Juan Manuel Fangio was born on June 24, 1911 in Balcarce, Argentina. He is perhaps one of Formula 1 Racing's most successful drivers. His 6 years of racing are perhaps the most dominant of any driver to ever sit behind the wheel of a single-seater. His F1 career spanned from 1950 to 1958.

In this short timeframe, Fangio raced with Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Mercedes, and Ferrari. He participated in 51 races, winning 24 of them; also securing 35 podium finishes, 29 Pole Positions, and 23 fastest laps. Although Fangio was a racer before the sport was popular in the mainstream, his legend lives on to this day.

Fangio spent time in the military, as did most young men of the era, and opened a small garage after his service was up. He went on to race in small local events, up and down the rough and rugged dirt roads of South America.

Juan showed a talent for long distance races, winning a 10,000 kilometer race when he was only 18. The race took a total of two weeks, with various stages held each day, in which time no mechanics were allowed to make repairs to the vehicles. Any and all repairs had to be completed by the driver or co-driver.

At the end of WWII, Fangio picked up sponsorship and was sent to Europe to continue his flourishing racing career. However, Fangio was a far cry from the youngsters who push their way through the Formula 1 doors. On the contrary, Fangio was a 37-year-old man when he began racing on the European circuit.

In 1951, a year after he was handed the keys to his Alfa Romeo, Fangio won the first of his five titles. When the 40-year-old Fangio suffered a broken neck at Monza in 1952, Fangio himself was the only one who believed he would ever race again. He only missed the rest of that season and was back to racing form the next season. Fangio continued with the Alfa Romeo team until 1954 when he made a move to Mercedes.

He immediately experienced success with the Mercedes team, winning his second Championship. In his 12 Grand Prix races with Mercedes, Fangio won 8 races. This was the catalyst of Fangio's four consecutive Championship seasons. Fangio's last season was the 1958 season.

His car had been uncompetitive for most of the year. And in his last race at the French Grand Prix, his slow Maserati was nearly lapped by the race leader, Mike Hawthorn. However, in a show of respect for racing's greatest, Hawthorn tapped his brakes on the final lap and let Fangio cross the line ahead of him.

Among many things, Juan Manuel Fangio was famous for winning a race at the slowest recorded speed. His wins versus the number of races competed in is a record that has not and probably never will be matched by any other F1 driver.