the 1st 2 letters of there 1st name are the same!
That's not one I thought of, but you can have that as a bonus point if you give me the rest! 
Come on folks! FIVE THINGS!!!! 
They are both from Italy. Theres 5 things there. They share an I, a T, an A, a L and a Y. 
Not quite 5. But yes, both from Italy. Now 4 more!
Both had their F1 race debut in 2004, neither scored a single world championship point. Both have raced for Durango and Coloni, albeit in a different series. Both have won the German GP2 feature race and finished second in the Monaco feature race. All I could manage. 
Jolly good, I just need 1 more.
So far:
1. Both from Italy (andrew)
2. Both had their debut in 2004 (Denthul)
3. Both had pointless '04 campaigns (Denthul)
4. They both went to GP2, with similar outcomes (Denthul)
5..........
This one is more specific (F1) and more literal. What really
"connected" them more than anything else?