Formule 1 Grand Prix Rouen-les-Essarts 1957

Michel Beligond was a French postwar and contemporary artist. Only ten paintings have been attributed to his name and he was a designer for Renault. One of his great hobbies was visiting car races in France. He created many drawings and sketches initially for his own collection but later on for the covers of race day program booklets and posters. He died at the early age of 45. This painting depicts the Formula 1 Grand Prix race in Rouen-les-Essarts, France on the 7th of July 1957. Juan Manual Fangio (1911 - 1995) is racing his winning Maserati 250 F nr. 7 as he navigates a rubble spitting bend. Beligond’s dynamic rendering represents a unique view from above of Fangio and his winning Maserati. One can almost feel the gravitational pull as Fangio navigates the bend at high speed. In 1957 Fangio secured his fifth Formula 1 world title.