1951 French Grand Prix: Full Weekend Report & Highlights

Juan Manuel Fangio and Luigi Fagioli, driving an Alfa Romeo, claimed victory at the 1951 French Grand Prix, finishing ahead of Ferrari drivers Jose Froilan Gonzalez and Alberto Ascari in second. Luigi Villoresi finished in third place for Ferrari. It was the first of three occasions where two drivers would be credited with a Grand Prix win after sharing a car.

Luigi Fagioli’s victory in this race marked his first and only World Championship win, making him the oldest driver ever to win a Formula One Grand Prix—a record that still stands.

This race is also the longest Formula One Grand Prix in F1 History in terms of total distance covered. The 77 laps around the 4.856-mile Reims-Gueux circuit added up to a gruelling 373.961 miles.

Qualifying

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Time
1	4	Juan Manuel Fangio	Alfa Romeo	2:25.700
2	2	Nino Farina	Alfa Romeo	2:27.400
3	12	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari	2:28.100
4	10	Luigi Villoresi	Ferrari	2:28.500
5	6	Consalvo Sanesi	Alfa Romeo	2:28.900
6	14	Jose Froilan Gonzalez	Ferrari	2:30.800
7	8	Luigi Fagioli	Alfa Romeo	2:33.100
8	42	Louis Chiron	Talbot-Lago	2:43.700
9	26	Reg Parnell	Ferrari	2:44.000
10	38	Philippe Etancelin	Talbot-Lago	2:44.800
11	46	Yves Giraud-Cabantous		2:45.700
12	28	Johnny Claes	Talbot-Lago	2:46.600
13	40	Louis Rosier	Talbot-Lago	2:48.000
14	44	Eugene Chaboud	Talbot-Lago	2:49.600
15	50	Onofre Marimon	Maserati	2:49.800
16	18	Toulo de Graffenried	Maserati	2:50.100
17	36	Aldo Gordini	Simca-Gordini	2:50.300
18	32	Maurice Trintignant	Simca-Gordini	2:50.300
19	48	Guy Mairesse	Talbot-Lago	2:58.400
20	24	Peter Whitehead	Ferrari
21	34	Andre Simon	Simca-Gordini
22	20	Harry Schell	Maserati
23	30	Robert Manzon	Simca-Gordini

1951 French Grand Starting Grid

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Time
1	4	Juan Manuel Fangio	Alfa Romeo	2:25.700
2	2	Nino Farina	Alfa Romeo	2:27.400
3	12	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari	2:28.100
4	10	Luigi Villoresi	Ferrari	2:28.500
5	6	Consalvo Sanesi	Alfa Romeo	2:28.900
6	14	Jose Froilan Gonzalez	Ferrari	2:30.800
7	8	Luigi Fagioli	Alfa Romeo	2:33.100
8	42	Louis Chiron	Talbot-Lago	2:43.700
9	26	Reg Parnell	Ferrari	2:44.000
10	38	Philippe Etancelin	Talbot-Lago	2:44.800
11	46	Yves Giraud-Cabantous		2:45.700
12	28	Johnny Claes	Talbot-Lago	2:46.600
13	40	Louis Rosier	Talbot-Lago	2:48.000
14	44	Eugene Chaboud	Talbot-Lago	2:49.600
15	50	Onofre Marimon	Maserati	2:49.800
16	18	Toulo de Graffenried	Maserati	2:50.100
17	36	Aldo Gordini	Simca-Gordini	2:50.300
18	32	Maurice Trintignant	Simca-Gordini	2:50.300
19	48	Guy Mairesse	Talbot-Lago	2:58.400
20	24	Peter Whitehead	Ferrari
21	34	Andre Simon	Simca-Gordini
22	20	Harry Schell	Maserati
23	30	Robert Manzon	Simca-Gordini

1951 French Grand Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	8	Juan Manuel Fangio	Alfa Romeo	77	3:22:11.000	5
1	8	Luigi Fagioli	Alfa Romeo		SHC	4
2	14	Jose Froilan Gonzalez	Ferrari		SHC	3
2	14	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari	77	+58.200s	3
3	10	Luigi Villoresi	Ferrari	74	+3 laps	4
4	26	Reg Parnell	Thin Wall Ferrari	73	+4 laps	3
5	2	Nino Farina	Alfa Romeo	73	+4 laps	2
6	42	Louis Chiron	Talbot-Lago	71	+6 laps	0
7	46	Yves Giraud-Cabantous	Talbot-Lago	71	+6 laps	0
8	44	Eugene Chaboud	Talbot-Lago	69	+8 laps	0
9	48	Guy Mairesse	Talbot-Lago	66	+11 laps	0
10	6	Consalvo Sanesi	Alfa Romeo	58	+19 laps	0
11	4	Luigi Fagioli	Alfa Romeo	55	+22 laps	0
11	4	Juan Manuel Fangio	Alfa Romeo		SHC	0
NC	28	Johnny Claes	Talbot-Lago	54	DNF	0
NC	40	Louis Rosier	Talbot-Lago	43	DNF	0
NC	38	Philippe Etancelin	Talbot-Lago	37	DNF	0
NC	36	Aldo Gordini	Simca-Gordini	27	DNF	0
NC	20	Harry Schell	Maserati	24	DNF	0
NC	32	Maurice Trintignant	Simca-Gordini	11	DNF	0
NC	12	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari	10	DNF	0
NC	34	Andre Simon	Simca-Gordini	7	DNF	0
NC	30	Robert Manzon	Simca-Gordini	3	DNF	0
NC	50	Onofre Marimon	Maserati Milano	2	DNF	0
NC	18	Toulo de Graffenried	Maserati	1	DNF	0
NC	24	Peter Whitehead	Ferrari	1	DNF	0

1951 Post-Race F1 Drivers’ Championship Standings

Pos	Driver	Points
1	Juan Manuel Fangio	15
2	Nino Farina	14
3	Lee Wallard	9
4	Alberto Ascari	9
5	Luigi Villoresi	8

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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.