Hans Herrmann

Hans Herrmann (born 23 February 1928) is a retired German racing driver from Stuttgart who participated in 19 World Championship Formula One Grands Prix from 1953 to 1969, achieving one podium and scoring 10 championship points, but whose greatest achievements came in sports car and endurance racing where he won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1970 for Porsche, providing the German manufacturer with their first overall victory at the world's most prestigious endurance race—a triumph that came at the conclusion of a remarkable career spanning over two decades. A baker by trade, Herrmann's racing career remarkably spanned from the immediate post-war era of Grand Prix racing through Porsche's eventual dominance of endurance racing in the early 1970s.

Herrmann's entry into top-level motorsport came through one of racing's most legendary figures: Alfred Neubauer, the autocratic and brilliant head of the Mercedes-Benz racing department. Neubauer discovered Herrmann as an up-and-coming talent in German national racing and brought him into the Mercedes-Benz works team for their highly anticipated return to Grand Prix racing after World War II. For a young baker from Stuttgart to find himself racing alongside Juan Manuel Fangio—widely regarded as the greatest driver of the 1950s—and Karl Kling was an extraordinary opportunity that testified to Herrmann's obvious talent.

Herrmann made his Formula One debut on August 2, 1953, at the German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring, driving for Mercedes-Benz during their legendary comeback to the sport. While he never achieved the success of teammate Fangio, Herrmann established himself as a reliable and fast driver capable of extracting strong performances from the magnificent Mercedes-Benz W196. His single Formula One podium came during this period with Mercedes, demonstrating his capability at the highest level of single-seater racing.

After Mercedes-Benz withdrew from racing at the end of 1955—a decision prompted partly by the horrific Le Mans disaster that killed over 80 people—Herrmann's Formula One career became more sporadic. Over the next years, he raced in Formula One for various teams including Cooper, Maserati, and BRM, but never secured a full-time competitive drive that would allow him to challenge for championships. His 19 Grand Prix starts were spread across 16 seasons, reflecting his status as a highly-skilled driver who never quite secured the team and equipment necessary for sustained Formula One success.

Herrmann's greatest achievements came in sports car and endurance racing, particularly with Porsche, where he became one of the German manufacturer's most important drivers during their rise to dominance in the 1960s and early 1970s. With different versions of the Porsche 718—used both as a sports car and as a Formula Two car—Herrmann scored important victories for Porsche in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Most notably, he won both the 1960 12 Hours of Sebring and the Targa Florio, two of endurance racing's most prestigious events, establishing Porsche as a serious competitor in international sports car racing.

Throughout the 1960s, Herrmann continued to achieve podium finishes for Porsche with various models including the 906, 907, and 908. The cars were often underpowered compared to rivals from Ferrari and Ford, but Porsche's engineering excellence, reliability, and Herrmann's smooth driving style frequently allowed them to finish ahead of more powerful but less reliable competitors. In 1968, driving a Porsche 907 with Swiss teammate Jo Siffert, Herrmann won both the 24 Hours of Daytona—Porsche's first victory in the prestigious American endurance race—and the 12 Hours of Sebring for the second time in his career.

The 1969 24 Hours of Le Mans provided both heartbreak and motivation for Herrmann's final season. Driving a Porsche 908 in the distinctive Gulf blue and orange livery, he and his co-drivers were locked in a desperate battle with the Jacky Ickx/Jackie Oliver Ford GT40 for overall victory. In one of Le Mans' most dramatic finishes, Herrmann's Porsche lost by just 120 meters after 24 hours of racing—approximately one second at racing speeds. The agonizing near-miss fueled Porsche's determination to win Le Mans outright the following year.

The 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans was run in atrocious conditions, with heavy rain falling for much of the race and making the Circuit de la Sarthe treacherously dangerous. Of the 51 starters, only seven cars finished—a testament to the brutal conditions. Herrmann, now 42 years old, partnered with British driver Richard Attwood in the Porsche 917K number 23, painted in the red-and-white colors of Salzburg. The 917 was Porsche's most powerful racing car to date, its 12-cylinder engine producing over 600 horsepower, but it was also notoriously difficult to drive, particularly in wet conditions.

Through the rain and darkness, Herrmann and Attwood drove superbly, avoiding the errors and mechanical failures that eliminated most of their rivals. When the 24 hours elapsed, they had given Porsche their first overall victory at Le Mans—a historic achievement that the German manufacturer had been pursuing for over a decade. The victory was particularly sweet given the previous year's agonizing near-miss, and it validated Porsche's enormous investment in their sports car racing program.

Immediately after taking the checkered flag at Le Mans, Herrmann announced his retirement from racing. Having witnessed fatal accidents of colleagues too many times throughout his career—an all-too-common occurrence in an era when motorsport safety was primitive—the 42-year-old decided to retire at the pinnacle of his career rather than risk his life further. His final act as a racing driver was to drive the winning Porsche 917 in a victory parade through Stuttgart, from the Porsche factory to the town hall, where he was celebrated as a German sporting hero.

Herrmann's retirement at the peak of his success was unusual for racing drivers of his era, many of whom continued competing until injury or death forced them to stop. His decision demonstrated both wisdom and self-preservation instincts that many of his contemporaries lacked. By retiring after winning Le Mans, Herrmann ensured his career ended on the highest possible note rather than in tragedy, as befell so many drivers of his generation.

Following his retirement, Herrmann remained connected to Porsche and motorsport, attending historic racing events and serving as an ambassador for the brand he had served so loyally throughout his career. After the death of Tony Brooks in 2022, Herrmann became the last surviving Formula One podium finisher from the 1950s—a remarkable distinction that connects the modern era of Formula One to its formative years. His longevity is a testament both to his decision to retire when he did and to the fortune that allowed him to survive an era when so many of his contemporaries perished.

Hans Herrmann's career spanned over two decades and encompassed both Formula One and sports car racing. While his single-seater career was respectable rather than exceptional—19 starts, one podium, 10 points—his endurance racing achievements place him among the great sports car drivers of his generation. His victories at Le Mans (1970), Daytona (1968), Sebring (1960, 1968), and Targa Florio (1960) represent the sport's most prestigious endurance races, and his long association with Porsche helped establish the German manufacturer as an endurance racing powerhouse. Herrmann's story is one of talent, determination, survival, and knowing when to walk away—a rare combination in the dangerous world of 1950s and 1960s motorsport.