Robert Manzon (12 April 1917 – 19 January 2015) was a French racing driver. He participated in 29

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 21 May 1950. He achieved two podiums, and scored a total of 16 championship points. At the time of his death, Manzon was the last surviving driver to have taken part in the first Formula One World Championship in 1950.

Career

Manzon began his career as a mechanic and after World War II he started racing, initially with a

Cisitalia D46 Cisitalia was an Italian sports and racing car brand. The name "Cisitalia" derives from "Compagnia Industriale Sportiva Italia", a business conglomerate founded in Turin in 1946 and controlled by the wealthy industrialist and sportsman Piero Dusio ...

. Earning a contract with the

Gordini Gordini () is a division of Renault Sport Technologies (Renault Sport). In the past, it was a sports car manufacturer and performance tuner, established in 1946 by Amédée Gordini (1899–1979), nicknamed "Le Sorcier" (The Sorcerer). Gordini be ...

team for 1948, Manzon won some minor races although his machinery was not always reliable. He continued with Gordini into the new Formula One era, scoring points at the

1950 French Grand Prix The 1950 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 2 July 1950 at Reims-Gueux. It was race 6 of 7 in the 1950 World Championship of Drivers. The 64-lap race was won by Alfa Romeo driver Juan Manuel Fangio after he started from pol ...

, and finishing sixth in the World Drivers' Championship in 1952, taking third place in the 1952 Belgian Grand Prix. He left Gordini in 1953 and joined

Louis Rosier Louis Rosier (5 November 1905 in Chapdes-Beaufort – 29 October 1956 in Neuilly-sur-Seine) was a racing driver from France. Career highlights He participated in 38 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 13 May 1950. He ac ...

's team, which was campaigning Ferraris. He subsequently achieved his second podium at the 1954 French Grand Prix at the wheel of a Ferrari 625. Manzon then returned to the Gordini team, but found little success in World Championship events. Outside the Championship, he won the 1956 Naples Grand Prix and a sports car race at

Pescara Pescara (; nap, label= Abruzzese, Pescàrë; nap, label= Pescarese, Piscàrë) is the capital city of the Province of Pescara, in the Abruzzo region of Italy. It is the most populated city in Abruzzo, with 119,217 (2018) residents (and approxim ...

. After racing, he later operated his own diesel equipment distribution business. Manzon died at his home in the south of France on 19 January 2015 aged 97. He was the last surviving entrant of the 1950 Formula One season.

Complete Formula One World Championship results

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key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

)

References

Sources

Profile at www.grandprix.comRobert Manzon's obituary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Manzon, Robert 1917 births 2015 deaths French racing drivers French Formula One drivers Gordini Formula One drivers Ecurie Rosier Formula One drivers Ferrari Formula One drivers 24 Hours of Le Mans drivers 12 Hours of Reims drivers World Sportscar Championship drivers Sportspeople from Marseille