The British newspaper argued that the Argentine is "unsurpassable" in proportional terms, he won five titles in eight seasons, took pole in 56.9% of his participations and triumphed in more than 47% of the races he contested.
Juan Manuel Fangio remains, 71 years after his first title, the standard against which all others are measured, the latest to recognize this has been The Telegraph, which in a ranking of the 20 best drivers in Formula 1 history placed the Argentine at the top, ahead of Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton: "No other driver, modern or from any other era, comes close to him," the British newspaper stated.
The English media's argument is not based on absolute numbers, but on proportional ones, Fangio contested 51 Grands Prix, won 24 of them (47.05%), started from pole on 29 occasions (56.9%) and conquered five world titles in eight seasons: "If we analyze the figures proportionally, rather than in their entirety, Fangio is better than anyone. He remains at the top of this sport, even after his records have been surpassed," The Telegraph explained.
The British media also highlighted a detail that is often forgotten, Fangio developed most of his career over the age of 40, when he won his last title in 1957, he was 46 and the context was very different from today: "The risk of death was much higher than now," the newspaper recalled, five of Fangio's teammates died while driving and he himself suffered a serious accident at the 24 Hours of Havana race in 1958, which forced him to retire.
The Telegraph also valued the Argentine's ability to adapt to different teams, Fangio was champion with four different teams, Alfa Romeo (1951), Mercedes Benz (1954 and 1955), Ferrari (1956) and Maserati (1957), a feat that no other driver has been able to match: "What is indisputable is his statistical dominance. The biggest problem with any ranking is the difficulty of comparing eras, Fangio competed against many other champions and great figures, and emerged victorious most of the time," the newspaper argued.
The podium of the ranking is completed by Schumacher (second) and Hamilton (third). The top five is completed by Jim Clark (fourth) and Ayrton Senna (fifth), Max Verstappen is seventh, Fernando Alonso fifteenth. The list includes legends such as Jackie Stewart, Niki Lauda, Alberto Ascari and the two Hills (Graham and Damon).
Fangio, born in Balcarce in 1911, died in 1995, but his legacy remains intact. While Formula 1 writes new pages of its history, The Telegraph has just reminded us that the brightest chapter still bears his signature.
