British GP 1951

It happened on Saturday 14 July 1951 at Silverstone in the UK. Gonzalez had taken his and the team’s first ever pole position, getting the better of his fellow countryman Fangio, going on to win by over 50 seconds. It was a challenge for both men and machines, an Argentine and Italian duel for the win, over 400 kilometres. The 90 lap race took the winner 2 hours 42 minutes and 18 seconds to complete. It was a crazy distance if one thinks how spartan were the cars at the time and how tiring they were to drive. It was a closely fought contest, with plenty of overtaking and Gonzalez’s win owed something to the class of his team leader Alberto Ascari , who refused the offer to take over his team-mate’s car, as was permitted in the rules, after he’d had to retire with a gearbox failure. The Ferrari 375 had the advantage over the Alfa Romeo of using less fuel and therefore got by with fewer pit stops and took less time to refuel.

Rejoining after his only pit stop, Gonzalez managed the required spurt to keep enough of a lead over Fangio and crossed the line to win at the former RAF airfield. Third was Luigi Villoresi in the other Ferrari 375. José Froilan Gonzalez” was nicknamed “El Cabezon” or Fathead, because he did indeed have a large head which swayed through the corners, but he was also known as the “Pampas Bull” because of his aggressive style. His driving style was unusual, with his big elbows sticking out of the cockpit, his hands at the top of the steering wheel and his burly chest hunched forward, seemingly willing his car along the track. He never gave up which made him popular with Enzo Ferrari.