The 1951 season

Fangio Holds Off the Ferrari Rise

Alfa Romeo's aging supercharged cars carried Juan Manuel Fangio to his first title just as Ferrari's naturally aspirated challengers broke through.

Alfa Romeo began 1951 with a car that was quick and very thirsty. Its supercharged Alfetta, now called the 159, drank fuel so freely that Ferrari's larger naturally aspirated cars could run longer between stops, and over a season that arithmetic would matter. The championship grew to eight rounds, from Bremgarten in May to a new Spanish Grand Prix at Pedralbes in late October. Monaco left the calendar, and Germany and Spain joined it for the first time.

The calendar

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