Riccardo Patrese

Riccardo Gabriele Patrese (born 17 April 1954) is an Italian former racing driver who competed in Formula One from 1977 to 1993, participating in 256 Grands Prix from 257 entries—holding the record for most Formula One starts for 19 years until Rubens Barrichello surpassed him in 2008—achieving six Grand Prix victories including the 1982 Monaco Grand Prix and finishing runner-up in the 1992 World Championship to teammate Nigel Mansell at Williams. Patrese made his Formula One debut in 1977 at age 23, beginning a 17-season career that would span nearly two decades and establish him as one of Formula One's most durable competitors. His first victory came at the 1982 Monaco Grand Prix, but Patrese then experienced one of Formula One's most unwanted records: he went more than six years between his second Grand Prix victory (1983 South African GP) and his third (1990 San Marino GP), enduring a 73-race winless streak despite consistent competitiveness.

Patrese joined Williams in late 1987, replacing injured Nigel Mansell for the Australian Grand Prix. Impressed by his performance, Williams signed him for 1988 as Nelson Piquet's replacement, beginning a five-season association with the British team that brought his greatest successes. He finished third in the championship in both 1989 and 1991, demonstrating consistency with competitive machinery. The 1992 season brought Patrese closest to the World Championship: at age 38, he finished runner-up to teammate Nigel Mansell in the Williams FW14B—one of Formula One's most dominant cars featuring active suspension, traction control, and semi-automatic transmission.

Mansell won nine races to Patrese's one, but Patrese's five podiums and consistent point-scoring secured second place, marking his career-best championship finish. After scoring 56 points to finish second in 1992, Patrese moved to Benetton for 1993, scoring 20 points to finish fifth with a best result of second in Hungary in what proved his final Formula One season. He retired at age 39 after 256 starts, six wins, eight pole positions, 13 fastest laps, and 37 podiums across 17 seasons—statistics representing remarkable longevity and consistent competitiveness across nearly two decades during which Formula One underwent enormous technical and competitive evolution. Patrese's record 256 starts stood for 15 years, testament to his durability, adaptability, and sustained performance across multiple Formula One eras from the ground-effect cars of the late 1970s through the active suspension era of the early 1990s.