Hermann Lang

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Born in Cannstatt near Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, Lang went to work at age fourteen after his father's death. He worked as a motorcycle mechanic, bought a used bike, and began amateur racing. He won the first race he entered and later competed in the sidecar class, winning the German sidecar mountain race championship at age twenty-two. Lang joined the Mercedes factory as a mechanic for the Grand Prix team, becoming head mechanic for Luigi Fagioli's W25A. After a successful season, Lang was given a chance to drive, winning his first race at the 1937 Tripoli Grand Prix and winning it three straight years. He also won the 1937 AVUS race. In 1938, he won the Coppa Ciano. In 1939, he won five of eight Grands Prix he started, including the Belgian, Pau, Swiss, and his third consecutive Tripoli. He clocked the fastest lap at the French Grand Prix but retired with engine trouble. He also won the Kahlenberg hillclimb in Austria. After World War II, Lang returned to racing in 1946, driving a six-year-old BMW to victory at Ruhestein. In 1949 he began sports car racing, then competed in Formula Two before rejoining Mercedes in 1951 for Formula Libre races in Argentina. In 1952, at age 43, he won the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Fritz Riess in a 300SL. In 1953, he drove for Maserati in two Formula One races, with a best result of fifth at the Swiss Grand Prix. In 1954, he drove for Mercedes in the German Grand Prix but spun out after ten laps and retired from racing, returning to his job at the Mercedes factory.

In Their Own Story

In the summer of 1937, Lang stood on the Mellaha Lake course in Libya for the Tripoli Grand Prix. The track was the fastest in the world, a place where only the most capable drivers could survive. Lang dominated the event, securing a victory that would be the first of three consecutive wins at this venue. That same year, he added another major triumph at the AVUS extravaganza. By 1938, his skill was undeniable as he claimed the prestigious Coppa Ciano in Livorno. The turning point came in 1939 when, despite engine trouble knocking him out of the French Grand Prix while leading, he finished the season with five wins from eight starts. He conquered the Belgian Grand Prix, the Pau Grand Prix, and the Swiss Grand Prix. Even as a former mechanic treated as an outsider by his aristocratic peers, Lang's natural feel for the machinery allowed him to set up his cars faster than anyone else. His mechanical feedback helped Rudolf Uhlenhaut refine the Mercedes cars, turning them into superior machines on the track.

Reader's Guide

Hermann Lang was a German racing driver whose career spanned motorcycles, Grand Prix, sports cars, and Formula One. He won the 1939 European Championship according to the German motor racing authority, but this is unofficial; the season was cut short by World War II, and Hermann Paul Müller was considered the points leader at the last attempted race. Lang's pre-war success included three consecutive Tripoli Grands Prix. Post-war, he won the 1952 24 Hours of Le Mans. He published his autobiography 'Grand Prix Driver' in 1953.

Did You Know?

• Lang won the first race he ever entered as an amateur motorcycle racer.
• He was the head mechanic for Luigi Fagioli before becoming a driver for Mercedes.
• Lang won the Tripoli Grand Prix three years in a row (1937–1939).
• At age 43, he won the 1952 24 Hours of Le Mans with Fritz Riess.
• His 1939 European Championship title is unofficial because the season was cut short by World War II.