Nino
Farina

Emilio Giuseppe Farina, known as Nino, was born in Turin on 30 October 1906. At the age of nine he began driving a two-cylinder car, and in 1925 he took up hillclimb racing. In 1933 and 1934 he raced Maseratis and Alfa Romeos, with Tazio Nuvolari supporting his early career. Enzo Ferrari signed him in 1936 for Scuderia Ferrari, which ran Alfa Romeos, and he finished second in the Mille Miglia in an Alfa Romeo 8C. He won the Naples Grand Prix in 1937 and was Italian champion three years running up to 1939.

After the Second World War he returned to Alfa Corse and won the 1946 Grand Prix des Nations. In 1948 he won the Monaco Grand Prix. When the Formula One World Championship began in 1950, he drove for Alfa Romeo and won the opening round at Silverstone. A win in Switzerland followed. Going into the finale at Monza he trailed his team-mate Juan Manuel Fangio by two points. Fangio retired, Farina won the race and became the first World Drivers' Champion.

In 1951 he won the Belgian Grand Prix for Alfa Romeo, but Fangio took the title and Farina finished fourth in the standings. In 1952 he moved to Ferrari alongside Alberto Ascari and ended the season second behind him. His final Formula One victory came at the 1953 German Grand Prix, and he finished that season third in the championship. That year he also won the 24 Hours of Spa and the Nürburgring 1000 km for Ferrari, both rounds of the first World Sportscar Championship.

In 1954 he suffered several injuries, started only two races and finished eighth in the standings. In 1955 he drove for Ferrari and Lancia and was fifth in the championship. After Ascari's fatal accident he withdrew from Formula One. His record stands at 33 starts, five wins, 19 podiums and five pole positions. In 1956, aged 49, he tried to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 but did not succeed. He died on 30 June 1966 in a road accident in the French Alps while travelling to the French Grand Prix.

Source: Wikipedia, “Giuseppe Farina”. Text licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.