Cesare Perdisa

From a wealthy publishing background, Perdisa first made his mark on the racing scene in 1954 with some excellent drives in his Maserati T200S sports car, finishing fourth at the Imola GP, fifth in the Portuguese GP and third at Syracuse. Proving this was no flash in the pan, the 1955 season saw wins at the Imola Shell GP and the Bari GP and second place at the Monza Supercortemaggiore in works machines, and his first Grand Prix, at Monaco, where Behra took over his car to share a third-place finish.

After missing the early-season Argentine races due to appendicitis, Perdisa was back in harness by Monaco, but again his points finishes were due in part to the efforts of another driver, this time Moss. Cesare was injured in a practice crash at the German Grand Prix and did not race for the Maserati team again. Lining up for rivals Ferrari in Argentina at the start of 1957, he took a shared sixth place in the Grand Prix, seventh in the Buenos Aires City GP, and won the 1000-km sports car race with co-drivers Gregory, Castellotti and Musso. However, on returning to Europe, perhaps due to pressure from his family, Cesare suddenly announced his retirement from racing.