Cesare Perdisa

Cesare Perdisa (October 21, 1932 - May 10, 1998): An Italian racing driver who enjoyed a brief but impressive Formula One career between 1955 and 1957. Born into a family of journalists and newspaper publishers who owned the Italian motoring magazine 'Quattroroute', Perdisa made an immediate impact in Formula One. He made his debut at the 1955 Monaco Grand Prix driving a Maserati 250F, remarkably finishing third behind Maurice Trintignant and Eugenio Castellotti. In an unusual circumstance during that race, he actually drove two cars, starting in car number 40 and finishing in car number 34.

His second podium came at the 1956 Belgian Grand Prix, where his race became famous when Stirling Moss lost a wheel from his Maserati on lap 11, ran back to the pits, and took over Perdisa's car to finish the race. In 1957, Perdisa moved to Ferrari and participated in the Argentine Grand Prix, where he gave his car first to Wolfgang von Trips and then to Peter Collins in an attempt to stop Juan Manuel Fangio's dominance, though they could only manage sixth place. His racing career came to an abrupt end in March 1957 when he was scheduled to compete in the 12 Hours of Sebring but withdrew after learning of his teammate Eugenio Castellotti's death in a testing accident at Modena. The tragic loss deeply affected Perdisa and led to his immediate retirement from motorsport at the age of 24.

He finished his brief Formula One career with eight starts, two podium finishes, and five championship points, leaving the sport to focus on his family's publishing business.