A lifelong Ferrari fan, and editor of a leading Formula One website, ahead of 1997’s 40th anniversary of the team’s founding, the owner of this book, decided that they wanted something special to commemorate the event.
Having obtained a copy of Enzo Ferrari’s Pilote, che gente… (Drivers, what men…) signed by the man himself, from a friend who ran the renowned bookshop at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, over the years that followed the owner got a number of contemporary drivers to add their signatures.
He obtained Michael Schumacher’s at Fiorano in 1998, just days after he led Eddie Irvine home for a famous 1-2 at Monza, and while almost all of the signatures were obtained personally, two of them were not.
They are the signatures of Michele Alboreto and Gerhard Berger, which were obtained by the legendary John Surtees.
The owner was in the paddock at Monza talking to John, while the two former Ferrari drivers were on a stage doing some promotional work. With no access to the stage the owner cheekily asked John if he would ‘do the honours’ and he did, climbing over a couple of fences in the process of obtaining the signatures.
Of particular interest is the signature of Sebastian Vettel, which was obtained at the Barcelona pre-season test in 2007 when the German was still only a test driver for BMW Williams.
Having followed his career for some years, and aware of his talent, the owner asked Vettel to sign the book, indicating a spot close to his great hero Michael Schumacher, while pointing at Enzo’s signature also.
Grinning, and already showing his English sense of humour, Sebastian pretended to cross out Schumacher’s signature, saying: “I’m better then him!”
This was before the German had even made his F1 race debut.
This book contains 138 signatures, full list below!
Click HERE to buy this fantastic book!
Enzo Ferrari
Ross Brawn (Team Owner – Brawn GP)
Ron Dennis (Team Owner – McLaren International)
Jim Hall (Team Founder – Chapparal)
Norbert Haug (Sporting Director – Mercedes)
Patrick Head (Team Owner – Williams)
Lord Hesketh (Team Founder – Hesketh)
Eddie Jordan (Team Owner – Jordan Grand Prix)
Giancarlo Minardi (Team Owner – Minardi)
Paul Stoddart (Team Owner – Minardi)
Jackie Oliver (Team Owner – Arrows)
Jean Sage (Former Renault team boss)
Peter Sauber (Team Owner – Sauber)
Carroll Shelby (Team Founder – Shelby Cobra)
Louis T Stanley (Boss of BRM)
Jean Stanley (Formerly: Jean Owen – BRM)
Ken Tyrrell (Team Owner – Tyrrell)
Tom Walkinshaw (Team Owner – Arrows)
Rob Walker (Private Entrant – Moss/Siffert)
Michele Alboreto (Winner of 5 GPs – 3 for Ferrari & Le Mans 1996)
Jean Alesi (Winner of 1 GP – Ferrari)
Cliff Allinson (Drove 6 GPs for Ferrari scored 8 pts)
Chris Amon (drove 27 GPs for Ferrari scored 34 pts)
Rene Arnoux (Winner of 7 GPs – 3 for Ferrari)
Richard Attwood (Winner Le Mans 24 hrs 1970)
Luca Badoer
Rubens Barrichello
Derek Bell (5 Times Winner of Le Mans 24 hrs)
Jean Pierre Beltoise
Gerhard Berger (Winner of 10 GPs – 5 for Ferrari)
Bob Bondurant
Thierry Boutsen (Winner of 3 GPs)
Vittorio Brambilla (Winner of 1 GP) – The Monza Gorilla
Tony Brooks (Winner of 6 GPs – 2 for Ferrari)
Eddie Cheever
David Coulthard
Pedro Diniz
Giancarlo Fisichella
Heinz-Harald Frentzen
Paul Frere
Howden Ganley
Jonny Servoz-Gavin
Peter Gethin (Winner of the 1971 Italian GP)
Bruno Giacomelli
Froilan Gonzalez (Recorded Ferrari’s first ever GP win)
Andy Green (Holder of the World Land Speed Record)
Dan Gurney
Nick Heidfeld
Johnny Herbert
David Hobbs
Nico Hulkenberg
Jacky Ickx
Eddie Irvine
Jean Pierre Jassaud
Stefan Johansson (Drove 31 GPs for Ferrari scoring 49 pts)
Nicolas Kiesa
Heikki Kovalainen
Robert Kubica
Jacques Lafitte (Winner of 6 GPs)
Les Leston
Tonio Liuzzi
Jochen Mass
Felipe Massa
Alan McNish (Winner of Le Mans 1998)
Arturo Merzario (Ferrari Driver & Targa Winner)
Francois Migault
Juan Pablo Montoya (F3000 Champion & CART Champion)
Gianni Morbidelli
Stirling Moss (Winner of 16 GPs & countless other events)
Riccardo Patrese (Winner of 6 GPs)
Henri Pescarolo (4 Times Le Mans Winner)
David Piper
Nelson Piquet Jr
Emmanuele Pirro (5 times Le Mans Winner)
Bobby Rahal (Jaguar Boss & Indy Champion)
Brian Redman
Laurent Redon
Clay Regazzoni (Winner of 5 GPs – 4 for Ferrari)
Carlos Reuteman (Winner of 12 GPs – 7 for Ferrari)
Pedro de la Rosa
Mika Salo
Roy Salvadori (Winner Le Mans 24 hrs 1959)
Ralf Schumacher
Hans Stuck (2 Times Winner of Le Mans 24 hrs)
Marc Surer
Patrick Tambay (Winner of 2 GPs – both for Ferrari)
Jarno Trulli
Nino Vaccarella
Jos Verstappen
John Watson (Winner of 5 GPs)
Mark Webber
Johnathan Williams
Justin Wilson
Reine Wissell
Alexander Wurz
Alassandro Zanardi (CART Champion 1997 & 1998)
Ricardo Zonta
Gary Anderson (Jordan & Stewart)
Nick Wirth
Harvey Postlethwaite (Designed 82 & 83 Champion Ferrari)
Bernie Ecclestone (Mr F1 – The Head of Formula One)
Brian Hart (Founder of Hart Engines)
Tony Rudd
Jabby Crombac
Doug Nye
Nigel Roebuck
Eoin Young
Dave Richards (Former Benetton Team Boss / Prodrive)
Cesare Fiorio (Team Manager at Ferrari for 100th Win)
Jean Todt (Sporting Director of Ferrari, FIA President)
Giorgio Ascanelli (Chief Race Engineer at Ferrari)
Rainer Schlegelmilch
Franco Varisco
Fernando Alonso (World Champion 2005 2006)
Mario Andretti (World Champion 1978)
Jack Brabham (World Champion 1959, 1960 & 1966)
Jenson Button (World Champion 2009)
Emerson Fittipaldi (World Champion 1972 & 1974)
Mika Hakkinen (World Champion 1998)
Lewis Hamilton (World Champion 2008, 2014, 2015 & 2017)
Phil Hill (World Champion 1961 – Ferrari)
Damon Hill (World Champion 1996)
Alan Jones (World Champion 1980 – Williams)
Niki Lauda (World Champion 1975, 1977 & 1984)
Nigel Mansell (World Champion 1992 – Williams)
Alain Prost (World Champion 1985, 1986, 1989 & 1993)
Kimi Raikkonen (World Champion 2007)
Nico Rosberg (World Champion 2016)
Jody Scheckter (World Champion 1979 – Ferrari)
Michael Schumacher (World Champion 1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 & 2004)
Jackie Stewart (World Champion 1969, 1971 & 1973)
John Surtees (World Champion 1964 – Ferrari)
Sebastian Vettel (World Champion 2010, 2011, 2012 & 2013)
Jacques Villeneuve (World Champion 1997)
Prof Sid Watkins (Chief Medical Officer for F1)
Lord March
Nick Mason
Luigi Taveri (125cc World Champion 1962, 64 & 66)
A once in a lifetime opportunity to buy this wonderful book containing 138 genuine signatures from the great and the good of the Formula 1 world.
