1955 Italian Grand Prix Explained

Type:F1
Country:Italy
Grand Prix:Italian
Official Name:XXVI Gran Premio d'Italia
Date:September 11
Year:1955
Previous Round:1955 British Grand Prix
Next Round:1956 Argentine Grand Prix
Location:Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza, Italy
Course:Permanent road course
Course Mi:6.214
Course Km:10.000
Distance Laps:50
Distance Mi:310.700
Distance Km:500.023
Pole Driver:Juan Manuel Fangio
Pole Team:Mercedes
Pole Time:2:46.5
Pole Country:Argentina
Fast Driver:Stirling Moss
Fast Team:Mercedes
Fast Time:2:46.9
Fast Country:United Kingdom
First Driver:Juan Manuel Fangio
First Team:Mercedes
First Country:Argentina
Second Driver:Piero Taruffi
Second Team:Mercedes
Second Country:Italy
Third Driver:Eugenio Castellotti
Third Team:Ferrari
Third Country:Italy

The 1955 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, in Monza, Italy on 11 September 1955. It was the seventh and final race of the 1955 World Championship of Drivers.

In the wake of the 1955 Le Mans disaster, the championship was still open after the British Grand Prix; although after that race (with the French Grand Prix already having been cancelled) the German, Swiss and Spanish Grands Prix were all cancelled. This meant that Fangio won the world driver's championship for the 3rd time and the 2nd time in succession.

A new concrete banking had been constructed over where the original slightly banked version was, and the combined 10 km (6.214 mi) Monza circuit was used for the first time since 1933. The Curva Sud had also been modified from 2 right hand corners into one sweeping right-hander known as the "Parabolica".

Of the 4 factory Mercedes cars in the race, Fangio and Moss drove the streamlined, closed-wheel W196's, while Kling and Taruffi drove open-wheel W196's. This was the 4th and last appearance of the streamlined Mercedes cars at a championship GP as well as the third and last time in Formula One history that a race had been won by a closed-wheel car.

This was the last Grand Prix race for 1950 world champion Nino Farina. This was also the last Grand Prix win for a Mercedes-Benz as an engine manufacturer until David Coulthard won the 1997 Australian Grand Prix and the last Grand Prix win for Mercedes-Benz as a constructor until Nico Rosberg won the 2012 Chinese Grand Prix, and also the last 1-2 finish for Mercedes-Benz as an engine manufacturer until Mika Häkkinen and Coulthard at the 1997 European Grand Prix, as well as the last 1-2 finish for Mercedes-Benz as a constructor until Lewis Hamilton and Rosberg at the 2014 Malaysian Grand Prix.

Classification

Qualifying

!Pos!No!Driver!Constructor!Time!Gap
118 Juan Manuel FangioMercedes2:46.5
216 Stirling MossMercedes2:46.8+0.3
320 Karl KlingMercedes2:48.3+1.8
44 Eugenio CastellottiFerrari2:49.6+3.1
52 Nino FarinaLancia2:49.9+3.4
636 Jean BehraMaserati2:50.1+3.6
728 Roberto MieresMaserati2:51.1+4.6
810 Luigi VilloresiLancia2:51.6+5.1
914 Piero TaruffiMercedes2:51.8+5.3
1030 Luigi MussoMaserati2:52.1+5.6
1132 Peter CollinsMaserati2:55.3+8.8
1212 Umberto MaglioliFerrari2:55.4+8.9
1342 Harry SchellVanwall2:55.5+9.0
146 Mike HawthornFerrari2:56.2+9.7
158 Maurice TrintignantFerrari2:56.3+9.8
1634 Carlos MenditeguyMaserati2:58.4+11.9
1744 Ken WhartonVanwall2:59.5+13.0
1822 Hermano da Silva RamosGordini2:59.8+13.3
1926 Jacques PolletGordini2:59.9+13.4
2040 John FitchMaserati3:03.1+16.6
2138 Horace GouldMaserati3:05.2+18.7
2224 Jean LucasGordini3:15.9+29.4
DNS46 Luigi PiottiArzani-Volpini-Maserati
Source:[1]

Race

Pos No Driver Constructor Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
118 Juan Manuel FangioMercedes502:25:04.418
214 Piero TaruffiMercedes50+0.796
34 Eugenio CastellottiFerrari50+46.244
436 Jean BehraMaserati50+3:57.563
534 Carlos MenditeguyMaserati49+1 Lap162
612 Umberto MaglioliFerrari49+1 Lap12
728 Roberto MieresMaserati48+2 Laps7
88 Maurice TrintignantFerrari47+3 Laps15
940 John FitchMaserati46+4 Laps20
106 Mike HawthornFerrari38Gearbox14
Ret20 Karl KlingMercedes32Gearbox3
Ret30 Luigi MussoMaserati31Gearbox10
Ret38 Horace GouldMaserati31Suspension21
Ret16 Stirling MossMercedes27Engine21
Ret26 Jacques PolletGordini26Engine19
Ret22 Hermano da Silva RamosGordini23Fuel System18
Ret32 Peter CollinsMaserati22Suspension11
Ret42 Harry SchellVanwall7Suspension13
Ret24 Jean LucasGordini7Engine22
Ret44 Ken WhartonVanwall0Injection17
DNS2 Nino FarinaLanciaTyre5
DNS10 Luigi VilloresiLanciaTyre8
DNS46 Luigi PiottiArzani-Volpini-MaseratiEngine
Notes

Championship standings after the race

Drivers' Championship standings
PosDriverPoints
1 Juan Manuel Fangio40 (41)
223
33 Eugenio Castellotti12
14 Maurice Trintignant11
15 Nino Farina10
Source: [2]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 1955 Italian GP Qualification. www.chicanef1.com. 14 July 2020.
  2. Web site: Italy 1955 - Championship • STATS F1. www.statsf1.com. 1 March 2019.