Giuseppe Farina

Emilio Giuseppe "Nino" Farina (Also known as Giuseppe Antonio Farina.) He began driving a two-cylinder Temperino, at the age of just nine. Farina became a Doctor of Political Science (although some sources say engineering); he also excelled at skiing, football and athletics. He cut short a career as a cavalry officer with the Italian army to fulfil a different ambition: motor racing.

While still at university Farina purchased his first car, a second-hand Alfa Romeo, and ran it in the 1925 Aosta-Gran San Bernardo Hillclimb. While trying to beat his father, he crashed, breaking his shoulder and receiving facial cuts, establishing a trend that continued throughout his crash-prone career. His father finished fourth.

During the 1933 and 1934 seasons, Farina returned to the sport, racing Maseratis and Alfa Romeos for Gino Rovere and Scuderia Subalpina, and began a friendship with Italian racing legend Tazio Nuvolari. It was Nuvolari who to some extent, guided Farina's early career. He became a Grand Prix winner when he won the 1937 Grand Prix of Naples.

In 1938, the official Alfa Romeo team, Alfa Corse, returned to motorsport, and Farina was a member. Driving the new Alfa Romeo 158 Voiturette in 1939, he won the Grand Prix d'Anvers, Coppa Ciano and the Prix de Berne, to become the Italian Champion for the third year in succession. The following year, he won the Tripoli Grand Prix and finished second in the Mille Miglia for the third time. Three days after their high society wedding, Farina flew to Argentina, where he drove his Maserati 8CL to victory in the Gran Premio Internacional del General San Martín. On his return to Europe, he won the Grand Prix des Nations and the 1948 Monaco Grand Prix. Using Ferrari's first Grand Prix car, the Ferrari 125, he won the Circuito di Garda before giving the Temporada another visit. This resulted in victory in the Copa Acción San Lorenzo in February 1949. The rest of the year he raced Maseratis for Scuderia Milano and Scuderia Ambrosiana, and at times in his own 4CLT/48. He won the Lausanne Grand Prix and then was re-signed by Alfa Corse.

1950 World Drivers' Champion

In 1950, Farina returned to Alfa Romeo for the inaugural FIA World Championship of Drivers. The opening race of the season was held at Silverstone Circuit, in front of 150,000 spectators. Farina won, with teammates Luigi Fagioli and Reg Parnell, completing an Alfa Romeo 1–2–3 finish. The victory made Farina the first of only three drivers to win on their World Drivers' Championship début. The other two are Johnnie Parsons, who won the AAA-sanctioned 1950 Indianapolis 500, 17 days later – and Giancarlo Baghetti, who won the 1961 French Grand Prix.

At Monaco eight days later, a multiple pile-up on the first lap saw Farina spin out of a race that Juan Manuel Fangio went on to win. In the 1950 Swiss Grand Prix, Farina beat his teammate Fagioli into second. The next race, at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, saw Fangio beat Fagioli, with Farina finishing in fourth with transmission problems. At this stage, Farina still led the championship on points: Farina 22; Fagioli 18; Fangio 17.

When Fangio won the 1950 French Grand Prix, Farina finished outside of the points in seventh. By the season finale on 3 September, the 1950 Italian Grand Prix, Farina was trailing his teammate by two points. For Alfa, Monza was home territory, and so they fielded an additional car for Piero Taruffi and Consalvo Sanesi. It was the Ferrari of Alberto Ascari who put pressure on the Alfas during the early stages of the race, lying in second, in the knowledge that his car only needed one fuel stop to the Alfas' two, but he retired with engine problems. Soon after, Fangio's gearbox failed, and Taruffi handed over his car, only for it to drop a valve and retire. Instead, first position and therefore the championship went to Farina.

Farina continued with Alfa Romeo for the 1951 season but was beaten by Fangio, who secured the title for the Milanese marque. Farina finished the season in fourth place, with his only world championship victory coming in the 1951 Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps. Farina switched back to Ferrari in 1952, when Grand Prix racing switched to Formula 2 specification, but had to take second place to team leader Ascari. He won the non-championship Gran Premio di Napoli and Monza Grand Prix. Ascari's total domination of the championship had been a bitter blow to Farina's self-image.

Farina remained at Ferrari for the 1953 season. He was involved in a large accident at the first race of the season, the Argentine Grand Prix: President Juan Perón had allowed free access to the race, which meant that the drivers had to race with hordes of spectators lining the circuit, and a young boy ran across the track while Farina was committed to a fast corner, the Curva Nor Este. Farina was forced to take evasive action and swerved into the spectators standing on the exit of the corner, killing seven and injuring many others.

Farina's best result of the season was the victory in the 1953 German Grand Prix. He took up the challenge against the works Maserati of Fangio and Mike Hawthorn when Ascari's car lost a wheel. Other non-Championship Formula One victories came in the Gran Premio di Napoli and Grand Prix de Rouen-les-Essarts. By now he had accepted that Ascari and Fangio were faster drivers than him.

Although he was now 47, a golden opportunity arose at Ferrari when Ascari left the team, leaving Farina the team leader. After early season results including victories in the 1000 km Buenos Aires sports car race, co-driven by the young Italian Umberto Maglioli, and the Syracuse Grand Prix, he crashed heavily in the Mille Miglia whilst leading in his Ferrari 375 Plus. Just seven weeks later, and with his right arm still in plaster, Farina raced in the 1954 Belgian Grand Prix. He was leading before the end of the first lap, dicing with Fangio's Maserati, until the ignition failed on his Ferrari. Later in the season he was badly injured in the Supercortemaggiore Grand Prix, a sports car race at Monza, as a consequence of which he spent 20 days in hospital.

Farina was back with Ferrari for the start of the 1955 season in Argentina, taking morphine injections to ease the pain. But the heat took its toll on all of the drivers. Farina pitted due to exhaustion, with his Ferrari 625 being taken over by the team's spare driver, Maglioli. When José Froilán González pitted, a revived Farina was sent out in his place. Later in the race, González – who was back in his car – crashed but rejoined and handed the car back to Farina, who brought it home in second. Third place in the 1955 Argentine Grand Prix went to Farina's original car, which had been driven by Maglioli and Maurice Trintignant. After a third place in Belgium, Farina retired mid-season, owing to the continued pain and the death of Ascari. He returned for the 1955 Italian Grand Prix, but his Scuderia Ferrari-entered Lancia D50 suffered a tyre failure at 170 mph during a practice session, whilst on the Monza's new banking. The car spun, but Farina stepped out unhurt. Ferrari withdrew the car from the event, and Farina did not start his final Grand Prix.

World Drivers' Championship Indianapolis 500 career

The AAA/USAC-sanctioned Indianapolis 500 was included in the FIA World Drivers' Championship from 1950 through 1960. Drivers competing at Indianapolis during those years were credited with World Drivers' Championship participation, and were eligible to score WDC points alongside those which they may have scored towards the AAA/USAC National Championship.

Farina attempted to qualify for one World Drivers' Championship race at Indianapolis, failing to make the 1956 race.

Death Following his retirement, Farina became involved in Alfa Romeo and Jaguar distributorships and later assisted at the Pininfarina factory.

Motorsports career results

Notable career results

European Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Post-WWII Grandes Épreuves results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

FIA World Drivers' Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Pts 1950 Alfa Romeo SpA Alfa Romeo 158 Alfa Romeo 158 1.5 L8 s GBR MON 500 SUI BEL FRA 1st 30 Alfa Romeo 159 ITA 1951 Alfa Romeo SpA Alfa Romeo 159 Alfa Romeo 158 1.5 L8 s SUI 500 BEL FRA GBR GER ITA ESP 4th 19 (22) 1952 Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 500 Ferrari 500 2.0 L4 SUI 500 BEL FRA GBR GER NED ITA 2nd 24 (27) 1953 Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 500 Ferrari 500 2.0 L4 ARG 500 NED BEL FRA GBR GER SUI ITA 3rd 26 (32) 1954 Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 625 Ferrari 625 2.5 L4 ARG 500 8th 6 Ferrari 553 Ferrari 554 2.5 L4 BEL FRA GBR GER SUI ITA ESP 1955 Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 625 Ferrari 555 2.5 L4 ARG2+3† 5th 10 MON 500 Ferrari 555 BEL NED GBR Lancia D50 Lancia DS50 2.5 V8 ITA Bardahl-Ferrari Kurtis Kraft 500D Ferrari 446 4.5 L6 ARG MON 500 BEL FRA GBR GER ITA NC 0 Indicates shared drive with Felice Bonetto Indicates shared drives with José Froilán González and Maurice Trintignant (2nd place) & Maurice Trintignant and Umberto Maglioli (3rd place)

Non-championship Formula One results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest lap) 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 Alfa Romeo SpA Alfa Romeo 158 Alfa Romeo 158 1.5 L8 s PAU RIC SRM PAR EMP BAR JER NAT NOT ULS PES STT INT GOO PEN Dr. G. Farina Maserati 4CLT/48 Maserati 4CLT 1.5 L4 s ALB NED Dr. G. Farina Maserati 4CLT/48 Maserati 4CLT 1.5 L4 s SYR PAU RIC SRM BOR PAR NED ALB PES Alfa Romeo SpA Alfa Romeo 159 Alfa Romeo 158 1.5 L8 s INT ULS SCO BAR GOO Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 500 Ferrari 500 2.0 L4 RIO SYR MAR AST INT ELÄ NAP EIF PAR ALB FRO ULS MNZ LAC ESS MAR SAB CAE DMT COM NAT BAU MOD CAD SKA MAD AVU JOE NEW RIO Ferrari 375 Ferrari 375 4.5 V12 VAL RIC LAV PAU IBS Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 500 Ferrari 500 2.0 L4 BUE SYR PAU LAV AST BOR INT ELÄ NAP ULS WIN FRO COR EIF ROU 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 PRI ESS MID Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 625 Ferrari 625 2.5 L4 SYR PAU LAV BOR INT BAR CUR ROM FRO COR BRC CRY ROU CAE AUG COR OUL RED PES JOE CAD BER GOO DTT Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 625 Ferrari 555 2.5 L4 VAL PAU GLO BOR INT NAP ALB CUR COR LON DRT RED DTT OUT AVO SYR

Indicates Shared Drive with André Simon

Indianapolis 500 results

Year Chassis Engine Start Finish Team 1956 Kurtis Kraft FerrariDNQ Bardahl 1957 Kurtis Kraft OffenhauserWth Farina

24 Hours of Le Mans results

Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps 1953 Scuderia Ferrari Mike Hawthorn Ferrari 340 MM Pininfarina Berlinetta S5.0 12 DSQ DSQ

24 Hours of Spa results

Mille Miglia results

Carrera Panamericana results

Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class 1952 Scuderia Guastella Bill Spear Ferrari 340 Mexico Vignale Spyder S DNS DNS

12 Hours of Casablanca results

Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class 1953 Scuderia Ferrari Piero Scotti Ferrari 375 MM S+2.0 1st 1st