1955 Italian Grand Prix

The 1955 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, in Monza, Italy on 11 September 1955. It was the seventh and final race of the 1955 World Championship of Drivers.

1955 Italian Grand Prix
← Previous raceNext race →
Autodromo Nazionale di Monza layout
Autodromo Nazionale di Monza layout
Race details
Date September 11, 1955
Official name XXVI Gran Premio d'Italia
Location Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza, Italy
Course Permanent road course
Course length 10.000 km (6.214 miles)
Distance 50 laps, 500.023 km (310.700 miles)
Pole position
Driver Mercedes
Time 2:46.5
Fastest lap
Driver United Kingdom Stirling Moss Mercedes
Time 2:46.9
Podium
First Mercedes
Second Mercedes
Third Ferrari
Lap leaders

In the wake of the 1955 Le Mans disaster, the championship was still open after the British Grand Prix; although after that race (with the French Grand Prix already having been cancelled) the German, Swiss and Spanish Grands Prix were all cancelled. This meant that Fangio won the world driver's championship for the 3rd time and the 2nd time in succession.

A new concrete banking had been constructed over where the original slightly banked version was, and the combined 10 km (6.214 mi) Monza circuit was used for the first time since 1933. The Curva Sud had also been modified from 2 right hand corners into one sweeping right-hander known as the "Parabolica".

Of the 4 factory Mercedes cars in the race, Fangio and Moss drove the streamlined, closed-wheel W196's, while Kling and Taruffi drove open-wheel W196's. This was the 4th and last appearance of the streamlined Mercedes cars at a championship GP as well as the third and last time in Formula One history that a race had been won by a closed-wheel car.

This was the last Grand Prix race for 1950 world champion Nino Farina. This was also the last Grand Prix win for a Mercedes-Benz as an engine manufacturer until David Coulthard won the 1997 Australian Grand Prix and the last Grand Prix win for Mercedes-Benz as a constructor until Nico Rosberg won the 2012 Chinese Grand Prix, and also the last 1-2 finish for Mercedes-Benz as an engine manufacturer until Mika Häkkinen and Coulthard at the 1997 European Grand Prix, as well as the last 1-2 finish for Mercedes-Benz as a constructor until Lewis Hamilton and Rosberg at the 2014 Malaysian Grand Prix.

Classification

edit

Qualifying

edit
Pos No Driver Constructor Time Gap
1 18   Juan Manuel Fangio Mercedes 2:46.5
2 16   Stirling Moss Mercedes 2:46.8 +0.3
3 20   Karl Kling Mercedes 2:48.3 +1.8
4 4   Eugenio Castellotti Ferrari 2:49.6 +3.1
5 2   Nino Farina Lancia 2:49.9 +3.4
6 36   Jean Behra Maserati 2:50.1 +3.6
7 28   Roberto Mieres Maserati 2:51.1 +4.6
8 10   Luigi Villoresi Lancia 2:51.6 +5.1
9 14   Piero Taruffi Mercedes 2:51.8 +5.3
10 30   Luigi Musso Maserati 2:52.1 +5.6
11 32   Peter Collins Maserati 2:55.3 +8.8
12 12   Umberto Maglioli Ferrari 2:55.4 +8.9
13 42   Harry Schell Vanwall 2:55.5 +9.0
14 6   Mike Hawthorn Ferrari 2:56.2 +9.7
15 8   Maurice Trintignant Ferrari 2:56.3 +9.8
16 34   Carlos Menditeguy Maserati 2:58.4 +11.9
17 44   Ken Wharton Vanwall 2:59.5 +13.0
18 22   Hermano da Silva Ramos Gordini 2:59.8 +13.3
19 26   Jacques Pollet Gordini 2:59.9 +13.4
20 40   John Fitch Maserati 3:03.1 +16.6
21 38   Horace Gould Maserati 3:05.2 +18.7
22 24   Jean Lucas Gordini 3:15.9 +29.4
DNS 46   Luigi Piotti Arzani-Volpini-Maserati
Source:[1]

Race

edit
Pos No Driver Constructor Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 18   Juan Manuel Fangio Mercedes 50 2:25:04.4 1 8
2 14   Piero Taruffi Mercedes 50 +0.7 9 6
3 4   Eugenio Castellotti Ferrari 50 +46.2 4 4
4 36   Jean Behra Maserati 50 +3:57.5 6 3
5 34   Carlos Menditeguy Maserati 49 +1 Lap 16 2
6 12   Umberto Maglioli Ferrari 49 +1 Lap 12
7 28   Roberto Mieres Maserati 48 +2 Laps 7
8 8   Maurice Trintignant Ferrari 47 +3 Laps 15
9 40   John Fitch Maserati 46 +4 Laps 20
10 6   Mike Hawthorn Ferrari 38 Gearbox 14
Ret 20   Karl Kling Mercedes 32 Gearbox 3
Ret 30   Luigi Musso Maserati 31 Gearbox 10
Ret 38   Horace Gould Maserati 31 Suspension 21
Ret 16   Stirling Moss Mercedes 27 Engine 2 11
Ret 26   Jacques Pollet Gordini 26 Engine 19
Ret 22   Hermano da Silva Ramos Gordini 23 Fuel System 18
Ret 32   Peter Collins Maserati 22 Suspension 11
Ret 42   Harry Schell Vanwall 7 Suspension 13
Ret 24   Jean Lucas Gordini 7 Engine 22
Ret 44   Ken Wharton Vanwall 0 Injection 17
DNS 2   Nino Farina Lancia Tyre 5
DNS 10   Luigi Villoresi Lancia Tyre 8
DNS 46   Luigi Piotti Arzani-Volpini-Maserati Engine
Source:[2]
Notes
  • ^1 – 1 point for fastest lap

Championship standings after the race

edit
Drivers' Championship standings
Pos Driver Points
  1   Juan Manuel Fangio 40 (41)
  2   Stirling Moss 23
  3 3   Eugenio Castellotti 12
  1 4   Maurice Trintignant 11 13
  1 5   Nino Farina 10 13
Source: [3]
  • Note: Only the top five positions are included. Only the best 5 results counted towards the Championship. Numbers without parentheses are Championship points; numbers in parentheses are total points scored.


References

edit
  1. ^ "1955 Italian GP Qualification". www.chicanef1.com. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  2. ^ "1955 Italian Grand Prix". formula1.com. Archived from the original on 17 February 2014. Retrieved 9 August 2015.
  3. ^ "Italy 1955 - Championship • STATS F1". www.statsf1.com. Retrieved 1 March 2019.


Previous race:
1955 British Grand Prix
FIA Formula One World Championship
1955 season
Next race:
1956 Argentine Grand Prix
Previous race:
1954 Italian Grand Prix
Italian Grand Prix Next race:
1956 Italian Grand Prix