At the start of the final race of the first Formula One season, Juan Manuel Fangio led the championship with 26 points with both his Alfa Romeo teammates Luigi Fagioli (24 points) and Nino Farina (22 points) in with a chance to win the title. Fangio had the pole, however, luck didn’t favour him twice as he retired twice in the race (one in his car and the other after taking over Piero Taruffi’s car). Fagioli came in third. Farina won the race and thereby became Formula One’s first world champion and that too in his home Italy!
