1954 Belgian Grand Prix

1954 Belgian Grand Prix
1954 Belgian Grand Prix
← Previous race	Next race →
	Spa-Francorchamps layout
Race details
Date	20 June 1954
Official name	XVI Grand Prix de Belgique
Location	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Francorchamps, Belgium
Course	Permanent racing circuit
Course length	14.120 km (8.774 miles)
Distance	36 laps, 508.320 km (315.855 miles)
Weather	Sunny, mild, dry
Pole position
Driver	Juan Manuel Fangio ;
Time	4:22.1
Fastest lap
Driver	Juan Manuel Fangio
Time	4:25.5 on lap 13
Podium
First	Juan Manuel Fangio;
Second	Maurice Trintignant ;
Third	Stirling Moss ;
	Lap leaders ;

Last updated December 07, 2022

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.

Background

The opening race of the 1954 Formula One season was held in Argentina in January and won by Juan Manuel Fangio driving a Maserati. The second race that counted towards the year's World Championship of Drivers, the 1954 Indianapolis 500, was, as in the years before, not attended by the European drivers (and won for the second time by Bill Vukovich). After the cancellation of the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, the Belgian Grand Prix was the season's first championship race on European soil, held five months after the season opener.

While most of the other drivers had competed in the various non-championship races, it was the first appearance of the season in Europe for Fangio, the championship leader. Fangio had signed with the Mercedes team for the season, but since their new car was not finished in time for the Francorchamps race, he competed in the Maserati 250F as he did at his home Grand Prix. Alongside him in the Maserati team were compatriot Onofre Marimón and Italian Sergio Mantovani, while Stirling Moss, Prince Bira and Roberto Mieres entered Maseratis for private teams.

After recovering from an accident at the Mille Miglia, 1950 World Champion Giuseppe Farina returned to the field in his Ferrari 553. The team was completed by José Froilán González, and in last year's cars Maurice Trintignant and Mike Hawthorn. Jacques Swaters entered another Ferrari for his home Grand Prix.

The field was completed by the Gordini team with their drivers Jean Behra, Paul Frère and André Pilette. Although the newly formed Lancia team did make an entry for the Belgian Grand Prix, they withdrew, resulting in reigning World Champion Alberto Ascari missing another race of the season. Therefore, the field at Spa-Francorchamps only consisted of 14 drivers.^[1]

Entries

Team	No	Driver	Car	Engine	Tires
Ecurie Francorchamps	02	Jacques Swaters	Ferrari 500/Ferrari 625 F1	Ferrari 2.5 L4	E
Scuderia Ferrari	04	Giuseppe Farina	Ferrari 553 Squalo/Ferrari 625 F1	Ferrari 2.5 L4	P
	06	José Froilán González	Ferrari 553 Squalo/Ferrari 555 Supersqualo
	08	Maurice Trintignant	Ferrari 625 F1
	10	Mike Hawthorn	Ferrari 625 F1
Equipe Gordini	12	Jean Behra	Gordini T16	Gordini 2.5 L6	E
	16	Paul Frère		Gordini 2.0 L6
	18	André Pilette		Gordini 2.5 L6
Prince Bira	20	Prince Bira	Maserati 250F	Maserati 2.5 L6	P
Equipe Moss	22	Stirling Moss	Maserati 250F	Maserati 2.5 L6	P
Roberto Mieres	24	Roberto Mieres	Maserati A6GCM/Maserati 250F	Maserati 2.5 L6	P
Officine Alfieri Maserati	26	Juan Manuel Fangio	Maserati 250F	Maserati 2.5 L6	P
	28	Onofre Marimón
	30	Sergio Mantovani

Qualifying

On the first day of practise only the Ferraris were making an appearance. The battle for Pole Position became interesting, when Juan Manuel Fangio showed up on the second day. In his Maserati he managed to pulverize his own track record (set in 1951 in the Alfa Romeo 159) and qualified fastest with a time of 4:22.1. Behind him on second place was González who was very pleased with the improved handling of his Ferrari. Over two seconds behind him was Farina who wasn't satisfied at all with the car's set-up.

Qualifying classification

Pos	No	Driver	Constructor	Time	Gap
1	26	Juan Manuel Fangio	Maserati	4:22.1	—
2	6	José Froilán González	Ferrari	4:23.6	+ 1.5
3	4	Nino Farina	Ferrari	4:26.0	+ 3.9
4	28	Onofre Marimón	Maserati	4:27.6	+ 5.5
5	10	Mike Hawthorn	Ferrari	4:29.4	+ 7.3
6	8	Maurice Trintignant	Ferrari	4:30.0	+ 7.9
7	12	Jean Behra	Gordini	4:34.5	+ 12.4
8	18	André Pilette	Gordini	4:40.0	+ 17.9
9	22	Stirling Moss	Maserati	4:40.8	+ 18.7
10	16	Paul Frère	Gordini	4:42.0	+ 19.9
11	30	Sergio Mantovani	Maserati	4:42.0	+ 19.9
12	24	Roberto Mieres	Maserati	4:43.8	+ 21.7
13	20	Prince Bira	Maserati	4:46.5	+ 24.4
14	2	Jacques Swaters	Ferrari	4:54.2	+ 32.1
Source:^[2]

Race

On 20 June 1954 the 14 cars lined up for the Belgian Grand Prix. Behind them a 15th car, the Maserati of Emmanuel de Graffenried was ready for the start to film authentic race footage for the upcoming movie The Racers starring Kirk Douglas. The start saw González take the lead in front of Farina while Fangio dropped back. During the first round the Maserati of Mieres caught on fire, but the driver was able to jump out of the moving car, getting away with only minor burns. Meanwhile, González' lead was only short lived; he had to retire after lap 1 with engine failure (as well as Swaters and two laps later Marimón). Farina led Hawthorn and Fangio, who managed to pull in front on lap 3. At lap 10 Fangio lost the lead due to a broken visor strap that forced him into the pit. However, he quickly recovered and retook the lead. Farina had to retire with engine failure on lap 14, which left Fangio quite unchallenged with Hawthorn over a minute behind in second.

Hawthorn, who had not quite recovered from an accident at Syracuse, was slowing down during the following laps and therefore the Ferrari Team flagged him into the pits and had the car taken over by González, after a collapsed Hawthorn had to be lifted out of his car. Trintignant was therefore in second place. González soon discovered the reason for Hawthorn passing out: a broken exhaust pipe was allowing fumes in the cockpit, so the Argentinian pulled into the pits to have it fixed, losing a whole lap in the process.

Meanwhile, Fangio was sitting in a comfortable lead and rode to his second victory of the season, as well as recording the fastest lap of the race. Only seven cars were able to finish. The retirements had put Trintignant in second and Moss (who scored his first podium in a World Championship race) in his privately entered Maserati in third. After his long pit stop González managed to recover and finished fourth in front of Pilette, Bira and Mantovani. For Pilette it was his first and only finish in the points of his career. ^[1]

Race classification

Pos	No	Driver	Constructor	Laps	Time/Retired	Grid	Points
1	26	Juan Manuel Fangio	Maserati	36	2:44:42.4	1	9¹
2	8	Maurice Trintignant	Ferrari	36	+ 24.2	6	6
3	22	Stirling Moss	Maserati	35	+ 1 Lap	9	4
4	10	Mike Hawthorn José Froilán González	Ferrari	35	+ 1 Lap	5	1.5 1.5
5	18	André Pilette	Gordini	35	+ 1 Lap	8	2
6	20	Prince Bira	Maserati	35	+ 1 Lap	13
7	30	Sergio Mantovani	Maserati	34	+ 2 Laps	11
Ret	4	Nino Farina	Ferrari	14	Ignition	3
Ret	16	Paul Frère	Gordini	14	Engine	10
Ret	12	Jean Behra	Gordini	12	Suspension	7
Ret	28	Onofre Marimón	Maserati	3	Engine	4
Ret	6	José Froilán González	Ferrari	1	Engine	2
Ret	2	Jacques Swaters	Ferrari	1	Engine	14
Ret	24	Roberto Mieres	Maserati	0	Fire	12
Source:^[3]

Notes

^1 – Includes 1 point for fastest lap

Shared drive

Car #10: Hawthorn (20 laps) then González (15 laps)

Championship standings after the race

After his second win of the season, Juan Manuel Fangio was in a comfortable lead with 17 points. Trintignant was second with 9, while Bill Vukovich, the winner of the Indianapolis 500 was third in the championship standings (although he wouldn't compete in another World Championship race that season).

Drivers' Championship standings

	Pos	Driver	Points
	1	Juan Manuel Fangio	17
5	2	Maurice Trintignant	9
1	3	Bill Vukovich	8
1	4	José Froilán González	6.5
2	5	Nino Farina	6
Source: ^[4]

Note: Only the top five positions are included. Only the best 5 results counted towards the Championship.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giuseppe Farina</span> Italian racing driver

Emilio Giuseppe Farina, also known as Giuseppe Antonio "Nino" Farina, was an Italian racing driver and first official Formula One World Champion. He gained the title in 1950. He was the Italian Champion in 1937, 1938 and 1939.

The 1950 Belgian Grand Prix, formally titled the Grand Prix Automobile de Belgique, was a Formula One motor race held on 18 June 1950 at Spa-Francorchamps. It was race five of seven in the 1950 World Championship of Drivers. The 35-lap race was won by Alfa Romeo driver Juan Manuel Fangio after he started from second position. His teammate Luigi Fagioli finished second and Talbot-Lago driver Louis Rosier came in third.

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 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 14 July 1951 at the Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire, England. It was race 5 of 8 in the 1951 World Championship of Drivers and was contested over 90 laps. The race was the first victory for José Froilán González, and was also the first of many for the Scuderia Ferrari team. Both the team and driver also achieved their first ever pole position during the weekend.

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 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1953 French Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 1953 French Grand Prix was a Formula Two race held on 5 July 1953 at Reims. It was race 5 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 1954 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Silverstone on 17 July 1954. It was race 5 of 9 in the 1954 World Championship of Drivers. The 90-lap race was won by Ferrari driver José Froilán González after he started from second position. His teammate Mike Hawthorn finished second and Maserati driver Onofre Marimón came in third.

The 1954 German Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Nürburgring on 1 August 1954. It was race 6 of 9 in the 1954 World Championship of Drivers. It was the 17th German Grand Prix since the race was first held in 1926 and the 16th to be held at the Nürburgring complex of circuits. The race was won by 1951 world champion, Argentine driver Juan Manuel Fangio driving a Mercedes-Benz W196. Ferrari 625 drivers Mike Hawthorn and Maurice Trintignant finished second and third for Scuderia Ferrari.

The 1955 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Spa-Francorchamps on June 5, 1955. It was race 4 of 7 in the 1955 World Championship of Drivers. The 36-lap race was won by Mercedes driver Juan Manuel Fangio after he started from second position. His teammate Stirling Moss finished second and Ferrari driver Nino Farina came in third.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1957 Formula One season</span> 11th season of FIA Formula One motor racing

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1952 Formula One season</span> 6th season of FIAs Formula One motor racing

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.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1950 Formula One season</span> 4th season of FIAs Formula One motor racing

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, which commenced on 13 May and ended on 3 September, as well as several non-championship races. The championship 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.

Roberto Casimiro Mieres was a racing driver from Mar del Plata, Argentina. He participated in 17 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 7 June 1953. He scored a total of 13 championship points.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1956 Swedish Grand Prix</span>

The 1956 Sveriges Grand Prix took place on 12 August, at the Råbelövsbanan, Kristianstad. Although this was the second running of the race, it was the first time as a round of the F.I.A. World Sports Car Championship. The previous year's race, won by Juan Manuel Fangio was the first big race held in Sweden, and the organiser, Kungl Automobil Klubben dealt with it so well, the F.I.A. promoted the race. For this year's event, the circuit was widened and resurfaced.

References

1 2 "Grand Prix de Belgique". motorsportmagazine.com. 7 July 2014. Retrieved 14 June 2017.
↑ "Belgium 1954 - Qualifying". statsf1.com. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
↑ "1954 Belgian Grand Prix". formula1.com. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
↑ "Belgium 1954 - Championship • STATS F1". www.statsf1.com. Retrieved 12 March 2019.

Previous race: 1954 Indianapolis 500	FIA Formula One World Championship 1954 season	Next race: 1954 French Grand Prix
Previous race: 1953 Belgian Grand Prix	Belgian Grand Prix	Next race: 1955 Belgian Grand Prix

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[auto-1] 1 2 "Grand Prix de Belgique". motorsportmagazine.com. 7 July 2014. Retrieved 14 June 2017.

[2] "Belgium 1954 - Qualifying". statsf1.com. Retrieved 5 May 2016.

[3] "1954 Belgian Grand Prix". formula1.com. Retrieved 3 January 2018.

[champ-4] "Belgium 1954 - Championship • STATS F1". www.statsf1.com. Retrieved 12 March 2019.

[1]

[2]

1

[3]

[4]

v t e Formula One Grands Prix (1950–1959) next »
1950	GBR MON 500 SUI BEL FRA ITA
1951	SUI 500 BEL FRA GBR GER ITA ESP
1952	SUI 500 BEL FRA GBR GER NED ITA
1953	ARG 500 NED BEL FRA GBR GER SUI ITA
1954	ARG 500 BEL FRA GBR GER SUI ITA ESP
1955	ARG MON 500 BEL NED GBR ITA
1956	ARG MON 500 BEL FRA GBR GER ITA
1957	ARG MON 500 FRA GBR GER PES ITA
1958	ARG MON NED 500 BEL FRA GBR GER POR ITA MOR
1959	MON 500 NED FRA GBR GER POR ITA USA