1952 Formula One season explained

The 1952 Formula One season was the sixth season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 3rd World Championship of Drivers, which was contested over eight races between 18 May and 7 September 1952. The season also included several non-championship races and a separate East German Championship.

The Formula One championship rounds were run under Formula Two regulations out of fear for a small number of entrants.^[1] ^[2]

The World Drivers' Championship was won by Alberto Ascari driving for Scuderia Ferrari.^[3] The Italian won six out of the seven races he entered.

No British driver or team won a championship round. This would not happen again until .

Teams and drivers

The following teams and drivers competed in the 1952 FIA World Championship of Drivers. The list does not include those that contested only the Indianapolis 500.

Entrant	Constructor	Chassis	Engine	Tyre	Driver	Rounds
AFM	AFM-Küchen	AFM	Küchen 2.0 V8		Hans Stuck	1
Toni Ulmen	Veritas	Meteor	Veritas 2.0 L6		Toni Ulmen	1, 6
Équipe Gordini	Gordini	16 16S 15	Gordini 20 2.0 L6 Gordini 1500 1.5 L4		Jean Behra	1, 3–4, 6–8
					Robert Manzon	1, 3–8
					Birabongse Bhanudej	1, 3–5
					Johnny Claes	3
					Maurice Trintignant	4–8
Écurie Rosier	Ferrari	500 166/F2	Ferrari 500 2.0 L4 Ferrari 166 2.0 V12		Louis Rosier	1, 3–4, 8
Écurie Rosier	Ferrari	500 166/F2	Ferrari 500 2.0 L4 Ferrari 166 2.0 V12		Maurice Trintignant	1
HW Motors	HWM-Alta	52 51/52	Alta F2 2.0 L4		George Abecassis	1
					Peter Collins	1, 3–6, 8
					Lance Macklin	1, 3–5, 7–8
					Stirling Moss	1
					Paul Frère	3, 6
					Roger Laurent	3
					Yves Giraud-Cabantous	4
					Duncan Hamilton	5, 7
					Johnny Claes	6
					Dries van der Lof	7
Scuderia Franera	Frazer-Nash-Bristol	FN48	Bristol BS1 2.0 L6		Ken Wharton	1, 3, 7–8
Écurie Richmond	Cooper-Bristol	T20	Bristol BS1 2.0 L6		Eric Brandon	1, 3, 5, 8
Écurie Richmond	Cooper-Bristol	T20	Bristol BS1 2.0 L6		Alan Brown	1, 3, 5, 8
Scuderia Ferrari	Ferrari	500 375S	Ferrari 500 2.0 L4 Ferrari 375 4.5 V12*		Giuseppe Farina	1, 3–8
					Piero Taruffi	1, 3–6, 8
					Andre Simon	1, 8
					Alberto Ascari	2–8
					Luigi Villoresi	7–8
Enrico Platé	Maserati-Platé	4CLT/48	Platé 2.0 L4		Toulo de Graffenried	1, 4–5, 8
					Harry Schell	1, 4–5
					Alberto Crespo	8
Écurie Espadon	Ferrari	500 212	Ferrari 500 2.0 L4 Ferrari 166 2.0 V12		Rudi Fischer	1, 4–6, 8
					Peter Hirt	1, 4–5
					Rudolf Schoeller	6
					Hans Stuck	8
Alfred Dattner	Simca-Gordini	11	Gordini 1500 1.5 L4		Max de Terra	1
Leslie D. Hawthorn	Cooper-Bristol	T20	Bristol BS1 2.0 L6		Mike Hawthorn	3, 5, 7–8
English Racing Automobiles Ltd	ERA-Bristol	G	Bristol BS1 2.0 L6		Stirling Moss	3, 5, 7
Écurie Francorchamps	Ferrari	500	Ferrari 500 2.0 L4		Charles de Tornaco	3, 7–8
Écurie Francorchamps	Ferrari	500	Ferrari 500 2.0 L4		Roger Laurent	6
Arthur Legat	Veritas	Meteor	Veritas 2.0 L6		Arthur Legat	3
Robin Montgomerie-Charrington	Aston-Butterworth	NB42	Butterworth 2.0 F4		Robin Montgomerie-Charrington	3
Tony Gaze	HWM-Alta	52	Alta F2 2.0 L4		Tony Gaze	3, 5–6, 8
Robert O' Brien	Simca-Gordini	15	Gordini 1500 1.5 L4		Robert O' Brien	3
Peter Whitehead	Alta Ferrari	F2 125/F2	Alta F2 2.0 L4 Ferrari 166 2.0 V12		Peter Whitehead	4–5, 8
Peter Whitehead	Alta Ferrari	F2 125/F2	Alta F2 2.0 L4 Ferrari 166 2.0 V12		Graham Whitehead	5
Escuderia Bandeirantes	Maserati	A6GCM	Maserati A6 2.0 L6		Philippe Étancelin	4
					Gino Bianco	5–8
					Eitel Cantoni	5–6, 8
					Chico Landi	7–8
					Jan Flinterman	7
Écurie Belge	Simca-Gordini	15	Gordini 1500 1.5 L4		Johnny Claes	4–5
Écurie Belge	Simca-Gordini	15	Gordini 1500 1.5 L4		Paul Frère	7
Scuderia Marzotto	Ferrari	166/F2	Ferrari 166 2.0 V12		Franco Comotti	4
Scuderia Marzotto	Ferrari	166/F2	Ferrari 166 2.0 V12		Piero Carini	4, 6
Archie Bryde AHM Bryde	Cooper-Bristol	T20	Bristol BS1 2.0 L6		Mike Hawthorn	4
Archie Bryde AHM Bryde	Cooper-Bristol	T20	Bristol BS1 2.0 L6		Reg Parnell	5
W. S. Aston	Aston-Butterworth	NB41	Butterworth 2.0 F4		Bill Aston	5–6, 8
Connaught Engineering	Connaught-Lea Francis	A	Lea Francis 2.0 L4		Kenneth McAlpine	5, 8
					Ken Downing	5
					Eric Thompson	5
					Dennis Poore	5, 8
					Stirling Moss	8
Écurie Écosse	Cooper-Bristol	T20	Bristol BS1 2.0 L6		David Murray	5
G. Caprara	Ferrari	500	Ferrari 500 2.0 L4		Roy Salvadori	5
Tony Crook	Frazer-Nash-BMW	421	BMW 328 2.0 L6		Tony Crook	5
Marcel Balsa	Balsa-BMW	Spécial	BMW 328 2.0 L6		Marcel Balsa	6
Fritz Riess	Veritas	RS	Veritas 2.0 L6	?	Fritz Riess	6
Theo Helfrich	Veritas	RS	Veritas 2.0 L6	?	Theo Helfrich	6
Willi Heeks	AFM-BMW	8	BMW 328 2.0 L6	?	Willi Heeks	6
Helmut Niedermayr	AFM-BMW	6	BMW 328 2.0 L6	?	Helmut Niedermayr	6
Adolf Brudes	Veritas	RS	Veritas 2.0 L6	?	Adolf Brudes	6
Motor Presse Verlag	Veritas	Meteor	Veritas 2.0 L6	?	Paul Pietsch	6
Hans Klenk	Veritas	Meteor	Veritas 2.0 L6	?	Hans Klenk	6
Josef Peters	Veritas	RS	Veritas 2.0 L6	?	Josef Peters	6
"Bernhard Nacke"	Nacke-BMW	HH48^[4]	BMW 328 2.0 L6	?	Günther Bechem	6
Ludwig Fischer	AFM-BMW	8	BMW 328 2.0 L6	?	Ludwig Fischer	6
Willi Krakau	AFM-BMW	6	BMW 328 2.0 L6	?	Willi Krakau	6
Willi Krakau	Krakau-BMW	Eigenbau	BMW 328 2.0 L6	?	Harry Merkel	6
Ernst Klodwig	Heck-BMW	Eigenbau	BMW 328 2.0 L6	?	Ernst Klodwig	6
Rudolf Krause	Reif-BMW	Eigenbau	BMW 328 2.0 L6	?	Rudolf Krause	6
Ken Downing	Connaught-Lea Francis	A	Lea Francis 2.0 L4		Ken Downing	7
Officine Alfieri Maserati	Maserati	A6GCM	Maserati A6 2.0 L6		Felice Bonetto	6, 8
					Franco Rol	8
					José Froilán González	8
Élie Bayol	OSCA	20	OSCA 2000 2.0 L6		Élie Bayol	8
Piero Dusio	Cisitalia-BPM	D46	BPM 2.0 L4		Piero Dusio	8
Vicomtesse de Walckiers	Simca-Gordini	15	Gordini 1500 1.5 L4		Johnny Claes	8

* Car entered only in the Indianapolis 500 race

Team and driver changes

The introduction of Formula Two regulations opened the door for many new constructors (although only a few of them were works teams): AFM, Alta, Aston Butterworth, Connaught, Cooper, Frazer Nash, Veritas and several more German teams who only entered the Nürburgring race.
Alfa Romeo were unable to fund a new car and withdrew from the sport. Reigning champion Juan Manuel Fangio moved to BRM, while champion Nino Farina moved to Ferrari.
BRM were preparing two V16-powered cars for the season, but the project was delayed. Driver Stirling Moss moved to ERA, while Fangio waited until he drove the new BRM in June. He had entered a couple of non-championship races, before he crashed in the race at Monza and suffered a broken neck. After being treated in a Milan hospital, he spent the rest of the year recovering in Argentina.^[5] ^[6]
After one race in, HWM expanded their operations to enter the full 1952 season. Peter Collins and Lance Macklin were hired full-time, both men making their championship debuts, alongside several part-time drivers.
Gordini driver André Simon moved to Ferrari, but only entered two championship rounds. The French team welcomed Jean Behra, who had just switched from motorcycle racing, and Thai Prince Bira.
It took Maserati until the final round of the championship before their new chassis, compliant with the Formula Two regulations, was finished. They hired Felice Bonetto from Alfa Romeo, José Froilán González from Ferrari and Franco Rol, who had previously driven for them in .

Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	Swiss Grand Prix	Circuit Bremgarten, Bern	18 May
2	Indianapolis 500	Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Speedway	30 May
3	Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot	22 June
4	French Grand Prix	Rouen-Les-Essarts, Orival	6 July
5	British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone	19 July
6	German Grand Prix	Nürburgring, Nürburg	3 August
7	Dutch Grand Prix	Circuit Zandvoort, Zandvoort	17 August
8	Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza	7 September

Calendar changes

The Dutch Grand Prix was included in the championship for the first time.
The French Grand Prix was moved from Reims-Gueux to Rouen-Les-Essarts for a year.
The Spanish Grand Prix was scheduled to be held on 26 October but it was cancelled for monetary reasons.^[7]

Regulation changes

Organisers predicted a small number of entrants for the 1952 season, so they decided that all races counting towards the Formula One championship, except for the Indianapolis 500, would be held for cars complying with Formula Two regulations. This paved the way for a more diverse field of competitors.^[8] ^[9] Maximum allowed engine displacements were halved: Naturally-aspirated engines could be no larger than 2.0 L (down from 4.5) and compressed engines no larger than 750 cc (down from 1.5 L).^[10]
Racing helmets were made mandatory.^[11] ^[12] ^[13] ^[14]

Championship report

Race 1: Switzerland

See main article: 1952 Swiss Grand Prix.

For the second successive season, the championship's opening round was the Swiss Grand Prix, held at the Bremgarten Circuit in Bern. Ferrari's lead driver Ascari was absent due to his participation in the Indianapolis 500, so it was left to his teammates Nino Farina and Piero Taruffi to secure the first two places on the grid. Farina led from the start until he retired with magneto failure, leaving Taruffi to win his only championship Grand Prix and take the extra point for the fastest lap. Farina took over the car of his other teammate, Andre Simon, and was battling debutant Jean Behra for second place before both experienced mechanical trouble, Farina again unable to continue. It was, therefore, privateer Rudi Fischer who completed a Ferrari 1–2, with Jean Behra in third for Gordini. Ken Wharton finished fourth driving a Frazer-Nash, the manufacturer's only ever points finish.

Race 2: Indianapolis 500

See main article: 1952 Indianapolis 500.

As usual, the Indianapolis 500 had little bearing on the championship result, although regular Ferrari driver Alberto Ascari did compete, retiring after 40 laps. The race was dominated by Bill Vukovich, who led 150 laps before retiring. It was left to Troy Ruttman to win the race from Jim Rathmann and Sam Hanks.

Race 3: Belgium

See main article: 1952 Belgian Grand Prix.

Ascari returned to Ferrari for round 3 of the championship at Spa-Francorchamps, with Maserati still absent as they developed their A6GCM. The Ferrari cars dominated the weekend, with Ascari taking pole, the race win, and the fastest lap while leading every lap bar one. He was followed home by teammate Nino Farina, and Robert Manzon finished in third for Gordini. Jean Behra again impressed as he led the opening lap before falling behind the Ferrari juggernaut and eventually retiring after an incident with the third Ferrari of Piero Taruffi.

Race 4: France

See main article: 1952 French Grand Prix.

Scuderia Ferrari dominated once again at Rouen, taking all three podium places. Ascari led all the way from pole position to assume the championship lead and achieve his fourth career victory, drawing him level with his teammate Nino Farina who finished second. Piero Taruffi finished third after falling behind the Gordinis of Robert Manzon and Jean Behra at the start. Manzon was the highest Non-Ferrari finisher ahead of his teammate Maurice Trintignant, who drove an older model.

Race 5: Britain

See main article: 1952 British Grand Prix.

Although Ascari again dominated, it wasn't plain sailing for his teammates as Ferrari eventually dominated as they had done throughout the year. The Italian's third consecutive victory strengthened his eventually successful championship challenge as his main competitor, Nino Farina, failed to score despite taking pole position. The third Ferrari of Piero Taruffi dropped down to ninth at the start but eventually recovered to take second place, while a pitstop for new spark plugs meant Farina finished in the sixth position. It was a triumphant day for British cars and drivers, with Mike Hawthorn taking his first podium driving a Cooper-Bristol, while British cars and drivers occupied the other points-paying positions.

Race 6: Germany

See main article: 1952 German Grand Prix.

The belated arrival of the Maserati factory team failed to stop the dominance of Ferrari, with Ascari clinching his first World Title and equalling the injured Juan Manuel Fangio's win record. It was his fourth consecutive victory of the season, again leading every race lap from pole position. He briefly lost the race lead to Farina after pitting for oil, but this is not reflected in the lap charts as he caught and passed his teammate before they crossed the line at the end of the lap. Farina finished second, and privateer Ferrari driver Rudi Fischer finished third ahead of the works car of Taruffi to ensure a Ferrari 1-2-3-4. Jean Behra scored the final points for Gordini just ahead of another Ferrari car, this time driven by Roger Laurent.

Race 7: Netherlands

See main article: 1952 Dutch Grand Prix.

Ascari started from pole position and led from start to finish, taking the fastest lap as well, winning his fifth consecutive Grand Prix and earning his second consecutive Grand Slam, and the third his season and career. In addition, with his victory, Ascari overtook Fangio as the winningest Formula One Driver, although the Argentinian would eventually reclaim the record at the 1955 Argentine Grand Prix. Further down the order, Giuseppe Farina and Luigi Villoresi, also driving for Ferrari, completed the podium, resulting in an Italian 1-2-3 and a 1-2-3 for the Scuderia. As a result, Ascari extended his championship points total to 36, extending his lead to 12 points over second-placed Farina.

Race 8: Italy

See main article: 1952 Italian Grand Prix.

The 80-lap race was won by Ferrari driver Alberto Ascari after he started from pole position. José Froilán González finished second for the Maserati team and Ascari's teammate Luigi Villoresi came in third.

Results and standings

Grands Prix

Round	Grand Prix	Pole position	Fastest lap	Winning driver	Winning constructor	Report
1	Swiss Grand Prix	Giuseppe Farina	Piero Taruffi	Piero Taruffi	Ferrari	Report
2	Indianapolis 500	Fred Agabashian	Bill Vukovich	Troy Ruttman	Kuzma-Offenhauser	Report
3	Belgian Grand Prix	Alberto Ascari	Alberto Ascari	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari	Report
4	French Grand Prix	Alberto Ascari	Alberto Ascari	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari	Report
5	British Grand Prix	Giuseppe Farina	Alberto Ascari	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari	Report
6	German Grand Prix	Alberto Ascari	Alberto Ascari	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari	Report
7	Dutch Grand Prix	Alberto Ascari	Alberto Ascari	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari	Report
8	Italian Grand Prix	Alberto Ascari	Alberto Ascari José Froilán González	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari	Report

World Championship of Drivers standings

Points were awarded to the top five classified finishers, with an additional point awarded for setting the fastest lap, regardless of finishing position or even classification. Only the best four results counted towards the championship. Shared drives result in half points for each driver if they finished in a points-scoring position. If more than one driver set the same fastest lap time, the fastest lap point would be divided equally between the drivers. Points were awarded in the following system:

Pos.	Driver	SUI	500	BEL	FRA	GBR	GER	NED	ITA	Pts.
1	Alberto Ascari		Ret							36 (53.5)
2	Giuseppe Farina	†		2	2		2	2	(4)	24 (27)
3	Piero Taruffi			Ret	3	2	4		7	22
4	Rudi Fischer	2			11†	13	3		Ret	10
=	Mike Hawthorn			4	Ret	3		4	NC	10
6 ^[16]	Robert Manzon	Ret		3	4	Ret	Ret	5	14	9
7	Troy Ruttman		1							8
=	Luigi Villoresi							3	3	8
9	José Froilán González									6.5
10	Jim Rathmann		2							6
=	Jean Behra	3		Ret	7		5	Ret	Ret	6
12	Sam Hanks		3							4
13	Ken Wharton	4		Ret				Ret	9	3
=	Dennis Poore					4			12	3
=	Duane Carter		4							3
16	Alan Brown	5		6		22			15	2
=	Maurice Trintignant	DNS			5	Ret	Ret	6	Ret	2
=	Paul Frère			5			Ret	Ret		2
=	Felice Bonetto						DSQ		5	2
=	Art Cross		5							2
=	Eric Thompson					5				2
22	Bill Vukovich									1
—	Roger Laurent			12			6			0
—	Toulo de Graffenried	6			Ret†	19			DNQ	0
—	Peter Collins	Ret		Ret	6	Ret	DNS		DNQ	0
—	André Simon	Ret†							6	0
—	Jimmy Bryan		6							0
—	Peter Hirt	7			11†	Ret				0
—	Charles de Tornaco			7				Ret	DNQ	0
—	Duncan Hamilton					Ret		7		0
—	Jimmy Reece		7							0
—	Reg Parnell					7				0
—	Fritz Riess						7			0
—	Lance Macklin	Ret		11	9	15		8	DNQ	0
—	Eric Brandon	8		9		20			13	0
—	Chico Landi							9†	8	0
—	Johnny Claes			8	Ret	14	10		DNQ	0
—	Toni Ulmen	Ret					8			0
—	George Connor		8							0
—	Philippe Étancelin				8					0
—	Roy Salvadori					8				0
—	Ken Downing					9		Ret		0
—	Cliff Griffith		9							0
—	Helmut Niedermayr						9			0
—	Jan Flinterman							9†		0
—	Birabongse Bhanudej	Ret		10	Ret	11				0
—	Louis Rosier	Ret		Ret	Ret				10	0
—	Peter Whitehead				Ret	10			DNQ	0
—	Johnnie Parsons		10							0
—	Yves Giraud-Cabantous				10					0
—	Eitel Cantoni					Ret	Ret		11	0
—	Jack McGrath		11							0
—	Hans Klenk						11			0
—	Jim Rigsby		12							0
—	Franco Comotti				12					0
—	Graham Whitehead					12				0
—	Ernst Klodwig						12			0
—	Joe James		13							0
—	Arthur Legat			13						0
—	Bill Schindler		14							0
—	Robert O'Brien			14						0
—	Tony Gaze			15		Ret	Ret		DNQ	0
—	George Fonder		15							0
—	Kenneth McAlpine					16			Ret	0
—	Eddie Johnson		16							0
—	Harry Schell	Ret			Ret†	17				0
—	Gino Bianco					18	Ret	Ret	Ret	0
—	Chuck Stevenson		18							0
—	Henry Banks		19							0
—	Manny Ayulo		20							0
—	Johnny McDowell		21							0
—	Tony Crook					21				0
—	Dries van der Lof							NC		0
—	Stirling Moss	Ret		Ret		Ret		Ret	Ret	0
—	Piero Carini				Ret		Ret			0
—	Bill Aston					DNS	Ret		DNQ	0
—	Hans Stuck	Ret							DNQ	0
—	George Abecassis	Ret								0
—	Max de Terra	Ret								0
—	Spider Webb		Ret							0
—	Rodger Ward		Ret							0
—	Tony Bettenhausen		Ret							0
—	Duke Nalon		Ret							0
—	Fred Agabashian									0
—	Bob Sweikert		Ret							0
—	Gene Hartley		Ret							0
—	Bob Scott		Ret							0
—	Chet Miller		Ret							0
—	Bobby Ball		Ret							0
—	Andy Linden		Ret							0
—	Robin Montgomerie-Charrington			Ret						0
—	David Murray					Ret				0
—	Willi Heeks						Ret			0
—	Adolf Brudes						Ret			0
—	Marcel Balsa						Ret			0
—	Günther Bechem						Ret			0
—	Rudolf Krause						Ret			0
—	Rudolf Schoeller						Ret			0
—	Paul Pietsch						Ret			0
—	Theo Helfrich						Ret			0
—	Josef Peters						Ret			0
—	Franco Rol								Ret	0
—	Élie Bayol								Ret	0
—	Willi Krakau						DNS			0
—	Ludwig Fischer						DNS			0
—	Harry Merkel						DNS			0
—	Alberto Crespo								DNQ	0
—	Piero Dusio								DNQ	0
Pos.	Driver	SUI	500	BEL	FRA	GBR	GER	NED	ITA	Pts.

† Position shared between more drivers of the same car
* Point for fastest lap shared between different drivers.
Only the best four results counted towards the championship. Numbers without parentheses are championship points; numbers in parentheses are total points scored.

Non-championship races

Other Formula One/Formula Two races, which did not count towards the World Championship of Drivers, were also held in 1952.

Race name	Circuit	Date	Formula	Winning driver	Constructor	Report
XI Grande Prêmio Cidade do Rio de Janeiro	Gávea	20 January	Formula Libre^[17]	José Froilán González	Ferrari	Report
II Gran Premio di Siracusa	Syracuse	16 March	Formula Two^[18]	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari	Report
VI Gran Premio del Valentino	Valentino Park	6 April	Formula One	Luigi Villoresi	Ferrari	Report
IV Richmond Trophy	Goodwood	14 April	Formula One^[19]	José Froilán González	Ferrari	Report
IV Lavant Cup	Goodwood	14 April	Formula Two^[20]	Mike Hawthorn	Cooper-Bristol	Report
XIII Pau Grand Prix	Pau	14 April	Formula Two	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari	Report
I Ibsley Grand Prix	Ibsley	19 April	Formula Two^[21]	Mike Hawthorn	Cooper-Bristol	Report
X Grand Prix de Marseille	Marseille	27 April	Formula Two	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari	Report
I Aston Martin Owners Club Formula 2 Race	Snetterton	3 May	Formula Two^[22]	Dickie Stoop	Frazer Nash-Bristol	Report
IV BRDC International Trophy	Silverstone	10 May	Formula Two	Lance Macklin	HWM-Alta	Report
XIV Eläintarhanajot	Eläintarharata	11 May	Formula One^[23]	Roger Laurent	Talbot-Lago	Report
V Gran Premio di Napoli	Posillipo	11 May	Formula Two	Giuseppe Farina	Ferrari	Report
XVI Internationales ADAC Eifelrennen	Nürburgring	25 May	Formula Two	Rudi Fischer	Ferrari	Report
VI Grand Prix de Paris	Montlhéry	25 May	Formula Two	Piero Taruffi	Ferrari	Report
XIV Grand Prix de l'Albigeois	Albi (Les Planques)	1 June	Formula One	Louis Rosier	Ferrari	Report
XXII Grand Prix des Frontières	Chimay	1 June	Formula Two	Paul Frère	HWM-Alta	Report
VI Ulster Trophy	Dundrod	7 June	Formula One	Piero Taruffi	Ferrari	Report
V Gran Premio dell'Autodromo di Monza	Monza	8 June	Formula Two	Giuseppe Farina	Ferrari	Report
IV Aix les Bains Circuit du Lac	Aix-les-Bains	8 June	Formula Two	Jean Behra	Gordini	Report
I West Essex CC Race	Boreham	21 June	Formula Two^[24]	Reg Parnell	Cooper-Bristol	Report
XVI Grand Prix de la Marne	Reims	29 June	Formula Two^[25]	Jean Behra	Gordini	Report
II Grand Prix de Sables d'Olonne	Sables	13 July	Formula Two	Luigi Villoresi	Ferrari	Report
I Grand Prix de Caen	Caen	27 July	Formula Two^[26]	Maurice Trintignant	Gordini	Report
II Daily Mail Trophy	Boreham	2 August	Formula Two	Luigi Villoresi	Ferrari	Report
XVI Grand Prix de Comminges	Comminges	10 August	Formula Two	André Simon Alberto Ascari	Ferrari	Report
I National Trophy	Turnberry	23 August	Formula Two^[27]	Mike Hawthorn	Connaught	Report
XI Grand Prix de la Baule	La Baule	24 August	Formula Two	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari	Report
III Gran Premio di Modena	Modena	14 September	Formula Two	Luigi Villoresi	Ferrari	Report
IV Circuit de Cadours	Cadours	14 September	Formula Two	Louis Rosier	Ferrari	Report
II Skarpnäcksloppet	Skarpnäck	14 September	Formula One	Gunnar Carlsson	Mercury	Report
V Madgwick Cup	Goodwood	27 September	Formula Two^[28]	Ken Downing	Connaught	Report
VIII Internationales Avusrennen	AVUS	28 September	Formula Two	Rudi Fischer	Ferrari	Report
I Joe Fry Memorial Trophy	Castle Combe	4 October	Formula Two^[29]	Roy Salvadori	Ferrari	Report
I Newcastle Journal Trophy	Charterhall	11 October	Formula Two^[30]	Dennis Poore	Connaught	Report
XII Grande Prêmio Cidade do Rio de Janeiro	Gávea	14 December	Formula Libre	Henrique Casini	Ferrari	Report

East German races

Note - a blue background denotes a round of the East German Championship.

Race name	Circuit	Date	Winning driver	Constructor	Report
I Rostock Osthafenkurs	Rostock	20 April	Paul Greifzu	BMW-Eigenbau	Report
I Bernau Autobahnschleife	Bernau	4 May	Rudolf Krause	BMW-Reif	Report
I Dessau Autobahnspinne	Dessau	11 May	Fritz Riess	Veritas-Meteor	Report
III Leipzig Stadtparkrennen	Leipzig	2 June	Edgar Barth	IFA-Kollektiv	Report
III Strassen-Rennen Halle-Saale-Schleife	Halle-Saale-Schleife	8 June	Edgar Barth	IFA-Kollektiv	Report
I Strassen-rennen Leipzig	Leipzig	17 August	Hans Stuck	AFM-BMW	Report
V DMV Grenzlandringrennen	Grenzlandring	31 August	Toni Ulmen	Veritas	Report
IV Sachsenringrennen	Sachsenring	7 September	Edgar Barth	EMW-BMW	Report

East German Championship

The table below shows the points awarded for each race. Only East German drivers were eligible for points.

Place	Driver	Entrant	Car	ROS	LEI	HAL	SAC	Total
1	Edgar Barth	IFA Rennkollektiv	DAMW-BMW 328	3	6	6	6	21
2	Ernst Klodwig	BSG Motor	Heck-BMW 328	2	4		4	10
3	Jürgen Perdus	IFA Renkollektiv	DAMW-BMW 328	4		3		7
4	Paul Greifzu	BSG Motor	Reif-BMW 328	6				6
5	Rudolf Krause	SV Wismut	Reif-BMW 328			4		4
6	Heinz Melkus		ARO-Veritas-Alfa Romeo			2		2
8	Werner Jäger		EMW 340-BMW 328			1		1

Notes and References

Peter Higham, The Guinness Guide to International Motor Racing, 1995, page 12
Web site: A timeline of Formula One. ESPN. Martin Williamson. 21 June 2024.
Web site: 1952 Driver Standings. Formula1. 21 June 2024.
News: 1952 Holbein HH48 Bechem. formula143. 1 June 2024.
News: Juan-Manuel Fangio – Biography. grandprixhistory.org. 28 April 2014. David. Dennis. 21 July 2015. 23 October 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161023223041/http://www.grandprixhistory.org/fangio_bio.htm. live.
Web site: Juan-Manuel Fangio Profile - Drivers - GP Encyclopedia - F1 History on Grandprix.com. grandprix.com. 23 January 2009. 5 November 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201105173534/https://www.grandprix.com/gpe/drv-fanjua.html. live.
Web site: Grand Prix Cancelled . Autosport . 23 January 2016.
Peter Higham, The Guinness Guide to International Motor Racing, 1995, page 12
Web site: A timeline of Formula One. ESPN. Martin Williamson. 21 June 2024.
Web site: F1 rules and stats 1950-1959. F1Technical. Steven de Groote. 1 January 2009. 21 June 2024.
Web site: History of safety devices in Formula 1: The halo, barriers & more. Autosport. Anna Duxbury. 25 November 2021. 21 June 2024.
Web site: Evolution of Formula 1 helmets since the first days of the series until now. cmhelmets.com. 27 March 2023.
Web site: FORMULA ONE SAFETY REGULATIONS THROUGH THE YEARS. Trackside Legends. Jacobine van den Berg. 23 June 2021. 21 June 2024.
Web site: Formula 1: How Much Has Changed Since 1950?. Interesting Engineering. Marcia Wendorf. 20 May 2021. 21 June 2024.
Web site: 18 January 2019 . World Championship points systems . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20190924032459/http://8w.forix.com/6thgear/points.html . 24 September 2019 . 21 December 2020 . 8W . Forix.
1952 World Championship of Drivers results in the FIA Yearbook of Automobile Sport 1974, pages 118-119 show Manzon placed 6th below Hawthorn and Fischer, who are shown as equal 4th
http://www.igleize.fr/gp/amspost.htm Races in South America 1945-today, www.igleize.fr
The Races of 1952, Motor Sport, January 1953, page 9
The Goodwood Easter Meeting, Motor Sport, May 1952, page 241
The Goodwood Easter Meeting, Motor Sport, May 1952, page 232
http://www.the-fastlane.co.uk/formula2/F252_4.htm I Ibsley Formula 2 Race 1952 - Ibsley Grand Prix, www.the-fastlane.co.uk
http://www.forix.com/8w/6thgear/gp-yby.html Grand Prix winners 1894-2019, http://www.forix.com
http://www.igleize.fr/gp/hcpost.htm F1 non-championship races 1945-1957, www.igleize.fr
http://www.the-fastlane.co.uk/formula2/F252_21.htm I West Essex CC Formula 2 Race 1952, www.the-fastlane.co.uk
http://www.conceptcarz.com/view/f1/teamsBySeason.aspx?teamID=15&driverTeamArticleID=31 Equipe Gordini: Jeremy McMullen, Equipe Simca-Gordini - 1952 Formula One Season, www.conceptcarz.com
http://www.forix.com/8w/caen.html Mattijs Diepraam, Horsepower on the Prairie, 28 August 2010, www.forix.com
http://www.the-fastlane.co.uk/formula2/F252_34.htm I Scottish National Trophy 1952, www.the-fastlane.co.uk
Goodwood Finale, Motor Sport, November 1952, page 509
http://www.the-fastlane.co.uk/formula2//F252_43.htm I Joe Fry Memorial Trophy 1952, www.the-fastlane.co.uk
Gerard's old E.R.A. wins an epic Charterhall International Trophy Race, beating B.R.M., Motor Sport, November 1952, page 501