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Nigel Mansell’s 1992 world championship was won in one of the most iconic Formula 1 cars of all time, but the Briton admits that he still preferred racing for Ferrari over the team that took him to glory: Williams.
Even though he was a Ferrari driver for just two seasons of racing, Maranello holds a special place in Nigel Mansell’s heart.
After already cementing himself as one of the best talents on the grid in the late 1980s, Mansell became the final driver to be handed a drive by Signore Enzo Ferrari himself.
He remains the last British driver to win a Grand Prix in the famous red colours of the Scuderia, something that Lewis Hamilton will be hoping to replicate during his second season with Ferrari this year.
In fact, Hamilton could prove Mansell wrong in the event that he somehow wins the title in 2026, after the F1 legend predicted that the iconic Italian racing outfit wouldn’t win a title anytime soon in 2020.
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Nigel Mansell explains why he preferred racing for Ferrari over Williams
During a recent interview with BUDDS, Mansell was asked to choose between the two F1 outfits that he spent the majority of his career with, Ferrari and Williams.
There was no hesitation from the 1992 world champion, who replied, “It’s got to be Ferrari. If you go there and say, ‘Oh, that’s a beautiful Ducati over there,’ and a week later, a new Ducati arrives at home.
“Then, a few weeks after that, they wanted me to test a new Testarossa on the test track, which I did. And I just said, “Look, it’s a bit too pointy, people might be able to spin it on the roads a bit. Just put a bit of understeer in the car, I think it’ll be safer, but the car’s fantastic.”
“Two weeks later, a new Testarossa came free. It was fantastic. What did I have from Williams?”
Mansell then gave a thumbs down as he laughed, before adding, “But look, Williams is a great team. Ferrari is just something special.
“They can do things that not a lot of other teams can. I had a great time with Williams, but I didn’t really receive too many gifts. Well, I did get one gift: I won the world championship and got fired!”
“Sorry,” Mansell said, laughing, before ending with, “It was very painful!”
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Nigel Mansell was notoriously difficult to work with during his F1 career
Williams ended up parting ways with Mansell after his 1992 F1 title feat due to a contract dispute that had cropped up earlier in the season.
It was reported that the British icon had requested a new deal, but delayed signing it as he felt like his impressive performances in that year’s campaign warranted a sizeable pay increase.
He returned to the Grove-based outfit for a few races in 1994, and David Coulthard previously revealed how difficult Mansell was to work with at the time.
Alain Prost also detailed how Mansell was ‘jealous’ of him during their tenure as teammates at Ferrari before the Briton’s final Williams stint.
In fact, Williams’ interest in signing Prost for the 1993 season was a key factor in Mansell’s push to secure a better salary for himself.
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