A Story of Sacrifice

It was, perhaps, the greatest act of sportsmanship in Formula One history. One driver, with a chance of winning the race and the world title, would hand his car over to another driver, to allow him to claim the title instead.

This story of drama and sacrifice takes place, appropriately, at Monza, most storied of all racing circuits. And it involves Ferrari, most celebrated of all F1 teams.

For the final round of the 1956 world championship, three drivers had a chance of winning the title: defending champion Juan-Manuel Fangio and his Ferrari teammate, young Peter Collins, in his first year with the Scuderia. The third runner was Maserati’s Jean Behra, an experienced French racer.

Fangio set off from pole position in his number 22 Ferrari D50, but would complete the race and win the World Championship in the car behind him, number 26 piloted by Peter Collins

Fangio was hot favourite. He had a commanding eight-point championship lead over both Collins and Behra, following victories in Argentina and in the two races preceding the Italian GP: Britain and Germany.

The surprise of the season was Collins. Just 24, and in his first full F1 season, he had scored memorable wins in Belgium and France and was consistently outdriving experienced teammates Eugenio Castellotti and Luigi Musso. What’s more, having adopted the Italian way of life with open arms, the hard-charging racer had also become a favourite of Enzo Ferrari.

At Monza, on that memorable September day, Fangio – already a three-time world champion – would start (perhaps predictably) from pole, ahead of teammates Castellotti and Musso. Behra’s Maserati was back in fifth, Collins in seventh.

The maths were simple. Collins had to win to claim the title with Fangio finishing third or lower. Otherwise, Fangio would be crowned champion again.

A hard racer with a huge love for Italy, Collins quickly became a favourite of Enzo Ferrari

The biggest concern for Ferrari was tyre wear – and tyre failure. In those days, the Monza circuit included high-speed banking, and the high speeds and coarse banking surface were destroying rubber. 

On the fifth lap the Ferraris of Castellotti and Musso – dicing for the lead – both blew their left rear tyres. Both drivers heroically regained control and limped to the pits. A lap later teammate de Portago had a lurid 160mph slide after a tyre blew. On the 11th lap, Collins’ left rear tyre exploded. He limped to the pits for new rubber.

Fangio, meanwhile, was dicing for the lead and looking imperious, the only Ferrari driver not to experience a blow-out. But on the 18th lap, the Argentinian – greatest F1 driver of the ‘50s – came slowly into the pits with his front wheels pointing in opposite directions. The right steering arm of the V8-powered D50 had broken. Fangio was out. Soon, Behra would retire his Maserati.

Meanwhile Collins charged through the field. By half distance (25 laps), he was running fourth. 

The impervious Fangio arrived in Monza with an eight-point lead over the young Collins, having driven to victory in Argentina, Britain and Germany before the Italian GP

On the 35th lap, in third place, Collins pitted for a tyre change and magnanimously handed his car to team leader Fangio. Younger drivers handing over their cars to team leaders was not unusual in those chivalrous days: indeed Fangio had won the opening GP of that 1956 season (in Argentina) after requisitioning teammate Musso’s car. (If a car was shared, points were split between the drivers.) 

This gesture at Monza, however, was on a far nobler and more elevated level. Collins could, just possibly, have won the race and, with it, the world championship. Fangio (in Collins’ car) would go on to finish second, just six seconds behind the slowing Maserati of Stirling Moss, hamstrung by a badly worn rear tyre.

Fangio knew the size of Collins’ sacrifice. ‘I was moved almost to tears by the gesture,’ he later said. 

Collins, just 24, reckoned he’d have other opportunities. Less than two years later, he was killed when his Ferrari crashed at the dangerous Nürburgring.