Juan Manuel Fangio, born on June 24 1911,was the driver from Argentina who dominated the first decade of formula one racing.He won five championship titles (a record that stood up for 46 years),with for different teams (Ferrari,Alfa Romeo,Maserati and Mercedes Benz), a record that has not been broken yet.





Because of Fangio's achievments and the time they were achieved, Fangio in considered by many to be the greatest driver of all times. He began his racing career in Argentina in 1934, driving a Ford Model T which he had rebuilt. During his time racing in Argentina,he drove Chevrolet cars and was Argentine National Champion in 1940 and 1941. He first came to Europe to race in 1949, funded by the Argentinian Automobile Club and the Argentinian government.

Unlike other drivers,Fangio started racing in a mature age,being the oldest driver in many of his races. He wasn't particularly successful until he joined Alfa Romeo. He finished second in the championship at 1950, behind Guiseppe Farina, and won his first championship in 1951. At 1952 he was competing well with a Maserati, till he had an accident in Monza, Italy and ended his season with a neck injury. But that didn't stop him. He won the title four more times. On 1954 and 1955 driving a Mercedes, on 1956 competing with a Ferrari and on 1957 with a Maserati. He finished his carrer with 24 World Championship Grands Prix wins from 51 starts, the best winning percentage in the sport's history. Juan Manuel Fangio died in Buenos Aires in 1995, at the age of 84. He was buried in his home town of Balcarce in Argentina.