German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring

On August 4, 1957 Fangio races for the F1 World Championship with Maserati 250 F, which is the most spectacular race of his sports campaign. For the presentation on the sixth date of the World Championship at the Nürburgring, there is great concern in the Maserati team, as the Ferraris will be able to cover the total of the race without refueling or even changing tires, as they will use the harder rubber Englebert. The Maserati, on the other hand, must make a stop to refuel and being equipped with softer Pirelli tires - chosen for providing greater grip - tires must also be changed.

Guerino Bertochi, Head of Mechanics of the Escudería combines with Fangio the strategy. Should try to get a good advantage, to make the change of covers and refueling in 30 ".

In the Classification Tests, Fangio sets the best time in 9'25 "6/10. Mike Hawthorn with the model 801, derived from the Lancia-Ferrari of 1956 is 2 "8/10 completing the first row of the start, Jean Behra (Maserati) and Peter Collins (Ferrari).

More than 100,000 spectators cover the sides of the 22-kilometer Nürburgring in the Eiffel Mountains. When the Grand Prix is launched, Mike Hawthorn with the Ferrari followed by his teammate Peter Collins come to the forefront followed by Fangio. Hawthorn closes the first lap in 9'42 "5/10 with stoppage showing that the Ferrari, with shorter distance between axles and good suspension, will not be easy to beat.

The closing of that first round showed an Indian line composed by Mike Hawthorn (Ferrari), Peter Collins (Ferrari), Juan Manuel Fangio (Maserati), Jean Behra (Maserati), Luigi Musso (Ferrari), Harry Schell (Maserati) and the three British Vanwalls led by Tony Brooks, Stirling Moss and Lewis Evans, who were not doing very well in this Circuit due to problems of suspension and failure.

Fangio marches on the expectation in these first two laps of the race, observing how the two Ferrari riders pass and planning how to attack them at the right moment. Already in the third round, reaches and passes to Hawthorn that at that moment is behind Collins. A little later occupies the first placement and seeks to move away marking for that turn 9'33 "4/10, looking from that moment, the seconds of difference that would allow him to comply with the predetermined plan. In that same round, Hawthorn recovers the second position but without being able to prevent that Fangio increases the differences.

On lap 6, his record is 9'32 "5, to go down to 9'25" 5 in 10, when his lead over Mike Hawthorn was already 28 ". Jean Behra is the first to stop in the pits, to refuel and change the rear wheels. Miss Schell and Fangio make another circuit and extend their advantage over Hawthorn to 29 ". With that difference, he quickly enters the pits and from there stands - he watches the roaring passage of the Hawthorn and Collins machines.

Showing a temper of steel, Fangio refreshes himself and watches calmly, how his mechanics are squandering the accumulated time in favor, nervously forgetting the tests carried out in the previous days to do the job in 30 ". The seconds go by and when they finished the operation, Fangio returns to the track almost 50 "from the pointer. Lacking 10 laps to finish, it practically has no chance, before the Ferrari now lightened by fuel consumption. Behind Fangio are Luigi Musso (Ferrari) and Stirling Moss (Vanwall), while Stuart Lewis Evans gets distracted and leaves.

Fangio with a car a little heavier for the fuel load has to settle the new tires and discount an average of 5 "per lap, to reach Hawthorn and Collins.

Starting on lap 12, Fangio starts to drive as never before, concentrating on his actions, breaking beyond the previously used points of reference, entering the limit on each curve, looking for radii of rotation that used the total width of the track and driving with the gearbox, placing a higher gear on each curve, to get out of them with a higher engine speed RPM. As everything seemed little, add a first entrance test to one of the bridges without stopping and braking to better support the front of the car to (well affirmed) overcome a ripple in the floor, before facing the next curve. Now let at that point, the car jump dangerously and when the Maserati falls, it drifts smoothly to face the curve. All are fractions of a second and Fangio had decided to play to win.

When closing lap 13, the Ferrari passed with a lead of fifty-one seconds over the red Maserati Nro. 1 of Fangio that from there begins to lower their lap times in an incredible way. On lap 17, it registers 9'28 "9/10 at 144.4 Km / h. on average. In the next turn, it is 21 "from the pointer. The audience stands up as the loudspeakers inform of the march of the World Champion. Concentrated on driving your Maserati that behaves magnificently, it continues to shorten differences. In a jump of the bridge, it is where it discounts more time because it arrives stuck to the rope and it flies by air falling in the opposite limit of the track next to a ravine. And it goes on, closer and closer. On lap 18, dial 9'25 "3. On lap 19, missing three to finish only 1/10 more and passes to 14 "Hawthorn and Collins, who run together, warned of what Fangio is doing.

On lap 20, he sets the incredible record of 9'17 "4/10 at almost 148 Km / h. on average. In that circuit, Hawthorn is leading with 1 "of advantage over Collins and 3" over Fangio that has insight to Collins in the descent of Adenau and immediately sees the two cars very close to each other. The penultimate lap arrives and already has Collins to a step and when facing the north curve, to the left, it attacks inside and it happens, but as the machine opens a little, Collins recovers his position a few meters ahead. Fangio does not loosen either, he pairs it after a series of curves and on a short straight before the bridge jump, someone has to give in and it's Collins. Fangio is second and goes in search of Hawthorn.

When arriving at a very closed curve to the left that connects with another one to the right, Fangio sees its opportunity and it is put by the ditch happening to the end. It's the Breitscheid curve and the Maserati a bit unsettled, it's already heading for an incredible 3 "6/10 win over Hawthorn.

The German public bursts out in applause, bows to him and many spectators invade the track carrying in as the already five times World Champion, who at forty-six years of age has given them a driving lesson that goes down in history.

Caballeros, as always, Mike Hawthorn and Peter Collins approached to embrace him effusively, as if they had been the victors. The young pilots sincerely greeted the "Master", winner of an unforgettable race.

Mike Hawthorn, exhausted and surprised by the feat of Fangio said: "... when we arrived at the bridge and the two cars did not pass, I thought: if I do not loosen, the Old Devil passes me over ..."

Juan Manuel Fangio achieved spectacular victories in his sports campaign but the German Grand Prix played at the Nürburgring, was marked by the world press, as the pilot's greatest feat, that day he won his fifth title.

- "I had never driven in that way, but I also understood that I could never go back to driving like that, never!", Fangio would say with time.

Nürburgring was one of the circuits that he liked the most and knew all its secrets. There were 176 curves of different graduations that a pilot had to memorize very well, so as not to leave the track and crash against the existing plants or get off on steep slopes. He demanded tremendous concentration and Fangio was on his best day.

In order to appreciate the true dimension of Fangio's feat in this Grand Prix, we must analyze his classification time of 1956 which was 9'51 "(Pole Position) with Lancia-Ferrari D 50 with little fuel and new tires. If we multiply that time by 22 which is the number of laps run, it gives a total of 3 h.36'42 "

In 1957 he completed the 22 laps in 3h. 30'38 "3/10, Difference 6'3" 7/10, to which the additional detention time should be added. In this race he obtained the Pole position, the Record of Vuelta, he won the race and became the third man to win it three consecutive times which earned him the title of Ring Meister. He also won his fifth F1 Drivers World Championship with her.

"... I always liked the Nürburgring, ever since I raced Alfetta for the first time in 1951. But on this day I won, I recognize that I was faster than ever, very focused and with the desire to be first. We knew that the Ferraris could do the whole race without refueling or changing tires because they had the Engleberts that were tougher. Maserati had the Pirelli, softer and better performance, but they were not going to endure the five hundred kilometers of the race ... "

The head of Mechanics Guerino Bertochi told me that he needed 30 "in the pits. In qualifying I achieved the best time, going down by 25 "6/10 my own time, achieved with the Lancia-Ferrari D50 the previous year. While it had something like 3 "of advantage over the Ferrari, I knew that they would be good for the shortest distance between axles, which made them very maneuverable.

In the race, Collins and Hawthorn went out to pull, but it struck me that instead of helping themselves to escape from me, they passed between them. I studied them two laps watching where I could attack them and on the third turn I began to hurry, surpassing them. According to the agreement with Bertochi, I would stop halfway through the race or when I achieved a 30 "advantage.

I was running about 10 "faster than the year before and halfway through the race, on lap 12, I stopped with 29" in my favor. I went down to refresh myself while they changed the covers and loaded fuel. I realized that my mechanics because of nerves or I will know why they were taking more than necessary. Not only did I lose all my advantage, but when I got out I was 48 "behind the two Ferraris who had already passed, and there were only ten laps left, they pushed me and I left very disillusioned, thinking I had lost the race. I began to feel the Maserati to my liking, I considered a new form of race and look for the highest concentration, I knew Nürburgring well and its secrets. of the twenty-two kilometers and one hundred and seventy-six curves, you do not have to let yourself be, because sometimes you think you're fast and it's not like that.

I started using the high gears, when in some fast corners it was possible, to go out with the engine in turns. And it made differences. I got excited and little by little in almost all the curves I did the same, although sometimes I felt the loss of adhesion of the car. Later I reached a jump to the entrance of the bridge and decided to take it thoroughly.

I closed on the inside completely with my foot to the table. I hit the internal cord, I reached the top, the car took off and I went to the outside, at the edge of the track. Behind me, I saw a dust cloud on the shoulder. He had entered by a little. As it was a sector that linked two straight sections, that way he did it as if it were a single line, winning a second. And I also liked it.

When closing that lap I had discounted almost 10 "the Ferrari drivers who had indicated, surprised, to keep the pace, to notice that in the previous my delay was for the tires.

I drove like never before. The Maserati traveled to the limit. I was testing trajectories demanding further in the blind spots. Lap after lap improved my times and when we entered the last laps. Hawthorn had Collins at 1 ", when between the plants in the middle of the forest I see the red spot of his car, which was lost at the exit of the turn. I told myself that I would reach it because from the pits they pointed out a Ferrari and not both. But in the descent of Adenau I see the two cars, one after the other and I had the feeling that I was going to reach them.

We arrived at the penultimate round and already had them. We went by the straight behind the boxes and in the North corner, on the left, I got inside Collins. But the Maserati went a little bit and Collins beat me again and was in good position for the next corner. But I did not let it get bigger. I stuck to the line and walked together through a series of curves to the top of a short straight that had a bridge. There was no room for two cars and we were coming fast. Collins gave me passage because I had overcome it before, I crossed over on the bridge and went to fall on the slide that came later. I saw that the Hawthorn Ferrari was very close doubling and I was approaching in a mix that followed then and I stuck to the tail. 

I had to see when I could pass it and halfway through the circuit, after a series of curves, there was a straight section that ended in a ninety degree curve, on the left followed by another one on the right, I saw clearly when Hawthorn, for Begin the chosen path, lie on the right. I chose then to put the trunk of my car inside. When I passed it, the Hawthorn Ferrari moved, but managed to recover immediately and tried to follow me. I knew I had to get away a little before entering a long straight, because taking advantage of the suction could overcome me.

I managed it and kept a prudent distance on the last lap.

In the pits I received an endless ovation and the audience walked me on litter. But the most beautiful thing was the encounter with Collins and Hawthorn, who were waiting for me on the podium to narrow with me, as if they had won. I really appreciated these two Englishmen and I did not forget what Collins had done the year before when he gave me his car so that I would be the Champion.

Collins would die a year later on this circuit. Hawthorn would also die, in a traffic accident, after being a World Champion and withdrawing from the competition..."

MASERATI 250 F

To see more photos and data: click here