1958 Argentine Grand Prix
The Grand Prix of Argentina in 1958 took place on January 19, 1958 at the Autódromo Municipal Ciudad de Buenos Aires in Buenos Aires instead and was the first race of the Formula 1 season 1958.
- 3.1 Start -up
- 3.2 race
- 4.1 Drivers' Championship
- 4.2 Constructors' Championship
Reports
Background
The opening round of the Formula 1 season 1958, as in previous years the Grand Prix of Argentina, which took place early in the year again. For this reason, many teams, among them Vanwall and BRM had the new car is not finished yet and stayed away from the Grand Prix. The driver's field consisted of only 10 drivers and only Ferrari brought a new car at the start, the Ferrari Dino 246F1. The car was developed in the previous season and was the Grand Prix of Argentina in 1958 for the first time used. The car replaced the Ferrari 801, which was one of the most competitive car in 1957, but achieved no victory. Ferrari Dino 246 sat for the first time a V6 engine, a but retained for the time typical and successful front-engine design with. The car was used until 1960 and formed the basis for the Ferrari Dino 246P, Ferrari's first mid-engine car. For Ferrari drove the regular driver of the previous year, Luigi Musso, Peter Collins and Mike Hawthorn.
Since Maserati had left the Formula 1, for financial reasons at the end of the Formula 1 season in 1957, Ferrari was the only factory team present. The rest of the driver's field consisted of teams who used private cars. The current vice world champion Stirling Moss drove for the Rob Walker Racing Team in a Cooper T43, world champion Juan Manuel Fangio came for the Scuderia Sud Americana along with compatriot Carlos Menditeguy in private Maserati 250F. Besides, with Harry Schell, Jean Behra and Paco Godia started other former Maserati driver with this car. The Grand Prix of Argentina 1958, thus with only ten vehicles registered the smallest starting field of Formula 1 history.
The Formula 1 season 1958, with some rule changes that came for the first time at the Grand Prix of Argentina in 1958 are used. The teams were required to use commercial fuel for their cars, instead of the conventional alcohol-based mixtures. These were mostly very environmentally harmful and dangerous and were therefore prohibited. In addition, no points were awarded for driver change to curb this practice. Indeed driver change were rare in the race but found until the U.S. Grand Prix in 1964 use, as you could in certain situations take away by a driver of change in the race of competition points standings. In addition to the drivers 'championship for the first time there was a constructors' championship. For each read were the points of the top-ranked rider per race. In addition, the minimum race distance was reduced to two hours and 300 km total distance.
The Grand Prix of Argentina won Fangio in previous years, four times, Ferrari scored twice.
Training
The training for the Grand Prix of Argentina in 1958 was a battle between the Ferrari and Maserati the private, the Fangio decided one last time for themselves. Therefore Fangio reached its 29ste and last pole position, a record that was only in the Formula 1 1967 season broken by Jim Clark. Besides Fangio, the Ferrari driver Hawthorn and Collins qualified, as well as to Behra Maserati for the first row. This was the last pole position, which was achieved in a Maserati 250F, although the car was still being used by various teams for several years.
For the second row to Musso qualified in the third Ferrari in fifth, ahead of teammate Fangio and Moss Menditeguy whose Cooper was missing exactly two seconds to the pole time. The third row consisted of haddock in eighth place, Godia on the nine and Horace Gould private Maserati on the last place.
Race
In the run up to the race the Rob Walker Racing Team, which would take several minutes to complete a tire change all four wheels from Moss Cooper calculated. Due to the fact that the race distance was shortened due to excessive heat, the team then decided to let Moss go through the entire race without pit stops. This was an advantage over the competition, which was based on a one -stop strategy. These different strategy was Moss only chance to race win since the Cooper a weaker engine than the Ferrari and Maserati had and thus was only partially capable of winning.
The starting duel decided Behra for himself and he led after the first round against Hawthorn and Fangio. Collins, who had started from third place, already retired on the first lap of the race because of a broken half- shaft. This was the only loss of the race, all the other nine riders reached the finish.
In the second round Hawthorn took the lead and also Fangio managed to overtake Behra. Hawthorn dueled in connection with Fangio and held first place until the ninth round. In this Fangio went past him to in his career to lead a Formula 1 Grand Prix for the last time.
Halfway through the race, the Italian front engine -powered vehicles displayed signs of overheating, due to the rule change to use for the fuel because the engine had alcohol are less hot than the new fuel mixture. Moss, who tried to drive through the race, thus made several good positions, he passed by Musso and unlocked on Hawthorn and Behra, who started their pit stops. Thus, Moss was in second place behind Fangio. After also Fangio was in the pits, was on lap 35 the new order against Moss and Behra Musso. Behra afforded to second place lying to a driving error and dropped by the Dreher back some positions, and also Fangio lost time on the top, because his car had engine problems.
Musso did not attack Moss and kept my distance to it, with the assumption that Moss would again come to the Box. This assumption was reinforced by the mechanics of the Rob Walker Racing Team were preparing an imminent change of tires. Moss strategy, however, was completely down the race and this strategy worked. As Musso realized that Moss would change no more tires it was too late and still catch up Moss won the race with a narrow margin of about three seconds.
The first victory for a Cooper car signified the first victory of a car privately entered and the first victory of a mid-engine -powered vehicle in Formula 1 This victory was the beginning of an evolution in Formula 1, in which the mid-engine concept abruptly within a few years prevailed. Cooper pointed in the Formula 1 season 1958 is not the necessary race pace on to constantly ride to victory, but this success was the beginning of a process that in the Formula 1 season in 1959 and the Formula 1 1960 season its continuation found and the front engine cars in the years that followed completely displaced from Formula 1, as other teams the benefits of an engine that was positioned behind the driver, identified.
Musso and Hawthorn completed the podium, Fangio and Behra completed was fourth with fifth place points finish. The point for the fastest lap Fangio was, for him it was the last fastest lap of his career. In the drivers 'standings Moss took the lead before Behra, the constructors' championship lead for the first time Cooper ahead of Ferrari and Maserati at.
Message list
Classifications
Line-up
Race
WM stands after the race
The first five of the race were 8, 6, 4, 3, 2 points. The driver with the fastest lap of the race also received 1 point. It included only the six best results from eleven races. In the constructors' championship included only the points of the top ranked driver of a team.