Tributes roll in after death of Mercedes legend and Le Mans winner

Former Mercedes F1 driver and 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans winner, Hans Herrmann has passed away at the age of 97.

The German competed in six grands prix for the Silver Arrows across 1954 and 1955, and secured his best result at the Swiss Grand Prix with a third place finish on the podium.

Herrmann, who was a trained confectioner, was signed to the team alongside five-time F1 champion Juan Manuel Fangio and Karl Kling upon Mercedes' return to F1 in 1954.

However, his career with the team would come to an end in 1955 after a crash at the Monaco Grand Prix, with the marque withdrawing from F1 at the end of the season.

Herrmann intermittently returned to F1 in various guises, driving for the likes of Maserati, Brabham, Cooper, Lotus, BRM and Porsche, until 1969.

It was his relationship with Porsche that saw Herrmann achieve his biggest success in 1970, where, alongside Richard Attwood, the pair won Porsche's first Le Mans 24 Hours in the Porsche 917K.

Before the iconic endurance race, he promised his wife Magdalena that he would never race again if he won Le Mans - a promise he kept, retiring before the end of the 1970 season.

Alongside Le Mans, Herrmann also won the Daytona 24 Hours in 1968 and the Targa Florio in 1960. In 2012, he was honoured by the town of Collesano for taking part in the Targa Florio eight times, arriving to the ceremony in style and behind the wheel of a Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR racing sports car (W 196 S).

Throughout the remainder of his life, Herrmann remained closely associated with the Mercedes brand and celebrated the 125th anniversary of the legendary marque at the Templehof Airport in Berlin.

Motorsport pays tribute to Hans Herrmann

Following the news Herrmann passed away, tributes have pored in for the 1950s Mercedes driver, including that of CEO of Mercedes-Benz Heritage, Marcus Breitschwerdt.

“It is with great gratitude that we remember Hans Herrmann, an outstanding racing driver who had a decisive influence on the history of Mercedes-Benz," he said.

“As part of the legendary Silver Arrows racing team in the mid-1950s, he impressed with his speed and mastery in races.

“His likeable charisma and his passion for motorsport made him very popular with fans and fellow drivers alike.

“After his active career, Hans Herrmann remained closely associated with our brand as a representative of Mercedes-Benz Heritage and helped to preserve the heritage of our vehicles.”

Porsche also paid tribute to their first Le Mans winner, with chief Thomas Laudenbach saying: "The passing of Hans Herrmann has deeply affected us all.

"He was one of Porsche AG’s most successful factory racing drivers. With the victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1970 in the Porsche 917, Richard Attwood and he made history.”

Goodwood also posted a tribute to social media, where they wrote: "We are deeply saddened to hear about the passing of the great Hans Herrmann. A great friend to Goodwood, he was the last surviving F1 podium finisher of the 1950s and was part of a legendary Mercedes team.

"Herrmann was also an overall winner at Le Mans in 1970 in that famous Porsche 917K and achieved more than 80 overall victories across his career. Our thoughts are with his family and friends."

READ MORE: F1 World Champions: The full list from Farina to new king Lando Norris

Related