Fangio, Farina, Nuvolari, Jackie Steward, Emerson Fittipaldi, Mario Andretti, Niky Lauda… I was brought up listening to Marvin Gaye…and to my father’s stories about Formula 1. He was crazy about cars…and would be happy when driving his blue Alpine at high speed.

 While other girls were learning about fairy tales, princesses and kings… I knew all the teams by heart : Minardi, Williams, Mclaren, Lotus, Ligier, Larrousse, Benetton, Jordan,…and , of course, “Il Cavallino Rampante “, Ferrari. Other girls used to travel to the beach or the mountain. I would go to Montecarlo, Paul Ricard, Monza, Imola, Silverston, Jarama… with my father. Girls of my age were in love with the man-of-the-season, a singer, an actor,… I was in love with Didier Pironi in the early 80s, Villeneuve’s son –whom I could see in the boxes in Monaco-, James Hunt, the great Nelson Piquet, Alain Prost, Michele Alboreto,… I used to shout as if I was crazy when seeing Ayrton Senna driving as if he was mad as well, and defend him eagerly when my father would cheer Prost for the victory. I still remember the day when Lauda’s Ferrari burst into flames …he saved his life. But it makes me shiver everytime I think of Gilles Villeneuve crashing his car in his never-ending fight against Didier Pironi, a fight which led to tragedy. And I cried when Senna died at the 1994 San Marino GP…

 Being there was just astonishing. It isn’t time passing by which has made me realize of it. I knew then I was living something amazing , when hearing those engines roar to 18,000 RPM . What an extraordinary noise !!! Wet or dry, good car or bad, tough track or easy, for these drivers there was no excuse for not going as fast as possible. Even risking their own life. But still… I was excited. What an unforgettable sound !!!!

 So, whenever I recall these happy days, I think that , if there is a Heaven, my father must be there, challenging Senna, or Fangio, or even mighty Fittipaldi, to see who gets the fastest lap . I bet my father can win them all !!!