Summary
A Life of Speed: The Juan Manuel Fangio Story delves into an F1 great, his life and achievements, but also compares them to the modern environment.
A Life of Speed: The Juan Manuel Fangio Story will be released on Netflix on March 20th, 2020 – Add it to your list now.
Netflix is delving into the history of sport today. And my favourite sports too. After giving us 19th Century football in the form of The English Game, we’ve also been treated to a documentary delving into motor racing’s greatest driver — A Life of Speed: The Juan Manuel Fangio Story. It’s a formidable day for sports fans who are isolating.
It’s difficult to grasp the meaning of Juan Manuel Fangio’s achievements because it’s difficult to compare like to like in modern-day Formula 1 racing. The entire environment and set-up mean a scientific way to assert whether the F1 legend was the “greatest of all time” proves difficult. The Netflix documentary delves into his achievements, while also showing the unique similarities and differences of the sport, then and now.
But at the same time, A Life of Speed: The Juan Manuel Fangio Story is hinting that Juan Manuel Fangio is the GOAT. The Netflix documentary purposefully interviews a sports scientist that looks at the variables, stats, and environments to determine how Juan holds up against the other champions in a timeline. Using metrics like Drivers vs Teams vs Environment provides a fascinating model. For instance, the Netflix documentary delves into how drivers were more involved in their car back in Juan’s day, and how now, with workforces of thousands of people, the driver in the modern day is less reliant on getting their hands dirty in the mechanics.
Like most Netflix documentaries, A Life of Speed: The Juan Manuel Fangio Story gathers plenty of industry interviewees to help form a picture of the time, plus reflective thinking for the likes of Toto Wolff and Nico Rosberg who dabble into what it would have been like to drive in those clunky, dangerous cars when the sport was less sanitized.
For Formula 1 fans, A Life of Speed: The Juan Manuel Fangio Story will be informative but entertaining. Those who have zero interest in racing might find themselves disconnected from the technical achievements.
