Juan Manuel Fangio

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Juan Manuel Fangio
Nationality: 22px-Flag of Argentina.png Argentine
Years: 1950 - 1951, 1953 - 1958
Team(s): Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Mercedes, Ferrari
Races: 52
Championships: 5
Wins: 24
Podiums: 31
Poles: 29
Fastest laps: 23
First race: 1950 British Grand Prix British Grand Prix
First win: 1950 Monaco Grand Prix Monaco Grand Prix
Last win: 1957 German Grand Prix German Grand Prix
Last race: 1958 French Grand Prix French Grand Prix
Video Fangio test driving a Maserati 250F
Juan Manuel Fangio driving a Mercedes-Benz W196 in the 1986 Oldtimer Grand Prix at the Nürburgring


Juan Manuel Fangio (June 24, 1911 - July 17, 1995) was a legendary race car driver. The Argentine often referred to as The Maestro, dominated the first decade of Formula One. According to the official Formula One website, he is considered by many to be the greatest Formula One driver of all time. He won five world championship titles with four completely different teams - Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz and Maserati, a feat that has not been repeated since. After surpassing Fangio's long standing record for total number of World Championship titles, Michael Schumacher said - "Fangio is on a level much higher than I see myself. What he did stands alone and what we have achieved is also unique. I have such respect for what he achieved. You can't take a personality like Fangio and compare him with what has happened today. There is not even the slightest comparison."


Early life

He was born in Balcarce, Argentina to Italian parents from the small central Italian village of Castiglione Messer Marino, near Chieti. He began his racing career in Argentina in 1934, mostly in long distance road races and he was Argentine National Champion in 1940 and 1941. The outbreak of World War II halted his rise, and he could not begin racing in Europe until 1947.

Formula 1

Juan Manuel Fangio, unlike most later Formula One drivers, started his racing career at a mature age and was the oldest driver in many of his races. During his career, drivers raced almost without protective equipment. The notable rivals he had to face consisted of the likes of Alberto Ascari, Giuseppe Farina and Stirling Moss.

Later drivers, like Jim Clark, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher all, in their time, had comparisons drawn to Fangio. However, it is generally acknowledged that such comparisons are not realistic, given driver qualities required for successs and competition levels have varied with time in this sport. Additionally, the rules have varied incredibly. In Fangio's era, for example, drivers could actually use multiple cars in the very same race.

Initially Fangio was not particularly successful until racing an Alfa Romeo in 1950. He finished second in the world championship in 1950 and won his first title in 1951. He was competing well in 1952 in a Maserati until a serious accident at Monza, Italy ended his season with a neck injury. Fangio soon returned to win La Carrera Panamericana, the 2000-mile Mexican road race the following year in a Lancia D24. In 1954 he raced with Maserati until Mercedes-Benz entered competition in mid-season. Winning eight out of twelve races (six out of eight in the championship) in that year, he continued to race again with Mercedes—driving the superb W196 Monoposto—in 1955 (in a dream team that included Stirling Moss). At the end of the second successful season (which was overshadowed by the 1955 Le Mans disaster in which 81 spectators were killed) Mercedes had won all titles and withdrew from racing as there was nothing left to prove.

In 1956 Fangio moved to Ferrari, replacing Alberto Ascari who had been killed in an accident, to win his fourth title. He finished first in three races and second in all the other championship races. In 1957 he returned to Maserati and won his fifth title, notable for an extraordinary performance to secure his final win at the Nürburgring in Germany. After his series of back-to-back championships he retired in 1958, following the French Grand Prix. He won 24 Grand Prix in 51 starts (the best winning percentage in the sport's history).

Cuban rebels kidnapped him on February 23, 1958 but he was later freed.

During the rest of his life, Fangio represented Mercedes-Benz, often driving his former race cars in demonstration laps. In 1990, he was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame. Juan Manuel Fangio died in Buenos Aires in 1995, at the age of 84. He was interred in the cemetery of his home town Balcarce in Argentina.

His nephew, Juan Manuel Fangio II, also was successful as auto racing competitor.

In 2005, the Zonda 2005 C12 F was named after him due to the endorsement from Fangio for Pagani.

Complete Formula One World Championship Results

(Races in bold indicate pole position)

Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Team WDC Points
1950 Alfa Romeo GBR
Ret
MON
1
INDY
SWI
Ret
BEL
1
FRA
1
ITA
Ret
Alfa Romeo 2nd 27
1951 Alfa Romeo SWI
1
INDY
BEL
9
FRA
1
GBR
2
GER
2
ITA
Ret
ESP
1
Alfa Romeo 1st 31
1953 Maserati ARG
Ret
INDY
DUT
Ret
BEL
Ret
FRA
2
GBR
2
GER
2
SWI
4
ITA
1
Maserati 2nd 28
1954 Maserati ARG
1
INDY
BEL
1
FRA
1
GBR
4
GER
1
SWI
1
ITA
1
ESP
3
Mercedes-Benz 1st 42
1955 Mercedes-Benz ARG
1
MON
Ret
INDY
BEL
1
DUT
1
GBR
2
ITA
1
Mercedes-Benz 1st 40
1956 Ferrari ARG
1
MON
2
INDY
BEL
Ret
FRA
4
GBR
1
GER
1
ITA
2
Ferrari 1st 30
1957 Maserati ARG
1
MON
1
INDY
FRA
1
GBR
Ret
GER
1
PES
2
ITA
2
Maserati 1st 40
1958 Scd. Sud Americana ARG
4
MON
DUT
INDY
DNS
BEL
FRA
4
GBR
GER
POR
ITA
MOR
J.M. Fangio 14th 7


External links


Video Links

Onboard with Juan Manuel Fangio Video


Formula One World Drivers' Champions
(1950Nino Farina ·(1951Juan Manuel Fangio ·(195253Alberto Ascari ·(1954,55,56,57Juan Manuel Fangio ·(1958Mike Hawthorn · (195960Jack Brabham · (1961Phil Hill ·

(1962Graham Hill · (1963Jim Clark · (1964John Surtees · (1965Jim Clark · (1966Jack Brabham · (1967Denny Hulme · (1968Graham Hill · (1969Jackie Stewart · (1970Jochen Rindt · (1971Jackie Stewart · (1972Emerson Fittipaldi · (1973Jackie Stewart · (1974Emerson Fittipaldi · (1975Niki Lauda · (1976James Hunt · (1977Niki Lauda · (1978Mario Andretti · (1979Jody Scheckter · (1980Alan Jones · (1981Nelson Piquet · (1982Keke Rosberg · (1983Nelson Piquet · (1984Niki Lauda · (198586Alain Prost · (1987Nelson Piquet · (1988Ayrton Senna · (1989Alain Prost · (199091Ayrton Senna · (1992Nigel Mansell · (1993Alain Prost · (199495Michael Schumacher · (1996Damon Hill · (1997Jacques Villeneuve · (199899Mika Häkkinen · (2000,01,02,03,04Michael Schumacher · (200506Fernando Alonso


3dflagsdotcom italy2bs.gif Scuderia Ferrari
Personnel:
22px-Flag of France.png Jean Todt | 3dflagsdotcom italy2bs.gif Mario Almondo | 3dflagsdotcom italy2bs.gif Stefano Domenicali | 3dflagsdotcom italy2bs.gif Luca Baldisseri
Current drivers:
22px-Flag of Finland.png Kimi Räikkönen | 22px-Flag of Brazil.png Felipe Massa | 3dflagsdotcom italy2bs.gif Luca Badoer | 3dflagsdotcom italy2bs.gif Giancarlo Fisichella (Test Driver) 22px-Flag of Spain.png Marc Gené (Test Driver)
Notable Former drivers:
22px-Flag of Germany.png Michael Schumacher | 3dflagsdotcom italy2bs.gif Alberto Ascari | 22px-Flag of Argentina.png Juan Manuel Fangio | 22px-Flag of the United Kingdom.png Mike Hawthorn | 22px-Flag of Austria.png Niki Lauda | 22px-Flag of South Africa.png Jody Scheckter | 22px-Flag of the United Kingdom.png John Surtees | 22px-Flag of the United States.png Phil Hill | 22px-Flag of Brazil.png Rubens Barrichello | 22px-Flag of the United Kingdom.png Eddie Irvine | 22px-Flag of France.png Jean Alesi | 22px-Flag of France.png Alain Prost | 22px-Flag of the United Kingdom.png Nigel Mansell | 22px-Flag of Austria.png Gerhard Berger | 3dflagsdotcom italy2bs.gif Michele Alboreto | 22px-Flag of France.png René Arnoux | 22px-Flag of France.png Patrick Tambay | 22px-Flag of the Canada.png Gilles Villeneuve | 22px-Flag of Argentina.png Carlos Reutemann | 20px-Flag of Switzerland.png Clay Regazzoni | 22px-Flag of the United States.png Mario Andretti | 22px-Flag of Belgium (civil).png Jacky Ickx | 22px-Flag of Germany.png Wolfgang Graf Berghe von Trips | 3dflagsdotcom italy2bs.gif Lorenzo Bandini
Formula One cars:
125 | 275 | 340 | 375 | 500 | 553 | 625 | 555 | D50 | 801 | 412 | 246 | 256 | 156 | 158 | 1512 | 312 | 312B | 312T | 126C | 156/85 | F1/86 | F1/87 | 640 | 641 | 642 | 643 | F92A | F93A | 412T | F310 | F310B | F300 | F399 | F1-2000 | F2001 | F2002 | F2002B | F2003-GA | F2004 | F2004M | F2005 | 248 | F2007 | F2008 | F60 | F10 | 150° Italia | F2012