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The 1952 Formula One season was the sixth season of FIA Formula One motor racing. In comparison to previous seasons, the 1952 season consisted of a relatively small number of Formula One races, following the decision to run all the Grand Prix events counting towards the World Championship of Drivers to Formula Two regulations rather than Formula One. The Indianapolis 500, which also counted towards the World Championship, was still run to AAA regulations as in previous seasons. Since this season racing helmets were made mandatory in Formula One. [1]
The 3rd FIA World Championship of Drivers, which began on 18 May and ended on 7 September after eight races, was won by Alberto Ascari, driving for Scuderia Ferrari.
In addition to the Formula One races and the World Championship Formula Two races, numerous other Formula Two races, which did not count towards the championship, were held during the year.
The following teams and drivers competed in the 1952 FIA World Championship of Drivers. The list does not include those that contested only the Indianapolis 500 event.
* Car entered only in the Indianapolis 500 race
Round | Grand Prix | Circuit | Date |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Swiss Grand Prix | Circuit Bremgarten, Bern | 18 May |
2 | Indianapolis 500 | Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Speedway | 30 May [lower-alpha 1] |
3 | Belgian Grand Prix | Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot | 22 June |
4 | French Grand Prix | Rouen-Les-Essarts, Orival | 6 July |
5 | British Grand Prix | Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone | 19 July |
6 | German Grand Prix | Nürburgring, Nürburg | 3 August |
7 | Dutch Grand Prix | Circuit Zandvoort, Zandvoort | 17 August |
8 | Italian Grand Prix | Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza | 7 September |
The French Grand Prix was moved from Reims-Gueux to Rouen-Les-Essarts for a year.
The Dutch Grand Prix hosted its first World Championship Grand Prix in 1952, the race was held at Circuit Zandvoort on 17 August.
The Spanish Grand Prix was scheduled to be held on 26 October but it was cancelled for monetary reasons. [2]
Alfa Romeo, unable to fund a new car, withdrew from racing, while BRM had been preparing two V16-powered cars for the season but withdrew them before an April race at Valentino Park, Turin, while attempting to enlist Juan Manuel Fangio as teammate to Stirling Moss, leaving Ferrari as the only serious Formula One contender. This led World Championship organizers to run their races for Formula Two, [3] utilising 2-litre naturally aspirated engines, which meant larger fields and a greater variety of cars, even if the victories all went to Ferrari. Ascari won the six Grands Prix he entered, missing the Swiss race because he was at Indianapolis qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 – the first European to do so in the World Championship era. Maserati and Gordini offered little challenge, but Mike Hawthorn's drives in his Cooper would earn him a works Ferrari drive in 1953. Reigning champion Fangio, badly injured in an early season crash at Monza, took no part in the championship but was to go on to drive for BRM.
For the second successive season, the championship's opening round was the Swiss Grand Prix, held at the Bremgarten Circuit in Bern. Ferrari's lead driver Ascari was absent due to his participation in the Indianapolis 500, so it was left to his teammates Nino Farina and Piero Taruffi to secure the first two places on the grid. Farina led from the start until he retired with magneto failure, leaving Taruffi to win his only championship Grand Prix and take the extra point for the fastest lap. Farina took over the car of his other teammate, Andre Simon, and was battling debutant Jean Behra for second place before both experienced mechanical trouble, Farina again unable to continue. It was, therefore, privateer Rudi Fischer who completed a Ferrari 1–2, with Jean Behra in third for Gordini. Ken Wharton finished fourth driving a Frazer-Nash, the manufacturer's only ever points finish.
As usual, the Indianapolis 500 had little bearing on the championship result, although regular Ferrari driver Alberto Ascari did compete, retiring after 40 laps. The race was dominated by Bill Vukovich, who led 150 laps before retiring. It was left to Troy Ruttman to win the race from Jim Rathmann and Sam Hanks.
Ascari returned to Ferrari for round 3 of the championship at Spa-Francorchamps, with Maserati still absent as they developed their A6GCM. The Ferrari cars dominated the weekend, with Ascari taking pole, the race win, and the fastest lap while leading every lap bar one. He was followed home by teammate Nino Farina, and Robert Manzon finished in third for Gordini. Jean Behra again impressed as he led the opening lap before falling behind the Ferrari juggernaut and eventually retiring after an incident with the third Ferrari of Piero Taruffi.
Scuderia Ferrari dominated once again at Rouen, taking all three podium places. Ascari led all the way from pole position to assume the championship lead and achieve his fourth career victory, drawing him level with his teammate Nino Farina who finished second. Piero Taruffi finished third after falling behind the Gordinis of Robert Manzon and Jean Behra at the start. Manzon was the highest Non-Ferrari finisher ahead of his teammate Maurice Trintignant, who drove an older model.
Although Ascari again dominated, it wasn't plain sailing for his teammates as Ferrari eventually dominated as they had done throughout the year. The Italian's third consecutive victory strengthened his eventually successful championship challenge as his main competitor, Nino Farina, failed to score despite taking pole position. The third Ferrari of Piero Taruffi dropped down to ninth at the start but eventually recovered to take second place, while a pitstop for new spark plugs meant Farina finished in the sixth position. It was a triumphant day for British cars and drivers, with Mike Hawthorn taking his first podium driving a Cooper-Bristol, while British cars and drivers occupied the other points-paying positions.
The belated arrival of the Maserati factory team failed to stop the dominance of Ferrari, with Ascari clinching his first World Title and equalling the injured Juan Manuel Fangio's win record. It was his fourth consecutive victory of the season, again leading every race lap from pole position. He briefly lost the race lead to Farina after pitting for oil, but this is not reflected in the lap charts as he caught and passed his teammate before they crossed the line at the end of the lap. Farina finished second, and privateer Ferrari driver Rudi Fischer finished third ahead of the works car of Taruffi to ensure a Ferrari 1-2-3-4. Jean Behra scored the final points for Gordini just ahead of another Ferrari car, this time driven by Roger Laurent.
Ascari started from pole position and led from start to finish, taking the fastest lap as well, winning his fifth consecutive Grand Prix and earning his second consecutive Grand Slam, and the third his season and career. In addition, with his victory, Ascari overtook Fangio as the winningest Formula One Driver, although the Argentinian would eventually reclaim the record at the 1955 Argentine Grand Prix. Further down the order, Giuseppe Farina and Luigi Villoresi, also driving for Ferrari, completed the podium, resulting in an Italian 1-2-3 and a 1-2-3 for the Scuderia. As a result, Ascari extended his championship points total to 36, extending his lead to 12 points over second-placed Farina.
The 80-lap race was won by Ferrari driver Alberto Ascari after he started from pole position. José Froilán González finished second for the Maserati team and Ascari's teammate Luigi Villoresi came in third.
Points were awarded to the top five finishers in each race on an 8–6–4–3–2 basis. One point was awarded for the fastest lap. Points for shared drives were divided equally between the drivers, regardless of who had driven more laps. Only the best four of eight scores counted towards the World Championship.
Other Formula One/Formula Two races, which did not count towards the World Championship of Drivers, were also held in 1952.
Race name | Circuit | Date | Formula | Winning driver | Constructor | Report |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
XI Grande Prêmio Cidade do Rio de Janeiro | Gávea | 20 January | Formula Libre [5] | José Froilán González | Ferrari | Report |
II Gran Premio di Siracusa | Syracuse | 16 March | Formula Two [6] | Alberto Ascari | Ferrari | Report |
VI Gran Premio del Valentino | Valentino Park | 6 April | Formula One [6] | Luigi Villoresi | Ferrari | Report |
IV Richmond Trophy | Goodwood | 14 April | Formula One [7] | José Froilán González | Ferrari | Report |
IV Lavant Cup | Goodwood | 14 April | Formula Two [8] | Mike Hawthorn | Cooper-Bristol | Report |
XIII Pau Grand Prix | Pau | 14 April | Formula Two [6] | Alberto Ascari | Ferrari | Report |
I Ibsley Grand Prix | Ibsley | 19 April | Formula Two [9] | Mike Hawthorn | Cooper-Bristol | Report |
X Grand Prix de Marseille | Marseille | 27 April | Formula Two [6] | Alberto Ascari | Ferrari | Report |
I Aston Martin Owners Club Formula 2 Race | Snetterton | 3 May | Formula Two [10] | Dickie Stoop | Frazer Nash-Bristol [10] | Report |
IV BRDC International Trophy | Silverstone | 10 May | Formula Two [6] | Lance Macklin | HWM-Alta | Report |
XIV Eläintarhanajot | Eläintarharata | 11 May | Formula One [11] | Roger Laurent | Talbot-Lago | Report |
V Gran Premio di Napoli | Posillipo | 11 May | Formula Two [6] | Giuseppe Farina | Ferrari | Report |
XVI Internationales ADAC Eifelrennen | Nürburgring | 25 May | Formula Two [6] | Rudi Fischer | Ferrari | Report |
VI Grand Prix de Paris | Montlhéry | 25 May | Formula Two [6] | Piero Taruffi | Ferrari | Report |
XIV Grand Prix de l'Albigeois | Albi (Les Planques) | 1 June | Formula One [6] | Louis Rosier | Ferrari | Report |
XXII Grand Prix des Frontières | Chimay | 1 June | Formula Two [6] | Paul Frère | HWM-Alta | Report |
VI Ulster Trophy | Dundrod | 7 June | Formula One [6] | Piero Taruffi | Ferrari | Report |
V Gran Premio dell'Autodromo di Monza | Monza | 8 June | Formula Two [6] | Giuseppe Farina | Ferrari | Report |
IV Aix les Bains Circuit du Lac | Aix-les-Bains | 8 June | Formula Two [6] | Jean Behra | Gordini | Report |
I West Essex CC Race | Boreham | 21 June | Formula Two [12] | Reg Parnell | Cooper-Bristol | Report |
XVI Grand Prix de la Marne | Reims | 29 June | Formula Two [13] | Jean Behra | Gordini | Report |
II Grand Prix de Sables d'Olonne | Sables | 13 July | Formula Two [6] | Luigi Villoresi | Ferrari | Report |
I Grand Prix de Caen | Caen | 27 July | Formula Two [14] | Maurice Trintignant | Gordini | Report |
II Daily Mail Trophy | Boreham | 2 August | Formula Two [6] | Luigi Villoresi | Ferrari | Report |
XVI Grand Prix de Comminges | Comminges | 10 August | Formula Two [6] | André Simon Alberto Ascari | Ferrari | Report |
I National Trophy | Turnberry | 23 August | Formula Two [15] | Mike Hawthorn | Connaught | Report |
XI Grand Prix de la Baule | La Baule | 24 August | Formula Two [6] | Alberto Ascari | Ferrari | Report |
III Gran Premio di Modena | Modena | 14 September | Formula Two [6] | Luigi Villoresi | Ferrari | Report |
IV Circuit de Cadours | Cadours | 14 September | Formula Two [6] | Louis Rosier | Ferrari | Report |
II Skarpnäcksloppet | Skarpnäck | 14 September | Formula One [11] | Gunnar Carlsson | Mercury | Report |
V Madgwick Cup | Goodwood | 27 September | Formula Two [16] | Ken Downing | Connaught | Report |
VIII Internationales Avusrennen | AVUS | 28 September | Formula Two [6] | Rudi Fischer | Ferrari | Report |
I Joe Fry Memorial Trophy | Castle Combe | 4 October | Formula Two [17] | Roy Salvadori | Ferrari | Report |
I Newcastle Journal Trophy | Charterhall | 11 October | Formula Two [18] | Dennis Poore | Connaught | Report |
XII Grande Prêmio Cidade do Rio de Janeiro | Gávea | 14 December | Formula Libre [5] | Henrique Casini | Ferrari | Report |
Note - a blue background denotes a round of the East German Championship.
Race name | Circuit | Date | Winning driver | Constructor | Report |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
I Rostock Osthafenkurs | Rostock | 20 April | Paul Greifzu | BMW-Eigenbau | Report |
I Bernau Autobahnschleife | Bernau | 4 May | Rudolf Krause | BMW-Reif | Report |
I Dessau Autobahnspinne | Dessau | 11 May | Fritz Riess | Veritas-Meteor | Report |
III Leipzig Stadtparkrennen | Leipzig | 2 June | Edgar Barth | IFA-Kollektiv | Report |
III Strassen-Rennen Halle-Saale-Schleife | Halle-Saale-Schleife | 8 June | Edgar Barth | IFA-Kollektiv | Report |
I Strassen-rennen Leipzig | Leipzig | 17 August | Hans Stuck | AFM-BMW | Report |
V DMV Grenzlandringrennen | Grenzlandring | 31 August | Toni Ulmen | Veritas | Report |
IV Sachsenringrennen | Sachsenring | 7 September | Edgar Barth | EMW-BMW | Report |
The table below shows the points awarded for each race. Only East German drivers were eligible for points.
Place | Driver | Entrant | Car | ROS | LEI | HAL | SAC | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Edgar Barth | IFA Rennkollektiv | DAMW-BMW 328 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 21 |
2 | Ernst Klodwig | BSG Motor | Heck-BMW 328 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 10 | |
3 | Jürgen Perdus | IFA Renkollektiv | DAMW-BMW 328 | 4 | 3 | 7 | ||
4 | Paul Greifzu | BSG Motor | Reif-BMW 328 | 6 | 6 | |||
5 | Rudolf Krause | SV Wismut | Reif-BMW 328 | 4 | 4 | |||
6 | Heinz Melkus | ARO-Veritas-Alfa Romeo | 2 | 2 | ||||
8 | Werner Jäger | EMW 340-BMW 328 | 1 | 1 |
Emilio Giuseppe Farina, also known as Giuseppe Antonio "Nino" Farina, was an Italian racing driver and the first official Formula One World Champion in 1950. He was the Italian Champion in 1937, 1938 and 1939.
The 1951 Swiss Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 27 May 1951 in Bern. The race was contested over 42 laps of the Bremgarten Circuit with it also being the opening race of the 1951 World Championship of Drivers. The race was the eleventh time that the Swiss Grand Prix was held with all of the races being held at Bremgarten.
The 1951 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 16 September 1951 at Monza. It was race 7 of 8 in the 1951 World Championship of Drivers.
The 1952 Swiss Grand Prix was a Formula Two race held on 18 May 1952 at Bremgarten Circuit. It was the first round of the 1952 World Championship of Drivers, in which each Grand Prix was run to Formula Two rules rather than the Formula One regulations normally used.
The 1952 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula Two race held on 22 June 1952 at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. It was race 3 of 8 in the 1952 World Championship of Drivers, in which each Grand Prix was run to Formula Two rules rather than the Formula One regulations normally used.
The 1952 French Grand Prix was a Formula Two race held on 6 July 1952 at Rouen-Les-Essarts. It was race 4 of 8 in the 1952 World Championship of Drivers, in which each Grand Prix was run to Formula Two rules rather than the Formula One regulations normally used. Unusually this race was run over a duration of 3 hours, rather than a fixed distance.
The 1952 British Grand Prix was a Formula Two race held on 19 July 1952 at Silverstone Circuit. It was race 5 of 8 in the 1952 World Championship of Drivers, in which each Grand Prix was run to Formula Two rules rather than the Formula One regulations normally used.
The 1952 German Grand Prix was a Formula Two race held on 3 August 1952 at the Nürburgring Nordschleife. It was race 6 of 8 in the 1952 World Championship of Drivers, in which each Grand Prix was run to Formula Two rules rather than the Formula One regulations normally used. The 18-lap race was won by Ferrari driver Alberto Ascari after he started from pole position. His teammates Giuseppe Farina and Rudi Fischer finished in second and third places.
The 1952 Dutch Grand Prix was a Formula Two race held on 17 August 1952 at the Circuit Zandvoort. It was race 7 of 8 in the 1952 World Championship of Drivers, in which each Grand Prix was run to Formula Two rules rather than the Formula One regulations normally used. The 90-lap race was won by Ferrari driver Alberto Ascari after he started from pole position. His teammates Giuseppe Farina and Luigi Villoresi finished in second and third places. Ascari overtook Fangio's record for the most race wins, scoring his seventh at this race.
The 1952 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula Two race held on 7 September 1952 at Monza. It was the eighth and final round of the 1952 World Championship of Drivers, in which each Grand Prix was run to Formula Two rules rather than the Formula One regulations normally used. The 80-lap race was won by Ferrari driver Alberto Ascari after he started from pole position. José Froilán González finished second for the Maserati team and Ascari's teammate Luigi Villoresi came in third.
The 1953 Argentine Grand Prix was race 1 of 9 in the 1953 World Championship of Drivers, which was run to Formula Two regulations in 1952 and 1953. The race was held in Buenos Aires on 18 January 1953, at the Autódromo Gálvez and was the first World Drivers' Championship race in South America.
The 1953 Dutch Grand Prix was a Formula Two race held on 7 June 1953 at the Circuit Zandvoort. It was race 3 of 9 in the 1953 World Championship of Drivers, which was run to Formula Two rules in 1952 and 1953, rather than the Formula One regulations normally used. The 90-lap race was won by Ferrari driver Alberto Ascari after he started from pole position. His teammate Nino Farina finished second and Maserati drivers José Froilán González and Felice Bonetto came in third
The 1953 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula Two race held on 21 June 1953 at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. It was race 4 of 9 in the 1953 World Championship of Drivers, which was run to Formula Two rules in 1952 and 1953, rather than the Formula One regulations normally used. The 36-lap race was won by Ferrari driver Alberto Ascari after he started from second position. His teammate Luigi Villoresi finished second and Maserati driver Onofre Marimón came in third.
The 1954 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Spa-Francorchamps on 20 June 1954. It was race 3 of 9 in the 1954 World Championship of Drivers. The 36-lap race was won by Maserati driver Juan Manuel Fangio after he started from pole position. Maurice Trintignant finished second for the Ferrari team with Fangio's teammate Stirling Moss in third.
The 1957 Formula One season was the 11th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1957 World Championship of Drivers, which commenced on 13 January 1957 and ended on 8 September after eight races. Juan Manuel Fangio won his fourth consecutive title, his fifth in total, in his final championship. A feat that would not be beaten until Michael Schumacher in 2003. The season also included numerous non-championship races for Formula One cars.
The 1953 Formula One season was the seventh season of the FIA's Formula One racing. It consisted only of several non-championship motor races. As in 1952, all races counting towards the World Championship of Drivers, apart from the Indianapolis 500, were held for cars complying with Formula Two regulations rather than with Formula One, with the Indianapolis 500 held to AAA regulations.
The 1951 Formula One season was the fifth season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1951 World Championship of Drivers, which commenced on 27 May 1951 and ended on 28 October after eight races. The season also included 14 races open to Formula One cars but did not count towards the championship standings.
The 1950 Formula One season was the fourth season of the FIA's Formula One motor racing. It featured the inaugural FIA World Championship of Drivers, as well as several non-championship races. The championship, which commenced on 13 May and ended on 3 September, consisted of six Grand Prix races, each held in Europe and open to Formula One cars, plus the Indianapolis 500, which was run to AAA National Championship regulations. Giuseppe Farina won the championship from Juan Manuel Fangio and Luigi Fagioli.
Luigi Villoresi was an Italian Grand Prix motor racing driver who started racing in Formula One at the time of its inception.