I ran across some great vintage racing footage of Fangio behind the wheel of the Maserati 250F:


“In his memoirs, Giulio Borsari, one of the most famous mechanics to have worked for both Maserati and then Ferrari, says “the Nürburgring is recognised as Fangio’s greatest victory in his entire career: on that occasion he drove impeccably, sealing his fifth world title.””

“On lap 12, Fangio came into the pits for his planned tyre change, but unfortunately, the mechanics lost a rear knock-off spinner under the car. Fangio, frustrated to say the least, not only sat and watched as his advantage was lost but also saw the distance between him and the leading car increase dramatically. When he got back into the race, the “Maestro” was 45 seconds behind the first Ferrari. Fangio recalled: “I was really disappointed. I was on the way to win the race and take my fifth world championship, but there were only 10 laps to go and I realised that there was little hope of winning unless I managed to do something very special.” “

“Although after the race Fangio declared “I had never driven like that before, and I knew I never would again”, his courage, strength and sensitivity led him to win a magnificent victory on the Eifel mountains. With this success, he earned a permanent place in Formula 1 history and legend. And with him, so did the 250F.”

Maserati has setup a great minisite to celebrate Fangio’s success behind the wheel: maseraticelebratesfangio.com