Riccardo Patrese
Riccardo Gabriele Patrese ( born April 17, 1954 in Padua ) is an Italian former race car driver. He started 1977-1993 in the highest class of motorsports formula 1 for well-known teams such as Brabham and Williams. Patrese won six Grands Prix and in 1992 was runner-up. By 2008, he was with 256 Grand Prix appearances, the driver with the most starts in Formula 1 before it was surpassed by Rubens Barrichello.
Career
Patrese began in childhood with kart race, was Team 1973 European Champion and 1974 world champion in this discipline. In addition to the study of political science, he led parallel further his racing career.
Patrese went on to Formula 3 and 1976 European champion and Italian champion in this class. In 1977 he drove in Formula 2 and made his debut on 22 May of the same year in Formula 1 Grand Prix of Monaco in Shadow team of Don Nichols, where he finished ninth. Because of its stakes in Formula 2, he could not deny all races, but the Grand Prix of Japan at Fuji, he scored his first World Championship point.
His second year in Formula 1 was turbulent. Former members of the Shadow Team founded Arrows and committed Patrese as a driver. The new car proved to be excellent and Patrese led the second race superior, brought him to an engine failure 15 laps to go for the win for the new team in the Grand Prix of South Africa. Followed by a second place in Sweden, but after the season turned for the worse for Patrese. Many voices have criticized his extremely aggressive and sometimes reckless driving style. In the summer, followed by a labored by Shadow Boss Don Nichols process Arrows accused of having copied his car. Arrows lost and had to build a new car that was not as competitive by far.
Finally it came at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza in a mass collision that took the lives of the Swede Ronnie Peterson. Patrese was held responsible under the direction of Niki Lauda and James Hunt and suspended for the next race in Watkins Glen, quite wrongly, as it turned out the process years later, there had been cause of the accident by James Hunt itself. For Patrese's career the matter was a serious setback, and it took until his reputation was restored. Two weak years at Arrows followed, until 1981 the connection succeeded him to the top, among other things, with his first pole position.
1982 Bernie Ecclestone hired Patrese Brabham team. During the year, the powerful BMW turbo engines were first used, but initially still much to be desired left a lot to their accuracy. After all, Patrese won his first Grand Prix, the turbulent Monaco Grand Prix, in which two drivers ahead of him lay there on the last lap with a fuel shortage. 1983 won his team-mate Nelson Piquet the World Cup, Patrese, however, was often brought by defects the top spots and could only win one race. He changed with the end of the year to Alfa Romeo, however, could hardly achieve useful results in the following two years. What had begun with high expectations, ended with the withdrawal of Alfas from Formula 1
Patrese was now in a crisis and his subsequent career seemed in danger. In 1986 and 1987 he returned to Brabham, without achieving significant success until he was taken in late 1987 to Williams. Thus began its renaissance and the good test pilot had contributed significantly to the revival of the Williams team, which had a new business partner with Renault from 1989. Was the transition year 1988 still rather unsettled, as he finished 1989 with numerous podium finishes third World Cup ranking and celebrated with Thierry Boutsen in Canada a double victory.
In 1990, Patrese after almost seven years a Grand Prix and kept against Team Partners Boutsen the upper hand, so he remained on board for 1991, while the Nigel Mansell had to give way. In the first half of the new season Patrese outshone the British against all expectations, with two wins and four pole positions, ultimately had to Mansell but on points and was beaten World Cup bronze medalist. 1992 Patrese was even runner-up in the superior Williams FW14B, but was clearly in the shadow of his teammate who dominated, with the largest ever points ahead of Formula 1 history won the world championship.
For 1993, Mansell expected to continue to remain in the team and to repeat the success of 1992. However, Frank Williams took in the summer of 1992, the former world champion Alain Prost for the new season under contract. Mansell, Prost as the at least evenly matched competitors and felt his chances looked vulnerable to a second title, then announced in late summer 1992 to his resignation. Williams lost so that a current world champion ( 1993, repeated this with Prost ). Williams offered Patrese then in 1993 his second cockpit. Patrese had, however, already been signed at this time at Benetton, where he team-mate of the young Michael Schumacher in 1993. As he stood there in the shadows, his contract was terminated with the end, and so he left after 256 Grand Prix Formula 1
After a few missions in touring car and sports car racing, where he was successfully launched earlier for Lancia at the start, ended his racing career.