Emilio Giuseppe Farina, better known as “Nino” Farina, was born on 30 October 1906 and died on 30 June 1966. He was an Italian driver who made F1 history by becoming the first-ever Formula 1 World Champion in 1950.
| Nationality | Italian |
|---|---|
| Born | Emilio Giuseppe Farina 30 October 1906 Turin, Italy |
| Died | 30 June 1966 (aged 59) Aiguebelle, France |
Alongside becoming the first F1 Drivers’ Champion, Giuseppe Farina was also the winner of the very first World Championship Grand Prix at Silverstone, the 1950 British Grand Prix. In the inaugural Formula 1 season of 1950, Farina’s drives at the Swiss and Italian Grands Prix were instrumental in helping secure the first-ever Formula 1 World Championship, driving for the dominant Alfa Romeo team.
Despite continuing to race for Alfa Romeo the following season and a fourth-place finish in the 1951 championship, Farina would leave the team to join Ferrari for the 1952 season. His time at Ferrari brought more success, as he finished second in the 1952 Drivers’ Championship behind his fellow countryman Alberto Ascari.
In 1953, Farina claimed his final Grand Prix win at the challenging German Grand Prix. Over the next two seasons, Farina raced in fewer championship races. However, he still secured a podium finish in Argentina, a fourth-place finish in Monaco, and a third-place finish in Belgium in 1955, securing him fifth place in the 1955 Drivers’ Championship standings.
The 1956 Indianapolis 500 was Farina’s final attempt to qualify for an F1 Championship round. Unfortunately, he didn’t post a quick enough time to line up on the starting grid.
Despite not achieving the same level of dominance as his peers like Alberto Ascari and Juan Manuel Fangio, Farina’s career in Formula 1 remains unforgettable. With five wins, five pole positions, and five fastest laps to his name, Farina’s record of becoming the first World Champion and Grand Prix winner in F1 history means that he will always be celebrated as a legendary figure in the sport.
After retiring, Farina sold Alfa Romeo’s and Jaguar’s and later supported operations at the Pininfarina factory. He died on 30 June 1966, aged 59, while en route to the 1966 French Grand Prix. Farina lost control of his Lotus Cortina in the Savoy Alps near Aiguebelle. He struck a telegraph pole and was killed instantly. Farina was travelling to watch the race and to participate in filming as an advisor and driving double for French actor Yves Montand, who portrayed a former World Champion in the film Grand Prix.
Giuseppe Farina Formula One World Championship career
| F1 Career | 1950–1956 |
|---|---|
| Teams | Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Lancia |
| Entries | 35 (33 starts) |
| Championships | 1 (1950) |
| Wins | 5 |
| Podiums | 20 |
| Career points | 115 1⁄3 |
| Pole positions | 5 |
| Fastest laps | 5 |
| First entry | 1950 British Grand Prix |
| First win | 1950 British Grand Prix |
| Last win | 1953 German Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 1956 Indianapolis 500 |
Giuseppe Farina Formula One records
Giuseppe Farina holds these Formula One records:
| Record | Date first achieved |
|---|---|
| First-ever F1 Championship title | 1950 |
| First-ever F1 Championship win | 1950 British Grand Prix |
Giuseppe Farina Teammates
| 21 Teammates | Involvement | First Year | Last Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gianbattista Guidotti | 2 | 1950 | 1951 |
| Juan Manuel Fangio | 13 | 1950 | 1951 |
| Reg Parnell | 1 | 1950 | |
| Luigi Fagioli | 7 | 1950 | 1951 |
| Consalvo Sanesi | 6 | 1950 | 1951 |
| Piero Taruffi | 9 | 1950 | 1955 |
| Emmanuel de Graffenried | 3 | 1951 | |
| Felice Bonetto | 4 | 1951 | |
| Paul Pietsch | 1 | 1951 | |
| Andre Simon | 2 | 1952 | |
| Alberto Ascari | 14 | 1952 | 1953 |
| Luigi Villoresi | 12 | 1952 | 1955 |
| Mike Hawthorn | 13 | 1953 | 1955 |
| Piero Carini | 1 | 1953 | |
| Umberto Maglioli | 4 | 1953 | 1955 |
| Jose Froilan Gonzalez | 4 | 1954 | 1955 |
| Maurice Trintignant | 7 | 1954 | 1955 |
| Harry Schell | 1 | 1955 | |
| Paul Frere | 2 | 1955 | |
| Eugenio Castellotti | 1 | 1955 | |
| Johnny Baldwin | 1 | 1956 |
Race Wins
| Win Number | Grand Prix |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1950 British Grand Prix |
| 2 | 1950 Swiss Grand Prix |
| 3 | 1950 Italian Grand Prix |
| 4 | 1951 Belgian Grand Prix |
| 5 | 1953 German Grand Prix |
Non-Championship Wins
| Win Number | Grand Prix |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1937 Naples Grand Prix |
| 2 | 1946 Nations Grand Prix |
| 3 | 1948 Monaco Grand Prix |
| 4 | 1948 Nations Grand Prix |
| 5 | 1948 Garda Grand Prix |
| 6 | 1949 Lausanne Grand Prix |
| 7 | 1950 Bari Grand Prix |
| 8 | 1950 BRDC International Trophy |
| 9 | 1951 Paris Grand Prix |
| 10 | 1951 Ulster Trophy |
| 11 | 1951 Goodwood Trophy |
| 12 | 1952 Naples Grand Prix |
| 13 | 1952 Monza Grand Prix |
| 14 | 1953 Naples Grand Prix |
| 15 | 1953 Rouen Grand Prix |
| 16 | 1954 Syracuse Grand Prix |
Complete Formula One World Results
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | WDC | Points1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Alfa Romeo SpA | Alfa Romeo 158 | Alfa Romeo 158 1.5 L8 s | GBR 1 | MON Ret | 500 | SUI 1 | BEL 4 | FRA 7 | 1st | 30 | |||
| Alfa Romeo 159 | Alfa Romeo 158 1.5 L8 s | ITA 1 | ||||||||||||
| 1951 | Alfa Romeo SpA | Alfa Romeo 159 | Alfa Romeo 158 1.5 L8 s | SUI 3 | 500 | BEL 1 | FRA 5 | GBR Ret | GER Ret | ITA 3* | ESP 3 | 4th | 19 (22) | |
| 1952 | Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari 500 | Ferrari 500 2.0 L4 | SUI Ret | 500 | BEL 2 | FRA 2 | GBR 6 | GER 2 | NED 2 | ITA 4 | 2nd | 24 (27) | |
| 1953 | Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari 500 | Ferrari 500 2.0 L4 | ARG Ret | 500 | NED 2 | BEL Ret | FRA 5 | GBR 3 | GER 1 | SUI 2 | ITA 2 | 3rd | 26 (32) |
| 1954 | Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari 625 | Ferrari 625 2.5 L4 | ARG 2 | 500 | 8th | 6 | |||||||
| Ferrari 553 | Ferrari 554 2.5 L4 | BEL Ret | FRA | GBR | GER | SUI | ITA | ESP DNA | ||||||
| 1955 | Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari 625 | Ferrari 555 2.5 L4 | ARG 2+3† | 5th | 10 1 ⁄ 3 | ||||||||
| Ferrari 625 | Ferrari 555 2.5 L4 | MON 4 | 500 | |||||||||||
| Ferrari 555 | Ferrari 555 2.5 L4 | BEL 3 | NED | GBR | ||||||||||
| Lancia D50 | Lancia DS50 2.5 V8 | ITA DNS | ||||||||||||
| 1956 | Bardahl-Ferrari | Kurtis Kraft 500D | Ferrari 446 4.5 L6 | ARG | MON | 500 DNQ | BEL | FRA | GBR | GER | ITA | NC | 0 |
*Indicates shared drive with Felice Bonetto
† Indicates shared drives with Jose Froilan Gonzalez and Maurice Trintignant (2nd place) & Maurice Trintignant and Umberto Maglioli (3rd place)
Complete Non-Championship Formula One Results
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Alfa Romeo SpA | Alfa Romeo 158 | Alfa Romeo 158 1.5 L8 s | PAU | RIC | SRM | PAR | EMP | BAR 1 | JER | NAT 6 | NOT | ULS | PES | STT | INT 1 | GOO | PEN | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Dr. G. Farina | Maserati 4CLT/48 | Maserati 4CLT 1.5 L4 s | ALB 7 | NED | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1951 | Dr. G. Farina | Maserati 4CLT/48 | Maserati 4CLT 1.5 L4 s | SYR Ret | PAU 3 | RIC | SRM | BOR Ret | PAR 1 | NED Ret | ALB | PES | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alfa Romeo SpA | Alfa Romeo 159 | Alfa Romeo 158 1.5 L8 s | INT 9 | ULS 1 | SCO | BAR Ret | GOO 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1952 | Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari 500 | Ferrari 500 2.0 L4 | RIO | SYR 3 | MAR Ret | AST | INT | ELÄ | NAP 1 | EIF | PAR 2* | ALB | FRO | ULS | MNZ 1 | LAC | ESS | Mar 2 | SAB Ret | CAE | DMT | COM 2 | NAT | BAU Ret | MOD 4 | CAD | SKA | MAD | AVU | JOE | NEW | RIO | |||||
| Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari 375 | Ferrari 375 4.5 V12 | VAL Ret | RIC | LAV | PAU | IBS | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1953 | Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari 500 | Ferrari 500 2.0 L4 | BUE 1 | SYR Ret | PAU Ret | LAV | AST | BOR Ret | INT | ELÄ | NAP 1 | ULS | WIN | FRO | COR | EIF | ROU 1 | CRY | AVU | USF | LAC | BRI | CHE | SAB | NEW | CAD | RED | SKA | LON | MOD | MAD | JOE | CUR | ||||
| GA Vandervell | Ferrari 375 tw | Ferrari 375 4.5 V12 | ALB DNQ | PRI | ESS | MID | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1954 | Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari 625 | Ferrari 625 2.5 L4 | SYR 1 | PAU 5 | LAV | BOR | INT | BAR | CUR | ROM | FRO | COR | BRC | CRY | ROU | CAE | AUG | COR | OUL | RED | PES | JOE | CAD | BER | GOO | DTT | |||||||||||
| 1955 | Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari 625 | Ferrari 555 2.5 L4 | VAL Ret | PAU | GLO | BOR Ret | INT | NAP | ALB | CUR | COR | LON | DRT | RED | DTT | OUT | AVO | SYR |
Indianapolis 500 results
| Year | Chassis | Engine | Start | Finish | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | Kurtis Kraft | Ferrari | DNQ | Bardahl | |
| 1957 | Kurtis Kraft | Offenhauser | Wth | Farina | |
Sources: Wikipedia.com, fandom.com and statsf1.com
