Page 9 - Ferrari in F1

TON WATSON FINE BOO
1955
championship. Never had an automobile race taken
The Argentine Grand Prix kicked off the 1955
place in such hot weather. Ferrari entered three of its
625 models in Buenos Aires, with Giuseppe Farina,
Froilán González and Maurice Trintignant driving. In this
Argentinian furnace, where temperatures soared to 52 degrees
centigrade, substitute driver Umberto Maglioli also took the
wheel. During the race, which lasted three long hours, almost
every car had to make a pit stop so that the drivers could rest and
quench their thirst. In the Ferrari pit, the drivers were constantly
switching cars, and one car remained stationary in the pits for two
laps as none of the drivers were able to continue! Only two drivers
persevered throughout the race. One was Juan Manuel Fangio
Ferrari driven by González, Trintignant and Farina.
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TAKEOVER OF THE LANCIA TEAM
Lancia, which had spent a fortune on its Formula 1 ambitions,
could no longer finance the team which led to a “forced marriage”
with rival Ferrari. Maranello had not enjoyed much success since
the Formula 2 cars were replaced by the Formula 1 cars at the
start of 1954, and Enzo Ferrari immediately saw the opportunity
of a takeover of the Lancia team. Ferrari took delivery of its
ex-competitor’s cars including spare parts and other equipment.
The team of mechanics and driver Eugenio Castellotti were also
transferred. While Ferrari engineers in Maranello familiarized
themselves with Lancia’s advanced technology, the team
(Mercedes) who was at home here. He won the race ahead of a
The next event took place in Monaco, where Ferrari was
represented by four cars: two of the 625 models, which were
beginning to show their age, and two 555 Squalos. None of
these cars managed to qualify, and the race turned into a tug-
of-war between Mercedes and Lancia. Towards the end of the
race, Stirling Moss (Mercedes) led Alberto Ascari (Lancia), but
the Italian was relentless. Trying to catch up with the Mercedes,
Ascari drove too fast around the chicane by the port, and his
car became airborne and into the water. As the Lancia sank, he
slipped out of the cockpit and swam to shore. At about the same
time, Moss retired due to a mechanical problem, and Trintignant
inherited first place – a surprising victory for Ferrari. Ascari lost
his life a few days later at Monza aboard a Ferrari while testing his
fitness after his spectacular stunt in Monaco.
NUMEROUS TRAGEDIES WITH FAR-REACHING
CONSEQUENCES
Shortly after Ascari’s death, Bill Vukovich, one of America’s
greatest racing drivers, was killed at the Indianapolis 500 (part of
the Formula 1 World Championship until the 1960s), and a few
months later, the worst accident in motoring history occurred.
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continued to use various in-house models in the championship
races. A modified version called the 555 Squalo failed to deliver
the expected breakthrough, and Mercedes dominated for the rest
of the season. For the final race in Italy, Ferrari brought in some
of Lancia’s cars but did not have the correct tires. It was one of
the team’s most disappointing years, with Trintignant’s victory in
Monaco the only ray of sunshine. But thanks to Lancia, Ferrari
once again had a car that was competitive in Formula 1. ■
Eighty spectators were killed by an out-of-control car at the 24
Hours of Le Mans. This tragedy resulted in the banning of all
circuit races in Switzerland and the cancelation of the French
Prix de France.
b Giuseppe Farina (helmeted) in car number
42, waited in the pits at the 1955 Monaco
Grand Prix. Number 46 was in the hands of
Harry Schell.
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