1951 British Grand Prix: Full Weekend Report & Highlights

The 1951 British Grand Prix at Silverstone was expected to showcase the much-anticipated BRM cars, the Type 15, powered by a 1½-litre 16-cylinder supercharged engine, and the first car to use disc brakes in road racing, they finished fifth and seventh.

“The cars showed up exceedingly well,” noted the Guardian, despite drivers requiring first aid for burns due to excessive heat. The writer also pointed out that “The engine needs to be permitted to develop full power without the risk of blowing up.”

The race was won by Jose Froilan Gonzalez in a Ferrari, making it the first time an Alfa Romeo hadn’t won a championship event. An Alfa Romeo was still in second place though, in the form of the year’s eventual champion Juan Manuel Fangio. Luigi Villoresi became the second Ferrari on the podium after he finished in third place, two laps behind.

Qualifying

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Time
1	12	Jose Froilan Gonzalez	Ferrari	1:43.400
2	2	Juan Manuel Fangio	Alfa Romeo	1:44.400
3	1	Nino Farina	Alfa Romeo	1:45.000
4	11	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari	1:45.400
5	10	Luigi Villoresi	Ferrari	1:45.800
6	3	Consalvo Sanesi	Alfa Romeo	1:50.200
7	4	Felice Bonetto	Alfa Romeo	1:52.000
8	14	Peter Whitehead	Ferrari	1:54.600
9	22	Louis Rosier	Talbot-Lago	1:56.000
10	8	Bob Gerard	ERA	1:57.000
11	18	Duncan Hamilton	Talbot-Lago	1:57.200
12	9	Brian Shawe-Taylor	ERA	1:58.200
13	23	Louis Chiron	Talbot-Lago	2:00.200
14	25	Johnny Claes	Talbot-Lago	2:05.800
15	15	David Murray	Maserati	2:06.000
16	17	Philip Fotheringham-Parker	Maserati	2:13.200
17	16	John James	Maserati	2:17.000
18	5	Joe Kelly	Alta	2:18.400
19	7	Peter Walker	BRM
20	6	Reg Parnell	BRM

1951 British Grand Starting Grid

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Time
1	12	Jose Froilan Gonzalez	Ferrari	1:43.400
2	2	Juan Manuel Fangio	Alfa Romeo	1:44.400
3	1	Nino Farina	Alfa Romeo	1:45.000
4	11	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari	1:45.400
5	10	Luigi Villoresi	Ferrari	1:45.800
6	3	Consalvo Sanesi	Alfa Romeo	1:50.200
7	4	Felice Bonetto	Alfa Romeo	1:52.000
8	14	Peter Whitehead	Ferrari	1:54.600
9	22	Louis Rosier	Talbot-Lago	1:56.000
10	8	Bob Gerard	ERA	1:57.000
11	18	Duncan Hamilton	Talbot-Lago	1:57.200
12	9	Brian Shawe-Taylor	ERA	1:58.200
13	23	Louis Chiron	Talbot-Lago	2:00.200
14	25	Johnny Claes	Talbot-Lago	2:05.800
15	15	David Murray	Maserati	2:06.000
16	17	Philip Fotheringham-Parker	Maserati	2:13.200
17	16	John James	Maserati	2:17.000
18	5	Joe Kelly	Alta	2:18.400
19	7	Peter Walker	BRM
20	6	Reg Parnell	BRM

1951 British Grand Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	12	Jose Froilan Gonzalez	Ferrari	90	2:42:18.200	8
2	2	Juan Manuel Fangio	Alfa Romeo	90	+51.000s	6
3	10	Luigi Villoresi	Ferrari	88	+2 laps	4
4	4	Felice Bonetto	Alfa Romeo	87	+3 laps	3
5	6	Reg Parnell	BRM	85	+5 laps	2
6	3	Consalvo Sanesi	Alfa Romeo	84	+6 laps	0
7	7	Peter Walker	BRM	84	+6 laps	0
8	9	Brian Shawe-Taylor	ERA	84	+6 laps	0
9	14	Peter Whitehead	Thin Wall Ferrari	83	+7 laps	0
10	22	Louis Rosier	Talbot-Lago	83	+7 laps	0
11	8	Bob Gerard	ERA	82	+8 laps	0
12	18	Duncan Hamilton	Talbot-Lago	81	+9 laps	0
13	25	Johnny Claes	Talbot-Lago	80	+10 laps	0
NC	1	Nino Farina	Alfa Romeo	75	DNF	1
NC	5	Joe Kelly	Alta	75	+15 laps	0
NC	11	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari	56	DNF	0
NC	17	Philip Fotheringham-Parker	Maserati	46	DNF	0
NC	15	David Murray	Maserati	45	DNF	0
NC	23	Louis Chiron	Talbot-Lago	41	DNF	0
NC	16	John James	Maserati	23	DNF	0

1951 Post-Race F1 Drivers’ Championship Standings

Pos	Driver	Points
1	Juan Manuel Fangio	21
2	Nino Farina	15
3	Luigi Villoresi	12
4	José Froilán González	11
5	Lee Wallard	9

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Ben is a staff writer specialising in F1 from the 1990s to the modern era. Ben has been following Formula 1 since 1986 and is an avid researcher who loves understanding the technology that makes it one of the most exciting motorsport on the planet. He listens to podcasts about F1 on a daily basis, and enjoys reading books from the inspirational Adrian Newey to former F1 drivers.