Juan Manuel Fangio was one of F1’s best-ever drivers (Image: Getty)
Juan Manuel Fangio is regarded as one of the greatest F1 drivers in history. The Argentinian racer secured five World Championship titles and won 24 of the 51 Grands Prix he started.
Despite winning all five of his titles in the first nine years of F1’s World Championship era, Fangio is still cited as an inspiration to many young stars today, and his prowess earned tributes from fellow greats such as Michael Schumacher.
When the legendary German racer surpassed Fangio’s five titles in 2003, Schumacher said: “Fangio is on a level much higher than I see myself. There is absolutely no comparison. What he did stands alone, and what we have achieved is also unique. I have such respect for what he achieved.”
However, the man from Buenos Aires also experienced some dramatic off-track moments during his decorated career. One such incident came at the non-championship Havana Grand Prix of 1958.
The event was already a political flashpoint, established by unpopular dictatorial leader Fulgencio Batista, who seized power in 1952 with soft power and PR aims. After its inaugural year in 1957, chaos struck. The 1958 renewal occurred during heightened political tensions, and drivers were assigned bodyguards for the weekend.
After snatching pole position for Monday’s race, Fangio rested in the Hotel Lincoln lobby bar with some of his fellow drivers. Sensing an opportunity to meet their hero, nearby fans flocked to the premises, and a crowd formed.
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Michael Schumacher was in awe of Fangio’s F1 achievements (Image: Getty)
Fangio, not one to disappoint his loyal supporters, approached the crowd to sign an autograph but was met with an unfortunate surprise in the form of a pistol. The Argentinian legend was informed of the plot by his kidnapper, and he was taken into a Plymouth vehicle by two oppressors and whisked away.
Fortunately for Fangio, his kidnappers had no violent ambitions. Explaining the story in The International Grand Prix Book of Motor Racing, he wrote: “It was explained to me that the Movement of the 26th of July was a Castro political organization. ‘You are to be our guest’, said the man beside me, ‘and you’ll be treated with courtesy’.
“We are doing this because you are, at the moment, the most famous visitor to the island. Tomorrow, you will not be at the start of the Grand Prix. Afterwards, you will be liberated. Our intention is to focus world attention in this way on our political movement, which Batista and his regime are trying to suppress. Claro?’”
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True to their word, the kidnappers kept Fangio at several locations during the plot, and the group even watched the following day’s Grand Prix together on television. It was, however, a short-lived affair – the Havana GP was red-flagged for good on lap six after Phil Hill and Bob Said protested off the back of a deadly accident involving Armando Garcia Cifuentes.
With the race ruined and national media attention laser-focused on the kidnapping, the oppressors hatched a plan – with Fangio’s help – to release the F1 star. He was delivered, unharmed, to the home of Argentina’s ambassador to Cuba, Raul Lynch, bringing an end to the saga.
As for Batista, the number was up for his regime. Public unrest grew after the Havana GP, and later that year, his regime was toppled. He unsuccessfully attempted to flee to the United States and Mexico before taking refuge in Portugal under Antonio Salazar’s government.