Hermann Lang
Cannstatt, Kingdom of Württemberg, German Empire | |
Died | 19 October 1987 Bad Cannstatt, Baden-Württemberg, West Germany | (aged 78)
---|---|
Formula One World Championship career | |
Nationality | German |
Active years | 1953–1954 |
Teams | Maserati, Mercedes |
Entries | 2 |
Championships | 0 |
Wins | 0 |
Podiums | 0 |
Career points | 2 |
Pole positions | 0 |
Fastest laps | 0 |
First entry | 1953 Swiss Grand Prix |
Last entry | 1954 German Grand Prix |
Hermann Albert Lang (6 April 1909 – 19 October 1987)[1] was a German racing driver who raced motorcycles, Grand Prix cars, and sports cars.
Prewar racing
Born in
Lang's big break came when he landed a job at the Mercedes factory where he became part of their Grand Prix motor racing team. He was made head mechanic for the Mercedes-Benz W25A model to be driven by the Italian star Luigi Fagioli who had left Alfa Romeo to create a powerhouse Mercedes factory team that also included Rudolf Caracciola. Following a very successful season in which Fagioli won both the Italian and Spanish Grand Prix, Hermann Lang was given a chance to drive for the Mercedes team. He proved to be most capable on high-speed racetracks, capturing his first win in the 1937 Tripoli Grand Prix at the Mellaha Lake course in Libya which was then the fastest racetrack in the world. Lang dominated the event, winning it for three straight years. That year he won his second major race at the AVUS extravaganza.
In 1938, he won two more races for Mercedes including the prestigious
1939 championship controversy
In 1939, Lang was declared the champion of the European Championship, but this is unofficial. The season was cut short by World War II and Lang received this title from the German motor racing authority, instead of the official authority AIACR, based in Paris. By way of the points at the last attempted race of the season, competitor Hermann Paul Müller was considered the points leader, not Lang.
Postwar racing
In 1953, Hermann Lang was given a chance to participate in Formula One racing driving for Maserati after one of their team drivers was injured. He raced in two F1 events that year with his best result a fifth-place finish at the Swiss Grand Prix. The following year Mercedes rejoined Grand Prix racing and Lang came back for another F1 season behind the wheel of a Mercedes W196. But at age 45, he had a less than successful campaign that saw him replaced in several races by one of the team's younger drivers. His season and career ended at the 1954 German Grand Prix at Nürburgring when he spun out after ten laps, even though he was running as high as 2nd in front of his teammate Karl Kling. Lang recognized the time had come to retire from racing and he returned to his job at the Mercedes factory.
Racing record
Complete European Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | EDC | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1935 | Daimler-Benz AG | Mercedes W25A | Mercedes 3.4 L8 | MON | FRA | BEL | GER Ret |
ITA Ret |
ESP | 12th | 45 | |
Mercedes W25B | Mercedes 4.0 L8 | SUI 6 |
||||||||||
1936 | Daimler-Benz AG | Mercedes W25K | Mercedes 4.7 L8 | MON | GER Ret |
SUI 4 |
ITA | 10th | 24 | |||
1937 | Daimler-Benz AG | Mercedes W125 | Mercedes 5.7 L8 | BEL 3 |
GER 7 |
MON DNS |
SUI 2 |
ITA 2 |
3rd | 19 | ||
1938 | Daimler-Benz AG | Mercedes W154 | Mercedes 3.0 V12 | FRA 3 |
GER Ret |
SUI 10 |
ITA Ret |
3rd | 17 | |||
1939 | Daimler-Benz AG | Mercedes W154 | Mercedes 3.0 V12 | BEL 1 |
FRA Ret |
GER Ret |
SUI 1 |
2nd | 14 | |||
Source:[2]
|
Complete Formula One results
(key)
Year | Team | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | WDC | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1953 | Officine Alfieri Maserati | Maserati A6GCM | L6
|
ARG | 500 | NED | BEL | FRA | GBR | GER | SUI 5 |
ITA | 17th | 2 |
1954 | Daimler Benz AG | Mercedes-Benz W196 | L8
|
ARG | 500 | BEL | FRA | GBR | GER Ret |
SUI | ITA | ESP | NC | 0 |
Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results
Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1952 | Daimler-Benz AG
|
Fritz Riess | Mercedes-Benz W194 | S 3.0 |
277 | 1st | 1st |
Source:[3]
|
References
- ^ "Motorsport Memorial - Hermann Lang". Motorsport Memorial. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
- ^ "THE GOLDEN ERA – OF GRAND PRIX RACING". kolumbus.fi. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved October 11, 2017.
- ^ "All Results of Hermann Lang". racingsportscars.com. Retrieved October 16, 2017.
External links
- Grand Prix History Archived 2021-02-18 at the Wayback Machine, Hermann Lang
- Detailed Formula One driving statistics