Robert Manzon

Robert Manzon

Born	(1917-04-12)12 April 1917 Marseille, France
Died	19 January 2015(2015-01-19) (aged 97) Cassis, France
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality	French
Active years	1950–1956
Teams	Gordini; Ferrari inc. non-works
Entries	29 (28 starts)
Championships	0
Wins	0
Podiums	2
Career points	16
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	0
First entry	1950 Monaco Grand Prix
Last entry	1956 Italian Grand Prix

Robert Jean Joseph Manzon (12 April 1917 – 19 January 2015) was a French racing driver. He participated in 29 Formula One 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. Earning a contract with the Gordini 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, 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'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.

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

(key)

Year	Entrant	Chassis	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	WDC	Points
1950	Equipe Simca Gordini	Simca Gordini Type 15	Gordini Straight-4	GBR	MON Ret	500	SUI	BEL	FRA 4	ITA Ret			14th	3
1951	Equipe Simca Gordini	Simca Gordini Type 15	Gordini Straight-4	SUI	500	BEL	FRA Ret	GBR	GER 7	ITA Ret	ESP 9		NC	0
1952	Equipe Gordini	Gordini Type 16	Gordini Straight-6	SUI Ret	500	BEL 3	FRA 4	GBR Ret	GER Ret	NED 5	ITA 14		6th	9
1953	Equipe Gordini	Gordini Type 16	Gordini Straight-6	ARG Ret	500	NED	BEL	FRA	GBR	GER	SUI	ITA	NC	0
1954	Equipe Rosier	Ferrari 625	Ferrari Straight-4	ARG	500	BEL	FRA 3	GBR Ret	GER 9		ITA Ret	ESP Ret	15th	4
	Scuderia Ferrari	Ferrari 553								SUI DNS
1955	Equipe Gordini	Gordini Type 16	Gordini Straight-6	ARG	MON Ret	500	BEL	NED Ret	GBR Ret	ITA			NC	0
1956	Equipe Gordini	Gordini Type 16	Gordini Straight-6	ARG DNA	MON Ret	500	BEL						NC	0
		Gordini Type 32	Gordini Straight-8					FRA 9	GBR 9	GER Ret	ITA Ret

Sources

• Profile at www.grandprix.com
• Robert Manzon's obituary