JUAN MANUEL FANGIO

World Championships: 5

Grand Prix Entries: 51

Grand Prix Wins: 23

Pole Positions: 27

Nationality: Argentinean

Juan Manuel Fangio was born in Balcarce, Argentina, in 1911. After completing the mandatory military service, he began to work as a mechanic. It was obvious that he held an immediate affinity with motor vehicles, and it wasn't long before he had begun to race them.

Local Argentinean motor racing events were rather different to modern day race track events. Instead, they took place over huge distances - one thousand kilometres was not uncommon - and would take around two weeks to complete. The nearest modern sport it can be compared to is rallying, with a set number of stages per day. The roads were of a poor standard, and driving on them took plenty of courage. Death was not an uncommon occurrence. Fangio excelled at the sport though, pairing his training as a mechanic with his natural flair as a racing driver (either the driver or co-driver had to fix the car if it broke down - there were no team mechanics). Influential figures in government began to take note, and after the Second World War Juan Manuel Fangio was sponsored to go and race in Europe. 

In 1950 a new era broke out in Grand Prix history, the dawn of Formula One motor racing. This is where Fangio came into his own. In the first year of Formula One he was given a place in the Alfa Romeo team, and he finished second. A year later he exhibited a driving master class in a series of races and finished the season as World Champion. In 1952 though, he broke his neck after being thrown out of his car at Monza. It was touch and go for a time but Fangio survived. However he was out for the rest of the season. 

It's amazing that he even considered getting back into a racing car, but such was his passion and enthusiasm for the sport that he returned for the 1953 season, finishing a remarkable second overall. 

The years 1954 to 1957 were the real glory years for Fangio. He won four consecutive World Championships in three different types of cars - Mercedes, Maserati and Ferrari. Many people consider that his best performance came at the Nurburgring in '57. After losing a minute to the leaders in the pits, he smashed the lap record for three consecutive laps, by more than ten seconds, going on to win the race. The following season he retired saying only "˜It is finished'. 

Maserati 250F Chassis 2529 'Fangio's Car'

The 1956 Lancia Ferrari D50 provided Fangio with his fourth World title

It is important to highlight the danger involved in motor racing at this time. Safety features, regarding both the car and the surrounding track were very basic, and the sport was extremely hazardous. Drivers weren't showered with money as in the modern day sport. They drove primarily because of their love of the sport. All other drivers considered Juan Manuel Fangio a true gentleman - he was rather shy and retiring as opposed to the majority of temperamental narcissistic drivers of that time. He let his driving do the talking and that is why he became known simply as "˜the maestro'.

Juan-ManuelFangio wins the 1954 Argentine Grand Prix

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