Elio de Angelis facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Elio de Angelis

De Angelis at the 1982 Dutch Grand Prix
Born	(1958-03-26)26 March 1958 Rome, Italy
Died	15 May 1986(1986-05-15) (aged 28) Marseille, France
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality	Italian
Active years	1979–1986
Teams	Shadow, Lotus, Brabham
Entries	110 (108 starts)
Championships	0
Wins	2
Podiums	9
Career points	122
Pole positions	3
Fastest laps	0
First entry	1979 Argentine Grand Prix
First win	1982 Austrian Grand Prix
Last win	1985 San Marino Grand Prix
Last entry	1986 Monaco Grand Prix
British Formula One Championship career
Active years	1978
Races	1
Championships	0
Wins	0
Podium finishes	1
Career points	12
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	0

Elio de Angelis (born March 26, 1958 – died May 15, 1986) was a talented Italian racing driver. He competed in Formula One races from 1979 to 1986. He drove for famous teams like Shadow, Lotus, and Brabham. Sadly, Elio passed away after an accident during a test drive in France in 1986. He was known as a very competitive and popular driver. Many people called him Formula One's "last gentleman player."

Early Life and Racing Beginnings

Elio de Angelis was born in Rome, Italy. His father, Giulio, was also a successful racer. He won many world championships in powerboat racing.

Elio started his racing career in karts. Soon after, he won the Italian Formula Three Championship in 1977. In 1978, he raced in Formula Two. He also won the important Monaco F3 race.

Formula One Career

At the end of 1977, Elio was considered by Enzo Ferrari to join his team. Elio tested a Ferrari car and did well. However, Ferrari chose another driver, Gilles Villeneuve, instead.

Elio made his Formula One debut in 1979 with the Shadow team. He finished seventh in his very first race in Argentina. This was a great start for a new driver!

Joining Team Lotus

Elio's skills caught the eye of Lotus boss Colin Chapman. Chapman hired him to race alongside Mario Andretti in 1980. At just 21 years old, Elio became the youngest driver to finish on the podium (top three) in a Grand Prix. This happened when he came second at the 1980 Brazilian Grand Prix.

De Angelis driving for Lotus at the 1981 British Grand Prix.

His first big win came in the 1982 Austrian Grand Prix. He won by a tiny margin, just 0.05 seconds ahead of Keke Rosberg. This victory was special because it was the last one celebrated by Colin Chapman. Chapman sadly passed away later that year.

In 1983, Lotus changed their engines to Renault turbo engines. This year was tough for Elio. He had many mechanical problems with his car. His best finish was fifth place at the 1983 Italian Grand Prix.

Strong Performances

Elio had a much better season in 1984. He scored 34 points and finished third overall in the championship. He earned three podium finishes that year. His best result was a second place at the 1984 Detroit Grand Prix. Elio was very consistent. He was the only driver in the top 5 that year who didn't win a race, but he still scored many points.

In 1985, a new teammate joined Elio at Lotus: Ayrton Senna. Senna was a very fast driver. Elio got his second win in the third race of the season, at the 1985 San Marino Grand Prix. He won after Alain Prost was disqualified because his car was too light. Elio also got his last Formula One pole position (starting first) in Canada that year. He finished fifth in the championship. However, Elio felt that Lotus was focusing more on Senna. So, he decided to leave the team at the end of the season.

De Angelis driving for Team Lotus at the 1985 German Grand Prix.

For 1986, Elio joined the Brabham team. He replaced the two-time World Champion Nelson Piquet. His teammate was fellow Italian driver Riccardo Patrese. The Brabham car for 1986, the BT55, was designed to be very low and sleek. This was meant to help the car go faster. However, the engine had some problems. This meant Brabham was not as competitive as the top teams.

Tragic Accident and Its Impact

In May 1986, Elio was testing his Brabham BT55 car at the Paul Ricard circuit in France. During the test, the rear wing of his car broke off at high speed. This made the car lose control and crash. The car caught fire.

The crash itself did not kill Elio. But he was unable to get out of the burning car by himself. There were not enough track marshals nearby to help him quickly. It took 30 minutes for a helicopter to arrive. Elio was taken to a hospital in Marseille. He sadly passed away 29 hours later from smoke inhalation. His injuries from the crash were not severe, just a broken collarbone and some light burns.

Elio's death led to changes at the Paul Ricard circuit. Formula One cars stopped using the full, faster track layout. They started using a shorter, safer version. This change was not popular with all drivers.

Elio's place at Brabham was taken by Derek Warwick. His close friend, McLaren driver Keke Rosberg, retired from racing at the end of the 1986 season.

Elio de Angelis was the last driver to die in a Formula One car during a race weekend until 1994. That year, Roland Ratzenberger and Elio's former Lotus teammate, Ayrton Senna, also tragically died in separate accidents.

Legacy and Interests

Elio de Angelis was not just a great racer; he was also a very talented pianist. He could play classical music like Chopin and Mozart at a concert level. He famously entertained other Formula One drivers with his piano skills. This happened when they were stuck in a hotel in South Africa during a drivers' strike in 1982.

The French-Italian driver Jean Alesi, who started racing in 1989, wore a helmet design similar to Elio's. This was a way to honor him.

In 2017, Elio de Angelis was honored at the Ludovico Scarfiotti Memorial in Rome.

Racing Record Summary

Elio de Angelis had a notable career in various racing series. Here's a quick look at his main achievements:

Images for kids

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  De Angelis at the 1982 Dutch Grand Prix

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  De Angelis driving for Lotus at the 1981 British Grand Prix.

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  De Angelis driving for Team Lotus at the 1985 German Grand Prix.

See also

In Spanish: Elio De Angelis para niños