What do you think?
Rate this book
Fangio: The Life Behind the Legend
Many consider Juan Manuel Fangio to be the greatest racing driver in history. Yet his extraordinary life was as remarkable as his racing achievements. It was 45 years before his tally of five World Championships was equaled, and his success rate, winning nearly half the Grand Prixs he entered - will surely never be surpassed. A fitting tribute to a truly iconic figure.
352 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
25 people are currently reading
183 people want to read
About the author
Gerald Donaldson
23 books3 followersBesides being an avid and devoted frogophile, Gerald Donaldson is co-author of The Exercise Book, and The Book of Days and author of The Walking Book.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
May 25, 2022
Fangio: The Life Behind the Legend
Cause Mamoon reads reviews and friends updates. :-)
I picked up a Fangio book because I wanted to learn about the early days of F1. Going in looking for that, this book was great! They spend time talking about the different cars Fangio learned to drive, the mechanical prowess and different forms of motorsport he competed in on his journey to F1. I went to look up the title of the book, because I was reading it on a kindle and forgot the title, and was surprised. I feel like it is inappropriately named. We barely spend any time on the life behind the legend, instead we just read "the legend" itself.
The majority of the book is describing different stories of his racing heroics, near-death experiences, and mechanicals that he miraculously fixes on his own while on course, and the deaths of many of his racing compatriots. We actually spend very little on his personal life after his racing career gets started. You get a little surprised while reading when the author mentions aspects of his personal life. Things like Fangio's girlfriend "Beba", who is present with him in the first ever championship season, is entirely glossed over until she is mentioned for the first time while discussing the 1952 season. At the end of the day, that was probably appropriate, as Fangio was apparently a humble down to earth guy. If the story of his life is told primarily on track, as opposed to the off track escapades of James Hunt, then the story of his life is primarily told on track.
Cause Mamoon reads reviews and friends updates. :-)
I picked up a Fangio book because I wanted to learn about the early days of F1. Going in looking for that, this book was great! They spend time talking about the different cars Fangio learned to drive, the mechanical prowess and different forms of motorsport he competed in on his journey to F1. I went to look up the title of the book, because I was reading it on a kindle and forgot the title, and was surprised. I feel like it is inappropriately named. We barely spend any time on the life behind the legend, instead we just read "the legend" itself.
The majority of the book is describing different stories of his racing heroics, near-death experiences, and mechanicals that he miraculously fixes on his own while on course, and the deaths of many of his racing compatriots. We actually spend very little on his personal life after his racing career gets started. You get a little surprised while reading when the author mentions aspects of his personal life. Things like Fangio's girlfriend "Beba", who is present with him in the first ever championship season, is entirely glossed over until she is mentioned for the first time while discussing the 1952 season. At the end of the day, that was probably appropriate, as Fangio was apparently a humble down to earth guy. If the story of his life is told primarily on track, as opposed to the off track escapades of James Hunt, then the story of his life is primarily told on track.
February 10, 2024
The book describes very well almost, if not completely, all races in the illustrious career of the Maestro - in my opinion, the greatest racing driver that ever lived.
We start with a look at his childhood and early races which was containing most of the new things for me. Then is followed by detailed reviews of his races - F1 and otherwise, where amidst all the drama and death, his amazing sporting and personal traits are easily visible.
His personal life has never been a public one, hence there are several glimpses behind the "El Maestro" curtain here and there.
The book ends with a brief overview of his life after racing and his death - which long before Ayrton Senna, puts a whole South American country in mourning.
There is a nice addendum listing every race he took part of and where he finished.
There are a black and white few pictures in the middle of the book, all being well-known and widely publicized ones.
Overall, quite a good book, deserving better pictures, but the most important - the text is great and has succeeded to show both - the god-skilled driver and the humble, smart, soft-spoken Argentinian who came out of a poor family to take over the motorsport world and was treating people with the respect they deserved - no matter if royalty or poor farmers.
Overall, I cannot say that this is a definitive biography of Fangio, I think that given the fact the book is called "The Life Behind the Legend", readers would expect a bigger look of him outside racing, which is not the case. Nevertheless, the book is absolutely mandatory for fans of early F1!
4,5*
We start with a look at his childhood and early races which was containing most of the new things for me. Then is followed by detailed reviews of his races - F1 and otherwise, where amidst all the drama and death, his amazing sporting and personal traits are easily visible.
His personal life has never been a public one, hence there are several glimpses behind the "El Maestro" curtain here and there.
The book ends with a brief overview of his life after racing and his death - which long before Ayrton Senna, puts a whole South American country in mourning.
There is a nice addendum listing every race he took part of and where he finished.
There are a black and white few pictures in the middle of the book, all being well-known and widely publicized ones.
Overall, quite a good book, deserving better pictures, but the most important - the text is great and has succeeded to show both - the god-skilled driver and the humble, smart, soft-spoken Argentinian who came out of a poor family to take over the motorsport world and was treating people with the respect they deserved - no matter if royalty or poor farmers.
Overall, I cannot say that this is a definitive biography of Fangio, I think that given the fact the book is called "The Life Behind the Legend", readers would expect a bigger look of him outside racing, which is not the case. Nevertheless, the book is absolutely mandatory for fans of early F1!
4,5*
September 7, 2020
Great look into Fangio’s life
From the moment I heard about Fangio, I wanted to learn all about him, so I began searching for a book like this one. I was not disappointed. There are so many life lessons to learn from this mans life that you don’t even need to be an F1 fan to enjoy it and take something away.
From the moment I heard about Fangio, I wanted to learn all about him, so I began searching for a book like this one. I was not disappointed. There are so many life lessons to learn from this mans life that you don’t even need to be an F1 fan to enjoy it and take something away.
July 18, 2017
An informative biography of one of the greatest drivers in motorsport history.
The early chapters on Fangio's childhood and the start of his racing career are very interesting, and Donaldson paints a vivid picture of the racing scene in South America at the time. Unfortunately, the chapters on Fangio's time in Formula One feel very formulaic by comparison. They run through the seasons on a race-by-race basis and while there are enough interspersed anecdotes to hold interest, they lack the colour of the earlier chapters.
That is not to say that I wouldn't recommend this book, but it still feels as if the definitive biography of Fangio is yet to be written. The lack of foreign-language, especially Argentinian, sources in the bibliography is telling.
The early chapters on Fangio's childhood and the start of his racing career are very interesting, and Donaldson paints a vivid picture of the racing scene in South America at the time. Unfortunately, the chapters on Fangio's time in Formula One feel very formulaic by comparison. They run through the seasons on a race-by-race basis and while there are enough interspersed anecdotes to hold interest, they lack the colour of the earlier chapters.
That is not to say that I wouldn't recommend this book, but it still feels as if the definitive biography of Fangio is yet to be written. The lack of foreign-language, especially Argentinian, sources in the bibliography is telling.
July 1, 2018
A fascinating read
An excellent and well written biography of Fangio from a highly proficient author. If you have any interest in motor racing you should love this book. Very well detailed throughout and interesting to read.
An excellent and well written biography of Fangio from a highly proficient author. If you have any interest in motor racing you should love this book. Very well detailed throughout and interesting to read.
May 25, 2021
The greatest most humble champion
What a fantastic book this was It was like riding along with the great champion . His bumblebees was what struck me most and reminded me of my wonderful father
What a fantastic book this was It was like riding along with the great champion . His bumblebees was what struck me most and reminded me of my wonderful father
February 25, 2024
Fangio
No dislikes, all good
My boyhood hero. And later in adult life when I was racing myself. A bit like a drivers text book.
I have also watched the video on YouTube
and related it to the book
No dislikes, all good
My boyhood hero. And later in adult life when I was racing myself. A bit like a drivers text book.
I have also watched the video on YouTube
and related it to the book
August 24, 2020
Epic
A must read.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx dxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxx
A must read.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx dxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxx
January 9, 2021
Nice book. Learned a lot about one of the GOATs of the Formula 1
February 16, 2025
Fangio is also a GOAT!
July 29, 2013
Gerald Donaldson is one of the elder statesmen of the motorsport history crowd, and in Fangio: The Life Behind the Legend, he shows why. Concise, detailed and well-written, it takes you through the life of the five-time World Champion from his squalid beginnings, through the immense effort of Argentina's Mecanica Nacional racing, and thence his introduction to Grand Prix racing and ultimate domination.
At every stage Donaldson is informative, and the story he tells is interesting. I had of course heard of what kind of racing Fangio had been into before Formula 1, but even so it was more than a little stunning to be taken through it at ground level and suddenly appreciate what it really means. Working for 48 hours straight to repair a Ford or Chevy coupe - usually lashed-up with an engine suitable for a fishing trawler - and then thrashing it along public roads for several Grand Prix distances is exhausting to read about, let alone do! In Italy the Mille Miglia was a big deal: Fangio was used to doing a Mille Miglia every day for a week at a time! Small wonder, then, that when he got to Europe and started entering pipsqueak Grand Prix races lasting "only" 500km, he was able to drive his car on the limit from green flag to chequered.
Despite ticking all the boxes, however, the book is not perfect. I said Donaldson is informative and the story is interesting, but that doesn't mean Donaldson himself is interesting. A book about a man known as the Grand Old Master calls for a certain grandness of tone, and that is sorely lacking in Fangio. Donaldson seems determined to follow a journalist's ethic of "just the facts", and the resulting prose is disappointingly bland. None of Donaldson's own descriptions or phrases stick in the memory after putting the book down, and none of Fangio's magnificent wins really feel exciting. He also does a lot more telling than showing, especially in the early parts of the book, whether for lack of English-language quotes regarding Fangio's early career or just lack of space, I can't say. By Fangio's late career there are a lot more quotes from the people who were there, which makes for much better reading, but most of them can also be found in another of Donaldson's books, Formula 1 The Autobiography , which is the one I'd recommend.
So overall, a well-written account of Juan Manuel Fangio, and one that must be read to understand the full picture of 1950s Formula 1 - but probably not a book you'd read a second time for pleasure.
At every stage Donaldson is informative, and the story he tells is interesting. I had of course heard of what kind of racing Fangio had been into before Formula 1, but even so it was more than a little stunning to be taken through it at ground level and suddenly appreciate what it really means. Working for 48 hours straight to repair a Ford or Chevy coupe - usually lashed-up with an engine suitable for a fishing trawler - and then thrashing it along public roads for several Grand Prix distances is exhausting to read about, let alone do! In Italy the Mille Miglia was a big deal: Fangio was used to doing a Mille Miglia every day for a week at a time! Small wonder, then, that when he got to Europe and started entering pipsqueak Grand Prix races lasting "only" 500km, he was able to drive his car on the limit from green flag to chequered.
Despite ticking all the boxes, however, the book is not perfect. I said Donaldson is informative and the story is interesting, but that doesn't mean Donaldson himself is interesting. A book about a man known as the Grand Old Master calls for a certain grandness of tone, and that is sorely lacking in Fangio. Donaldson seems determined to follow a journalist's ethic of "just the facts", and the resulting prose is disappointingly bland. None of Donaldson's own descriptions or phrases stick in the memory after putting the book down, and none of Fangio's magnificent wins really feel exciting. He also does a lot more telling than showing, especially in the early parts of the book, whether for lack of English-language quotes regarding Fangio's early career or just lack of space, I can't say. By Fangio's late career there are a lot more quotes from the people who were there, which makes for much better reading, but most of them can also be found in another of Donaldson's books, Formula 1 The Autobiography , which is the one I'd recommend.
So overall, a well-written account of Juan Manuel Fangio, and one that must be read to understand the full picture of 1950s Formula 1 - but probably not a book you'd read a second time for pleasure.
September 26, 2019
Didn't realize what a road racer Fangio was before doing F1.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews