In Russia, the premiere of the film “Ferrari” took place, dedicated to a year in the life of the legendary Commendatore. The main theme of the film is Enzo’s personal life, which unfolds against the backdrop of the financial crisis of his automobile company and the battle for victory in one of the most prestigious races of the time, the Mille Millia.
The main characters of the film are Enzo Ferrari and his family, but the drivers and team representatives are in the background. And today we invite you to remember who the pilots who appear in the film were and what happened to them after the events narrated.
Jean Berat
The French rider is a shining star of the 50s, fast but unstable. When Bera was not in the mood, brilliant careers alternated with mediocre performances. Jean also raced sports cars in the Grand Prix and won the non-event Pau Grand Prix three times. The last time he won in a street race was in 1957, and that year he won four more Grands Prix, although none of them were on the Formula 1 calendar.
Enzo Ferrari and Jean Berat
Photo: Keystone/Getty Images
In 1959, Bera, who had previously driven Gordini, Maserati and BRM, moved to Ferrari, driving a Dino 246, won the non-event race at Aintree and was fifth in the Dutch Grand Prix. However, Jean soon left the Scuderia: at the French Grand Prix in Reims, the engine failed and the Frenchman, confident that the team was deliberately pushing him back to please Tony Brooks, quarreled with the team manager, Romolo Tavoni. Less than a month later, Jean, already driving a Porsche, crashed on the AFUS highway.
The pilots left for stranger reasons:
Mazepin and five other Formula 1 drivers who left the teams for the most unusual reasons
Peter Collins
Collins began racing even earlier: in 1949, at the age of 17, and in 1952, after shining in the junior series, he turned to Formula 1. As part of HWM, the Briton could not really reveal himself, but he looked great at sports car racing and won the Goodwood 9 Hours and the RAC Tourist Trophy driving an Aston Martin. In 1955 he also won the Targa Florio with Stirling Moss in a Mercedes, which finally paved the way to Ferrari. Already in his second race with the Scuderia, he took second place in Monaco and then won in Belgium and France; At the end of the 1956 season, Collins placed third, behind only Fangio and Moss.
However, his career at Ferrari did not work out: Enzo suspected that Peter was not focused enough on racing. Additionally, it is believed that in 1958 Collins deliberately burned out the clutch at the 24 Hours of Le Mans; Before even finishing the marathon, the runner was found drinking in a pub. The Commendatore wanted to fire the pilot, but his friend Mike Hawthorne defended him. Enzo gave the Brit a second chance and won at Silverstone in incredibly aggressive style. Three weeks later, Collins crashed at the German Grand Prix on the Nordschleife.
Enzo Ferrari and Peter Collins
Photo: ferrari.com
Mike Hawthorne
Mike Hawthorn is the first British Formula One champion. He debuted in the 1952 Grand Prix and finished third in his second World Championship race. In 1953, Hawthorne already competed for Ferrari and won his first qualifying Grand Prix at Reims, ahead of Fangio. Two years later, the Briton moved to Jaguar and won the 24 Hours of Le Mans marathon, which was marked by the greatest tragedy in the history of motorsport; Then, avoiding Hawthorne who had pitted, Lance McLean collided with Pierre Leveg. whose wrecked car crashed into the stands, killing several dozen spectators.
Mike Hawthorne
Photo: ferrari.com
In 1957, Hawthorne returned to Ferrari, where he became friends with Peter Collins. The two Brits teamed up in the fight against Luigi Musso and agreed to share the prize money if one of them wins. It is believed that this is what caused Musso to take unnecessary risks at Reims in 1958 to get ahead of Hawthorne in the fight for the grand prix, which is why Luigi had an accident and died. Mike himself became Formula 1 champion that year and immediately afterwards announced his retirement. And three months later he died in a road accident near Guildford.
More on the rivalry between Hawthorne, Collins and Musso:
They laughed as their partner died. The forgotten history of the Ferrari dispute
Wolfgang von Trips
Wolfgang von Trips, a representative of aristocratic blood, was one of the fastest runners in the 1950s, but he sometimes lacked stability. In 1956 he finished fifth in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, winning the S 1.5 category, and the following year he competed in Formula 1. The German reached the podium in his third race in the World Championship; He was third, but had to wait until 1961 to get his first victory.
That season was to be a turning point in von Trips’ career: two rounds before the end of the season he was leading the championship, four points ahead of Phil Hill. But at Monza, where Wolfgang finished in the top three for the first time four years ago, he collided with Jim Clark in the Lotus, after which his Ferrari flew into the barriers and collapsed into the stands. In addition to von Trips, 15 spectators died. Hill won that day and eventually became champion.
Wolfgang von Trips at the 1957 Argentine Grand Prix
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Stirling moss
Stirling Moss appears in the film very rarely, however, the Briton is a true legend of the 50s. Moss drove for HWA, Connaught, Cooper, Maserati, Mercedes, Vanwall, BRM and Lotus. Throughout his career, Stirling was runner-up four times and finished the Formula 1 season three times in third position, but was never able to take the title. It is true that once, in 1958, he had the opportunity to win the championship, but the Briton lost it due to his own chivalry.
Stirling moss
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
At the Portuguese Grand Prix, Hawthorne spun and pushed the car onto the track into traffic, for which he was subsequently disqualified. But Moss defended his opponent, noting that he was turning around in the safety zone, which was not prohibited by the rules, and the driver was reinstated in the standings. Because of this, at the end of the season, Hawthorne was one point ahead of Moss. Sir Stirling died in 2020 at the age of 90.
Moss’ memory was honored with a rare car:
A unique supercar from Mercedes: only 75 cars in honor of the “big loser” of Formula 1
Piero Taruffi
Taruffi was the oldest and most experienced of the Ferrari team in 1957; They called him the “Silver Fox” because of his gray hair. He was born in 1906 and in 1932 he became European motorcycling champion and already at that time he collaborated with Enzo Ferrari in motorsports: at the wheel of an Alfa Romeo he won mountain races. Taruffi became a professional pilot after World War II. Pierrot primarily shined in sports car racing, but in 1952 he won the Swiss Formula 1 Grand Prix and finished the world championship in third place.
Taruffi after second place in the 1952 British Grand Prix with race winner Ascari
Photo: Express/Getty Images
The last race of Taruffi’s career was the 1957 Mille Miglia. After finishing his performances, the Italian wrote the book “Racing Technique”, as well as several articles on the dangers of motorsport. Pierrot died in 1988 at the age of 81. Now in the town of Bagnoregio there is a Taruffi Museum, where the cars and motorcycles driven by the great Italians are collected.
Spoilers follow!!! If you are going to see the Ferrari movie and you don’t know much about the history of racing, it would be best to go to the cinema first.
Eugenio Castellotti
Eugenio “Pretty Boy” Castellotti began his racing career at the age of 20, in the early 1950s. The Italians raced sports cars, won in 1952 in Portugal and a year later stood out in the 10 Hours of Messina. In 1954, Castellotti signed a contract with Lancia, a year later he made his Grand Prix debut with the team and even became the youngest pole holder.
But the Lanci project did not take off: the team experienced financial problems and eventually came under the control of Ferrari. Castellotti came to the Scuderia even earlier and, as part of Ferrari, twice stood on the podium at the stages of the World Championship. But Eugenio achieved much greater success in sports car racing: in 1956 he won the Mille Mile and the 12 Hours of Sebring. In 1957, the Italian crashed during testing in Modena.
Eugenio Castellotti and Juan Manuel Fangio
Photo: Bernard Cahier/Getty Images
Alfonso de Portagó
De Portago was not only a racing driver, he also held the title of French amateur equestrian champion, a bronze medal at the Bobsleigh World Championships and performances at the Olympic Games (ninth place), as well as experience as a professional swimmer. The Spaniard began racing in 1953 and immediately shined in sports car competitions, joining Ferrari’s factory team in 1955, two years before Castellotti’s death. De Portago also raced for the Scuderia in Formula 1, but his only podium finish in five races was a second place with Mike Hawthorn in the British Grand Prix.
In the 1957 Mille Mile, de Portago drove a Ferrari 335 S. Alfonso distrusted the race due to its distance and the impossibility of traveling the 1,600 kilometers of the route. Closer to the finish, his team was in third place when a tire burst on the car and, after hitting a pole, the car was thrown into a group of fans. De Portago was thrown from the car and died instantly, along with nine spectators, including two children.
“The kiss of the death”. Linda Christian and Alfonso de Portago in the 1957 Mille Mile
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
After that, a photograph circulated around the world in which Linda Christian, Portago’s girlfriend, kisses the pilot before the start of the ill-fated stage. This photo is known as the “Kiss of Death” or “The Last Kiss.” Mille Milla was subsequently banned for the second time in its history.
