Nadia Alborato: It seemed that in 1985 Michele would win the title...

      Michele Alboreto raced in Formula 1 from 1981 to 1994, participating in 194 Grands Prix, winning five of them, and standing on the podium a total of 23 times. In Italy, he is primarily remembered as a Ferrari driver, although he achieved his first two victories driving for Tyrrell and only in 1984 became the first Italian in over ten years to be taken into the team by Enzo Ferrari. Soon, he justified the trust of the Commendatore: in 1985, he fought for the title and only missed the chance due to the unreliability of the Scuderia's cars, but became the world vice-champion. Alboreto also performed successfully in sports car racing, which he had been involved in before his F1 debut and continued his professional career in endurance racing after 1994. By the way, he also spent his last season in Formula 1 with an Italian team, but it was Minardi. A few years later, he won the "24 Hours of Le Mans" – this was in 1997 when, together with his Joest Racing teammates, Stefan Johansson and Tom Kristensen, Alboreto raced in the TWR-Porsche WSC95 sports prototype. At the end of April 2001, at the Lausitzring racetrack, Michele Alboreto was testing with the Audi factory team, preparing for the upcoming marathon in Le Mans, but on the evening of April 25, around 5:30 PM, the rear left tire of his R8 exploded on a straight section of the track at nearly 300 km/h. The silver sports prototype soared into the air, flew over the barriers, and fell onto its roof... A quarter of a century has passed since that day, and today in Italy, one of the best drivers from this country is remembered, which is why Gazzetta dello Sport published an interview with his widow, Nadia Alboreto. "He debuted in the Formula Monza series quite late, at the age of 19, and I remember that sometimes he failed to qualify," she recalls. "At that time, I didn't think he would become a top-class driver. Of course, later I changed my mind, partly because he was very determined to succeed. It is often said that Formula 1 is a sport for the rich, but Michele came from a completely ordinary family. Certainly, his path was not easy, and if he reached the heights, it was only due to his results and the values he never compromised. Everyone who knew him remembers that he was kind and sociable, which is why different teams were happy to offer him a chance. What I cherish the most is his very first victory when in 1982 he won the race in Las Vegas, which no one expected; it was even unimaginable. We even went up to the podium together. At that time, Michele was racing for Tyrrell, and when the contract ended, he moved to Ferrari. His dream came true, but because of that, we had to get married earlier than we planned. We didn't like all the fuss, so we decided that it wouldn't be possible to have a quiet wedding later. Enzo Ferrari was like a grandfather to us; he always maintained calmness and composure. When our first daughter was born, he invited Michele to his office and said, 'Here are the keys to your new car.' He gifted him a 4-seater Ferrari sports car, and that car remained in our family for many years... In 1985, it seemed that Michele could win the title, but he had to settle for second place in the standings, while the world champion became Alain Prost... The death of Enzo Ferrari in 1988 greatly affected Michele's career, as he refused offers from other teams due to his special relationship with the Commendatore. But when the company management passed to Fiat, the entire Ferrari management changed, and strange things began to happen. Four weeks after Enzo's passing, the Italian Grand Prix took place, and the Scuderia achieved a winning double: the race in Monza was won by Gerhard Berger, and my husband finished second. During the race, Michele was asked to slow down to save fuel, but when everyone returned to the pits, it turned out that there was enough fuel in the tank. But at that moment, Berger was considered talented and promising, while Michele was already a veteran who was due to retire..." Nadia Alboreto also said a few words about Kimi Antonelli, the 19-year-old Italian driver for Mercedes: "Many people tell me that Kimi reminds them of Michele because he is a good, kind, and talented guy. I really hope that he achieves great success and becomes a world champion. So far, he is doing wonderfully, as he has deservedly won two Grands Prix. Before him, I admired Michael Schumacher, who also achieved a lot, and I was very upset when misfortune struck him. Unfortunately, this proves once again that such things can happen anywhere."