Remembering Ascari’s designated F1 heir

Italy’s Eugenio Castellotti was Alberto Ascari’s designated successor in F1 after the two-time world champion had died in Monza in 1955. Sadly, Castellotti had too little time to confirm his credentials, as the Lombardy-born racer perished aged only 26 when he crashed in a private Ferrari test session held in Modena on this date 59 years ago.

In his all-too-short life and career, Castellotti still managed to win the iconic Mille Miglia and the 12 Hours of Sebring partnering the great Juan Manuel Fangio. In only 14 grand prix starts, the Italian ace secured three podiums and a stunning pole position, outpacing the almighty Mercedes on the fearsome Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in 1955.

Martin Businaro

Recent Posts

Monaco GP: Friday's action in pictures

It was an eventful Friday in the Principality, with several session disruptions but at the…

2 hours ago

McLaren facing pace and reliability woes after difficult Monaco start

McLaren arrived in Monaco expecting to be firmly in the mix. Instead, the opening day…

3 hours ago

Russell: Ferrari hype justified – ‘clearly the team to beat’

George Russell says that Ferrari’s strong pace on Friday’s opening day of running at the…

3 hours ago

Briatore lifts lid on failed Mercedes talks over Alpine F1 stake

Alpine F1 boss Flavio Briatore has delivered a blunt assessment of why Mercedes boss Toto…

4 hours ago

Monaco GP: Hamilton and Leclerc keep Ferrari on top in FP2

Ferrari further tightened its hold on the Monaco Grand Prix weekend by locking out the…

5 hours ago

Monaco Grand Prix Free Practice 2 - Results

Full results from Free Practice 2 for the Monaco Grand Prix in Monte Carlo, round…

5 hours ago