1954 French Grand Prix

The 1954 French Grand Prix was the second race of the 1954 Formula One World Championship and was held in Reims on May 30th 1954. The race was won by Robert Manzon, who scored his third of five career race victories. Eventual world champion B. Bira scored second place, the first in a series of six consecutive second places. Porfirio Rubirosa finished third, scoring his first points and Scuderia Ambrosiana's only podium.

Background

The Monaco Grand Prix was spectacular in more ways than one, with a first-time winner in Jack Brabham, a brilliant podium for Anglo-Italia, an intra-team collision at ART and a car flipping into the Monaco harbour (luckily without injury to Giuseppe Farina). Reims would have a hard time living up to such excitement, but it did have something that Monaco didn't: an absolutely enormous entry list. A total of 52 drivers had been entered for this race, beating the previous record of 47 from the previous season's Belgian Grand Prix.

Following on their Monaco success, Scuderia Anglo-Italia brought three cars to Reims. Taruffi drove the O.S.C.A.-Bentley, Manfred von Brauchitsch the Bentley-O.S.C.A. and Gonzalez a full O.S.C.A. package.

After a lack of organisation forced Balkan Eagle to miss Monaco, they were back with the complete line-up of Jones, Fischer and Gordini.

Reatherson began their season at Reims with Lance Macklin in the Bentley-Jaguar.

Anglo Racing Engineering did so as well with Fred Wacker in works-level Gordini machinery.

Erne Racing Development entered two cars for the first time for the Argentine duo of Marimon and Mieres in Aston-Jags.

RRAC switched from Bueb in a Maserati to Hamilton in a Bentley-Mercedes.

ENB began their season at Reims as well, with Pilette in a brand-new Bentley.

EMW did so as well with the previous year's car. Hans Herrmann was behind the wheel.

Geoff Richardson started his first race as a privateer in nearly three years with a new Bentley.

F.H. Warden returned to competition with the 1953 car and driver.

Officine Renzo made their first appearance with three O.S.C.A. packages, two of them rented from O.S.C.A. itself. Marzotto, Rol and de Graffenried would drive the cars.

Ecurie Albertini returned as well after three years of absence, with Elie Bayol driving an O.S.C.A.-Ferrari.

Race weekend

Prequalifying and qualifying

Prequalifying had no real surprise, as all expected drivers made the cut. Marimón notably prequalified, marking the first time he had done so for any race. Loyer Racing also prequalified, with Kling setting the fifth fastest time. In the main session, there was disappointment from Erne with a double-DNQ (although they were certainly quicker than the previous year). Renzo didn't place a single car on the grid, Balkan Eagle put all three in the race. Mercedes also managed to get two cars on the starting grid. Maria Teresa de Filippis would not be able to start following a mechanical failure on the warm-up lap. 31 drivers would therefore start the race.

Race

Peter Collins got the best start of everyone and led off the line while Sanesi dropped to fourth place. The first few laps were very hotly contested and there were reports of contact between some teammates and almost teammates (between Jones and Gordini and between Bettenhausen and van der Lof). The first retirements came very early. On lap 5, Stan Jones suffered from a gearbox failure at Thillois and both Edgar Barth and (one lap later) Rudi Fischer span out. On the following lap, it was Lance Macklin who binned it at Muizon.

On lap 10, Bira made an attempt to pass Parnell for 8th position. With the JAMR driver alongside under braking for Thillois, Parnell locked his brakes and touched Bira's wheels, losing control and spinning off into retirement. On the very next lap, it was Bracco who was taken out in a racing incident with Peter Whitehead, then Aldo Gordini when defending too hard against André Pilette. Meanwhile, at the front, Sanesi and Manzon were fighting hard and tangled a few times, both wanting to avenge their Monaco collision.

The race was pretty tame on the racing side, but contact was rife, and on lap 17, Johnny Claes and André Pilette collided while fighting over 20th position. Pilette was spun around and Claes was launched over the Bentley's front wheel, taking off briefly before landing in the ditch. Claes was thrown out and landed in a corn field which cushioned his fall. He was uninjured. Two laps later, Maurice Trintignant's suspension failed out of 8th position. On the following lap, Sanesi's steering failed out of third place, and Luigi Villoresi span out at Calvaire on lap 25.

With everyone seemingly content with their position, the race settled except for one man, Porfirio Rubirosa, who had been passing drivers left and right and had made it to third place through sheer stealth. On lap 30, Tony Bettenhausen lost control of his Aston Martin at Muizon and was sent into the corn fields out of 16th place. He got out uninjured, then realized that he was so far into the fields that he couldn't see it from the race circuit! On the next lap, David Hampshire suffered an engine failure from second last place. This left 16 drivers still in the race. Bira passed Rubirosa for third place at the same time. A few laps later, Rubirosa tried to take third place back, but he only managed to nudge him. Both drivers miraculously managed to stay on the road.

On lap 36, Dries van der Lof had a gearbox failure from 12th place. Those troubles were probably what caused him to spend his day so far back in the first place. On the next lap, Rubirosa finally succeeded in passing Bira for third place. Then, on lap 39, the race changed dramatically, as not only did Giuseppe Farina's engine expire from 5th place, but Peter Collins' transmission gave up on him after the Brit had completely dominated the entire race from the first lap. Driving through the smoke, Bira took advantage of Collins' retirement to pass Rubirosa for what was now second place behind Robert Manzon.

With such a lead, nothing could prevent Manzon from taking his third Grand Prix victory and his first since the 1952 English Grand Prix and the sixth for Gordini. Bira cruised to second place, well ahead of Rubirosa, who settled down in third place, scoring his first points and podium, as well as the first podium for Ambrosiana. Serafini took a solid fourth place ahead of Stirling Moss, who scored his first points since the 1951 Italian Grand Prix. Hernando da Silva Ramos finished sixth, scoring his first career points. Collins was eventually classified 13th.

Classification

Entry list

No	Driver	Entrant	Chassis	Engine
2	André Simon	Mercedes-Benz Team Europe	Mercedes-Benz WM-2	Mercedes UM153 4.5 V10
4	Bernie Ecclestone		Mercedes-Benz WM-2	Mercedes UM153 4.5 V10
6	Johnny Claes		Mercedes-Benz WM-2	Mercedes UM153 4.5 V10
8	Piero Taruffi	/ Scuderia Anglo-Italia	O.S.C.A. F154	Bentley 16VL-1 3.0 V16
10	Maria Teresa de Filippis	Maria Teresa de Filippis	O.S.C.A. F154	O.S.C.A. 156s 1.5 L6s
12	Nello Pagani	Redman Racing Team	Maserati AM53	Maserati 200F 2.0 L6
14	Giuseppe Farina	Alfa Romeo SpA	Alfa Romeo AR160	Alfa Romeo ARV8 1.5 V8
16	Stirling Moss		Alfa Romeo AR160	Alfa Romeo ARV8 1.5 V8
18	Peter Whitehead		Alfa Romeo AR160	Alfa Romeo ARV8 1.5 V8
20	Louis Chiron	Leader	Leader LF153	O.S.C.A. 156s 1.5 L6s
22	Stan Jones	Balkan Eagle	Alfa Romeo AR160	Balkan Lion 1.5 L4
24	Rudi Fischer		Alfa Romeo AR160	Balkan Lion 1.5 L4
26	Aldo Gordini		Alfa Romeo AR160	Balkan Lion 1.5 L4
28	Karl Kling	Loyer Racing	Loyer LR101	Ferrari 555 2.5 L4
30	Alberto Ascari	Phoenix Racing Organisation	Phoenix PRO-4	Mercedes UM153 4.5 V10
32	Tony Bettenhausen	Jaguar - Aston Martin Racing	Aston Martin AM-04	Jaguar JFE-2 4.5 V12
34	Mike Hawthorn		Aston Martin AM-04	Jaguar JFE-2 4.5 V12
36	B. Bira		Aston Martin AM-04	Jaguar JFE-2 4.5 V12
38	Maurice Trintignant		Aston Martin AM-04	Jaguar JFE-2 4.5 V12
40	Lance Macklin	Reatherson Racing Developments	Bentley Speed 4	Jaguar JFE-2 4.5 V12
42	Robert Manzon	/ Alexander Racing Team-Gordini	Gordini G-953	Gordini ART-004 3.0 V6
44	Consalvo Sanesi		Gordini G-953	Gordini ART-004 3.0 V6
46	Peter Collins		Gordini G-953	Gordini ART-004 3.0 V6
48	Hernando da Silva Ramos		Gordini G-953	Gordini ART-004 3.0 V6
50	Fred Wacker	Anglo Racing Engineering	Gordini G-953	Gordini ART-004 3.0 V6
52	Luigi Musso	Loyer Racing	Loyer LR101	Ferrari 555 2.5 L4
54	Dries van der Lof	Asso di Fiori	Aston Martin AM-04	Jaguar JFE-2 4.5 V12
56	Luigi Villoresi		Aston Martin AM-04	Jaguar JFE-2 4.5 V12
58	Reg Parnell	Scuderia Ferrari	Ferrari 555	Ferrari 555 2.5 L4
60	Dorino Serafini		Ferrari 555	Ferrari 555 2.5 L4
62	Jack Brabham		Ferrari 555	Ferrari 555 2.5 L4
64	Roberto Mieres	Erne Racing Development	Aston Martin AM-04	Jaguar JFE-2 4.5 V12
66	Onofre Marimón		Aston Martin AM-04	Jaguar JFE-2 4.5 V12
68	Giovanni Bracco	Scuderia Ambrosiana	Ambrosiana A-003	Alfa Romeo ARV8 1.5 V8
70	Porfirio Rubirosa		Ambrosiana A-003	Alfa Romeo ARV8 1.5 V8
72	Duncan Hamilton	Royal Racing Automobile Company	Bentley 53C	Mercedes UM153 4.5 V10
74	David Hampshire	Hampshire Racing Alliance	Aston Martin AM-04	Bentley 16VL-1 3.0 V16
76	André Pilette	Ecurie Nationale Belge	Bentley Speed 4	Bentley 16VL-1 3.0 V16
78	Hans Herrmann	Rennkollektiv EMW	EMW 02	Mercedes UM153 4.5 V10
80	Manfred von Brauchitsch	/ Scuderia Anglo-Italia	Bentley Speed 4	O.S.C.A. 156s 1.5 L6s
82	Paul Frère	Officine Alfieri Maserati	Maserati AM53	Maserati 200F 2.0 L6
84	Ron Flockhart		Maserati AM53	Maserati 200F 2.0 L6
86	John Fitch	Assasti Millanti	Leader LF153	Jaguar JFE-2 4.5 V12
88	Edgar Barth	Team Ultimate	Ultimate 002	O.S.C.A. 156s 1.5 L6s
90	Jean Behra		Ultimate 002	O.S.C.A. 156s 1.5 L6s
92	Geoff Richardson	Geoff Richardson	Bentley Speed 4	Bentley 16VL-1 3.0 V16
94	Ken Wharton	F.H. Warden Competition	Bentley Speed 3	Jaguar JFE-2 4.5 V12
96	Giannino Marzotto	Officine Renzo	O.S.C.A. F154	O.S.C.A. 156s 1.5 L6s
98	Franco Rol		O.S.C.A. 53	O.S.C.A. 3000V8 3.0 V8
100	Toulo de Graffenried		O.S.C.A. 53	O.S.C.A. 3000V8 3.0 V8
102	José Froilán González	/ Scuderia Anglo-Italia	O.S.C.A. F154	O.S.C.A. 156s 1.5 L6s
104	Élie Bayol	Ecurie Albertini	O.S.C.A. F154	Ferrari 555 2.5 L4

Prequalifying

Pos	No	Driver	Constructor	Time	Gap
1	48	Hernando da Silva Ramos	Gordini	2:33.02	-
2	34	Mike Hawthorn	Aston Martin-Jaguar	2:33.40	+ 0.38
3	80	Manfred von Brauchitsch	Bentley-O.S.C.A.	2:34.98	+ 1.96
4	6	Johnny Claes	Mercedes	2:36.75	+ 3.73
5	28	Karl Kling	Loyer-Ferrari	2:36.83	+ 3.81
6	4	Bernie Ecclestone	Mercedes	2:36.86	+ 3.84
7	66	Onofre Marimón	Aston Martin-Jaguar	2:37.79	+ 4.77
8	76	André Pilette	Bentley	2:38.36	+ 5.34
9	96	Giannino Marzotto	O.S.C.A.	2:38.82	+ 5.80
10	86	John Fitch	Leader-Jaguar	2:39.60	+ 6.58
11	92	Geoff Richardson	Bentley	2:39.69	+ 6.67
12	90	Jean Behra	Ultimate-O.S.C.A.	2:39.71	+ 6.69
13	50	Fred Wacker	Gordini	2:40.30	+ 7.28
14	52	Luigi Musso	Loyer-Ferrari	2:40.35	+ 7.33
15	72	Duncan Hamilton	Bentley-Mercedes	2:40.53	+ 7.51
16	104	Élie Bayol	O.S.C.A.-Ferrari	2:41.11	+ 8.09
17	84	Ron Flockhart	Maserati	2:41.79	+ 8.77
18	98	Franco Rol	O.S.C.A.	2:41.88	+ 8.86
19	82	Paul Frère	Maserati	2:42.81	+ 9.79
20	78	Hans Herrmann	EMW-Mercedes	2:42.86	+ 9.84

Qualifying

Pos	No	Driver	Constructor	Time	Gap
1	38	Consalvo Sanesi	Gordini	2:29.52	-
2	58	Reg Parnell	Ferrari	2:29.95	+ 0.43
3	46	Peter Collins	Gordini	2:30.58	+ 1.06
4	42	Robert Manzon	Gordini	2:30.87	+ 1.35
5	14	Giuseppe Farina	Alfa Romeo	2:30.96	+ 1.44
6	36	B. Bira	Aston Martin-Jaguar	2:31.70	+ 2.18
7	16	Stirling Moss	Alfa Romeo	2:32.00	+ 2.48
8	38	Maurice Trintignant	Aston Martin-Jaguar	2:32.02	+ 2.50
9	48	Hernando da Silva Ramos	Gordini	2:32.17	+ 2.65
10	68	Giovanni Bracco	Ambrosiana-Alfa Romeo	2:32.32	+ 2.80
11	18	Peter Whitehead	Alfa Romeo	2:32.54	+ 3.02
12	62	Jack Brabham	Ferrari	2:32.79	+ 3.27
13	70	Porfirio Rubirosa	Ambrosiana-Alfa Romeo	2:32.82	+ 3.30
14	34	Mike Hawthorn	Aston Martin-Jaguar	2:32.99	+ 3.47
15	60	Dorino Serafini	Ferrari	2:33.00	+ 3.48
16	54	Dries van der Lof	Aston Martin-Jaguar	2:33.11	+ 3.59
17	32	Tony Bettenhausen	Aston Martin-Jaguar	2:33.51	+ 3.99
18	56	Luigi Villoresi	Aston Martin-Jaguar	2:33.60	+ 4.08
19	88	Edgar Barth	Ultimate-O.S.C.A.	2:34.54	+ 5.02
20	102	José Froilán González	O.S.C.A.	2:34.69	+ 5.17
21	24	Rudi Fischer	Alfa Romeo-Balkan Lion	2:35.13	+ 5.61
22	30	Alberto Ascari	Phoenix-Mercedes	2:35.35	+ 5.83
23	8	Piero Taruffi	O.S.C.A.-Bentley	2:35.37	+ 5.85
24	40	Lance Macklin	Bentley-Jaguar	2:35.77	+ 6.25
25	22	Stan Jones	Alfa Romeo-Balkan Lion	2:35.92	+ 6.40
26	80	Manfred von Brauchitsch	Bentley-O.S.C.A.	2:36.02	+ 6.50
27	6	Johnny Claes	Mercedes	2:36.26	+ 6.74
28	2	André Simon	Mercedes	2:36.49	+ 6.97
29	74	David Hampshire	Aston Martin-Bentley	2:36.73	+ 7.21
30	26	Aldo Gordini	Alfa Romeo-Balkan Lion	2:37.10	+ 7.58
31	10	Maria Teresa de Filippis	O.S.C.A.	2:37.27	+ 7.75
32	76	André Pilette	Bentley	2:37.38	+ 7.86
33	66	Onofre Marimón	Aston Martin-Jaguar	2:38.03	+ 8.51
34	12	Nello Pagani	Maserati	2:38.27	+ 8.75
35	4	Bernie Ecclestone	Mercedes	2:38.76	+ 9.24
36	20	Louis Chiron	Leader-O.S.C.A.	2:39.09	+ 9.57
37	100	Toulo de Graffenried	O.S.C.A.	2:39.45	+ 9.93
38	94	Ken Wharton	Bentley-Jaguar	2:39.57	+ 10.05
39	64	Roberto Mieres	Aston Martin-Jaguar	2:39.91	+ 10.39
40	28	Karl Kling	Loyer-Ferrari	2:39.93	+ 10.41

Race

Pos	No	Driver	Constructor	Laps	Time/Retired	Grid	Pts
1	42	Robert Manzon	Gordini	42	1:52:05.44	4	9
2	36	B. Bira	Aston Martin-Jaguar	42	+ 1:28.10	6	6
3	70	Porfirio Rubirosa	Ambrosiana-Alfa Romeo	42	+ 2:21.91	13	4
4	60	Dorino Serafini	Ferrari	41	+ 1 lap	15	3
5	16	Stirling Moss	Alfa Romeo	41	+ 1 lap	7	2
6	48	Hernando da Silva Ramos	Gordini	41	+ 1 lap	9	1
7	18	Peter Whitehead	Alfa Romeo	40	+ 2 laps	11
8	62	Jack Brabham	Ferrari	40	+ 2 laps	12
9	30	Alberto Ascari	Phoenix-Mercedes	40	+ 2 laps	22
10	8	Piero Taruffi	O.S.C.A.-Bentley	40	+ 2 laps	23
11	102	José Froilán González	O.S.C.A.	40	+ 2 laps	20
12	80	Manfred von Brauchitsch	Bentley-O.S.C.A.	39	+ 3 laps	26
13	46	Peter Collins	Gordini	38	Transmission	3
14	2	André Simon	Mercedes	38	+ 4 laps	28
Ret	14	Giuseppe Farina	Alfa Romeo	37	Engine	5
Ret	54	Dries van der Lof	Aston Martin-Jaguar	33	Gearbox	16
Ret	32	Tony Bettenhausen	Aston Martin-Jaguar	27	Accident	17
Ret	74	David Hampshire	Aston Martin-Bentley	27	Engine	29
Ret	56	Luigi Villoresi	Aston Martin-Jaguar	22	Spin	18
Ret	38	Consalvo Sanesi	Gordini	19	Steering	1
Ret	38	Maurice Trintignant	Aston Martin-Jaguar	18	Suspension	8
Ret	6	Johnny Claes	Mercedes	15	Collision	27
Ret	76	André Pilette	Bentley	15	Collision	32
Ret	34	Mike Hawthorn	Aston Martin-Jaguar	14	Engine	14
Ret	26	Aldo Gordini	Alfa Romeo-Balkan Lion	11	Collision	30
Ret	68	Giovanni Bracco	Ambrosiana-Alfa Romeo	10	Collision	10
Ret	58	Reg Parnell	Ferrari	9	Spin	2
Ret	40	Lance Macklin	Bentley-Jaguar	6	Spin	24
Ret	24	Rudi Fischer	Alfa Romeo-Balkan Lion	5	Spin	21
Ret	88	Edgar Barth	Ultimate-O.S.C.A.	4	Spin	19
Ret	22	Stan Jones	Alfa Romeo-Balkan Lion	4	Gearbox	25
DNS	10	Maria Teresa de Filippis	O.S.C.A.	0	Clutch	31
DNQ	66	Onofre Marimón	Aston Martin-Jaguar
DNQ	12	Nello Pagani	Maserati
DNQ	4	Bernie Ecclestone	Mercedes
DNQ	20	Louis Chiron	Leader-O.S.C.A.
DNQ	100	Toulo de Graffenried	O.S.C.A.
DNQ	94	Ken Wharton	Bentley-Jaguar
DNQ	64	Roberto Mieres	Aston Martin-Jaguar
DNQ	28	Karl Kling	Loyer-Ferrari
DNPQ	96	Giannino Marzotto	O.S.C.A.
DNPQ	86	John Fitch	Leader-Jaguar
DNPQ	92	Geoff Richardson	Bentley
DNPQ	90	Jean Behra	Ultimate-O.S.C.A.
DNPQ	50	Fred Wacker	Gordini
DNPQ	52	Luigi Musso	Loyer-Ferrari
DNPQ	72	Duncan Hamilton	Bentley-Mercedes
DNPQ	104	Élie Bayol	O.S.C.A.-Ferrari
DNPQ	84	Ron Flockhart	Maserati
DNPQ	98	Franco Rol	O.S.C.A.
DNPQ	82	Paul Frère	Maserati
DNPQ	78	Hans Herrmann	EMW-Mercedes

Notes

Drivers

• First points and only podium for Porfirio Rubirosa.
• First points for Hernando da Silva Ramos.
• First entry for Hans Herrmann and Élie Bayol.

Constructors

• Only podium for Ambrosiana.
• First start for the Balkan Lion engine.

Entrants

• Only podium for Scuderia Ambrosiana.
• First entry for Officine Renzo.

Lap leaders

• Peter Collins: 38 laps (1-38)
• Robert Manzon: 4 laps (39-42)

Records broken

• Most career pole positions: Consalvo Sanesi (7)
• Most total career starts: Dorino Serafini and B. Bira (33)
• Most total career entries: Alberto Ascari, Dorino Serafini, Maurice Trintignant and Johnny Claes (34).

Championship standings

Pos	Driver	Points
1	Jack Brabham	9
2	Robert Manzon	9
3	José Froilán González	6
4	B. Bira	6
5	Dorino Serafini	6

Pos	Constructor	Points
1	Ferrari	12
2	Gordini	10
3	Aston Martin-Jaguar	8
4	O.S.C.A.-Bentley	6
5	Ambrosiana-Alfa Romeo	4

Pos	Driver	Points
1	Scuderia Ferrari	12
2	Alexander Racing Team - Gordini	10
3	Jaguar - Aston Martin Racing	8
4	/ Scuderia Anglo-Italia	6
5	Scuderia Ambrosiana	4

• Only the top five positions are listed.

Previous race: 1954 Monaco Grand Prix	Alternate Formula 1 World Championship 1954 Season	Next race: 1954 Belgian Grand Prix
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