Formula 1: Ferrari, the great seducer

Lewis Hamilton will land in Maranello at the age of 40. He won’t be the oldest champion, but he will be the most successful, with seven world titles under his belt, and will try to achieve the eighth place finish that would be the greatest of them all. A double blow for Mercedes, returning the one received many years ago when Schumacher signed with the Silver Arrows to see if he could reach eighth place there.

Now I have the opportunity to fulfill another childhood dream: driving a red Ferrari.

Lewis Hamilton

Now Ferrari has one more great left, another giant who couldn’t say no to the charm of Maranello and to a salary that is never low (they talk about astronomical figures, freedom to expand your brand and activities, etc.), glory and history, the only team that has always been in Formula 1, where titles cost twice as much, some say the only one with fans all over the world, “Scuderia” in capital letters, which doesn’t need to have a leading car to remain a “premium” destination. This is one of the few destinations where The champion comes with a humble gesture, lending his shoulder, and millions of fans stand behind him so that… Cavallino wins. Does Lewis fit this profile?

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Not all the champions who arrived were successful like Alonso or Vettel, and many were fired like Fangio, Surtees or Prost from the great Italian magnet, but everyone loved it because it is still one of the world’s most powerful brands.

The race has begun Juan Manuel Fangio particularly adept at moving between teams (he won titles with four different teams), climbed out of a Mercedes injured in the Le Mans tragedy, stopped at Maranello and won a fourth crown from the five he won, a pre-2003 record. He only took three wins out of his 24 in Formula 1, and he moved to Maserati because It didn’t occur to him that Ferrari was ahead of its drivers, and he collided head-on with Enzo Ferrari.

Another champion of the most unique genre It was John Surtees, the first and only Formula 1 motorcyclist and champion. Enzo had already tried this in 1961, but he had so many drivers on his staff (at that time there were not only two drivers, but for many years they shared a car) that John refused. -You can’t say no. We never ask a driver to race for us twice,” was the response.

But they called him back at the end of 1962, and 1964 became a historic year for the world of racing: son of the Wind” He is crowned and adds to his record three world titles in the 350 category and four in the 500 category, all won between 1956 and 1960 with MV Agusta, a Formula One title with Ferrari. Just like Fangio things didn’t work out very well for the Italian teamwho had a lot of competitions, few developments, intermediate positions, and in the end he was tired.

Alain Prost managed to become world champion four times: in 1985, 1986, 1989 and 1993), and Ferrari arrived as a three-time champion only to lose sight of Senna. There he added 5 of his 51 Formula 1 victories and achieved his dream, although not crowned with a title, by fighting for Ayrton again in a repeat of the tournament in Japan the year before. and he also signed a huge exit, was fired for saying he was driving a “truck” in 1991 and without racing, under contract, in 1992, although Ferrari paid his salary. Now you can be a four-time champion, you can’t disrespect the shield.

Mikhail Schumacher This was the first thing that cost the then capo Agnelli his real fortune: “He didn’t come specifically for a piece of bread” – this was the mythical phrase of the Avvocato. But the investment was more than worth it: from 1996 to 2007, he won 72 of his 91 career victories there, five more world championships than the two he brought back from Benetton. does not speak Italian publicly, but is loved to the core by the team for his work and talent, making him the most important driver in Ferrari history. He took his entire “troupe” there, “Byrnes” and “Brown” in the technical department, but did not take “Briatore”, because Todt was already righting the Italian ship. He remains a Cavallino icon and the last champion to win again in red.

Fernando Alonso He arrived as Michael, with two titles under his arm and the brilliant aura of a German. He had 11 wins and the title in 2010, his first year, should have fallen into his lap if not for that damn Abu Dhabi and the wall’s poor decisions. He also fought with it in 2012 in a car much inferior to Red Bull, but also lost in the last round in Brazil. He won the hearts of the tifosi, who still remember him, on the level of Gilles Villeneuve.

It was clear that this was too much for Maranello in the hybrid era. and with the confidence that “in five years they will not win.” And they go for 10.

Sebastian Vettel He is the last one before Hamilton, and in 2015 he doubled down on Fernando, four titles on the table, but he couldn’t achieve a fifth, with a powerful car for example in 2017, but less consistency from Fernando and a powerful rival like few others, Mercedes “Hamilton, whom he opposed only temporarily. In total he has 14 victories.