Driver Focus - Alberto Ascari
One of the great drivers of the pre-war Grand Prix era was a young Italian driver known as Antonio Ascari. A former mechanic and Alfa Romeo dealer turned racing driver, he won the inaugural Belgian Grand Prix in 1925. However, that same year was to prove to be his last. While leading the French Grand Prix, it began to rain; the Italian failed to slow his car down and rolled. In the pre-helmet era, his injuries proved fatal. He left a seven-year-old son, Alberto.
Despite his father’s premature death, Alberto grew up with a strong passion for motorsport. He raced motorcycles in his early years but was soon tempted into the world of four-wheel racing by Enzo Ferrari himself. Ascari was driving for Auto Avio Costruzioni, the company set up by Ferrari after splitting from Scuderia Ferrari’s parent company Alfa Romeo. Ferrari called Ascari to offer him a chance at racing in an AAC 815 at the great Mille Miglia. His performance in the race and the few races that followed confirmed his talent but soon racing was to take a sabbatical courtesy of the Second World War.
During the war, Ascari’s garage was used for the storage of military vehicles. He established a transport business with a fellow racing driver Luigi Villoresi.
When racing returned to the world, Ascari began racing in Grands Prix with Maserati. A new series of regulations was introduced by the FIA with the aim of replacing the pre-war structure. These new proposals became known as the ‘Formula One’ regulations.
Ascari’s first victory came in his native Italy at the 1948 San Remo Grand Prix, in the same year he finished second at the British Grand Prix behind his friend come Maserati teammate Villoresi.
He took victory with Maserati at the Buenos Aires Grand Prix in 1949 but Ascari’s greatest successes came when he joined Villoresi in a move to the Scuderia Ferrari team later that year and took another three victories in the 1949 season.
The first Formula One World Championship season took place in 1950, and the Ferrari team made its World Championship debut in Monte Carlo with Ascari, Villoresi, and a French driver Raymond Sommer. Ascari finished second in the race, his best result of the season. At Monza, he shared a second place with a relief driver and took victory at the non-championship round Penya Rhin Grand Prix.
Ascari won his first F1 World Championship race the following season at the Nürburgring in Germany before doubling his tally at Monza. He eventually finished runner-up in the championship to Juan Manuel Fangio.
Success in Formula One managed to convince Enzo Ferrari to prepare a car for Ascari to drive in the 1952 Indianapolis 500. The car only lasted 40 laps and Ascari was forced to retire from the race. However, this would become his only race of the season that he did not win. Six victories in a row followed, all with fastest lap also being claimed and five of which were from pole position.
In 1953, Ascari’s Ferrari provided him with another five victories and a second World Championship before he decided to move to Lancia with Villoresi as the Italian rivals were prepared to offer them both more money.
The 1954 season was a disaster, the Lancia car was not ready and Ascari was forced to sit out the beginning of the season. Juan Manuel Fangio took two victories for Maserati before switching to Daimler Benz, leaving a seat open for the Italian.
After two consecutive retirements Enzo Ferrari tempted Ascari back to his beloved Ferrari for the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. An engine failure forced him to retire but little did he know that a young Mario Andretti was in the crowd, having travelled to the track to watch his hero.
By the final race of the year, the Lancia was finally ready for Ascari and Villoresi but neither car managed to finish the race, with Villoresi’s car only managing two laps.
The only saving graces in 1954 for Ascari were a victory in the Mille Miglia and two fastest laps at the British and Spanish Grands Prix (despite only managing to complete ten laps in Spain).
The 1955 season did not start much better. An accident in Argentina forced him to retire after just 21 laps and a serious accident in Monaco almost took his life. His Lancia missed the chicane and was sent somersaulting into the harbour. Luckily, Ascari was able to escape the car and swim to rescue with little more than a broken nose, shock and a slightly damaged helmet.
Four days later, he unexpectedly appeared at Monza to watch a friend test a Ferrari sports car which they were to co-race in the Supercortemaggiore 1000 km race. Shortly before returning home he announced that he wanted to try a few laps for himself. He was dressed in a jacket and tie and his lucky blue helmet was at a repair shop, having a new chin-strap fitted.
He borrowed a helmet from his co-driver and set off. After only three laps, the car skidded on the fast Curva di Vialone, turned on its nose and somersaulted twice. Ascari was thrown onto the track and soon died from his injuries.
Both father and son killed at the age of 36, both had won 13 Grands Prix and died on the same day of the month as their race number, 26.
Italy mourned the death of Ascari with an estimated one million fans dressed in black turning up to witness the funeral procession through the streets of Milan. In the cemetery, Alberto’s body was laid to rest next to his father Antonio.
As a man, Ascari was hard to fathom. For an athlete, he had a very unathletic physique and was nicknamed ‘Ciccio’ (chubby) by the Italian fans. He was incredibly superstitious, avoiding black cats and unlucky numbers. He would not allow anyone else to handle the briefcase that contained this racing clothes, helmet, goggles and gloves. He was a chronic insomniac and suffered from stomach ulcers. For a family man, who loved his wife and children dearly, he very rarely showed them affection. When Enzo Ferrari once asked why this was, Ascari replied: "I don't want them to love me too much. Because then they will suffer less if one of these days I am killed."
