Eugenio Castellotti

Eugenio Castellotti
Born (1930-10-10)10 October 1930
Lodi Italy
Died 14 March 1957(1957-03-14) (aged 26)
Modena, Italy
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality Italy Italian
Active years 1955 – 1957
Teams Lancia, Ferrari
Entries 14
Championships 0
Wins 0
Podiums 3
Career points 19.5
Pole positions 1
Fastest laps 0
First entry 1955 Argentine Grand Prix
Last entry 1957 Argentine Grand Prix

Eugenio Castellotti (10 October 1930 – 14 March 1957) was a Formula One driver from Italy.

Driving career

Castellotti was born in Lodi, Italy. He acquired a Ferrari at the age of twenty, from a local benefactor,[1] and began racing sports cars in 1952.[2] That year he won the Portuguese Grand Prix, was third at Bari and second at Monaco which was run that year for sports cars. In 1953 he won the Messina 10 hours and finished third in the Carrera Panamericana in Mexico.[1] In 1954 he signed for Lancia and again drove sports cars whilst awaiting the team's Grand Prix car.[1] He eventually made his Grand Prix debut at Buenos Aires on 16 January 1955, for Lancia, but struggled in the warmer temperatures and crashed.[1] However, he finished second at Monaco,[3] but in mid-season the team amalgamated with Scuderia Ferrari, for whom Castellotti drove for the remainder of his career. He participated in 14 World Championship Grands Prix, achieving 3 podiums and scored a total of 19.5 championship points. He secured pole position, with Lancia, at the 1955 Belgian Grand Prix, becoming the youngest driver to do so (at age 24 years, 7 months and 26 days), a record that stood for 13 years until Jacky Ickx's pole position at the 1968 German Grand Prix.

He also participated in several non-Championship Formula One races. Castellotti won the March 1956 12 Hours of Sebring at Sebring, Florida partnered with Fangio.[1] He followed this triumph by winning the Mille Miglia race in Brescia and the Grand Prix for sports cars in Rouen, France.[2] Castellotti's Ferrari achieved a total race time of 2 hours 10 minutes 31.1 seconds, winning the race.[4] He was also second in the Nürburgring 1000 km race again partnered with Fangio.[1]

Known for his manner and tailored clothes, Castellotti gained significant media publicity for his relationship with ballerina and actress Delia Scala.

Death

He was killed at only 26 years old during a private Ferrari test session at the Modena Autodrome.[5] Castellotti was testing a new Ferrari Grand Prix car for the 1957 season.[6] He crashed against a curve of the Autodrome and his body was hurled 100 yards (91.4 m). He had just been told to accelerate his speed so that he could average 85.127 miles per hour (136.999 km/h). The car turned over several times and finished up in the members stand. No one else was injured. Doctors said Castellotti died instantly from a fractured skull.[2]

Legacy

Four years later, another Italian driver, Giulio Cabianca, Castellotti's best friend, fatally crashed in the same Autodrome. Castellotti was considered the greatest Italian driver since Alberto Ascari, who died testing a car on 26 May 1955.[2]

Major career wins (sportscars):

Racing record

Complete Formula One World Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

Year Team Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 WDC Points
1955 Scuderia Lancia Lancia D50 Lancia DS50 2.5 V8 ARG
Ret		 MON
2		 500 BEL
Ret		 3rd 12
Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 625 Ferrari 107 2.5 L4 NED
5		 GBR
6
Ferrari 555 Ferrari 106 2.5 L4 ITA
3
1956 Scuderia Ferrari Lancia Ferrari D50 Lancia Ferrari DS50 2.5 V8 ARG
Ret		 MON
4		 500 BEL
Ret		 FRA
2		 GBR
10		 GER
Ret		 ITA
8		 6th 7.5
1957 Scuderia Ferrari Lancia Ferrari 801 Lancia Ferrari DS50 2.5 V8 ARG
Ret		 MON 500 FRA GBR GER PES ITA NC 0

Non-Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
1955 Scuderia Lancia Lancia D50 Lancia V8 NZL BUE VAL
4		 PAU
2		 GLO BOR INT NAP ALB CUR COR LON DAR RED DAT
Scuderia Ferrari OUT
7		 AVO SYR
1956 Scuderia Ferrari Lancia D50 Lancia V8 BUE
Ret		 GLV SYR
Ret		 AIN INT NAP
Ret		 100 VNW CAE SUS BRH
1957 Scuderia Ferrari Lancia D50 Lancia V8 BUE
5		 SYR PAU GLV NAP RMS CAE INT MOD MOR
† Indicates shared drive with Luigi Musso

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Steve Small. The Guinness Complete Grand Prix Who's Who. p. 95. ISBN 0851127029.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Castellotti, Ace Italian Driver, Killed Testing New Racing Car, New York Times, March 15, 1957, Page 29
  3. ↑ Steve Small. The Guinness Complete Grand Prix Who's Who. p. 94. ISBN 0851127029.
  4. ↑ Castellotti Auto First, New York Times, July 9, 1956, Page 29.
  5. ↑ "Eugenio Castellotti". www.grandprix.com. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  6. ↑ Memoirs of Enzo Ferrari's Lieutenant by Franco Gozzi p.58

External links

Preceded by
Bill Vukovich		 Formula One fatal accidents
March 14, 1957 		Succeeded by
Keith Andrews
Records
Preceded by
Jerry Hoyt
26 years, 121 days
(1955 Indianapolis 500)		 Youngest Grand Prix Polesitter
24 years, 238 days
(1955 Belgian Grand Prix) 		Succeeded by
Jacky Ickx
23 years, 216 days
(1968 German GP)
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