Great Read: F1's nearly man of the 1980s

Courted by McLaren, raced for Footwork  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ View in browser View in browser ARTICLES MAGAZINE SHOP DATABASE SHOP ARCHIVE The curious case of Alex Caffi: he recalls his off-beat racing tale January 2020 | Simon Arron History records that he finished no higher than fourth in a world championship grand prix, but that masks what might have been. Alex Caffi tells his own story in today's Great Read It remains a statistical quirk that Italy produced two drivers who between them won three of motor racing's first four world championships but has yet to conjure another, despite frequent strength in depth borne of the nation's deep-rooted passion for the sport. Take the 1980s… It was a time when such as Michele Alboreto, Mauro Baldi, Ivan Capelli, Pier-Luigi Martini, Enrico Bertaggia and Stefano Modena showed sparkling form on the sport's nursery slopes, yet only the first named would advance to become a grand prix winner. Alex Caffi was part of that potentially golden generation, but faded almost as quickly as he had flourished, his Formula 1 career over before he'd turned 28... READ MORE PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES FORMULA 1 Revealed: the harrowing real-life crash that inspired Brad Pitt F1 movie Adam Cooper The full trailer for this summer's F1 movie revealed more about the Brad Pitt film, and confirmed the real-life inspiration behind a key part of the plot: Lotus F1 driver Martin Donnelly's terrifying career-ending crash at Jerez in 1990. Last week's release of the official trailer for the F1 movie has given us a little more insight into the plot ahead of its release in June. From the early stages of filming it's been common knowledge that Brad Pitt's character Sonny Hayes had raced in F1 in the 1990s before a major accident derailed his career. It was also rumoured that the crash was based on that suffered by Martin Donnelly in practice for the Spanish GP at Jerez on September 28, 1990, and which saw the Ulsterman suffer severe injuries. READ MORE PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES F1 Matt Bishop McLaren's mighty start to 2014: nobody could foresee what happened next The future looked rosy for McLaren after the 2014 Australian GP, with no indication of the disastrous seasons ahead; that the podium result Jenson Button couldn't celebrate had been his last; and that Kevin Magnussen had come so close to winning on his debut. Matt Bishop tells the inside story READ MORE F1 James Elson Hamilton swallowed by 'old school' Ferrari chaos – Up/Down at the Australian GP Hamilton toiled in Australia as his new Ferrari team looked clueless – but were there promising signs in amongst the misery? READ MORE F1 James Elson Hamilton swallowed by 'old school' Ferrari chaos – Up/Down at the Australian GP Hamilton toiled in Australia as his new Ferrari team looked clueless – but were there promising signs in amongst the misery? READ MORE Our Publications Latest magazine issues and specials packed with exclusive content and insights. April 2025 F1 2025 BUY NOW March 2025 Ferrari BUY NOW February 2025 Sale of the Century BUY NOW German Legends Special Edition BUY NOW Italian Legends Special Edition BUY NOW 1955 – Mille Miglia Special Edition BUY NOW Connect with us We're also available on Update your preferences Control your Motor Sport experience by selecting the content you wish to receive and stay up to date. UPDATE NOW Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy Motor Sport Magazine, 18-20 Rosemont Road, London, NW3 6NE  Company no. 05471049, Vat no. 871 544 60