Judge orders Fangio’s body to be exhumed

Juan Fangio when he drove for Mercedes

The body of the legendary grand prix driver Juan Manuel Fangio will be exhumed in order for a paternity test to be carried out.

In an extraordinary development, a judge in Argentina has given the go-head for the exhumation to be carried out next month.

Fangio was the first superhero of modern grand prix racing, claiming championships in 1951, 1954, 1955, 1956 and 1957.

The Argentinian died in 1995 at age 84 and was never married nor was he known to have sired any offspring. He is buried in Balcarce, south of Buenos Aires.

The extraordinary move will attempt to verify whether Oscar Espinoza is the son of Fangio.

Espinoza’s mother Andrea Berruet was Fangio’s partner for two decades.