How it unfolded
The race covered 22 laps of the 22.8 km Nordschleife — more than 170 corners per lap, 501 km in total. Fangio, 46, took pole in the Maserati 250F on a strategy of half fuel and softer tyres, planning one mid-race stop. By lap 12 he was roughly 28 seconds clear and pitted as planned, but a wheel nut rolled under the car and the stop stretched to nearly a minute. When he rejoined, Hawthorn and Collins in Ferraris were almost 50 seconds ahead. Over the remaining ten laps Fangio broke the lap record repeatedly. His final 9:17.4 was more than eight seconds faster than his own pole time, and he passed several corners with two wheels in the grass. He overtook Collins, then Hawthorn, in the last two laps to win by 3.6 seconds — his fifth title secured, his 24th and last grand prix victory. He said afterwards he never wanted to drive like that again.
Why it still matters
It remains the most famous proof that one driver's skill can overturn a equipment deficit. Fangio's fifth title stood for 46 years, and this drive is still the first name in any list of F1's greatest single performances. It was also the last symbolic victory of the front-engined era; six months later a mid-engined Cooper ended it in Buenos Aires.