Nigel Mansell, the 1992 Formula 1 world champion with Williams and former Scuderia Ferrari driver, was recently interviewed by the Italian daily newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport. Nigel looked ahead to the 2022 Formula 1 season, shared his thoughts on Ferrari’s prospects and also wanted to send a message to the Ferrari fans:
Here are some of the most important comments from Nigel Mansell:
“First of all, you have to say hello to all the Ferrari fans for me, I hope Ferrari will win a lot this year. I will be waving the Prancing Horse flag for them too!”
On the 2022 Formula 1 season
“What do I expect? A lot of excitement and a lot of balance. It seems that Ferrari and McLaren can get closer to Red Bull and Mercedes, and the new cars should give more drivers the chance to win. If that were the case it would be very nice. How Colin Chapman would have dealt with the regulation change? For me he was more important than Williams, without Chapman I would not have made it to F1 and he was like a father to me. If he hadn’t passed away in 1982 I would have stayed at Lotus forever and we would have won a World Championship together. He was a genius and he would have loved the technical challenge this season by coming up with ideas of all kinds.”
On the ground effect concept
“Those cars remain the most amazing I have ever driven. I will never forget a test in Brazil, at Jacarepaguà. I was following Patrese’s Brabham as it went off the track and crashed into the guard rail: there were so many Gs we had to endure in corners that Riccardo fainted in the cockpit. They were cars stuck to the ground, physically hard to drive, but every now and then they let you go, you didn’t know what could happen. It was a time when if you had courage and were stupid enough you could be very fast. But also lose your life “.
On Scuderia Ferrari’s prospects for the 2022 Formula 1 season:
“Can Ferrari get back to the top? Ferrari can and must. It is the greatest team in Formula 1. The passion, the fans, the people are incredible: I had some fantastic years there. It would be great for them to once again fight for race wins and the World Championship too. It hasn’t happened for too long. What has been missing recently? A little bit of everything. Driving and technical skills matter a lot. There has often been controversy in Ferrari, but when everyone is on the same side there is no better team to be in, the feeling and atmosphere are special. I think this time they are united and will have a successful 2022 ahead of them. Why am I still loved by Ferrari fans so much? Because I love them. We shared magical moments, like when I won my first race with Ferrari in Rio in 1989 against all odds, the success in Hungary by passing Senna after starting 12th, the year after the spin in Imola with Berger pushing me out and me coming back and setting the fastest lap of the race, the outside overtaking of Gerhard himself in the final part of the Mexican GP. All this, put together, showed the Ferrari fans that I never stopped trying. I have always given my best, I did everything possible for my skills even if the result was not what I wanted. But I’ve always tried and they perceived this, as I felt it. I thanked them then and, if they still love me, I thank them now. “
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