1954 Belgian Grand Prix

1954 Belgian Grand Prix
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Spa-Francorchamps layout
Race details
Date	20 June 1954
Official name	XVI Grand Prix de Belgique
Location	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Francorchamps, Belgium
Course	Permanent racing circuit
Course length	14.120 km (8.774 miles)
Distance	36 laps, 508.320 km (315.855 miles)
Weather	Sunny, mild, dry
Pole position
Driver	Juan Manuel Fangio	Maserati
Time	4:22.1
Fastest lap
Driver	Juan Manuel Fangio	Maserati
Time	4:25.5 on lap 13
Podium
First	Juan Manuel Fangio	Maserati
Second	Maurice Trintignant	Ferrari
Third	Stirling Moss	Maserati
Lap leaders

The 1954 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Spa-Francorchamps on 20 June 1954. It was race 3 of 9 in the 1954 World Championship of Drivers. The 36-lap race was won by Maserati driver Juan Manuel Fangio after he started from pole position. Maurice Trintignant finished second for the Ferrari team with Fangio's teammate Stirling Moss in third.

Background

The opening race of the 1954 Formula One season was held in Argentina in January and won by Juan Manuel Fangio driving a Maserati. The second race that counted towards the year's World Championship of Drivers, the 1954 Indianapolis 500, was, as in the years before, not attended by the European drivers (and won for the second time by Bill Vukovich). After the cancellation of the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, the Belgian Grand Prix was the season's first championship race on European soil, held five months after the season opener.

While most of the other drivers had competed in the various non-championship races, it was the first appearance of the season in Europe for Fangio, the championship leader. Fangio had signed with the Mercedes team for the season, but since their new car was not finished in time for the Francorchamps race, he competed in the Maserati 250F as he did at his home Grand Prix. Alongside him in the Maserati team were compatriot Onofre Marimón and Italian Sergio Mantovani, while Stirling Moss, Prince Bira and Roberto Mieres entered Maseratis for private teams.

After recovering from an accident at the Mille Miglia, 1950 World Champion Giuseppe Farina returned to the field in his Ferrari 553. The team was completed by José Froilán González, and in last year's cars Maurice Trintignant and Mike Hawthorn. Jacques Swaters entered another Ferrari for his home Grand Prix.

The field was completed by the Gordini team with their drivers Jean Behra, Paul Frère and André Pilette. Although the newly formed Lancia team did make an entry for the Belgian Grand Prix, they withdrew, resulting in reigning World Champion Alberto Ascari missing another race of the season. Therefore, the field at Spa-Francorchamps only consisted of 14 drivers.

Entries

Team	No	Driver	Car	Engine	Tires
Ecurie Francorchamps	02	Jacques Swaters	Ferrari 500/Ferrari 625 F1	Ferrari 2.5 L4	E
Scuderia Ferrari	04	Giuseppe Farina	Ferrari 553 Squalo/Ferrari 625 F1	Ferrari 2.5 L4	P
	06	José Froilán González	Ferrari 553 Squalo/Ferrari 555 Supersqualo
	08	Maurice Trintignant	Ferrari 625 F1
	10	Mike Hawthorn
Equipe Gordini	12	Jean Behra	Gordini T16	Gordini 2.5 L6	E
	16	Paul Frère		Gordini 2.0 L6
	18	André Pilette		Gordini 2.5 L6
Prince Bira	20	Prince Bira	Maserati 250F	Maserati 2.5 L6	P
Equipe Moss	22	Stirling Moss	Maserati 250F	Maserati 2.5 L6	P
Roberto Mieres	24	Roberto Mieres	Maserati A6GCM/Maserati 250F	Maserati 2.5 L6	P
Officine Alfieri Maserati	26	Juan Manuel Fangio	Maserati 250F	Maserati 2.5 L6	P
	28	Onofre Marimón
	30	Sergio Mantovani

Qualifying

On the first day of practise only the Ferraris were making an appearance. The battle for Pole Position became interesting, when Juan Manuel Fangio showed up on the second day. In his Maserati he managed to pulverize his own track record (set in 1951 in the Alfa Romeo 159) and qualified fastest with a time of 4:22.1. Behind him on second place was González who was very pleased with the improved handling of his Ferrari. Over two seconds behind him was Farina who wasn't satisfied at all with the car's set-up.

Qualifying classification

Pos	No	Driver	Constructor	Time	Gap
1	26	Juan Manuel Fangio	Maserati	4:22.1	—
2	6	José Froilán González	Ferrari	4:23.6	+ 1.5
3	4	Nino Farina	Ferrari	4:26.0	+ 3.9
4	28	Onofre Marimón	Maserati	4:27.6	+ 5.5
5	10	Mike Hawthorn	Ferrari	4:29.4	+ 7.3
6	8	Maurice Trintignant	Ferrari	4:30.0	+ 7.9
7	12	Jean Behra	Gordini	4:34.5	+ 12.4
8	18	André Pilette	Gordini	4:40.0	+ 17.9
9	22	Stirling Moss	Maserati	4:40.8	+ 18.7
10	16	Paul Frère	Gordini	4:42.0	+ 19.9
11	30	Sergio Mantovani	Maserati	4:42.0	+ 19.9
12	24	Roberto Mieres	Maserati	4:43.8	+ 21.7
13	20	Prince Bira	Maserati	4:46.5	+ 24.4
14	2	Jacques Swaters	Ferrari	4:54.2	+ 32.1
Source:

Race

On 20 June 1954 the 14 cars lined up for the Belgian Grand Prix. Behind them a 15th car, the Maserati of Emmanuel de Graffenried was ready for the start to film authentic race footage for the upcoming movie The Racers starring Kirk Douglas. The start saw González take the lead in front of Farina while Fangio dropped back. During the first round the Maserati of Mieres caught on fire, but the driver was able to jump out of the moving car, getting away with only minor burns. Meanwhile, González' lead was only short lived; he had to retire after lap 1 with engine failure (as well as Swaters and two laps later Marimón). Farina led Hawthorn and Fangio, who managed to pull in front on lap 3. At lap 10 Fangio lost the lead due to a broken visor strap that forced him into the pit. However, he quickly recovered and retook the lead. Farina had to retire with engine failure on lap 14, which left Fangio quite unchallenged with Hawthorn over a minute behind in second.

Hawthorn, who had not quite recovered from an accident at Syracuse, was slowing down during the following laps and therefore the Ferrari Team flagged him into the pits and had the car taken over by González, after a collapsed Hawthorn had to be lifted out of his car. Trintignant was therefore in second place. González soon discovered the reason for Hawthorn passing out: a broken exhaust pipe was allowing fumes in the cockpit, so the Argentinian pulled into the pits to have it fixed, losing a whole lap in the process.

Meanwhile, Fangio was sitting in a comfortable lead and rode to his second victory of the season, as well as recording the fastest lap of the race. Only seven cars were able to finish. The retirements had put Trintignant in second and Moss (who scored his first podium in a World Championship race) in his privately entered Maserati in third. After his long pit stop González managed to recover and finished fourth in front of Pilette, Bira and Mantovani. For Pilette it was his first and only finish in the points of his career.

Race classification

Pos	No	Driver	Constructor	Laps	Time/Retired	Grid	Points
1	26	Juan Manuel Fangio	Maserati	36	2:44:42.4	1	91
2	8	Maurice Trintignant	Ferrari	36	+ 24.2	6	6
3	22	Stirling Moss	Maserati	35	+ 1 Lap	9	4
4	10	Mike Hawthorn José Froilán González	Ferrari	35	+ 1 Lap	5	1.5 1.5
5	18	André Pilette	Gordini	35	+ 1 Lap	8	2
6	20	Prince Bira	Maserati	35	+ 1 Lap	13
7	30	Sergio Mantovani	Maserati	34	+ 2 Laps	11
Ret	4	Nino Farina	Ferrari	14	Ignition	3
Ret	16	Paul Frère	Gordini	14	Engine	10
Ret	12	Jean Behra	Gordini	12	Suspension	7
Ret	28	Onofre Marimón	Maserati	3	Engine	4
Ret	6	José Froilán González	Ferrari	1	Engine	2
Ret	2	Jacques Swaters	Ferrari	1	Engine	14
Ret	24	Roberto Mieres	Maserati	0	Fire	12
Source:

Notes

• ^1 – Includes 1 point for fastest lap

Shared drive

• Car #10: Hawthorn (20 laps) then González (15 laps)

Championship standings after the race

After his second win of the season, Juan Manuel Fangio was in a comfortable lead with 17 points. Trintignant was second with 9, while Bill Vukovich, the winner of the Indianapolis 500 was third in the championship standings (although he wouldn't compete in another World Championship race that season).

Drivers' Championship standings

	Pos	Driver	Points
	1	Juan Manuel Fangio	17
5	2	Maurice Trintignant	9
1	3	Bill Vukovich	8
1	4	José Froilán González	6.5
2	5	Nino Farina	6
Source:

• Note: Only the top five positions are included. Only the best 5 results counted towards the Championship.