Juan Manuel Fangio

Argentine racing driver

The Maestro of the first decade

Juan Manuel Fangio came from the Argentine road races to win five world titles with four different teams in the championship's opening decade.

Juan Manuel Fangio was born in Balcarce, Argentina, on June 24, 1911. He left school young to work as a mechanic, and he built his name in the long Argentine road races of Turismo Carretera, first in a Ford and then in a Chevrolet, winning that championship in 1940 and again a year later. From 1947 he raced in Europe, and when the World Championship began in 1950 he was ready for it.

He started the very first championship race, the 1950 British Grand Prix, with Alfa Romeo, and won for the first time at the 1950 Monaco Grand Prix. His first title came with Alfa Romeo in 1951. He then took the crown in 1954, driving for Maserati and Mercedes, in 1955 with Mercedes, in 1956 with Ferrari and in 1957 with Maserati again. No other driver has won titles with four different teams, and his total of five stood as the record for decades.

Two of his drives are still held up as models. In the 1955 Argentine Grand Prix, run in fierce heat over about three hours, he drove the whole distance alone while rivals shared cars, and he set the fastest lap. At the 1957 German Grand Prix he lost the lead after a slow pit stop, then chased down the Ferraris and won, his final victory.

His last start came at the 1958 French Grand Prix. In our record he made 58 starts and collected 24 wins, 29 pole positions, 23 fastest laps and 35 podiums. Outside Formula 1 he won the 1953 Carrera Panamericana and the 12 Hours of Sebring. Later he served as honorary president of Mercedes Benz Argentina from 1987. Fangio died in 1995.

5 world titles, 24 wins, 29 pole positions, 58 starts.

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