As Juan Manuel Fangio exited the chicane before the blind Tabac corner in the 1950 Monaco Grand Prix, he stamped on the brake. It was a counterintuitive reaction for a racing driver exiting a corner. One that likely saved his life. By slowing down he avoided ploughing into a multi-car pile-up, which was out of sight. In racing folklore, Fangio’s evasive action is considered a miracle. But why did he slow down?   The day before the race, Fangio had seen a photograph of a similar accident in 1936. As he approached Tabac, he noticed something different about the crowd – an unusual color. Fangio realized that, instead of seeing their faces, he was seeing […]