Despite there being just 13 starters, representing three makes of car, the race attracted a record crowd. There were a further three entries, including two Maseratis, which did not attend the event. Juan Manuel Fangio had a new suspension with special wheels, which had to be concave to make room for the brake drums. These proved an expensive novelty. At his first pit stop, they jammed and his stop lasted over 14 minutes. Giuseppe Farina's Alfa Romeo dominated, holding off the Ferraris of Alberto Ascari and Luigi Villoresi. A quick stop of 39 seconds for wheel change and refuelling preserved his lead until the finish.
This would eventually prove to be the only Grand Prix in Fangio's entire Formula 1 career, barring retirements, that he finished outside of the top four. He scored a point for posting the fastest lap of the race, which meant that despite having ended up in ninth place (at the time, only the top five finishers scored points, alongside the holder of the fastest lap, regardless of position), he kept his record of scoring points towards the World Championship in 100% of the Grands Prix in which he saw the chequered flag.
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Juan Manuel Fangio
