Hans Herrmann

Interesting facts

Hans Herrmann raced in Formula One from 1953 to 1961 and again from 1966 to 1969, serving as a junior driver behind Juan Manuel Fangio at Mercedes-Benz in 1954-1955. At the 1954 French Grand Prix, at 26 years and 131 days old, he set the fastest lap - at the time making him the youngest driver ever to do so in Formula One - although he had to retire from the race itself. During practice for the 1959 German Grand Prix at AVUS, brake failure on his BRM threw Herrmann out of the car; he slid along the track while the car itself cartwheeled through the air - remarkably, he escaped unhurt. He found greater fame in endurance racing: in 1970 he won the Le Mans 24 Hours alongside Richard Attwood in a Porsche 917K, delivering Porsche's first overall Le Mans victory. After that Le Mans win, he retired from racing at 42 and built a successful automotive parts business. Hans Herrmann made his Formula 1 debut in 1953 and raced until 1961, 8 seasons in total as a German driver. He scored a total of 10 championship points over his career.