"I believe to have been one of the rare drivers to have returned to Ferrari"
About this Quote
Ickx frames it as belief rather than a boast, which is its own kind of flex. He isn’t thumping his chest about titles; he’s staking a claim to being trusted twice by the most temperamental employer in motorsport. The subtext is that Ferrari remembers slights, and yet he was welcomed back. That suggests a relationship with Enzo Ferrari that went beyond lap times: loyalty, a willingness to absorb the team’s chaos, and the ability to function inside a culture where the car is the star and the driver is often a beautifully dressed variable.
The line also subtly polices the legend. In racing, narratives calcify quickly: heroes, traitors, mercenaries. By emphasizing how rare a return is, Ickx positions himself as an exception to the usual Ferrari storyline of romance turning into rupture. It’s less “I was fast” than “I belonged,” and in Ferrari-speak, belonging is the highest credential.
Quote Details
| Topic | Sports |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Ickx, Jacky. (2026, January 16). I believe to have been one of the rare drivers to have returned to Ferrari. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-believe-to-have-been-one-of-the-rare-drivers-to-85087/
Chicago Style
Ickx, Jacky. "I believe to have been one of the rare drivers to have returned to Ferrari." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-believe-to-have-been-one-of-the-rare-drivers-to-85087/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I believe to have been one of the rare drivers to have returned to Ferrari." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-believe-to-have-been-one-of-the-rare-drivers-to-85087/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.



