Kimi Antonelli’s maiden Formula 1 victory at the Chinese Grand Prix has firmly added the Mercedes driver’s name to the record books, with the teenager becoming the sport’s second-youngest race winner (having one day earlier taken the accolade of the youngest-ever polesitter).
Antonelli also became the first Italian to win a race for 20 years, bringing the long wait since Giancarlo Fisichella’s 2006 triumph in Malaysia to an end. With this, the 19-year-old is now the 16th Italian to claim an F1 victory.
To mark the accolade, F1.com has taken a trip down memory lane to remember the 15 other names on that illustrious list, with Italy’s previous winners including two World Champions and several one-off victors…
Giuseppe ‘Nino’ Farina
A decorated name heads the list, as we begin with Giuseppe ‘Nino’ Farina – a man who was not only Italy’s maiden race winner but indeed the first-ever victor in Formula 1, having triumphed in the sport’s debut championship race at Silverstone in 1950 behind the wheel of an Alfa Romeo.
Two more wins for Farina during the seven-round season saw him crowned the inaugural F1 World Champion, while he would go on to add two further victories to his name in the early 1950s before retiring from racing in 1955. Farina later lost his life in a road accident in 1966.
Luigi Fagioli
Racing alongside Farina for Alfa Romeo in 1950 was fellow Italian Luigi Fagioli, who took four second-place finishes during that campaign but did not reach the top step of the podium.
That changed in 1951 where, in what would be his final F1 appearance, Fagioli triumphed at the French Grand Prix – and at 53 years old, this victory also earned him the record that still stands today of being the sport’s oldest race winner. Just one year later, the Italian passed away following a crash during practice for a sports cars event in Monaco.
Alberto Ascari
Next up is Italy’s most prolific race winner – and only multiple World Champion – Alberto Ascari. After debuting during the sport’s maiden campaign in 1950, Ascari began his winning streak with two victories in 1951 for Ferrari.
Six visits to the top step of the podium in 1952 saw the Italian clinch the title, a feat he repeated in 1953 with five wins. Ascari – who remains the Scuderia’s only Italian World Champion – was later killed in an accident at a practice session held at Monza in 1955, leaving all of Italy in mourning.
Piero Taruffi
Fourth on the list of F1’s oldest winners, Piero Taruffi was 45 when he claimed his sole victory at the 1952 Swiss Grand Prix on his seventh race start, the Italian triumphing for Ferrari at the Bremgarten circuit.
As well as competing in 18 Grands Prix between 1950 and 1956, Taruffi had enjoyed success on motorcycles prior to his time in the sport, while he would also go on to achieve an impressive record in endurance racing.
Luigi Musso
Another sole race victor, the fifth driver from Italy to win in Formula 1 was Luigi Musso. After making his maiden appearance in 1953 for Maserati, Musso stood on the podium for the first time in 1954, which was followed by a second visit to the rostrum in the following season.
The Italian’s step up to the top spot came at the 1956 Argentine Grand Prix, where – on his debut outing for Ferrari – he shared the win with team mate Juan Manuel Fangio. Musso continued to race in the sport in 1957 before losing his life in an accident at the 1958 French Grand Prix.
Giancarlo Baghetti
The first Italian race winner of the 1960s, Giancarlo Baghetti also holds the unique record of being the only driver in F1 history to win on their debut with his triumph for the FISA team at the French Grand Prix in 1961.
Going on to race for the likes of Ferrari and Brabham in the seasons that followed, Baghetti never matched his historic feat but did secure three non-championship wins during the year of his Reims victory.
Lorenzo Bandini
After making his debut for the Scuderia Centro Sud team in 1961, Lorenzo Bandini went on to race for Ferrari, with whom he had claimed two podiums before clinching a debut win at the 1964 Austrian Grand Prix.
Bandini passed away in 1967 following an accident at the Monaco Grand Prix, but the Italian’s legacy continues through the Lorenzo Bandini Trophy, a prestigious award that each year recognises a driver, team or individual in F1 for their achievements.
Ludovico Scarfiotti
Ludovico Scarfiotti entered 10 Grands Prix between 1963 and 1968. Along the way he achieved one podium result – which also happened to be his sole victory, the Italian winning his home event for Ferrari in 1966.
As well as his sporadic appearances in F1, Scarfiotti experienced success in endurance racing, with his accolades including a win at the 1963 24 Hours of Le Mans alongside Lorenzo Bandini. The Italian lost his life during practice for a hillclimb event in 1968.
Vittorio Brambilla
Italy went without a race win for nearly a decade after Scarfiotti’s victory, with the next not arriving until 1975 when Vittorio Brambilla secured his sole P1 finish. And while it was the only triumph of the Italian’s 74-race F1 career, it would prove to be a memorable one.
A fan of driving in the rain, Brambilla – who had debuted in 1974 for March – utilised his skills at the 1975 Austrian Grand Prix, overtaking the likes of James Hunt and Niki Lauda as he climbed his way to the lead. The race was shortened owing to the conditions and, as he celebrated his win, Brambilla spun off and hit the wall, fortunately escaping unscathed from the incident.
Riccardo Patrese
The title of Italy’s most experienced driver goes to Riccardo Patrese, who notched up 256 starts between 1977 and 1993. This extensive run in the sport also saw him collect six wins, the first taking place on the streets of Monaco in 1982 for the Brabham team.
While another victory followed in 1983, Patrese had to wait until 1990 for his next triumph whilst racing for Williams – meaning that he still holds the statistic of the longest interval between wins, standing at six years, six months and 28 days.
Elio de Angelis
In that fallow period for Patrese during the 1980s, other Italians stood on the top step of the podium – the first being Elio de Angelis, who took the former of his two F1 victories at the 1982 Austrian Grand Prix at the wheel of the Lotus. A second win followed at Imola three years later.
After joining the Brabham team in 1986, De Angelis suffered a crash during a test session at the Paul Ricard circuit in France and tragically passed away in hospital the following day.
Michele Alboreto
Michele Alboreto arrived in Formula 1 with Tyrrell in 1981, the team that he scored his maiden victory with at the 1982 Caesar’s Palace season finale. Another win followed with the squad in 1983 before Alboreto switched to Ferrari in the campaign that followed.
The Italian added three further P1 finishes to his name during his five-year stint with the Scuderia, as well as claiming two pole positions. He would go on to complete a total of 194 Grands Prix starts, racing for various teams before his final race in 1994.
Alessandro Nannini
After two seasons racing for Minardi between 1986 and 1987, Alessandro Nannini moved to Benetton for 1988. One year later, Ayrton Senna’s disqualification from the Japanese Grand Prix – scene of the Brazilian’s infamous collision with Alain Prost – saw Nannini inherit a maiden race win.
While there were further podium finishes in 1990, that victory would prove to be Nannini’s last in F1. The Italian suffered a helicopter accident at the end of that year in which he severed his right arm, bringing his Formula 1 career to an end, though he later returned to racing in touring cars.
Giancarlo Fisichella
Fast-forward to 2003, and the next win for a driver from Italy arrived in chaotic style when Jordan’s Giancarlo Fisichella was belatedly crowned the winner of a dramatic Brazilian Grand Prix, with a timekeeping error at the end of the race – which had been red-flagged due to two heavy crashes – initially handing the victory to McLaren’s Kimi Raikkonen before later being rectified.
Fisichella would go on to score two further victories for Renault during the Enstone-based squad’s championship-winning era in 2005 and 2006, with the latter win in Malaysia marking the most recent triumph for an Italian driver prior to Antonelli’s maiden victory last weekend in China.
Jarno Trulli
Across an extensive Formula 1 career spanning 252 starts between 1997 and 2011, Jarno Trulli became known for his strong form in Qualifying – a skill that arguably helped him to take home what would be his only race win in 2004.
Racing for Renault, Trulli clinched the first of his four F1 pole positions at the Monaco Grand Prix and went on to hold position at the front come race day, handing the Italian a memorable triumph at the iconic Monte Carlo venue.
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