Presentation of 1955 season
In 1955, the sixth World Championship among drivers in the Formula 1 class took place. The technical regulations of the races did not change in comparison with the previous year, and cars with 2.5-liter atmospheric engines were allowed to participate in the championship. The scoring system also remained the same: 8-6-4-3-2, the results of the top five Grand Prix were counted, while the drivers of the same team had the right to change cars during the race, dividing the points among themselves. In addition, one point was awarded for the best lap in the race. The championship calendar included the Grand Prix of Argentina, Monaco, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Great Britain, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and Spain.
Teams
Presentation of 1955 season
In 1955, the sixth Formula-1 World Championship among drivers took place. The technical regulations of the championship have not changed compared to the previous year, and cars with 2.5-liter atmospheric engines were allowed to participate in the Grand Prix. The scoring system also remained the same: 8-6-4-3-2, and the results of the top five Grand Prix were counted, while the drivers of the same team had the right to change cars during the race, dividing the points among themselves. In addition, one point was awarded for the best lap in the race. The championship calendar included the Grand Prix of Argentina, Monaco, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Great Britain, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and Spain.
Teams
Daimler Benz AG
Last season, the Silver Arrows returned to the Grand Prix world after a 15-year break and immediately showed their technical superiority, managing to earn a double in the debut race in France, win four Grand Prix and bring Juan Manuel Fangio his second championship title. At the same time, the new Mercedes W196 cars that took part in the World Championship received two modifications at once with open wheels and with a streamlined body. This season it was planned to use the same cars, but compared to last year, German engineers managed to slightly increase the engine power, which reached 290 hp. The team's drivers, as before, were Juan-Manuel Fangio, Karl Kling and Hans Herrmann, but this season they were joined by Englishman Stirling Moss.
Mercedes W196
Mercedes W196R Streamliner
44-year-old Argentine, Formula-1 world champion in 1951 and 1954. The last season the Argentine was almost invincible, having managed to win 6 out of 8 Grand Prix of the championship at the wheel of Maserati and Mercedes, which brought him a second championship title. Given such an overwhelming advantage over rivals and the status of the leader of the German team, Juan Manuel will surely become the main contender for the title this season as well.
Juan-Manuel Fangio
44-year-old German, who took 5th place in the 1954 championship. The last season Karl made his World Championship debut at the wheel of the Silver Arrow and immediately demonstrated his talent and speed, almost winning the Grand Prix of France and Germany. Nevertheless, the lack of experience on other European tracks made itself felt, and in the end the German took only 5th place in the championship, far behind Fangio. Considering that the first half of the current championship will also be held on unfamiliar tracks, the German is unlikely to become a contender for the championship title, but he is quite capable of winning his first Grand Prix victory.
Karl Kling
27-year-old German, who took 6th place in the 1954 championship. The last season Hans held his first full-fledged World Championship and, despite the status of only the third driver of the Silver Arrows, he managed to have a decent season, winning his first podium and eventually taking 6th place in the overall standings. This season, thanks to the acquired experience, Hans will certainly be able to compete for higher places, but the main test for the German will be the rivalry with the new young talent of the German team, Stirling Moss.
Hans Herrmann
25-year-old Englishman, who took 10th place in the 1954 championship. Driving his own Maserati, the Englishman became the main discovery of last season, regularly fighting for places on the podium and almost winning the Italian Grand Prix. Unfortunately, constant car breakdowns did not give Stirling the opportunity to rise above 10th place in the overall standings, but his performances greatly impressed Alfred Neubauer, and the Englishman will spend this season in the German team. Considering that the "silver arrows" proved to be not only very fast, but also extremely reliable cars, this season Stirling has every chance to become one of the main favorites of the championship and win his first Grand Prix victory.
Stirling Moss
Scuderia Ferrari
After two years of undivided domination in the 1952-53 World Championships, Scuderia Ferrari lost the palm to the returning Silver Arrows last season and won only two championship Grands Prix. However, even despite the obvious lag behind German cars in technical terms, the chief designer of the team Aurelio Lampredi preferred to follow the path of modernization of the existing, rather than creating a completely new car. The result of his work was the Ferrari 555 model, which was an evolution of the previous 553 model and featured a more flattened and streamlined body, nicknamed "Super Shark", and a slightly redesigned front suspension. As for the line-up of the Scuderia drivers this season, it is difficult to call it impressive. After Jose-Froylan Gonzalez and Mike Hawthorn left the team from Maranello for various reasons, only two main drivers remained in the team: Italian veteran Nino Farina, who survived a serious accident last year, and Frenchman Maurice Trintignant, who did not differ in particular speed. All of the above suggests that this season will be even harder for Ferrari than the previous one.
Ferrari 555
48-year-old Italian nicknamed "Nino", the first Formula 1 world champion. The last season Nino managed to take part in only the first two Grand Prix of the championship, after which he got into a serious accident in a sports car race, receiving severe burns and multiple injuries. The Italian's rehabilitation took the rest of the season, and probably the first stages this year will show whether Nino managed to fully recover after this accident.
Giuseppe Farina
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37-year-old Frenchman, who took 4th place in the 1954 championship. The last season was the debut for the Frenchman in the Scuderia Ferrari, and despite the obvious superiority of his teammates in speed, Maurice was very stable, which allowed him to take a fairly high 4th place in the championship. Considering that the Frenchman's only teammate this season will be Nino Farina, recovering from an accident, Maurice has every chance to become the new leader of the Maranello team this year.
Maurice Trintignant
Officine Alfieri Maserati
Last season turned out to be extremely unstable for the team from Modena. After two consecutive victories at the very beginning of the season in Argentina and Belgium, Maserati was abandoned by leading driver Juan Manuel Fangio and chief designer Gioacchino Colombo, after which the team faced constant technical problems, survived the death of their new leader Onofre Marimon and eventually finished the championship in third place, losing to Daimler-Benz and Ferrari. Nevertheless, the new Maserati 250F cars, although not very reliable, proved to be very fast and well balanced, so the team continued to use them this season. The new chief designer of Maserati was Giulio Alfieri, who led the work on improving the 250Fs, as a result of which a new 5-speed gearbox, SU fuel injection system and Dunlop disc brakes were installed on the cars. As for the drivers, the new leader of Maserati was Jean Behra, who moved from the Gordini team, and his teammates were Luigi Musso and Sergio Mantovani, who spent already the second season in Maserati, as well as private drivers Harry Schell and Roberto Mieres, who joined the factory team for the first time.
Maserati 250F
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34-year-old Frenchman, who took 9th place in the 1952 championship. The last season Jean spent as the leader of the Gordini team, but due to the lack of speed and reliability of French cars, he never managed to score a single point. Nevertheless, in some races, the Frenchman looked very worthy, having managed to attract the attention of the Maserati management, who offered him the contract of the team's leading driver. Having been able to get behind the wheel of a really fast car, the Frenchman now has every chance to spend his best season in Formula 1.
Jean Behra
30-year-old Italian, who took 8th place in the 1954 championship. The last season Luigi made his debut in the World Championship in the Maserati team, and after holding only three Grands Prix, he immediately managed to show himself as a fast and confident driver, winning his first podium in Spain. This year Luigi will continue to drive for the Italian team, hoping to have an even more successful season.
Luigi Musso
26-year-old Italian businessman, who took 13th place in the 1954 championship. The last season Sergio, like Musso, held his first World Championship driving for Maserati, and became the most stable driver of the team, only once retiring from the race and managing to finish in points twice. Mantovani's performances made a proper impression on the Maserati management, and this season Sergio will continue to perform for the Italian team, driving one of the fastest cars of the championship.
Sergio Mantovani
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34-year-old American, a participant of the 1950-54 World Championships. Most of the past season Harry spent driving his own Maserati A6GCM as a private racer and did not achieve any significant results. However, having received the new Maserati 250F at his disposal, the American immediately showed excellent speed and became one of the main contenders for victory in the Spanish Grand Prix. Such a strong performance did not go unnoticed by the management of the Italian team, and as a result Harry will spend this season as one of Maserati's factory drivers.
Harry Schell
30-year-old Argentinian, who took 9th place in the 1954 championship. The last season Roberto started, like Schell, as a private racer driving a Maserati A6GCM, and at the stage in Belgium he only miraculously managed to remain unharmed when his car flared up at full speed like a torch. But after the death of Onofre Marimon, the Argentine received an offer to join Maserati as a factory driver, and taking the place behind the wheel of the new Maserati 250F, Roberto managed to earn points twice, finishing 4th in Switzerland and Spain. This season, Mieres will continue his performances as one the factory drivers of the Italian team.
Roberto Mieres
Scuderia Lancia
Last season, the Turin team took part in the World Championship for the first time, however, due to the long preparation of new Lancia D50 cars, the team's debut was postponed several times and as a result took place only at the last stage of the championship in Spain. Nevertheless, the cars developed by Vittorio Jano immediately demonstrated their excellent speed qualities, allowing Alberto Ascari to win pole position on the first attempt. In the race, Alberto also clearly claimed victory, but problems with the clutch forced the Italian to stop fighting after only 15 laps. This year Gianni Lancia's team will spend already a full season, and given Ascari's excellent performance in Spain, most likely, he will become the main rival of the Silver Arrows in the fight for the title. The Italian's teammates this year will be his friend Luigi Villoresi and newcomer Eugenio Castellotti.
Lancia D50
36-year-old Italian racer, 1952 and 1953 world champion, son of the famous 1920s racer Antonio Ascari, who tragically died in the Grand Prix races in 1925. The entire past season Alberto spent waiting for the debut of his new team, periodically taking part in individual Grand Prix driving for Maserati and Ferrari. Unfortunately, in none of the races the Italian never managed to reach the finish line, but in each of them he managed to demonstrate his amazing skills, constantly claiming the highest places. The last race of the season Alberto spent already driving a Lancia and becoming the main contender for victory, however, due to technical problems, he never reached the finish line. If Lancia manages to solve the reliability problems with their new cars, then, without a doubt, Ascari will become Fangio's main rival in the fight for the title.
Alberto Ascari
46-year-old Italian nicknamed "Gi-Gi", friend and mentor of Alberto Ascari, who took 5th place in the 1951 and 1953 championships. The last season Luigi, like Ascari, spent waiting for the preparation of new Lancia cars, but he also took part in several Grands Prix, temporarily joining the Maserati . At the same time, Luigi was a little more lucky than his teammate, and he managed to score two points, finishing 5th in France. This season Villoresi will spend already driving a Lancia, and given the speed of the car, the Italian has a great opportunity to compete for the highest places in the championship again.
Luigi Villoresi
Eugenio Castellotti
24-year-old Italian, World Championship debutant. Eugenio began his racing career in 1950, driving his own sports Ferrari, and already in 1952 he achieved his first high-profile successes, winning the Portuguese Grand Prix, taking second place in the Monaco Grand Prix and becoming third in the Bari Grand Prix. The next season the Italian spent no less successfully, becoming the Italian champion in mountain racing and taking third place in the Carrera Panamericana race. At the same time, the race in Argentina Eugenio spent already driving for the Lancia team, which signed a permanent contract with him to participate in sports car racing in 1954. After spending another fairly successful season, the Italian made a good impression on the management of the Turin team, and this year Eugenio at the wheel of the Lancia D50 will make his debut in the World Championship, realizing his dream of becoming a Formula 1 driver.
Equipe Gordini
The past season has been quite difficult for the "Sorcerer" Gordini's team. With cars of an already outdated design at their disposal, the team's racers had to contend with the superior forces of Mercedes, Ferrari and Maserati, which were almost impossible to overcome. Nevertheless, in the first two Grands Prix of the season, the French team managed to earn points, thanks to the absence of "silver arrows" and numerous problems of the drivers in the leading group. However, the team's crisis was evident, and at the end of the season the leading driver Jean Behra left it, joining Maserati. Fortunately, Amadeus managed to persuade his former drivers Robert Manzon and Elie Bayol to return to the team, however, given that they will have to perform on the same outdated Gordini T16, the new season will surely be even more difficult for the French team than the previous one.
Gordini T16
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38-year-old Frenchman, who took 6th place in the 1952 championship. The last season Robert spent at the wheel of a Ferrari 625, driving for Louis Rosier's private team, but even despite the competitive car, the Frenchman failed to compete on equal terms with the factory Ferrari drivers and he managed to shine only once, taking third place on his home stage in France. Considering that this year Rosier refused to put a second car in the World Championship, Robert decided to return to Amadeus Gordini's team, with which he achieved his highest success in Formula 1.
Robert Manzon
41-year-old Frenchman, who took 16th place in the 1954 championship. The last season Elie made his World Championship debut with Gordini and managed to earn points in the very first race, finishing fifth in Argentina. However, during a non-championship race in Bordeaux, the Frenchman refused to let the team leader Jean Behra pass, which incurred the wrath of the "Sorcerer", who immediately dismissed Elie from Gordini. Be that as it may, Behra also left the French team at the end of the season, so Amadeus Gordini turned to Bayol again, suggesting that he forget his previous differences and return to the team. Having no other options, Elie agreed to this offer, and this season he will again take part in the World Championship driving a French car.
Elie Bayol
Vandervell Products Ltd
The last season Tony Vandervell's British team made their debut in the World Championship with their own Vanwall Special car, taking part in two Grands Prix. However, due to the fact that the engine of the British car was much inferior in power to competitors, the only driver of the team, Peter Collins, could not compete on equal terms with his rivals, and at the end of the season he left the team, moving to Alfred Owen's team. Nevertheless, Vandervell was not greatly discouraged by the rather mediocre debut of his team and decided to continue participating in the World Championship, instructing chief designer Owen Maddock to upgrade the Vanwall Special for the new season. As a result of the work done, the car has undergone several very significant changes that have made it more competitive. The engine displacement was increased to 2.5 liters, coming into line with the technical regulations of Formula 1, and an usual air duct for cooling the radiator appeared in the nose of the body, depriving the British car of its main distinguishing feature. In addition, having suffered with the problems of fuel supply from three fuel tanks, Maddock managed to implement a Bosch direct fuel injection system on Vanwall, similar to the one used on the Silver Arrows. As for the drivers, Peter Collins was found a worthy replacement in the person of Mike Hawthorn, who moved from Scuderia Ferrari.
Vanwall Special
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26-year-old Englishman, who took 3rd place in the 1954 championship. The last season Mike spent dr for Scuderia Ferrari, and the Englishman frankly failed the first half of the championship, clearly inferior to his teammates. However, in the second half of the season, Hawthorn managed to rehabilitate himself, finishing second several times and won a magnificent victory at the last stage in Spain, eventually taking 3rd place in the championship. Unfortunately, Mike's father died in a road accident at the end of the year, so the Englishman had to take the reins of the family business into his own hands, which is why he had to leave the team from Maranello. Nevertheless, Hawthorne was not going to give up his racing career altogether and therefore gladly accepted Tony Vandervell's offer to play for his team.
Mike Hawthorn