 Pietsch at 1938 Targa Florio in Maserati 4CM | |
| Born | (1911-06-20)20 June 1911 Freiburg im Breisgau,German Empire |
|---|---|
| Died | 31 May 2012(2012-05-31) (aged 100) Titisee-Neustadt, Germany |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |  German |
| Active years | 1950–1952 |
| Teams | Alfa Romeo, non-worksMaserati andVeritas |
| Entries | 3 |
| First entry | 1950 Italian Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 1952 German Grand Prix |
Paul Pietsch (20 June 1911 – 31 May 2012) was aracing driver, journalist and publisher from Germany, who founded the magazineDas Auto.[1] He was the first German ever to take part in aFormula One Grand Prix.
Born inFreiburg,[2] Pietsch began his racing career in 1932 with a privateBugatti andAlfa Romeo.
Racing with an Alfa Romeo, he won the 1933III Svenska Isloppet GP ice race in Hemfjärden, and the 1934I Vallentunaloppet ice race in Vellentunasjön, both in Sweden.
In the1935 German Grand Prix he raced forAuto Union, and he finished third in the1935 Italian Grand Prix before leaving the team with its hard-to-drive rear engines. From 1937 onwards he entered a privateMaserati. His greatest hours came in the1939 German Grand Prix which he led from lap two until the ignition failed, making him drop down to third, which was still an excellent result for a privateer against the dominant force of theSilver Arrows.
After the war, he participated in three World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on September 3, 1950. His drive in a factory Alfa Romeo in the1951 German Grand Prix ended with an accident. He scored no championship points.
At that time, Pietsch was already a successful editor and publisher of motorcycle and automobile magazines. His company, Motor Presse Stuttgart, is the largest in the European market for technology and special interest magazines.
From the death of his countrymanKarl Kling in 2003 until his own death, Pietsch was the oldest surviving Formula One driver,[1] at age 100[3] and the last surviving driver of pre-war grand prix era. His son Peter-Paul Pietsch races often at theNürburgring with fellow journalists.
On 31 May 2012, Pietsch died frompneumonia[4] at the age of 100 years, 11 months and 11 days.[2] Pietsch was also the firstGrand Prix driver to reach the age of 100.[2]
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | EDC | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1932 | Pilesi Racing Team | BugattiT35B | Bugatti 2.3L8 | ITA | FRA | GER Ret | 22nd | 23 | ||||
| 1935 | Auto Union AG | Auto UnionB | Auto Union 5.0V16 | MON | FRA | BEL | GER 9 | SUI 111 | ITA 3 | ESP DNS | 15th | 47 |
| 1937 | P. Pietsch | Maserati 6C-34 | Maserati 3.7L6 | BEL | GER Ret | MON DNS | SUI 10 | ITA | 17th | 35 | ||
| 1938 | P. Pietsch | Maserati 6CM | Maserati 1.5L6 | FRA | GER 6 | SUI | ITA | 14th | 28 | |||
| 1939 | Officine A. Maserati | Maserati 8CTF | Maserati 3.0L8 | BEL | FRA | GER 3 | 14th | 26 | ||||
| P. Pietsch | Maserati 4CL | Maserati 1.5L4 | SUI Ret | |||||||||
Source:[5] | ||||||||||||
(key)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | WDC | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Paul Pietsch | Maserati4CLT/48 | Maserati 4CLT 1.5L4s | GBR | MON | 500 | SUI | BEL | FRA | ITA Ret | NC | 0 | |
| 1951 | Alfa Romeo SpA | Alfa Romeo159 | Alfa Romeo 158 1.5L8s | SUI | 500 | BEL | FRA | GBR | GER Ret | ITA | ESP | NC | 0 |
| 1952 | Motor Presse Verlag | VeritasMeteor | Veritas 2.0L6 | SUI | 500 | BEL | FRA | GBR | GER Ret | NED | ITA | NC | 0 |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
