16th February 1921: The Drivers Who Ferrari Couldn't Contain

On 16 February 1921, Jean Behra was born — a fiercely talented and uncompromising racer whose brief and explosive time at Ferrari revealed something deeper about the Scuderia’s identity.In this episode of Chequered Past, we explore Ferrari’s complex relationship with its strongest personalities. From Behra’s dramatic dismissal in 1959 to former world champion John Surtees walking away mid-season in 1966, from Niki Lauda’s quiet but telling departure after sealing the 1977 title to Alain Prost’s public criticism and abrupt exit in 1991, a pattern emerges.Ferrari has never lacked great drivers.But managing greatness has often proved more difficult.We examine how pride, authority and institutional identity shaped these relationships — and how, in the era of Michael Schumacher, Ferrari finally found a way to align structure with brilliance and build one of the most dominant partnerships in Formula One history.This is the story of the drivers Ferrari could not contain — and what their departures reveal about the most mythologised team in motorsport.Send us Fan MailMusic by #Mubert Music Rendering