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It’s been almost 60 years since Juan Manuel Fangio won the last of his five Formula 1 World Championships, yet the legend of the Argentinian nicknamed ‘El Maestro’ remains as strong as ever.
So when the opportunity arose for Bruno Senna and Jerome D’Ambrosio to pay a visit to the town of Balcarce – the birthplace of the great man – they jumped at the opportunity. Balcarce, however, is a long way from Buenos Aires – in fact the sleepy farming town is a long way from anywhere – so a private plane flight was required from Buenos Aires to a tiny grass airstrip set among some enormous cornfields.
From there Balcarce was just a hair-raising hour-long drive away. But once the fields gave way to buildings, there was no doubt about who was the pride of the town. At a garage on the edge of town were two pieces of art. Sculptures made from pieces of scrap metal fashioned into replicas of Fangio’s Maserati 250F and Mercedes slipstreamer by the famous Argentinian artist Regazzoni (no relation to ex-F1 race winner Clay).
A few blocks later, in the middle of a roundabout, hung a replica of the Mercedes W196 that Fangio drove to the 1954 title. Another model of this iconic Merc was situated outside the reception of El Casco, a beautiful farmhouse set among potato fields that was Fangio’s summer residence.
These days it’s been converted into a hotel and spa, although there’s a tribute to its former owner in the shape of his office, which contains some amazing photos of Fangio with other legends such as Enzo Ferrari and Ayrton Senna.
“My uncle and Fangio became good friends,” explains Bruno, as he sat behind the desk and surveyed his surroundings. “There was a great respect between them for what they had achieved.”
After a tour of the facilities the drivers were treated to fine lunch, during which the custodians of the hotel explained its history and the plans to develop it and the Fangio hotel brand in the future.
From here there’s just a short ride to the Autodromo Juan Manuel Fangio. A 2.8-mile fabulous undulating strip of asphalt carved into the hills nearby and designed by the man himself in the early 1970s. Waiting there were four cars – a 1938 Ford V8-powered ‘single-seater’, a 1939 Chevrolet Coupe that Fangio raced in the famous Mil Millas, a gorgeous 1950 Talbot Lago 4500 that he raced in the 500 Millas de Rafaela and a Maserati 450S.
The Maserati is one of the most infamous cars in the collection as it was the machine that he was supposed to race in Cuba in 1958, only to be kidnapped by men acting on behalf of Fidel Castro. He was held captive while the race took place, and was released late at night once it had been run.
Fangio claimed he was treated well and bore no ill will to his captures, but as the most famous driver in the world it had made headlines across the world and surely severed its propaganda purpose for Castro and his cause.
Senna was first out in the Ford. The car is as different from the Mahindra he races in Formula E as it’s possible to get, and the long and vague gearshift initially threw him as he set off on the track for the very first time. D’Ambrosio was in the comparatively modern Chevy and was soon up and running onto the banked, fast and flowing track.
After a lap in each they swapped and then headed back to meet the assembled press and express their awe at how Fangio and his contemporaries could race so hard in cars that lack even the most basic safety protection by today’s standards.
Then it was time to jump in the Talbot and Maserati. Even though there was only 10 years between them and the Chvey, the advances in race car technology and preparation were clear to see and the drivers were revelling in it, with D’Ambrosio even starting to drift the bright blue Talbot around.
“That was amazing!” he beamed before turning the ignition back on and heading out again.
“These cars are works of art as well as museum pieces,” said Senna, “so you don’t want to break them, but they are a lot of fun.”
With the cars safety returned, the trip concludes with a visit to the Fangio museum, where a scrum of local media and excited fans are waiting to greet the Formula E stars. After a brief press conference where the drivers divulge their admiration for Fangio and explain the concept of all-electric racing, they are treated to a guided tour.
As well as an amazing selection of cars from Fangio’s iconic career – including all the F1 championship winners – there is also a wide array of other machinery, including Ayrton Senna’s 1988 title-winning McLaren MP4/4.
“The turbo cars of this era were just amazing,” Senna observes. “I’d love to drive one of these one day.”
Following a very quick detour to see the actual house where Fangio was born, it was time to bring the day to a close and head back to the airport and Buenos Aires. After having so much to take in, the drivers were naturally in reflective moods.
“It was a fantastic day,” said Senna. “I had a great time learning about the man and what he represented to the people – that little town pretty much revolves around the Fangio history and legacy and the places that they’ve built and are trying to make work there are fantastic. We saw some of his personal space, some of his personal furniture and memorabilia and then we had the best time driving the cars. I drove the Maserati which was awesome! You really have to give those guys respect for what they did.
“The museum was very special. It’s very hard to find a motor racing museum with as much history and as much content as that museum has and that’s a museum almost dedicated to one person. There was also a bit of Brazilian history there, there was one of Ayrton’s cars and some of his relationship that he had with Fangio and some of his priceless F1 machines and the cars that he won championships with.”
D’Ambrosio added: “It was something very special. The highlight for me was driving the Talbot. It was one of those moments when you realise what these guys exposed themselves to and how different motorsport has become – much safer as well as that’s something we are very thankful for. Juan Manuel Fangio is one of the legends of the sport. Where I’m from in Belgium if you’re driving a little too fast they say you’re driving like Fangio or Senna. They are the base of where everything started for the sport so to be there and learn about the life of the guy and the cars he raced and the championships he raced in was a great experience.
“You touched the start of an era there with the beginnings of Formula 1, and we are at the start of something different, a new era of motor racing – electric racing. So it’s a nice contrast and a nice comparison point between the two. We are now standing where they were at that time. So it was very inspiring.”
None of this would have been possible without the amazing help of the Fundacio Museo del Automovilismo Juan M. Fangio, Eduardo Ramirez, the wonderful hosts at El Casco and our very generous sponsors SIAM Mobility. Our sincere thanks to everyone who helped to make this fantastic trip possible.