Alberto Ascari

Alberto Ascari, who lived from 13 July 1918 to 26 May 1955, was an Italian racing driver who competed in Formula One from 1950 to 1955. He won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship twice, in 1952 and 1953 with Ferrari, and won 13 Grands Prix across six seasons. He also won the Mille Miglia in 1954 with Lancia and appeared in the 1952 Indianapolis 500. He was noted for careful precision and finely judged accuracy, and he raced motorcycles before switching to cars. He became the first Ferrari-powered World Champion and, as the first driver to win multiple titles, held the record for most championships from 1952 to 1954. He remains the last Italian to win the Drivers' Championship and Ferrari's only Italian champion. His father Antonio Ascari, also a famous racing driver, died in an accident at the 1925 French Grand Prix, and Alberto was himself killed in 1955 during a Ferrari test session at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza.