Robert Manzon was a French racing driver who competed in Formula One between 1950 and 1956. Over his career, he entered 29 Grand Prix, scoring 16 championship points and achieving two podium finishes. He drove for teams including Gordini, Louis Rosier, and Ferrari. At the time of his death, Manzon was the last surviving driver to have competed in the inaugural 1950 Formula One World Championship.
Born in Marseille on 12 April 1917, Manzon began his working life as a mechanic. Following World War II, he transitioned into racing, initially driving a Cisitalia D46. His performances earned him a contract with the Gordini team in 1948, where he achieved several minor race victories despite often contending with unreliable machinery.
Manzon remained with Gordini into the early years of Formula One, scoring points at the 1950 French Grand Prix. His most successful season came in 1952, when he finished sixth in the World Drivers’ Championship and secured a podium with a third-place finish at the 1952 Belgian Grand Prix.
In 1953, he left Gordini to join Louis Rosier’s team, which ran Ferrari cars. Driving a Ferrari 625, he claimed his second and final Formula One podium at the 1954 French Grand Prix. He later returned to Gordini, though with limited success in World Championship events.
Outside the championship, Manzon remained competitive, winning the 1956 Naples Grand Prix and a sports car race at Pescara.
After retiring from racing, Manzon went on to run his own diesel equipment distribution business. He died on 19 January 2015 at his home in southern France at the age of 97.
