Fangio's victory in extreme heat, achieved without a co-driver, opened the 1955 Formula One World Championship season.
Key Facts
- Race date
- 16 January 1955
- Championship round
- Race 1 of 7 in 1955 WC of Drivers
- Winner
- Juan Manuel Fangio (Mercedes)
- Grid position of winner
- 3rd
- Race duration
- Approximately 3 hours
- Drivers finishing without co-driver
- 2 (Fangio and Mieres)
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The 1955 Argentine Grand Prix took place during the Argentinian summer, exposing drivers and machinery to extreme heat. The conditions were so demanding that most competitors were forced to share their cars due to exhaustion or team orders, with Fangio reportedly acclimatizing weeks in advance by reducing his water intake to one liter per day.
Juan Manuel Fangio, starting from third on the grid, won the race for Mercedes without exchanging his car with another driver. Ferrari's Nino Farina and Maurice Trintignant finished second and third respectively, both results achieved through three-way shared drives. The race opened the 1955 Formula One World Championship season at Buenos Aires.
Fangio suffered severe leg burns from contact with exhaust-heated chassis components during the three-hour race, leaving a permanent scar. The physical toll required three months of recovery; his next Formula One start was not until Monaco in late May, though he did finish second at the 1955 Mille Miglia in the interim.