DataGrange Motorsport

The Maserati 250F.

1957 Championship

J.M. Fangio-ARG 46, S. Moss-GBR 25, L. Musso-ITA 16.
Fangio earns his fifth and fourth consecutive drivers’ championship.

Putative Constructors’ Championship
Officine Alfieri Maserati 65, Scuderia Ferrari 48, Vanderwell Products Limited 37. Maserati finally breaks through behind Fangio and claims its maiden constructors’ championship.

The Britons rise to the fore in Formula 1 as island drivers make their mark piloting Italian entries and Vanwall under Stirling Moss snares its maiden Grand Prix victory.

Fangio stands atop the tables with his twenty-eighth career P1 grid position and twenty-fourth career Grand Prix victory.

Juan Manuel Fangio Pulls Out All the Stops While Chasing Down the Leading Ferraris at the Nurburgring.

1957 RACE 6
Nurburg, Germany

4 August, Nineteenth Grosser Preis von Deutschland
Nurburgring (Eifel Circuit)

P1 Grid: J.M. Fangio, ARG, Maserati 250F 2.5 liter inline six. Pirelli (twenty-seventh, career).

M. Hawthorn (Ferrari) wins the start.
Fangio assumes the lead on Lap 3 with a pass.
P. Collins assumes the lead on Lap 12 as Fangio pits for service.
Hawthorn assumes the lead on Lap 15 with a pass.
Fangio assumes the lead on Lap 21 (final lap) with a pass of both Collins and Hawthorn, and drives on to victory.

Being clever by half, Fangio starts the race on a light fuel load in order to build a lead on the ever improving Ferraris, yet his pit service at Lap 12 proves out a debacle, costing him a thirty second lead margin and dropping him back to P3. Thus unfolds one of the greatest drives in F1 history as Fangio returns to the circuit and unleashes a marvelous performance in which he establishes fast lap nine laps in succession. As the Ferraris begin the final circuit through the forest, Fangio catches and then boldly chases back Collins for P2 with a courageous sprint towards a narrow bridge that leaves the Briton reaching for the brakes in desperation. Undaunted, the Argentine tracks down leader Hawthorn a few minutes later, dives deep inside a curve, and makes an unfathomable ‘pass in the grass’ for the point and a stunningly breathtaking victory. With his performance, Fangio earns a share of the 1957 drivers’ championship, the fifth in his illustrious career, and posts his legitimate claim as the greatest driver in racing history.

1. Fangio, Maserati (twenty-fourth, career, all-time).
2. Hawthorn, GBR, Ferrari, -3.6 sec.
3. Collins, GBR, Ferrari.

Constructor Officine Alfieri Maseratii (ninth).
Engine Victor: Maserati (ninth).

Championship
Fangio-ARG 34, L. Musso-ITA 16, Hawthorn-GBR 13.

Officine Alfieri Maserati 47, Scuderia Ferrari 44, Vandervell Products, Ltd 17.

Moss' Brake Failure at the Tunnel Exit Also Collects Fellow Britons Peter Collins and Michael Hawthorn.

1957 RACE 2
Principality of Monaco

19 May, Fifteenth Grand Prix de Monaco
Circuit de Monaco

P1 Grid: J.M. Fangio, ARG, Maserati 250F 2.5 liter inline six. Pirelli (twenty-fifth, career).

S. Moss (Vanwall) wins the start.
Fangio assumes the lead on Lap 4 with a pass after a massive shunt at the Tunnel Chicane exit. Fangio drives on to victory.

1957 Monaco unfurls high drama during its early circuits when race leader Stirling Moss (Vanwall) suffers brake failure upon the Tunnel exit on Lap 4. Moss misses the chicane before slamming hard into the harbour barrier, and then in remarkably heady fashion, scrambles from his wrecked vehicle just moments before fellow Briton Peter Collins (Ferrari) exits the tunnel and hurls headlong into the wreckage.  Juan Manuel Fangio next enters the chicane and avoids the shunt with deft steering, yet Britons Tony Brooks (Vanwall) and Michael Hawthorn (Ferrari) come together upon encoutering the carnage. Brooks escapes with serious damage, yet Hawthorn skids across the track surface and joins the other two cars in the debris pile. Fangio’s adroit driving earns him the race victory, yet the surprise proves out as rookie privateer Masten Gregory, who drives his Maserati to a P3 finish in his maiden run, the first American in F1 history to stand on the podium.

1. Fangio, Maserati (twenty-second, career).
2. C.A.S. Brooks, GBR, Vanwall, -25.2 sec (maiden podiium).
3. M. Gregory, USA, Maserati (maiden podium).

Constructor Officine Alfieri Maseratii (seventh).
Engine Victor: Maserati (seventh).

Championship
Fangio-ARG 17, J. Behra-FRA 6, Brooks-GBR 6.

Officine Alfieri Maserati 28, Scuderia Centro Sud 7, Vandervell Products, Ltd 6.

1956 Championship

J.M. Fangio-ARG 33, S. Moss-GBR 28, P. Collins-GBR 25.
Fangio earns his fourth and third consecutive drivers’ championship.

Putative Constructors’ Championship
Scuderia Ferrari 80.5, Officine Alfieri Maserati 62, Connaught 9. Scuderia Ferrari earns its fifth constructors’ championship.

Highlights …

Fangio receives a controversial ruling in his favor at Buenos Aires after Maserati accuses him of receiving an illegal push to restart after an early spin.
British Racing Motors debuts an entry and Frenchman Jean Behra stands atop the drivers’ table at Monaco.
Briton Peter Collins picks up his first two career victories at Spa and Reims, and heads the tables until Fangio’s late rush for the championship in the final three meetings.

Fangio stands atop the tables with his twenty-fourth career P1 grid position and twentieth career Grand Prix victory.

The 1956 Lancia Ferrari D50.

1955 Championship

J.M. Fangio-ARG 41, S. Moss-GBR 23, E. Castellotti-ITA 12.
Fangio earns his third drivers’ championship, setting him atop the tables as the all-time career leader (Ascari).

Putative Constructors’ Championship
Daimler Benz AG 79, Scuderia Ferrari 34, Officine Alfieri Maserati 22. Daimler Benz earns its maiden constructors’ championship, finally dethroning the mighty Ferrari, yet the June disaster at Le Mans with driver Pierre Levegh prompts the werks to withdraw from international motor sport (eight career F1 victories).

Fangio stands atop the tables with his eighteenth career P1 grid position and seventeenth career Grand Prix victory.

Longtime Italian driving ace Giuseppe ‘Nino’ Farina retires from Grand Prix racing at season end.

The Fabulous Mercedes 196 W Silver Arrow

1954 Drivers’ Champion: Juan Manuel Fangio, Argentina (second, all-time with Ascari).  Mercedes 196W Silver Arrow.

1954 Putative Constructors’ Champion: Ferrari (fourth, all-time).

Fangio ascends atop the tables as the all-time leader in P1 grid positions (15) and race victories (13).

The season marks the debut of Mercedes’ wondrous Silver Arrows as well as the Scuderia’s latest iterations, the 625 and the 553, which rises to the fore at Monza.  The Lancia D50 under Ascari makes its debut in the final meeting at Barcelona.

1954 Bremgarten stands as the final time Formula 1 hosts a race in Switzerland; the Le Mans Maison Blanche disaster in the following summer (June 1955) prompts Swiss authorities to cancel the 1955 event at Bern before announcing its prohibition of motor sport.

Adytum on High: The sport loses Argentine driver Onofre Marimon (Maserati) during a qualifying session at the Nurburging in late July. Marimon purportedly suffers brake failure at the bottom of incline while approaching the Wehrseifen curve. Marimon’s car veers off the course over a banking, soars into the trees, and lands upside down, fatally pinning the driver to the steering shaft.

Constructors’ Champion:

1954 Ferrari 625

1954 Ferrari 553

The New Mercedes Entries Turn Formula 1 Upon Its Head at Reims in 1954.

1954 RACE 4
Reims, France

4 July, Forty-First Grand Prix de l’Automobile Club de France
Reims-Gueux

P1 Grid: J.M. Fangio, ARG, Mercedes 196W 2.5 liter fuel injection inline eight. Continental (12th, career).

K. Kling (Mercedes) wins the start.
Fangio (Mercedes) assumes the lead with a pass on Lap 3.
Kling assumes the lead with a pass on Lap 29.
Fangio assumes the lead with a pass on Lap 34.
Kling assumes the lead with a pass on Lap 38.
Fangio assumes the lead with a pass on Lap 39.
Kling assumes the lead with a pass on Lap 54.
Fangio assumes the lead with a pass on Lap 58.
Kling assumes the lead with a pass on Lap 60.
Fangio assumes the lead with a pass on Lap 61 (final lap) and drives on to victory.

Reims marks the racing debut of Daimler-Mercedes’ now legendary 196W Silver Arrows in Type Monza (aluminum body) trim under the trusting hands of Juan Manuel Fangio, a defector from Maserati, and a set of German drivers. The Mercedes easily prove out as the class of the field as Fangio and teammate Karl Kling dominate the contest in a glorious side by side duel on the venerable French circuit. After a breathtaking yet still mechanical exchange of P1 between the two drivers across the afternoon, Daimler orders Kling on the final lap to cede the battle to Fangio for the victory.

1. Fangio, ARG, Mercedes 196W 2.5 liter fuel injection inline eight. Continental (10th, career).
2. Kling, GER, Mercedes, -0.1 sec (parade result).
3. R. Manzon, FRA, Ecurie Rosier-Ferrari.

Constructor Victor: Daimler Benz-Mercedes (maiden).
Engine Victor: Mercedes (maiden).

Championship
J.M. Fangio-ARG 25, M. Trintignant-FRA 9, W. Vukovich-USA 8.

Scuderia Ferrari 20, Officine Alfieri Maserati 19, Kurtis Kraft 18.

The Day Belongs to Juan Manuel Fangio (50), Flanked All Afternoon by Farina and Ascari.

1953 RACE 9
Monza, Italy

13 September, Twenty-Fourth Gran Premio d’Italia
Autodromo Nazionale di Monza

P1 Grid: A. Ascari, ITA, Ferrari Tipo 500 2.0 liter inline four. Pirelli (13th, career).

A. Ascari (Ferrari) wins the start.
J.M. Fangio (Maserati) assumes the lead at Lap 7 with a pass.
Ascari assumes the lead at Lap 9 with a pass.
G. Farina (Ferrari) assumes the lead at Lap 10 with a pass.
Fangio assumes the lead on Lap 11 with a pass.
Farina assumes the lead on Lap 12 with a pass.
Ascari assumes the lead at Lap 14 with a pass.
Fangio assumes the lead on Lap 25 with a pass.
Farina assumes the lead on Lap 26 with a pass.
Fangio assumes the lead on Lap 27 with a pass.
Ascari assumes the lead at Lap 29 with a pass.
Fangio assumes the lead on Lap 34 with a pass.
Ascari assumes the lead at Lap 36 with a pass.
Fangio assumes the lead on Lap 41 with a pass.
Ascari assumes the lead at Lap 42 with a pass.
Farina assumes the lead on Lap 46 with a pass.
Ascari assumes the lead at Lap 47 with a pass.
Fangio assumes the lead on Lap 50 with a pass.
Ascari assumes the lead at Lap 53 with a pass.
Fangio assumes the lead at Lap 80 (final lap) with a pass and drives on to victory.

With Ferrari driver Alberto Ascari already having captured the Formula 1 crown with his victory at the Nürburgring two weeks prior, the final meeting at Monza served only to settle home honors between Ferrari and Maserati. Scuderia honcho Enzo Ferrari’s public threats to shut down his factory operation at Maranello only adds to the prerace buildup as crowds press into the Autodromo to perhaps witness the final running of his red prancing horses. No one leaves disappointed as a breathtaking duel between Ascari, teammate Nino Farina, and Maserati ace Juan Manuel Fangio, arguably the greatest in F1 history, dominates the afternoon. All three cars fiercely contest for the point over the first fifty circuits, and the result appears in doubt until Ascari assumes the lead at Lap 53. The Italian ace maintains P1 for the remaining 27 laps with Fangio tightly hugging his rear wheels, yet the final curve at Parabolica holds a surprise for all racers and spectators at the circuit. Entering the final turn in the lead, Ascari drifts wide to avoid backmarker John Fairman in his Connaught, yet his rear breaks loose and slides into Onofore Marimon’s Maserati. Both cars spin in the middle of the circuit, collecting Fairman, yet both Fangio and Farina deftly dodge the obstructions and cover the remaining metres to the finish. Both Fangio and Maserati gleefully cheer their maiden victory in Formula 1 as well as their crushing defeat of Ferrari on home soil.

1. Fangio, ARG, Officine Alfieri Maserati, Maserati A6SSG 2.0 liter inline six. Pirelli (7th, career).
2. Farina, ITA, Scuderia Ferrari, -1.4 sec.
3. L. Villoresi, ITA, Scuderia Ferrari.

Constructor Victor: Officine Alfieri Maserati (maiden).
Engine Victor: Officine Alfieri Maserati (maiden).

A. Ascari ascends as the all-time leader in P1 grid positions with 13, and heads the Formula 1 tables with 13 victories.

Scuderia Ferrari stands atop the tables with 17 constructor and engine victories.

Championship
A. Ascari-ITA 46.5, G. Farina-ITA 32, J.M. Fangio-ARG 29.5. (Official: Ascari, Fangio, Farina).

Scuderia Ferrari 119.5, Officine Alfieri Maserati 62.5, Keck-Kurtis Kraft 9.

1953 F1 Driver’s Champion: A. Ascari, Italy, Ferrari (2nd career, all-time leader).

1953 F1 Constructor’s Champion: Scuderia Ferrari (3rd all-time).

Juan Manuel Fangio Celebrates His Maiden F1 Driver's Championship, and the Second for Alfa Romeo.

1951 RACE 8
BARCELONA, SPAIN

28 October, Eleventh Gran Premio de Espana
Pedralbes Circuit

P1 Grid: A. Ascari, Italy, Scuderia Ferrari (2).

Ascari (Ferrari) wins the start.
J.M. Fangio (Alfa Romeo) assumes the lead on Lap 4 when Ascari suffers severe tire degradation. Fangio drives on to victory.

Ferrari’s disastrous tire option selection at Pedralbes dooms  Ascari’s title chances early in the meeting as the marque’s entries suffer from catastrophic tread degradation out on the circuit. The error gifts Fangio his maiden F1 driver’s championship and salves his late season title failure at Monza in the prior season. Alfa Romeo SpA announces shortly thereafter its intention to withdraw from Formula 1 racing.

1. Fangio, Argentina, Alfa Romeo (6th, career).
2. J.F. Gonzalez, Argentina, Ferrari, – 54.28 sec.
3. E.G. Farina, Italy, Alfa Romeo.

Constructor Victor: Alfa Romeo SpA (10).
Engine Victor: Alfa Romeo SpA (10).

Championship
Fangio-ARG 37, Ascari-ITA 28, Gonzalez-ITA 27.

Scuderia Ferrari 86, Alfa Romeo SpA 75, Belanger-Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser 9.

1951 Driver’s Champion: J.M. Fangio, Argentina (maiden).
1951 Constructor’s Champion: Scuderia Ferrari (maiden).

Juan Manuel Fangio at Spa, 1950.

1950 RACE 5
SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, BELGIUM

18 June, Twelfth Grote Prijs van Belgie
Circuit National de Francorchamps

P1 Grid: E.G. Farina, Italy, Alfa Romeo SpA 158 (2).

J.M. Fangio (Alfa Romeo) wins the start.
Farina (Alfa Romeo) assumes the lead on Lap 7 as pit service commences.
L. Fagioli (Alfa Romeo) assumes the lead on Lap 12 during the pit cycle.
R. Sommer (Talbot-Lago-Talbot) assumes the lead on Lap 13 during the pit cycle.
Farina assumes the lead on Lap 17 when Sommer suffers mechanicals (engine). Sommer retires three laps later.
Fangio assumes the lead on Lap 20 with a pass over teammate Farina and drives on to victory. Farina fades to fourth with mechanicals (transmission).

1. Fangio, Argentina, Alfa Romeo (2nd, career).
2. Fagioli, Italy, Alfa Romeo, -14 sec.
3. L. Rosier, France, Talbot-Lago-Talbot.

Constructor Victor: Alfa Romeo SpA (4).
Engine Victor: Alfa Romeo SpA (4).

Championship
Farina-ITA 22, Fagioli-ITA 18, Fangio-ARG 17.

Alfa Romeo SpA 61, Automobiles Talbot-Darracq SA 13, Officine Alfieri Maserati 11.