Luigi Fagioli Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Luigi Fagioli
Formula One World Championship career
Fagioli in 1932
Born	(1898-06-09)9 June 1898 Osimo, Ancona, Italy
Died	20 June 1952(1952-06-20) (aged 54) Monte Carlo, Monaco
Nationality	Italian
Active years	1950–1951
Teams	Alfa Romeo
Entries	7
Championships	0
Wins	1
Podiums	6
Career points	28 (32)
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	0
First entry	1950 British Grand Prix
First win	1951 French Grand Prix
Last win	1951 French Grand Prix
Last entry	1951 French Grand Prix

Fagioli racing at the 1928 Targa Florio.

Luigi Cristiano Fagioli (born June 9, 1898 – died June 20, 1952) was a famous Italian race car driver. People sometimes called him "the Abruzzi robber."

Luigi Fagioli holds a special record in Formula One racing. He is the oldest driver to ever win a Formula One race, doing so at 53 years old! He is also the only Formula One Grand Prix winner born in the 1800s. Plus, he's the only driver to win a major championship race in both the old AIACR European Championship and the modern World Drivers' Championship.

Early Grand Prix Racing Years
Racing with Mercedes-Benz
Later Career and Health Challenges
Formula One World Championship
Final Years and Legacy
Major Wins
Images for kids
See also

Early Grand Prix Racing Years

Luigi Fagioli was born in Osimo, a small town in central Italy. From a young age, he loved cars and the new sport of car racing. He was a natural driver.

Fagioli started racing in hillclimbing and sports car events. By 1926, he began competing in Grand Prix races. In 1930, he joined the Maserati team. He quickly became a top driver, winning races like the Coppa Ciano.

One of his most famous races was the Monaco Grand Prix in 1931. He battled fiercely with Louis Chiron. Even though Chiron won, Fagioli earned a lot of praise for his amazing driving skills. A few weeks later, Fagioli got his revenge. He won the Autodromo Nazionale Monza Grand Prix in Monza, Italy.

In 1933, Fagioli joined the Alfa Romeo team, which was run by Scuderia Ferrari. Driving an Alfa Romeo P3, he had a very successful year. He won the Coppa Acerbo, the Grand Prix du Comminges, and the Italian Grand Prix. At the Coppa Acerbo, another famous driver, Tazio Nuvolari, had to stop his car while in the lead. Because of this, Fagioli got his nickname, "Il ladro degli Abruzzi" (The Abruzzi Robber).

Racing with Mercedes-Benz

Luigi Fagioli was very confident in his driving skills. He also had a strong temper. If he felt another driver did something wrong, he would often try to get back at them on the track. This sometimes led to crashes.

In 1934, Mercedes saw Fagioli's talent and hired him. He drove their powerful Silver Arrows cars. His time with Mercedes had some exciting moments. In his very first race for Mercedes, he was told to stay in second place. His team manager wanted another Mercedes driver to win. Fagioli was so angry that he left his car!

Despite this rocky start, Fagioli continued to win. He won the Coppa Acerbo for the second year in a row. He also won his second straight Italian Grand Prix. His third win that season was at the Spanish Grand Prix.

In 1935, Fagioli's Mercedes car was updated. He won the Monaco Grand Prix, the AVUS, and Penya Rhin Grand Prix. However, his relationship with the team became difficult. He often ignored team orders, especially when racing against his teammate Rudolf Caracciola.

Later Career and Health Challenges

Fagioli left Mercedes at the end of 1936 and joined Auto Union. Now, he was free from team rules. His rivalry with Caracciola grew even stronger. It even led to a physical fight between them at the Tripoli Grand Prix.

Towards the end of 1936, Fagioli started having serious health problems. He suffered from severe rheumatism, which made it hard for him to race. At the 1936 Coppa Acerbo, he could barely walk without a cane and had to drop out of the race.

Formula One World Championship

After World War II, Fagioli's health got better. In 1950, at 52 years old, he joined the Alfa Romeo team for the very first FIA World Championship.

Fagioli drove the 158/159 Alfetta. He finished on the podium five times in six races! He was one of three drivers who could win the championship in the final race. In the end, Giuseppe Farina won the championship, with Juan-Manuel Fangio second, and Fagioli finishing third.

In 1951, Fagioli won the French Grand Prix with Juan-Manuel Fangio. This win made him the oldest person to ever win a Formula One race. During that race, the Alfa Romeo team manager told Fagioli to give his good car to Fangio. Fagioli then had to drive Fangio's car, which had engine problems. This car-swapping was common in racing before 1957. Fagioli was so upset by this that he decided to retire from Formula One racing right after that race.

Final Years and Legacy

A statue of Luigi Fagioli in his hometown of Osimo.

In 1952, Fagioli signed with Lancia to race sports cars. He finished third in the 1952 Mille Miglia race. In June, while practicing for the Monaco Grand Prix (which was a sports car event that year), Fagioli crashed in the tunnel. His injuries seemed minor at first, but they got worse. Luigi Fagioli sadly died in a hospital in Monte Carlo three weeks later.

Luigi Fagioli is remembered as one of Italy's greatest race car drivers. He had an incredible record in Formula One. Except for one race where he crashed early, he finished on the podium in every single Formula One race he entered. This means he has the second-highest percentage of podium finishes in Formula One history (85.71%).