Fernando Alonso is undoubtedly one of the top drivers in Formula 1. However, as is always the case, there was a time in which the Spaniard was not the spearhead of the team. Indeed, in Gianni Piazza’s team tent in ‘99, Alonso was a newbie, a young hopeful who looked at the “star” of the team, Nicola Gianniberti, with admiration.

“I had been in karting for a few years and had already won two world championships. Alonso came in ‘99, he shared the tent with me, but we used two different chassis: I had a Jolly Kart, while Alonso used a Wilson.
The first race that we competed in together was in Parma and, after the qualifying round, he started a few places ahead of me. During the race, I managed to climb up the standings and managed to overtake him a few laps from the end. At the time, I thought it was only normal….How things should be, in other words.
However, it didn’t take long to understand that the kid was something special.
The Margutti Trophy that same year springs to mind, in particular...