[2] Mario Andretti, the 1978 drivers' champion, was born in Italy, but is an American citizen and represented the United States in Formula One.

[2][3] A total of 15 different Italian drivers have won a race in Formula One, the most recent being Giancarlo Fisichella with Renault at the 2006 Malaysian Grand Prix.

Teammate Juan Manuel Fangio took the title in 1951 with Farina only managing to finish fourth in the championship, but he came much closer with Ferrari the following year.

At the start of a race in Monza his car was engulfed in flames and he suffered serious burns that would mean he turned to amphetamines and morphine to cope with the pain.

After back-to-back championships with Ferrari in 1952 and 1953 Ascari moved to Lancia but the car was not ready until late in the season leaving him unable to challenge the dominant Juan Manuel Fangio and he ended the year without seeing the chequered flag at a single event.

[6] He remains the last Italian Formula One Drivers' World Champion and the title holder with the fewest ever grand prix starts (32).

He started 256 races, placing him as one of the top three most experienced Formula One drivers in history,[8] and finished just under half of them.

From his 1977 debut to the end of the 1988 season Patrese was only able to finish at best ninth in the championship, but his career rose to new heights with his second year with Williams.

He started on pole and then won the 2004 Monaco Grand Prix, but was sacked later that year when his relationship with Renault team boss Flavio Briatore broke down.

He moved over to Brabham for the 1986 season but was only able to compete four times before losing his life while testing at Circuit Paul Ricard.

On leaving the sport he embarked on a very successful career in Indy Car before returning for one final, and very poor, season in 1999.

She was first entered for the 1974 British Grand Prix with Brabham but failed to qualify, returning to the sport in 1975 with March.

She became the first woman to qualify for a race when she secured a place on the grid at the 1975 South African Grand Prix.

Later in the year, at the Spanish Grand Prix, she was running in sixth place when the race was stopped due to an accident.