Automobile World Championship 1954

Automobile World Championship 1954

World Champion
Driver:	Juan Manuel Fangio
Season dates
Number of races:	9
<1953 season	1955 season>

Karl Kling in the Mercedes W 196

4-cylinder engine of the Ferrari 625F1

Lancia D50A, at the Goodwood Festival of Speed , 2007

The 1954 Automobile World Championship was the 5th season of the Automobile World Championship, which is now known as the Formula 1 World Championship . The drivers' world championship was held in the context of nine races from January 17 to October 24, 1954.

The FIA honorary title Grand Prix of Europe was awarded to the Grand Prix of Germany in 1954 .

The year 1954 brought a new set of regulations: After the transition years 1952 and 1953 , in which cars from the former Formula 2 were used, the new Formula 1 came into force with a displacement of 2500 cm³. Alternatively, supercharged engines with 750 cm³ were also permitted, but as in previous years, no team opted for these engines.

The dominant team of the 1930s, Mercedes , returned to the racetracks in the middle of the season, with Juan Manuel Fangio having already secured the best driver of the era. Since this wanted to be world champion, but the Mercedes was not finished until the middle of the season, Fangio contested the first races on Maserati . Karl Kling and Hans Herrmann completed the team.

After Alberto Ascari's departure, Ferrari relied on José Froilán González , Mike Hawthorn and Maurice Trintignant, among others . Ascari and his friend Luigi Villoresi signed with the new Lancia team , but this car wasn't ready until the end of the season. And for the first time there was Onofre Marimón, a dead person to mourn in a Formula 1 world championship run.

Teams and drivers

team	constructor	chassis	engine	tires	driver
Maserati	Maserati	250F A6SSG	Maserati	P	Juan Manuel Fangio
					Alberto Ascari
					Onofre Marimón
					Stirling Moss
					Luigi Musso
					Luigi Villoresi
					Prince Bira
					Sergio Mantovani
					Francisco Godia-Sales
Scuderia Ferrari	Ferrari	625F1 553 (1954)	Ferrari	P	Giuseppe Farina
					José Froilán González
					Mike Hawthorn
					Umberto Maglioli
					Maurice Trintignant
					Piero Taruffi
Gordini Racing	Gordini	T16 (1954)	Gordini	E.	Jean Behra
					Elie Bayol
					Paul Brother
					Fred Wacker
					Roger Loyer
					André Pilette
					Jacques Pollet
					Georges Berger
					Clemar Bucci
Ecurie Rosier	Ecurie Rosier	500 625F1	Ferrari	D.	Louis Rosier
					Maurice Trintignant
					Robert Manzon
Team Harry Schell	Team Harry Schell	A6SSG	Maserati	P	Harry Schell
Emmanuel de Graffenried	Emmanuel de Graffenried	A6SSG	Maserati	P	Emmanuel de Graffenried
Team Robert Mieres	Team Robert Mieres	A6SSG	Maserati	P	Robert Mieres
Team Jorge Daponte	Team Jorge Daponte	A6SSG	Maserati	P	Jorge Daponte
Team Onofre Marimón	Team Onofre Marimón	A6SSG	Maserati	P	Carlos Menditeguy
Ecurie Francorchamps	Ecurie Francorchamps	500	Ferrari	E.	Jacques Swaters
Team Bira	Team Bira	250F	Maserati	P	Prince Bira
					Ron Flockhart
Team Stirling Moss	Team Stirling Moss	250F	Maserati	P	Stirling Moss
Mercedes Benz	Mercedes	W196	Mercedes	C.	Juan Manuel Fangio
					Karl Kling
					Hans Herrmann
					Hermann Lang
HWM	HWM	HWM (1954)	Alta	D.	Lance Macklin
British Racing Motors	BRM	250F	Maserati	D.	Ken Wharton
Gilby Engineering	Gilby Engineering	250F	Maserati	D.	Roy Salvadori
Scuderia Ambrosiana	Scuderia Ambrosiana	500	Ferrari	A.	Reg Parnell
Vanwall	Vanwall	Vanwall (1954/57)	Vanwall	P	Peter Collins
Team Peter Whitehead	Team Peter Whitehead	Cooper T24	Alta	D.	Peter Whitehead
Team Whitehouse	Team Whitehouse	Connaught Type A	Lea-Francis	D.	Bill Whitehouse
Team Leslie Marr	Team Leslie Marr	Connaught Type A	Lea-Francis	D.	Leslie Marr
Rob Walker	Rob Walker	Connaught Type A	Lea-Francis	D.	John Riseley-Prichard
Team Sir Jeremy Boles	Team Sir Jeremy Boles	Connaught Type A	Lea-Francis	D.	Don Beauman
Ecurie Ecosse	Ecurie Ecosse	Connaught Type A	Lea-Francis	D.	Leslie Thorne
RJ Chase	RJ Chase	Cooper T23	Bristol	D.	Alan Brown
Team Horace Gould	Team Horace Gould	Cooper T23	Bristol	D.	Horace Gould
Team FR Gerard Cars	Team FR Gerard Cars	Cooper T23	Bristol	D.	Bob Gerard
Ecurie Richmond	Ecurie Richmond	Cooper T23	Bristol	D.	Eric Brandon
Team Hans Klenk	Hans Klenk	Veritas meteor	BMW	P	Theo Helfrich
Team de Riu	Hans Klenk	A6SSG	Maserati	P	Giovanni de Riu
Lancia	Lancia	D50	Lancia	P	Alberto Ascari
					Luigi Villoresi

Race results

GP Argentina - Buenos Aires (January 17, 1954)

→ Main article : 1954 Argentine Grand Prix

space	driver	team	time
1	Juan Manuel Fangio	Maserati	3: 00: 55.8
2	Giuseppe Farina	Ferrari	+1: 19.0
3	José Froilán González	Ferrari	+ 2: 01.0
4th	Maurice Trintignant	Ferrari	+ 1 lap
5	Élie Bayol	Gordini	+ 2 rounds

Many teams were not equipped for the first race of the new regulations and used the modified previous year's models. Since Fangio's Maserati team had too many mechanics on duty during a pit stop, the Ferrari team management expected him to be disqualified and signaled to their drivers: “Don't risk anything!”. The protest did not go through in the home country of the world championship favorite and so Fangio won three Ferraris ahead of them.

500 Miles from Indianapolis - Indianapolis (May 31, 1954)

→ Main article : Indianapolis 500 1954

space	driver	team	time
1	Bill Vukovich	Kurtis - Offenhauser	3: 49: 17.27
2	Jimmy Bryan	Kuzma - Offenhauser	+1: 09.95
3	Jack McGrath	Kurtis - Offenhauser	+1: 19.73
4th	T. Ruttman / D. Carter	Kurtis - Offenhauser	+ 2: 52.68
5	Mike Nazaruk	Kurtis - Offenhauser	+ 3: 24.55

The "Indy 500" was not a Formula 1 race, but the FIA ​​counted the result as part of the drivers' world championship for a few years. As usual, European teams and drivers did not start, and Indy 500 drivers almost never took part in Formula 1 races.

Bill Vukovich , started from the seventh row, worked his way forward and scored his second Indy win in a row.

Belgian GP - Spa-Francorchamps (June 20, 1954)

→ Main article : 1954 Belgian Grand Prix

space	driver	team	time
1	Juan Manuel Fangio	Maserati	2: 44: 42.4
2	Maurice Trintignant	Ferrari	+ 24.2
3	Stirling Moss	Maserati	+ 1 lap
4th	M. Hawthorn / JF González	Ferrari	+ 1 lap
5	André Pilette	Gordini	+ 1 lap

After Farina and González had engine failures , the race was an easy game for Fangio . Roberto Mieres was lucky , whose Maserati burned out completely on the first lap. He was only slightly injured.

French GP - Reims (4th July 1954)

→ Main article : 1954 French Grand Prix

space	driver	team	time
1	Juan Manuel Fangio	Mercedes Benz	2: 42: 47.9
2	Karl Kling	Mercedes Benz	+ 0.1
3	Robert Manzon	Ferrari	+ 1 lap
4th	Prince Bira	Maserati	+ 1 lap
5	Luigi Villoresi	Maserati	+ 3 rounds

The French Grand Prix brought the long awaited debut of the Mercedes . With their flat and wide design and also full cladding for fast routes, they already looked superior to the rest of the field with narrow, long-legged vehicles. The race ended with a double victory for Fangio ahead of Kling. Newcomer Hans Herrmann also achieved the fastest lap before he retired. Quote Fangio : "On this day we actually only saw the competitors at the start and during lapping maneuvers."

The date of the victory was a historic one: exactly forty years after Christian Friedrich Lautenschlager's victory in a Mercedes in the French Grand Prix in 1914. Shortly after the superior Mercedes double victory, the German national soccer team became world champions at the “ Miracle of Bern ”.

British GP - Silverstone (17th July 1954)

→ Main article : 1954 British Grand Prix

space	driver	team	time
1	José Froilán González	Ferrari	2: 56: 14.0
2	Mike Hawthorn	Ferrari	+ 1.10.0
3	Onofre Marimón	Maserati	+ 1 lap
4th	Juan Manuel Fangio	Mercedes Benz	+ 1 lap
5	Maurice Trintignant	Ferrari	+ 3 rounds

Everyone expected another Mercedes victory for the British Grand Prix, but the full fairing proved to be a hindrance on the 4.8-kilometer circuit with eight bends and only short straights. On the track surrounded by straw bales and marked with sand-filled barrels, precisely steerable vehicles with free-standing wheels were an advantage, and so José Froilán González won the race in a Ferrari . Fangio even dented the confusing Mercedes three times and was only fourth. Onofre Marimón achieved an astonishing achievement . Because of the failures of his mechanics, he was unable to train and had to start last. On the first lap he overtook 19 vehicles and finally came in third.

GP Germany - Nürburgring (August 1, 1954)

→ Main article : 1954 German Grand Prix

space	driver	team	time
1	Juan Manuel Fangio	Mercedes Benz	3: 45: 45.8
2	M. Hawthorn / JF González	Ferrari	+1: 36.5
3	Maurice Trintignant	Ferrari	+ 5: 08.6
4th	Karl Kling	Mercedes Benz	+ 6: 06.5
5	Sergio Mantovani	Maserati	+ 8: 50.5

The Argentine Maserati driver Onofre Marimón had a fatal accident during training ; it was the first death in a Formula 1 world championship run.

After the failure at Silverstone, Mercedes-Benz had supplemented the streamlined bodies with vehicles with free-standing wheels. Despite the grief for his compatriot, Fangio won again and secured the world title early. To the horror of race director Alfred Neubauer, Kling had chased and overtaken Fangio after his car lost gas and had to refuel. "Old star" Hermann Lang , the de facto European champion of the Grand Prix European Championship in 1939 , had his last big appearance; until he retired he was second.

With 3 hours and 45 minutes, this race is, after the 2011 Canadian Grand Prix , (apart from the not comparable Indy races) the second longest Formula 1 world championship run ever.

GP Switzerland - Bremgarten (August 22, 1954)

→ Main article : 1954 Swiss Grand Prix

space	driver	team	time
1	Juan Manuel Fangio	Mercedes Benz	3: 00: 34.5
2	José Froilán González	Ferrari	+ 57.8
3	Hans Herrmann	Mercedes Benz	+ 1 lap
4th	Roberto Mières	Maserati	+ 2 rounds
5	Sergio Mantovani	Maserati	+ 2 rounds

The Swiss GP (the last one in Bremgarten ) brought Fangio a start-to-finish victory . Stirling Moss in the factory Maserati was initially able to keep up with him, which aroused the interest of Mercedes racing director Alfred Neubauer in the British (1955 Moss drove for the Germans). Hans Herrmann achieved his best result with third place.

Italian GP - Monza (September 5, 1954)

→ Main article : 1954 Italian Grand Prix

space	driver	team	time
1	Juan Manuel Fangio	Mercedes Benz	2: 47: 47.9
2	Mike Hawthorn	Ferrari	+ 1 lap
3	JF González / U. Maglioli	Ferrari	+ 2 rounds
4th	Hans Herrmann	Mercedes Benz	+ 3 rounds
5	Maurice Trintignant	Ferrari	+ 5 rounds

The Italian GP was a varied race in which the Mercedes ( Karl Kling and Juan Manuel Fangio ), the Ferrari Alberto Ascaris , who competed again for his former team, and the Maserati of Stirling Moss took turns at the top. Technical problems of the competition made it easier for Fangio to win.

GP Spain - Pedralbes (October 24, 1954)

→ Main article : 1954 Spanish Grand Prix

space	driver	team	time
1	Mike Hawthorn	Ferrari	3: 13: 52.1
2	Luigi Musso	Maserati	+1: 13.2
3	Juan Manuel Fangio	Mercedes Benz	+ 1 lap
4th	Roberto Mieres	Maserati	+ 1 lap
5	Karl Kling	Mercedes Benz	+ 1 lap

In the meantime, the Lancia team was ready and used its racing cars for the first time. Lancia driver Alberto Ascari set the fastest time in practice and the fastest lap in the race (for which there was an extra point at the time), but retired. Mike Hawthorn in the Ferrari won his second Grand Prix. The Mercedes had collected leaves in the non-grilled radiator shaft, which restricted the intake air supply and led to overheating, so that they could not intervene in the decision.

Driver ranking

The following rules for the distribution of points applied to the 1954 Drivers' World Championship:

1st place	8 points
place 2	6 points
place 3	4 points
4th place	3 points
5th place	2 points
fastest lap	1 point

• Only the best five results from the nine races were counted.
• It was allowed to change drivers. If this was done, each driver received half the number of points for the place achieved with the vehicle, regardless of how large his share of the total distance was.
• only the best placing of a driver in a race is listed.

Item	driver	constructor										Points
01.	Juan Manuel Fangio	Maserati	1		1							42 (57.14)
		Mercedes				1	( 4 )	1	1	( 1 )	( 3 )
02.	José Froilán González	Ferrari	3		(4)	DNF	1	2	2	3		25.14 (26.64) 1
03.	Mike Hawthorn	Ferrari	DSQ		4th	DNF	2	2	DNF	2	1	24.64 1
04th	Maurice Trintignant	Ferrari	4th		2	DNF	5	3	DNF	5	DNF	17th
05.	Karl Kling	Mercedes				2	7th	4th	DNF	DNF	5	12
06th	Bill Vukovich	Kurti's power		1								8th
07th	Hans Herrmann	Mercedes				DNF		DNF	3	4th	DNF	8th
08th.	Giuseppe Farina	Ferrari	2		DNF							6th
09.	Jimmy Bryan	Kuzma		2								6th
10.	Luigi Musso	Maserati	DNS							DNF	2	6th
11.	Roberto Mieres	Maserati	DNF		DNF	DNF	6th	DNF	4th	DNF	4th	6th
12.	Jack McGrath	Kurti's power		3								5
13.	Onofre Marimón	Maserati	DNF		DNF	DNF	3	DNS				4.14 1
14th	Stirling Moss	Maserati			3		DNF	DNF	DNF	10	DNF	4.14 1
15th	Robert Manzon	Ferrari				3	DNF	9	7th	DNF	DNF	4th
16.	Sergio Mantovani	Maserati			7th	DNS		5	5	9	DNF	4th
17th	Birabongse Bira	Maserati	7th		6th	4th	DNF	DNF			9	3
18th	André Pilette	Gordini			5		9	DNF				2
19th	Elie Bayol	Gordini	5									2
20th	Luigi Villoresi	Maserati				5	DNF	DNS		DNF		2
		Lancia									DNF
21st	Mike Nazaruk	Kurti's power		5								2
22nd	Umberto Maglioli	Ferrari	9						7th	3		2
23.	Duane Carter	Kurti's power		4th								1.5
24.	Troy Ruttman	Kurti's power		4th								1.5
25th	Alberto Ascari	Maserati				DNF	DNF					1.14 1
		Ferrari								DNF
		Lancia									DNF
26th	Jean Behra	Gordini	DSQ		DNF	6th	DNF	10	DNF	DNF	DNF	0.14 1
-	Harry Schell	Maserati	6th			DNF	12	7th	DNF		DNF	0
-	Fred Agabashian	Kurti's power		6th								0
-	Piero Taruffi	Ferrari						6th				0
-	Ken Wharton	Maserati				DNF	8th	DNS	6th		8th	0
-	Fred Wacker	Gordini							DNF	6th		0
-	Francisco Godia-Sales	Maserati									6th	0
-	Don Freeland	Watson		7th								0
-	Paul Brother	Gordini			DNF	7th		DNF				0
-	Peter Collins	Vanwall					DNF			7th	DNS	0
-	Louis Rosier	Ferrari	DNF			DNF	DNF	8th				0
		Maserati								8th	7th
-	Emmanuel de Graffenried	Maserati	8th		DNF						DNF	0
-	Jacques Swaters	Ferrari			DNF				8th		DNF	0
-	Larry Crockett	Kurti's power		9								0
-	Cal Niday	Ansted		10								0
-	Frederic Roberts-Gerard	cooper					10					0
-	Andy Linden	Kurti's power		11								0
-	Art Cross	Kurti's power		11								0
-	Jim Davies	Kurti's power		11								0
-	Johnnie Parsons	Kurti's power		11								0
-	Sam Hanks	Kurti's power		11								0
-	Don Beauman	Connaught					11					0
-	Jorge Daponte	Maserati	DNF							11		0
-	Chuck Stevenson	Kuzma		12								0
-	Walt Faulkner	Kuzma		12								0
-	Manuel Ayulo	Kuzma		13								0
-	Leslie Marr	Connaught					13					0
-	Bob Sweikert	Kurti's power		14th								0
-	Jimmy Jackson	Kurti's power		15th								0
-	Marshall Teague	Kurti's power		15th								0
-	Tony Bettenhausen	Kurti's power		15th								0
-	Ernie McCoy	Kurti's power		16								0
-	Jimmy Reece	Pan scratch		17th								0
-	Bob Scott	Chapman		18th								0
-	Ed Elisian	Chapman		18th								0
-	Frank Armi	Silnes		19th								0
-	George Fonder	Silnes		19th								0
-	Richard Rathmann	Kurti's power		20th								0
-	Pat O'Connor	Kurti's power		21st								0
-	Eddie Johnson	Pawl		22nd								0
-	Rodger Ward	Pawl		22nd								0
-	Gene Hartley	Kurti's power		23								0
-	Jimmy Daywalt	Kurti's power		24								0
-	Johnny Thomson	Nichels		24								0
-	Jerry Hoyt	Kurti's power		26th								0
-	Paul Russo	Kurti's power		26th								0
-	Bill Holland	Kurti's power		28								0
-	Pat Flaherty	Kurti's power		28								0
-	Danny Kladis	Bromme		30th								0
-	Travis Webb	Bromme		30th								0
-	Len Duncan	Schroeder		31								0
-	Bill Homeier	Nichels		33								0
-	Horace Gould	cooper					DNC					0
-	Leslie Thorne	Connaught					DNC					0
-	Clemar Bucci	Gordini					DNF	DNF	DNF	DNF		0
-	Roy Salvadori	Maserati				DNF	DNF					0
-	Jacques Pollet	Gordini				DNF					DNF	0
-	Roger Loyer	Gordini	DNF									0
-	Georges Berger	Gordini				DNF						0
-	Lance Macklin	HWM				DNF						0
-	Eric Brandon	cooper					DNF					0
-	John Riseley-Prichard	Connaught					DNF					0
-	Peter Whitehead	cooper					DNF					0
-	Reg Parnell	Ferrari					DNF					0
-	Ron Flockhart	Maserati					DNF					0
-	William Whitehouse	Connaught					DNF					0
-	Hermann Lang	Mercedes						DNF				0
-	Theo Helfrich	Veritas meteor						DNF				0
-	Carlos Menditeguy	Maserati	DNS									0
-	Alan Brown	cooper					DNS					0
-	Giovanni de Riu	Maserati								DNS		0
-	Al Herman	Kurti's power		DNQ								0
-	Billy DeVore	Kurti's power		DNQ								0
-	Bob Christie	Lesovsky		DNQ								0
-	Chuck Weyant	Silnes		DNQ								0
-	Cliff Griffith	Kurti's power		DNQ								0
-	Danny Oakes	Ferrari		DNQ								0
-	Duke Dinsmore	Ewing		DNQ								0
-	Duke Nalon	Kurti's power		DNQ								0
-	Eddie Russo	Kurti's power		DNQ								0
-	Eddie Sachs	Kurti's power		DNQ								0
-	Frank Mundy	Schroeder		DNQ								0
-	George Tichenor	Kurti's power		DNQ								0
-	Henry Banks	Lesovsky		DNQ								0
-	Johnnie Tolan	Kurti's power		DNQ								0
-	Lee Wallard	Kurti's power		DNQ								0
-	Paul Goacher	Moors		DNQ								0

¹ 0.14 point for sharing the fastest lap of the UK GP among seven drivers

Legend
colour	abbreviation	meaning
gold	-	victory
silver	-	2nd place
bronze	-	3rd place
green	-	Placement in the points
blue	-	Classified outside the point ranks
violet	DNF	Race not finished (did not finish)
	NC	not classified
red	DNQ	did not qualify
	DNPQ	failed in pre-qualification (did not pre-qualify)
black	DSQ	disqualified
White	DNS	not at the start (did not start)
	WD	withdrawn
Light Blue	PO	only participated in the training (practiced only)
	TD	Friday test driver
without	DNP	did not participate in the training (did not practice)
	INJ	injured or sick
	EX	excluded
	DNA	did not arrive
	C.	Race canceled
		no participation in the World Cup
other	P / bold	Pole position
	SR / italic	Fastest race lap
	*	not at the finish, but counted due to the distance covered
	()	Streak results
	underlined	Leader in the overall standings

Web links

Commons : 1954 Automobile World Championship  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

• Official Formula 1 website Results Season 1954 (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Werner J. Haller, Christian Eichenberger, Leopold Wieland: Major rule changes and their consequences, Motorsport aktuell , issue MSA 4/2014, page 5.