From being one of the true survivors of the ‘Snow Society’, to dreaming of F1 and rubbing the shoulder with Ecclestone: “I’ll help you, but you won’t get there”

After the success of the Netflix movie ‘The Snow Society’ by JA Bayona, who achieved two nominations for the 2023 Oscarsthe world once again remembered the incredible story of the 16 survivors of the accident that occurred in 1972, that of flight 571 of the Uruguayan Air Force in the Andes mountains. There were 45 people on that plane (40 passengers and 5 crew). 16 of them managed to defy death by enduring sub-zero temperatures, in the snow, watching their friends, family and other travelers die in the middle of nowhere, at around 3,500 meters above sea level , with no one to save them.

16 survivors succeeded drinking water that they managed to melt from the snow, they survived several avalanches and succeeded 72 long, hard days in extreme conditions, knowing that the authorities had left them for dead. They stopped looking for them, and when they did, no one found them. They are ants in the expanse of mountains. Without food, they have to survive by eating frozen meat from the bodies of their dead friends. Pure safety.

One of them, Fernando Parrado, is one of the great names in this massive story. He survived the head injuries he sustained from the heavy blow when the plane hit the mountain. Later, he had to overcome the pain of witnessing the death of his mother, Eugenia, and his sister, Susana, before his eyes. And then he is one of the two brave men, along with his friend Roberto Canessa, who dare to face the mountains and their dangers in search of someone who will save them. Together they walked and climbed for 10 days until a Chilean mule driver, named Sergio Catalán, found them. They were saved.

This is key to finding help for rescue

Fernando is known as a key person among the survivors. But it was also due to his love of the engine and reaching the gates of F1. This is where his other story begins. ‘Nando’ has even spoken to Bernie Ecclestone, “Lole” Reutemann and godfather to the children of one of the greatest drivers in history, Jackie Stewart, as he said a few weeks ago in a report published by portal ‘Infobae’ and its journalist Darío Coronel.

His love for F1 and his friendship with Ecclestone and Stewart

Fernando, one of the members of the Old Christians rugby team from Montevideo, is not only fond of rugby. Fuel also seeped into his veins. At the age of 10, he learned to drive sitting on the lap of his father, Seler Parrado, who was one of the founders of the Uruguayan Driving Association. He passed his love of four wheels on to her. Nando first came to compete in Uruguay and then in Europe. And after experiencing the worst phase of his life in the Andes, he arrived at the gates of F1. A year after looking into the eyes of death, he met someone who would be very important in his life: the legendary Jackie Stewart, who became his mentor.

“We have traveled a lot together and we have seen each other since 1973, every year. I stayed at his house, we went to the F1 races together and we share the hotel. It’s like we’re cousins ​​or something. ‘ to his sons Paul and Mark. It’s unbelievable, but I have a poster of his F1 Tyrrell and one day I found out he was teaching me how to drive a racing car. He was a rare creature, who became a teacher and a mentor. Always with the right word and personalized correction. He cared about me and my family and I have no words to thank him for his friendship,” he commented on ‘Infobae’ about that eternal friendship.

Along with him, his relationship with “another great friend” stands out, the giant Bernie Ecclestone, who bought the Brabham team in 1972, the first step towards his reign as F1 boss after the formation of Formula 1 Constructors Association (FOCA). ) along with other big names. Exactly, Ecclestone helped him in his European career. But at the same time, it was the reason he put his feet on the ground and brought him back to reality.

“I had a good relationship with him, I remember one year, at Monac, he took his Brabham BT 44 to and from the pits. In 1977 his F1 team ran with Alfa Romeo engines and he contacted the Autodelta team. Together with the Argentine Juan Pablo Zampa and Eugenio Breard we got a very important sponsorship and we ran in Group 2 of the European Tourism Championship,” he recalls.

“Go to F1? I’m a very good driver, but I realized that I’m not exceptional. And you have to be exceptional to go to F1 or any top category in the world. I would be a very good Turismo or GT driver. , Endurance, but not for F1. My first racing suit was given to me by “Lole” Reutemann, as we were almost the same size. Another was Bernie Ecclestone He told me: “If you want to go to F1, I’ll help you, but you’re not going there. You want to ride well, run perfectly, but you don’t have the hunger that people who climb from the bottom have for years .Enjoy, run, but don’t try to reach F1″. And he followed his friend’s advice.

At the wheel of F1 with Niki Lauda

Of course, he got rid of the thorn in F1 driving. Nothing less than Niki Lauda’s McLaren MP4 on a legendary circuit like Brands Hatchin Great Britain, with the instructions of the legendary Austrian driver and designer of that car, John Barnard

“I was able to test an F1, a Niki Lauda car. It was with a McLaren MP4 at Brands Hatch (England) with Niki and John Barnard. It was easier than it seemed: three pedals, manual gearbox and a Cosworth machine. I think up to 70 percent of the car’s potential can be managed by a good driver who has never been in F1. Then things change quickly and you have to get used to the tires, the downforce (aerodynamic grip) and the brakes, which are “galactic”. I can’t imagine what a current F1 could be,” the Uruguayan recalled to ‘Infobae’.

“Of course I didn’t want to and I couldn’t do something stupid and ruin the car, so I accelerated it, refined it and enjoyed it within my limits. Third to fourth gear is something I will never forget and with . the Cosworth engine howling behind me. Another great experience I had in 1982 was testing Stefan Johansson’s Spirit Honda Formula 2 car at Silverstone,” added a parked who currently continues to give conferences around the world to talk about leadership after the experience he lived in the Andes.