Ferrari’s greatest engineer?

I haven’t yet seen the new Ferrari movie, but I understand the story ends just as it starts to get interesting. There’s a reason for that: you’d need at least three days in the cinema to tell the tale properly, and there’s only so much popcorn you can eat. But it would have been interesting to see who’d have played Mauro Forghieri.

Maybe Keanu Reeves – a man already immersed himself in the world of Formula 1 with the recent Brawn GP documentary – because only a top star would do. The simple truth is that, without Forghieri, Ferrari would never have become the legend it is now – and the movie would probably never have been made.

Forghieri died in 2022, but a decade or so ago I got to spend time with a man considered by many to be the most versatile engineer in Formula 1 and automotive history. He was responsible for the Ferrari 312T, among many others. Between it and its derivatives, the 312T delivered three drivers’ and four constructors’ championships in just five seasons.