"The Parmalat Fed Boy From Padua"

With the 2008 Monaco GP coming up next weekend, now is as good a time as any to be reminded again of Riccardo's first GP win at the 1982 Monaco GP.

The incomparable Clive James provides us with superb commentary for a remarkable race.

New Translation

My thanks to Gionata Ferroni who has once again taken time out to translate for us. This time it is the 1984 article from AutoSprint by Cesare Maria Mannucci.

The article and interview with Riccardo was done as he had joined the Euroracing Alfa Romeo team, and Cesare Maria Mannucci suggests that 1984 will probably decide Riccardo’s career. Riccardo looks back on his time at Brabham, and his career up until that point.

Win a Patrese T-Shirt

The creator and designer of our exclusive limited edition Riccardo Patrese '256' t-shirt, Joanna Cardwell, has kindly offered a '256' t-shirt as the prize in our latest competition.

To have a chance of winning all you have to do is answer this question:

Why do you think Riccardo is a better driver than Rubens Barrichello?

Email your answer to us and be sure to include your full name and address so that if you win we can send you your '256' t-shirt.

The winner will be the person who has, in the opinion of the judges, given the best answer to this question.

The closing date for this competition is the 12th June 2008.

Barrichello 257 Golf Event

On the 28th April, following the Spanish GP, the Honda F1 team held a golf tournament at the Greg Norman designed Real Club de Golf El Prat near Barcelona to celebrate Rubens Barrichello becoming the most experienced driver in F1 history.

Among those taking part were Ross Brawn, Lewis Hamilton, David Coulthard, Sir Jackie Stewart and Riccardo, as well as the media and other VIP guests. Players competed for a specially designed trophy made up from parts of Rubens's Honda RA108 F1 car.

A short video of the event from Brazilian TV is available to view here, and there is also a clip on the Honda F1 website.

Did You Know...

...that Riccardo and Emerson Fittipaldi share the distinction of both having scored 281 points during their F1 careers and these 'GP Masters' are among the top 20 F1 points scorers of all time.

Fittipaldi has recently announced that he is to return to racing in the Brazilian GT3 Championship, sharing a Porsche 997GTS with his brother Wilson.

Riccardo: Happy to race Again

Following the news that GP Masters is scheduled to return soon, Riccardo has told Autosport magazine that:

"I have had a letter from the organisers saying they plan to start again and I am very happy to race again. The cars are fantastic, powerful and great to drive - just like the F1 cars I used to race - and I really enjoyed the three races I did."

Great news!!

Riccardo also features prominently in Autosport magazine this week - "Riccardo Patrese Exclusive - The Untold Stories of an F1 Legend" - with a four page article by Edd Straw about his career.

Nazionale Piloti v Turkish All Stars

Nazionale Piloti competed against the Turkish All Stars team at the Ali Sami Yen Stadium in Istanbul yesterday. The team included the likes of Fernando Alonso, Felipe Massa, Giancarlo Fisichella, Jarno Trulli, Sebastian Vettel and Vitantonio Liuzzi.

For more information about Nazionale Piloti visit www.nazionalepiloti.it.

Patrese sad to lose record

Autosport reports today that Riccardo

has admitted he will feel a tinge of sadness in Turkey this weekend when Rubens Barrichello takes away his record as the most experienced driver in Formula One history.

Barrichello will compete in his 257th F1 race in Istanbul and, although there remains some controversy over his exact number of official starts, most accept that the Brazilian will overhaul Patrese's long-standing record of 256 starts.

And although Patrese is delighted for Barrichello, he has confessed that he will feel a bit unhappy at losing a record he has held since the 1993 Australian Grand Prix.

"I will feel some sadness, of course," Patrese told autosport.com about seeing Barrichello overhaul his record.

"I was pleased to keep the record, but records are there to be beaten - and the only thing I can say is that I congratulate Rubens for doing it.

"He has had a long career and this record means that if you can survive in Formula One for so many years, then it means you did well - and everything you did was appreciated by the people who worked with you."

New Illustration by Danna

My thanks to Danna Laboratory once again for providing us with another illustration in a series featuring Riccardo. The latest remembers his victory at the 1990 San Marino GP. All four illustrations can be seen in the Collector's Gallery.

For more of Danna's work please visit www.jskweb.com.

F1 Gallery Update (Part 2)

Following Part 1 comes Part 2 of the Ghys/De Boes F1 Gallery update with photos from the 1978 Belgian, British and Dutch GPs.

Incidentally, you might spot a change of overalls during the Belgian GP weekend...