F1 ICONS: PATRICK DEMPSEY ON HIS RESPECT FOR FANGIO

American actor and racer Patrick Dempsey names five-time champion Juan Manuel Fangio as his ultimate F1 icon. Dempsey, a TAG Heuer ambassador, credits Fangio's unparalleled success across multiple marques in the dangerous 1950s era as proof of his "greatest of all time" status. Having immersed himself in that period for the film *Ferrari*, Dempsey admits his own attraction to the era's brutal circuits like old Spa and the Nurburgring, despite the horrific safety statistics.

He acknowledges the sport's evolution from those relaxed, high-casualty days to the modern era, but highlights how *Drive to Survive* has opened F1 to a much wider audience. This aligns with the surging American fanbase and Dempsey's own involvement as a racing enthusiast and F1 ambassador. His passion for F1 history, especially through vintage watches, underscores the deep connection between the sport's past and its vibrant present. The growing accessibility of F1 history, championed by figures like Dempsey, will continue to fuel this new wave of American interest.