Massimo Burbi was seven years old when he first watched Formula 1 on TV. His family could not have had any idea what had been set in motion when he saw Patrick Tambay win the 1983 San Marino Grand Prix. Thereafter his schoolteacher had to deal with a boy whose only interest seemed to be in drawing racing cars.

Later Massimo also developed a passion for science, which earned him a degree in mechanical engineering. Today he runs his own engineering design consultancy in Cortona, Tuscany, working mainly on structural analysis and energy efficiency.

When Patrick asked him to write this story of his Ferrari years, Massimo made sure that he first said ‘yes’ before he had time to ask himself if he was going to be up to the task. He was. This book, his first, has taken him on a long trip on the trail of his childhood hero.