1957 Pescara Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Stirling Moss conquered Pescara’s immense road circuit to win the 1957 Pescara Grand Prix by more than three minutes. Vanwall followed its Aintree breakthrough with another commanding victory, this time over newly crowned champion Juan Manuel Fangio on the longest circuit ever used for a World Championship round.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Juan Manuel Fangio	Maserati
Pole time	9:44.600
Fastest lap	Stirling Moss	Vanwall
Fastest-lap time	9:44.600 on lap 9
First	Stirling Moss	Vanwall
Second	Juan Manuel Fangio	Maserati
Third	Harry Schell	Maserati

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
16 August 1957	Road familiarisation	Start time unconfirmed
17 August 1957	Saturday morning timed practice	07:00–09:30
17 August 1957	Saturday afternoon final qualifying	16:30–18:30
18 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 7 leading the 1957 F1 World Championship on 34 points, with Luigi Musso on 16.

Race entries

Pescara joined the championship after the Belgian and Dutch rounds were cancelled. Ferrari withheld its usual team, although Musso was allowed to race a single car. Maserati and Vanwall supplied the leading opposition, with private Maseratis and two smaller-engined Coopers completing the sixteen-car field.

Road familiarisation

Drivers could inspect the public-road course in road cars before it closed for competitive running. Its villages, long straights and mountain sections demanded careful study. This was reconnaissance, not an official free-practice session: the actual timed running was confined to two periods on Saturday.

Saturday morning timed practice

Behra’s engine failed early, forcing him to try Maserati‘s V12 while a replacement was prepared. Moss changed Vanwalls as the team worked on suspension behaviour over the rough roads. Musso challenged strongly in the lone Ferrari, but Moss and Fangio both broke ten minutes near the end, with Fangio quickest. The circuit reopened to ordinary traffic between sessions.

Saturday afternoon final qualifying

Behra returned with a replacement engine, while Musso continued pressing hard to defend Ferrari‘s honour. The bumps remained punishing for the cars, particularly the smaller Coopers. Fangio improved to 9:44.6 and secured pole; Moss’s morning effort was enough for second, with Musso completing the front row. Vanwall‘s revised suspension was more effective than at the Nürburgring, but still demanded careful handling.

Qualifying Classification

Both timed sessions took place on Saturday because the circuit used public roads. Friday’s observation laps were not a separate competitive practice classification.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Best Time
1	2	Juan Manuel Fangio	Maserati	9:44.600
2	26	Stirling Moss	Vanwall	9:54.7
3	34	Luigi Musso	Ferrari	10:00.0
4	4	Jean Behra	Maserati	10:03.1
5	6	Harry Schell	Maserati	10:04.6
6	28	Tony Brooks	Vanwall	10:08.8
7	14	Masten Gregory	Maserati	10:26.1
8	30	Stuart Lewis-Evans	Vanwall	10:29.6
9	16	Jo Bonnier	Maserati	10:36.2
10	8	Giorgio Scarlatti	Maserati	10:36.6
11	18	Horace Gould	Maserati	10:49.6
12	10	Paco Godia	Maserati	11:09.8
13	12	Luigi Piotti	Maserati	11:10.6
14	20	Bruce Halford	Maserati	11:16.3
15	22	Roy Salvadori	Cooper	11:24.2
16	24	Jack Brabham	Cooper	11:35.2

What happened in the 1957 Pescara Grand Prix?

Musso led the first lap, but Moss moved ahead on the second and the pair drew away. Brooks retired almost immediately, and Lewis-Evans suffered repeated tyre trouble, leaving Moss to carry Vanwall‘s principal challenge. Behra also retired after an unhappy weekend of mechanical problems.

Musso kept fighting until an oil leak ended his race. Fangio slid on the oil and damaged a wheel, requiring a stop that left Moss with a huge advantage. The rough roads continued to take their toll on the remaining cars, while Brabham famously replenished his Cooper‘s fuel at a roadside filling station.

Moss could afford a precautionary stop for oil and still won comfortably, also setting fastest lap. Fangio finished second, with Schell and Gregory next in their Maseratis. Lewis-Evans recovered to fifth. The result confirmed that Vanwall‘s British victory had been the beginning of a serious challenge rather than an isolated success.

After the race, Juan Manuel Fangio headed the drivers’ standings with 40 points, followed by Stirling Moss on 17.

1957 Pescara Grand Prix race results

The 1957 Pescara Grand Prix was held on 18 August 1957.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	26	Stirling Moss	Vanwall	18	2:59:22.7	9
2	2	Juan Manuel Fangio	Maserati	18	+3:13.9	6
3	6	Harry Schell	Maserati	18	+6:46.8	4
4	14	Masten Gregory	Maserati	18	+8:16.5	3
5	30	Stuart Lewis-Evans	Vanwall	17	+1 lap	2
6	8	Giorgio Scarlatti	Maserati	17	+1 lap	0
7	24	Jack Brabham	Cooper	15	+3 laps	0
Ret	34	Luigi Musso	Ferrari	9	Oil leak	0
Ret	10	Paco Godia	Maserati	9	Engine	0
Ret	20	Bruce Halford	Maserati	9	Transmission	0
Ret	16	Jo Bonnier	Maserati	7	Overheating	0
Ret	4	Jean Behra	Maserati	3	Oil leak	0
Ret	22	Roy Salvadori	Cooper	3	Accident	0
Ret	28	Tony Brooks	Vanwall	1	Engine	0
Ret	18	Horace Gould	Maserati	0	Accident	0
Ret	12	Luigi Piotti	Maserati	0	Engine	0

Includes 1 point for fastest lap

1957 Pescara Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time
1	26	Stirling Moss	Vanwall	9	9:44.600

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 Pescara Grand Prix.

1957 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Juan Manuel Fangio	Argentine	Maserati	40
2	Stirling Moss	British	Maserati / Vanwall	17
3	Luigi Musso	Italian	Ferrari	16
4	Mike Hawthorn	British	Ferrari	13
5	Tony Brooks	British	Vanwall	10
6	Harry Schell	American	Maserati	9
7	Sam Hanks	American	Epperly	8
8	Peter Collins	British	Ferrari	8
9	Jim Rathmann	American	Epperly	7
10	Masten Gregory	American	Maserati	7
11	Jean Behra	French	Maserati	6
12	Stuart Lewis-Evans	British	Connaught / Vanwall	5
13	Maurice Trintignant	French	Ferrari	5
14	Carlos Menditeguy	Argentine	Maserati	4
15	Jimmy Bryan	American	Kuzma	4
16	Paul Russo	American	Kurtis Kraft	3
17	Roy Salvadori	British	BRM / Vanwall / Cooper	2
18	Andy Linden	American	Kurtis Kraft	2
19	José Froilán González	Argentine	Ferrari	1
20	Alfonso de Portago	Spanish	Ferrari	1
—	Jack Brabham	Australian	Cooper	0
—	Giorgio Scarlatti	Italian	Maserati	0
—	Wolfgang von Trips	German	Ferrari	0
—	Cesare Perdisa	Italian	Ferrari	0
—	Johnny Boyd	American	Kurtis Kraft	0
—	Bob Gerard	British	Cooper	0
—	Jo Bonnier	Swedish	Maserati	0
—	Marshall Teague	American	Kurtis Kraft	0
—	Mike MacDowel	British	Cooper	0
—	Ivor Bueb	British	Connaught / Maserati	0
—	Pat O'Connor	American	Kurtis Kraft	0
—	Alessandro de Tomaso	Argentine	Ferrari	0
—	Bob Veith	American	Phillips	0
—	Luigi Piotti	Italian	Maserati	0
—	Gene Hartley	American	Lesovsky	0
—	Bruce Halford	British	Maserati	0
—	Jack Turner	American	Kurtis Kraft	0
—	Johnny Thomson	American	Kuzma	0
—	Edgar Barth	German	Porsche	0
—	Bob Christie	American	Kurtis Kraft	0
—	Brian Naylor	British	Cooper	0
—	Chuck Weyant	American	Kuzma	0
—	Carel Godin de Beaufort	Dutch	Porsche	0
—	Tony Bettenhausen	American	Kurtis Kraft	0
—	Tony Marsh	British	Cooper	0
—	Johnnie Parsons	American	Kurtis Kraft	0
—	Don Freeland	American	Kurtis Kraft	0
—	Ron Flockhart	British	BRM	0
—	Paco Godia	Spanish	Maserati	0
—	Eugenio Castellotti	Italian	Ferrari	0
—	Herbert MacKay-Fraser	American	BRM	0
—	Horace Gould	British	Maserati	0
—	Jack Fairman	British	BRM	0
—	Les Leston	British	Cooper / BRM	0
—	Hans Herrmann	German	Maserati	0
—	Umberto Maglioli	Italian	Porsche	0
—	Jimmy Reece	American	Kurtis Kraft	0
—	Don Edmunds	American	Kurtis Kraft	0
—	Johnnie Tolan	American	Kurtis Kraft	0
—	Al Herman	American	Dunn	0
—	Fred Agabashian	American	Kurtis Kraft	0
—	Paul England	Australian	Cooper	0
—	Eddie Sachs	American	Kuzma	0
—	Dick Gibson	British	Cooper	0
—	Mike Magill	American	Kurtis Kraft	0
—	Eddie Johnson	American	Kurtis Kraft	0
—	Bill Cheesbourg	American	Kurtis Kraft	0
—	Al Keller	American	Kurtis Kraft	0
—	Jimmy Daywalt	American	Kurtis Kraft	0
—	Ed Elisian	American	Kurtis Kraft	0
—	Rodger Ward	American	Lesovsky	0
—	Troy Ruttman	American	Watson	0
—	Eddie Russo	American	Kurtis Kraft	0
—	Elmer George	American	Kurtis Kraft	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.

1957 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	1957 Argentine Grand Prix	Autódromo Oscar Alfredo Gálvez, Buenos Aires	13 January
2	1957 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	19 May
3	1957 Indianapolis 500	Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Speedway, Indiana	30 May
4	1957 French Grand Prix	Rouen-les-Essarts, Rouen	7 July
5	1957 British Grand Prix	Aintree Motor Racing Circuit, Liverpool	20 July
6	1957 German Grand Prix	Nürburgring, Nürburg	4 August
7	1957 Pescara Grand Prix	Pescara Circuit, Pescara	18 August
8	1957 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza	8 September