ALESSANDRO NANNINI won one Grand Prix, and didn’t know about his victory until later that day.

After retiring following a horror accident, the Italian has now swapped fast cars for pastries.

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Alessandro Nannini during his debut season in F1 in 1986Credit: Alamy
 

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Nannini was a great F1 driver in his timeCredit: Shutterstock
Nannini competed in F1 from 1986 to 1990, appearing for Minardi and Bennetton in 76 Grands Prix.

The highlight of this was the 1989 Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, best remembered for an incident between icons Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost.

Starting in third, Nannini took the lead after a collision between the two greats took them both off the track on lap 47.

Whilst Prost retired from the race, Senna was push-started and after pitting to replace his front wing, eventually overtook Nannini in what initially appeared to be an important victory.

However, Senna was later disqualified for cutting the chicane after his collision, giving the title to Prost and the race win to Nannini.

Nannini took the top step of the podium in what proved to be his only F1 victory, as a helicopter accident in 1990 ended his career in the sport as his forearm was severed.

He then moved into the family business – a bakery and coffee chain founded by his grandfather, Guido, in 1910.

He now fronts the business, which started in his hometown in Siena, Italy, and has had branches across the globe as far as Indonesia.

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Nannini wins Japanese Grand Prix in 1989Credit: Shutterstock
 

Jean Alesi in the Tyrrell Ford 019 leads Nelson Piquet and Alessandro Nannini in their Benetton cars.
Nannini racing in the San Marino Grand Prix in 1990Credit: Alamy
Talking about the business in an interview with Motor Sport Magazine in 2015, he said: “I have plans for the Nannini business outside Italy, expanding beyond the bakery and the cafés.”

He went on to say how his time in F1 helped him in his business ventures.

Nannini said: “I learnt a lot from my days in F1, about contracts, about business and how to be careful of those who will not be honest in their relationships with me.”

Nannini briefly returned to motorsport in 1993 after his accident, racing in touring cars until his final retirement in 1997.