One of the key figures behind Ferrari’s success at the turn of the century, Gino Rosato left the team earlier this year. Despite his 32-year spell with Ferrari, a lot of people seem to undervalue his contribution, but Carlos Sainz isn’t one of them. In a recent Instagram story posted by Rosato, he thanked the Spaniard for remembering him.
Rosato first joined Ferrari in 1991. Since then, he has played a big role at the Maranello-based outfit, taking up responsibilities in several departments. His initial job was not full-time, and he looked after the logistics of the team. However, with time, he grew close to Jean Todt and became a prominent member of the prancing horses.
He is also remembered by Ferrari fans for something extremely embarrassing. While Everyone on the team was waiting for confirmation about Felipe Massa winning the 2008 world title, Rosato already started celebrating. His premature celebrations, however, turned into gut-wrenching disappointment when Lewis Hamilton snatched the title win away.
On the other hand, despite people remembering him for the wrong reasons, Carlos Sainz seems to hold some fond memories of him.
Gino Rosato thanks Carlos Sainz for remembering him
Sainz joined Ferrari in 2021, so he got to spend two whole seasons with Rosato until his departure ahead of the start of this season. On Instagram, Rosato posted a story where he recalled Sainz first coming to Ferrari 20 years ago, as a small child with a big dream.
Rosato recalled this story back in 2021 too and even cited Sainz’s father Carlos Sainz Sr. as his hero. He lauded Sainz’s Ferrari debut season and developed a close relationship with the Madrid-born driver.
Earlier this week, Rosato’s story once again reminded fans about how Sainz and his father visited him all those years ago. “Some little boy Carlos Sainz comes visits Ferrari 20 years ago. Thanks for still remembering.”
The picture in the story included Sainz giving a helmet to Rosato, which the latter seemed to thoroughly appreciate.
Rosato’s connection to Ferrari legends
Rosato first started working with Ferrari in 1991. So, it is safe to say that he has worked closely with some of the biggest legends to don the red overalls. Rosato was a member of the Italian squad during their dominance in the early 2000s, led by Ross Brawn, Todt and Michael Schumacher.
However, the driver he became most attached to was Kimi Raikkonen. In fact, he became so close to Raikkonen that the Finn declared Rosato as his son Robin’s godfather. Rosato has been fulfilling his duty as a godfather wholeheartedly, and became young Robin’s biggest cheerleader when he achieved his first podium finish in karts earlier this year.
Rosato’s connection to Ferrari stars like Raikkonen and Sainz is proof that he was an integral part of the team, and shared a good relationship that people hold fondly in their memories.
