Grand Prix Gold: Argentina 1953

Race report: The Argentine GP

1952 World Champion Ascari wins round one of the 1953 championship - Mike Hawthorn (Ferrari) fourth

By Autosport staff of the time

Alberto Ascari, World Champion driver of 1952, continued his winning way in Buenos Aires last Sunday when he led from start to finish in the 245-mile Formula Two Argentine Grand Prix, over 97 laps of the 2.48-mile circuit laid out over the "October 17" Stadium. He was driving the latest version of the highly-successful four-cylinder, two-litre Ferrari, and a similar car was second, driven by Luigi Villoresi.

Mike Hawthorn drove a fine race amidst the continental stars to gain a fourth position on his first appearance as a member of the Scuderia Ferrari, while Britain's other representatives John Barber and Alan Brown, finished the course in eighth and ninth in their Cooper-Bristols.

Juan Manuel Fangio made a successful return to the racing wheel after seven months' absence while recovering from his Monza crash. Driving a Maserati, he held second place to Ascari for 35 laps, when transmission trouble forced his retirement; his team-mates Jose Froilan Gonzalez and Oscar Galvez finished third and fifth.

Fangio turned the fastest lap in the first day's practice, beating Ascari by 0.7 seconds, but Italy's number one driver reversed things during the second session, lapping in 1m49.0 seconds to Fangio's 1m49.1. Mike Hawthorn's times were 1m58.2 on the first day and 1m52.5 on the second. Alan Brown's best figure was 1m55.7.

The GP was attended by an enormous crowd numbering over half a million, with president Peron an interested spectator occupying the stand of honour. Ascari leapt into the lead from the fall of the flag, pursued by Gonzalez and Fangio. The latter passed Gonzalez on round three, while behind them came Giuseppe Farina (Ferrari), Felice Bonetto (Maserati), Carlos Menditeguy (Gordini), Robert Manzon (Gordini), Maurice Trintignant (Gordini) and Galvez (Maserati).

Luigi Villoresi, Scuderia Ferrari 500 © Vicente Alvarez/FORIX

The Gordinis had been suffering practice bothers with unsuitable fuel, and after five laps Trintignant pulled in for plugs. By quarter-distance Ascari was over 20 seconds ahead of Fangio, Farina was now third, and Manzon was fighting tooth and nail with Gonzalez for fourth.

First retirement was the Argentinean Pablo Birger (1.5-litre Gordini), soon to be followed by Adolfo Schewelm Cruz in the third Cooper-Bristol. The Gordini ranks were reduced to three when Menditeguy dropped out with gearbox trouble, but Manzon put on a terrific spurt, passing first Gonzalez, then Villoresi, who had displaced Farina from third place.

Then Fangio's Maserati dropped out suddenly with rear drive failure and the Gordini moved up behind Ascari. The crowd by now had encroached on the course at some points, and on the 36th lap Farina skidded into a group massed at a turn, five being killed and others badly injured. Farina himself, suffered bad leg wounds.

Soon Manzon's Gordini dropped well back, while Trintignant handed his car over to reserve driver Harry Schell; at 50 laps the order was Ascari, Villoresi, Hawthorn, followed by Gonzalez, who had halted briefly in his pit, Galvez, Manzon and Behra. A quick stop for tyres left Ascari's lead still secure, but Gonzalez began to speed up, catching Hawthorn and beating Ascari's fastest lap with a time of 1m48.7s. The maestro responded with 1m48.4s and ran out a clear winner.

Manzon's run ended when he lost a wheel at full speed, fortunately without personal harm, and in the final stages of he race Gonzalez tried hard to gain on Villoresi, but to no avail, so that Ferrari began their 1953 season with a triumphant 1-2 victory.

View results, stats, quotes and images from the 1953 Argentinean GP at FORIX