Hans Herrmann, Porsche's first 24 Hours of Le Mans winner and the last surviving F1 podium finisher from the 1950s has died aged 97.
The saddening news was announced by Porsche on Friday evening, ahead of this weekend's Mexico City E-Prix where a special livery had already been revealed in honour of his career.
This weekend's Formula E race at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez marks the start of Porsche's year-long celebration of its 75th anniversary in motorsport, with Herrmann playing a significant role in the beginning of the German manufacturer's story.
Porsche's livery was in recognition of the 550 Spyder, with which Herrmann claimed a class victory at the 1954 Carrera Panamericana, Mexico’s most famous road race.
Herrmann was a baker by trade, but broke into Formula 1 and Le Mans in 1953. Across his racing career, Herrmann started 18 F1 races, including for the likes of Mercedes.
Following Tony Brook's death in 2022, he became the last surviving F1 podium finisher from the 1950s after finishing third in the 1954 Swiss Grand Prix for the Silver Arrows.
His final F1 entry came in the 1969 German Grand Prix, however, he was withdrawn from the race as a suspension or steering failure was expected.
The bulk of his success came in sports cars for Porsche, with him being the German marque's first overall Le Mans winner in 1970, alongside team-mate Richard Attwood.
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