do not simply bring over their working ways. No one can say lets do this the Japanese way, or lets do this the Hungarian way.

Everyone in Ferrari is working the Ferrari way. Not even Brawn or Schumi or Alonso can change that.

[REDARMYSOJA]

I was lucky enough to go to Monza in 1967 (won by Surtees in a Honda!) and vowed then to support Ferrari because the atmosphere was so electric. There were tears and tantrums owing to lack of success for years, bad leadership and arguments within the team with Enzo over-ruling everyone and no consistency. The team had become a bit of a joke but the passion was always there and when Scheckter got his title it was fantastic, followed by Lauda's success, but little did we expect to wait all those years for Schuey to deliver, albeit with help from Brits who finally turned the Italian way of doing things into a much more cohesive outfit.

I probably should just leave this alone but I feel compelled to comment on what wisepie said as I can see why Italian Spirit took exception to some of it.

First off, true Ferrari went a long time without winning a championship after Scheckter, but there were some good years in there where they did come close, namely the year Gilles was killed and Pironi injured where everyone agrees the championship would have went to a Ferrari that year if not for those unfortunate events. Plus there were Constructor championships after Scheckter and 1990 where Prost well should have been champion.

But in my opinion the true problem during the lean years at Ferrari was a combination of Enzo's failing health, his subsequent death, and afterwards FIAT trying to run the team by commitee. And it should be noted the turn around at Ferrari began when an Italian by the name of Luca Cordero di Montezemolo was put in charge. However wisepie is correct to an extent that there were some problem with the "Italian way of doing things" but I think that was due to bad choices in managment plus complacency by some on the team. This was noted by John Barnard when he came aboard.

The main problem seemed to be that Ferrari had fallen behind in technology as F1 was fast becoming a much more professional sport and the old "Italian way" of doing things (which had worked well for a long time it should be noted) just wasn't getting the job done anymore. This problem was also noted by Luca when he took over and he said as much. It was this atmosphere he immediately set out to change, and it wasn't as much an "Italian way" problem as a personel problem.

So another thing which should be noted is that the real change at Ferrari came about when a Frenchman, Jean Todt was hired. It was he who really changed the way things were being done. Nigel Stepney (the detestable one) said that when Todt was first hired "people were being fired every day". (too bad Stepney wasn't one of them)

I also don't think wisepie meant to be insulting, but for the record it has to be recognized that Ferrari turning it's fortunes around and becoming winners again was a combined effort of nationalities, Italian, French, German and British. That is exactly what Luca said he would do when he returned to Ferrari, look for the best people where ever they are. It worked very well to say the least and I think the last few seasons have shown that the Italians have learned to play the F1 game as well or better than anyone. They might have been behind at one time but have adapted quite well and proved that the "Italian way" is an evolving thing.

[aroutis]

I probably should just leave this alone but I feel compelled to comment on what wisepie said as I can see why Italian Spirit took exception to some of it.

First off, true Ferrari went a long time without winning a championship after Scheckter, but there were some good years in there where they did come close, namely the year Gilles was killed and Pironi injured where everyone agrees the championship would have went to a Ferrari that year if not for those unfortunate events. Plus there were Constructor championships after Scheckter and 1990 where Prost well should have been champion.

But in my opinion the true problem during the lean years at Ferrari was a combination of Enzo's failing health, his subsequent death, and afterwards FIAT trying to run the team by commitee. And it should be noted the turn around at Ferrari began when an Italian by the name of Luca Cordero di Montezemolo was put in charge. However wisepie is correct to an extent that there were some problem with the "Italian way of doing things" but I think that was due to bad choices in managment plus complacency by some on the team. This was noted by John Barnard when he came aboard.

The main problem seemed to be that Ferrari had fallen behind in technology as F1 was fast becoming a much more professional sport and the old "Italian way" of doing things (which had worked well for a long time it should be noted) just wasn't getting the job done anymore. This problem was also noted by Luca when he took over and he said as much. It was this atmosphere he immediately set out to change, and it wasn't as much an "Italian way" problem as a personel problem.

So another thing which should be noted is that the real change at Ferrari came about when a Frenchman, Jean Todt was hired. It was he who really changed the way things were being done. Nigel Stepney (the detestable one) said that when Todt was first hired "people were being fired every day". (too bad Stepney wasn't one of them)

I also don't think wisepie meant to be insulting, but for the record it has to be recognized that Ferrari turning it's fortunes around and becoming winners again was a combined effort of nationalities, Italian, French, German and British. That is exactly what Luca said he would do when he returned to Ferrari, look for the best people where ever they are. It worked very well to say the least and I think the last few seasons have shown that the Italians have learned to play the F1 game as well or better than anyone. They might have been behind at one time but have adapted quite well and proved that the "Italian way" is an evolving thing.

If I may say so, Excellent post !

[wisepie]

What would the world become without the Brits!

NOTE: Given your "Brit" background you probably ignore it, but the "Italian way of doing things" gave rise to the Renaissance (feel free to consult Wikipedia to discover what it is), built cities like Venice and Florence, produced a culture which depth and extent are out of your reach, and... and I could continue for pages on end, but I doubt that these are the sort of things that impress or interest you. And reminding you that, with Greece, Rome was the cradle of western civilization, will leave you perfectly cold, right? But I can probably wake your interest by saying that you'll find better food and wine in any little Tuscan village than wherever in the Kingdom.

PS What precede is not dictated by some nationalistic pride for my roots, old and far as they are, but because I'm a bit saturated by the silly chauvinistic and despising attitude of some people toward whatever is not insular. But don't get me wrong, some of my best friends are British.
Well, truly they are Scots, but I suppose you condescend to consider them British, or...? Not that they care much...

Have a nice Brit afternoon watching the olympics and enjoying your Fish 'n Chips.

No offence intended with 'the Italian way of doing things', I love Italy with a passion and prefer it to England, but over the years it has earned itself a reputation for being a bit chaotic. It's a fabulous country with so much achievement to be recognised, not least of which is out beloved Ferrari. Even the Italians are doing OK in the Olympics, and no, I won't be watching any more than I have to!

[wisepie]

Italian spirit this cannot be from you (maybe your younger brother) I usually enjoy reading your posts.
I don't think Wispie was being critical of the whole Italian culture as indeed would any of us here.
Many Italians have settled in Britian and have enriched our culture too.
I just think Wispie was talking about the management team at Ferrari pre the Schmi years.
Most teams employ the best people they can get irrespective of nationality.

Thanks for the vote of confidence, I wasn't being critical and am a complete Italophile!

[wisepie]

If I may say so, Excellent post !

Very good overall perception of what was happening and appreciate you taking my comments in the way intended!

[SashAlex]

Shumi! Easily.

[brembo man]

Look at it this way, Italy has it's Ferraris, Germany has it's Mercedes, Japan has it's Hondas and Toyatas. All welocome to team up with F1. Well as long as Bernie gets his well deserved cut.

[F1NAC]

Schumi , Alonso and even Mansell .

[flam147]

I was lucky enough to go to Monza in 1967 (won by Surtees in a Honda!) and vowed then to support Ferrari because the atmosphere was so electric. There were tears and tantrums owing to lack of success for years, bad leadership and arguments within the team with Enzo over-ruling everyone and no consistency. The team had become a bit of a joke but the passion was always there and when Scheckter got his title it was fantastic, followed by Lauda's success, but little did we expect to wait all those years for Schuey to deliver, albeit with help from Brits who finally turned the Italian way of doing things into a much more cohesive outfit. There wasn't the media attention then and F1 was a very different scene with less technology and sophistication, and as far as I'm concerned it was still a proper sport but sadly a high price was paid by some drivers. TV coverage wasn't good so there wasn't the opportunity for a team to be slagged off in the way it is now, nor were there sites like the scuderia.net. for us to let off steam!!

Bold bits

[Brakefade]

Schumi, Gilles, Alonso, Felipe (heart).

[FFFerrari]

Gilles, Fangio, Berger, the man in the icecream van. Can't say that I really like either of our current drivers but I'm a fan of the team, not the drivers.

[Sianellen]

Alesi and Felipe

[Pekka]

Räikkönen, Salo, Schumacher

[Ayrton01CZ]

Michael Schumacher - he was always my hero, first driver I have ever seen to win a grand prix since I'm watching Formula 1. I've spend whole my childhood watching him in his greatest Ferrari era. As I'm making F1 videos for fun I've decided to make a tribute to his wonderful career, to put together every highs and lows of his career and release this one big story about him on youtube and hope that nobody will never forget what he's done - the most successful Ferrari driver ever.

Of course that season is still underway and anything can happen, it's Formula 1, but so far I've release this trailer. I hope you'll enjoy it :)

[speedmaster]

Undoubtedly Gilles for me...

I have some collection of quotes from other drivers and F1 notables on him... I feel extremely happy for this man everytime I read these...

Alan Jones: on the 1979 Canadian GP
[just after having passed Gilles for the lead] "I've done it, and once I was into the lead I built up a bit of a cushion. But as soon as I backed off a fraction there was that bloody red -box in my mirrors again ! Villeneuve was unbelievable like that - I mean, he never gave up. He was the best driver I ever raced against, I think, and I certainly enjoyed my fights with him more than with anyone else, because I always knew exactly where I was with him. He'd never drive straight at you or edge you into a wall, or any of that stuff

Alain Prost
" ...with me and my competitors it's battle for pole position as that's important but with Gilles you will see a battle for everything ...including 10th place ..."
"He made the fastest start of anybody here. I thought he must know a trick ...all season he had quicker starts, no one could compare"

Niki Lauda
"I liked him even more than I admired him. He was the best - and the fastest - racing driver in the world."
"Gilles was the perfect racing driver who knew where to take which advantage where ...."
"Villeneuve had the best talent of all of us. Whatever car that you put him in he would have been quick."

Juan Manuel Fangio
"He will remain as a member of the family of the truly great drivers in auto racing history. Mr Enzo Ferrari, who is an authority on these matters, has compared Villeneuve to Tazio Nuvolari. Nuvolari in my younger days was the great idol. All drivers wanted to equal the great Nuvolari. They struggled to match but could only imitate him. To be compared to Nuvolari is to receive the highest praise.
Villeneuve did not race to finish, he did not race for points. He raced to win. Although small in stature he was a giant."

Jacques Laffite
"I know that no human being can do a miracle. Nobody commands magical properties, but Gilles made you wonder. He was that quick."

Keke Rosberg
"To Gilles, racing truly was a sport, which is why he would never chop you. Something like that he'd look on with contempt. You didn't have to be a good driver to do that, let alone a great one. Anyone could do that. Gilles was the hardest I ever raced against, but completely fair. If you'd beaten him to a corner, he accepted it and gave you room. Then he'd be right back at you at the next one !
Sure, he took unbelievable risks - but only with himself - and that's why I get off now when people compare Senna with him. Gilles was a giant of a driver, yes, but he was also a great man."

Jean Sage, team manager, Renault
"Gilles was extraordinary. Everyone of us, every team would have loved to have a Gilles. The mastery he had, the ability. He could do absolutely anything he wanted to do with his car. Most considered him the best competitor of Formula [One] cars of our time.

Jackie Stewart
[during the middle of the 1979 season:]
"Oh, I think he's superb, and I believe he'll get better and better. At the moment he still makes mistakes, misses the odd apex, gets up on a curb, uses a little too much road on the way out sometimes, but i'm being hypercritical here. His level of natural talent is phenomenal - there's real genius in his car control."

Rene Arnoux
"It was terrible when Gilles died. I cried that day and the next one, too, even though I had to race ...and I remember the feeling that we were all starting equal, from now on. Villeneuve was gone. We all knew he had a talent beyond our reach."

Frank Williams
[on Canada 1979]
"I was very proud of Alan that day. We had the best car at the time, without a doubt, and the only driver on the track we feared was that little French Canadian ..."

James Hunt
" He was quick!We were driving identical cars for the same (Formula Atlantic) team, so I knew. Ok, he was doing what he was used to, and I wasn't, but in Formula One I reckoned I was as quick as anybody of the time, and I couldn't get near him"

Chris Amon;
"This guy (GV) is something else again. In 15 years of racing I've never seen anyone behave like he does after a shunt. - I mean, he doesn't react at all! It's just like nothing has happened although the state of the car tells you different... (question - Is he quick?) - Quick? He's quicker than anybody I've ever seen!"

Gordon Murray;
" That (Járama, 1981) is the greatest drive I have seen by any driver. You can't believe how evil the Ferrari was! With all that pressure on him Villeneuve never made a mistake."

Nigel Roebuck;
"Although in his brief F1 career, he never had a car remotely a match for his ability it never compromised his effort or commitment. He had a pure genius for driving race cars that was sublime. There was no one like him."

Harvey Postlethwaite
"That car, the original [Ferrari] 126C turbo had literally one quarter of the downforce that, say Williams or Brabham had. It had a power advantage over the Cosworths for sure, but it also had massive throttle lag at that time. In terms of sheer ability I think Gilles was on a different plane to the other drivers. To win those races [the 1981 GPs at Monaco and Jarama] - on tight circuits - was quite out of this world. I know how bad that car was."

Enzo Ferrari after Gilles' death
My past is scarred with grief ...father, mother, brother, sister, wife ...my life is full of sad memories. I look back and I see my loved ones ...and among my loved ones I see the face of this great man: Gilles Villeneuve."

[Ken]

Have seen a lot of drivers pass through the Portals of Ferrari.

And in their time with the team they have all been respected and admired for what they were able to achieve, given the variable standards of our cars and teams through the years.

I could pick out a fellow Northern Irish man Eddie Irvine, I have soft spot indeed for Felipe, then there is Michael Schumachers' golden years, go back to drivers like Fangio, Ascari, Hawthorn all greats in their day.

Ferrari is the legend, helped by all the drivers from the past and present.

Favourites ? too many to choose from

[anialonso]

To me,Alonso is my favourite Ferrari driver..

[SoumyaBanerjee]

I agree, Michael is a ferrari driver in white overalls.

I really like your devotion towards Michael Schumacher. Its surprising to see how little of the deserved love he gets from Ferrari fans,who generally tend to prefer less able but more colorful drivers such as Alesi or Irvine.
As for me,Michael is my all-time favorite,if only because of the huge debt which all we tifosi owe him. I have also always had a soft corner for Prost and Fangio,even if i never got to see the latter race...

[SoumyaBanerjee]

Why isnt Kimi liked by the tifosi?? I thought his unique personality would win him many fans!!!!