The British F1 drivers that Lewis Hamilton is following.....

The British F1 drivers that Lewis Hamilton is following….. read more

Lewis Hamilton’s recent arrival at Ferrari has rekindled a historical connection between British drivers and the iconic Italian team, a relationship that has seen both triumph and tragedy. Enzo Ferrari, who famously dismissed British privateer teams as “garagistas” during the 1950s, nonetheless had a deep-rooted history with British talent, dating back to the early days of Formula 1.

During Enzo’s lifetime, eight British drivers represented Ferrari, with Hamilton now joining their ranks. The early days of this Anglo-Italian alliance were marked by both success and intense rivalry. Mike Hawthorn, one of the first British drivers for Ferrari, won the World Championship in 1958 amidst a fierce competition that included his compatriot Peter Collins and Italian driver Luigi Musso. Tragically, Musso’s life was cut short during a race that Hawthorn won. The tension between the drivers reportedly led to a dangerous competitive spirit that ultimately claimed the lives of both Collins and Hawthorn within months of each other.

In 1959, two new British drivers, Cliff Allison and Tony Brooks, took the wheel. Allison’s career with Ferrari was abruptly halted by a crash, while Brooks came close to winning the championship but ultimately fell short. Notably, Enzo Ferrari had once offered a young Stirling Moss a test drive, but after changing his mind, Moss vowed never to drive for Ferrari, despite achieving significant success with other teams.

The year 1961 saw Moss rival Ferrari’s best, with his Lotus outpacing Enzo’s 156 cars at Monaco. A potential partnership between Moss and Ferrari never materialized due to an unfortunate crash that led to his retirement from Grand Prix racing. It would take until the signing of John Surtees in 1963 for Ferrari to have another British champion, with Surtees winning the title in