José Froilán González facts for kids
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| Born | 5 October 1922 Arrecifes, Argentina |
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| Died | 15 June 2013 (aged 90) Buenos Aires, Argentina |
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| Formula One World Championship career | |||||||||
| Nationality |  Argentine |
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| Active years | 1950–1957, 1960 | ||||||||
| Teams | Maserati, Talbot-Lago, Ferrari, Vanwall | ||||||||
| Entries | 26 | ||||||||
| Championships | 0 | ||||||||
| Wins | 2 | ||||||||
| Podiums | 15 | ||||||||
| Career points | 72 1⁄7 (77 9⁄14) | ||||||||
| Pole positions | 3 | ||||||||
| Fastest laps | 6 | ||||||||
| First entry | 1950 Monaco Grand Prix | ||||||||
| First win | 1951 British Grand Prix | ||||||||
| Last win | 1954 British Grand Prix | ||||||||
| Last entry | 1960 Argentine Grand Prix | ||||||||
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José Froilán González (born October 5, 1922 – died June 15, 2013) was a famous racing driver from Argentina. He is especially remembered for winning the very first Formula One World Championship race for the Ferrari team. This big moment happened at the 1951 British Grand Prix.
González started his Formula One journey in 1950 at the 1950 Monaco Grand Prix. He raced in 26 World Championship Formula One races over nine years. He won two of these races: the 1951 British Grand Prix and the 1954 British Grand Prix. He also finished second seven times and third six times. He earned three pole positions and set the fastest lap six times.
People gave José Froilán González some cool nicknames. Because he was strong and well-built, his English fans called him The Pampas Bull. In Argentina, his fans called him El Cabezón, which means "Fat Head". His close friends, like fellow racing legend Juan-Manuel Fangio, simply called him Pepe.
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A Special Ferrari Moment
On July 10, 2011, José Froilán González was honored by the Ferrari team and the FIA. This was during the British Grand Prix event. They celebrated the 60th anniversary of Ferrari's first Formula One win, which González achieved.
As part of the celebration, Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso drove González's historic Ferrari 375 F1 car. He took it for four laps around the Silverstone track. It was a special tribute to a racing hero. Later that same day, Alonso won the British Grand Prix in his own Ferrari car.
His Final Years
José Froilán González passed away in Buenos Aires when he was 90 years old. He died from breathing problems after having a heart attack earlier in 2013.
Racing Achievements
Winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans
One of González's biggest wins was at the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans race. This is a very long endurance race for sports cars.
He won the 1954 race with his teammate Maurice Trintignant. They drove a Ferrari 375 Plus car for the Scuderia Ferrari team. It was a huge achievement to win such a challenging race.
| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
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| 1950 |  Automobiles Gordini |
Juan Manuel Fangio |
Simca-Gordini T15S Compresseur | S 3.0 | 95 | DNF (Engine) |
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| 1951 | Henri Louveau |
Onofre Marimón |
Talbot-Lago T26 GS | S 5.0 | 128 | DNF (Radiator) |
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| 1953 |  Scuderia Lancia |
Clemente Biondetti |
Lancia D20 Compressor | S 8.0 | 213 | DNF (Engine) |
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| 1954 | Scuderia Ferrari |
Maurice Trintignant |
Ferrari 375 Plus | S 5.0 | 302 | 1st | 1st |
Other Important Races
José Froilán González also had many other wins and podium finishes in different types of races:
- He won the Coppa Acerbo in 1951.
- He also won the Portuguese Grand Prix in 1954 for Ferrari.
- In Formula Libre races, he won the Grand Prix of Rio de Janeiro (1952) and Buenos Aires (1951).
- He also won the Glover Trophy in 1952.
- He finished first in the 500 miles of Rafaela in both 1958 and 1959.
See also
In Spanish: José Froilán González para niños
