======Nannini, Alessandro======
>>**Name:** Nannini, Alessandro
**Date of birth:** July 7th, 1959
**Place of birth:** Siena, Italy
**Minardi link:** Alessandro Nannini drove for Minardi in 1986 and 1987.
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Siena, one of the best preserved medieval cities in Italy and situated south of Florence was to be the birth place of one of Formula One's talented stars. On the 7th of July 1959 Alessandro Nannini was born. Alessandro started his career in motorcross in the late seventies. He moved on to other formulae and won the 1981 Fiat Italia title racing a Fiat 128 Abarth. Alessandro after showing promise was given his chance in F2 the next season by the Minardi BMW team and raced with the team for three seasons. Alessandro also dabbled with other forms of racing in this period as well, including running at Le Mans in a Lancia.

Alessandro showed enough promise in F2 for Minardi, that when Minardi entered F1 in 1985 he was naturally first choice for [[MinardiGianCarlo Gian Carlo Minardi]]'s young team. However a shock refusal of a super licence left his dream in apparent tatters. [[MinardiGianCarlo Gian Carlo]] being the man that he is did not forget about the young Italian and in 1986 finally acquired the Italian's services.

It was to be a tough initiation for the Italian. Minardi was a new team and the Minardi-Motori Moderni [[M185B]] ultimately struggled. In 1986 he retired from 15 races and only finished one, most of the retirements being mechanical in nature. 1987 was to be not a lot different, he finished 3 races, his highest finish was a lowly 11th at the Hungaroring, and he retired from 13 races. His labouring was not to be in vain. The Benetton team were suitably impressed with his potential and proceeded to offer him a drive for the next three seasons. In 1988, it must have seemed to him like a different world entirely. He was most impressive and the potential that Benetton had gambled on was starting to reap dividends. They had found a hard charging driver with good car control and a level head.

By season's end Alessandro had scored 12 points and finished the championship in ninth place. He had scored his first podiums in Spain and Britain. Now an experienced member of the Benetton team, in 1989, Alessandro's career was going from strength to strength. In phoenix he would qualify in his highest ever grid position in 3rd place. He did not manage to release this potential in the race and retired with driver fatigue This year however he would score four podiums; two thirds, one second and of course his maiden win in Suzuka.

Alessandro's win was overshadowed by the infamous Senna / Prost altercation which would see the two colliding and nearly taking each other out of the race. Senna managed to bump start his car back into action and drive down the escape road. However this would be his undoing and as he finished with what he thought was win, it was soon to be negated with his disqualification from the race for missing the chicane out, and thus allowing Alessandro his maiden win. 

Some might say it was gifted, however people seem to conveniently forget that when Alessandro went over the finish line he was nearly12 seconds ahead of his nearest challenger Ricardo Patrese with both Patrese and Boutsen in the Williams taking 2nd and 3rd places respectively. By season’s end Nannini had finished 6th in the world championship, he was fast becoming a hot commodity.

1990 would be a year beset by tragedy for Alessandro Nannini. Racing well with two races to go after Jerez and three podiums under his belt, Alessandro would be caught in a tragic helicopter crash where his forearm was torn off. Surgeons managed to reattach his arm with painstaking micro surgery, but with the pressures and demands of Formula One it meant the end to his blossoming career. Alessandro was my favourite driver at the time and in my mind was entering the top echelon of the Formula One fraternity, only to be cruelly denied and left thinking "what if?"

Not a man to give up easily and motorsport still stirring in his veins, Nannini took a drive with the Alfa Romeo team in 1992 running alongside fellow ex Formula One refugee Nicola Larini. Both drivers ran competitively in 1992 and 1993.

Alessandro Nannini was a true Minardi product. Nurtured in F2 by the team, given his opportunity in F1 even after failing to get a super licence in 1985, he was an example of Gian Carlo Minardi's talent for spotting up and coming drivers. Had fate not dealt him a devastating blow, perhaps Alessandro Nannini would have been the most successful driver that Minardi had developed thus far.

//This page belongs to the [[CategoryDrivers drivers]] category.//