download

#40 1954 Italian Grand Prix

2021-04-05 01:00

Osservatore Sportivo

#1954, Fulvio Conti, Translated by Nicola Carriero, Simone Pietro Zazza,

#40 1954 Italian Grand Prix

The XXV Italian Grand Prix that takes place on Sunday, 5th September, 1954, in Monza, comes at a particular hard moment for the Italian motorsports. M

fotor_2023-7-31_12_21_11-fotor-20230731122230.jpeg

The XXV Italian Grand Prix that takes place on Sunday, 5th September, 1954, in Monza, comes at a particular hard moment for the Italian motorsports. Mercedes’s return to racing, in fact, coincided with a series of victories that may make someone think about the repetition of that cycle of German supremacy that occurred exactly twenty years ago, with Mercedes themselves and Auto Union. At that moment, the downfall of Alfa Romeo started; now it is no longer the case to talk about downfall, but the symptoms of the situation are similar to those of that period. It must be seen whether we face a technical superiority or some particularly inconvenient circumstances (first of all, the impossibility of disposing of top-class drivers such as Ascari or Farina that can challenge Mercedes’s number 1, Fangio, to whom many attribute the main reason of the repeated wins of the German car) did not contribute to make it more apparent than real. In order to clear the field from one of these possible causes, on Sunday, Alberto Ascari will be in Monza, after Lancia allowed him to participate at the Italian Grand Prix behind the wheel of the Ferrari. Eventually, that very strong man-machine compound is rebuilt, which should be able to challenge, given the same resources and skills, the duo Fangio-Mercedes. Considering the incomplete preparation of the new Lancia cars, the former World Champion strongly desired to confront Fangio in Monza, that is the one who dethronized him from the highest title (even if Alberto could not defend it) and, of course, he aspired to come back to the car that much contributed to his fame. Very sportively, Lancia released his driver, and Enzo Ferrari, on his behalf, is very happy to have him back in his Scuderia, thus solving, at least once, the problem of the gap left by Giuseppe Farina. In other words, if everything unfolds regularly, the Sunday race may indicate the effective performance level reached by Stuttgart’s car, and at the same time the actual chances of Ferrari after the recent changes, especially in terms of engine. To this reason of great interest for the popular passion, which the heart of the Italian Grand Prix is made of, the value of the season balance that the Monza race proposes can be added, and which for many years it has constituted the custom. 

 

In 1934, the new international formula began, that is that artifice periodically proposed to the constructors of racecars in the attempt of promoting a construction progress, forcing them generally in terms of weight and displacement limits. As is known, the Formula 1 in force for the years 1954, 1955 and 1956 enforces to the designers the choice between naturally aspired 2500 cc engines or compressor 750 cc; anything goes, instead, with the choice of weight and fuel. Given the ratio between the two types of displacement, all the constructors so far adopted the first solution of the technical theme. The differences ensue in the building setup, and while the two Italian brands made use of the fueling for multiple carburetors (Ferrari on the 4-cylinder engine, Maserati on the 6-cylinder), Mercedes solved the problem of the volumetric efficiency, and not only that, adopting a system of direct injection on their in-line 8-cylinder. The powers that are respectively obtained are slightly higher than the one on the German unit, but the most convenient aspect is especially the area of employment of the power itself. As of the high-speed circuits, to which Monza belongs, Mercedes then overcame the obstacle of drag with the study of chassis shapes with enveloping lines. The Italian Grand Prix, in which Maserati participates with the Gordini team, and a new English car, Vanwall, will be valid for the end of the season, in sporting and technical terms, with the relative settlement of scores. The arrival of thirty German journalists for the Italian Grand Prix concedes the chance of a press conference held on 2nd September, 1954, where some regret is expressed for the absence of Lancia, whose presence would have enhanced the importance of this big race. In the afternoon, Mercedes and Fangio test the car, which sets the fastest lap on 1’58”3, with an average speed of 191 km/h with the streamlined car, while the normal type did not do better than 2 minutes. Kling’s fastest lap is 2’04”0, while Collins’s Vanwall Special, whose project has been funded by the constructor of car bearings, Vandervell, sets the time of 2’08”0, and Villoresi’s, Moss’s and Mantovani’s Maserati signal some irregularity in their function. It is a very interesting car, which, among other things, uses the solution of the disc brakes, a novelty for the European formula cars. As of line-ups, Ferrari will have Ascari, González, Hawthorn and Trintignant; Maserati shows up with Stirling Moss, Mantovani, Mieres, Musso and Rosier; Mercedes will line up the unbreakable Fangio, Kling and Hermmann; the three Gordini will be driven by Behra, Bucci and Wacker, and finally the new British car, Vanwall Special, will be driven by Peter Collins. 

fotor_2023-7-31_12_21_21-fotor-20230731122226.jpeg

A great day for the international motorsports is being prepared, and the hope of the Italian fans is that Alberto Ascari will be able to make a miracle by breaking a chain that threatens to become too heavy. On Saturday, 4th September, 1954, the official practices of the XXV Italian Grand Prix are concluded, which confirm the slightly higher speed on the single lap of the aerodynamic Mercedes. The Italian cars should not, in short, descend to a demeaning surrender to discretion; actually, in the best-case scenario, it may happen that the German platoon, finally put to the whip, signals some flaking, through which some red car could find a place. The practices, in fact, highlight a visible improvement of Ferrari, while Maserati confirm their excellent mechanical preparation, as well as the fighting ardor of the young drivers of the team led by Villoresi. Alberto Ascari has been once again the most observed and supported driver: after the half disappointment of Friday, the driver from Milan, accompanied by a considerably more efficient car, sets repeatedly laps under 2 minutes. During the practices, the journalists ask him if he thinks that he can improve his time:

 

"I can still improve, but how will the others out there react?"

 

Referring to the Mercedes’s drivers, Fangio and Kling (the third one, Lang, drives the car with the conventional chassis, which runs much slower than the other two and rumor has it that it was handed to the old champion so he cannot have the chance of fighting the teammates, with whom he does not have an ideal relationship). Ascari will conclude his day with a good time, 1'59"2, who is only two tenths behind the time set by Fangio. One tenth away from him, Moss on Maserati, the second-best lap of the day and the second big surprise, while almost all the other contestants of the Italian teams, except Gonzalez, who tests a Ferrari with side tanks, and Villoresi, constantly close to 2 minutes, make in their turn big improvements. Mercedes’s drivers complete only few laps: Fangio, in fact, waits in his box for the rest of the competitors to go back on track for the last tests. Only Herrmann, who fights against Lang for the role of third drive, sets good times, therefore he will be chosen instead of the old champion. Villoresi, who is satisfied about his Maserati too, finishes sixth. As well as Ascari, even Lancia’s second drive gets the opportunity to run with the rival house from Modena:

 

"A really nice car, perfectly prepared. If even an old man like me can nearly set a 2-minute lap time, it means that Maserati is really fast".

 

The games for the 1954 World Championship have been definitely closed in the previous Swiss Grand Prix, with Fangio winning the title for the second time in his career. Despite this, the Monza event represents the second last stage of the season, and on the Autodromo circuit, the crowd comes to admire live the great champions of motorsports, including the much-loved Ferrari and the new World Champion Fangio, who boasts an incredible support in Italy, since he defined himself as the scholar of the great Achille Varzi, tragically disappeared on the Bremgarten circuit on 1st July, 1948; a statement that inevitably made the Italian fans sympathize with the Mercedes driver. The 1954 Monza circuit has many common points with the modern one, but it also has many substantial differences; although the shape is very similar, the track used seventy-six years ago does not use the Prima Variante, but the finish/start straight goes all along until Curva Grande, followed then by the Curva della Roggia, characterized at that time not by a chicane but by a slight right turn. After the two Curve di Lesmo, the circuit follows the Serraglio straight until the Curva del Vialone. After the straight parallel to the finish/start straight there are two 90° right turns named Curva Sud. As a whole, the Monza Autodromo is 6.3 km long, with very high maximum speeds and really fast turns. The TV broadcast on the Italian Grand Prix in Monza is about to start, when Giuseppe Farina, still in bed, is placed in front of the camera. As the images appear on the screen, the driving ace cannot hold back the sighs; it is an extremely emotional moment, which causes deep sorrow to the spectators. 

fotor_2023-7-31_12_21_26-fotor-20230731122220.jpeg

Giuseppe Farina has to lay in bed for other two weeks; after that, with the help of crutches, he may start to walk again. The doctors are still not able to predict when he will be fully recovered. Right before the start, the Maestro Ugolini is positive about a possible triumph of Ferrari:

 

"We are very confident. If the Mercedes during the practices reached the times set by the timekeepers, pushing until the end and in few laps, the German cars do not really scare us".

 

At 2:30 p.m., the preparations for the XXV Italian Grand Prix start. Then, at 3:00 p.m., the Minister of Labor and representative of the Italian Government Ezio Vigorelli kicks off the race and allow the twenty contestants to start. Fangio, Moss, Ascari and Kling jump to the front of the race, wheel to wheel, while the group unravels in a tumultuous fight. Conditions are ideal for racing, it is warm and dry, but a cloudy haze covers the sun and keeps the intense heat away. There are 20 cars on the grid, the only non-starter being de Riu whose old 2-litre Maserati is not fast enough to qualify, and in the front row are Fangio, Ascari and Moss, on Mercédès-Benz, Ferrari and Maserati, respectively, and as their nationalities are Argentinian, Italian and English, one cannot wish for a healthier situation in Grand Prix racing. In addition to this, row two contains Kling, Gonzalez and Villoresi, on Mercédès-Benz, Ferrari and Maserati, respectively, in the same order as row one and in row three is again one of each of these three makes, in the order Ferrari, Mercédès-Benz, Maserati, the drivers being Hawthorn, Herrmann and Mantovani, in that order. The race is clearly going to be an almighty battle and the result is as open as the grid is mixed, for in row four are Mieres, Trintignant, Behra; row five, Maglioli, Musso, Manzon; row six, Collins, Bucci, Wacker and at the back Daponte and Rosier, there being just 12 seconds covering the difference in time between the first car and the 20th car. As the flag goes up the tension rises and the whole pack of cars strain to be away and as it falls Kling makes a perfect start from row two and is abreast of Fangio as everyone surge forward. Ascari is slow off the mark and it is Moss who nips in behind the two Mercédès-Benz cars as they accelerate away up the wide straight. From the start the cars can be seen as they go down the return leg of the course and after a brief pause as the field jostles its way through the tricky Lesmo corners in the woods on the far side of the course the two streamlined German cars are seen leading the pack down the back leg. 

 

This opening lap sees Kling leading by a few feet from Fangio and just behind, literally side by side, come Ascari, Gonzalez and Moss, followed by Hawthorn, Herrmann, Maglioli and the rest all in a bunch in this mad scramble of an opening lap. At the end of the next lap the two Mercédès-Benz are still together, in front of the field, and it begins to look as though a repetition of Reims is going to take place, and when the third time round sees Kling, with Fangio a few inches behind him, still leading by some yards from the Italian cars, everyone is sure that the streamlined Mercédès-Benz are going to be uncatchable. For third place there is an almighty scrap going on between Ascari, Gonzalez and Moss, the three of them being hub to hub as they race past the grandstands, while behind them the rest of the field are spreading out, the pace already telling on some of them. Behra’s Gordini is the first to give up, only to be followed a little while later by Bucci’s Gordini losing a tyre tread and having to stop at the pits to change the wheel. Lap five sees Kling make a slight error on one of the corners, and so close is the race that before he is sorted out not only has Fangio gone by but Gonzalez, Ascari and Moss also, having already changed their positions. Kling is now fifth, with Hawthorn not far behind, followed by Herrmann and Villoresi. The leading four cars now are out on their own and Gonzalez is beside Fangio on lap five, while Moss passes Ascari, and the next lap sees Ascari pass the lot of them so that the order is Ascari, Gonzalez, Fangio and Moss, but with only a few feet separating the first and fourth. Now there is no possible chance of a German runaway victory, for Fangio is surrounded by Italian cars, Kling can make up none of his lost ground and Herrmann draws into his pit on lap seven to have a plug changed, which loses him a complete lap, so the German team are now very badly placed. 

fotor_2023-7-31_12_23_28-fotor-20230731122348.jpeg

Once in front Ascari really shows that he has lost none of his touch and is still a master-driver, and by the time 10 laps have been completed he has made 6 seconds lead over Fangio who still has Gonzalez and Moss alongside him. Villoresi has not only got past Kling, but also past Hawthorn and is 20 seconds behind Ascari and he is staying there, losing no ground whatsoever, which is quite remarkable. Already the tail-enders have been lapped and in spite of some spirited driving going on in the middle of the field, the leaders are not far from lapping people like Maglioli, Mieres and Musso who are having a wheel-to-wheel battle the whole way. At 15 laps Fangio manages to shake Gonzalez and Moss from his slipstream and begins to close up on Ascari, while Moss gets past Gonzalez and settles in third place. It is not until lap 17 that the pattern of the race begins to settle down for Gonzalez drops out of the running with stumpy Ferrari when its gearbox gives out, and on the same lap a second Ferrari retires, when Manzon’s car has engine trouble. At 20 laps, a mere quarter of the total distance, Fangio has got alongside Ascari, Moss is 10 seconds behind, so obviously sitting and watching the two great masters carve each other about that it is amusing, while Villoresi is back in his youth and never drops as much as a second on Ascari. Some way back comes Kling and he leaves Hawthorn well behind, while young Mantovani is driving a very smooth race and steadily making up ground on Hawthorn. The remaining nine runners are spread out behind, the Mieres, Maglioli, Musso battle having been broken up when Ferraris calls their man in so that Gonzalez can take over. Collins is running in the middle of the rest, the Vanwall sounding extremely crisp and smooth, but in spite of the fact that it is performing well for a 2.3-litre car, the leading pace is so hot that on lap 20 Moss laps Collins, Ascari and Fangio having already done so. The issue is now pretty clear and Fangio is not going to have any nonsense from Ascari, for on lap 22 they dead-heated over the line, lap 23 Fangio leads, lap 24 Ascari leads and for the next six laps they are never more than 2 seconds apart anywhere. All this time Moss is comfortably relaxed in third place, a consistent 7 seconds behind, sufficiently close to watch the two masters trying hard to push each other off the track, and still Villoresi is in fourth place just 20 seconds behind the leader.

 

Kling is now in some difficulties, as oil is blowing from the engine, he cannot see through his goggles and his windscreen is getting smothered, but he manages to hold on to fifth place in spite of this. Mantovani has now come to grips with Hawthorn and the two of them start a battle that is remarkably evenly matched. Hawthorn’s superior driving ability overcomes the difference in speed between the Ferrari and the Maserati. Among the remainder Musso retires out on the course, Mieres has a rear shock-absorber and part of the chassis frame break off, Trintignant has a split exhaust pipe and stops to have it wired up and Gonzalez stops for an extra seat cushion as he cannot really control the Ferrari using Maglioli’s driving position, the Italian being very tall. Just before half-distance Ascari is still leading Fangio by 1 second and the two Maseratis of Moss and Villoresi are sitting behind. The Englishman then decides to move up and see how the battle between the two World Champions is going and on lap 37 he is on Fangio’s tail, but, at the same time Villoresi also speeds up and reduces his gap from Ascari down to 9 seconds, so clearly the Maseratis are going incredibly fast, and in fact are probably the fastest cars in the race for sheer speed. Rather typically there is very little system in the running of the Maserati team, with the result that at the end of the 40th lap, which is half-distance, Ascari leads by a few lengths, but Fangio has the two Maseratis right alongside, Villoresi now having passed Moss, while the next lap sees Villoresi ahead of Fangio and it looks as though he is going to start pressing Ascari. Fully appreciative of the absurdity of racing against his own team-mate Moss eases back and sits behind Fangio and on lap 43 Villoresi comes into his pit and retires with a ruined clutch. In his efforts he has taken the Maserati engine up to 8,800 r.p.m. and bits have flown off the clutch. Moss now takes up the battle and sweeps past Fangio; on lap 45 he gets past Ascari and the young Maserati driver is now in the lead, with the two greatest drivers of this present age pressing him hard, but still Moss looks completely unruffled and when the three of them lap Hawthorn, Mantovani and Gonzalez, the six cars go round in a bunch, the slower ones slip-streaming along the straights. 

fotor_2023-7-31_12_20_29-fotor-2023073112211.jpeg

While all this excitement has been going on Kling has gone straight off the road into the woods at Lesmo due to not being able to see through the oil mist, but luckily he is completely unhurt; so Hawthorn is now in fourth place, with Mantovani still only a few feet behind. For two laps Ascari gets the lead back from Moss, only to lose it again and on lap 49 the Ferrari drops a valve into its engine and that is that, Alberto is out, but not until he has shown that he is still on the top of the tree. While this little battle has been going on, Fangio is having trouble with Gonzalez, for the fat Argentinian, although a lap behind, refuses to be shaken off and clings onto the tail of the Mercédès-Benz for lap after lap, so that with Ascari out Moss has a clear run and builds up his lead second by second until he is 15 seconds in front by lap 60. Gonzalez eventually has to let Fangio go and after this little dice he stops and gives the car back to Maglioli, now being in fifth place. A lap behind the Hawthorn/Mantovani duel is still waging, there never being more than 1 second between them. Collins has been running very steadily and has moved up into sixth place on consistency as others drop out, but on lap 63 he has to stop at his pit as the oil pressure gauge has burst internally and is leaking into the cockpit. After stopping the leak by the simple expedient of flattening the pipe. Collins continues, the Vanwall four-cylinder still sounding very healthy. Moss is now way out on his own, 20 seconds ahead of Fangio, and is driving so smoothly and relaxed that it is hard to believe that he is leading the ltalian Grand Prix, having battled with all the great Grand Prix names. There is no question of straining the Maserati, the car is running well within its limits, but on lap 68 the Moss bogey arises and he pulls into his pit. The oil pressure has started to fall on corners and he is losing oil. Very quickly, almost too quickly, oil is poured in and he is away, but Fangio has gone by and as Moss finishes the next lap oil is streaming out of the tail of the car. He is running just in front of Hawthorn as they goes by and Mike waves frantically at the Maserati pits and points to the tail of Moss’ car, but it is too late, the engine has already suffered front the loss of oil and Moss completes the lap pushing the wrecked Maserati and has to watch Fangio take his victory from his grasp. 

 

He pushes the car to within a few feet of the line and sits and watches the Mercédès-Benx tour round to complete the final 12 laps. Most people would have torn their hair out and screamed blue murder, but Moss drinks his Coca-Cola and is satisfied that at least he has shaken the opposition in no mean manner. What has happened to the Maserati is that the suction pipe from the rear-mounted oil tank has cracked round the flange where it joins the tank, and consequently has drawn in gulps of air, and air is not a good lubricant for bearings. The Maserati team are heartbroken for a win at Monza meant more to them than anything else, and as if the Scuderia Maserati has not suffered enough, two laps later Mantovani stops with a broken de Dion tube and then continues to drive slowly round in an endeavour to finish, letting Hawthorn go unchallenged on into second place, a lap behind the leader. The last few laps see Fangio touring round, with a straggling procession following him and for the second year running Fangio wins the Italian Grand Prix due to other people’s misfortunes, while Mercédès-Benz chalks up another win in the 1954 Grand Prix series, but this time a very shaky and chancey win. One lap behind comes Hawthorn in second place, through no fault of his own, followed by Maglioli in third place, thanks to Gonzalez having driven the car most of the way, while fourth is Herrmann who has quietly made up for his pit stop at the beginning of the race. The rest of the eleven finishers come straggling in, Moss pushes his car over the line into tenth place, and Mantovani keeps his Maserati in one piece to finish ninth. The Italian Grand Prix has been a hard battle from the moment practice started and the scene of desolation among the cars is enormous, while the result as such gives no indication whatsoever of the character of the race. Morally everyone, even the Italians, feel that Moss is the winner, for he has driven the most intelligent race, being content to sit just behind Ascari and Fangio while they try to break each other up. Ascari has been out to prove that he can still drive and does so in no mean manner, while Fangio is out to win another Grand Prix, which he is lucky in doing. Although it is a lucky win for Fangio he deserves it in one way in that he is completely alone in upholding the Mercédès-Benz name and is attacked on all sides throughout the race. 

fotor_2023-7-31_12_23_39-fotor-20230731122354.jpeg

First Gonzalez battles with him, then Ascari, then Moss, then Villoresi, Moss again and in addition Gonzalez fight him furiously when he is being lapped, so that Fangio never has a moment’s relaxation until 10 laps before the end when Moss is finally out; all the time he has to do battle against one or the other of the opposition, and it says a great deal for his tenacity that he stuck it out right to the end. Unfortunately, in the following lap, Moss enters the pits and stops the car while the mechanics rush around him: they have to add oil to the tank, but the stop is short enough to allow Fangio to hold the lead of the race. When Moss comes, he is twenty seconds behind, but in only one lap he manages to regain three seconds, while hopes are raised among spectators that, however, are short-lived, since in the following lap, the Maserati of the young British driver stops one kilometer away from the finish line, while a large oil slick is expanding underneath his car. Moss leaves the wheel and pushes the car with his arms until the finish line, in order to be classified. The race, at this point, is over, and Fangio marches towards a new victory. The young driver Mantovani is once again unlucky, since his Maserati, only eight laps from the finish, suffers the break of the rear suspension: the driver from Milan will continue the race until the end at a slower pace. At this point, Fangio is ahead of the race, with a definitely slowed down pace, but the rivals still on track are all lapped, so the Argentinian driver has an enormous and unfillable gap, despite the issues found on his W196. The two-times World Champion wins the Italian Grand Prix, followed by Hawthorn and Maglioli, who previously took back the car handed to González. Two Ferrari on Monza’s podium represent a great joy for the Italian crowd, who, anyway, strongly regrets the absence of Ascari with his Rossa and Moss with his Maserati, definitely better on the race pace than the Mercedes drivers. Fangio, in the day when he did not have the pace for the win, manages with a bit of luck to obtain another win in his flawless season so far, and rushes to close it in style in Spain, in the final World Championship Grand Prix. At the end of the race, the Germans sing their national anthem, while the Argentinians shout:

 

"Arriba Fangio".

 

With all the breath in their throat. This amazing XXV Italian Grand Prix will not be easily forgotten: almost three hours of emotions and plot twists characterized the event, fueling for five-sixths of the race the highest hopes of finally seeing Mercedes beaten unapologetically, given such an authoritative and assertive drive first from Ascari and Villoresi, then from Moss. Subsequently, one after the other, the three flagmen of the Italian houses had to step down their pace due to mechanical issues occurred to their cars, last of which the really talented Stirling Moss, right when, thanks to the over twenty seconds of advantage gained on Fangio’s Mercedes, could say that he had the win in his hands. The Italian cars, this time, showed that they could be fast, agile, as stable as, or even more, than Mercedes. Anyway, one great, essential aspect was missing: grip, while the German cars seemed much more OK in this regard. It can also be added that probably some of the Maserati and Ferrari drivers set their racing conduct in a way that was not adequate for the necessities, maybe with the intention of forcing Fangio to ask his Mercedes a bigger effort than usual, which did not cede instead. However, the impression given, especially from Maserati, is very positive, and suggests a final observation: that is, the gap between Italian and German race cars is today, in fact, much smaller than what the results of the last two races made suppose. So, the Italian manufacturers can look to the future with more confidence. The victory of Fangio’s Mercedes in Monza, in the XXV Italian Grand Prix, did not dispel the reservations made in all the previous successes of the German car at all, but it actually enhanced them, because if the judgment made on it after Nürburgring and Bern were based more on impressions than on factual argumentations, on Sunday, 5th September, 1954, over 100.000 people acknowledged that Ferrari and Maserati were as ready as Mercedes, if not even readier, faster and with more handling than Fangio’s aerodynamic car. Moreover, if on the long run the Italian cars lacked some essential quality generically expressed in terms of grip, it is not the winner’s merit to cause their degradation. 

fotor_2023-7-31_12_23_44-fotor-20230731122359.jpeg

If, then, the power relations must be evaluated only based on the results of last Sunday, the conclusion, despite the new victory, would not be completely in favor of Stuttgart’s car. Instead, analyzing the balance of the last two months of activity in the field of Formula 1 races, it must be recognized that the German supremacy is, all in all, an actual fact. The Italian Grand Prix, in addition, revealed the visible improvement of the Italian cars, especially in terms of the power output of the engines, which on the Monza track had the chance to be completely exploited. Under this aspect, one can talk about a balance reached between Italians and Germans, with the latters having a slight advantage in the seasonal performances, and that accuracy in the preparations that made Sunday’s victory possible. In this regard, Von Stuck, the timeless German ace, who follows the race with his wife, states:

 

"The Italians deserved to win only for the enthusiasm with which they raced. They all did very well and they could not have done more: Mercedes had been waiting for this race for years and had been studying for months every detail of the circuit; the drivers know every hole of the asphalt and face every turn with their eyes closed".

 

Giuseppe Farina too, at the end of the Italian Grand Prix, sums up his impressions:

 

"The Italian drivers and teams did much more than it was legit to hope on the eve of the race. Ascari was magnificent and Maserati’s performance was surprising. Nothing to say about Fangio’s and Mercedes’s win: a prodigious machine in the hands of a champion: a perfect match. I think, though, that the recent Mercedes’s victories depend most of all by the fact that we are facing a joint effort made by a whole nation in a specific technical sector, while, as we know, the rivalry between Italian teams is so fierce that it compromises the superior interests of the national sport and industry".

 

Even Fangio, at the end of the race, admits:

 

"I only had much luck. The Italian cars still scare me. In this race, if the team orders were smarter, maybe the race would have had a different ending. It is not true that Mercedes is clearly superior than Ferrari and Maserati. With a better set-up of these cars, in the next races, the German team will have a very hard time. In this race, the Italian drivers worked too much on the braking and this resulted into a more stressed clutch, with at a certain moment could not avoid sliding".

 

In the last Grand Prix of the year, which will be held in October on the Pedralbes circuit, in Barcelona, if Maserati’s and Ferrari’s technicians will have solved the grip issue, without lowering the cars’ performance, a position inversion could easily occur, so the judgments. The XXV Italian Grand Prix, put these summary technical indications apart, offered a sportive spectacle of the highest order.


instagram
twitter
youtube
whatsapp
tiktok
spotify