1953 Argentine Grand Prix: Full Weekend Report & Highlights

The 1953 Argentine Grand Prix was the first-ever championship Argentine event, sadly overshadowed by a tragic accident that resulted in the death of 13 spectators, and consequently a young boy, and injuries to many others.

Season: 1953 F1 World Championship
Race date: 18 January 1953
Circuit: Autódromo 17 de Octubre, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Laps: 97
Circuit length: 3.912 km (2.431 miles)

During the race, on lap 31, Nino Farina attempted to dodge a spectator crossing the track, which led him to crash into the nearby crowd. Farina sustained minor leg injuries from the incident. Initially, the Buenos Aires Autodrome welcomed around 200,000 fans due to free admission, which led to overcrowded conditions with spectators overflowing onto the track edges.

Despite this, the race continued, and Ferrari driver Alberto Ascari dominated, starting from pole position, leading every lap, recording the fastest lap, and lapping all other drivers. Ascari’s teammate, Luigi Villoresi finished second, and a Ferrari 1-2 finish, with Jose Froilan Gonzalez finishing in third for Maserati.

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Qualifying

POS.	NO.	DRIVER	TEAM	TIME
1	10	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari	1:55.400
2	2	Juan Manuel Fangio	Maserati	1:56.100
3	14	Luigi Villoresi	Ferrari	1:56.500
4	12	Nino Farina	Ferrari	1:57.100
5	4	Jose Froilan Gonzalez	Maserati	1:58.500
6	16	Mike Hawthorn	Ferrari	1:59.400
7	28	Maurice Trintignant	Gordini	2:00.400
8	26	Robert Manzon	Gordini	2:00.900
9	8	Oscar Alfredo Galvez	Maserati	2:01.300
10	32	Carlos Menditeguy	Gordini	2:01.800
11	30	Jean Behra	Gordini	2:02.600
12	20	Alan Brown	Cooper Alta	2:03.200
13	24	Adolfo Schewelm Cruz	Cooper Alta	2:03.700
14	34	Pablo Birger	Gordini	2:03.800
15	6	Felice Bonetto	Maserati	2:04.200
16	22	John Barber	Cooper Alta	2:06.800

1953 Argentine Grand Starting Grid

POS.	NO.	DRIVER	TEAM	TIME
1	10	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari	1:55.400
2	2	Juan Manuel Fangio	Maserati	1:56.100
3	14	Luigi Villoresi	Ferrari	1:56.500
4	12	Nino Farina	Ferrari	1:57.100
5	4	Jose Froilan Gonzalez	Maserati	1:58.500
6	16	Mike Hawthorn	Ferrari	1:59.400
7	28	Maurice Trintignant	Gordini	2:00.400
8	26	Robert Manzon	Gordini	2:00.900
9	8	Oscar Alfredo Galvez	Maserati	2:01.300
10	32	Carlos Menditeguy	Gordini	2:01.800
11	30	Jean Behra	Gordini	2:02.600
12	20	Alan Brown	Cooper Alta	2:03.200
13	24	Adolfo Schewelm Cruz	Cooper Alta	2:03.700
14	34	Pablo Birger	Gordini	2:03.800
15	6	Felice Bonetto	Maserati	2:04.200
16	22	John Barber	Cooper Alta	2:06.800

1953 Argentine Grand Race Results

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/retired	Pts
1	10	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari	97	3:01:04.600	9
2	14	Luigi Villoresi	Ferrari	96	+1 lap	6
3	4	Jose Froilan Gonzalez	Maserati	96	+1 lap	4
4	16	Mike Hawthorn	Ferrari	96	+1 lap	3
5	8	Oscar Alfredo Galvez	Maserati	96	+1 lap	2
6	30	Jean Behra	Gordini	94	+3 laps	0
7	28	Maurice Trintignant	Gordini		SHC	0
7	28	Harry Schell	Gordini	91	+6 laps	0
8	22	John Barber	Cooper Bristol	90	+7 laps	0
9	20	Alan Brown	Cooper Bristol	87	+10 laps	0
NC	26	Robert Manzon	Gordini	67	DNF	0
NC	2	Juan Manuel Fangio	Maserati	36	DNF	0
NC	6	Felice Bonetto	Maserati	31	DNF	0
NC	12	Nino Farina	Ferrari	30	DNF	0
NC	32	Carlos Menditeguy	Gordini	24	DNF	0
NC	34	Pablo Birger	Simca-Gordini	21	DNF	0
NC	24	Adolfo Schewelm Cruz	Cooper Bristol	20	DNF	0

1953 Post-Race F1 Drivers’ Championship Standings

Pos	Driver	Points
1	Alberto Ascari	9
2	Luigi Villoresi	6
3	Jose Froilan Gonzalez	4
4	Mike Hawthorn	3
5	Óscar Alfredo Gálvez	2

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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.