1. Luigi Fagioli was runner-up in the European Drivers' Championship in 1935 with Mercedes.
15 Facts About Luigi Fagioli
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Luigi Fagioli is the only Formula One Grand Prix winner born in the 19th century, and the only Grand Prix racing driver to have won a championship race in both the AIACR European Championship and the World Drivers' Championship.
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Luigi Fagioli soon established himself as a serious contender, winning the Coppa Ciano and the Circuit of Avellino Grand Prix.
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In what would go down as one of motorsport's most famous battles, Chiron eventually took the chequered flag first but Luigi Fagioli received universal praise for the skill he displayed in racing a car set up for long stretches as opposed to the tight twists and short runs that characterize the street circuit of Monte Carlo.
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Luigi Fagioli avenged his defeat in Monaco a few weeks later by winning the Autodromo Nazionale Monza Grand Prix in Monza, Italy ahead of Chiron and fellow Italian drivers Achille Varzi and Tazio Nuvolari.
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In 1932, Luigi Fagioli won the Grand Prix of Rome driving for Maserati but for the 1933 season he signed with the Alfa Romeo team of Scuderia Ferrari.
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At the wheel of an Alfa Romeo P3, Luigi Fagioli ran a successful campaign, winning the Coppa Acerbo, the Grand Prix du Comminges, and the Italian Grand Prix.
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In 1934 Mercedes, acknowledging Luigi Fagioli's talent, hired him to drive one of their Silver Arrows alongside chief mechanic Hermann Lang.
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Luigi Fagioli won the Monaco Grand Prix, the AVUS and Penya Rhin Grand Prix.
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Luigi Fagioli left Mercedes at the end of the 1936 season and joined Auto Union.
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In 1951 Luigi Fagioli won the French Grand Prix with Juan-Manuel Fangio, earning the distinction of being the oldest person to ever win a Formula One race.
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For 1952, Luigi Fagioli signed with Lancia to drive sports cars.
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Luigi Fagioli finished in third place at the 1952 edition of the Mille Miglia ahead of arch rival Caracciola.
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In June 1952, while practising for the Monaco Grand Prix, which was a sport cars event that year, Luigi Fagioli crashed during practice in the tunnel.
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Luigi Fagioli died in a Monte Carlo hospital three weeks later.