Willi Krakau

Willi Krakau (born 2 September 1923) is a German former racing driver who made a single Formula One World Championship appearance. Born in Germany, Krakau competed in the 1952 German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring, driving an AFM-BMW. He qualified 34th on the grid in the large field assembled for the race and retired with mechanical issues after completing just 1 lap. This represented his only World Championship start, though he competed in German domestic racing during the early 1950s.

Krakau drove an AFM (Alex von Falkenhausen Motorenbau), a small German constructor that built racing cars using BMW engines and components. The AFM cars were relatively simple machines designed for Formula Two competition and were generally uncompetitive against the leading Italian teams in Formula One. The 1952 and 1953 World Championships were run to Formula Two regulations, which allowed smaller constructors and privateer drivers to participate more easily than under full Formula One regulations. The 1952 German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring featured one of the largest fields in World Championship history, with numerous German privateers and local drivers taking advantage of the Formula Two regulations and the opportunity to compete in their home Grand Prix.

Krakau was part of this group of enthusiastic German competitors who helped make the early Nürburgring races colorful and well-attended events. Beyond his single Formula One appearance, Krakau raced in German national events, hillclimbs, and sports car races during the early to mid-1950s, competing in the active German motorsport scene that was rebuilding following World War II. After his racing career ended, Krakau maintained connections to motorsport and lived to see German drivers and manufacturers achieve great success in Formula One in later decades. Now over 100 years old, Krakau is among the oldest living people to have competed in a Formula One World Championship race.