Juan Manuel Fangio is considered one of the all-time greats of Formula 1, having won the world championship five times in the 1950s.
He remains the only F1 driver to win titles with four different teams, while many put him ahead of Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton simply because of the period of time he was racing.
In the 50s, it was known as the World Championship for Drivers and consisted of just eight Grands Prix across Europe and a single race in the US which was the Indianapolis 500.
With front-engined cars and cockpits that exposed a lot of the drivers, the safety was nowhere near modern F1 standards. Italian Giuseppe Farina was the first ever world champion, but Fangio was the first multiple title holder.
Juan Manuel Fangio won his first F1 title at 40 years old
Driving for Alfa Romeo, the 1951 season got off to a great start for Fangio when he took victory at the Swiss Grand Prix in the iconic 159 Alfetta.
The Alfetta was undefeated throughout the 1950 season, but developments to the engine for the 1951 season meant that it consumed more fuel at 1.6mpg, requiring two or more fuel stops to complete the full Grand Prix distance of approximately 190 miles at the time.
It wasn’t until the British Grand Prix at Silverstone that it was finally beaten by the Ferrari of Jose Froilan Gonzalez. Fangio would be embroiled in a battle for the title with Ferrari, after wins for Alberto Ascari at the German and Italian Grands Prix.
He would inherit a victory at the French Grand Prix after taking over Luigi Fagioli’s car, which was a possibility in those days. The title went down to the final race in Spain with three drivers: Ascari, Gonzalez and Fangio all vying for the championship.
Ascari qualified on pole, but was beaten by Fangio in the race, who took the win and fastest lap. It all stemmed from an incorrect tyre choice from Ascari, which effectively handed victory to Fangio.
It would be Alfa Romeo’s last race until its return in 1979, as the Italian marque decided to withdraw from Grand Prix racing rather than build a new car needed to stay ahead of their rivals.
READ MORE: When Damon Hill set a unique Formula 1 record with his first win for Williams in 1993
Only two other drivers have won F1 titles at 40 years old
Fangio’s title success is one of a few drivers in F1 who have managed to win it past the age of 40 years old.
Only two other drivers have managed the feat: Jack Brabham and Farina. The Australian was 40 years old in 1966, having been the only driver to win a title with a team bearing his name.
| Driver | Age | Year |
| Juan Manuel Fangio | 40 years 5 months 4 days | 1951 |
| Jack Brabham | 40 years 5 months 2 days | 1966 |
| Juan Manuel Fangio | 43 years 1 month 29 days | 1954 |
| Giuseppe Farina | 43 years 10 months 4 days | 1950 |
| Juan Manuel Fangio | 44 years and 22 days | 1955 |
| Juan Manuel Fangio | 45 years 2 months 9 days | 1956 |
| Juan Manuel Fangio | 46 years 1 month 11 days | 1957 |
Lewis Hamilton, who turned 40 years old at the start of 2025, is currently trying to achieve the same feat having made the switch to Ferrari.
The only other driver past the age of 40 years old on the grid as of 2025 is Fernando Alonso, who turned 44 years old in July.