1952 French Grand Prix

 1952 French Grand Prix

Racing data
4th of 8 races of the 1952 World Automobile Championship
Surname:	XXXIX Grand Prix de l'ACF
Date:	July 6, 1952
Place:	Rouen
Course:	Rouen-les-Essarts
Length:	386.848 km in 77 laps of 5.024 km
Weather:	overcast, later rain
Pole position
Driver:	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari
Time:	2: 14.8 min
Fastest lap
Driver:	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari
Time:	2: 17.3 min (lap 28)
Podium
First:	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari
Second:	Giuseppe Farina	Ferrari
Third:	Piero Taruffi	Ferrari

The 1952 French Grand Prix took place on July 6th at the Rouen-les-Essarts circuit and was the fourth of eight races in the 1952 World Cup .

background

A week before the French Grand Prix, Jean Behra was able to win a race that was not part of the world championship in his Gordini , relegating the Ferrari to the places. This, together with his strong performance at Spa , gave reason to hope that Behra could approach the level of Ferrari in his home race.

training

The French hopes could not be confirmed in training. All three Ferraris were in the front row. Behra was the best non-Ferrari, but his training time was 4.5 seconds longer than that of the fastest in training, Ascari .

run

The race became a very one-sided affair for the Ferrari. Ascari achieved a start-to-finish victory and lapped the entire field including his team-mates. Farina , who finished second, also held his position from the start. Only Taruffi had to fight his way after a weak start. However, he was in third position after four laps. After Taruffi had ousted him from third place in the fourth lap, nothing changed in Robert Manzon's position either. He stayed in fourth place until the end. Only in the positions behind did some tension arise. Mike Hawthorn was able to fight his way from 15th on the grid to 5th position, but then had to park his car on lap 51 with problems with the ignition. Behra could not fulfill the hopes placed in him and already turned into the track barrier on the third lap and then had to have his car checked in the pits, which threw him back to the last position. Although he was able to make up a few positions in the course of the race, more than seventh place was not possible for him.

Registration list

team	No.	driver	chassis	engine	tires
Gordini	2	Robert Manzon	Gordini T16 (1952)	Gordini 2.0 L6	E.
	4th	Jean Behra
	6th	Birabongse Bira
	44	Maurice Trintignant	Simca-Gordini T15 GC
Ferrari	8th	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari 500	Ferrari 2.0 L4	P
	10	Giuseppe Farina
	12	Piero Taruffi
Ecurie Rosier	14th	Louis Rosier			D.
Enrico Platé	16	Emmanuel de Graffenried	Maserati 4CLT	Plate 2.0 L4	P
	18th	Harry Schell
HWM	20th	Lance Macklin	HWM 52	Alta 1.5	D.
	22nd	Peter Collins
	24	Yves Giraud-Cabantous
Team Peter Whitehead	26th	Peter Whitehead	Alta F2	Alta 1.5	D.
Escuderia Bandeirantes	28	Philippe Étancelin	Maserati A6GCM	Maserati	P
Ecurie Belge	32	Johnny Claes	Simca-Gordini T15 GC	Gordini	E.
Ecurie espadon	34	Peter Hirt	Ferrari 212	Ferrari 2.0 L4	P
	34	Rudolf Fischer
Scuderia Marzotto	38	Gianfranco Comotti	Ferrari 166C (1952)	Ferrari	P
	40	Piero Carini
AHM Bryde	42	Mike Hawthorn	Cooper T20	Bristol 2.0 L6	D.

classification

Starting grid

Item	driver	constructor	time	km / h	Starting row
1.	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari	2: 14.800	134.07	1 row
2.	Giuseppe Farina	Ferrari	2: 16,200	132.69	1 M.
3.	Piero Taruffi	Ferrari	2: 17,100	131.82	1 L
4th	Jean Behra	Gordini	2: 19,300	129.73	2 rows
5.	Robert Manzon	Gordini	2: 20,400	128.72	2 L
6th	Maurice Trintignant	Simca-Gordini	2: 21,600	127.63	3 rows
7th	Birabongse Bira	Gordini	2: 23,000	126.38	3 M.
8th.	Peter Collins	HWM	2: 21,900	127.36	3 L
9.	Louis Rosier	Ferrari	2: 27,000	122.94	4 rows
10.	Yves Giraud-Cabantous	HWM	2: 27,500	122.52	4 L
11.	Harry Schell	Maserati	2: 29,000	121.29	5 R
12.	Emmanuel de Graffenried	Maserati	2: 28,600	121.62	5 M
13.	Peter Whitehead	Alta	2: 29,500	120.88	5 L
14th	Lance Macklin	HWM	2: 30.900	119.76	6 R
15th	Mike Hawthorn	cooper	2: 32,000	118.89	6 L
16.	Gianfranco Comotti	Ferrari	2: 36,000	115.85	7 R
17th	Rudolf Fischer	Ferrari	2: 34,600	116.90	7 M.
18th	Philippe Étancelin	Maserati	2: 33,600	117.66	7 L
19th	Piero Carini	Ferrari	2: 37.700	114.60	8 R
20th	Johnny Claes	Simca-Gordini	2: 39,600	113.23	8 L

Race result

Item	driver	constructor	Round	time	km / h	s. Rd.	guide
1.	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari	77	3: 00: 20.2	126.94	2: 17.300	77
2.	Giuseppe Farina	Ferrari	76
3.	Piero Taruffi	Ferrari	75
4th	Robert Manzon	Gordini	74
5.	Maurice Trintignant	Simca-Gordini	73
6th	Peter Collins	HWM	72
7th	Jean Behra	Gordini	72
8th.	Philippe Étancelin	Maserati	71
9.	Lance Macklin	HWM	70
10.	Yves Giraud-Cabantous	HWM	69
11.	Rudolf Fischer	Ferrari	37	handing over
	Peter Hirt		29
12.	Gianfranco Comotti	Ferrari	64
DNF	Birabongse Bira	Gordini	56	Rear axle
DNF	Mike Hawthorn	cooper	51	Hydraulics
DNF	Emmanuel de Graffenried	Maserati	20th	handing over
	Harry Schell		14th	Brakes
DNF	Peter Whitehead	Alta	26th	coupling
DNF	Louis Rosier	Ferrari	17th	engine
DNF	Johnny Claes	Simca-Gordini	15th	engine
DNF	Harry Schell	Maserati	7th	transmission
DNF	Piero Carini	Ferrari	2	engine

World Cup stand after the race

The first five got 8, 6, 4, 3 and 2 points respectively; there was a point for the fastest lap. Only the four best results from eight races count. * includes the point for the fastest lap, numbers in brackets are discarded results.

Item	driver	constructor									Points
1.	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari			9 *	9 *					18th
2.	Piero Taruffi	Ferrari	9 *		4th						13
3.	Giuseppe Farina	Ferrari			6th	6th					12
4th	Troy Ruttman	Kuzma		8th							8th
5.	Robert Manzon	Gordini			4th	3					7th
6th	Rudolf Fischer	Ferrari	6th								6th
	Richard Rathmann	Kurti's power		6th							6th
8th.	Jean Behra	Gordini	4th								4th
	Sam Hanks	Kurti's power		4th							4th
10.	Ken Wharton	Frazer Nash	3								3
	Duane Carter	Lesovsky		3							3
	Mike Hawthorn	Cooper-Bristol			3						3
13.	Alan Brown	Cooper-Bristol	2								2
	Art Cross	Kurti's power		2							2
	Paul Brother	HWM			2						2
	Maurice Trintignant	Gordini				2					2
17th	Bill Vukovich	Kurti's power		1*							1

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Lang, Mike; Grand Prix 1950-1965; Haynes Publishing Group, Sparkford Sommerset 1981 S45. ( ISBN 0-85429-276-4 ) (Engl.)