Juan Manuel Fangio claimed his first Formula One Drivers' Championship in 1951, the last title won by Alfa Romeo.
Key Facts
- Season number
- Fifth FIA Formula One season
- Championship races
- 8 races
- Season dates
- 27 May – 28 October 1951
- Champion
- Juan Manuel Fangio (Alfa Romeo)
- Runner-up
- Nino Farina (Alfa Romeo)
- Last Alfa Romeo title
- Alfa Romeo's final Formula One championship win
Cause → Event → Consequence
The second FIA World Championship of Drivers was organised for the 1951 season, drawing entries from Alfa Romeo and Ferrari as the principal competing constructors. Several teams, including Alfa Romeo, fielded chassis designed before World War II, reflecting the transitional state of post-war motor racing regulations.
Eight championship rounds contested between 27 May and 28 October 1951 determined the Drivers' title. Juan Manuel Fangio, driving for Alfa Romeo, outscored his teammate and reigning champion Nino Farina, as well as Ferrari's leading drivers, to secure his first world championship.
Fangio's victory began one of the sport's most dominant individual careers. Alfa Romeo's championship win proved to be the team's last in Formula One. Regulation changes introduced for the 1952 season rendered the pre-war-era chassis used by several teams, including Alfa Romeo, obsolete, effectively ending their front-running competitive participation.