Famous Racecar Drivers from Italy

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Updated June 15, 2019 25.1K views102 items

List of notable or famous racecar drivers from Italy, with bios and photos, including the top racecar drivers born in Italy and even some popular racecar drivers who immigrated to Italy. If you're trying to find out the names of famous Italian racecar drivers then this list is the perfect resource for you. These racecar drivers are among the most prominent in their field, and information about each well-known racecar driver from Italy is included when available.

This list is made up of a variety of people, including Mario Andretti and Elio de Angelis.

This historic racecar drivers from Italy list can help answer the questions "Who are some Italian racecar drivers of note?" and "Who are the most famous racecar drivers from Italy?" These prominent racecar drivers of Italy may or may not be currently alive, but what they all have in common is that they're all respected Italian racecar drivers.

Use this list of renowned Italian racecar drivers to discover some new racecar drivers that you aren't familiar with. Don't forget to share this list by clicking one of the social media icons at the top or bottom of the page. {#nodes}
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  • Alberto Ascari

    Alberto Ascari

    Dec. at 36 (1918-1955)
    • Birthplace: Milan, Italy
    Alberto Ascari (Italian pronunciation: [alˈbɛrto ˈaskari]; 13 July 1918 – 26 May 1955) was an Italian racing driver and twice Formula One World Champion. He was a multitalented racer who competed in motorcycle racing before switching to cars. Ascari won consecutive world titles in 1952 and 1953 for Scuderia Ferrari. He was the team's first World Champion and the last Italian to date to win the title. This was sandwiched an appearance in the Indianapolis 500 in 1952. Ascari also won the Mille Miglia in 1954. Ascari was noted for the careful precision and finely-judged accuracy that made him one of the safest drivers in a most dangerous era. Ascari remains along with Michael Schumacher Ferrari's only back-to-back World Champions, and he is also Ferrari's sole Italian champion. As the first driver to win multiple World Championship titles, he held the record for most World Championship titles in 1952-54, as a result he is one of 3 drivers to have held the record for most World Championship titles. Juan Manuel Fangio held the record in 1951-52 and 1954-2002 (jointly with Ascari in 1952 and 1954) and Michael Schumacher has held the record since 2002. When Alberto was a young child, his father, Antonio, who was also a famous racing driver, died in an accident at the 1925 French Grand Prix. Alberto once admitted that he warned his children not to become extremely close to him because of the risk involved in his profession. So this proved when he was killed during a test session for Scuderia Ferrari at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza. Ascari was notoriously superstitious and took great pains to avoid tempting fate. His unexplained fatal accident – at the same age as his father's, on the same day of the month and in eerily similar circumstances – remains one of Formula One racing's great tragic coincidences.
  • Alberto Colombo

    Alberto Colombo

    Age: 77
    • Birthplace: Italy
    Alberto Colombo (born 23 February 1946 in Varedo, Lombardy) is a former racing driver from Italy. He unsuccessfully entered three Formula One Grands Prix in 1978 with ATS (two failures to qualify) and Merzario (one failure to pre-qualify). He won the 1974 Italian Formula Three Championship and also enjoyed some success in Formula Two.
  • Alessandro Nannini
    • Birthplace: Siena, Italy
    Alessandro "Sandro" Nannini (born 7 July 1959) is a former racing driver from Italy. He is the younger brother of rock-singer Gianna Nannini. His five-year F1 career resulted in a win but ended after a 1990 helicopter crash severed his right forearm.
  • Alex Caffi

    Alex Caffi

    Age: 59
    • Birthplace: Rovato, Italy
    Alessandro "Alex" Caffi (born 18 March 1964) is an Italian racing driver, former Formula One driver, and team owner. He participated in 75 Grands Prix, debuting on 7 September 1986. In 2006 he raced in the inaugural season of the Grand Prix Masters formula for retired Formula One drivers. He currently serves as the team owner of NASCAR Whelen Euro Series team Alex Caffi Motorsport, occasionally doing owner-driver duties as well.
  • Alex Zanardi
    • Birthplace: Bologna, Italy
    Alessandro Zanardi (Italian pronunciation: [ˈaːleks dzaˈnardi]; born 23 October 1966) is an Italian professional racing driver and paracyclist. He won the CART championship in 1997 and 1998 in North America. He also raced in Formula One from 1991-1994 and again in 1999; his best result was a sixth-place finish in 1993. He returned to CART in 2001, but a major crash in the 2001 American Memorial resulted in the amputation of his legs. He returned to racing less than two years after the accident; competing in the FIA World Touring Car Championship for BMW Team Italy-Spain between 2003 and 2009. In addition to continuing to race cars, Zanardi took up competition in handcycling, a form of paralympic cycling, with the stated goal of representing Italy at the 2012 Summer Paralympics. In September 2011, Zanardi won his first senior international handcycling medal, the silver medal in the H4 category time trial at the UCI World Road Para-Cycling Championships. In September 2012 he won gold medals at the London Paralympics in the individual H4 time trial and the individual H4 road race, followed by a silver medal in the mixed H1-4 team relay, and in September 2016 he won a gold and a silver medal at the 2016 Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro.
  • Alfonso Thiele

    Alfonso Thiele

    Dec. at 66 (1920-1986)
    • Birthplace: Istanbul, Turkey
    Alfonso Thiele (5 April 1920 – 15 July 1986) was a racing driver who held dual citizenship of the United States and Italy, though he spent most of his life in Italy. He participated in one Formula One World Championship Grand Prix, on 4 September 1960. He scored no championship points. Most of his career was spent in sports car racing.