1956 Formula 1 Season

Fangio Won Fourth F1 World Championship with Ferrari

Dec 13, 2008 Kevin Guthrie

The 1956 Formula 1 title was decided in the final race. An unselfish Peter Collins gifted his team-mate and title rival Juan-Manuel Fangio his car.

At the halfway point in the 1956 Formula 1 World Championship there was still no clear title favourite. The next stop on the calendar was the extremely fast Reims circuit, venue for the French Grand Prix.

Vanwall Surprise Ferrari in French GP

Juan-Manuel Fangio qualified on pole at Reims, but it mattered little. As usual, the race developed into a slipstreaming battle with several lead changes. The most astonishing performance of the day came from Harry Schell, the American Vanwall driver. His streamlined car proved to be very fast indeed, keeping up with the leaders early in the race. Even after his car broke down Schell refused to give up. After taking over Mike Hawthorn’s Vanwall he clawed his way to the front, until further reliability problems dropped him back.

Victory in France went to Peter Collins, his second successive Grand Prix win. Eugenio Castellotti finished second, with Jean Behra third in his home Grand Prix for Maserati. Fangio had to be content with fourth. Despite the Ferrari win it was Schell and Vanwall who grabbed the headlines.

Fangio Wins British GP

Stirling Moss set the pace during qualifying for the British Grand Prix, taking pole in his Maserati 250F. The Englishman also set the fastest lap of the race but retired just a handful of laps from the finish. The win went to Fangio, a lap ahead of the Ferrari shared by the Marquis Alfonso de Portago and Peter Collins. Behra again showed his consistency, finishing third. The race also saw the only world championship appearance of the great Scottish driver Archie Scott-Brown, who overcame a serious physical disability to become one of the greatest sports car drivers of the era.

Fangio Masters the Nurburgring

No-one could challenge Fangio around the long and sinuous Nurburgring. The Argentine claimed pole and fastest lap, leading every lap of the race. Moss could only finish a distant second, with Behra third. His victory made Fangio a strong favourite to win the world championship at the final round in Italy, with team-mate Collins his nearest challenger.

Collins Shows Remarkable Sportsmanship

The 1956 Formula 1 season finale at Monza lived up to all expectations. Eugenio Castellotti led early on for Ferrari, fighting hard with countryman Luigi Musso for home glory. Ultimately, both men would retire from the race. Musso looked set for victory until steering failure in the final laps reduced him to tears.

Musso had been expected to hand his car over to team-mate Fangio earlier in the race after the Argentine’s own D50 required attention in the pits. Musso was in no mood to give up the chance of crossing the line first in Italy and continued on. Fangio did receive another D50 to drive, from an unexpected source. Collins, his rival for the title, relinquished his car. Fangio, overwhelmed by Collins’ sportsmanship, rejoined the race and finished second, giving him his fourth world championship. The Grand Prix was won by Moss, although only after he was nudged into the pits by Luigi Piotti’s Maserati for fuel when he ran out late in the race. Scottish driver Ron Flockhart was a surprise visitor to the podium, finishing third for the tiny Connaught team.

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Juan-Manuel Fangio, 1956 F1 World Champion