Giuseppe 'Nino' Farina

[wedge]

Remember reading somewhere that Stirling Moss thought he was the toughest guy he raced against and that his tactics "dirty tricks" were akin to modern driving standards.

I know he's the first ever F1 WDC but was deeply unpopular due to so called dirty tricks, regarded as dangerous and reckless and was involved in a number of accidents made him a frequent visitor to the hospital.

I don't suppose anyone knows of any accounts of said dirty tricks used by Farina?

[D28]

I too have read reports of Moss's comments, in Nigel Roebuck's Legends column in MotorSport. In the May 2006 issue Roebuck quotes Moss as describing Farina's driving as "completey ruthless, dangerous". Roebuck mentions the 1955 Belgian GP at Spa as an example. Farina in a Ferrari was dueling aggressively with a young Castelloti. He edged "the Lancia dangerously close to the pits on the run down to Eau Rouge. No pit walls in those days, of course the mechanics had to scatter". I have no idea of the truth to these stories, other accounts of Farina's career do not mention rough driving, only the Italian posture he made famous. If you can source this MotorSport issue, the whole column is about Farina.

[Easy Drifter]

I have heard it said he was dirty several times but the only back up I heard (and I forget who said it, maybe Taruffi)) was he liked to short brake people and that it sometimes backfired as some who knew his stunt ducked under him.

[D-Type]

Farina had a reputation for barging past 'lesser' drivers or cars when lapping them including collisions resulting in the deaths of Marcel Lehoux at Deauville in 1935 and Laszlo Hartmann at Tripoli in 1938. I'm afraid I don't know details.

[ShiftingGears]

Farina had a reputation for barging past 'lesser' drivers or cars when lapping them including collisions resulting in the deaths of Marcel Lehoux at Deauville in 1935 and Laszlo Hartmann at Tripoli in 1938. I'm afraid I don't know details.

I read that he crashed into Hartmann because Hartmann spun on the wrong side of a blind crest. Knowing the high speed of the Mellaha Lake circuit, the chances of any driver avoiding that were minimal.

He was also disliked because he was arrogant and looked down on most who were not from upper class families.

[Sonic]

Fangio believed his driving was so mad that only divine intervention kept him alive - he also said that one day the almighty would get bored of caring for him.

[D28]

Divine intervention or not, he survived the GP battles untill 1955, when he was 49 years old. After that he attempted to qualify at Indy in 56 and 57, before finally retiring for good. Fangio also said he was "loco" in a road car, and this was what ended his life, a crash in a Lotus-Cortina in 1966.

[blito]

From recollection, his driving style was no more "ruthless" then most other racers. what did set him apart was his recklessness on the road which has been written about almost as much as his F1 carreer! Perhaps his biggest "sin" as a racer, as already mentioned, was his arrogance in regards to "lesser" racers..... TBH, not too different to many other racers over the last 20 years or so....

[D28]

I agree that his ruthless driving was not that different from certain contemporary drivers. The difference, as Moss alluded to, was that Farina was driving lethal GP cars designed over 60 years ago. Most photos show him arms outstreched in the 158 Alfa, no rudimentary safety devices like seatbelts, roll bar, or fuel cell, in a cloth driving cap. To engage in rough tactics in such a machine indicate that he took self- preservation largely for granted.

[wedge]

I agree that his ruthless driving was not that different from certain contemporary drivers. The difference, as Moss alluded to, was that Farina was driving lethal GP cars designed over 60 years ago. Most photos show him arms outstreched in the 158 Alfa, no rudimentary safety devices like seatbelts, roll bar, or fuel cell, in a cloth driving cap. To engage in rough tactics in such a machine indicate that he took self- preservation largely for granted.

I've always wondered how much of a myth the so called Golden Era was.

Moss has always queried whether Schumi would pull the same moves in the '50s as he did today. I've always been puzzled by this as Moss is the opposite of Stewart and errs towards more danger but I remember renowned journalist Simon Arron recently asking how Moss would be like to be remembered: a driver who drove to win races and not championships.