The strange ‘curse’ that keeps Italy from producing top F1 drivers

Italy and Formula 1 have been synonymous since the sport's inception in 1950, with Giuseppe Farina and Alberto Ascari winning three of the first four Drivers' titles.

According to the Race website, including all racing sports, 84 Italians have started in World Championship races, putting the nation behind Britain and America in terms of numbers.

Ferrari is the most historic team in Formula 1. They hail from Italy and have created one of the most passionate fan bases in the world, with the majority of fans from Italy.

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The Formula 1 website reports that F1 is growing in popularity in Italy. In 2023, the sport saw a cumulative audience of 183.3 million on broadcast, and social media followers grew by 16%.

Despite being home to the most historic team in the sport and growing fan popularity, Italy didn't have a driver on the grid in 2024 and has no hopes of having one in the future, but why?

The lack of drivers and hopefuls of challenging F1 may come down to the need for more inspiration from Italian drivers in the F1 paddock, with Antonio Giovinazzi being the last driver.

Giovinazzi competed in F1 in 2017 and from 2019-2021. He struggled to leave a lasting impact on the sport to inspire fellow Italians. In 62 races, he gained 21 points, no wins, and no podiums.

The last Italian driver discussed why there are fewer Italian drivers and credited Ferrari's popularity and need for success as the reason.

According to the Race website, Giovinazzi said: "For Italy, for the world, it's such a strong name, it's difficult to be at least on the same level."

The last podium achieved by an Italian driver was 15 years ago by Giancarlo Fisichella, and the previous Italian to win an F1 race was the 2006 Malaysian Grand Prix by the same man.

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Fisichella, who raced for Ferrari in F1, also pointed out Ferrari's indirect responsibility for the lack of Italian racing in the sport.

According to Scuderia Fans, Fisichella said: "The last Italian driver was Antonio Giovinazzi, but he stayed on the grid for only a few seasons. Does Ferrari monopolize too much attention, which is 'taken away' from the drivers? It could be."

He concluded by saying: "Ferrari is extremely more important in Italy compared to a driver: it's the maximum." Are Ferrari the curse for Italian drivers to make it in Formula 1?

The last Italian driver to have a serious run with Ferrari to challenge for a world championship was Michele Alboreto, who finished second to Alain Prost in 1985.

If you look at this problem from an economic standpoint, raising budgets for kids to compete in high-level karting events is extremely difficult when the country you're trying to raise funds in is fixated on the success of Ferrari rather than drivers.

If you halt the progression of Italian drivers in the infancy of their careers and don't allow them to progress like drivers from other countries, what chance do they have of reaching one of the 20 seats in the Formula 1 paddock?

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