Juan Manuel Fangio began racing in the 1930s in his native Argentina and was immediately successful. He first raced seriously in Europe in 1949, planning on one season only, but stunning victories led to a change of plan and the creation of a legend. Fangio won a record five Formula I World Championship titles before retiring in 1958. His brilliant achievements remain a yardstick against which motorsport is measured.
Juan Manuel Fangio was among the most powerful, sympathetic and engaging of any sportsman of the post-war era. But his radiant charisma stemmed from far more than his record as a racing driver. That record, to be sure, was awesome. Concentrating on the great events—Formula I racing above all—Fangio won 78 of his 200 races and placed in 69 more. In the years 1951 to 1957 he won an astonishing five drivers' World Championships, setting a standard for every Grand Prix driver since.
