Alberto Ascari

Interesting facts

His father, Antonio Ascari, a celebrated racer himself, dies while leading the 1925 French Grand Prix at Montlhéry, barely two weeks before Alberto's seventh birthday, an event that shapes the superstitions of his adult life. During the Second World War he runs a fuel-haulage business with Luigi Villoresi supplying Italian military depots in North Africa, which exempts both men from frontline service. Across the 1952 season he wins six consecutive races, setting the fastest lap in every one, and collects the maximum possible points, one of the most dominant single seasons in the sport's history. He wins the brutal 1954 Mille Miglia in a Lancia D24, at one point fixing a broken throttle spring on the road with a rubber band. Deeply superstitious, he keeps a briefcase holding his racing kit, including a lucky blue helmet and shirt that no one else is allowed to touch, and vows after his father's death never to race on the 26th of any month. On the day he dies at Monza he is not even meant to be driving - he takes a few laps in his street clothes, wearing a borrowed white helmet belonging to Eugenio Castellotti, having left his own lucky blue one at home. Enzo Ferrari observes that chasing a rival left him visibly on edge, yet once in front he was almost impossible to pass; after his death, Fangio says, 'I have lost my greatest opponent... a great man.' Alberto Ascari made his Formula 1 debut in 1950 and raced until 1955, 6 seasons in total as an Italian driver. He won the World Championship 2 times, in 1952, 1953. He scored a total of 107.64 championship points over his career.