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Wall Street Journal -- Italian Grand Prix: Where Are the Italian Drivers?
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pltrgyst
Sep 7, 2012, 10:05:57 AM9/7/12
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Italian Grand Prix: Where Are the Italian Drivers?
By JONATHAN CLEGG
Soccer is Italy's national sport, the Italian basketball league is one
of the strongest in Europe and the country's rugby team is a rising
world power.
Italy hasn't produced a Grand Prix winner since Giancarlo Fisichella won
in Malaysia in 2006.
But no sport captures the quintessential Italian virtues of glamour,
sophistication and the tendency to drive like a lunatic quite like
Formula 1.
Despite its glorious history on the race track, this weekend's Italian
Grand Prix at Monza will highlight a trend: Italy no longer produces
good drivers.
This season, for the first time since 1969, there is no Italian driver
in Formula 1, a shocking decline for a country that has produced 15
different Grand Prix winners, second only to Britain in the all-time
standings.
Italy hasn't produced a Grand Prix winner since Giancarlo Fisichella won
in Malaysia in 2006 and it's been nearly two years since an Italian
scored a point, when Tonio Liuzzi finished sixth at the Korean Grand Prix.
Those mediocre results come at a time when the lineup of drivers in
Formula 1 may be the strongest in history. This season, a record six
former world champions are competing on the circuit, while the
increasingly global nature of Formula 1 has made the talent pool deeper
than in past years.
Five years ago, the Formula 1 grid was composed of drivers from just
nine different countries. Today, some 14 nationalities are represented
on the circuit, an increase of more than one third, including drivers
from Russia, India and Venezuela.
"There are � a few more [drivers] from other countries," said Daniel
Ricciardo, an Australian driver for Scuderia Torro Rosso. "That's the
way I see it�it's not like the Italians are doing anything wrong."
This is a far cry from the days when Italy stood proudly atop the podium
in Formula 1. Giuseppe Farina, an Italian, won the inaugural Formula 1
world championship in 1950. Alberto Ascari became the first double world
champion three years later. As recently as 1990, Italians accounted for
nine of the 26 drivers on the starting grid for the season-opening Grand
Prix.
Some say the drop in Italian drivers is linked to broader changes to the
nature of Grand Prix racing, which is now less about blinding speed and
breakneck passing and more about managing downforce levels and tire
degradation following a series of rules changes during the past decade.
Italian drivers, who have long had a reputation for great pace but
questionable precision, have struggled to adapt.
Jarno Trulli, who raced for Renault, Toyota and Lotus during a 14-year
Formula 1 career, was consistently one of the fastest drivers on the
circuit in qualifying and regularly outperformed more heralded
teammates, including Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso. But he couldn't
translate that speed into results and he achieved just one win in 251
Formula 1 races.
"Honestly, I think it would be better if the cars were more simple,"
said Trulli, who raced for Caterham last season. "I'm a driver, not an
engineer."
It's also true that the success of legendary motorcycle racer Valentino
Rossi has convinced some promising Italian racers to make the switch
from cars to bikes. This season, six Italians have raced on the MotoGP
circuit.
But there are those who believe the biggest obstacle for Italian drivers
in Formula 1 may be the nation's most iconic automotive brand: Ferrari.
In Italy, Ferrari is Formula 1 in the eyes of many people. But the
team's preeminence on the track means individual Italian drivers
invariably get overshadowed, making it tougher for them to attract the
sponsors they need to progress through the karting championships and
junior racing series.
Even Formula 1 teams are now increasingly reliant on drivers to help pay
the bills through sponsorship dollars. (Trulli said his release by
Caterham in February was because he was unable to offer the team funding.)
"You don't see any Italian company or group of sponsors backing an
Italian driver," said Enrico Zanarini, a driver manager whose clients
have included former F1 drivers Fisichella and Liuzzi. "Ferrari takes
everything."
While the Scuderia Ferrari team is the most successful in Formula 1
history, with the most constructors' and drivers' championships, it is
clearly in the business of producing Italian cars, not Italian drivers.
No Italian has won a Grand Prix behind the wheel of a Ferrari since 1985
and only one of the team's nine world champions was an Italian�Ascari in
1953.
"Ferrari is not seen as a possibility for Italian drivers because
Italians haven't even been taken into consideration by Ferrari in recent
years," said Zanarini, adding that it could be five years before an
Italian reaches F1.
Still, there are signs that Ferrari may play a driving role in
developing Italy's next Formula 1 star. The team launched the Ferrari
Driver Academy in 2009 to promote young talent and has since signed
three Italian drivers, including Raffaele Marciello, a 17-year-old seen
as a future F1 champion.
==========================
By JONATHAN CLEGG
Soccer is Italy's national sport, the Italian basketball league is one
of the strongest in Europe and the country's rugby team is a rising
world power.
Italy hasn't produced a Grand Prix winner since Giancarlo Fisichella won
in Malaysia in 2006.
But no sport captures the quintessential Italian virtues of glamour,
sophistication and the tendency to drive like a lunatic quite like
Formula 1.
Despite its glorious history on the race track, this weekend's Italian
Grand Prix at Monza will highlight a trend: Italy no longer produces
good drivers.
This season, for the first time since 1969, there is no Italian driver
in Formula 1, a shocking decline for a country that has produced 15
different Grand Prix winners, second only to Britain in the all-time
standings.
Italy hasn't produced a Grand Prix winner since Giancarlo Fisichella won
in Malaysia in 2006 and it's been nearly two years since an Italian
scored a point, when Tonio Liuzzi finished sixth at the Korean Grand Prix.
Those mediocre results come at a time when the lineup of drivers in
Formula 1 may be the strongest in history. This season, a record six
former world champions are competing on the circuit, while the
increasingly global nature of Formula 1 has made the talent pool deeper
than in past years.
Five years ago, the Formula 1 grid was composed of drivers from just
nine different countries. Today, some 14 nationalities are represented
on the circuit, an increase of more than one third, including drivers
from Russia, India and Venezuela.
"There are � a few more [drivers] from other countries," said Daniel
Ricciardo, an Australian driver for Scuderia Torro Rosso. "That's the
way I see it�it's not like the Italians are doing anything wrong."
This is a far cry from the days when Italy stood proudly atop the podium
in Formula 1. Giuseppe Farina, an Italian, won the inaugural Formula 1
world championship in 1950. Alberto Ascari became the first double world
champion three years later. As recently as 1990, Italians accounted for
nine of the 26 drivers on the starting grid for the season-opening Grand
Prix.
Some say the drop in Italian drivers is linked to broader changes to the
nature of Grand Prix racing, which is now less about blinding speed and
breakneck passing and more about managing downforce levels and tire
degradation following a series of rules changes during the past decade.
Italian drivers, who have long had a reputation for great pace but
questionable precision, have struggled to adapt.
Jarno Trulli, who raced for Renault, Toyota and Lotus during a 14-year
Formula 1 career, was consistently one of the fastest drivers on the
circuit in qualifying and regularly outperformed more heralded
teammates, including Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso. But he couldn't
translate that speed into results and he achieved just one win in 251
Formula 1 races.
"Honestly, I think it would be better if the cars were more simple,"
said Trulli, who raced for Caterham last season. "I'm a driver, not an
engineer."
It's also true that the success of legendary motorcycle racer Valentino
Rossi has convinced some promising Italian racers to make the switch
from cars to bikes. This season, six Italians have raced on the MotoGP
circuit.
But there are those who believe the biggest obstacle for Italian drivers
in Formula 1 may be the nation's most iconic automotive brand: Ferrari.
In Italy, Ferrari is Formula 1 in the eyes of many people. But the
team's preeminence on the track means individual Italian drivers
invariably get overshadowed, making it tougher for them to attract the
sponsors they need to progress through the karting championships and
junior racing series.
Even Formula 1 teams are now increasingly reliant on drivers to help pay
the bills through sponsorship dollars. (Trulli said his release by
Caterham in February was because he was unable to offer the team funding.)
"You don't see any Italian company or group of sponsors backing an
Italian driver," said Enrico Zanarini, a driver manager whose clients
have included former F1 drivers Fisichella and Liuzzi. "Ferrari takes
everything."
While the Scuderia Ferrari team is the most successful in Formula 1
history, with the most constructors' and drivers' championships, it is
clearly in the business of producing Italian cars, not Italian drivers.
No Italian has won a Grand Prix behind the wheel of a Ferrari since 1985
and only one of the team's nine world champions was an Italian�Ascari in
1953.
"Ferrari is not seen as a possibility for Italian drivers because
Italians haven't even been taken into consideration by Ferrari in recent
years," said Zanarini, adding that it could be five years before an
Italian reaches F1.
Still, there are signs that Ferrari may play a driving role in
developing Italy's next Formula 1 star. The team launched the Ferrari
Driver Academy in 2009 to promote young talent and has since signed
three Italian drivers, including Raffaele Marciello, a 17-year-old seen
as a future F1 champion.
==========================
Noj
Sep 7, 2012, 10:20:32 AM9/7/12
to
pltrgyst wrote ...
>
> But no sport captures the quintessential Italian virtues of glamour,
> sophistication and the tendency to drive like a lunatic quite like
> Formula 1.
Far enough, can't be arsed to read any more - the article was written by
a fucktard.
>
> But no sport captures the quintessential Italian virtues of glamour,
> sophistication and the tendency to drive like a lunatic quite like
> Formula 1.
a fucktard.
Alessandro D. Petaccia
Sep 7, 2012, 12:15:19 PM9/7/12
to
conclusion - I wouldn't know about glamour and sophistication, but
italians do drive like lunatics, you know.
ADP.
Noj
Sep 7, 2012, 12:34:32 PM9/7/12
to
Alessandro D. Petaccia wrote ...
We know what happens when a lunatic driver gets into F1.
build
Sep 9, 2012, 7:49:32 AM9/9/12
to
beers,
Ian Dalziel
Sep 9, 2012, 9:34:35 AM9/9/12
to
On Sun, 9 Sep 2012 04:49:32 -0700 (PDT), build <bui...@gmail.com>
wrote:
>But there is an Italian driver in this years Italian GP.
Belgian.
--
Ian D
wrote:
>But there is an Italian driver in this years Italian GP.
--
Ian D
Sir Tim
Sep 9, 2012, 4:02:54 PM9/9/12
to
You might just as well say that Ricciardo and di Resta are Italian.
--
Henry Birkin, Bt.
--
Henry Birkin, Bt.
Noj
Sep 9, 2012, 4:23:19 PM9/9/12
to
Sir Tim wrote ...
>
> build <bui...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > But there is an Italian driver in this years Italian GP.
>
> You might just as well say that Ricciardo and di Resta are Italian.
You forget, the piss artist has delusions of being a Jock.
>
> build <bui...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > But there is an Italian driver in this years Italian GP.
>
> You might just as well say that Ricciardo and di Resta are Italian.
SNAFU
Sep 9, 2012, 8:20:10 PM9/9/12
to
Il 09/09/2012 22.02, Sir Tim ha scritto:
> build <bui...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> But there is an Italian driver in this years Italian GP.
>
> You might just as well say that Ricciardo and di Resta are Italian.
What about Bianchi?
> build <bui...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> But there is an Italian driver in this years Italian GP.
>
> You might just as well say that Ricciardo and di Resta are Italian.
:-)
brafield
Sep 10, 2012, 11:08:48 AM9/10/12
to
On 7 Sep, 07:05, pltrgyst <pltrg...@xhost.org> wrote:
> Italian Grand Prix: Where Are the Italian Drivers?
>
>
> Italian Grand Prix: Where Are the Italian Drivers?
>
>
> It's also true that the success of legendary motorcycle racer Valentino
> Rossi has convinced some promising Italian racers to make the switch
> from cars to bikes. This season, six Italians have raced on the MotoGP
> circuit.
There you have it. Much as I like F1 racing, its spectacle and
> Rossi has convinced some promising Italian racers to make the switch
> from cars to bikes. This season, six Italians have raced on the MotoGP
> circuit.
excitement simply fade to insignificance when compared to MotoGP and
Moto2.
Here's the chart of riders and their nationalities --- interesting
that the US has had 17 championships compared to Spain's two.
Italy rules, however!
brafield
Sep 10, 2012, 6:11:24 PM9/10/12
to
On 10 Sep, 08:08, brafield <sprat...@hotmail.com> wrote:
The url didn't post last time:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Grand_Prix_motorcycle_racing_World_champions
The url didn't post last time:
>
> Here's the chart of riders and their nationalities --- interesting that the US has had 17 championships compared to Spain's two.
> Italy rules on two wheels, however.
> Here's the chart of riders and their nationalities --- interesting that the US has had 17 championships compared to Spain's two.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Grand_Prix_motorcycle_racing_World_champions
Roman Figaj
Sep 11, 2012, 8:54:44 AM9/11/12
to
pltrgyst <pltr...@xhost.org> wrote:
>
> This season, for the first time since 1969, there is no Italian driver
> in Formula 1, a shocking decline for a country that has produced 15
> different Grand Prix winners, second only to Britain in the all-time
> standings.
>
So, imagine a grid sans British driver, maybe two years hence. Say
>
> This season, for the first time since 1969, there is no Italian driver
> in Formula 1, a shocking decline for a country that has produced 15
> different Grand Prix winners, second only to Britain in the all-time
> standings.
>
- Button retires
- Force India has gone belly-up and di Resta is out of a drive
- Hamilton is sidelined due to some badly timed management decisions /
tweets / girlfriend pregnancies / Ron Dennis fits...
End of the world, at least for rasf1 ;-)
Cheers
Roman
--
lay down all thoughts surrender to the void
John Briggs
Sep 11, 2012, 4:39:10 PM9/11/12
to
--
John Briggs
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