Luigi Fagioli

Luigi Fagioli

Fagioli in 1932
Born	(1898-06-09)9 June 1898 Osimo, Ancona, Italy
Died	20 June 1952(1952-06-20) (aged 54) Monte Carlo, Monaco
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality	Italian
Active years	1950–1951
Teams	Alfa Romeo
Entries	7
Championships	0
Wins	1
Podiums	6
Career points	28 (32)
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	0
First entry	1950 British Grand Prix
First win	1951 French Grand Prix
Last win	1951 French Grand Prix
Last entry	1951 French Grand Prix

Luigi Cristiano Fagioli (Italian pronunciation: [luˈidʒi faˈdʒɔli]; 9 June 1898 – 20 June 1952), nicknamed "the Abruzzi robber", was an Italian motor racing driver. He is currently the oldest driver to win a race in Formula One.

Born in the small city of Osimo, in the Marche region of central Italy, as a boy Luigi Fagioli was fascinated by the relatively new invention of the automobile and the ensuing racing. Blessed with great natural driving instincts, a young Fagioli spent several years participating in hillclimbing and sports car races before entering Grand Prix racing in 1926. By 1930, his racing success led to an opportunity to join the Maserati team on the Grand Prix motor racing circuit. He immediately made his presence felt, winning the Coppa Ciano and Circuit of Avellino. In April of the following year he went head to head with Louis Chiron and his Bugatti Type 51 at the Monaco Grand Prix. In what is one of racing's most famous battles, Chiron eventually won but Fagioli showed how skilled he was in a car geared for great speed on long stretches, not the tight twists and short runs of Monte Carlo. Fagioli went on to take the victory at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza in Monza, Italy beating Chiron as well as fellow Italian greats, Achille Varzi and Tazio Nuvolari. In 1932, Fagioli won the Grand Prix of Rome driving for Maserati but for the 1933 season he was signed by the Alfa Romeo team of Scuderia Ferrari. Driving an Alfa Romeo Tipo B P3, he won the Coppa Acerbo, the Grand Prix du Comminges, and the Italian Grand Prix.