1958 Portuguese Grand Prix
The Grand Prix of Portugal in 1958 took place on August 24, 1958 held at the Circuito da Boavista in Porto and was the ninth 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 first time in Formula 1 history was 1958, Grand Prix of Portugal organized. The race took place on a street circuit in Oporto and led over cobblestones, and railroad tracks. There were few safety precautions, which was the first of only two Grand Prix on this route, a second race took place in the Formula 1 1960 season. The race was organized by Casimiro De Oliviera, who also made itself known as a driver. For the planned involvement in racing, he borrowed a Maserati 250F, retired after a test drive with the car but returned and finished after his racing career.
Ferrari had three weeks earlier lost Peter Collins in a fatal accident at the Grand Prix of Germany 1958. The Team Collins decided not to replace, and thus only drove two cars, Mike Hawthorn and Wolfgang Graf Berghe von Trips. Ferrari lost before Collins already Luigi Musso and the year before Alfonso de Portago and Eugenio Castellotti and as a result withdrew Cesare Perdisa from motorsport. Also Hawthorn and Graf Berghe von Trips died in the following years for fatal accidents.
Vanwall started again with three car after Stuart Lewis -Evans paused a race. Cooper sat down again on the driver pairing Jack Brabham and Roy Salvadori, during which Maurice Trintignant again for the Rob Walker Racing Team drove. B.R.M. Team Lotus and also did not alter their previous driver pairings.
In the last race was a marked depression of reports of drivers with private Maserati 250F apparent, the Grand Prix of Portugal in 1958, there were only three riders, who were registered with a Maserati for the race. The first of these was the driver Carroll Shelby for the new team Temple Buell drove, which participated in the last three races of the Formula 1 season 1958. Maria Teresa de Filippis drove for the Scuderia Centro Sud and Jo Bonnier for his own team. This was the last race for Bonnier on a Maserati, he undertook subsequent to BRM
In the drivers' championship all the drivers still had at least four points, a theoretical chance to become world champion, Hawthorn led with six points ahead of Moss, who had eight points ahead of Brooks. In the constructors 'championship, there was a three-way fight between Ferrari, Vanwall and Cooper at the inaugural constructors' world championship titles. Vanwall separated before the race four points from Ferrari.
Training
The training for the Grand Prix of Portugal in 1958 was a close battle between the two drivers' title aspirants Hawthorn and Stirling Moss. Both drivers needed 2:34,21 minutes each for their fastest lap. Since Moss this time but rather aufstellte, the pole position was awarded to him. For Moss, this was the second pole position of the season, the fourth for Vanwall. Vanwall confirmed his good race performance the last race and finished with Lewis Evans also third place and with Tony Brooks fifth place. Also B.R.M. was competitive, Jean Behra positioned itself to fourth place between the two Vanwalls. His team-mate Harry Schell qualified third on the grid behind seven Graf Berghe von Trips.
Cooper reached positions in the midfield, the best driver with a Maserati Shelby was in tenth place. Lotus qualified again only in the rear box, Allison had an accident with his car, destroying it beyond repair. Lotus team boss Colin Chapman subsequently announced Allison's contract, making this for the rest of the weekend a car of the Scuderia Centro Sud and lent enters with this Maserati training and racing. After the race, however, Allison agreed with Chapman again and received a new contract for the remaining two Grands Prix of the season.
Race
On race day it rained during the day, but the rain stopped before the race. The track was thus initially wet, but dried off quickly. Moss won the start against his rival Hawthorn and retained the lead in the first lap of the race, but already in round two overtook Hawthorn Moss. In position three to Behra, which three designers went for the win improved.
In round six was de Filippis, the only woman in the driver's field, with engine failure. One lap later, Moss overtook the leading Hawthorn in a duel. Bonnier, who drove for the last time in a Maserati abandoned the race on lap nine, when he was physically exhausted. The third failure, the race took place in round 15, again a Maserati, and as with de Filippis before an engine failure. For Lotus, the race was stopped on lap 25, the only remaining driver of the team, Graham Hill spun off the track. The same fate befell Brooks twelve laps later, a Dreher finished for him the race and the drivers' title chances.
At the top of Hawthorn needed meanwhile a pit stop to let control his brakes after he had turned off the track. Hawthorn lost by the pit stop several positions, but after he worked his way back up to third place ahead and got as Behra engine problems, he was back in second position behind Moss. Even Lewis -Evans benefited from the technical problems Behras and overtook him end of the race.
Hawthorn drove a few laps to go the fastest lap of the race, which meant a point for the Drivers' classification after the point of Regulations 1958. Moss led with sufficient distance and the Vanwall team signaled him using a pit board " Hawthorn Rec " to make him aware that Hawthorn the fastest race lap. However, Moss las accidentally " Hawthorn Reg ", which he interpreted as an information that Hawthorn runs regular lap times. Moss declined in the last few laps then his pace and missed the chance to own the point for the fastest lap of the race still to receive. This went as " Moss 's read error " in Formula 1 history, since, among other things, this point was crucial world cup. For Hawthorn, it was the last fastest lap of his career.
Moss won the race with five minutes ahead of Hawthorn and his team-mate Lewis - Evans, who was on the podium a second and last time. It was also Lewis -Evans last finish in a Formula 1 race. Jean Behra still reached the goal in fourth place with his car. He thus reached his third finish in the Formula 1 season 1958 again the points, but fell in all other races of the season. Graf Berghe von Trips was the fifth to the finish, before Schell and Brabham.
After the race, Hawthorn was disqualified because he rearward facing back on the track which was prohibited for safety drove his spin. Moss worked to those responsible for his opponent and reached that the disqualification was withdrawn. Without this sporting behavior of Moss, he would be at the end of the season become world champion. Two years earlier, in the Formula 1 season 1956, the drivers' world championship was decided by a fair sporting gesture as Collins Juan Manuel Fangio in the last race gave the title by leave of his car.
In the drivers 'standings Moss approached to within four points of Hawthorn, other drivers had no more chance of the drivers' world championship. In the Constructors' Championship Vanwall withdrew due to the worst scores over control to a point on Ferrari, but Ferrari absolutely had four points more than Vanwall. Still had besides two designers also Cooper a theoretical chance at the title.
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.