Juan Manuel Fangio produced one of Grand Prix racing’s defining drives to win the 1957 German Grand Prix and secure his fifth World Championship. A slow pit stop seemed to have handed Ferrari victory, but Fangio chased down Peter Collins and Mike Hawthorn in a breathtaking Nürburgring recovery.
Race Guide
Season: 1957 F1 World Championship
Race date: 4 August 1957
Race start time: Start time unconfirmed local time (UTC+01:00)
Circuit: Nürburgring
Laps: 22 laps
Circuit length: 22.810 km
1956 winner: Juan Manuel Fangio
| Result | Driver / Time | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Pole position | Juan Manuel Fangio | Maserati |
| Pole time | 9:25.600 | |
| Fastest lap | Juan Manuel Fangio | Maserati |
| Fastest-lap time | 9:17.400 on lap 20 | |
| First | Juan Manuel Fangio | Maserati |
| Second | Mike Hawthorn | Ferrari |
| Third | Peter Collins | Ferrari |
Weekend Schedule
| Date | Session | Local Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 August 1957 | Thursday private practice | Start time unconfirmed |
| 2 August 1957 | Friday timed practice | Start time unconfirmed |
| 3 August 1957 | Saturday final qualifying | Start time unconfirmed |
| 4 August 1957 | Race | Start time unconfirmed |
All times are local. The race time is the scheduled start; weather delays and interruptions are described below.
Championship background
Juan Manuel Fangio arrived at round 6 leading the 1957 F1 World Championship on 25 points, with Luigi Musso on 13.
Race entries
Maserati, Ferrari and Vanwall brought their leading drivers, while BRM withdrew. Formula Two cars joined the race for separate honours, with Porsche‘s sports-based entries competing against the Coopers. These smaller-engined runners were not eligible for World Championship points.
Thursday private practice
Vanwall hired the circuit for an advance test, its first experience of the Nürburgring with these cars. Brooks and Lewis-Evans found the ride punishing: the bumps unsettled the chassis and imposed severe loads on components. The outing gave the mechanics time to make changes before official practice, but adapting a car successful at Aintree to the Eifel remained a major challenge.
Friday timed practice
Fangio immediately set an imposing benchmark of 9:25.6. Maserati examined suspension durability, while Ferrari changed front springs and Hawthorn emerged as the closest challenger. Vanwall remained difficult to control over the bumps despite competitive speed. Salvadori impressed among the Formula Two cars, and an erroneous quick time credited to Naylor was corrected rather than allowed to distort the order.
Saturday final qualifying
Hawthorn reduced the gap to Fangio to under three seconds, with Behra and Collins also improving, but Friday’s pole lap survived. Brooks was the quickest Vanwall driver as the team continued struggling with the circuit’s surface. Barth put Porsche ahead in Formula Two, while Brabham‘s disappointing speed was traced to an engine supplied with unsuitable camshafts.
Qualifying Classification
The best timed-practice lap set the grid. Formula Two entries ran in the same event for separate awards and without World Championship points eligibility.
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Best Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Juan Manuel Fangio | Maserati | 9:25.600 |
| 2 | 8 | Mike Hawthorn | Ferrari | 9:28.4 |
| 3 | 2 | Jean Behra | Maserati | 9:30.5 |
| 4 | 7 | Peter Collins | Ferrari | 9:34.7 |
| 5 | 11 | Tony Brooks | Vanwall | 9:36.1 |
| 6 | 3 | Harry Schell | Maserati | 9:39.2 |
| 7 | 10 | Stirling Moss | Vanwall | 9:41.2 |
| 8 | 6 | Luigi Musso | Ferrari | 9:43.1 |
| 9 | 12 | Stuart Lewis-Evans | Vanwall | 9:45.0 |
| 10 | 16 | Masten Gregory | Maserati | 9:51.5 |
| 11 | 17 | Hans Herrmann | Maserati | 10:00.0 |
| 12 | 21 | Edgar Barth | Porsche | 10:02.2 |
| 13 | 4 | Giorgio Scarlatti | Maserati | 10:04.9 |
| 14 | 23 | Roy Salvadori | Cooper | 10:06.0 |
| 15 | 20 | Umberto Maglioli | Porsche | 10:08.9 |
| 16 | 15 | Bruce Halford | Maserati | 10:14.5 |
| 17 | 28 | Brian Naylor | Cooper | 10:15.0 |
| 18 | 24 | Jack Brabham | Cooper | 10:18.8 |
| 19 | 19 | Horace Gould | Maserati | 10:20.8 |
| 20 | 27 | Carel Godin de Beaufort | Porsche | 10:25.9 |
| 21 | 18 | Paco Godia | Maserati | 10:32.3 |
| 22 | 25 | Tony Marsh | Cooper | 10:48.2 |
| 23 | 26 | Paul England | Cooper | 11:08.4 |
| 24 | 29 | Dick Gibson | Cooper | 11:46.4 |
What happened in the 1957 German Grand Prix?
Fangio planned to stop for fuel and tyres, unlike the Ferraris. He built a useful lead before his stop, but trouble changing a rear wheel turned the operation into a lengthy delay. Hawthorn and Collins emerged well ahead, leaving the Maserati driver with an enormous task.
Fangio responded with a succession of extraordinary laps, repeatedly lowering the race record. The gap shrank as he pushed beyond his qualifying pace, and on the penultimate lap he passed both Collins and Hawthorn. Hawthorn refused to concede and stayed close through the final tour, but could not regain the lead.
Fangio won by a little over three seconds, with Hawthorn second and Collins third. Musso finished fourth and Moss fifth, while Barth won the Formula Two contest in twelfth overall. Victory and fastest lap secured Fangio’s fifth title; this also proved to be his final World Championship race win.
After the race, Juan Manuel Fangio headed the drivers’ standings with 34 points, followed by Luigi Musso on 16.
1957 German Grand Prix race results
The 1957 German Grand Prix was held on 4 August 1957.
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Laps | Time / Retired | Pts. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Juan Manuel Fangio | Maserati | 22 | 3:30:38.3 | 9 |
| 2 | 8 | Mike Hawthorn | Ferrari | 22 | +3.6 secs | 6 |
| 3 | 7 | Peter Collins | Ferrari | 22 | +35.6 secs | 4 |
| 4 | 6 | Luigi Musso | Ferrari | 22 | +3:37.6 | 3 |
| 5 | 10 | Stirling Moss | Vanwall | 22 | +4:37.2 | 2 |
| 6 | 2 | Jean Behra | Maserati | 22 | +4:38.5 | 0 |
| 7 | 3 | Harry Schell | Maserati | 22 | +6:47.5 | 0 |
| 8 | 16 | Masten Gregory | Maserati | 21 | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 9 | 11 | Tony Brooks | Vanwall | 21 | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 10 | 4 | Giorgio Scarlatti | Maserati | 21 | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 11 | 15 | Bruce Halford | Maserati | 21 | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 12 | 21 | Edgar Barth | Porsche | 21 | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 13 | 28 | Brian Naylor | Cooper | 20 | +2 Laps | 0 |
| 14 | 27 | Carel Godin de Beaufort | Porsche | 20 | +2 Laps | 0 |
| 15 | 25 | Tony Marsh | Cooper | 17 | +5 Laps | 0 |
| Ret | 17 | Hans Herrmann | Maserati | 14 | Chassis | 0 |
| Ret | 20 | Umberto Maglioli | Porsche | 13 | Engine | 0 |
| Ret | 23 | Roy Salvadori | Cooper | 11 | Suspension | 0 |
| Ret | 18 | Paco Godia | Maserati | 11 | Steering | 0 |
| Ret | 12 | Stuart Lewis-Evans | Vanwall | 10 | Gearbox | 0 |
| Ret | 24 | Jack Brabham | Cooper | 6 | Transmission | 0 |
| Ret | 26 | Paul England | Cooper | 4 | Distributor | 0 |
| Ret | 29 | Dick Gibson | Cooper | 3 | Steering | 0 |
| Ret | 19 | Horace Gould | Maserati | 1 | Axle | 0 |
Includes 1 point for fastest lap
1957 German Grand Prix Fastest Laps
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Lap | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Juan Manuel Fangio | Maserati | 20 | 9:17.400 |
Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear. One championship point was awarded for fastest lap, divided equally when shared.
1957 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings
Championship standings after the 1957 German Grand Prix.
1957 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings
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.
1957 Formula 1 Race Calendar
Seen in:
