Juan Manuel Fangio

By many considered as the greatest of all time Juan Manuel Fangio dominated early formula racing winning 5 out of the 7 championships he entered and finishing second in the other 2 years. Fangio never married but was loved by the ladies.

Nicknamed "El Chueco" (bow-legged) he was kidnapped in Cuba in 1958 by Fidel Castro's revolutionaries but was so charming he befriended his captives who subsequently released him unharmed and they stayed friends long after the event.

Many of his peers including Stirling Moss who regarded him as a father as well as many modern Formula 1 greats consider his 1957 victory at the German Grand Prix at the Nurburgring to be the greatest drive in formula 1 history.
Having lost the race lead in his Maserati due to a botched up pit stop Fangio fell behind by nearly a minute. Regaining the track, at the age of nearly 50, he ensued to demolish every track record catching the 2 leading Ferraris and winning his last race.

Here is some beautiful on board footage of Fangio driving his 250F Maserati around the Modena track in Italy (1950's)




World Championships: 5
Grand Prix Entries: 51
Grand Prix Wins: 23
Pole Positions: 27
Nationality: Argentinian