Once upon a time, and not so long ago at that, Italian drivers dominated the sport of Formula 1.

In 1989 and again in 1991, 13 drivers from Italy lined up on the grid during the season. That made it the most represented country of all time in a single season.

But 2018 will see Italy completely absent from the line-up - and it's not the first time, either. Last year also saw an absence of Italians from the initial line-up, until an injury to Sauber's Pascal Wehrlein opened up a spot for Antonio Giovinazzi to step in for the Australian and Chinese Grands Prix.

It's all a far cry from the inaugural F1 world championship in 1950 which was won by Giuseppe "Nino" Farina. Alberto Ascari won back-to-back titles in 1952 and 1953, and he remains the most successful Italian driver in the sport with 13 victories.

The most recent Italian-born driver to clinch the title was Mario Andretti in 1978, although he raced as an American. In total, there have been 98 Formula 1 drivers from Italy, 15 of which have won a Grand Prix. However, only six of those have won more than one race.

The most recent Italian race winner was Giancarlo Fisichella. He was victorious at the 2006 Malaysian Grand Prix while driving for Renault, his third race win. That's an almost unbelievable 12 years ago now.

Fisichella was subsequently runner-up in the 2009 Belgium Grand Prix with Force India. The result saw him head-hunted by Ferrari to replace an injured Felipe Massa for the rest of the season. It meant that Fisico finished his F1 career at Maranello - a dream come true for any Italian.

The team has subsequently founded the Ferrari Driver Academy in the hopes of developing young talent, especially from Italy. Among current members are Giuliano Alesi, Enzo Fittipaldi and Antonio Fuoco.

However it seems an age since Italy ruled the pinnacle of motor sport. It's a reminder to all countries how swiftly a golden age can pass - and how difficult if not impossible it is to recover once it's gone.

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