Alfonso Antonio Vicente Eduardo Angel Blas Francisco de Borja Cabeza de Vaca y Leighton, Marquis of Portago, known as Alfonso de Portago (born 11 October 1928 in Marylebone, London, England, United Kingdom – died 12 May 1957 in Cavriana, MN, Lombardy, Italy) was a British-born Spanish racing driver, and sportsman. He competed in five World Championship Formula One races for Ferrari in the mid-1950s, a shared podium being his best result.
De Portago began his racing career in 1953, with Luigi Chinetti, and was winning sportscar races by 1954. He competed in five non-championship F1 races in 1955 before competing in his World Championship race in 1956, the French Grand Prix, retiring with a gearbox problem. He scored his first podium at the next race, the British Grand Prix, in a shared drive with Peter Collins, as the car crossed the line second. 1957 saw him compete in one race, the Argentine Grand Prix, where he finished fifth in a shared drive with José Froilán González, scoring one point.
Outside of motor racing, he was an international polo player, rode twice in the Aintree Grand National Steeplechase, and was even a bobsleigh runner, competing in the Winter Olympics in 1956 but missed out on a medal, classifying fourth. Additionally, he spoke four languages, was a millionaire (by descent), a playboy, a nobleman and heir to one of the most respected titles in Spain.
He was killed in a accident at the 1957 Mille Miglia, after a tyre blew on his Ferrari. The resulting crash also killed co-driver Edmund Nelson and nine spectators, including five children. Largely because of this accident, the Mille Miglia was discontinued after that year.
Formula One Career
Formula One Statistical Overview
Formula One Record
Year | Entrant | Team | WDC Points | WDC Pos. | Report |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1955 | Private | Ferrari | Non-championship races only | ||
1956 | Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari | 3 | 15th | Report |
1957 | Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari | 1 | 21st |
Career Statistics
Template:Statbox
Career Results
Complete Formula One Results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Year | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Pts | Pos
Template:1956 Results/8 Template:1957 Results/8 |
Key | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Symbol | Meaning | Symbol | Meaning | ||
1st | Winner | Ret | Retired | ||
2nd | Podium finish | DSQ | Disqualified | ||
3rd | DNQ | Did not qualify | |||
5th | Points finish | DNPQ | Did not pre-qualify | ||
14th | Non-points finish | TD | Test driver | ||
Italics | Scored point(s) for Fastest Lap | DNS | Did not start | ||
18th† | Classified finish (retired with >90% race distance) | NC | Non-classified finish (<90% race distance) | ||
4thP | Qualified for pole position | [+] More Symbols |
Notes:
- † Shared drive with Peter Collins
- ‡ Shared drive with José Froilán González
Notes
External links
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