![]() Fangio in 1955 | |
Born | Balcarce, Argentina | 24 June 1911
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Died | 17 July 1995 Buenos Aires, Argentina | (aged 84)
Formula One World Championship career | |
Nationality | ![]() |
Active years | 1950–1951, 1953–1958 |
Teams | Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Mercedes, Ferrari |
Entries | 52 (51 starts) |
Championships | 5 (1951, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957) |
Wins | 24 |
Podiums | 35 |
Career points | 245 (277 9⁄14)[a] |
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 |
Personal details | |
Children | 3 |
Juan Manuel Fangio (Spanish: [ˈxwan maˈnwel ˈfaŋxjo], Italian: [ˈfandʒo]; 24 June 1911 – 17 July 1995),[1] was an Argentine racing driver. Nicknamed El Chueco ("the bowlegged" or "bandy legged one") or El Maestro ("The Master" or "The Teacher"), he dominated the first decade of Formula One racing, winning the World Drivers' Championship five times.[2]
From childhood, he abandoned his studies to pursue auto mechanics. In 1938, he debuted in the newly-formed Argentine stock car racing series Turismo Carretera, competing in a Ford V8. In 1940, he competed with Chevrolet, winning the Grand Prix International Championship and devoted his time to the Turismo Carretera becoming its champion, a title he successfully defended a year later. Fangio then competed in Europe between 1947 and 1949, where he achieved further success.
One of the most successful drivers in Formula One history, he made his debut in the inaugural Formula One season in 1950 to become a pioneer of the sport. He went on to win the World Drivers' Championship five times—a record that stood for 46 years—and became the only driver in F1 history to win titles with four different teams: Alfa Romeo (1951), Maserati (1954 and 1957), Mercedes-Benz (1954 and 1955), and Ferrari (1956).[b] He holds the highest winning percentage in Formula One at 46.15%, winning 24 of 52 Formula One races he entered.[4] Additionally, Fangio also holds the record for the highest pole percentage at 55.77%, achieving 29 pole positions from 52 entries.[5] Fangio is the only Argentine driver to have won the World Drivers' Championship and the Argentine Grand Prix.[6][7] He also competed in sports car racing, winning the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1956 with Ferrari and in 1957 with Maserati.
After retirement, Fangio presided as the honorary president of Mercedes-Benz Argentina from 1987, a year after the inauguration of his museum, until his death in 1995. In 2011, on the centenary of his birth, Fangio was remembered around the world and various activities were held in his honor.
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