This should have been the week when Formula 1 raced in Imola, at the Enzo and Dino Ferrari Circuit, where the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix and the Made in Italy Grand Prix was scheduled to take place. Unfortunately, due to severity and the impact of the heavy rain which hit the Emilia Romagna region in the previous days, the Formula One event had to be cancelled.
Ahead of the Imola race weekend, Ferrari vice chairman Piero Ferrari was interviewed by Autosprint to recall his memories associated with the historic circuit and share stories from the past involving the Drake and other legends of the sport. Below is an excerpt of his words.
Piero Ferrari, Imola, and much more
“Imola first evokes a beautiful memory for me. I was a young boy, very passionate about motorcycles, and accompanied by a friend of my father’s, I went to Imola to watch an international race, I believe it was in 1957 or ’58, in which John Surtees was racing and I saw him win with the MV Agusta. We’re talking about just before John started thinking about racing only with cars. He was a fascinating driver on two and four wheels, and I was obviously happy when he won the Formula 1 World Championship with Ferrari. My father had a soft spot for drivers who came from motorcycles,” Piero Ferrari begins, speaking to the well-known Italian magazine.
The Drake was one of the inspirations behind the Imola Circuit and even before the facility was officially inaugurated, he initiated negotiations to set up a mini Ferrari structure inside:
“He wanted to establish a base, if not a factory, with a certain number of technicians transferred from Maranello to build race cars,” Piero Ferrari reveals. He then adds: “At that time, as soon as a car was ready, everyone was eager to put the four wheels on the ground and test it. Ferrari used to do that before having Fiorano, at the Aerautodromo in Modena, but I remember when, even before that, our chief mechanic Borsari would test the Formula 1 cars in the alleys inside the factory, to see if everything held together, if the gears engaged. My father loved seeing one of his cars leave the workshop door and enter the track. But the Imola project fell through.” – he continued.
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After some time, Imola returned to the Formula 1 calendar, thanks to the close relationship between the Drake and Bernie Ecclestone. “Yes, my father personally made efforts, and the San Marino Grand Prix was invented. It was not a trivial matter.” The first time modern Formula 1 came to Imola was in the 1979 race when Gilles Villeneuve with Ferrari was overtaken by Lauda with the Brabham-Alfa Romeo and was subsequently rear-ended. “Gilles never gave up, Lauda was Lauda…” observes Piero Ferrari.
Gilles Villeneuve competed in his last race at Imola, on that fateful April 25, 1982, when he was overtaken by Pironi, and controversy arose over the team orders that Didier didn’t respect. “I was there, at the pit wall, and I have to confess that we didn’t understand what had happened,” he recalls. “Because at that time, there were no big screens or even mini TVs in the pits. We only had lap times. We couldn’t quite understand if the two were pushing or not and what was happening in the corners. We gave them signals, like that famous ‘slow’ sign, to encourage them not to take risks. It was an episode that we analyzed extensively, with footage and data, but we never really got to the bottom of it. I also reviewed everything in the recent documentary film about Didier and Gilles.”
After Gilles Villeneuve’s tragic death, the Scuderia returned to Imola and won the Grand Prix with Patrick Tambay. “A very beautiful memory that I was fortunate to experience. Patrick was a great gentleman, a classy and kind person. He wasn’t a superstar like Villeneuve, but he was solid and talented. I regret that he missed some races due to physical problems; otherwise, he could have won the championship, and he deserved it. An excellent driver,” says Ferrari.
Imola is also the venue of the tragedy of Senna: “I wasn’t at the track; I saw the accident on TV and immediately sensed the gravity of it. An immense loss for motorsport,” emphasizes Piero Ferrari.
When asked about Ayrton Senna not joining Maranello, he reveals: “I was also present when they spoke. There were some unresolved issues. Ayrton wanted guarantees of competitiveness for the car and the quality of the technicians, which my father wasn’t accustomed to giving. And that was the end of it. But the contact with him always remained. There wasn’t a year when Ayrton didn’t send me Christmas greetings. Maybe one day he would have come to us, who knows…” – the Ferrari vice chairman explained.
Regarding his favorite driver back then: “Definitely Jackie Stewart. I cared about him; he spoke with my father, and after the conversation, my father wanted to close the deal immediately. Jackie, however, asked for time. The following Sunday, there was a diplomatic incident at the Enna circuit, in the paddock, during a Formula 1 race. Stewart saw our sports director, Franco Lini, arguing with Jacky Ickx, and he didn’t take it well at all. ‘So, you don’t want me then…’ was his comment. That was the end of it.” Finally, on the drivers he still maintains relationships with: “I have a continuous exchange of messages and phone calls with Jody Scheckter. I see René Arnoux at various celebrations here and there. And Felipe Massa, who is always affectionate…” – Piero Ferrari concluded.
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