Juan Manuel Fangio: Body of Formula One racing legend exhumed in paternity row

Two men claim to be the dead driver's sons

The much loved driver died in 1995 (STRINGER/ARGENTINA)

The body of the Argentinian Formula One driving legend Juan Manuel Fangio has been exhumed amid a paternity battle.

The BBC reports that a judge ordered for his body to be exhumed in order for DNA samples to be taken. Two men are currently claiming to be his sons.

Fangio was one of the first great Formula One legends. The won the World Championship five times in the 1950s- a record which only Michael Schumacher has bettered.

He died in 1995 aged 84, having never married and never indicated that he had any children. However, two separate claims have now be made by men purporting to be his descendants.

Oscar Espinosa and Ruben Vazquez are both now in their seventies.

Ruben Vazquez is one of the men who claims to be Fangio's son (STRINGER/ARGENTINA)

Vazquez told reporters that his interest was not financial: “There are no economic interests in my request, I just want to be recognised for the Fangio surname.”