Giuseppe Farina

Italian racecar driver

The first champion of the world

Giuseppe Farina won the first race of the World Championship in 1950 and, by the end of that season, its first title.

Giuseppe Farina, known as Nino, was born in Turin on 30 October 1906. He began hillclimbing in 1925, raced under the guidance of Tazio Nuvolari, and through the late 1930s was one of Italy's leading Grand Prix drivers, winning three straight Italian championships up to 1939. After the war he returned with Alfa Corse and won the 1948 Monaco Grand Prix among other major races.

When the World Championship began in 1950, Farina drove for Alfa Romeo, and he won its very first race, the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, starting from pole position. Victories in Switzerland and at Monza followed, and despite a strong challenge from teammate Juan Manuel Fangio he became the first world champion. In 1951 he won the Belgian Grand Prix, but Fangio took the title.

Farina moved to Ferrari for 1952, where Alberto Ascari was the dominant force, and he scored regular podiums without winning that year. His last championship victory came at the 1953 German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring. He also won major sports car races in 1953, including the Nürburgring 1000 km and the 24 Hours of Spa. Injuries limited him in 1954, and he drove his final championship race at Monza in 1955.

Across 36 starts he collected 5 wins, 5 pole positions, 5 fastest laps and 20 podiums, a podium in more than half of his races. He later entered the Indianapolis 500 without qualifying. Farina died on 30 June 1966 in a road accident in the French Alps while travelling to watch the French Grand Prix.

1 world titles, 5 wins, 5 pole positions, 36 starts.

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