Juan Manuel Fangio was an Argentinian racing car driver. He dominated the first decade of Formula One racing, winning the World Drivers' Championship five times - a record that stood for 46 years until beaten by Michael Schumacher and later in 2018 by Lewis Hamilton.
Michael Schumacher about Fangio: "I think I can never achieve what Fangio did back then. That's why I don't want to compare myself to him. Back then, racing was much more dangerous, a completely different challenge. In the past, the focus was more on people, today it's a much greater team effort. Once you sit in a car like this, you can only take your hat off to the pilots who used to race it without a seat belt or other protective measures”
When Lewis Hamilton equalled Fangio's five titles in 2018 he praised Fangio calling him the "Godfather of our sport"
Fangio holds the highest winning percentage in Formula One at 46.15%, winning 24 of 52 F1 races he entered. Fangio is the only Argentine driver to have won the Argentine Grand Prix, which he won four times in his career, more than any other driver.
5 World Drivers’ Championships
24 Race Wins
29 Pole positions
35 Podiums
52 Entries