Talented teammates

Teammates Nigel Mansell and Elio de Angelis discuss setup of their Lotus 93T-Renault, ahead of the 1983 Formula One season. At this point of his career, Nigel Mansell has yet to win a Grand Prix, he will win 31 of them and the 1992 title, while Elio de Angelis already won one race in a Lotus-Cosworth; the 1982 Austrian Grand Prix.

The son of a wealthy Roman businessman, Elio de Angelis was a refined and highly cultured young man which was a rather unusual profile for an F1 driver at the time. Charming and genuine, he was as gifted behind the wheel of a racing car as he was sitting at a Steinway piano playing Mozart.

His family’s financial backing brought him into Formula 1 but his unquestionable talent kept him there, the Italian collecting two Grand Prix wins with Lotus before his tragic death while testing the low-line Brabham BT55 (pictured hereunder) at Paul Ricard in 1986.