Throughout the history of Formula 1 we have had hundreds of drivers of all types and styles, but only a few remain in the collective imagination that loves motorsport so much. One of them is Juan Manuel Fangio , the only Argentine champion and holder of the record for the most world titles until Michael Schumacher snatched it from him in 2003 with that golden age of Ferrari.
Born in Balcarce , since he was a child he knew what it meant to make sacrifices in order to lead a dignified life, helping in the economy of the family of Italian immigrants in a blacksmith shop, but when he was only 11 years old he was introduced to mechanics while carrying out his studies.
The history in the world of motorsports is well known to all, from its debut in the first race in the history of Formula 1 at the British Grand Prix in 1950, where he qualified third with an Alfa Romeo 158, but a failure mechanic running second to Nino Farina prevented him from finishing, until his last appearance in the championship, in France eight seasons later.
Throughout his 51 tests, the Argentine managed to win 24 times, which translates into a 47.06% success rate, the highest of any driver in history, except for Lee Wallard , who only participated in two racing between 1950 and 1951, winning the Indianapolis 500 in his second year.
A total of 29 pole positions and 35 podiums, in addition to the five world titles, make the ‘ Chueco ‘ a legend, but the curious thing is that this nickname does not come from the world of competition, or, at least, from the four wheels.
Like any good Argentine, Fangio was a great soccer fan, and his way of running down the sideline in his youth earned him that nickname with which he was known worldwide. However, he was not only recognized for his successes behind the wheel, since in his first courses as a football player he won the championships in which he participated with his team, Rivadavia, where he was the top scorer on several occasions, in addition to who received the call of the Balcarceña Selection between 1934 and 1938.
The five-time Formula 1 world champion enjoyed thirteen seasons running on pasture as a federation, moving from the Student Club in June 1925 to the Railways a single season later, although in 1927 he was discharged because he was recovering from pleurisy, an inflammation of the tissues that separate the chest wall from the lungs, but it did not take long to reach Sportivo Miter .
During his military service in 1931, ” Chueco ” was unable to perform his football duties, but at the age of 22 he made his debut at Rivadavia to be crowned champion for four consecutive seasons, but decades later, all those teams in which the legend of the Great Circus spent part of his youth ended up disappearing.
Already in the 1940s, the Argentine hung up his boots in the locker room to switch permanently to the wheel, although he always admitted to being a fan of one of the most important teams in the country, River Plate . And as another curiosity, Fangio shares a birthday with one of the greatest in football history, another Argentine idol, Leo Messi , since both were born on June 24, one in 1911 and the other in 1987.
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