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The Driver and the Dictator

The 1958 Grand Prix in Havana that ended with the kidnapping of F1 driver Juan Manuel Fangio and the death of six bystanders.

Dictator Fulgencio Batista knew staging a Grand Prix in Havana in 1958 was risky. Sabotage in Cuban cities and guerrilla wars in the mountains were attracting global headlines. Keen to distract from the turmoil, he offers the world’s greatest F1 driver, Juan Manuel Fangio, a huge fee to drive. But the event ended with the kidnapping of Juan Manuel Fangio and the death of six bystanders.

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50 minutes

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