1955 F1 World Championship

Season Summary

The 1955 F1 season was the sixth year of the World Championship of Drivers. It included seven races from 16 January to 11 September 1955 and included 16 non-championship events.

Season

Juan Manuel Fangio clinched his second consecutive World Championship, marking his third overall. This title was the last for a Mercedes driver until 2014 when Lewis Hamilton secured the title for the team.

Multiple tragedies marred the 1955 season. At the Indianapolis 500, two drivers, Manny Ayulo and Bill Vukovich—who had won the event the two preceding years—lost their lives. Also, Mario Alborghetti perished at the 1955 Pau Grand Prix, a non-championship event. Tragedy also struck former World Champions, as Alberto Ascari, who won in 1952 and 1953, died during a test session at Monza in a Ferrari 750 Monza. While former Formula One driver Pierre Levegh and 83 spectators died in the catastrophic 1955 Le Mans disaster, which resulted in the cancellation of four F1 Grands Prix and Mercedes’s withdrawal from motorsports.

1955 F1 Entries drivers and teams

The following teams and drivers participated in the 1955 FIA World Championship of Drivers, excluding those who competed solely in the Indianapolis 500.

EntrantConstructorChassisEngineTyreDriverRounds
Daimler Benz AGMercedesW196Mercedes M196 2.5 L8CJuan Manuel Fangio1–2, 4–7
Karl Kling1, 4–7
Stirling Moss1–2, 4–7
Hans Herrmann1–2
André Simon2
Piero Taruffi6–7
Scuderia FerrariFerrari625 555Ferrari 555 2.5 L4EUmberto Maglioli1, 7
José Froilán González1
Maurice Trintignant1–2, 4–7
Harry Schell2, 4
Piero Taruffi2, 4
Paul Frère2, 4
Mike Hawthorn5–7
Eugenio Castellotti5–7
Giuseppe Farina1–2, 4
Scuderia FerrariItaly Giuseppe FarinaLanciaD50ELancia DS50 2.5 V87
Officine Alfieri MaseratiMaserati250FMaserati 250F1 2.5 L6PJean Behra1–2, 4–7
Roberto Mieres1–2, 4–7
Sergio Mantovani1
Luigi Musso1–2, 4–7
Carlos Menditeguy1, 7
Clemar Bucci1
Harry Schell1
Cesare Perdisa2, 4
André Simon6
Peter Collins7
Horace Gould7
Alberto UríaMaseratiA6GCMMaserati 250F1 2.5 L6PAlberto Uría1
Scuderia LanciaLanciaD50Lancia DS50 2.5 V8PAlberto Ascari1–2
Luigi Villoresi1–2, 7
Eugenio Castellotti1–2, 4
Louis Chiron2
Equipe GordiniGordiniT16Gordini 23 2.5 L6EÉlie Bayol1–2
Pablo Birger1
Jesús Iglesias1
Robert Manzon2, 5–6
Jacques Pollet2, 5, 2007
Hermano da Silva Ramos5–7
Mike Sparken6
Jean Lucas7
Ecurie RosierMaserati250FMaserati 250F1 2.5 L6PLouis Rosier2, 4–5
Vandervell ProductsVanwallVW 55Vanwall 254 2.5 L4PMike Hawthorn2, 4
Ken Wharton6–7
Harry Schell6–7
Stirling Moss LtdMaserati250FMaserati 250F1 2.5 L6DLance Macklin2, 6
Johnny Claes4
Peter Walker5
John Fitch7
E.N. WhiteawayHWM – Alta53Alta GP 2.5 L4DTed Whiteaway2
Equipe Nationale BelgeFerrari625Ferrari 625 2.5 L4EJohnny Claes5
Gould’s Garage (Bristol)Maserati250FMaserati 250F1 2.5 L6DHorace Gould5–6
Connaught EngineeringConnaught – AltaBAlta GP 2.5 L4DKenneth McAlpine6
Connaught EngineeringConnaught – AltaBAlta GP 2.5 L4DJack Fairman6
R.R.C. Walker Racing TeamConnaught – AltaBAlta GP 2.5 L4DTony Rolt6
Peter Walker6
Leslie MarrConnaught – AltaBAlta GP 2.5 L4DLeslie Marr6
Cooper Car CompanyCooper – BristolT40Bristol BS1 2.0 L6DJack Brabham6
Owen Racing OrganisationMaserati250FMaserati 250F1 2.5 L6DPeter Collins6
Gilby EngineeringMaserati250FMaserati 250F1 2.5 L6DRoy Salvadori6
Scuderia VolpiniArzani-Volpini – MaseratiF1Maserati 4CLT 2.5 L4PLuigi Piotti7

1955 Formula 1 Race Calendar

RoundGrand PrixCircuitDate
1Argentine Grand PrixAutódromo Oscar Alfredo Gálvez, Buenos Aires16 January
2Monaco Grand PrixCircuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo22 May
3Indianapolis 500Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Speedway30 May1
4Belgian Grand PrixCircuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot5 June
5Dutch Grand PrixCircuit Zandvoort, Zandvoort19 June
6British Grand PrixAintree Motor Racing Circuit, Merseyside16 July
7Italian Grand PrixAutodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza11 September
1The Indianapolis 500 also counted towards the 1955 AAA Championship Car season, and was run for AAA Championship cars, but was not run to Formula One regulations.

The Monaco and Dutch Grand Prix returned to the calendar after last being held in 1952 and 1953, respectively. Meanwhile, the British Grand Prix was relocated from Silverstone to Aintree, continuing the practice of alternating the event between the two circuits.

Cancelled Rounds

Grand PrixCircuitOriginal Date
French Grand PrixReims-Gueux, Gueux3 July
German Grand PrixNürburgring, Nürburg31 July
Swiss Grand PrixCircuit Bremgarten, Bern21 August
Spanish Grand PrixPedralbes Circuit, Barcelona23 October

Following the 1955 Le Mans disaster, the French Grand Prix was initially postponed from July 3 to September 25. Subsequently, it was cancelled, along with the German, Swiss, and Spanish rounds.

The Pedralbes and Bremgarten circuits were permanently retired from racing. In Switzerland, motor racing was prohibited until the 2018 Zürich ePrix marked its return.

1955 Formula 1 Race Reports

Round 1: Argentine Grand Prix

Race date: 16 January 1955
Circuit: Autódromo Oscar Alfredo Gálvez, Buenos Aires
Laps: 96
Circuit length: 3.912 km (2.431 miles)

The fierce heat of Argentina hosted the inaugural round of that year’s F1 championship, the 1955 Argentine Grand Prix, a gruelling race with only seven finishers, won by Mercedes driver Juan Manuel Fangio. It marked the beginning of what would be his fourth consecutive Drivers’ title. He was one of only two drivers (the other was Roberto Mieres) to complete the race without a co-driver.

Fangio endured severe burns to his leg during the race, as it constantly rubbed against the chassis frame heated by the exhaust. It took him three months to recover from the injury and was left a permanent scar on his leg for the rest of his life.

Ferrari drivers Nino Farina and Maurice Trintignant secured second and third-place finishes in races where they shared driving duties with José Froilán González and Umberto Maglioli, respectively.

Round 2: Monaco Grand Prix

Race date: 22 May 1955
Circuit: Circuit de Monaco
Laps: 100
Circuit length: 3.145 km (1.955 miles)

On May 22Alberto Ascari crashed his Lancia into the harbour at the 1955 Monaco Grand Prix while battling for the race win. Early race leader Juan Manuel Fangio retired with a bent axle, allowing his Mercedes teammate Stirling Moss to take the lead. However, Moss’s engine blew on lap 81, and Ascari, poised to inherit the lead, became distracted, skidded at the chicane, and plunged through sandbags into the Mediterranean. Remarkably, he emerged with only a broken nose and swam to safety, leaving Maurice Trintignant in the Ferrari to claim the win. Tragically, just four days later, Ascari died testing a Ferrari sports car at Monza. Reflecting on the Monaco crash, Ascari had wondered if his luck was running out. Eugenio Castellotti finished second for the Lancia team and Maserati drivers Jean Behra and Cesare Perdisa came in third.

Round 3: Indianapolis 500

Race date: 30 May 1955
Circuit: Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Laps: 200
Circuit length: 4.0225 km (2.499 mi)

Bill Vukovich, a two-time Indy 500 winner, died at the 1955 Indianapolis 500 when his car became airborne and crashed after being hit. His death marked the first fatality in a FIA World Championship event. Bob Sweikert won the race ahead of Tony Bettenhausen and Paul Russo in second as a shared drive, with Jimmy Davies taking third place.

Round 4: Belgian Grand Prix

Race date: 5 June 1955
Circuit: Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
Laps: 36
Circuit length: 14.120 km (8.774 miles)

Mercedes drivers Juan Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss dominated the 1955 Belgian Grand Prix at Spa Francorchamps. Despite Lancia‘s withdrawal from the championship, Eugenio Castellotti convinced the company to let him race a D50. He secured pole position but couldn’t maintain pace with the dominant Mercedes, eventually falling to third before retiring mid-race due to a gearbox problem. Fangio and Moss maintained their lead, finishing 30 seconds ahead of Giuseppe Farina in third.

Round 5: Dutch Grand Prix

Race date: 19 June 1955
Circuit: Circuit Zandvoort
Laps: 100
Circuit length: 4.193 km (2.605 miles)

The 1955 Dutch Grand Prix witnessed a one-two finish for Mercedes with Juan-Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss leading the way, despite challenging conditions and technical issues. Luigi Musso, in a Maserati, claimed third place after a late spin, while Moss struggled to the finish line with his car bellowing smoking. This victory was a sombre moment for Mercedes, coming just a week after the devastating 1955 Le Man’s tragedy.

Round 6: British Grand Prix

Race date: 16 July 1955
Circuit: Silverstone Circuit
Laps: 90
Circuit length: 4.828 km (3.000 miles)

Despite being overshadowed by the previous month’s Le Mans tragedy, which led to the cancellation of the 1955 French Grand Prix, the 1955 British Grand Prix at Aintree was a classic race dominated by Mercedes. A crowd of 150,000 witnessed an epic battle between Stirling Moss and Juan Manuel Fangio, with the lead changing hands multiple times. Moss won by 0.2 seconds, securing his first Formula 1 victory. The Guardian reported that Moss “waved Fangio through” as they approached the finish, but Fangio held back, allowing Moss to cross first. Fangio always denied letting his teammate win. Karl Kling completed the podium for Mercedes in third place.

Round 7: Italian Grand Prix

Race date: 11 September 1955
Circuit: Autodromo Nazionale di Monza
Laps: 50
Circuit length: 10.000 km (6.214 miles)

Juan Manuel Fangio led Piero Taruffi in a Mercedes 1-2 finish at the 1955 Italian Grand Prix, capping off his championship-winning season. Eugenio Castellotti with Ferrari came third.

This race marked the final appearance of the victorious Mercedes-Benz team as a constructor in Formula 1 until their return in 2010 following the takeover of Brawn GP. It was also the last Grand Prix for drivers Karl Kling, Roberto Mieres, and 1950 champion Nino Farina, the first-ever F1 World Champion.

1955 Formula 1 Race Results

RoundGrand PrixPole PositionFastest LapWinning DriverWinning ConstructorReport
1Argentine Grand PrixJose Froilan GonzalezJuan Manuel FangioJuan Manuel FangioMercedesReport
2Monaco Grand PrixJuan Manuel FangioJuan Manuel FangioMaurice TrintignantFerrariReport
3Indianapolis 500Jerry HoytBill VukovichBob SweikertKurtis Kraft – OffenhauserReport
4Belgian Grand PrixEugenio CastellottiJuan Manuel FangioJuan Manuel FangioMercedesReport
5Dutch Grand PrixJuan Manuel Fangio Roberto MieresJuan Manuel FangioMercedesReport
6British Grand PrixStirling MossStirling MossStirling MossMercedesReport
7Italian Grand PrixJuan Manuel FangioStirling MossJuan Manuel FangioMercedesReport

1955 Formula 1 Standings

Points were awarded to the top five finishers, with an additional point for the fastest lap, regardless of the driver’s finishing position or classification. Only a driver’s four best results contributed to their final championship standings. In cases where drivers shared a car and finished in a points position, they each received half the points for that position. If multiple drivers set identical fastest lap times, the fastest lap point was equally divided among them.

Position 1st  2nd  3rd  4th  5th Fastest Lap
Race864321

1955 Driver standings

PosDriverNationalityCarPTS
1Juan Manuel FangioARGMercedes40
2Stirling MossGBRMercedes23
3Eugenio CastellottiITAFerrari12
4Maurice TrintignantFRAFerrari11.3
5Giuseppe FarinaITAFerrari10.3
6Piero TaruffiITAMercedes9
7Bob SweikertUSAKurtis Kraft Offenhauser8
8Roberto MieresARGMaserati7
9Luigi MussoITAMaserati6
9Jean BehraFRAMaserati6
11Karl KlingGERMercedes5
12Jimmy DaviesUSAKurtis Kraft Offenhauser4
13Paul RussoUSAKurtis Kraft Offenhauser3
13Tony BettenhausenUSAKurtis Kraft Offenhauser3
13Johnny ThomsonUSAKuzma Offenhauser3
13Paul FrereBELFerrari3
17Jose Froilan GonzalezARGFerrari2
17Cesare PerdisaITAMaserati2
17Luigi VilloresiITAScuderia Lancia2
17Carlos MenditeguyARGMaserati2
21Umberto MaglioliITAFerrari1.3
22Hans HerrmannGERMercedes1
22Walt FaulknerUSAKurtis Kraft Offenhauser1
22Bill HomeierUSAKurtis Kraft Offenhauser1
22Bill VukovichUSAKurtis Kraft Offenhauser1