1957 Formula One season
Season 1958 >
The Formula 1 season in 1957 was the eighth FIA Formula 1 World Championship. She was discharged through eight races in the period of 13 January 1957 to 8 September 1957. Juan Manuel Fangio won for the fifth time, the drivers' world championship.
The FIA honorary title of European Grand Prix was awarded to the Grand Prix of Great Britain 1957.
The season was an almost equivalent Powerlifting Team Maserati, Vanwall and Ferrari to the Drivers' World Championship. After Fangio was uncomfortable despite his previous success at Ferrari, he moved to Maserati. Their Model 250 F seemed now so far advanced that it should be enough to win the title. Vanwall was competitive as the third team, but failed in the end to the daily changing shape, technical defects and sick pilots.
For the first time saw the Formula 1 Grand Prix or a boycott of the cancellation of two races by the FIA due to financial difficulties. As a big loser this year, Peter Collins can be seen, which was regarded as title favorite, before the start of the season.
The World Championship races
GP Argentina - Buenos Aires (13 January 1957)
Given the very early start to the season, all teams drove the car from last year with minor revisions. The whole race was a fierce confrontation of the two Italian manufacturer Ferrari and Maserati. Moss, who still holds a race for Maserati here, could not achieve the desired success since it extremely interconnected to at the start, so that its transmission was sensitive to damage from his pole position. Besides Behra also Castellotti had quite a chance of winning, but a spin let him fall back far that he was forced to retire with a mechanical defect. ( Two months later, Eugenio Castellotti died testing at Monza. ) After the only Ferrari driver was excreted with real chances to win, Fangio was able to celebrate his victory and the almost complete triumph Maseratis.
GP Monte Carlo - Monaco (19 May 1957)
For the first and only time the Grand Prix of Monaco was held over 105 instead of the usual 100 rounds. Moss, who drove off immediately for Vanwall, led after the start, but came after just four laps into the barriers; his pursuers Collins and Hawthorn could no longer avoid and also retired from. Fangio's victory in the second race in succession was thus safely. In Monte Carlo Jack Brabham drove the new, designed in consistent light construction Cooper T43 for the first time. He slapped his was very encouraging and with the mid-engined single-seater in third place when he ran out of fuel. Without hesitation, Brabham pushed the cart over the finish line, where he was considered a sixth.
500 miles of Indianapolis - Indianapolis (30 May 1957)
Sam Hanks, one of America's most successful drivers in the 1950s, celebrated with his modified by George Salih Epperly chassis with extremely low center of gravity thanks to its horizontally mounted four-cylinder engine an easy victory. Even the winner interview he announced tearfully resigned from racing. Europeans were not at the start, after Giuseppe Farina his plans by the fatal accident of the test driver's Keith Andrews, which also gave the car was destroyed.
GP France - Rouen (7 July 1957)
After the GP of the Netherlands and Belgium, which were scheduled for 2 and 16 June, have been canceled due to financial disagreements, there was a six-week break from racing before the GP of the Automobile Club of France, who for the second time in Rouen -les- Dessessart was discharged. Moss was missing due to an infection and Brooks was still suffering from injuries of his Le Mans accident, so Roy Salvadori of BRM moved to Vanwall. For its part, the Americans Herbert MacKay - Fraser, who first saw in the race for the surprise replaced him. Fangio was the pole position does not directly implement and was surprised by the flash starters Musso and Behra. Behind Collins and haddock to MacKay - Fraser had since been catapulted from the 12th starting position to the front. It looked surprisingly good for B.R.M. from, but a " high-speed crash " of his colleagues Flockhart, in which the pilot was uninjured, and the shearing of the drive shaft at McKay - Fraser made once again for a "pause " of the team. From the fourth round Fangio was no longer to take the victory, while Collins was able to pass most of the others. MacKay - Fraser died just a few days after the GP of France in a Formula 2 race on a lotus in Reims.
British GP / GP Europe - Aintree (20 July 1957)
Both Vanwall strain pilots returned with much furore back in the season. While they achieved with the first ( Moss) and third place ( Brooks) good start placements, schwächelten Fangio and the Maserati in an unusual way. At times were four British pilots to the delight of the home crowd on the first five ranks. Behra, which even led to the beginning, like Fangio retired from a technical defect. Thus triumphed Moss, who took over after misfiring Brooks ' car, the first British pilot on a domestic single-seater at a World Cup race. In addition, a few went under that Salvadori had scored the first points for the new Cooper - Climax.
GP Germany - Nurburgring (August 4, 1957)
From some racing historians and journalists, this race is described as the " greatest of all time ". Had the Vanwall pilots had their chance at Aintree, so you should get their revenge here the Ferrari and Maserati pilots. Already in the starting line-up they were all placed better. Fangio won the pole position, and fought from now on with Hawthorn and Collins for the lead, which he maintained until the middle of the race. Then he made a necessary pit stop, because the tank capacity of the Maserati was not enough for the whole race distance. The rear tires were changed. Perhaps he also rocked by deliberately delaying the Ferrari crew in safety; " ... He seemed to no longer intervene in the lace fight," says Richard von Frankenberg in his book The big driver of our time. After two rounds in which he struck a more moderate pace, he then drove a record lap after another. Fangio later admitted to never wanting to re-enter such a risk. So he assumed after the first overtaking Collins at the end of the back straight across the car to reduce speed, and slid up to the outer edge of the track, but remained on the track. Collins could Fangio characterized in next overtake again. But in the first turn of Hatzenbach Fangio drove then before final. Still in the final lap he overtook Hawthorn and thus won his fifth World Championship.
GP Pescara - Pescara (18 August 1957)
After the Belgian and Dutch Grand Prix had been canceled, the FIA took exception, the Grand Prix of Pescara in the World Cup calendar. The 27 km long and challenging course through Pescara and surrounding communities since 1924 GP racing had taken place. Since it has been determined against Ferrari because of the Mille Miglia tragedy, a trial on the roads difficult and the World Cup was already taken, Enzo Ferrari refused an official participation of the Scuderia Ferrari. With difficulty persuaded him Musso to be able to start at least as a privateer with a Ferrari. As a third place he was indeed an early lead, had as many but due to the high temperatures to retire with a technical problem, so Moss could win by a large margin. Out of 16 participants were only 7 to the finish. Even in the initial phase there was an accident, as the privateer Horace Gould snapped at a mechanic who was not gone fast enough from the grid.
Italian GP - Monza (September 8, 1957)
The increased drop-offs were locked in 1957 in Monza for the race, so the route was similar to today's. After Pescara boycott of Ferrari all three major teams were again taken up. In the first three grid positions, however, only British pilots presented on Vanwall: Lewis Evans, Moss and Brooks. Fangio, however, was in the third row. In the race, the Monza typical wind shadow duel developed with changing guides. Brooks and Lewis -Evans got technical problems, so the win for Moss was palpable. Berghe von Trips, however, " inherited " the third place from his teammates Collins and Hawthorn, both failed with engine and oil pump problems.
Drivers' championship
The first five of each race were 8, 6, 4, 3 and 2 points, one more point there was for the fastest race lap. The best five results of the eight races counted.