GP: Belgian GP
Date: 20 June 1954
Winner: Juan Manuel Fangio - Maserati
Fangio was flying towards his second World Championship title.
Two wins from two races in a Maserati, while waiting to jump into the Mercedes W196 that will secure him the crown.
One has to scroll all the way down to 13th on the Belgian results sheet to find the name Prince Bira, short for Birabongse Bhanudej Bhanubandt, competing in his last F1 race.
Also known as Prince Bira of Siam, he was a member of the Thai royal family. Born in Thailand on 15 July 1914, he was educated at Eton College and interested in sculpture and cars. For sculpture he turned to leading artist Charles Wheeler, while to go racing he chose a Riley.
That was in 1935. He established Thailand's racing colours of pale blue and yellow and after a few seasons of highs and lows, he entered the newly established Formula 1 series, taking part in 19 races between 1950 and 1954.
He also developed an interest in sailing and competed in the Star class in four Olympics: Melbourne 1956, Rome 1960, Tokyo 1964 and Munich 1972.
He died of a heart attack at Barons Court underground station in London on 23 December 1985.
He had no documents on him and was eventually identified when a letter in Thai was found in his pocket, addressed to him. What a character, what a life!
In 2025 Pirelli will hit the 500 F1® Grands Prix mark during the season.
Legacy of Speed series looks back at the fifty most significant Grands Prix from Pirelli's time on the F1 World Championship trail.
