Juan Manuel Fangio (1911-1995), was an Argentine racing driver who dominated the sport in the 1950s. Fangio won the Formula One championship five times (1951, 1954-1957) and is generally believed to be one of the greatest drivers of all time.
Born in a small town in the province of Buenos Aires, Fangio took up racing against his parents' wishes. However, he showed such promise and enthusiasm that in 1939 the people of his town clubbed together and raised enough money to buy him a Chevrolet coupe so that he could compete in the national long-distance road race. Fangio won one leg of the race, and followed this by victory in the Argentine 1,000 km (about 620 mi). He was the Argentine champion for two consecutive years.
Fangio was a relative unknown on the international circuit until the late 1940s, when at the age of 38 he visited Europe and bought his first Maserati. Success secured a place driving for Alfa Romeo in 1950, and in his first season he was runner-up in the world championship, winning it for the first time the following year, dropping only five points from the season's tally.
The next two years were unsettled. He drove for Ferrari, BRM, and Maserati but a crash at Monza ended his 1953 season. He returned to form in 1954, and he clinched the world championship for the second time driving for Maserati and Mercedes. Fangio stayed with Mercedes for his third world title (1955), winning his fourth the following year with Ferrari and his fifth the year after that with Maserati. He retired in 1958 at the age of 47.
Throughout his racing career, Fangio mixed track races with long-distance races such as the Mille Miglia and Targa Florio. He was a remarkable driver with the uncanny ability of getting the most out of his machines. He came second in the 1953 Mille Miglia even though he was only able to steer with one front wheel. In Argentina he was a national hero and on his retirement took a job with Mercedes Benz in his home country.