It was during 1984 on a tight, twisty circuit called
Monaco that I was first introduced to Elio de Angelis and Formula One.I had only accidentally clicked on BBC2 in the hope that maybe I could find some excitement that could entertain a bored 13 year old. I had certainly found it that Sunday afternoon - in the form of a Black and Gold John Player Special Lotus that the camera zoomed in on whilst it waited on the grid. "And there's the Italian driver, Elio de Angelis" some chap called Murray Walker exclaimed.
I was transfixed. Not only was this the coolest looking car on the grid, the driver had a really trendy sounding name too. At that moment, all I wanted was to drive this car and to be called "Elio de Angelis".
As it turned out, Elio only managed to finish in 6th place that day - but I didn't care. I had found a new hero to follow and he was popular, a nice bloke with an attractive looking girlfriend called Ute. Yes - this was definitely the guy I wished I was.
I liked Elio because he possessed traditional values and manners. He was quick too - I always felt that he could be the quickest if he only felt like it, and I still believe that he had the makings of a champion moreso that his other Italian rival of the day, the late Michele Alboreto. When Senna joined him as a team mate in 1985, Elio proved that when he had the fight in him and was in the mood he certainly gave Senna something to think about. Elio remained competitive until mid-season in 1985 - a pole position in Canada being a just reward until a spate of mechanical failures blighted his progress somewhat. By then it was clear that the Lotus star of the future was certainly not going to be Italian, but Brazilian.
Put simply, Elio was a true gent. In 1985 he rang Nigel Mansell after his big shunt at Ricard to see if he was alright as he lay in a Marseille hospital. In his later book, Nigel mentioned that he was one of the few who had actually bothered. The famous piano concert that Elio gave during the drivers lock-in of 1982 to soothe everyones nerves. The manner and grace with which he handled himself in 1985 during Senna's takeover of Team Lotus.
However, I guess that most of all it was the way in which he handled being brought into a rich family and the manner in which he proved to his doubters that it was his talent - not money - that got him his deserved recognition......
A picture of Elio I once saw still sticks in my mind that perhaps summed up what kind of guy he was best of all. It was during the 1986 Monaco Grand Prix during which Elio had a simply dreadful time with the Brabham BT55 and qualified last in what was to be his final race. The picture is of himself at the wheel of his speedboat taking the Brabham mechanics out for a short trip round the south of France. I wonder how many other drivers would have bothered doing that considering the circumstances?
When Elio died, I was crushed. But not until 8 years later with Ayrton Senna's death at Imola in 1994 did I really stop following it altogether. That was the end of the F1 love affair for me. For me at least, F1 is most certainly not what it used to be....
The good old days though will always remain with me - and that is what this website is dedicated to!
