1958 French Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Mike Hawthorn won the 1958 French Grand Prix for Ferrari, but the result at Reims was overshadowed by the fatal accident of his team-mate Luigi Musso. The race also marked Juan Manuel Fangio‘s final World Championship appearance, the five-time champion finishing fourth in his Maserati.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Mike Hawthorn	Ferrari
Pole time	2:21.700
Fastest lap	Mike Hawthorn	Ferrari
Fastest-lap time	2:24.900 on lap 45
First	Mike Hawthorn	Ferrari
Second	Stirling Moss	Vanwall
Third	Wolfgang von Trips	Ferrari

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
2 July 1958	Wednesday timed practice	Start time unconfirmed
3 July 1958	Thursday timed practice	Start time unconfirmed
4 July 1958	Friday final qualifying	Start time unconfirmed
6 July 1958	Race	Start time unconfirmed

All times are local. The race time is the scheduled start; weather delays and interruptions are described below.

Championship background

Stirling Moss arrived at round 6 leading the 1958 F1 World Championship on 17 points, with Mike Hawthorn on 14.

Race entries

Fangio returned in Maserati‘s newer lightweight car, while the private entries included Phil Hill, Carroll Shelby and Indianapolis winner Troy Ruttman. Ferrari and Vanwall resumed their championship contest, and Lotus brought its latest design into the meeting. Separate Formula Two and sports-car events formed part of the programme but are not included as championship races here.

Wednesday timed practice

Hawthorn immediately showed Ferrari‘s confidence by setting a rapid target in the team’s practice car. Schell then surprised the opposition with an even quicker lap for BRM. Vanwall searched for more speed and experimented with additional front-suspension bracing on Moss’s car. Musso’s running ended with mechanical trouble, but the opening evening already suggested a close high-speed contest.

Thursday timed practice

With their race cars available, Ferrari stepped ahead. Hawthorn’s 2:21.7 became the fastest lap yet recorded at Reims, with Musso close behind. Vanwall struggled with overheating as well as a shortage of straight-line speed. Fangio worked hard in the lighter Maserati but could not match the leading cars, leaving Ferrari in the strongest position for the final session.

Friday final qualifying

No one displaced Hawthorn’s Thursday benchmark. More private Maseratis joined the running, including those of Shelby and Ruttman, while Lotus worked to finish its new car. Moss’s evening ended with a broken valve, adding an engine repair to Vanwall‘s problems. The mechanics faced a busy Saturday before the packed Sunday programme, with Ferrari holding the advantage at the front of the grid.

Qualifying Classification

The championship Grand Prix used its own practice times from Wednesday to Friday. The separate Formula Two sessions and classification are not combined with the Formula One grid.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Best Time
1	4	Mike Hawthorn	Ferrari	2:21.700
2	2	Luigi Musso	Ferrari	2:22.4
3	16	Harry Schell	BRM	2:23.1
4	42	Peter Collins	Ferrari	2:23.3
5	10	Tony Brooks	Vanwall	2:23.4
6	8	Stirling Moss	Vanwall	2:23.7
7	18	Maurice Trintignant	BRM	2:23.7
8	34	Juan Manuel Fangio	Maserati	2:24.0
9	14	Jean Behra	BRM	2:24.2
10	12	Stuart Lewis-Evans	Vanwall	2:25.3
11	40	Paco Godia	Maserati	2:27.1
12	22	Jack Brabham	Cooper	2:27.3
13	36	Phil Hill	Maserati	2:29.5
14	20	Roy Salvadori	Cooper	2:30.0
15	32	Gerino Gerini	Maserati	2:30.7
16	38	Jo Bonnier	Maserati	2:30.9
17	28	Carroll Shelby	Maserati	2:32.0
18	30	Troy Ruttman	Maserati	2:36.0
19	24	Graham Hill	Lotus	2:40.9
20	26	Cliff Allison	Lotus	2:49.7
21	6	Wolfgang von Trips	Ferrari	No time

What happened in the 1958 French Grand Prix?

Hawthorn took control as Musso pursued him in the other leading Ferrari. Musso then crashed heavily while chasing, suffering injuries from which he died later that day. The loss cast a shadow over Ferrari‘s afternoon and the championship.

Hawthorn maintained his advantage over Moss, while von Trips worked towards third. Fangio persevered in a Maserati that could not match the leading machinery. On the final lap Hawthorn allowed the retiring champion to remain on the lead lap, a gesture remembered alongside the result.

Collins ran short of fuel near the finish, enabling Fangio to take fourth as Collins pushed home fifth. Hawthorn’s victory and fastest lap strengthened his championship challenge, but this was a day of mixed emotions: his final Grand Prix win, Fangio’s farewell and the loss of Musso.

After the race, Stirling Moss headed the drivers’ standings with 23 points, followed by Mike Hawthorn on 23.

1958 French Grand Prix race results

The 1958 French Grand Prix was held on 6 July 1958.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	4	Mike Hawthorn	Ferrari	50	2:03:21.3	9
2	8	Stirling Moss	Vanwall	50	+ 24.6	6
3	6	Wolfgang von Trips	Ferrari	50	+ 59.7	4
4	34	Juan Manuel Fangio	Maserati	50	+ 2:30.6	3
5	42	Peter Collins	Ferrari	50	+ 5:24.9	2
6	22	Jack Brabham	Cooper	49	+ 1 Lap	0
7	36	Phil Hill	Maserati	49	+ 1 Lap	0
8	38	Jo Bonnier	Maserati	48	+ 2 Laps	0
9	32	Gerino Gerini	Maserati	47	+ 3 Laps	0
10	30	Troy Ruttman	Maserati	45	+ 5 Laps	0
11	20	Roy Salvadori	Cooper	37	+ 13 Laps	0
Ret	16	Harry Schell	BRM	41	Overheating	0
Ret	14	Jean Behra	BRM	41	Fuel Pump	0
Ret	12	Stuart Lewis-Evans / Tony Brooks	Vanwall	35	Engine	0
Ret	24	Graham Hill	Lotus	33	Overheating	0
Ret	40	Paco Godia	Maserati	28	Accident	0
Ret	18	Maurice Trintignant	BRM	23	Fuel Pump	0
Ret	10	Tony Brooks	Vanwall	16	Engine	0
Ret	2	Luigi Musso	Ferrari	9	Fatal Accident	0
Ret	28	Carroll Shelby	Maserati	9	Engine	0
Ret	26	Cliff Allison	Lotus	6	Engine	0

Includes 1 point for fastest lap

1958 French Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time
1	4	Mike Hawthorn	Ferrari	45	2:24.900

Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear. One championship point was awarded for fastest lap, divided equally when shared.

1958 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings after the 1958 French Grand Prix.

1958 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Stirling Moss	British	Cooper / Vanwall	23
2	Mike Hawthorn	British	Ferrari	23
3	Luigi Musso	Italian	Ferrari	12
4	Harry Schell	American	Maserati / BRM	10
5	Maurice Trintignant	French	Cooper / Maserati / BRM	8
6	Tony Brooks	British	Vanwall	8
7	Jimmy Bryan	American	Epperly	8
8	Juan Manuel Fangio	Argentine	Maserati	7
9	George Amick	American	Epperly	6
10	Peter Collins	British	Ferrari	6
11	Jean Behra	French	Maserati / BRM	6
12	Wolfgang von Trips	German	Ferrari	4
13	Stuart Lewis-Evans	British	Vanwall	4
14	Johnny Boyd	American	Kurtis Kraft	4
15	Tony Bettenhausen	American	Epperly	4
16	Cliff Allison	British	Team Lotus	3
17	Jack Brabham	Australian	Cooper	3
18	Roy Salvadori	British	Cooper	3
19	Jim Rathmann	American	Epperly	2
—	Jimmy Reece	American	Watson	0
—	Olivier Gendebien	Belgian	Ferrari	0
—	Carlos Menditeguy	Argentine	Maserati	0
—	Don Freeland	American	Phillips	0
—	Phil Hill	American	Maserati	0
—	Jo Bonnier	Swedish	Maserati	0
—	Paco Godia	Spanish	Maserati	0
—	Jud Larson	American	Watson	0
—	Horace Gould	British	Maserati	0
—	Eddie Johnson	American	Kurtis Kraft	0
—	Gerino Gerini	Italian	Maserati	0
—	Bill Cheesbourg	American	Kurtis Kraft	0
—	Maria de Filippis	Italian	Maserati	0
—	Troy Ruttman	American	Maserati	0
—	Carel Godin de Beaufort	Dutch	Porsche	0
—	Al Keller	American	Kurtis Kraft	0
—	Johnnie Parsons	American	Kurtis Kraft	0
—	Johnnie Tolan	American	Kuzma	0
—	Graham Hill	British	Team Lotus	0
—	Giorgio Scarlatti	Italian	Maserati	0
—	Bob Christie	American	Kurtis Kraft	0
—	Dempsey Wilson	American	Kuzma	0
—	Masten Gregory	American	Maserati	0
—	Anthony Foyt	American	Kuzma	0
—	Mike Magill	American	Kurtis Kraft	0
—	Wolfgang Seidel	German	Maserati	0
—	Paul Russo	American	Kurtis Kraft	0
—	Shorty Templeman	American	Kurtis Kraft	0
—	Rodger Ward	American	Lesovsky	0
—	Carroll Shelby	American	Maserati	0
—	Billy Garrett	American	Kurtis Kraft	0
—	Eddie Sachs	American	Kuzma	0
—	Johnny Thomson	American	Kurtis Kraft	0
—	Chuck Weyant	American	Dunn	0
—	Jack Turner	American	Lesovsky	0
—	Bob Veith	American	Kurtis Kraft	0
—	Dick Rathmann	American	Watson	0
—	Ed Elisian	American	Watson	0
—	Pat O'Connor	American	Kurtis Kraft	0
—	Paul Goldsmith	American	Kurtis Kraft	0
—	Jerry Unser	American	Kurtis Kraft	0
—	Len Sutton	American	Kurtis Kraft	0
—	Art Bisch	American	Kuzma	0

1958 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Ferrari	28
2	Vanwall	22
3	Cooper	19
4	BRM	10
5	Maserati	6
6	Team Lotus	3
—	Porsche	0

Drivers counted their best 6 results. The first five places earned 8–6–4–3–2 points, with one further point for fastest lap, shared equally when necessary. Shared drives earned no championship points. Constructors also retained their best 6 results, scoring through only their highest-placed eligible car, without fastest-lap points. Indianapolis counted for drivers only.

1958 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	1958 Argentine Grand Prix	Autódromo Oscar Alfredo Gálvez, Buenos Aires	19 January
2	1958 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	18 May
3	1958 Dutch Grand Prix	Circuit Zandvoort, Zandvoort	26 May
4	1958 Indianapolis 500	Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Speedway, Indiana	30 May
5	1958 Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot	15 June
6	1958 French Grand Prix	Reims-Gueux, Reims	6 July
7	1958 British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone	19 July
8	1958 German Grand Prix	Nürburgring, Nürburg	3 August
9	1958 Portuguese Grand Prix	Circuito da Boavista, Porto	24 August
10	1958 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza	7 September
11	1958 Moroccan Grand Prix	Ain-Diab Circuit, Casablanca	19 October