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The1953 Formula One season was the seventh season of theFIAFormula One motor racing. It featured the 4thWorld Championship of Drivers,[1] which was contested over nine races between 18 January and 13 September 1953.[2] The season also included several non-championship races and a separateEast German Championship.
As in1952, all races counting towards the Formula One championship, except theIndianapolis 500, were held for cars complying withFormula Two regulations. A couple of non-championship races were still run under Formula One regulations.
The World Drivers' Championship was won byAlberto Ascari driving forScuderia Ferrari.[3][4] Ascari became the first driver since the inception of the championship in1950 to successfully defend his title. It would be his last title, as well as the last for anyItalian driver, as of 2025[update].
For the first time, a championship event was included outside ofEurope (with the exception of the Indianapolis 500): the1953 Argentine Grand Prix. It was marred by an accident involving 1950 championNino Farina, who crashed into an unprotected crowd, killing nine spectators.
The followingteams anddrivers competed in the 1953FIAWorld Championship of Drivers. The list does not include those who only contested theIndianapolis 500.
The 1953 season started inArgentina, the first championshipFormula OneGrand Prix outside ofEurope (with the exception of theIndianapolis 500).Alberto Ascari andFerrari had dominated1952, butJuan Manuel Fangio, the1951 champion returning after a year away, at the newMaseratiworks team were expected to put up a good fight. Ascariqualified onpole position, ahead of Fangio and Ferrari teammatesLuigi Villoresi andNino Farina. The race attracted so many spectators that they were able to break through the security parameter and sit by the track. Only the fear of a riot resisted the organisers from cancelling the race. Ascari held the lead at the start, ahead of Fangio, as the lines of people grew thicker. On lap 21,Adolfo Schwelm Cruz'sCooper lost awheel, which bounced into the crowd, and eleven laps later, Farina spun off, crushing bodies until his Ferrari came to a halt. At least nine people were killed, which became ten when, amidst the panic, a little boy ran onto the track and was hit by the Cooper ofAlan Brown. The race continued, Fangio retired with a brokentransmission and Ascari finished a lap ahead of Villoresi and Maserati'sJosé Froilán González.[7][8][9]
TheIndianapolis 500 was included in the Formula One championship, but no F1 drivers attended.Bill Vukovich won the race for the second year in a row.
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TheDutch Grand Prix, being the first round of the year in Europe, attracted no less than twenty entrants, and Maserati brought upgraded cars. Still, the starting grid looked almost the same as in Argentina: Ascari, with Fangio and Farina next to him, and Villoresi and González on the second row. At the start, Ascari took the lead, while his teammates converged on Fangio, squeezing him almost to a standstill. The threeprancing horses led away unchallenged. Both González and Fangio retired with a broken rearaxle. Villoresi retired when hisinjection failed. Ascari and Farina finished 1–2, while González managed to get third after taking over the car from a teammate.[10]
In the Drivers' Championship,Alberto Ascari (Ferrari) was leading with 17 points.Bill Vukovich was second with 9, but he would not enter any other races.Luigi Villoresi (Ferrari) was third with 7 points.
TheMaseratis were favourites going into theBelgian Grand Prix because of their high top speed.Juan Manuel Fangio delivered and setpole position, ahead of championship leaderAlberto Ascari and teammateJosé Froilán González. Ascari'sFerrari teammatesNino Farina andLuigi Villoresi occupied the second row. González took the lead at the start and the two Maseratis streaked away, until they retired with mechanical issues two laps from each other. Farina retired as well, leaving Ascari and Villoresi to finish 1–2, ahead ofOnofre Marimón on his debut for Maserati.[11]
Ascari continued his dominance with a pole position for theFrench Grand Prix, ahead of Maserati'sFelice Bonetto (teammate González set the qualifying time, but it was in Bonetto's car) and Villoresi. Fangio and González stood on the second row, but the latter took the lead at the start. Farina had a good start, while Bonetto spun, so González was now under threat from a group of four Ferraris. But theArgentinian streaked away and it was Fangio who started pressuring the group from behind. At half-distance, Gonzálezpitted to refuel, which explained his good pace. A tight group was formed of seven red cars, all fighting for the lead. The Ferraris were better through the corners, but the Maseratis had a higher top speed, and with two laps to go,Mike Hawthorn and Fangio were side-by-side over the line. Hawthorn managed to inch in front and won, ahead of Fangio and González.[12]
At theBritish Grand Prix, the front row was divided between the twoItalian teams: Ascari scored pole, ahead of González, Hawthorn and Fangio. Fangio tried to take the lead at the start, but drifted wide and Ascari went back through. Hawthorn spun off and returned to the pits for a check-up. González was in second place, before officials suspected his Maserati from losing oil and ordered him to pit. Ascari increased his lead over now-second Fangio, before rain and hail fell and the circuit flooded. A couple of drivers spun, but Ascari finished his faultless race to win, a minute ahead of Fangio and two laps ahead of Farina. Ascari and González set the same fastest lap (measured in whole seconds), so they both gained an extra half a point.[13]
In the Drivers' Championship,Alberto Ascari (Ferrari) was leading with 33.5 points, ahead ofMike Hawthorn (Ferrari) with 16 andJosé Froilán González (Maserati) with 13.5.
Championship leaderAlberto Ascari qualified on pole position for theGerman Grand Prix, ahead ofJuan Manuel Fangio,Nino Farina andMike Hawthorn. Fangio took the lead at the start, but Ascari was back in front after half a lap. He looked set to score his fourth win of the year, until he suddenly appeared in the pits with just three wheels. Farina took the lead, while Ascari fell back to ninth place. On lap 10, he took over the car from teammateLuigi Villoresi, suddenly bringing the championship leader back to fourth place. He set the fastest lap sinceHermann Lang in1939 but then retired with a blown engine. Farina held on to the lead and won the race, ahead of Fangio and Hawthorn.[14]
At this point, theSpanish Grand Prix was still scheduled for 26 October, so there were three races left to go. Farina, Fangio and Hawthorn could theoretically prevent Ascari from becoming champion, but they had to win all remaining races, while setting the fastest lap in at least two of them. At theSwiss Grand Prix, Fangio scored pole position, ahead of Ascari and Farina, while Hawthorn started seventh. Ascari passed Fangio on the opening lap, while Farina fell back. On lap 10, Fangio switched cars with teammateFelice Bonetto, since theItalian's seemed to be running better, but then Fangio had to pit again with a flat tyre, and on lap 28, dramatically retired with a blown engine. This let the recovering Farina into second place, which became the lead when Ascari'scarburetor failed and he spent 11 minutes in thepits. He rejoined in third, but such was his pace, that he passed both Hawthorn and Farina and then won over a minute ahead of Farina.Mike Hawthorn finished third to make it an all-Ferrari podium.Hermann Lang finished fifth in his firstGrand Prix since1939.[15]
With his win inSwitzerland, Ascari had big enough of a lead to secure his second consecutive title. This became even clearer when the Spanish Grand Prix was cancelled and only one race was left in the season, theItalian Grand Prix. Ascari showed no signs of slowing down and reached a record total of six pole positions in a season. He started ahead of Fangio and Farina. Fourth-placedOnofre Marimón made a good start to pass both champions ahead of him, to slot in behind the now-double champion. Like inReims, the four leaders formed a group that lapped the rest of the field and never separated more than a car length or two from each other. Just over half-distance, Marimón pitted with a damagedradiator, so it was now a three-horse race. On the very last corner, Ascari spun off into the grass, Farina went off the track to avoid him and, although the latter continued over the finish line, it let Fangio claim his first win since1951. Farina was second and, although Ascari retired just 200 yards from the finish, he was classified behind all cars still running, so Villoresi took third.[16]
In the Drivers' Championship,Alberto Ascari (Ferrari) scored 34.5 points to clinch his second consecutive title, ahead ofJuan Manuel Fangio (Maserati) with 28 andNino Farina (Ferrari) with 26.
Points were awarded to the top five classified finishers, with an additional point awarded for setting the fastest lap, regardless of finishing position or even classification. Only the best four results counted towards the championship. Shared drives result in half points for each driver if they finished in a points-scoring position. If more than one driver set the same fastest lap time, the fastest lap point would be divided equally between the drivers. Numbers without parentheses are championship points; numbers in parentheses are total points scored. Points were awarded in the following system:
| Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | FL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Race | 8 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Source:[17] | ||||||
The following Formula One/Formula Two/Formula Libre races, which did not count towards the World Championship of Drivers, were held in 1953.
| Race name | Circuit | Date | Formula | Winning driver | Constructor | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 VIIGran Premio Ciudad de Buenos Aires | Autódromo Oscar y Juan Gálvez | 1 February | Formula Libre |  Giuseppe Farina | Ferrari | Report |
| IIIGran Premio di Siracusa | Syracuse | 22 March | Formula Two |  Toulo de Graffenried | Maserati | Report |
 XIVPau Grand Prix | Pau | 6 April | Formula Two | Alberto Ascari | Ferrari | Report |
 VLavant Cup | Goodwood | 6 April | Formula Two | Toulo de Graffenried | Maserati | Report |
| IIAston Martin Owners Club Formula 2 Race | Snetterton | 18 April | Formula Two | Eric Thompson | Connaught-Lea Francis | Report |
| IIGrand Prix de Bordeaux | Bordeaux | 3 May | Formula Two | Alberto Ascari | Ferrari | Report |
| VBRDC International Trophy | Silverstone | 9 May | Formula Two | Mike Hawthorn | Ferrari | Report |
 XVEläintarhanajot | Eläintarharata | 10 May | Formula One | Rodney Nuckey | Cooper-Bristol | Report |
| VIGran Premio di Napoli | Posillipo | 10 May | Formula Two | Giuseppe Farina | Ferrari | Report |
| VIIUlster Trophy | Dundrod | 16 May | Formula Two | Mike Hawthorn | Ferrari | Report |
| IWinfield JC Formula 2 Race | Charterhall | 23 May | Formula Two | Ken Wharton | Cooper-Bristol | Report |
 XXIIIGrand Prix des Frontières | Chimay | 24 May | Formula Two | Maurice Trintignant | Gordini | Report |
| IIICoronation Trophy | Crystal Palace | 25 May | Formula Two | Tony Rolt | Connaught-Lea Francis | Report |
| ISnetterton Coronation Trophy | Snetterton | 30 May | Formula Two | Tony Rolt | Connaught-Lea Francis | Report |
 XVIIInternationales ADAC Eifelrennen | Nürburgring | 31 May | Formula Two | Toulo de Graffenried | Maserati | Report |
| XVGrand Prix de l'Albigeois | Albi (Les Planques) | 31 May | Formula Two | Louis Rosier | Ferrari | Report |
| ICoupe de Printemps | Montlhéry | 31 May | Formula Two | Marcel Balsa | BMW | Report |
| IIWest Essex CC Race | Snetterton | 27 June | Formula Two | Kenneth McAlpine | Connaught-Lea Francis | Report |
| IMidlands MECC Race | Silverstone | 27 June | Formula Two | Tony Crook | Cooper-Alta | Report |
| IIIGrand Prix de Rouen-les-Essarts | Rouen-Les-Essarts | 28 June | Formula One | Giuseppe Farina | Ferrari | Report |
| ICrystal Palace Trophy | Crystal Palace | 11 July | Formula Two | Tony Rolt | Connaught-Lea Francis | Report |
| IXInternationales Avusrennen | AVUS | 12 July | Formula Two | Jacques Swaters | Ferrari | Report |
| IIUnited States Air Force Trophy | Snetterton | 25 July | Formula Two | Tony Rolt | Connaught-Lea Francis | Report |
| VCircuit du Lac | Aix-les-Bains | 26 July | Formula Two | Élie Bayol | OSCA | Report |
| IBristol MC & LCC Race | Thruxton | 3 August | Formula Two | Tony Rolt | Connaught-Lea Francis | Report |
| IMid-Cheshire MC Race | Oulton Park | 8 August | Formula Two | Tony Rolt | Connaught-Lea Francis | Report |
| IIIGrand Prix de Sables d'Olonne | Les Sables-d'Olonne | 9 August | Formula Two | Louis Rosier | Ferrari | Report |
| IINewcastle Journal Trophy | Charterhall | 15 August | Formula Two | Ken Wharton | Cooper-Bristol | Report |
| VCircuit de Cadours | Cadours | 30 August | Formula Two | Maurice Trintignant | Gordini | Report |
| IRedeX Trophy | Snetterton | 12 September | Formula Two | Eric Thompson | Connaught-Lea Francis | Report |
 IIISkarpnäcksloppet | Skarpnäck | 13 September | Formula One | Erik Lundgren |  Ford | Report |
| ILondon Trophy | Crystal Palace | 19 September | Formula Two | Stirling Moss | Cooper-Alta | Report |
| IVGran Premio di Modena | Modena | 20 September | Formula Two | Juan Manuel Fangio | Maserati | Report |
| VIMadgwick Cup | Goodwood | 26 September | Formula Two | Roy Salvadori | Connaught-Lea Francis | Report |
| IIJoe Fry Memorial Trophy | Castle Combe | 3 October | Formula Two | Bob Gerard | Cooper-Bristol | Report |
| ICurtis Trophy | Snetterton | 17 October | Formula Two | Bob Gerard | Cooper-Bristol | Report |
| Race name | Circuit | Date | Winning driver | Constructor | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IStrassen-Rennen Karl-Marx-Stadt | Karl-Marx-Stadt | 3 May | Rudolf Krause | BMW-Reif | Report |
| IPaul Greifzu Gedachtnisrennen | Dessau | 7 June | Edgar Barth | EMW | Report |
| IVStrassen-rennen Halle-Saale-Schleife | Halle-Saale-Schleife | 5 July | Edgar Barth | EMW | Report |
| IDresden Autobahnspinne | Dresden-Hellerau | 26 July | Edgar Barth | EMW | Report |
| VSachsenringrennen | Sachsenring | 6 September | Edgar Barth | EMW-BMW | Report |
| IIBernau Autobahnschleife | Bernau | 27 September | Arthur Rosenhammer | EMW | Report |
The Bernau race was not part of the East German Championship.
The table below shows the points awarded for each race. Only East German drivers were eligible for points.
| Place | Driver | Entrant | Car | KAR | DES | HAL | DRE | SAC | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Edgar Barth | EMW Rennkollektiv | EMW 52/53-BMW 328 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 24 | |
| 2 | Rudolf Krause | Greifzu-Sühl | Greifzu-BMW 328 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 18 | |
| 3 | Karl Weber | BSG Motor | Werkmeister-BMW 328 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 9 | ||
| 4 | Ernst Klodwig | BSG Motor | Lodwig-Heck-BMW 328 | 2 | 3 | 5 | |||
| 5 | Kurt Straubel | BSG Motor | Eigenbau-BMW 328 | 4 | 4 | ||||
| 6 | Paul Thiel | EMW Rennkollektiv | EMW 52/53-BMW 328 | 3 | 3 | ||||
| = | Heinz Melkus | BSGN Sedlitz | ARO-Veritas-Alfa Romeo | 3 | 3 | ||||
| 8 | Bobby Kohlrauch | Greifzu-Sühl | Greifzu-BMW 328 | 2 | 2 |
