MONZA – As promised, another interview with me by a friend, this time about cars and Formula 1, but as usual, it’s more than just a sport, it’s always about our lives. About women too, ‘cause the couple “women and engines” is a classic.
Also repeating some things already said in the past, but we’ve done it for the new readers.
Noel Gallagher said he never wanted to get a driving licence. What about you and Liam?
ahah yeah he acts like a superstar, he always wanted a driver, even if Alan gave him a car as gift, Noel used to drive in the garden only ahaha. And with a driver, he had a bad accident time ago. Well me too, fortunately not an accident, as Noel I almost never drive. I think Liam does have a driving licence, I’ve seen him driving but I didn’t mind to know if he had one. You know, in the ‘90s the Gallaghers were mad and always drunk, of course you could never see them driving. And they were the new superstars, of course with their drivers. One was Ian Robertson, Liam's bodyguard, who wrote a book. Also telling about when Liam got angry with him and threw himself outside the car running. They argued and Liam sacked him.
Today, if Liam hadn’t a licence, he wouldn’t sing “I get the car” in Bring the Light… :) and publish a whole debut album as Different Gear Still Speeding, often naming cars. Even if in the Millionaire video it’s Andy driving.
Who was your driving master, who was the one teaching you?
oh it’s a lot of time I wasn’t thinking about him: he was an Italian man, a Latin lover, now I tell you why. He was very funny but not really the best teacher to have, because while I was driving he was always telling me to look at this or that attractive woman around, so he was distracting me, maybe on purpose, to see if I was concentrated. But I think sex was always on his mind. Always while I was driving he used to comment about other girls he was teaching to drive, asking me about some of them: “why don’t you fuck her?” Lol
I think he’s still around Milan centre, so women: be careful ahaha
Let’s start with Formula 1, it’s some decade you’re following F1, so you can say two or three things, you clearly have some opinion...
aha yeah some time has passed. I wonder if a child is first interested in cars or football… difficult to say. I started in the ‘80s when we children used to play marbles and gave them names of F1 drivers, depending on their colours. Hey I still remember as if it was just yesterday: the white marble is Teo Fabi on Osella car (wtf? :). The circuit, made of cement (to remind you my football interview ahaha) had the shape of Italy. The battle among F1 drivers of those times was huge: there were Prost, Lauda, Alboreto (who sadly died ten years ago), Mansell, Berger, Patrese, Piquet, etc. then Senna. Today only a very few can win a race.
In the famous rivalry Prost-Senna at first I was for Prost. If it was today, I would never and never support him. Usually Italian children always support Ferrari, and he was also a Ferrari driver. Now I know the great person Senna was.
You named Senna…so here we go. We can’t say you were lucky to see his death direct live.
Unfortunately, unforgettable day, 1 May 1994 in Italy, at Imola GP, when there were still 2 races in Italy in every season. As Lucio Dalla song "Ayrton" about him says, he decided to go away in a land of dreamers, his beloved Italy. Sadly he's never been a Ferrari driver but was always here and spoke a perfect Italian. Times when I was starting to follow a new band called Oasis… The ‘90s were really strange for the F1. Changing rules because of more than one tragic event. Ratzenberger, Wendlinger and so on. Sometimes it was getting quite annoying, people don’t like when you change the rules, they like the usual things, as also Liam recently said. But our passion for this sport was big now, there were many F1 videogames we would’ve played all the time, and used to buy magazines every week. And of course we couldn’t miss one race. Also in the early morning, for the Japan and Australia races, so our parents had to wake us up. Waking up early when it was still dark outside, made us feel adult people, and watching a race direct live was a big emotion. Of course they were replaying the race in the morning but we wanted the direct live show. Even if the Italian tv has got some terrible commentator aha. My grandfather Guido used to do the same with boxing, waking up at night.
You were lucky to drive on Monza circuit. You impressions about it?
yes more than one time, I was honoured to drive there on this legendary asphalt. You can breathe history in Monza, on this so old circuit. There’s no chance at all that Rome could take us the Italian race away, as they wanted.
My sister used to work as “umbrella girl” gridgirl. Not me, I'm not a gridgirl, or not yet ahah. They don’t really hold an umbrella but number and name of the driver on the grid. You know, you see this legendary circuit since you’re a child, then you drive on it so many times but with videogames when you’re a kid, you know which gear is necessary for every corner, so you feel as to know it so well all your life. And driving there, it blows your mind. Just try, if you can. I was talking about sex, but this is the best thing you could ever do, not in horizontal position ahaha
And if you’ve never been there, they could really be some of your best days ever. You’re impressed by the smell of fuel, food and suntan cream in the air. And by beautiful women. And of course by the noise of engines, so you could need to put something in your ears. I have some ear caps that look like suppositories ahaha, so every time we laugh about it. I got them on the Salvador Dali train to Barcelona.
Besides, usually it’s sunny, maybe not this time aha ‘cause I said that, but it’s not like the Belgium or Great Britain races where you’re sure it always rains.
The ‘90s were the times when the phenomenon Schumacher came out…
right, we didn’t feel he was a funny person at first aha. But when he joined Ferrari, winning races was the only important thing. He’s a good man, many people laugh about him ‘cause he was so many years in Italy and can hardly speak Italian, but he can and he’s funny. He won so many races that it’s even difficult to remember some.
You’re Italian and not a Ferrari fan. Sounds a bit weird?
aha I don’t think so. I used to be a fan but to me Ferrari is just a brand. I can’t see them representing Italy. When they win, the Italian anthem is played but I think it would be quite stupid if I felt proud to be Italian because of Ferrari. It’s different from the football national team, where Italian footballers play, while Ferrari has foreign drivers, as always. I think about F1 teams as football clubs, not nations. But you know, both the McLaren drivers are English and I feel that team more like a nation. Anyway, hands off : Ferrari is always the biggest team in history. When you see that fire red car passing, you know it’s like a dream on wheels, every driver would want to race for them.
What do you think about F1 drivers in 2011?
I think the world champion Vettel is a bit overrated... and Button is underrated. You can see a great driver when it rains. In fact, Senna was great under the rain. Vettel usually becomes one as many and makes many mistakes. He’s good but he’s got a great car (created by the English genius Adrian Newey, former McLaren). Button with the rain could have even competed with Senna. Canada GP last June was one of the best races I ever seen, even if too long, Button was unbelievable, from last position to first.
His strategies are usually different and he's got a special superpower when he switches his "overtaking mode : on", he's devastating.
And he’s always at the events extra races, while Hamilton almost never… recently he said there are to many events to attend… Lewis made too many mistakes this season, he’s too aggressive. Button had many team mistakes and technical problems, and Lewis is even behind him in the standings… he’s ready for Ferrari ahaha I think 2012 will be his last season for us.
Predictions on this weekend?
well I’m optimistic about our McLaren boys, they never won here so it should happen soon or later.
You know, winning in Monza is unforgettable, ‘cause there are so many hot fans, the “tifosi” as Schumacher says, as anywhere else in the world and thousands are under the podium. Drivers have shivers when they see how passionate the fans are here.
And the mighty Red Bull never won here, so it’s the same for them, of course they have more chances than anyone else, more than Ferrari driving “at home” (even if their real home F1 circuit was Imola, closer to Maranello, in their same region).
Enjoy the race, it’s Monza, baby!
