Grand Prix season 1949
In the 1949 Formula 1 season , four so-called Grandes Épreuves were organized with the Grand Prix of Great Britain , Belgium , Switzerland and Italy , the latter also under the honorary title Grand Prix of Europe . For these races, the provisions of the International Grand Prix Formula or Formula 1 originally adopted by the International Automobile Federation FIA for 1947 (racing cars up to 1.5 liters displacement with a compressor or up to 4.5 liters displacement without a compressor; racing distance at least) continued to apply 300 km or at least three hours of racing) are used.
After the previously dominant Alfa Romeo team had taken a break from racing this season , three teams, Maserati , Lago-Talbot and Ferrari , were able to take advantage of the opportunity to achieve Grand Prix successes. The most successful driver of the season was Alberto Ascari with two victories in a Ferrari 125 at the Swiss and Italian Grand Prix, who finally achieved his breakthrough as an international top driver .
Season report
After the run for the Grand Prix racing effort for financial reasons internally for a while had been discussed, Alfa Romeo precipitated early in the season 1949 finally the decision to retire for a year, to stand out in peace to the 1950 introduced Prepare for world automobile championship . This was especially necessary because the team after the failure of its three top drivers - Achille Varzi was last year in training for the Grand Prix of Switzerland died in an accident, Jean-Pierre Wimille early 1949 with a Simca-Gordini of Formula 2 at a run to the Argentine Temporada , and Carlo Felice Trossi was already badly affected by his cancer and finally died shortly before the start of the season - it had to be completely rebuilt. In addition, the team, which had been undefeated in twelve races in a row with its outstanding Alfa Romeo Tipo 158 "Alfetta" , had nothing to prove and, on the contrary, given the circumstances, by continuing racing, had more to lose than to gain.
As a result, three racing teams - Maserati, Ferrari and Lago-Talbot - could hope for a successful season in 1949. Maserati had in 1948 with the 48 Maserati 4CLT / a new Grand Prix model put to the wheels, in the race without the participation of Alfettas initially represented the measure of all things, and by a remarkable double victory by Alberto Ascari and Luigi Villoresi at the first Appearance in the race of San Remo had earned the honorable nickname Maserati San Remo . In view of its tight financial situation, the plant did not normally take part in the races directly on its own account. Instead, the missions were officially carried out by private racing stables such as Scuderia Ambrosiana , Scuderia Enrico Platé or Scuderia Milan , but mostly with factory support from mechanics on site, some of which were notoriously disorganized. More than once, the Maserati racing cars only arrived late at the racing events after the end of training, so that the drivers started the race from the very back of the grid and first had to work their way through the entire field. Likewise, the cars were often characterized by chronic unreliability due to wear and tear and lack of maintenance, and on top of that, the company's new parent plant in Modena , which is now under the management of the industrial family Orsi , was paralyzed for a long time by a workers' strike at the beginning of the year This also had an impact on racing operations.
At the beginning of the season, however, the prospects still seemed positive, because with Luigi Villoresi and Alberto Ascari (both Scuderia Ambrosiana ), as well as Giuseppe Farina (nominally as private drivers), not only the three practically only remaining international top drivers were available, the Argentine automobile club With state funding from the Peron regime , ACA also financed the deployment of two further San Remo Maseratis under the team name Scuderia Achille Varzi (in honor of the deceased star pilot), among others for Juan Manuel Fangio , who is still largely unknown in Europe but right at the start of the season with three victories in a row at the well-filled races in San Remo , Pau and Perpignan made it clear to the general attention that much higher tasks were waiting for him.
Emmanuel de Graffenried was also successful on a Maserati 4CLT / 48 , who for the only time in his career - and as the first Swiss ever - was able to win a Grande Épreuve with the British Grand Prix . The race for which, after a long search, after the Brooklands track was demolished and the Donington Park racetrack confiscated by the military authorities, the discarded military airfield at Silverstone was found as the new home of British motor racing - soon this was followed by a real trend of racing events on and around airfields all over the world - at its first edition, however, it was mainly attended by local participants.
As the season progressed, Farina was finally able to win the Grand Prix de Lausanne for Maserati, but in the meantime more and more Ferrari had already gained the upper hand. Because of the inadequacies of the Ferrari 125 GPC drawn by Gioacchino Colombo, which had already become apparent at the end of 1948 and which, with its relatively simply constructed 1.5-liter V12 engine with single charging and only one overhead camshaft per cylinder bank, clearly stood out not only compared to the Alfettas Engine power was lacking, but with its narrow track width and extremely short wheelbase, which was chosen not least for reasons of weight, also suffered from poor weight distribution and poor roadholding, the plant had, in addition to continuing sports car production, already with the development of an improved successor model Ferrari 125 F1 with a significantly longer one Wheelbase started. For the time being, however, the team had to be content with the previous year's model, which at least had significantly improved road holding thanks to a revised rear axle construction. Exchange engines of the same basic design with 2 liter displacement and without a compressor for use in Formula 2 could optionally be used in the cars , where the model, called Ferrari 166 in this configuration, quickly dominated events on the racetracks.
Ferrari finally landed a real coup in the run-up to the Belgian Grand Prix by signing the close friends of the driver duo Ascari and Villoresi, of which Ascari, who was on the rise, had no longer seen any longer-term prospects at Maserati. The race, in which for the last time in Grand Prix sport the starting grid was not determined on the basis of the lap times achieved in training, but rather specified by criteria of the organizer that were no longer comprehensible, then took a surprising turn. After the two Ferraris were clearly in the lead at the beginning, the tires used by the Belgian brand Englebert proved to be unable to cope with the loads of the race, so that Villoresi and Ascari made additional pit stops behind the Lago-Talbot of Frenchman Louis Rosier fell behind. In contrast, its sedate Grand Prix type Talbot T26C with its frugal 4.5 liter naturally aspirated engine was even able to get through the race without stopping the fuel tank or tire and so, in a similar way to Louis Chiron at the French Grand Prix of 1947 , land another sensational surprise success for the French racing car brand. The Talbot T26C , of which eight had been delivered to paying customers in the meantime, represented the exact opposite pole to Maserati. The cars looked slow and sedate, but were very reliable and comparatively very economical in consumption, ideal properties for the targeted target group of numerous private drivers.
At the subsequent Swiss Grand Prix, the already expected first Grand Prix success of the still young Ferrari brand finally came about, which was also the first in a long series of victories for Ascari. Villoresi, who had led the race for a long time until he had to refuel shortly before the end due to an incorrectly calculated amount of fuel, was nevertheless able to keep the two Lago Talbots of Grand Prix veterans Raymond Sommer and Philippe Étancelin in check this time. In the race of Reims-Gueux , which this year under the somewhat misleading title as de Grand Prix France was fought - the real French Grand Prix, the Grand Prix de l'ACF was a precaution again as this year sports car races announced in order to After the Alfa Romeo success last year, this time to really ensure the victory of a French automobile brand - Ferrari, with Villoresi as the only representative, had to give up early with a technical defect, so that Lago-Talbot even got another one through Louis Chiron Win of the season in a major race came.
Ferrari was then again successful with Villoresi at the first international Grand Prix of Zandvoort (the previous year it was a guest event of the British automobile club) as well as again with Ascari at the International Trophy in Silverstone. In the Lausanne race, on the other hand, Villoresi had to give way to Farina after both of them had fought thrilling duels for almost the entire season, which, however, regularly ended with technical defects on the Maserati.
Just in time for the home Grand Prix, which returned to its original location in the Monza Autodrom for the first time after the war , Ferrari then had the new Ferrari 125 F1 model with the newly designed DOHC engine with two-stage turbocharging and significantly longer than the previous model Wheelbase ready for use. In the run-up to the race, there had been a political drama after Enzo Ferrari threatened not to contest any more races in Italy with his team. The Italian automobile club ACI immediately promised a substantial sum as financial support, so Ferrari finally reconsidered its decision. According to the tender, however, the conditions applied to every Italian manufacturer who could come up with two copies of a new Grand Prix model in their home race. This prompted Scuderia Milan to make a number of modifications to their Maseratis in order to present them as their own designs under the brand name Milano . The race itself was then again a clear affair for Ferrari and Ascari, who, after the loss of Villoresis, was able to achieve his second Grand Prix victory in a row and thus finally achieved his breakthrough as an international top driver.
End of the season of the Grand Prix circus finally even made a trip behind the not quite as dense Iron Curtain for the Grand Prix of Czechoslovakia on the classic road course of the Masaryk Circuit in Brno , with a victory of the British Ferrari customer Peter Whitehead to End went.
Racing calendar
Grandes Épreuves
| date | run | route | winner | statistics | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | May 15 |
 Great Britain Grand Prix
|
Silverstone Circuit |
 Toulo de Graffenried ( Maserati ) |
statistics |
| 2 | 05/30 |
 Indianapolis 500
|
Indianapolis Motor Speedway |
Bill Holland ( Deidt - Offenhauser ) |
statistics |
| 3 | 19.06. |
 Belgian Grand Prix
|
Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps |
 Louis Rosier ( Talbot-Lago ) |
statistics |
| 4th | 03.07. |
Swiss Grand Prix
|
Bremgarten circuit |
 Alberto Ascari ( Ferrari ) |
statistics |
| 5 | 07/17 |
French Grand Prix
|
Circuit de Reims-Gueux |
 Louis Chiron ( Talbot-Lago ) |
statistics |
| 6th | 11.09. |
Grand Prix of Italy ( Grand Prix of Europe ) |
Autodromo Nazionale Monza |
Alberto Ascari ( Ferrari ) |
statistics |
More races
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Race results
Grandes Épreuves
Great Britain Grand Prix
| space | driver | team | time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Toulo de Graffenried
|
Maserati | 3: 52.50.2 h |
| 2 |
Bob Gerard
|
ERA | + 1.05.2 min |
| 3 |
Louis Rosier
|
Talbot-Lago | + 1 lap |
| PP |
Luigi Villoresi
|
Maserati | 2.09.8 min |
| SR |
 Prince Bira
|
Maserati | 2.10.4 min |
At the Grand Prix of Great Britain in Silverstone on May 14, 1949, the Swiss Toulo de Graffenried celebrated his only Grand Prix victory.
Belgian Grand Prix
| space | driver | team | time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Louis Rosier
|
Talbot-Lago | 3: 15.17.7 h |
| 2 |
Luigi Villoresi
|
Ferrari | + 49.5 s |
| 3 |
Alberto Ascari
|
Ferrari | + 4.10.7 min |
| PP |
Luigi Villoresi
|
Ferrari | 2.09.8 min |
| SR |
Giuseppe Farina
|
Maserati | 5.19 min |
At the Belgian Grand Prix in Spa-Francorchamps on June 19, 1949, the French privateer Rosier won with a prewar design.
Swiss Grand Prix
| space | driver | team | time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Alberto Ascari
|
Ferrari | 1: 59.24.6 h |
| 2 |
Luigi Villoresi
|
Ferrari | + 56.6 s |
| 3 |
Raymond Summers
|
Talbot-Lago | + 1.06.7 min |
| PP |
Giuseppe Farina
|
Maserati | 2.50.4 min |
| SR |
Giuseppe Farina
|
Maserati | 2.52.2 min |
At the Swiss Grand Prix in Bremgarten near Bern on July 3, 1949, Ferrari celebrated a double victory with Ascari and Villoresi .
French Grand Prix
| space | driver | team | time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Louis Chiron
|
Talbot-Lago | 3: 06.33.7 h |
| 2 |
Prince Bira
|
Maserati | + 17.6 s |
| 3 |
Peter Whitehead
|
Ferrari | + 48.5 s |
| PP |
Luigi Villoresi
|
Ferrari | 2.42.0 min |
| SR |
Peter Whitehead
|
Ferrari | 2.46.2 min |
Louis Chiron celebrated his last great success at the French Grand Prix in Reims on July 17, 1949.
Grand Prix of Italy / Europe
| space | driver | team | time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Alberto Ascari
|
Ferrari | 2: 58.53.6 h |
| 2 |
Philippe Étancelin
|
Talbot-Lago | + 1 lap |
| 3 |
Prince Bira
|
Maserati | + 3 rounds |
| PP |
Alberto Ascari
|
Ferrari | 2.05.0 min |
| SR |
Alberto Ascari
|
Ferrari | 2.06.8 min |
At the Italian Grand Prix in Monza on September 11, 1949, Alberto Ascari celebrated a clear victory in a Ferrari.
More races
Gran Premio di San Remo
| space | driver | team | time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
 Juan Manuel Fangio
|
Maserati | 3: 01.28.6 h |
| 2 |
Prince Bira
|
Maserati | + 59.2 s |
| 3 |
Toulo de Graffenried
|
Alfa Romeo | + 1 lap |
| PP |
Juan Manuel Fangio
|
Maserati | 1.24.922 min |
| SR |
Prince Bira
|
Maserati | 1.56.0 min |
At the Gran Premio di San Remo on April 3, 1949, Juan Manuel Fangio caused a stir with a victory. It was the 37-year-old Argentine's first race in Europe.
Grand Prix of the Netherlands
| space | driver | team | time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Luigi Villoresi
|
Ferrari | 1: 21.06.9 h |
| 2 |
Toulo de Graffenried
|
Maserati | + 30.3 s |
| 3 |
Prince Bira
|
Maserati | + 41.9 s |
| PP |
Luigi Villoresi
|
Ferrari | Fastest of the elimination races |
| SR |
Reg Parnell
|
Maserati | 1.58.7 min |
For the first time a Grand Prix was held in the dunes of Zandvoort near Amsterdam . The route was partly built on the German bunkers that had been blown up. Luigi Villoresi won the race on July 31, 1949 in a Ferrari.
Czechoslovakian Grand Prix
| space | driver | team | time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Peter Whitehead
|
Ferrari | 2: 48.41.0 h |
| 2 |
Philippe Étancelin
|
Talbot-Lago | + 33.6 s |
| 3 |
Franco Cortese
|
Ferrari | + 4.49.4 min |
| PP |
Prince Bira
|
Maserati | solved |
| SR |
ex aequo Prince Bira and Toulo de Graffenried
|
both Maserati | 8.03.0 min |
In the tradition of the great pre-war races, the Grand Prix of Czechoslovakia was held again on the Masaryk Ring in Brno on September 25, 1949 .
Many well-known drivers had boycotted the race because of the communist takeover, and it was the last time Grand Prix cars competed on the long road.
Web links
Remarks
- ↑ Whether the British Grand Prix of 1949 actually had the status of Grande Épreuve has not been established with any certainty. In the racing calendar originally adopted by the FIA, as usual, the RAC Tourist Trophy was initially listed as the traditional Grande Épreuve of the British automobile club RAC. However, after this event had again been canceled prematurely, it is possible that this status was transferred to the British Grand Prix - which was still run under the title of a Grand Prix of the RAC in the previous year - which had been renamed accordingly for this purpose . On the other hand, such an action would actually have contradicted the real meaning behind the classification as Grande Épreuve , the real purpose of which was to take precedence in determining the appointment calendar. Until the facts have been finally clarified, the Grand Prix of Great Britain will be listed as Grande Épreuve at this point .
- ↑ As with the previous model , the official type designation was still 4CL , the designation as 4CLT / 48 was only introduced later in the literature for better differentiation, but has since become generally accepted.
- ↑ www.gilcodesign.com (accessed January 21, 2020)