This isn’t the story of the rise of Ferrari, but rather the 1952 F1 season which would establish Ferrari as one of the leading F1 teams and maker of some of the most important and presidios road cars in the world.

Ferrari would build it’s first road car in 1947, and name it the 125.

1947 Ferrari 125

 

ENGINE SPECS – 1.5 V12 5MT (118 HP)
Cylinders:	V12
Displacement:	1496 cm3
Power:	87 KW @ 7000 RPM 118.3 HP @ 7000 RPM 117 BHP @ 7000 RPM
Torque:	92 lb-ft @ 5000 RPM 125 Nm @ 5000 RPM
Fuel System:	3 Carburetors
Fuel:	Gasoline

125 Engine

 

The 125 engines were used in Ferrari’s GP cars in 1948 and 1949.

1950 saw a big change in Grand Prix racing. Its name was changed to Formula One and a drivers and constructors championship was introduced.

The first two seasons of F1 were dominated by Alfa Romeo, but at the end of 1951 with Alfa Romeo facing financial collapse, the team withdrew from F1.

Alfa Type 159. 1951 drivers / constructors champion. The last Alfa to win F1 title.

 

As he clocks moved to 1952, Ferrari’s rise to the top begins.

 

The 1952 F1 season would consist of 7 races, starting in Switzerland and finishing in Italy.

1	Swiss Grand Prix	Circuit Bremgarten, Bern	18 May
2	Indianapolis 500	Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Speedway	30 May[a]
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

 

Point structure:

Position	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	FL
Race	8	6	4	3	2	1

 

1 point was awarded for fastest lap.

Race 1 – Switzerland

With the withdrawal of Alfa Romeo from the World Championship, Ferrari were left as the sole competitive team under the existing Formula One regulations. It was therefore decided to restrict the World Championship Grand Prix races to Formula Two cars.

Qualifying:

1	28	Nino Farina	Ferrari	2:47.5	–
2	30	Piero Taruffi	Ferrari	2:50.1	+ 2.6
3	8	Robert Manzon	Gordini	2:52.1	+ 4.6
4	32	André Simon	Ferrari	2:52.4	+ 4.9
5	42	Rudi Fischer	Ferrari	2:53.3	+ 5.8
6	18	Peter Collins	HWM–Alta	2:55.9	+ 8.4
7	6	Jean Behra	Gordini	2:55.9	+ 8.4
8	38	Toulo de Graffenried	Maserati–Platé	2:56.4	+ 8.9
9	46	Stirling Moss	HWM–Alta	2:56.4	+ 8.9
10	16	George Abecassis	HWM–Alta	2:56.9	+ 9.4
11	10	Prince Bira	Simca-Gordini	2:59.3	+ 11.8
12	20	Lance Macklin	HWM–Alta	3:00.2	+ 12.7
13	22	Ken Wharton	Frazer Nash–Bristol	3:00.9	+ 13.4
14	2	Hans Stuck	AFM	3:01.7	+ 14.2
15	26	Alan Brown	Cooper–Bristol	3:02.5	+ 15.0
16	4	Toni Ulmen	Veritas	3:05.6	+ 18.1
17	24	Eric Brandon	Cooper–Bristol	3:05.8	+ 18.3
18	40	Harry Schell	Maserati–Platé	3:07.6	+ 20.1
19	44	Peter Hirt	Ferrari	3:10.2	+ 22.7
20	12	Louis Rosier	Ferrari	No time	–
21	50	Max de Terra	Simca-Gordini	No time	–
22	14	Maurice Trintignant	Ferrari	No time	–

 

Race

With the withdrawal of Alfa Romeo from the World Championship, Ferrari were left as the sole competitive team under the existing Formula One regulations. It was therefore decided to restrict the World Championship Grand Prix races to Formula Two cars.

The works Ferrari team brought three drivers to the Swiss Grand Prix, namely Farina, Taruffi and Simon. Regular Ferrari drivers Alberto Ascari and Luigi Villoresi were both unavailable, the former due to his participation in the Indianapolis 500, and the latter because of his having had a road accident. Also running Ferraris were Rudi Fischer and Peter Hirt of Ecurie Espadon, and veteran Frenchman Louis Rosier. Gordini also had a three-car team for this race, consisting of Robert Manzon, B. Bira and the debutant Jean Behra. The HWM team, returning to the World Championship for the first time since the previous race at Bremgarten, fielded the all-British quartet of Abecassis, Collins, Macklin and Moss. Maserati had planned to enter defending World Drivers’ Champion Juan Manuel Fangio and fellow Argentinian José Froilán González, but this did not come into fruition. Completing the field were the sole AFM entry of Hans Stuck and a number of privately run cars representing various constructors.

Race

1	30	Piero Taruffi	Ferrari	62	3:01:46.1	2	9
2	42	Rudi Fischer	Ferrari	62	+2:37.2	5	6
3	6	Jean Behra	Gordini	61	+1 lap	7	4
4	22	Ken Wharton	Frazer Nash–Bristol	60	+2 laps	13	3
5	26	Alan Brown	Cooper–Bristol	59	+3 laps	15	2

Championship Standing

Pos	Driver	Points
1	Piero Taruffi	9
2	Rudi Fischer	6
3	Jean Behra	4
4	Ken Wharton	3
5	Alan Brown	2

Eric Brandon Cooper T20 Swiss GP 1952

Race 2 – Indianapolis

While the Indy 500 was part of the championship, it would not factor into the final result.

Race 3 – Belgian

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.

Qualifying

1	4	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari	4:37.0	–
2	2	Nino Farina	Ferrari	4:40.0	+ 3.0
3	6	Piero Taruffi	Ferrari	4:46.0	+ 9.0
4	14	Robert Manzon	Gordini	4:52.0	+ 15.0
5	16	Jean Behra	Gordini	4:56.0	+ 19.0
6	8	Mike Hawthorn	Cooper–Bristol	4:58.0	+ 21.0
7	36	Ken Wharton	Frazer Nash–Bristol	5:01.0	+ 24.0
8	28	Paul Frère	HWM–Alta	5:05.0	+ 28.0
9	10	Alan Brown	Cooper–Bristol	5:07.0	+ 30.0
10	32	Stirling Moss	ERA–Bristol	5:07.6	+ 30.6
11	26	Peter Collins	HWM–Alta	5:09.0	+ 32.0
12	12	Eric Brandon	Cooper–Bristol	5:11.0	+ 34.0
13	34	Charles de Tornaco	Ferrari	5:14.5	+ 37.5
14	24	Lance Macklin	HWM–Alta	5:17.1	+ 40.1
15	40	Robin Montgomerie-Charrington	Aston Butterworth	5:19.3	+ 42.3
16	42	Tony Gaze	HWM–Alta	5:22.8	+ 45.8
17	22	Louis Rosier	Ferrari	5:25.7	+ 48.7
18	20	Prince Bira	Simca-Gordini–Gordini	5:28.4	+ 51.4
19	18	Johnny Claes	Gordini	5:31.1	+ 54.1
20	30	Roger Laurent	HWM–Alta	5:37.9	+ 60.9
21	38	Arthur Legat	Veritas	5:45.0	+ 68.0
22	44	Robert O’Brien	Simca-Gordini–Gordini	5:51.0	+ 74.0

Maserari’s new A6GCM was still not ready, and, to compound this, their lead driver Juan Manuel Fangio had suffered back injuries at the non-championship Monza Grand Prix. This meant that Ferrari were once again favoured for success in the race, with their driver lineup consisting of Alberto Ascari (in place of André Simon), Nino Farina and Piero Taruffi. There were also two privateer Ferrari entries: local driver Charles de Tornaco of Ecurie Francorchamps, and Louis Rosier. The Gordini team expanded their lineup to include Belgian driver Johnny Claes, alongside Behra, Manzon and Bira. American Robert O’Brien also drove a Simca-Gordini for this race. HWM also recruited a pair of Belgian drivers — Paul Frère and Roger Laurent — who raced alongside regular drivers Peter Collins and Lance Macklin. Stirling Moss switched from HWM to ERA for this race. A handful of other privateer entrants also took part, including future World Champion Mike Hawthorn, who made his debut in a Cooper–Bristol.

Ascari headed an all-Ferrari front row, with teammates Farina and Taruffi in second and third, respectively. The Gordinis of Manzon and Behra made up row two, while the third row consisted of Hawthorn, Ken Wharton (in a Frazer-Nash), and Frère, who was the highest qualifier of the five Belgian drivers on the grid.

Taruffi started badly in the rain, dropping to ninth by the end of the first lap, while Behra overhauled the two leading Ferraris to take the lead of the race. Moss also started well, before his car broke down halfway through the first lap. Behra’s lead was short-lived, as both Ascari and Farina overtook him on the second lap, subsequently holding first and second for the remainder of the race. Behra dropped to fourth when the recovering Taruffi passed him on lap 13. On the following lap Taruffi spun at Malmédy and Behra hit him, causing both to retire. Manzon overtook Hawthorn to assume what was now third place. Despite suffering from fuel leakage problems, Hawthorn was able to maintain fourth place until the end of the race. His fellow debutant Paul Frère also finished in the points, in fifth.^[1]

Ascari’s win (with fastest lap), and Taruffi’s retirement, meant that the two now shared the lead of the Championship, on nine points each. Indianapolis 500 winner Troy Ruttman was in third, while Farina’s second-place finish raised him to fourth in the standings, three points adrift of the joint Championship leaders.

Race

1	4	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari	36	3:03:46.3	1	9
2	2	Nino Farina	Ferrari	36	+1:55.2	2	6
3	14	Robert Manzon	Gordini	36	+4:28.4	4	4
4	8	Mike Hawthorn	Cooper–Bristol	35	+1 lap	6	3
5	28	Paul Frère	HWM–Alta	34	+2 laps	8	2

Championship Standing

	Pos	Driver	Points
	1	Piero Taruffi	9
	2	Alberto Ascari	9
	3	Troy Ruttman	8
	4	Nino Farina	6
	5	Rudi Fischer	6

Colorized picture of Ascari at the 1952 Belgian GP

Hawthorn at the 1952 Belgian GP

 Race 4 – France

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.

Qualifying

1	8	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari	2:14.8	–
2	10	Nino Farina	Ferrari	2:16.2	+ 1.4
3	12	Piero Taruffi	Ferrari	2:17.1	+ 2.3
4	4	Jean Behra	Gordini	2:19.3	+ 4.5
5	2	Robert Manzon	Gordini	2:20.4	+ 5.6
6	44	Maurice Trintignant	Simca-Gordini–Gordini	2:21.6	+ 6.8
7	22	Peter Collins	HWM–Alta	2:21.9	+ 7.1
8	6	Prince Bira	Gordini	2:23.0	+ 8.2
9	14	Louis Rosier	Ferrari	2:27.0	+ 12.2
10	24	Yves Giraud-Cabantous	HWM–Alta	2:27.5	+ 12.7
11	16	Toulo de Graffenried	Maserati	2:28.6	+ 13.8
12	18	Harry Schell	Maserati	2:29.0	+ 14.2
13	26	Peter Whitehead	Alta	2:29.5	+ 14.7
14	20	Lance Macklin	HWM–Alta	2:30.9	+ 16.1
15	42	Mike Hawthorn	Cooper–Bristol	2:32.0	+ 17.2
16	28	Philippe Étancelin	Maserati	2:33.7	+ 18.9
17	36	Rudi Fischer	Ferrari	2:34.6	+ 19.8
18	38	Franco Comotti	Ferrari	2:36.0	+ 21.2
19	40	Piero Carini	Ferrari	2:37.7	+ 22.9
20	32	Johnny Claes	Simca-Gordini–Gordini	2:39.6	+ 24.8

 

Having won the previous weekend’s Grand Prix de la Marne, Jean Behra, racing for Equipe Gordini, was among the favourites for the first French Grand Prix to be held at Rouen-Les-Essarts. Also driving for Gordini were regulars Robert Manzon and Prince Bira, alongside Maurice Trintignant, who replaced Johnny Claes from the lineup for the previous round. Claes entered the race in a Simca-Gordini under his own ‘Ecurie Belge’ label, which he had used in the 1950 and 1951 seasons. Ferrari retained their lineup of Ascari, Farina and Taruffi, who had locked out the front row of the grid in Belgium. There were also several privateer Ferrari entries: the Swiss duo of Rudi Fischer and Peter Hirt, representing Ecurie Espadon, the Italian pairing of Franco Comotti and Piero Carini, for Scuderia Marzotto, and Louis Rosier. HWM again ran regular drivers Lance Macklin and Peter Collins, this time alongside Frenchman Yves Giraud-Cabantous. While the factory Maserati team remained absent, their new car, the A6GCM, made its World Championship debut, driven by Philippe Étancelin of Escuderia Bandeirantes. Enrico Platé entered a pair of older Maseratis, the 4CLT/48 model, for Toulo de Graffenried and Harry Schell. Completing the grid were Peter Whitehead, in a privately run Alta, and Mike Hawthorn, who again took part in a Cooper–Bristol.

Ascari took his second consecutive pole position, with his Ferrari teammates Farina and Taruffi again joining him on the front row of the grid. The Gordini team locked out the second row, with Behra and Manzon qualifying in fourth and fifth, respectively. Their teammates Trintignant and Bira started from the third row, alongside Peter Collins in the fastest of the HWMs. The new Maserati A6GCM proved a disappointment, with Philippe Étancelin only managing to qualify on the seventh row of the grid (out of eight).

The Ferraris once again dominated the race, with Alberto Ascari leading Farina from start to finish, thus taking his second consecutive victory in the World Championship. Despite a good start from the Gordinis of Manzon and Behra, that saw them take third and fourth place, respectively, by the end of the first lap, Piero Taruffi managed to regain third place on lap 4 and subsequently held it for the remainder of the race, ensuring that it was an all-Ferrari podium. Manzon finished fourth, a lap behind Taruffi, while his teammate Maurice Trintignant took the final points-scoring position of fifth. HWM driver Peter Collins took sixth, two laps behind Trintignant, ahead of Jean Behra, for whom seventh represented something of a recovery, having been in last place at the end of lap 3. His race had been compromised when he crashed and consequently needed to pit.

Ascari’s win, and fastest lap, ensured that he took a five-point lead in the Drivers’ Championship, ahead of fellow Ferrari driver Piero Taruffi. Farina’s second consecutive second-place finish took him to third in the standings, one point adrift of Taruffi. Indianapolis 500 winner Troy Ruttman was a further four points behind in fourth, one point ahead of Gordini driver Robert Manzon

Race

1	8	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari	77	3:02:42.6	1	9
2	10	Nino Farina	Ferrari	76	+ 1 lap	2	6
3	12	Piero Taruffi	Ferrari	75	+ 2 laps	3	4
4	2	Robert Manzon	Gordini	74	+ 3 laps	5	3
5	44	Maurice Trintignant	Simca–Gordini–Gordini	72	+ 5 laps	6	2

 

Championship Standing

1	1	Alberto Ascari	18
1	2	Piero Taruffi	13
1	3	Nino Farina	12
1	4	Troy Ruttman	8
3	5	Robert Manzon	7

French GP 1952

Ferrari at the 1952 French GP

Race 5 – Great Britain

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 New pit facilities had been built on the straight between Woodcote and Copse corners; the original pits were located between Abbey and Woodcote.

Qualifying

1	16	Nino Farina	Ferrari	1:50	–
2	15	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari	1:50	+ 0
3	17	Piero Taruffi	Ferrari	1:53	+ 3
4	24	Robert Manzon	Gordini	1:55	+ 5
5	4	Ken Downing	Connaught–Lea Francis	1:56	+ 6
6	8	Reg Parnell	Cooper–Bristol	1:56	+ 6
7	9	Mike Hawthorn	Cooper–Bristol	1:56	+ 6
8	6	Dennis Poore	Connaught–Lea Francis	1:56	+ 6
9	5	Eric Thompson	Connaught–Lea Francis	1:57	+ 7
10	26	Prince Bira	Gordini	1:57	+ 7
11	30	Duncan Hamilton	HWM–Alta	1:57	+ 7
12	1	Graham Whitehead	Alta	1:58	+ 8
13	11	Alan Brown	Cooper–Bristol	1:58	+ 8
14	29	Peter Collins	HWM–Alta	1:58	+ 8
15	19	Rudi Fischer	Ferrari	1:58	+ 8
16	12	Stirling Moss	ERA–Bristol	1:59	+ 9
17	3	Kenneth McAlpine	Connaught–Lea Francis	2:00	+ 10
18	10	Eric Brandon	Cooper–Bristol	2:00	+ 10
19	14	Roy Salvadori	Ferrari	2:00	+ 10
20	21	Peter Whitehead	Ferrari	2:00	+ 10
21	25	Maurice Trintignant	Gordini	2:00	+ 10
22	7	David Murray	Cooper–Bristol	2:02	+ 12
23	27	Johnny Claes	Simca-Gordini–Gordini	2:02	+ 12
24	20	Peter Hirt	Ferrari	2:03	+ 13
25	23	Tony Crook	Frazer Nash–BMW	2:03	+ 13
26	28	Tony Gaze	HWM–Alta	2:05	+ 15
27	35	Eitel Cantoni	Maserati	2:06	+ 16
28	34	Gino Bianco	Maserati	2:07	+ 17
29	31	Lance Macklin	HWM–Alta	2:08	+ 18
30	2	Bill Aston	Aston Butterworth	3:28	+ 1:38
31	32	Toulo de Graffenried	Maserati–Platé	No time	–
32	33	Harry Schell	Maserati–Platé	No time	–

Jean Behra was unable to take part in the British Grand Prix, having broken his shoulder blade at the non-championship Grand Prix de Sables d’Olonne the previous weekend. Consequently, Maurice Trintignant took over Behra’s Gordini T16 for Silverstone, having driven a Simca-Gordini T15 at Rouen-Les-Essarts. The Gordini team also fielded regular drivers Robert Manzon and Prince Bira. As in the previous race, Belgian driver Johnny Claes entered a privateer Simca-Gordini under the ‘Ecurie Belge’ moniker. Ferrari stuck with the same three drivers — Alberto Ascari, Nino Farina and Piero Taruffi — who had monopolised the podium positions at the French Grand Prix. There were also a number of privateer Ferrari entrants: Fischer and Hirt for Ecurie Espadon, Peter Whitehead and Roy Salvadori. HWM continued their policy of partnering regulars Peter Collins and Lance Macklin with a local driver, in this case Duncan Hamilton. The Connaught team ran a quartet of Lea Francis-engined entries — McAlpine, Downing, Thompson and Poore — while the remainder of the grid was made up of a series of privateers of various constructors, including Coopers and Maseratis.

The three works Ferraris, led on this occasion by Farina, again qualified in the top three positions on the grid, this time being joined on the four-car front row by Manzon. The second row consisted of Downing alongside Reg Parnell and Mike Hawthorn in a pair of Cooper-Bristols. The Connaughts of Poore and Thompson shared row three with Bira’s Gordini and Hamilton in his HWM.

Ascari took the lead at the start of the race and held onto it for the whole 85 laps, taking his third consecutive victory in the World Championship. Polesitter Nino Farina was in second place for the first 26 laps but he dropped down the field when he needed to pit to change spark plugs, eventually finishing in sixth, just outside the points. Despite making a bad start that saw him drop to ninth by the end of the first lap, fellow Ferrari driver Taruffi recovered to take second place, finishing a lap behind Ascari. Dennis Poore, who had been running in third after Farina’s pit stop, needed to make a stop of his own in order to refuel his car. This allowed Hawthorn to inherit third place, which he held for the remainder of the race. He finished a lap behind Taruffi and took his first World Championship podium in just his third race. Poore took fourth, ahead of Connaught teammate Eric Thompson in the fifth and final points position. Ascari’s win, coupled with yet another fastest lap, allowed him to extend his lead in the Drivers’ Championship once again. He now enjoyed an eight-point lead over fellow Ferrari driver Taruffi. Farina, having not scored any points, was seven points adrift of Taruffi.

Race

1	15	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari	85	2:46:11	2	91
2	17	Piero Taruffi	Ferrari	84	+1 lap	3	6
3	9	Mike Hawthorn	Cooper–Bristol	83	+2 laps	7	4
4	6	Dennis Poore	Connaught–Lea Francis	83	+2 laps	8	3
5	5	Eric Thompson	Connaught–Lea Francis	82	+3 laps	9	2

Championship Standing

	1	Alberto Ascari	27
	2	Piero Taruffi	19
	3	Nino Farina	12
	4	Troy Ruttman	8
	5	Robert Manzon	7

Ascari at the 1952 British GP

1952 British GP start

1952 British GP

Race 6 – Germany

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.

Qualifying

1	101	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari	10:04.4	–
2	102	Nino Farina	Ferrari	10:07.3	+ 2.9
3	109	Maurice Trintignant	Gordini	10:19.1	+ 14.7
4	107	Robert Manzon	Gordini	10:25.3	+ 20.9
5	103	Piero Taruffi	Ferrari	10:26.3	+ 21.9
6	117	Rudi Fischer	Ferrari	10:41.9	+ 37.5
7	127	Paul Pietsch	Veritas	10:56.3	+ 51.9
8	128	Hans Klenk	Veritas
9	123	Willi Heeks	AFM–BMW
10	105	Felice Bonetto	Maserati
11	108	Jean Behra	Gordini
12	121	Fritz Riess	Veritas–BMW
13	112	Paul Frère	HWM–Alta
14	120	Tony Gaze	HWM–Alta
15	125	Toni Ulmen	Veritas–BMW
16	115	Gino Bianco	Maserati
17	119	Roger Laurent	Ferrari
18	122	Theo Helfrich	Veritas–BMW
19	126	Adolf Brudes	Veritas–BMW
20	129	Josef Peters	Veritas–BMW
21	114	Bill Aston	Aston Butterworth
22	124	Helmut Niedermayr	AFM–BMW
23	136	Rudolf Krause	Reif–BMW
24	118	Rudolf Schoeller	Ferrari
25	110	Marcel Balsa	Balsa–BMW
26	116	Eitel Cantoni	Maserati
27	104	Piero Carini	Ferrari
28	133	Willi Krakau	AFM–BMW
29	135	Ernst Klodwig	Heck–BMW
30	130	Günther Bechem	Nacke–BMW
31	131	Ludwig Fischer	AFM–BMW
32	113	Johnny Claes	HWM–Alta
33	111	Peter Collins	HWM–Alta
34	134	Harry Merkel	Krakau–BMW

The Maserati factory team finally appeared with their new car, the A6GCM, which was driven by Felice Bonetto. Also racing A6GCMs were the Escuderia Bandeirantes drivers Bianco and Cantoni. Ferrari once again entered the successful trio of Alberto Ascari, Nino Farina and Piero Taruffi, while there were privateer Ferrari entries for Rudi Fischer and Rudolf Schoeller of Ecurie Espadon, Roger Laurent of Ecurie Francorchamps, and Piero Carini of Scuderia Marzotto. Jean Behra returned to action for the Gordini team, having recovered from his shoulder injury. He replaced Prince Bira, and was partnered by teammates Robert Manzon and Maurice Trintignant. HWM entered three cars, with regular Peter Collins joined by the Belgian pairing of Paul Frère and Johnny Claes, while Australian Tony Gaze drove a privateer HWM. Bill Aston drove an Aston Butterworth, and the field was completed by a plethora of privateer German cars (Veritas, AFM and BMW).

Ferrari were once again fastest in qualifying, with Ascari and Farina being joined on the front row of the grid by the Gordinis of Trintignant and Manzon. The remaining works Ferrari driver, Taruffi, started from the second row, alongside the Ecurie Espadon-entered Ferrari of Fischer and Paul Pietsch in a Veritas. Bonetto’s works Maserati made the third row, along with the Gordini of Jean Behra, and a pair of local entrants: Hans Klenk‘s Veritas, and Willi Heeks in an AFM.

The race turned out to be rather a processional event, with Ascari leading Farina all the way in the first 16 laps. Two laps from home, he had to dive into the pits for oil, emerging 10 seconds behind Farina-which he rattled off on the next lap, catching Farina just a mile from home to win by several seconds after an otherwise dull race. Piero Taruffi had been running in third behind his teammates, but he lost the position to Rudi Fischer towards the end of the race when he encountered problems due to his suspension breaking. Fischer’s podium and Taruffi’s fourth place-finish ensured that it was a Ferrari 1-2-3-4. Manzon, who had been running in fourth for much of the first half of the race, between Taruffi and Fischer, was forced to retire when a wheel fell off his car. This meant that his teammate Behra was left to take the final points in fifth position in his Gordini, ahead of Roger Laurent’s Ferrari. Felice Bonetto, of the factory Maserati team, was disqualified for receiving a push start after his first lap spin.

Ascari, who had taken his fourth consecutive victory, along with a fourth consecutive fastest lap, had now scored the maximum of 36 points for the season, as only a driver’s four best results counted. As a result, he clinched the world championship, making him the first driver to win the championship with two races left to go.^[1] The date was 3 August, the earliest anyone would claim the Championship until Jim Clark seized the crown on 1 August in 1965, also at the Nürburgring. Ascari’s teammates, Taruffi and Farina, remained in second and third, respectively, in the Drivers’ Championship, while Swiss driver Fischer’s second podium of the season raised him up to fourth in the standings.

Race

1	101	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari	18	3:06:13.3	1	9
2	102	Nino Farina	Ferrari	18	+14.1	2	6
3	117	Rudi Fischer	Ferrari	18	+7:10.1	6	4
4	103	Piero Taruffi	Ferrari	17	+1 lap	5	3
5	108	Jean Behra	Gordini	17	+1 lap	11	2

Championship Standing

	1	Alberto Ascari	36
	2	Piero Taruffi	22
	3	Nino Farina	18
3	4	Rudi Fischer	10
1	5	Troy Ruttman	8

1952 German GP start

Race 7 – Netherlands

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.

Qualifying

1	2	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari	1:46.5	–
2	4	Nino Farina	Ferrari	1:48.6	+ 2.1
3	32	Mike Hawthorn	Cooper–Bristol	1:51.6	+ 5.1
4	6	Luigi Villoresi	Ferrari	1:51.8	+ 5.3
5	12	Maurice Trintignant	Gordini	1:53.0	+ 6.5
6	8	Jean Behra	Gordini	1:54.5	+ 8.0
7	34	Ken Wharton	Frazer-Nash–Bristol	1:54.7	+ 8.2
8	10	Robert Manzon	Gordini	1:54.8	+ 8.3
9	26	Lance Macklin	HWM–Alta	1:55.2	+ 8.7
10	28	Duncan Hamilton	HWM–Alta	1:55.8	+ 9.3
11	14	Paul Frère	Simca-Gordini–Gordini	1:58.2	+ 11.7
12	18	Gino Bianco	Maserati	1:58.4	+ 11.9
13	22	Ken Downing	Connaught–Lea-Francis	1:58.6	+ 12.1
14	30	Dries van der Lof	HWM–Alta	1:59.4	+ 12.9
15	20	Jan Flinterman	Maserati	2:01.8	+ 15.3
16	16	Chico Landi	Maserati	2:02.1	+ 15.6
17	24	Charles de Tornaco	Ferrari	2:03.7	+ 17.2
18	36	Stirling Moss	ERA	2:04.5	+ 18.0

 

Luigi Villorasi absent from the World Championship since the final round of the 1951 season, returned to the Ferrari lineup for the Dutch Grand Prix, replacing Piero Taruffi, alongside regulars Nino Farina and Alberto Ascari, the latter of which had clinched the Drivers’ Championship title two weeks previously. Charles de Tornaco also drove a Ferrari at Zandvoort, on behalf of the Ecurie Francorchamps team. Gordini entered the same three drivers from the previous event, the French trio of Behra, Manzon and Trintignant, while Belgian driver Paul Frère drove an Ecurie Belge-entered Simca-Gordini. The HWM team partnered Britons Lance Macklin and Duncan Hamilton with the local driver Dries van der Lof. The only other Dutch driver on the grid was Jan Flinterman, who took part in a Maserati for Escuderia Bandeirantes alongside Chico Landi and Gino Bianco. The works Maserati team were once again absent from the grid, following an unsuccessful appearance in Germany. The field was completed by the Connaught of Ken Downing, Mike Hawthorn‘s Cooper–Bristol, Ken Wharton‘s Frazer-Nash and Stirling Moss in an ERA.

The Ferraris once again dominated qualifying, with Ascari taking his fourth pole position of the season, ahead of Farina in second. Mike Hawthorn shone in practice, gaining a front-row start for his little Cooper-Bristol, relegating Villoresi’s Ferrari to the second row of the grid. Trintignant’s Gordini completed row two, while his teammates Behra and Manzon were joined on the third row by Wharton in the sole Frazer-Nash.

Hawthorn fought valiantly with the Ferraris for five laps before they resumed their usual formation. Ascari led Farina and Villoresi home in another Ferrari procession, with Hawthorn gaining fourth place, two laps behind the Ferrari trio. This was Ascari’s fifth consecutive victory (along with a fifth consecutive fastest lap), and his seventh victory in total, breaking Fangio‘s record for the most World Championship race wins. The Gordinis of Manzon and Trintignant finished a further lap behind Hawthorn, taking fifth and sixth place, respectively. Stirling Moss got up as high as seventh in the ERA before having to retire.

Farina’s podium finish took him to second place in the Drivers’ Championship standings, overtaking the absentee Taruffi. Swiss driver Rudi Fischer, also not present at the Dutch Grand Prix, remained in fourth, while Mike Hawthorn’s result took him to fifth in the standings, level on points with Fischer.   Race   1 2 Alberto Ascari Ferrari 90 2:53:28.5 1 9 2 4 Nino Farina Ferrari 90 + 40.1 2 6 3 6 Luigi Villoresi Ferrari 90 + 1:34.4 4 4 4 32 Mike Hawthorn Cooper–Bristol 88 + 2 laps 3 3 5 10 Robert Manzon Gordini 87 + 3 laps 8 2               Championship Standing   1 Alberto Ascari 36 (45) 1 2 Nino Farina 24 1 3 Piero Taruffi 22 4 Rudi Fischer 10 2 5 Mike Hawthorn 10

1952 Dutch GP start

Ascari on his way to winning the 1952 Dutch GP

1952 Dutch GP

 

Race 8 – Italy

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.

Qualifying

1	12	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari	2:05.7	—
2	16	Luigi Villoresi	Ferrari	2:06.6	+0.9
3	10	Nino Farina	Ferrari	2:07.0	+1.3
4	4	Maurice Trintignant	Gordini	2:07.2	+1.5
5	26	José Froilán González	Maserati	2:07.6	+1.9
6	14	Piero Taruffi	Ferrari	2:07.8	+2.1
7	2	Robert Manzon	Gordini	2:08.2	+2.5
8	8	André Simon	Ferrari	2:09.1	+3.4
9	32	Stirling Moss	Connaught–Lea Francis	2:09.8	+4.1
10	34	Élie Bayol	OSCA	2:10.6	+4.9
11	6	Jean Behra	Gordini	2:10.8	+5.1
12	42	Mike Hawthorn	Cooper–Bristol	2:11.2	+5.5
13	22	Felice Bonetto	Maserati	2:11.6	+5.9
14	18	Rudi Fischer	Ferrari	2:11.8	+6.1
15	40	Ken Wharton	Cooper–Bristol	2:12.2	+6.5
16	24	Franco Rol	Maserati	2:12.7	+7.0
17	62	Louis Rosier	Ferrari	2:12.7	+7.0
18	48	Chico Landi	Maserati	2:13.0	+7.3
19	30	Dennis Poore	Connaught–Lea Francis	2:14.0	+8.3
20	36	Eric Brandon	Cooper–Bristol	2:14.0	+8.3
21	38	Alan Brown	Cooper–Bristol	2:15.0	+9.3
22	28	Kenneth McAlpine	Connaught–Lea Francis	2:15.1	+9.4
23	50	Eitel Cantoni	Maserati	2:15.9	+10.2
24	46	Gino Bianco	Maserati	2:17.1	+11.4

Race

Due to the dominance of the Ferrari team throughout 1952, the World Drivers’ Championship had already been clinched a month prior to the season-ending Italian Grand Prix. Nevertheless, Ferrari entered five drivers for their home race, with their Dutch Grand Prix trio—World Champion Alberto Ascari, Nino Farina and Luigi Villoresi—being joined by Piero Taruffi and André Simon, both of whom had competed for the Scuderia at various points of the season. There were also a number of privateer Ferraris, including the Ecurie Espadon pairing of Fischer and Stuck, as well as Charles de Tornaco of Ecurie Francorchamps, Louis Rosier and Peter Whitehead. The works Maserati team appeared for the first and only time in the 1952 World Championship, running three cars for Felice Bonetto, Franco Rol and José Froilán González. Also running A6GCMs were the Escuderia Bandeirantes trio of Bianco, Cantoni and Landi, while Enrico Platé‘s drivers—Toulo de Graffenried and debutant Alberto Crespo—ran the older 4CLT/48 equipped with the team’s own revised engines. Gordini retained their previous driver lineup of Behra, Manzon and Trintignant, while Johnny Claes drove a privateer Simca-Gordini at Monza. HWM entered a pair of cars for Peter Collins and Lance Macklin, with Australian Tony Gaze running a privateer HWM. The Connaught team, absent since the British Grand Prix, returned to the Championship with a three-car entry consisting of Stirling Moss (who had driven for ERA at the previous event), Dennis Poore and Kenneth McAlpine.

For this event, only 24 cars were allowed to take the start, meaning that 11 of the 35 drivers who had entered the race failed to qualify. These included all of the HWMs, three of the privateer Ferraris, and both of the Enrico Platé-entered Maseratis. Ascari took his third consecutive pole position (and his fifth of the season), and the front row was completed by his teammates Villoresi and Farina, and the Gordini of Trintignant. The Maserati of González started from the second row, alongside the remaining works Ferraris of Taruffi and Simon, and the Gordini of Robert Manzon. Row three consisted of Stirling Moss in the leading Connaught, Frenchman Élie Bayol in the sole OSCA, Behra in the third and final works Gordini, and Mike Hawthorn in his privateer Cooper–Bristol. The remaining works Maseratis of Bonetto and Rol were only able to make the fourth row of the grid, starting from 13th and 16th, respectively.

José Froilán González emerged in first place at the start of the race, ahead of Ascari in second. The Argentine remained in the lead for the first 36 laps of the race, until a slow pit stop allowed the Ferraris of Ascari and Villoresi to pass him for first and second, respectively. Ascari held the lead for the remainder of the race, and, in so doing, took his sixth consecutive World Championship race victory. González caught up with Villoresi and passed him to take second place in his only Championship race of the season. Villoresi completed the podium by taking his second consecutive third-place finish. Farina was not far behind in fourth place, while the second Maserati of Felice Bonetto took the final points position in fifth, finishing a lap down on the leaders. The remaining works Ferraris of Simon and Taruffi finished in sixth and seventh place, respectively.

As Taruffi finished outside the points, he was unable to overtake Nino Farina in the Drivers’ Championship standings. The Ferrari team monopolised the top three positions, with World Champion Alberto Ascari ahead of teammates Farina and Taruffi.

1	12	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari	80	2:50:45.6	1	8.5
2	26	José Froilán González	Maserati	80	+1:01.8	5	6.5
3	16	Luigi Villoresi	Ferrari	80	+2:04.2	2	4
4	10	Nino Farina	Ferrari	80	+2:11.4	3	3
5	22	Felice Bonetto	Maserati	79	+1 lap	13	2

 

Championship Standing

	1	Alberto Ascari	36 (53.5)
	2	Nino Farina	24 (27)
	3	Piero Taruffi	22
	4	Rudi Fischer	10
	5	Mike Hawthorn	10

Alberto Ascari wins the 1952 championship.

Ascari after winning the 1952 championship

The 1952 F1 championship was a turning point in the sports history. The upstart Ferrari team crushed the other teams, and the dominant Alfa Romeo team would pull out and not return to F1 until the late 1970’s. Ferrari’s success on the track was mirrored by its success as a car manufacture, something which stands to this day.

Today that prediction continues on both the road and track.