The Greatest Act of Sportsmanship in Formula One History
For the final round of the 1956 World Championship at Monza, Ferrari driver Peter Collins handed his car over to teammate Juan Manuel Fangio, helping him secure a fourth world title. In doing so, Collins sacrificed his own chance to become world champion.
It was, perhaps, the greatest act of sportsmanship in Formula One history. One driver, with a chance of winning both the race and the world title, handed his car over to another driver, allowing him to claim the championship instead.
This story of drama and sacrifice unfolds, fittingly, at Monza—arguably the most storied of all racing circuits. And it involves Ferrari, the most celebrated of all F1 teams.
For the final round of the 1956 World Championship, three drivers were in contention for the title: defending champion Juan Manuel Fangio, his Ferrari teammate, the young Peter Collins in his first year with the Scuderia, and Maserati’s Jean Behra, an experienced French racer.
Fangio was the hot favorite. He had a commanding eight-point championship lead over both Collins and Behra, following victories in Argentina and in the two races preceding the Italian GP: Britain and Germany.
The surprise of the season was Collins. At just 24 and in his first full F1 season, he had scored memorable wins in Belgium and France and was consistently outperforming experienced teammates Eugenio Castellotti and Luigi Musso. What’s more, having embraced the Italian way of life with open arms, the hard-charging racer had also become a favorite of Enzo Ferrari.
At Monza, on that memorable September day, Fangio—already a three-time world champion—would start (perhaps predictably) from pole position, ahead of teammates Castellotti and Musso. Behra’s Maserati was back in fifth, with Collins in seventh.
The math was simple: Collins had to win to claim the title, with Fangio finishing third or lower. Otherwise, Fangio would be crowned champion again.
The biggest concern for Ferrari was tire wear—and tire failure. In those days, the Monza circuit featured high-speed banking, and the high speeds and rough banking surface were destroying rubber.
On the fifth lap, the Ferraris of Castellotti and Musso—both fighting for the lead—suffered left rear tire blowouts. Both drivers heroically regained control and limped to the pits. A lap later, teammate de Portago experienced a dramatic 160 mph slide after a tire blew. On the 11th lap, Collins’ left rear tire exploded, forcing him to limp to the pits for a replacement.
Meanwhile, Fangio was competing for the lead and appeared dominant, being the only Ferrari driver not to experience a blowout. However, on the 18th lap, the Argentinian—the greatest F1 driver of the '50s—pulled into the pits slowly with his front wheels pointing in opposite directions. The right steering arm of the V8-powered D50 had broken, and Fangio was out. Soon after, Behra retired his Maserati.
When Musso made his first stop, the team instructed him to hand over his car to Fangio, but Luigi refused and drove off again.
Thanks to slipstreaming, which is particularly effective at Monza, Collins took the lead ahead of Moss and Musso, which was exactly what Fangio did not need. On lap 32, the Englishman made a routine pit stop and noticed Fangio on the pit wall. Without being asked, he got out of his car and offered it to his team leader, thus giving up any chance he had of taking the title. “The anxiety and sadness which were overwhelming me gave way to happiness. I hugged and kissed him and then got into his car,” Fangio recalled.
With Behra out of the running and Collins, who would have taken the same points as Fangio, the Argentine had the championship in the bag and was free to push. Musso retired with a broken steering arm, so the win went to Moss ahead of Fangio and the consistent Ron Flockhart in the Connaught. After the race, Fangio once again hugged Collins as he celebrated his fourth world title.
This gesture at Monza, however, was on a far nobler and more elevated level. Collins could have, just possibly, won the race and, with it, the world championship. Fangio (in Collins’ car) went on to finish second, just six seconds behind the slowing Maserati of Stirling Moss, who was hampered by a badly worn rear tire.
Peter Collins, just 24 at the time, believed he’d have other opportunities. Tragically, less than two years later, he was killed when his Ferrari crashed at the dangerous Nürburgring.
The car they shared was Collins’ Ferrari D50 No. 26.
Article by Gavin Green | Copyright 2024 - All rights reserved - Ferrari S.p.A.
