Ferrari F1 - Sixty years ago today
Four Ferraris were entered: two updated versions of the 125 F1 were entrusted to the Italians, Alberto Ascari and Luigi Villoresi, while two other 125 F1s were in the hands of privateers Raymond Sommer and Peter Whitehead. Only the non-works cars took part in qualifying, with Sommer setting the seventh fastest time and Whitehead the tenth, 6”4 and 15” respectively off Juan Manuel Fangio on pole in the Alfa Romeo. Ascari and Villoresi’s cars arrived late and thus started the race from the third row.
A lightning move from Villoresi saw him move up to second at the start and, at the final corner (Ste. Devote) on the first lap, a collision between Farina and Gonzales caused general mayhem. Fangio managed to thread his way through the cars without losing time, but Villoresi was held up by one of the cars being manhandled out of the way by the marshals and, because his engine cut out, he lost 1”18. The leader was pretty much untouchable for all three hours and eighteen minutes of the race, but behind him, the Ferraris were in the hunt. Last after three laps, Villoresi was fourth on lap 10, third on lap 20 and second on lap 30 behind Ascari. On the next lap, Villoresi got the better of his team-mate. After the run of refuelling stops, Ascari was up to second on lap 60 and two laps later, Villoresi was forced to retire with a broken bearing. The race thus ended in victory for Alfa Romeo but with a Ferrari, that of Ascari, on the podium, while Sommer, running as a semi-official driver came home a great fourth. The internal post race report reveals these brief notes from the Scuderia men, on the performance of our drivers: “Ascari: good. Villoresi: staged a brilliant recovery, making up a good part of the time lost during the enforced stop on lap two.”
Sixty years have elapsed since that day and Scuderia Ferrari is still here, fighting for victory, as the only team that has been present at every round of a championship which represents the highest level of motor sport. To date the team has taken part in 799 Grands Prix, meaning that Istanbul will be the eight hundredth. To date, our race record shows 211 wins, 16 Constructors’ and 15 Drivers’ titles, which makes this team something special and unique in the history of sport on a global scale
Source: Ferrari F1 - Sixty years ago today
Related Stories
05/14/2010 07:51 PM: Casino valets give Ferrari F430 to wrong owner, let him drive away by WhiplashA Professional poker player whose $355,000 Ferrari was stolen from Crown's valet parking lot has slammed casino security. And magistrate Peter Couzens backed up card ace Van Marcus, criticising the...
05/12/2010 02:04 PM: Ferrari to Cut Jobs, Idle Plants on Lower Orders by TimothyT
Ferrari SpA, the maker of $228,000 California supercars, is seeking to idle production and eliminate 9 percent of its workforce after sister brand Maserati reduced orders for engines. ...
05/07/2010 08:46 AM: Ferrari celebrates the 150th anniversary of Italian Unity by DavidGP
A special logo has made its appearance as from today on the F10s of Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso: the three stripes of the Italian flag placed over the dates 1861 > 2011 are the symbol of the i...
05/05/2010 06:25 AM: FIA gives Ferrari green light on engine changes by DavidGP
Ferrari has been granted permission by the FIA to make modifications to its engine in time for this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix. Both Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa suffered engine issues in the o...
04/29/2010 12:42 PM: Scuderia Ferrari and Philip Morris International Sponsorship by DavidGP
Today and in recent weeks, articles have been published relating to the partnership contract between Scuderia Ferrari and Philip Morris International, questioning its legality. These reports are based...
