| Revision as of 11:08, 12 September 2006 editMarianocecowski (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users19,958 edits more cites on him being considered by many as the best/greeatest driver, including official F1 site.← Previous edit | Revision as of 12:40, 12 September 2006 edit undoErnham (talk | contribs)1,694 edits In all those cites, there is not one shred of proof that he was the greatest. Considered the greatest is merely POV, and "many" is ambiguous. Every poll has shown Schumacher #1, followed by Senna #2Next edit → | ||
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| '''Juan Manuel Fangio''' (], ] - ], ]) was a |
'''Juan Manuel Fangio''' (], ] - ], ]) was a legendary ] race car driver. He won the world championship five times with ], ], ] and ]. His record of five world championships has recently been bested by the seven of ] ]. | ||
| ==Early life== | ==Early life== | ||
Revision as of 12:40, 12 September 2006
| Formula One World Championship career | |
|---|---|
| Nationality |  Argentina |
| Active years | 1950 - 1951, 1953 - 1958 |
| Teams | Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Mercedes, Ferrari |
| Entries | 52 |
| Championships | 5 |
| Wins | 24 |
| Podiums | 31 |
| Pole positions | 29 |
| Fastest laps | 23 |
| First entry | 1950 British Grand Prix |
| First win | 1950 Monaco Grand Prix |
| Last win | 1957 German Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 1958 French Grand Prix |
Juan Manuel Fangio (June 24, 1911 - July 17, 1995) was a legendary Argentine race car driver. He won the world championship five times with Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Mercedes Benz and Maserati. His record of five world championships has recently been bested by the seven of German Michael Schumacher.
Early life
He was born in Balcarce, Argentina from Italian parents. 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 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, and the rivals he had to face were some of the best drivers ever (of special note are Alberto Ascari, Giuseppe Farina and Stirling Moss).
His skillful, consistent driving style, combined with all the competitions and risks involved, caused many to call him the greatest driver in racing history, an honor that has endured for more than 5 decades. Although many consider Michael Schumacher, Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost and Jim Clark to be at the same level as Fangio was, any comparison is difficult given the changes in motor racing since Fangio's time.
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 Panamericanana, 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 Le Mans 1955 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. In 2005, the Zonda 2005 C12 F was named after him due to the engineering done by Fangio for Pagani.
He was interred at Ciudad de Balcarce Cemetery, Balcarce, Argentina. His nephew, Juan Manuel II, was also a successful auto racing competitor.
Complete Formula One World Championship Results
(key) (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
- Grand Prix History - Hall of Fame, Juan-Manuel Fangio
- Juan Manuel Fangio statistics
| Preceded byNino Farina | Formula One World Champion 1951 |
Succeeded byAlberto Ascari |
| Preceded byAlberto Ascari | Formula One World Champion 1954-1957 |
Succeeded byMike Hawthorn |