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Juan Manuel Fangio, “The Maestro” is widely regarded as the greatest Formula One driver of them all. Fangio was born in 1911 to an Italian immigrant family in Balcarce, Argentina. Fangio was a two-time Argentine National Champion (1940-41), before heading to Europe to claim his place at the head of Formula One Racings immortals in 1948.

Fangio was sent to conquer Europe with the financial backing of Argentine President Juan Peron. His first F1 race would be the French Grand Prix at Reims. Fangio started from 11th on the grid in his Equipe Gordini Talbot but was forced to retire.

It proved to be his last drive in F1 until the following season at San Remo. Fangio dominated in his Maserati 4CLT/48 which was sponsored by the Automobile Club of Argentina. He won both heats on the day to give racing fans a glimpse of what lay ahead. He would race six more times in 1949, winning four times.

Fangio won the Formula One World Drivers’ Championship five times before he retired after the 1958 French Grand Prix. A feat that stood the test of time until the brilliant German, Michael Schumacher etched his own place in F1 history winning an astonishing seven Formula One World Drivers’ Championships before his retirement in 2006.

Fangio is credited with saving the sport of Formula One racing after a horrific accident at Le Mans. The death of 81 spectators in the 1955 24 Heurs du Mans threatened to see F1 racing fall by the wayside. European governments in Germany, France and Switzerland had already banned circuit racing with Mercedes-Benz announcing they would leave the sport after the final race of the 1955 season. The German car manufacturer didn’t return until 1980.

Juan Manuel Fangio Facts

Name: Juan Manuel Fangio
Birthplace: Balcarce, Argentina
Born: 03/01/1969
Died: 17/07/1995
Teams: Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Mercedes, Ferrari
Races: 52
Championships: 5 (1951, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957)
Wins: 24
Podium finishes: 35
Career points: 245 (277.64)[1]
Pole positions: 29
Fastest laps: 23
First race: 1950 British Grand Prix
First win: 1950 Monaco Grand Prix
Last win: 1957 German Grand Prix
Last race: 1958 French Grand Prix

Fangio’s most impressive feat was claiming his fifth title in a Maserati. At the German GP, Nürburgring, Fangio turned in a performance rated by himself as his most impressive. Fangio lost the lead after a disasterous pit stop that saw him lose his race lead and title aspirations. He quiclkly set about retaking the lead as he posted three consecutives track records, taking 12 seconds off the previous track record each time.

Fangio would later say about his amazing performance, “On that day in 1957, I finally managed to master the Nürburgring, making those leaps in the dark on those curves where I had never before had the courage to push things so far.”