The craziest Formula 1 drivers of all time: Suddenly there was a naked woman on Benoit’s balcony

For example?
BMW engine boss Paul Rosche once fell asleep in his car during the lunch break during Pirelli tests in Kyalami. Piquet then taped off the entire car, leaving only a small window open through which he threw a burning cloth. Rosche then woke up from the smoke and naturally panicked. Piquet often had a suitcase full of nonsense such as rubber hoses or fireworks.

What did he do with it?
At a BMW party he had a gun with blue ink in it, which disappeared after a few seconds. Piquet shot it onto the dress of a woman, who was initially afraid until the ink magically disappeared. Fellow driver Strietzel Stuck found it completely fascinating and really wanted to take pictures too. So Piquet gave him the gun, albeit a different one with real ink in it. Strietzel then shot the CEO’s wife. When the ink stopped running afterwards, the boss was angry for years. How crazy Piquet was was also shown in South Africa in 1983.

What happened there?
He had just become world champion for the second time. He was celebrating the title with his then wife and me in a bungalow when an employee walked in and presented him with a congratulatory telegram from the Brazilian president. When he read that, he just said, “This is the last person who needs to congratulate me. I’m going to pee there now.”

And did he do it?
No, but only because his wife intervened. She said, “If you do that now, I will leave you.”

It is said that you have Piquet to thank for a story of yours that caused an earthquake when it was published.
It was one of the biggest indiscretions ever in Formula 1. Hungarian GP 1987. Piquet was still driving for Williams-Honda at the time. Then he said to me: “Honda is leaving Formula 1 and I am switching to Lotus.” So I wrote this. On Monday evening, Williams team boss Frank Williams suddenly called me and angrily asked how I could write such nonsense.

Let me guess: Williams himself didn’t know about this?
Exactly, but four weeks later Honda announced its departure from Formula 1 in Monza. Frank Williams didn’t know where I got my information until his death in 2021. You notice that there really is more to tell about Piquet than just a few stories.

Who’s the next crazy person we should talk about?
Gilles Villeneuve. He was a very quiet boy, but in the car he was a real fool who drove without taking into account any losses. I’ve always liked him, unlike his son Jacques. The only thing the two had in common was their last name. Unfortunately, only one of the two became world champion, the wrong one.

Do you have a crazy anecdote about Gilles Villeneuve?
I once made an appointment with him for dinner in Imola, but at 9 p.m. he still wasn’t there. Suddenly there was a huge noise from outside and everyone looked out the windows. A helicopter landed in the middle of the parking lot and Villeneuve shined a flashlight on the ground to provide himself with light. Nowadays you would go to jail for that, but back then that was still normal.

There’s one name we can’t ignore when it comes to crazy pilots: James Hunt.
He became famous with the phrase: “I had more than 5,000 wives.” That may have been a bit of an exaggeration, but at the time the grid girls and groupies threw themselves at the drivers like warm little ones. Once I even had to stand in front of Hunt.

Say!
It was on a flight to South Africa. One after another, Hunt and a Ferrari driver had fun with a passenger in the washroom. I had to stand because both drivers were accompanied. So they said to me: «When I’m done, I’ll knock on the door from the inside. When the coast is clear, you push back from the outside.” That’s how it happened. One came out and the other went in. Today, such a story would cause an earthquake.

Hunt played a leading role in the 2013 film ‘Rush’. It was about his rivalry with Niki Lauda.
That’s what annoyed me about the movie, because the two were rivals, but also friends, which doesn’t happen in “Rush.” Hunt once said: “I taught Lauda how to live with women and he taught me about cars.” Speaking of Lauda, ​​a funny anecdote from Le Castellet just comes to mind.

What happened?
During test drives it suddenly said: there was a break, Hunt was off the track. So Lauda drove away and wanted to see what was going on. Then he saw Hunt’s car on the long straight. He had simply parked there near the guardrail and then slept off his drunkenness in his McLaren.

Hunt probably also slept too little in São Paulo in 1976.
That’s correct. On the Thursday before the Brazilian GP, ​​Bernie Ecclestone, McLaren team boss Teddy Mayer, his driver Hunt and I played backgammon at the Hilton. When the waiter wanted to close the restaurant at one in the morning, Bernie asked him, “How much do you make a month?” He replied, “Fifty dollars.” So Bernie gave him $100 and said, “Stay here until we’re done and serve us drinks and sandwiches.” When we finished playing at 4 a.m., Hunt was completely perplexed: “Shit, the first practice starts at 10 a.m.” But Bernie reassured him: “It’s no problem, we’ll meet in front of the hotel at 8am.” When we got there at 8am, there was a police escort with five motorcycles and two cars. Then they drove us through the city with lights flashing. Hunt took pole that Saturday.

Let’s move on to the fourth name.
Jean Alesi, but I have to be a little careful because we were good friends.

Why not more?
I once wrote in passing that the contract of his son Giuliano, blessed with mediocre talent, would no longer be renewed in the Ferrari Academy. Jean took offense and unfortunately ended my friendship with me, even though the report was true.

Why do you think Alesi is one of the 5 craziest drivers?
He was like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. A kind-hearted person who can suddenly panic. When his first wife had a child, he did not want to see her and filed for divorce because they agreed that she did not want to start a family while he was at work. He also showed both sides during his time at Sauber. Two stories come to mind.

The first?
He always knew everything better and often complained about the car. When he complained again and demanded that the front wing be adjusted, the mechanics pretended to comply with his request and he was sent back onto the track. When he came back he said, “Everything is great, it fits perfectly.” The drivers had done nothing to the vehicle. This is a death sentence for any motorist anywhere for being so brutally exposed.

And the second story?
Sauber was having financial problems at the time. Once they couldn’t pay him in full, so instead of money they gave him a painting by a famous artist. When Alesi wanted to sell this in a gallery, he was told that it was not real, but only a copy. He really panicked and wanted to do a story with me to show what kind of people would work at Sauber. I said no, because I’m sure no one at Sauber Alesi deliberately sold the wrong artwork.

One name is still missing from the list.
When we talk about crazy people, Gerhard Berger is also one of them. In Hungary, Alesi once said to him: “Tomorrow I will fly to Tokyo to see my girlfriend.” Berger then took his passport, tore it up and said, “I don’t think you’ll see your girlfriend on Monday.”

His relationship with Ayrton Senna is also said to be legendary.
The two were teammates at McLaren from 1986. After three races, Berger said to me: “If I want to beat Senna, I have to kill myself. That’s not what I have in mind, so I accept that he is faster.” Some drivers today should follow Berger’s example. But that didn’t stop Berger from making fun of him. He once discreetly stuck a pornographic photo in Senna’s passport. At customs, the official looked at him for several minutes, and only Senna didn’t know why at first, until he smiled and got his passport back. And then of course there is the story of the suitcase.

Say.
Senna always had a briefcase full of money and documents with him. He once proudly told Berger that he was indestructible. As they sat together in the helicopter on their way to the Monza paddock, Berger suddenly opened the window and threw the suitcase outside.

And was he indestructible?
No, Senna’s face was completely white. They then landed and picked up the scattered contents.

In the archives I found another story in which a GP driver hid smelly fish in a colleague’s hotel room. Sounds suspiciously like Berger.
It was so. At that moment, Senna announced a hot night full of love. So Berger hid smelly, dead fish, also in a lamp. Senna panicked when he entered the room with the woman and it smelled terrible. According to legend, the woman left the room early…

One last question: there is also a story you once told on Servus-TV, in which a naked woman suddenly appeared on your hotel balcony. Were any of these five craziest drivers involved?
Yes, but I’m not going to tell you which of the five. The story went like this: Suddenly there was a naked woman on the balcony of my hotel. She had daringly climbed up to me from the next room where a driver lived. And the pilot shouted excitedly at me, ‘Roger, you have to take her over. My wife is at the door.”

And how did the story continue?
Not at all. She got dressed and left my room without saying a word.