Juan Manuel Fangio and Luigi Musso shared victory in the 1956 Argentine Grand Prix after a race of mechanical failures and changing fortunes. Fangio’s first championship appearance for Ferrari ended with a home win, although Jean Behra‘s undivided points for second put the Maserati driver at the top of the standings.
Race Guide
Season: 1956 F1 World Championship
Race date: 22 January 1956
Race start time: Start time unconfirmed local time (UTC-03:00)
Circuit: Autódromo Oscar Alfredo Gálvez
Laps: 98 laps
Circuit length: 3.912 km
1955 winner: Juan Manuel Fangio
| Result | Driver / Time | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Pole position | Juan Manuel Fangio | Ferrari |
| Pole time | 1:42.500 | |
| Fastest lap | Juan Manuel Fangio | Ferrari |
| Fastest-lap time | 1:45.300 on lap 42 | |
| First | Luigi Musso / Juan Manuel Fangio | Ferrari |
| Second | Jean Behra | Maserati |
| Third | Mike Hawthorn | Maserati |
Weekend Schedule
| Date | Session | Local Time |
|---|---|---|
| Before the race; individual practice dates unconfirmed | Timed practice and qualifying | Start time unconfirmed |
| 22 January 1956 | Race | Start time unconfirmed |
All times are local. The race time is the scheduled start; weather delays and interruptions are described below.
Championship background
The 1956 F1 World Championship began with a fresh points table and the first opportunity to measure the teams in race conditions. Autódromo Oscar Alfredo Gálvez hosted the opening contest, where qualifying pace, tyre management and reliability would all shape the result.
Race entries
Mercedes had withdrawn, sending Fangio to Ferrari and Moss to Maserati. Ferrari‘s Lancia-derived cars faced a field composed entirely of Italian machinery, including Hawthorn in a Maserati entered by the BRM organisation. Musso, Castellotti, Collins and Gendebien joined Ferrari‘s challenge, while Menditeguy and Behra supported Moss.
Timed practice and qualifying
Ferrari‘s revised Lancia-derived cars made an immediate impression, taking the first three qualifying places. Fangio was in a class of his own on home ground, more than two seconds clear of the next car. It was an encouraging start to his new partnership after Mercedes‘ departure, although the race would expose reliability problems that the qualifying order could not reveal. The available account does not separate practice into verified daily sessions.
Qualifying Classification
Timed practice established the grid. The sources consulted do not provide a complete session-by-session schedule, so no modern free-practice structure has been added.
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Best Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 30 | Juan Manuel Fangio | Ferrari | 1:42.500 |
| 2 | 32 | Eugenio Castellotti | Ferrari | 1:44.7 |
| 3 | 34 | Luigi Musso | Ferrari | 1:44.7 |
| 4 | 4 | Jean Behra | Maserati | 1:45.1 |
| 5 | 12 | José Froilán González | Maserati | 1:45.2 |
| 6 | 6 | Carlos Menditeguy | Maserati | 1:45.6 |
| 7 | 2 | Stirling Moss | Maserati | 1:45.9 |
| 8 | 14 | Mike Hawthorn | Maserati | 1:47.4 |
| 9 | 36 | Peter Collins | Ferrari | 1:47.7 |
| 10 | 38 | Olivier Gendebien | Ferrari | 1:50.4 |
| 11 | 10 | Chico Landi / Gerino Gerini | Maserati | 1:52.1 |
| 12 | 8 | Luigi Piotti | Maserati | 1:57.9 |
| 13 | 16 | Alberto Uría | Maserati | No time |
What happened in the 1956 Argentine Grand Prix?
Menditeguy and Moss put Maserati ahead early as Fangio struggled with a faulty fuel pump. Fangio eventually took over Musso’s Ferrari, then lost time with a spin during his recovery. Maserati protested the assistance he received in restarting, but the officials rejected the protest.
Mechanical trouble transformed the contest. Castellotti’s gearbox failed, Menditeguy retired from the lead with a broken driveshaft, and Moss’s engine began to deteriorate. Fangio passed Behra and then the ailing Moss, taking command in the shared Ferrari.
Fangio and Musso won ahead of Behra and Hawthorn. Landi and Gerini shared fourth, with Gendebien fifth. The winners divided eight points, while Fangio also received the fastest-lap point; Behra’s six points for second therefore gave him the early championship lead.
After the race, Jean Behra headed the drivers’ standings with 6 points, followed by Juan Manuel Fangio on 5.
1956 Argentine Grand Prix race results
The 1956 Argentine Grand Prix was held on 22 January 1956.
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Laps | Time / Retired | Pts. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 34 | Luigi Musso / Juan Manuel Fangio | Ferrari | 98 | 3:00:03.7 | 4 / 5 |
| 2 | 4 | Jean Behra | Maserati | 98 | +24.4 | 6 |
| 3 | 14 | Mike Hawthorn | Maserati | 96 | +2 laps | 4 |
| 4 | 10 | Chico Landi / Gerino Gerini | Maserati | 92 | +6 laps | 1.5 / 1.5 |
| 5 | 38 | Olivier Gendebien | Ferrari | 91 | +7 laps | 2 |
| 6 | 16 | Alberto Uría / Óscar González | Maserati | 88 | +10 laps | 0 |
| Ret | 2 | Stirling Moss | Maserati | 81 | Engine | 0 |
| Ret | 36 | Peter Collins | Ferrari | 58 | Accident | 0 |
| Ret | 8 | Luigi Piotti | Maserati | 57 | Accident | 0 |
| Ret | 6 | Carlos Menditeguy | Maserati | 42 | Halfshaft | 0 |
| Ret | 32 | Eugenio Castellotti | Ferrari | 40 | Gearbox | 0 |
| Ret | 12 | José Froilán González | Maserati | 24 | Engine | 0 |
| Ret | 30 | Juan Manuel Fangio / Luigi Musso | Ferrari | 22 | Fuel pump | 0 |
Includes 1 point for fastest lap
1956 Argentine Grand Prix Fastest Laps
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Lap | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 34 | Juan Manuel Fangio | Ferrari | 42 | 1:45.300 |
Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear. One championship point was awarded for fastest lap, divided equally when shared.
1956 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings
Championship standings after the 1956 Argentine Grand Prix.
1956 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings
| POS | Driver | Nationality | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jean Behra | French | Maserati | 6 |
| 2 | Juan Manuel Fangio | Argentine | Ferrari | 5 |
| 3 | Luigi Musso | Italian | Ferrari | 4 |
| 4 | Mike Hawthorn | British | Maserati | 4 |
| 5 | Olivier Gendebien | Belgian | Ferrari | 2 |
| 6 | Gerino Gerini | Italian | Maserati | 1.5 |
| 7 | Chico Landi | Brazilian | Maserati | 1.5 |
| — | Óscar González | Uruguayan | Maserati | 0 |
| — | Alberto Uria | Uruguayan | Maserati | 0 |
| — | Stirling Moss | British | Maserati | 0 |
| — | Peter Collins | British | Ferrari | 0 |
| — | Luigi Piotti | Italian | Maserati | 0 |
| — | Carlos Menditeguy | Argentine | Maserati | 0 |
| — | Eugenio Castellotti | Italian | Ferrari | 0 |
| — | José Froilán González | Argentine | Maserati | 0 |
There was no constructors’ championship in this season; the manufacturers’ competition began in 1958.
Drivers counted their best 5 results. The first five places earned 8–6–4–3–2 points, with one further point for fastest lap, shared equally when necessary. Points from shared drives were divided between the eligible drivers; individual allocations are shown in driver order.
1956 Formula 1 Race Calendar
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