On this day in Formula 1 history, three very different champions left their mark on the sport.

In 1951, the streets of Barcelona’s Pedralbes district hosted a title decider for the ages — Juan Manuel Fangio versus Alberto Ascari. Tyres failed, strategies backfired, and when the dust settled, Fangio claimed his first World Championship, beginning an era of mastery that would define Formula 1’s early years.

Born on this same date in 1930, Bernie Ecclestone would go on to reshape the very structure of the sport Fangio helped make famous — turning Formula 1 into a billion-dollar global empire and changing forever how the game was played.

And in 2018, Lewis Hamilton sealed his fifth world title at the Mexican Grand Prix, matching Fangio’s tally and proving that excellence transcends eras.

From the dawn of the championship to the modern age of superstars, this episode tells the story of The Champions That Changed the Game.

Cover Image: Lothar Spurzem, Alfa Romeo "Alfetta 159", CC BY-SA 2.0 de, Link

Music by #Mubert Music Rendering