1952 Formula One season
1952 FIA Formula One World Championship |
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Drivers' Champion: Alberto Ascari | |||
Previous: | 1951 | Next: | 1953 |
The 1952 Formula One season was the sixth season of FIA Formula One motor racing. In comparison to previous seasons, the 1952 season consisted of a relatively small number of Formula One races, following the FIA's decision to run all the Grand Prix events counting towards the World Championship of Drivers to Formula Two regulations rather than Formula One.
The 3rd FIA World Championship of Drivers, which commenced on 18 May and ended on 7 September after eight races, was won by Alberto Ascari, driving for Scuderia Ferrari.
In addition to the Formula One races and the World Championship Formula Two races, numerous other Formula Two races, which did not count towards the Championship, were also held during the year.
World Championship season summary
Alfa Romeo, unable to fund a new car, withdrew from racing, while BRM had been preparing two V16-powered cars for the season but withdrew them before an April race at Valentino Park, Turin, whilst attempting to enlist Juan Manuel Fangio as teammate to Stirling Moss, leaving Ferrari as the only serious Formula One contender. This led World Championship organizers to run their races for Formula Two,[1] utilising 2-litre naturally aspirated engines, which meant larger fields and a greater variety of cars, even if the victories all went to Ferrari. Ascari won the six Grands Prix he entered, missing the Swiss race because he was at Indianapolis qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 – the first European to do so in the World Championship era. Maserati and Gordini offered little challenge, but Mike Hawthorn's drives in his Cooper would earn him a works Ferrari drive in 1953. Reigning champion Fangio, badly injured in an early season crash at Monza, took no part in the championship, but was to go on to drive for BRM.
World Championship season review
The 1952 World Championship of Drivers was contested over an eight race series.
Rnd | Race | Circuit | Date | Pole position | Fastest lap | Winning driver | Constructor | Tyre | Report |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Swiss Grand Prix | Bremgarten | 18 May | Giuseppe Farina | Piero Taruffi | Piero Taruffi | Ferrari | P | Report |
2 | Indianapolis 500 | Indianapolis | 30 May | Fred Agabashian | Bill Vukovich | Troy Ruttman | Kuzma-Offenhauser | F | Report |
3 | Belgian Grand Prix | Spa-Francorchamps | 22 June | Alberto Ascari | Alberto Ascari | Alberto Ascari | Ferrari | P | Report |
4 | French Grand Prix | Rouen-Les-Essarts | 6 July | Alberto Ascari | Alberto Ascari | Alberto Ascari | Ferrari | P | Report |
5 | British Grand Prix | Silverstone | 19 July | Giuseppe Farina | Alberto Ascari | Alberto Ascari | Ferrari | P | Report |
6 | German Grand Prix | Nürburgring | 3 August | Alberto Ascari | Alberto Ascari | Alberto Ascari | Ferrari | P | Report |
7 | Dutch Grand Prix | Zandvoort | 17 August | Alberto Ascari | Alberto Ascari | Alberto Ascari | Ferrari | P | Report |
8 | Italian Grand Prix | Monza | 7 September | Alberto Ascari | Alberto Ascari José Froilán González |
Alberto Ascari | Ferrari | P | Report |
All 1952 World Championship Grand Prix events were restricted to Formula Two cars and the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race was contested by AAA National Championship cars. There was originally supposed to be a Spanish Grand Prix at the Pedralbes Circuit in Barcelona on October 26, but there was no money for the race to be held, so the race was cancelled.[2]
Teams and drivers
The following teams and drivers competed in the 1952 FIA World Championship of Drivers. The list does not include those that contested only the Indianapolis 500 event.
* Car entered only in the Indianapolis 500 race
1952 Drivers' Championship final standings
Points were awarded to top five finishers in each race on an 8, 6, 4, 3, 2 basis. One point was awarded for fastest lap. Points for shared drives were divided equally between the drivers, regardless of who had driven more laps. Only the best four of eight scores counted towards the World Championship.
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- Italics indicate fastest lap (1 point awarded – point shared equally between drivers sharing fastest lap)
- Bold indicates pole position
- † Position shared between more drivers of the same car
- Only the best four results counted towards the Championship. Numbers without parentheses are Championship points; numbers in parentheses are total points scored.
Non-Championship race results
Other Formula One/Formula Two races, which did not count towards the World Championship of Drivers, were also held in 1952.
Race Name | Circuit | Date | Winning driver | Constructor | Report |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
XI Grande Prêmio Cidade do Rio de Janeiro | Gávea | 20 January | José Froilán González | Ferrari | Report |
II Gran Premio di Siracusa | Syracuse | 16 March | Alberto Ascari | Ferrari | Report |
VI Gran Premio del Valentino | Valentino Park | 6 April | Luigi Villoresi | Ferrari | Report |
IV Richmond Trophy | Goodwood | 14 April | José Froilán González | Ferrari | Report |
IV Lavant Cup | Goodwood | 14 April | Mike Hawthorn | Cooper-Bristol | Report |
XIII Pau Grand Prix | Pau | 14 April | Alberto Ascari | Ferrari | Report |
I Ibsley Grand Prix | Ringwood | 19 April | Mike Hawthorn | Cooper-Bristol | Report |
X Grand Prix de Marseille | Marseille | 27 April | Alberto Ascari | Ferrari | Report |
I Aston Martin Owners Club Grand Prix | Snetterton | 3 May | Dickie Stoop | Frazer Nash | Report |
IV BRDC International Trophy | Silverstone | 10 May | Lance Macklin | HWM-Alta | Report |
XIV Eläintarhanajot | Eläintarharata | 11 May | Roger Laurent | Talbot-Lago | Report |
V Gran Premio di Napoli | Posillipo | 11 May | Giuseppe Farina | Ferrari | Report |
XVI Internationales ADAC Eifelrennen | Nürburgring | 25 May | Rudi Fischer | Ferrari | Report |
VI Grand Prix de Paris | Montlhéry | 25 May | Piero Taruffi | Ferrari | Report |
XIV Grand Prix de l'Albigeois | Albi | 1 June | Louis Rosier | Ferrari | Report |
XXII Grand Prix des Frontières | Chimay | 1 June | Paul Frère | HWM-Alta | Report |
VI Ulster Trophy | Dundrod | 7 June | Piero Taruffi | Ferrari | Report |
V Gran Premio dell'Autodromo di Monza | Monza | 8 June | Giuseppe Farina | Ferrari | Report |
IV Aix les Bains Circuit du Lac | Aix-les-Bains | 8 June | Jean Behra | Gordini | Report |
I West Essex CC Race | Boreham | 21 June | Reg Parnell | Cooper-Bristol | Report |
XVI Grand Prix de la Marne | Reims | 29 June | Jean Behra | Gordini | Report |
II Grand Prix de Sables d'Olonne | Sables | 13 July | Luigi Villoresi | Ferrari | Report |
I Grand Prix de Caen | Caen | 27 July | Maurice Trintignant | Gordini | Report |
II Daily Mail Trophy | Boreham | 2 August | Luigi Villoresi | Ferrari | Report |
XVI Grand Prix de Comminges | Comminges | 10 August | André Simon | Ferrari | Report |
I National Trophy | Turnberry | 23 August | Mike Hawthorn | Connaught | Report |
XI Grand Prix de la Baule | La Baule | 24 August | Alberto Ascari | Ferrari | Report |
III Gran Premio di Modena | Modena | 14 September | Luigi Villoresi | Ferrari | Report |
IV Circuit de Cadours | Cadours | 14 September | Louis Rosier | Ferrari | Report |
II Skarpnäcksloppet | Skarpnäck | 14 September | Gunnar Carlsson | Mercury | Report |
V Madgwick Cup | Goodwood | 27 September | Ken Downing | Connaught | Report |
VIII Internationales Avusrennen | AVUS | 28 September | Rudi Fischer | Ferrari | Report |
I Joe Fry Memorial Trophy | Castle Combe | 4 October | Roy Salvadori | Ferrari | Report |
I Newcastle Journal Trophy | Charterhall | 11 October | Dennis Poore | Connaught | Report |
XII Grande Prêmio Cidade do Rio de Janeiro | Gávea | 14 December | Henrique Casini | Ferrari | Report |
East German Championship
Race Name | Circuit | Date | Winning driver | Constructor | Report |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
I Rostock Osthafenkurs | Rostock | 20 April | Paul Greifzu | BMW-Eigenbau | Report |
I Bernau Autobahnschleife | Bernau | 4 May | Rudolf Krause | BMW-Reif | Report |
I Dessau Autobahnspinne | Dessau | 11 May | Fritz Riess | Veritas-Meteor | Report |
III Leipzig Stadtparkrennen | Leipzig | 2 June | Edgar Barth | IFA-Kollektiv | Report |
III Strassen-Rennen Halle-Saale-Schleife | Halle-Saale-Schleife | 8 June | Edgar Barth | IFA-Kollektiv | Report |
I Strassen-rennen Leipzig | Leipzig | 17 August | Hans Stuck | AFM-BMW | Report |
V DMV Grenzlandringrennen | Grenzlandring | 31 August | Toni Ulmen | Veritas | Report |
IV Sachsenringrennen | Sachsenring | 7 September | Edgar Barth | EMW-BMW | Report |
References
- ↑ Peter Higham, The Guinness Guide to International Motor Racing, 1995, page 12
- ↑ "Grand Prix Cancelled". Autosport. Retrieved 23 January 2016.