Hans Herrmann
Alongside Juan Manuel Fangio, Karl Kling and Stirling Moss, the name of Stuttgart-born Hans Herrmann was also inextricably linked with the return of Daimler-Benz AG to Grand Prix motor racing. Initially Herrmann raced in touring cars, followed in 1953 by his Formula 2 debut with Veritas and international and national race victories as a Porsche works driver in the class up to 1500 cc, which were finally rewarded with the title of German Sports Car Champion.
For the 1954 season, Mercedes racing manager Alfred Neubauer brought the 25-year-old into the Daimler-Benz AG works team. Herrmann contested his first Formula 1 race on 4 July of the same year at the French Grand Prix, where he set the fastest race lap but did not see the chequered flag due to engine damage to his W 196 R. Herrmann finished third in the Swiss Grand Prix and fourth in the Italian Grand Prix in Monza. The Mercedes-Benz drivers finished the AVUS race on 19 September in their three W 196 R streamlined racing cars with a one-two-three in the order Kling, Fangio, Herrmann.
In the 1955 racing season, Mercedes-Benz also competed in the World Sports Car Championship for the first time, fielding the 300 SLR racing sports car. Herrmann's debut at the Mille Miglia turned into a debacle. In second place, the fuel cap suddenly burst open, the leaking fuel obscured the pilot's vision and the journey ended on a rock face. In May 1955, Herrmann replaced Karl Kling at the Monaco Grand Prix, was seriously injured in an accident and spent several months in a Munich hospital. Despite a full recovery, he did not race for Mercedes-Benz again, as the company withdrew from Formula 1 and the World Sports Car Championship in October 1955.
After the end of his Mercedes-Benz involvement, "Hans im Glück" (Lucky Hans), as he was called by friends, remained closely associated with the brand. Among other things, he took part in the 1961 Argentinian Touring Grand Prix together with his co-driver Rainer Günzler in a Mercedes-Benz 220 SE, where he finished in second place. Together with the winning team Walter Schock/Manfred Schiek, also in the 220 SE, he completed the double victory.
He subsequently achieved his greatest successes in sports car endurance races. These included his overall victories in the Targa Florio (1960), the 24-hour race in Daytona (1968) and the 24-hour race in Le Mans (1970) – all of them with Porsche. After Herrmann crowned his racing career with the Le Mans victory in 1970, he retired from active motorsport in the same year at the height of his success. He now devotes himself primarily to his trading company for car accessories and continues to be closely associated with Mercedes-Benz as a Brand Ambassador.