STORY OF THE DAY: Fangio wins for Ferrari at Monza

Juan Manuel Fangio drove the number 34 Ferrari 166 F2 to victory at Monza on 26 June 1949. The event belonged to the busy pre-World Championship Formula Two scene rather than the Formula One World Championship, which did not begin until 1950. His success added to the Argentine’s rapidly growing European reputation.

The appearance came during Fangio’s first major European campaign, when he demonstrated that his achievements in South American road racing translated readily to circuit competition. Monza rewarded commitment and mechanical care, and victory there strengthened his standing among the leading teams and organisers of the postwar revival.

Ferrari’s 166 F2 was built around a compact Gioachino Colombo-designed V12 of approximately two litres, matched to a tubular chassis. The model was central to Ferrari’s early single-seater programme and helped establish the marque in Formula Two while its larger-engined cars contested other categories.

Born in Argentina in 1911, Fangio developed his craft in arduous long-distance events before becoming a European Grand Prix star. His association with Ferrari was comparatively brief but important: he later led the Scuderia in the 1956 World Championship and won the drivers’ title. The Monza result records an earlier chapter in that connection.