Oscar Espinosa, now 77, had an extensive racing career and was close with five-time Formula One racer Juan Manuel Fangio during his lifetime. Now we know just how close: he was Fangio’s son, a recent DNA test confirmed after decades of mystery.
During his lifetime, Fangio never had any recognized children, yet his body was exhumed in August to test the paternity claims of two men, Oscar Espinosa and Ruben Vazquez. Motorsport.com reports that while Vazquez’s claim is still being verified, DNA tests have confirmed that Espinosa is indeed Fangio’s biological son. Espinosa’s mother, Andrea Berruet, had a lengthy relationship with Fangio as well, although Fangio never married.
But Espinosa, now doffed with the news of his famous parentage, is already going all-in, according to Reuters:
Former racing driver Oscar “Cacho” Espinoza is preparing to change his surname to Fangio once Argentine legal authorities have ruled that he is the son of the late great Juan Manuel Fangio.
...
“Just think that in the next elections, for the first time, I’m going to be able to vote with the Fangio surname,” the 77-year-old Espinoza told reporters after he was informed of the result of the DNA test.
And who wouldn’t, with breeding like that.
Judge Rodrigo Cataldo of Mar del Plata, Argentina, announced the news on Wednesday. Vazquez’s claim is still yet to be resolved, but Motorsport.com expects it to be resolved in the coming days. Vazquez claims that his mother admitted to a fling with Fangio in the 1940s.
[H/T Juan Alejandro Larronde via Tips]
Photo credit: Getty Images
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