Eugenio Castellotti

Eugenio Castellotti ({{#invoke:IPA|main}}; 10 October 1930 – 14 March 1957) was an Italian racing driver, who competed in Formula One at 14 Grands Prix from Template:F1 to Template:F1. Nicknamed "il Bello",Template:Efn Castellotti won the Mille Miglia and 12 Hours of Sebring, both in 1956 with Ferrari.

Born and raised in Lombardy, Castellotti began his career in sportscar racing aged 20, driving a Ferrari 166. He took his first major victory at the Portuguese Grand Prix in 1952. The following year, he won the 10 Hours of Messina; he took further podiums in sportscars at the Bari and Monaco Grands Prix in 1952, as well as the Carrera Panamericana in 1953. Castellotti debuted in Formula One with Lancia in Template:F1, taking his maiden podium in Monaco and becoming the then-youngest polesitter in Formula One history in Belgium, aged 24.

Castellotti contested the final three rounds of 1955 with Ferrari, taking a podium at the Template:F1GP to clinch third in the World Drivers' Championship. He retained his seat in Template:F1, securing his third career podium at the Template:F1GP. Amongst his Formula One duties, he continued his sportscar career, winning the 12 Hours of Sebring alongside Juan Manuel Fangio, as well as the Mille Miglia in a 290 MM. Remaining with Ferrari for his Template:F1 campaign, he won the 1000 km Buenos Aires. In March 1957, Castellotti died following an accident whilst testing the Ferrari 801 at Modena.

Driving career

File:1951-06-03 Coppa Toscana Ferrari 166 0058M Castellotti Matranga.jpg

Eugenio Castellotti in his 1950 Ferrari 166 MM Touring Barchetta s/n 0058M with co-driver Sandro Matranga at Coppa della Toscana on 3 June 1951 as entry #12.48 where they ended in 8th place overall.<ref>0048M in barchetta.cc.</ref>

Castellotti was born in Lodi, Italy. He acquired a Ferrari 166 MM s/n 0058M at the age of twenty, from a local benefactor,<ref name="ReferenceA">Template:Cite book</ref> and began racing sports cars.<ref name=Ace/> In 1952 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 10 Hours of Messina and finished third in the Carrera Panamericana in Mexico.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> In 1954, he signed for Lancia and again drove sports cars whilst awaiting the team's Grand Prix car.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> He eventually made his Grand Prix debut at Buenos Aires on 16 January 1955, for Lancia, but struggled in the warmer temperatures and crashed.<ref name ="ReferenceA"/> However, he finished second at Monaco,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> 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.

File:1955-08-07 GP Kristianstad Ferrari 121 LM sn0558LM Castellotti.jpg

Castellotti in the Ferrari 121 LM s/n 0558LM at the Swedish Grand Prix on 7 August 1955, where he got third place overall.

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.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> He followed this triumph by winning the Mille Miglia race in Brescia and the Grand Prix for sports cars in Rouen, France.<ref name=Ace>Castellotti, Ace Italian Driver, Killed Testing New Racing Car, The New York Times, March 15, 1957, Page 29</ref> Castellotti's Ferrari achieved a total race time of 2 hours 10 minutes 31.1 seconds, winning the race.<ref>Castellotti Auto First, The New York Times, July 9, 1956, Page 29.</ref> He was also second in the Nürburgring 1000 km race again partnered with Fangio.<ref name ="ReferenceA"/>

Private life

Known for his sophisticated manners and tailored clothes, Castellotti had significantly prominent media profile in Italy for his relationship with ballerina and actress Delia Scala. Castellotti and Scala were officially engaged at the time of his death.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Death

File:1957-03-14 Monza Ferrari Tipo 801 di Castellotti dopo lo schianto.jpg

Remains of the Ferrari 801 that Castellotti drove in the fatal accident at Modena on 14 March 1957.

Castellotti died at 26 years old during a private Ferrari test session at the Modena Autodrome.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Castellotti was testing a new Ferrari Grand Prix car for the 1957 season.<ref>Memoirs of Enzo Ferrari's Lieutenant by Franco Gozzi p.58</ref> He had been told by Enzo Ferrari in person to test there and set a fast time, in order to beat an unofficial lap record that had just been set by Jean Behra for Maserati.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He hit a high kerb at a chicane and was thrown out of the car; his body was hurled Template:Convert. The car repeatedly overturned before coming to rest in the members' stand. No other people were hurt. According to physicians, Castellotti's skull fracture caused his instant death.<ref name=Ace/>

Legacy

Castellotti was considered the greatest Italian driver since Alberto Ascari.<ref name=Ace/> In 1958, Castellotti's friend Giuseppe Corsi founded Scuderia Castellotti in Lodi to honour his memory. The team used modified Ferrari Tipo 553 2.0-litre engines bored out to 2.5 litres and rebranded as "Castellotti", with "Eugenio" on the cam covers. The cars were easily distinguishable from other F1 T51s in that their exhausts were fitted on the left, while all other engines used in T51s had their exhausts on the right. The team competed in four events in 1960 with Italian drivers Gino Munaron, Giorgio Scarlatti and Giulio Cabianca. Cabianca scored the team's first championship points by finishing fourth at the 1960 Italian Grand Prix. The team folded in 1961 after Cabianca fatally crashed in the same autodrome where Castellotti had his accident. Castellotti's legacy has been honoured by Club Auto Moto Storiche Castellotti in Lodi.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Major career wins (sportscars):

• 1952: Coppa d'Oro di Sicilia
• 1952: Portuguese Grand Prix
• 1953: 10 Hours of Messina
• 1953: Circuito di Senigallia
• 1956: Mille Miglia
• 1956: 12 Hours of Sebring
• 1957: 1000 km Buenos Aires

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 Template:Small	MON Template:Small	500	BEL Template:Small					3rd	12
	Scuderia Ferrari	Ferrari 625	Ferrari 107 2.5 L4						GBR Template:Small
		Ferrari 555	Ferrari 106 2.5 L4					NED Template:Small		ITA Template:Small
1956	Scuderia Ferrari	Lancia Ferrari D50	Lancia Ferrari DS50 2.5 V8	ARG Template:Small	MON Template:Small	500	BEL Template:Small	FRA Template:Small	GBR Template:Small	GER Template:Small	ITA Template:Small	6th	7.5
1957	Scuderia Ferrari	Ferrari 801	Lancia Ferrari DS50 2.5 V8	ARG Template:Small	MON	500	FRA	GBR	GER	PES	ITA	NC	0
Template:Small {{safesubst:#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }}

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 Template:Small	PAU Template:Small	GLO	BOR	INT	NAP	ALB	CUR	COR	LON	DAR	RED	DAT
	Scuderia Ferrari																		OUT Template:Small	AVO	SYR
1956	Scuderia Ferrari	Lancia D50	Lancia V8	BUE Template:Small	GLV	SYR Template:Small	AIN	INT	NAP Template:Small	100	VNW	CAE	SUS	BRH
1957	Scuderia Ferrari	Lancia D50	Lancia V8	BUE Template:Small	SYR	PAU	GLV	NAP	RMS	CAE	INT	MOD	MOR

† Indicates shared drive with Luigi Musso

External links

• The dashing Milanese that stayed young forever. Article on Castellotti at 8w