Askari, Antonio

Antonio Ascari was born not far from Mantua in the area of Venice in the family of a grain merchant. He began his racing career at high levels in 1919, driving a modified 1914 Fiat . With Enzo Ferrari, he took part in the first Targa Florio , which took place immediately after the First World War in 1919. In the race, Ascari did not finish, having an accident, taking off into a deep ravine. Failure haunted him in both 1920 and 1921. But in 1922 he was able to come fourth. Driving Alfa Romeo , designed by Vittorio Yano , he almost won Targa Florio in April 1923, coming second behind his team-mate, Ugo Sivocci . However, next month on the track at Cremona , he finished first, winning his biggest race in Grand Prix history. In 1924, he again won on the track in Cremona in his first race at P2 , and then at Monza, he again won the Italian Grand Prix .

1925 was to be successful for Antonio Ascari. His car dominated the competition at Spa-Francorchamps , where he won his first Belgian Grand Prix . He could have time to eat and drink at the time of the pit stop. Ascari was therefore called “Maestro” ^[1]

At the age of 36, Ascari died leading the French Grand Prix in the 1925 season driving the Alfa Romeo P2 on the track in Montlhéry, south of Paris . He left his seven-year-old son, Alberto , who later became one of the successful Formula 1 racers in the early 1950s. He also died at the wheel at the age of the same 36 years as his father, on the 26th of another month.

Antonio Ascari was buried at Cimitero Monumentale in Milan.

• Askari, Antonio (Eng.) On the Find a Grave website
• Biografia su Museo dell'Auto (ital.)