Mercedes has led tributes to former F1 driver and endurance racing legend Hans Herrmann, who has died aged 97.
Herrmann, the oldest surviving F1 driver at the time of his death, made 17 grand prix appearances in the 1950s.
Mercedes leads tributes following death of motorsport legend Hans Herrmann
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One of 13 German drivers to compete in F1 for Mercedes, the Stuttgart-born driver’s best result came at the 1954 Swiss Grand Prix where he finished third behind Mercedes teammate Juan Manuel Fangio and Ferrari’s Jose Froilan Gonzalez.
A highly versatile driver, Herrmann enjoyed his greatest successes in endurance racing with Porsche, winning the Targa Florio in 1960, the Daytona 24 Hours in 1968 and Le Mans 24 Hours in 1970.
Herrmann promised his wife, Magdalena, that he would retire if he managed to win Le Mans in 1970, bringing his career to a close before the end of that season.
Herrmann was affectionally referred to as ‘Hans in Luck’ because he managed to survive a number of major accidents over the course of his career in a highly dangerous era of motorsport.
Arguably the most famous incident came at the 1954 Mille Miglia, where Herrmann drove his Porsche 550 Spyder underneath a closing railway barrier to avoid having to wait for a train to pass.
He later captioned the image as a postcard with the words: “You have to be lucky.”
Marcus Breitschwerdt, the CEO of Mercedes-Benz Heritage GmbH, has issued a statement following the death of Herrmann on Friday.
He said: “It is with great gratitude that we remember Hans Herrmann, an outstanding racing driver who had a decisive influence on the history of Mercedes-Benz.
“As part of the legendary Silver Arrows racing team in the mid-1950s, he impressed with his speed and mastery in races.
“His likeable charisma and his passion for motorsport made him very popular with fans and fellow drivers alike.
“After his active career, Hans Herrmann remained closely associated with our brand as a representative of Mercedes-Benz Heritage and helped to preserve the heritage of our vehicles.”
In a statement released by Porsche, Thomas Laudenbach, the head of Porsche Motorsport, added: “The passing of Hans Herrmann has deeply affected us all.
“He was one of Porsche AG’s most successful factory racing drivers.
“With the victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1970 in the Porsche 917, Richard Attwood and he made history.”
Herrmann is survived by his wife, two sons and a grandson.
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