5 of Formula 1's Greatest Lost Talents - Part 2

#2 Elio de Angelis (1958-86)

Elio de Angelis' time in F1 would come to an end shortly after joining the Brabham team.

Elio de Angelis was a supremely talented driver who held his own against great champions of the sport and could've been one himself, had he been allowed to complete his career. In just his second season in 1980, de Angelis had joined the prestigious Lotus team and his teammate was Mario Andretti, the 1978 champion. Elio beat the American all ends up, incredible for a driver that was so inexperienced.

The future 1992 champion, Nigel Mansell, joined Lotus for 1981, but de Angelis showed his class, outscoring the Brit in '81, '82 & '84. During this period, de Angelis would finish third in the driver's world championship in 1984 and claim his first win in Austria in 1982, the closest ever F1 finish.

Mansell would leave for Williams in 1985, but it didn't get any easier for the Italian, as Ayrton Senna, a man that needs no introduction, shared his garage. Senna got 38 points that season, de Angelis 33, not a large gap, especially when you consider that Senna was one of the fastest (if not the fastest) drivers to ever compete in Formula 1.

Elio left for Brabham in 1986, and it would've been interesting to see how de Angelis would've stacked up against Riccardo Patrese, but this sadly wasn't to be. After just four rounds being completed and at a test in Paul Ricard, Elio's rear wing detached at high speed, killing the Italian after a collision with the barriers.

He was only 28-years-old and in the prime of his racing career, de Angelis could've easily become a world champion had he lived and drove for one of the top teams. De Angelis competed against three world champion teammates and wasn't beaten easily by any of them, he was an incredible talent.

If you want to learn more about de Angelis, check out our Top 5 Italian F1 Drivers of all time.