1953 Belgian Grand Prix

 1953 Belgian Grand Prix

Racing data
4th of 9 races of the 1953 Automobile World Championship
Surname:	XV Grote Prijs van Belgie
Date:	June 21, 1953
Place:	spa
Course:	Spa Francorchamps
Length:	508.32 km in 36 laps of 14.12 km
Weather:	hot
Pole position
Driver:	Juan Manuel Fangio	Maserati
Time:	4: 30.0 min
Fastest lap
Driver:	José Froilán González	Maserati
Time:	4: 34.0 min (lap 11)
Podium
First:	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari
Second:	Luigi Villoresi	Ferrari
Third:	Onofre Marimón	Maserati

The 1953 Belgian Grand Prix took place on June 21 at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit and was the fourth of nine races in the 1953 World Cup .

background

Maserati was happy with the debut of the new vehicles in the Netherlands, but equipped them with reinforced rear axles. The works cars were driven by Fangio and González as well as the Argentinian debutant Onofre Marimón . A fourth car was made available to the Belgian local hero Johnny Claes . Ferrari competed in the usual four-car line-up with Ascari , Farina , Villoresi and Hawthorn . Louis Rosier and the Ecurie Francorchamps with the local Swaters and de Tornaco reported private Ferrari 500s . In the Gordini team , Manzon's vacant space was filled by Behra .

training

The training showed that the new Maseratis could keep up with Ferrari in all aspects. Fangio secured pole position ahead of the simultaneous Ascari and González.

run

At the start the Maseratis of González and Fangio accelerated the Ferrari Ascaris and took the lead. González was ahead of Fangio and increased his lead lap by lap. On lap 10, however, he broke down with a broken accelerator , and Fangio automatically took the lead. However, this only lasted 2 laps for him, then he had to give up with an engine failure. Johnny Claes was called in and handed his car to Fangio, dropping him to eighth place. The Ferraris with Ascari and Farina were now in front, but Farina could only hold his second position for three laps, then he had to give up with an engine failure. Hawthorn took second position behind Ascari, but he couldn't hold it to the finish either, because he had to stop on lap 29 to have the fuel line repaired. Villoresi inherited second place and drove to the finish. Fangio, who had fought his way up to third position in Claes' car, had less luck. On the last lap he wanted to drive past González's parked car, overlooked gravel thrown from the runway by a competitor and slipped into the boundary ditch, causing his vehicle to overturn. Fangio was unharmed. With that, Marimón reached the podium in third place in what was only his second Grand Prix. Ascari won safely.

Registration list

team	No.	driver	chassis	engine	tires
Officine Alfieri Maserati	2	José Froilán González	Maserati A6GCM	Maserati 2.0 L6	P
	4th	Juan Manuel Fangio
	6th	Johnny Claes
	28	Onofre Marimón
Scuderia Ferrari	8th	Luigi Villoresi	Ferrari 500	Ferrari 2.0 L4	P
	10	Alberto Ascari
	12	Giuseppe Farina
	14th	Mike Hawthorn
Equipe Gordini	16	Jean Behra	Gordini T16 (1952)	Gordini 2.0 L6	E.
	18th	Maurice Trintignant
	20th	Harry Schell
	38	Fred Wacker
HWM	22nd	Lance Macklin	HWM 53	Alta 1.5	D.
	24	Paul Brother
	26th	Peter Collins
Team Emmanuel de Graffenried	30th	Emmanuel de Graffenried	Maserati A6SSG	Maserati 2.0 L6	P
Ecurie Rosier	32	Louis Rosier	Ferrari 500	Ferrari 2.0 L4	D.
Team Georges Berger	34	Georges Berger	Simca-Gordini T15GC	Gordini	E.
Team Arthur Legat	36	Arthur Legate	Veritas Meteor	Veritas 2.0 L6	E.
Ecurie Belge	40	André Pilette	Connaught A	Francis 2.0 L4	E.
Ecurie Francorchamps	42	Jacques Swaters	Ferrari 500	Ferrari 2.0 L4	E.
	44	Charles de Tornaco

classification

Starting grid

Item	driver	constructor	time	km / h	Starting row
1.	Juan Manuel Fangio	Maserati	4: 30,000	188.27	1 L
2.	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari	4: 32,000	186.88	1 M.
3.	José Froilán González	Maserati	4: 32,000	186.88	1 row
4th	Giuseppe Farina	Ferrari	4: 36,000	184.17	2 L
5.	Luigi Villoresi	Ferrari	4: 39,000	182.19	2 rows
6th	Onofre Marimón	Maserati	4: 40,000	181.54	3 L
7th	Mike Hawthorn	Ferrari	4: 42,000	180.26	3 M.
8th.	Maurice Trintignant	Gordini	4: 45,000	178.36	3 rows
9.	Emmanuel de Graffenried	Maserati	4: 49,000	175.89	4 L
10.	Johnny Claes	Maserati	4: 50,000	175.28	4 rows
12.	Paul Brother	HWM	4: 52,000	174.08	5 L
13.	Harry Schell	Gordini	4: 53,000	173.49	5 M
14th	Louis Rosier	Ferrari	4: 56,000	171.73	5 R
15th	Jean Behra	Gordini	4: 57,000	171.15	6 L
16.	Peter Collins	HWM	5: 03,000	167.67	7 R
16.	Fred Wacker	Gordini	5: 03,000	167.67	6 L
18th	Lance Macklin	HWM	5: 14,000	161.89	7 M.
19th	André Pilette	Connaught	5: 23,000	157.37	7 R
20th	Arthur Legate	Veritas	5: 41,000	149.07	8 L
21st	Georges Berger	Simca-Gordini	5: 58,000	141.99	8 R

Race result

Item	driver	constructor	Round	time	km / h	s. Rd.	guide
1.	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari	36	2: 48: 30,300	180.74		23
2.	Luigi Villoresi	Ferrari	36	2: 51: 18,500	177.78
3.	Onofre Marimón	Maserati	35	2: 48: 40,000	175.55
4th	Emmanuel de Graffenried	Maserati	35	2: 49: 25,000	174.78
5.	Maurice Trintignant	Gordini	35	2: 49: 41,000	174.50
6th	Mike Hawthorn	Ferrari	35	2: 49: 42,000	174.48
7th	Harry Schell	Gordini	33
8th.	Louis Rosier	Ferrari	33
9.	Fred Wacker	Gordini	32
10.	Paul Brother	HWM	30th
11.	André Pilette	Connaught	29
DNF	Johnny Claes	Maserati	13	handing over
	Juan Manuel Fangio		22nd	accident
DNF	Lance Macklin	HWM	19th	engine
DNF	Giuseppe Farina	Ferrari	16	engine
DNF	Juan Manuel Fangio	Maserati	13	engine			2
DNF	José Froilán González	Maserati	11	accelerator		4: 34,000	11
DNF	Jean Behra	Gordini	9	engine
DNF	Peter Collins	HWM	4th	coupling
DNF	Georges Berger	Simca-Gordini	3	engine
DNF	Arthur Legate	Veritas	0	Power transmission

World Cup stand after the race

In 1953, points were awarded according to the following scheme:

1st place	place 2	place 3	4th place	5th place	Fastest lap
8th	6th	4th	3	2	1

• Only the four best results from nine races counted. Deleted results are shown in brackets.
• The numbers marked with * include the point for the fastest lap.
• Fields marked in the same color indicate shared vehicles.

Item	driver	constructor										Points
1.	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari	9 *		8th	8th						25th
2.	Luigi Villoresi	Ferrari	6th		1*	6th						13
3.	Bill Vukovich	Kurti's power		9 *								9
4th	José Froilán González	Maserati	4th		2	1*						7th
5.	Art Cross	Kurti's power		6th								6th
	Giuseppe Farina	Ferrari			6th							6th
	Mike Hawthorn	Ferrari	3		3							6th
8th.	Emmanuel de Graffenried	Maserati			2	3						5
9.	Onofre Marimón	Maserati				4th						4th
10.	Oscar Gálvez	Maserati	2									2
	Sam Hanks	Kurti's power		2								2
	Duane Carter	Kurti's power		2								2
	Jack McGrath	Kurti's power		2								2
	Felice Bonetto	Maserati			2							2
	Maurice Trintignant	Gordini				2						2
16.	Fred Agabashian	Kurti's power		1.5								1.5
	Paul Russo	Kurti's power		1.5								1.5

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Unless otherwise stated based on: Lang, Mike; Grand Prix 1950-1965; Haynes Publishing Group, Sparkford Sommerset 1981 p58. ( ISBN 0-85429-276-4 ) (Engl.)
2. ↑ Nye, Doug and Moss, Stirling: Fangio, Heel Verlag Königswinter; P. 94. ( ISBN 3-89365-236-1 )