Fangio only spent a single season at Ferrari, but he won the 1956 F1 World Championship. It was a strange year for Maranello despite the success. Ferrari raced the Lancia D50. The innovative car was bought by Ferrari from its struggling competitor, but it gave more headaches than victories.
At the time, F1 allowed drivers to share cars during a race with the cost of splitting points. If a team’s lead driver faced mechanic problems, it would put its ace into a lesser driver’s car. Ferrari did this with Fangio three times over the eight-race season, including in the finale, at the cost of his teammate Peter Collins. Collins was second in the championship.
Fangio returned to Maserati in 1957 and won his fifth championship. Then, he went on a farewell tour in 1958 and retired.
