Eugenio Castellotti
Encyclopedia
Eugenio Castellotti was a Formula One
driver from Italy
.
, Eugenio Castellotti participated in 14 World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 16 January 1955. He secured one pole position
, achieved 3 podiums, and scored a total of 19.5 championship points.
He also participated in several non-Championship Formula One races. Castellotti won the March 1956 12 Hours of Sebring
at Sebring, Florida
. He followed this triumph by winning the Mille Miglia
race in Brescia
and the Grand Prix for sports cars in Rouen, France. Castellotti's Ferrari achieved a time over the 210 miles (338 km) Essarts Circuit of 2 hours 10 minutes 31.1 seconds.
Born to a wealthy northern Italian family, he acquired a Ferrari
at the age of twenty and began racing sports car
s in 1952 He was known for his manner and tailored clothes, gaining publicity for his relationship with ballerina and actress, Delia Scala
.
. Castellotti was testing a new Ferrari
Grand Prix car for the 1957 season. 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.
, 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.
Major career wins (sportscars):
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
driver from Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
Driving career
Castellotti was born in Lodi. After being signed by Scuderia FerrariScuderia Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing....
, Eugenio Castellotti participated in 14 World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 16 January 1955. He secured one pole position
Pole position
The term "pole position", as used in motorsports, comes from the horse racing term where the number one starter starts on the inside next to the inside pole. The term made its way, along with several other customs, to auto racing. In circuit motorsports, a driver has pole position when he or she...
, achieved 3 podiums, and scored a total of 19.5 championship points.
He also participated in several non-Championship Formula One races. Castellotti won the March 1956 12 Hours of Sebring
12 Hours of Sebring
The 12 Hours of Sebring is an annual motorsport endurance race for sports cars held at Sebring International Raceway, a former Army Air Force base in Sebring, Florida...
at Sebring, Florida
Sebring, Florida
Sebring is a city in Highlands County, Florida, United States, nicknamed "The City on the Circle", in reference to Circle Drive, the center of the Sebring Downtown Historic District...
. He followed this triumph by winning the Mille Miglia
Mille Miglia
The Mille Miglia was an open-road endurance race which took place in Italy twenty-four times from 1927 to 1957 ....
race in Brescia
Brescia
Brescia is a city and comune in the region of Lombardy in northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, between the Mella and the Naviglio, with a population of around 197,000. It is the second largest city in Lombardy, after the capital, Milan...
and the Grand Prix for sports cars in Rouen, France. Castellotti's Ferrari achieved a time over the 210 miles (338 km) Essarts Circuit of 2 hours 10 minutes 31.1 seconds.
Born to a wealthy northern Italian family, he acquired a Ferrari
Ferrari
Ferrari S.p.A. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1929, as Scuderia Ferrari, the company sponsored drivers and manufactured race cars before moving into production of street-legal vehicles as Ferrari S.p.A. in 1947...
at the age of twenty and began racing sports car
Sports car
A sports car is a small, usually two seat, two door automobile designed for high speed driving and maneuverability....
s in 1952 He was known for his manner and tailored clothes, gaining publicity for his relationship with ballerina and actress, Delia Scala
Delia Scala
Delia Scala was an Italian ballerina and actress.Born Odette Bedogni in Bracciano, Lazio, Italy, as a young girl the family moved to Milan where she studied ballet at "La Scala" Ballet School for seven years...
.
Death
He was killed at only 26 years old during a private Ferrari test session at the Modena AutodromeModena Autodrome
The Aerautodromo di Modena was a race track on the edge of Modena in Italy. The track had a length of . It was opened in 1950 and the circuit was crossed by an airstrip of about in length which was used by the local flying club....
. Castellotti was testing a new Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing....
Grand Prix car for the 1957 season. 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.
Legacy
Four years later, another Italian driver, Giulio CabiancaGiulio Cabianca
Giulio Cabianca was a Formula One driver from Italy.Cabianca was born in Verona, northern Italy. He participated in 4 World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on May 18, 1958. He scored a total of 3 championship points...
, Castellotti's best friend, fatally crashed in the same Autodrome. Castellotti was considered the greatest Italian driver since Alberto Ascari
Alberto Ascari
Alberto Ascari was an Italian racing driver and twice Formula One World Champion. He is one of only two Italian Formula One World Champions in the history of the sport, and the only one winning his two championships in a Ferrari....
, who died testing a car on 26 May 1955.
Major career wins (sportscars):
- Mille MigliaMille MigliaThe Mille Miglia was an open-road endurance race which took place in Italy twenty-four times from 1927 to 1957 ....
- 12 Hours of Sebring12 Hours of SebringThe 12 Hours of Sebring is an annual motorsport endurance race for sports cars held at Sebring International Raceway, a former Army Air Force base in Sebring, Florida...
- Sicily Gold Cup
- Circuito di Senigallia
- Portuguese Grand PrixPortuguese Grand PrixThe Portuguese Grand Prix was a motorsports event held for several years, mostly in the 1950s and then in the 1980s and 90s. It was a Formula One race between and and between and ....
- 1000 km Buenos Aires1000 km Buenos AiresThe 1000 km Buenos Aires was an endurance sports car event held in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The race mostly run on the Autódromo Oscar Alfredo Gálvez, although it would run the Costanera circuit in 1957...
Complete Formula One results
(Races in bold indicate pole position)| Year | Team | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | WDC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 1955 Formula One season The 1955 Formula One season was the sixth season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1955 World Championship of Drivers, which commenced on January 16, 1955 and ended on September 11 after seven races... |
Scuderia Lancia | Lancia D50 Lancia D50 The Lancia D50 was a Formula One racing car designed by Vittorio Jano for Lancia in 1954. The car's design made use of many innovative features, such as the use of the engine as a stressed chassis member, the off-centre positioning of the engine to allow a lower overall height, and pannier fuel... |
Lancia DS50 2.5 V8 V8 engine A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of four cylinders, in most cases set at a right angle to each other but sometimes at a narrower angle, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft.... |
ARG 1955 Argentine Grand Prix The 1955 Argentine Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Buenos Aires on January 16, 1955. It was the first round of the 1955 World Drivers' Championship.- Classification :- Notes :* Pole position: José Froilán González - 1:43.1... Ret |
MON 1955 Monaco Grand Prix The 1955 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monaco on May 22, 1955. It was the second round of the 1955 World Drivers' Championship and was given an honorary name, Grand Prix d'Europe.- Race report :... 2 |
500 1955 Indianapolis 500 The 1955 Indianapolis 500 was an automobile race held on Monday, May 30, 1955 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The event was the third round of the 1955 World Drivers' Championship... |
BEL 1955 Belgian Grand Prix The 1955 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Spa-Francorchamps on June 5, 1955. It was the fourth round of the 1955 World Drivers' Championship.- Race report :... Ret |
3rd | 12 | ||||
| Scuderia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing.... |
Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing.... 625 Ferrari 625 Ferrari created three different cars to use the Tipo 625 four-cylinder engine:* 1953 625 TF sports racer* 1954 625 F1 Formula One racer* 1956 625 LM sports racer... |
Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing.... 107 2.5 L4 |
NED 1955 Dutch Grand Prix The 1955 Dutch Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Zandvoort on June 19, 1955. It was the fifth round of the 1955 World Drivers' Championship.- Race report :... 5 |
GBR 1955 British Grand Prix The 1955 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Aintree on 16 July 1955. It was the sixth round of the 1955 World Drivers' Championship.- Classification :- Notes :* Lap Leaders:** Juan Manuel Fangio 10 laps... 6 |
|||||||||
| Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing.... 555 |
Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing.... 106 2.5 L4 |
ITA 1955 Italian Grand Prix The 1955 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monza on 11 September 1955. It was the seventh and final round of the 1955 World Drivers' Championship.- Classification :- Notes :* Pole position: Juan Manuel Fangio - 2:46.5... 3 |
|||||||||||
| 1956 1956 Formula One season The 1956 Formula One season featured the seventh FIA World Championship of Drivers as well as numerous non-championship races for Formula One cars. The championship series commenced on January 22, 1956 and ended on September 2 after eight races. Juan Manuel Fangio won his third consecutive title,... |
Scuderia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing.... |
Lancia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing.... D50 Lancia D50 The Lancia D50 was a Formula One racing car designed by Vittorio Jano for Lancia in 1954. The car's design made use of many innovative features, such as the use of the engine as a stressed chassis member, the off-centre positioning of the engine to allow a lower overall height, and pannier fuel... |
Lancia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing.... DS50 2.5 V8 V8 engine A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of four cylinders, in most cases set at a right angle to each other but sometimes at a narrower angle, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft.... |
ARG 1956 Argentine Grand Prix The 1956 Argentine Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 22 January 1956 at Buenos Aires. It was the first round of the 1956 World Drivers' Championship.... Ret |
MON 1956 Monaco Grand Prix The 1956 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 13 May 1956 at Monaco. It was the second round of the 1956 World Drivers' Championship.... 4 |
500 1956 Indianapolis 500 The 1956 Indianapolis 500 was an automobile race held on Wednesday, May 30, 1956 at Indianapolis. It was the third round of the 1956 World Drivers' Championship.... |
BEL 1956 Belgian Grand Prix The 1956 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 3 June 1956 at Spa-Francorchamps. It was the fourth round of the 1956 World Drivers' Championship.... Ret |
FRA 1956 French Grand Prix The 1956 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 1 July 1956 at Reims. It was the fifth round of the 1956 World Drivers' Championship.- Classification :- Notes :* Pole position: Juan Manuel Fangio - 2:23.3... 2 |
GBR 1956 British Grand Prix The 1956 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 14 July 1956 at Silverstone. It was the sixth round of the 1956 World Drivers' Championship.- Classification :- Notes :... 10 |
GER 1956 German Grand Prix The 1956 German Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 5 August 1956 at Nürburgring. It was the seventh round of the 1956 World Drivers' Championship.- Classification :- Notes :* Pole position: Juan Manuel Fangio - 9:51.2... Ret |
ITA 1956 Italian Grand Prix The 1956 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 2 September 1956 at Monza. It was the eighth and final round of the 1956 World Drivers' Championship.... 8 |
6th | 7.5 |
| 1957 1957 Formula One season The 1957 Formula One season was the eighth season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1957 World Championship of Drivers which commenced on January 13, 1957 and ended on September 8 after eight races. Juan Manuel Fangio won his fourth consecutive title, his fifth in total, in his... |
Scuderia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing.... |
Lancia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing.... 801 |
Lancia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing.... DS50 2.5 V8 V8 engine A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of four cylinders, in most cases set at a right angle to each other but sometimes at a narrower angle, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft.... |
ARG 1957 Argentine Grand Prix The 1957 Argentine Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 13 January 1957 at Autódromo Oscar Alfredo Gálvez. It was the first round of the 1957 World Drivers' Championship.- Race report :... Ret |
MON 1957 Monaco Grand Prix The 1957 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 19 May 1957 at Monaco. It was the second round of the 1957 World Drivers' Championship.- Race report :... |
500 1957 Indianapolis 500 The 1957 Indianapolis 500 was an automobile race held on Thursday, May 30, 1957 at Indianapolis. The event was the third round of the 1957 World Drivers' Championship and the first round of the 1957 USAC Championship Car season.- Classification :- Notes :... |
FRA 1957 French Grand Prix The 1957 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 7 July 1957 at Rouen-Les-Essarts. It was the fourth round of the 1957 World Drivers' Championship.-Classification:-Notes:* Pole position: Juan Manuel Fangio - 2:21.5... |
GBR 1957 British Grand Prix The 1957 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 20 July 1957 at the Aintree Circuit, near Liverpool. It was the tenth British Grand Prix, and the fifth World Championship race of the 1957 Formula One season. The race was won by Stirling Moss and Tony Brooks, who shared driving... |
GER 1957 German Grand Prix The 1957 German Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 4 August 1957 at Nürburgring. It was the sixth round of the 1957 World Drivers' Championship. The 22 lap race was won by Juan Manuel Fangio, and is often cited as one of the greatest victories in racing history... |
PES 1957 Pescara Grand Prix The 1957 Pescara Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race, held on 18 August 1957, at the Pescara Circuit near Pescara in Italy. The race was the seventh, and penultimate round of the 1957 World Drivers' Championship. The race, which was the only Formula One race at the track, is best remembered for... |
ITA 1957 Italian Grand Prix The 1957 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 8 September 1957 at Monza. It was the eighth and final round of the 1957 World Drivers' Championship.-Classification:-Notes:* Pole position: Stuart Lewis-Evans - 1:42.4... |
NC | 0 |