1954 United States Grand Prix

The 1954 United States Grand Prix was the eighth race of the 1954 Formula One World Championship and was held in Sebring on September 5th 1954. The race was notable for a high rate of attrition among the frontrunners, leading to Consalvo Sanesi scoring a hat trick with the pole position, race win and fastest lap. Peter Whitehead finished second, his fifth podium, with Luigi Villoresi finishing third for Asso di Fiori and therefore scoring his only points. As all major title contenders retired, B. Bira secured his second world title in this race, despite not yet having won a race that year.

Background

There were now only two races left in the 1954 Formula One season, and what a championship it had been. In seven races, there had been six different winners, and none of them were the championship leader. Sitting on six consecutive second places, 1952 champion Bira was set to take a second world title, while the only driver now capable of stopping him was his own teammate, Dries van der Lof, who was the only multiple race winner of the season with victories at Silverstone and the Nürburgring. The constructors' and entrants' titles were also up for grabs, with JAMR only having a 13-point lead over ART.

To secure the title here, this was what Bira needed to do.

-Win the race; -Finish on the podium and hope that van der Lof does not win; -Finish in the top five and hope that van der Lof does not finish in the top two; -Finish in the top six and hope that van der Lof does not finish on the podium; -Hope that van der Lof does not finish in the top four.

For the third time, Formula One headed to Sebring for the United States Grand Prix. 33 drivers would be competing for the 32 grid spots, making for a very tense battle at the rear.

As in 1953, American veteran Cliff Bergere made an appearance in an old Mercedes with an underpowered Bentley engine.

After the failure of the Mercedes works team, a single car would be entered for Bernie Ecclestone until the end of the year while waiting for a potential buyer.

As planned, Scuderia Anglo-Italia would not make an appearance in Sebring, despite faint rumours of two independent entries from the Bentley side of the team which didn't materialise.

After years of underperforming, Stirling Moss had finally been sacked by the works Alfa Romeo team, with Belgian ace André Pilette taking the drive for the last two races. Pilette had already droven an Alfa Romeo for ENB in 1951.

For budget reasons, Loyer would only be fielding a single car for the ever-improving Mike Hawthorn. Kling was originially supposed to drive the car but was replaced at the last second.

Jaguar Aston Martin Racing had been reduced to three cars instead of the usual four as Maurice Trintignant's chassis couldn't be repaired in time to make the trip to Florida.

Reatherson would also have to skip Sebring after failing to repair Macklin's chassis.

Anglo Racing Engineering would also be skipping this round due to budget issues.

BRUNEL, meanwhile, made their second entry of the season, entering de Filippis like they did the previous year.

With Parnell having recovered from his injury, he returned to Ferrari, as did Dorino Serafini, back from his "exile" at Renzo, and Ferrari returned to their usual three-car formation, with now de facto team leader Brabham in the third car.

Erne were faced with a heavy setback after both cars were damaged in Germany. However, in a good display of pragmatism, the working parts of both cars were put together and shipped to Sebring for the race.

Despite their financial woes, RRAC sent the Bentley-Merc to Sebring, giving a drive to Indy 500 winner Bill Vukovich.

David Hampshire finally repaired the damage his car had received in Switzerland and made his way to Sebring.

Both Ultimates had also been repaired. The high-stakes US Grand Prix was a golden opportunity to bring some much-needed cash into the team's bank account.

F.H. Warden Competition originally planned to enter two cars, then none, then finally a single car for home hero John Fitch. This may have been their last shot at making a race that season.

With Serafini returning to Ferrari, de Graffenried came back to Renzo to drive the Ferrari alongside Marzotto in the O.S.C.A.

Rennkollektiv EMW and Assasti Millanti joined other small outfits on the sidelines due to recurring financial trouble.

Race weekend

Qualifying

Unlike previous expectations, it was neither Frère nor Vukovich who failed to qualify, but instead Cliff Bergere, who was over 25 seconds behind the pole sitter in his aging Bentley-Mercedes combination. It was Consalvo Sanesi who took pole position for a record ninth time, ahead of Jack Brabham, Giuseppe Farina and B. Bira. Van der Lof would be starting the race on the back foot from twelfth position.

Race

Giuseppe Farina got the early lead from Sanesi and Brabham. On lap 2, the race was already in full swing when Dorino Serafini slid off the circuit at high speed and collided head on with an earth bank. The car was badly damaged, but Serafini got out of the car unaided, although in visible pain. On the very next lap, the race for the championship got all the more interesting as Bira defended too hard against André Pilette and took himself out of the race. Pilette continued briefly, but the accident punctured his tyre and forced him to retire. Bernie Ecclestone's engine gave up at the same time, leaving 28 drivers only four laps in.

Farina took the lead again on lap 5, but a different race ended on the following lap. Dries van der Lof's gearbox let go, handing the world championship to B. Bira for the second time. JAMR's race was completely ended two laps later when Bettenhausen's suspension failed. At the very front, Sanesi retook the lead from Farina on lap 10. The drivers were then reduced to 24 when Peter Collins' steering failed and the Brit stopped his Gordini in the runoff. Marzotto then span on oil and joined him in the runoff. On the very next lap, Ascari's oil line failed and Edgar Barth's engine failed, leaving 22 drivers after just 13 laps. In the meantime, Sanesi decided to set a token fastest lap.

The race for the win lost some of its fighting spirit when Farina's gearbox expired, as did Ron Flockhart's clutch. On lap 18, it was Louis Chiron's gearbox that overheated. Two laps later, Brabham's clutch overheated as well, out of third place. The race took a turn for the worse on lap 22 when John Fitch slid on oil at high speed and collided with a supporting pole for the spectator bridge. The car was bent around the pole, and Fitch was taken to hospital, conscious but it serious condition.

But the retirements didn't end there, as Roberto Mieres' engine overheated at the same time as Mike Hawthorn's clutch, leaving 15 drivers, then 13 on lap 27 when Robert Manzon had an oil leak. The oil flew into Parnell's face, causing him to crash. The oil burned his face, but he appeared to be otherwise injured. Manzon and Parnell were fourth and fifth, meaning that with 15 laps left, Sanesi led from Ramos, Whitehead, Villoresi, Rubirosa and Hampshire. Ramos then crashed out, elevating Rubirosa to third place after passing Villoresi and Maglioli to the final points place, which he did not keep as de Graffenried passed him on lap 33, but he took it again three laps later!

Ambrosiana would have to rely on Maglioli for points now, as Porfirio Rubirosa retired from a safe third place with yet another gearbox failure, just four laps from the end! Immediately, Maglioli took over and tried to pass Hampshire for what was now fourth place, but he came just short. On the final lap, Jean Behra's brakes failed out of ninth place, leaving ten cars to cross the finish line. Sanesi took his fourth career victory, with Whitehead taking a relieving second place ahead of Luigi Villoresi, who scored Asso di Fiori's first podium of the season. David Hampshire secured a very popular fourth place from Umberto Maglioli and Renzo's Toulo de Graffenried.

Classification

Entry list

No	Driver	Entrant	Chassis	Engine
2	Cliff Bergere	Cliff Bergere	Mercedes-Benz WM-1	Bentley 84-1 0.5 V2
4	Giuseppe Farina	Alfa Romeo SpA	Alfa Romeo AR160	Alfa Romeo ARV8 1.5 V8
6	André Pilette		Alfa Romeo AR160	Alfa Romeo ARV8 1.5 V8
8	Peter Whitehead		Alfa Romeo AR160	Alfa Romeo ARV8 1.5 V8
10	Louis Chiron	Leader	Leader LF153	O.S.C.A. 156s 1.5 L6s
12	Mike Hawthorn	Loyer Racing	Loyer LR101	Ferrari 555 2.5 L4
14	Alberto Ascari	Phoenix Racing Organisation	Phoenix PRO-4	Mercedes UM153 4.5 V10
16	Tony Bettenhausen	Jaguar - Aston Martin Racing	Aston Martin AM-04	Jaguar JFE-2 4.5 V12
18	Dries van der Lof		Aston Martin AM-04	Jaguar JFE-2 4.5 V12
20	B. Bira		Aston Martin AM-04	Jaguar JFE-2 4.5 V12
n/a*	Maurice Trintignant		Aston Martin AM-04	Jaguar JFE-2 4.5 V12
n/a*	Lance Macklin	Reatherson Racing Developments	Bentley Speed 4	Jaguar JFE-2 4.5 V12
22	Robert Manzon	/ Alexander Racing Team-Gordini	Gordini G-953	Gordini ART-004 3.0 V6
24	Consalvo Sanesi		Gordini G-953	Gordini ART-004 3.0 V6
26	Peter Collins		Gordini G-953	Gordini ART-004 3.0 V6
28	Hernando da Silva Ramos		Gordini G-953	Gordini ART-004 3.0 V6
30	Maria Teresa de Filippis	BRUNEL	O.S.C.A. F154	Bentley 16VL-1 3.0 V16
32	Troy Ruttman	Asso di Fiori	Aston Martin AM-04	Jaguar JFE-2 4.5 V12
34	Luigi Villoresi		Aston Martin AM-04	Jaguar JFE-2 4.5 V12
36	Reg Parnell	Scuderia Ferrari	Ferrari 555	Ferrari 555 2.5 L4
38	Dorino Serafini		Ferrari 555	Ferrari 555 2.5 L4
40	Jack Brabham		Ferrari 555	Ferrari 555 2.5 L4
42	Roberto Mieres	Erne Racing Development	Aston Martin AM-04	Jaguar JFE-2 4.5 V12
44	Umberto Maglioli	Scuderia Ambrosiana	Ambrosiana A-003	Alfa Romeo ARV8 1.5 V8
46	Porfirio Rubirosa		Ambrosiana A-003	Alfa Romeo ARV8 1.5 V8
48	Bill Vukovich	Royal Racing Automobile Company	Bentley 53C	Mercedes UM153 4.5 V10
50	David Hampshire	Hampshire Racing Alliance	Bentley Speed 4	Bentley 16VL-1 3.0 V16
52	Paul Frère	Officine Alfieri Maserati	Maserati AM53	Maserati 200F 2.0 L6
54	Ron Flockhart		Maserati AM53	Maserati 200F 2.0 L6
56	Edgar Barth	Team Ultimate	Ultimate 002	O.S.C.A. 156s 1.5 L6s
58	Jean Behra		Ultimate 002	O.S.C.A. 156s 1.5 L6s
60	Giannino Marzotto	Officine Renzo	O.S.C.A. F154	O.S.C.A. 156s 1.5 L6s
62	Toulo de Graffenried		Ferrari 555	Ferrari 555 2.5 L4
64	John Fitch	F.H. Warden Competition	Bentley Speed 4	Bentley 16VL-1 3.0 V16
66	Bernie Ecclestone	Mercedes-Benz Team Europe	Mercedes-Benz WM-2	Mercedes UM153 4.5 V10

* Trintignant and Macklin were forced to withdraw from the race weekend as their cars were unavailable.

Qualifying

Pos	No	Driver	Constructor	Time	Gap
1	24	Consalvo Sanesi	Gordini	3:30.23	-
2	40	Jack Brabham	Ferrari	3:32.42	+ 2.19
3	4	Giuseppe Farina	Alfa Romeo	3:32.77	+ 2.54
4	20	B. Bira	Aston Martin-Jaguar	3:33.51	+ 3.28
5	38	Dorino Serafini	Ferrari	3:34.06	+ 3.83
6	28	Hernando da Silva Ramos	Gordini	3:34.39	+ 4.16
7	8	Peter Whitehead	Alfa Romeo	3:34.41	+ 4.18
8	22	Robert Manzon	Gordini	3:35.07	+ 4.84
9	26	Peter Collins	Gordini	3:35.55	+ 5.32
10	14	Alberto Ascari	Phoenix-Mercedes	3:35.63	+ 5.40
11	6	André Pilette	Alfa Romeo	3:36.16	+ 5.93
12	18	Dries van der Lof	Aston Martin-Jaguar	3:36.73	+ 6.50
13	16	Tony Bettenhausen	Aston Martin-Jaguar	3:37.00	+ 6.77
14	36	Reg Parnell	Ferrari	3:37.34	+ 7.11
15	32	Troy Ruttman	Aston Martin-Jaguar	3:38.07	+ 7.84
16	46	Porfirio Rubirosa	Ambrosiana-Alfa Romeo	3:38.49	+ 8.26
17	56	Edgar Barth	Ultimate-O.S.C.A.	3:39.35	+ 9.12
18	62	Toulo de Graffenried	Ferrari	3:39.48	+ 9.25
19	34	Luigi Villoresi	Aston Martin-Jaguar	3:40.36	+ 10.13
20	50	David Hampshire	Bentley	3:42.23	+ 12.00
21	60	Giannino Marzotto	O.S.C.A.	3:42.38	+ 12.15
22	66	Bernie Ecclestone	Mercedes	3:43.52	+ 13.29
23	42	Roberto Mieres	Aston Martin-Jaguar	3:43.66	+ 13.43
24	44	Umberto Maglioli	Ambrosiana-Alfa Romeo	3:44.34	+ 14.11
25	64	John Fitch	Bentley	3:44.71	+ 14.48
26	58	Jean Behra	Ultimate-O.S.C.A.	3:45.72	+ 15.49
27	12	Mike Hawthorn	Loyer-Ferrari	3:45.81	+ 15.58
28	10	Louis Chiron	Leader-O.S.C.A.	3:46.48	+ 16.25
29	30	Maria Teresa de Filippis	O.S.C.A.-Bentley	3:48.60	+ 18.37
30	54	Ron Flockhart	Maserati	3:48.81	+ 18.58
31	52	Paul Frère	Maserati	3:49.68	+ 19.45
32	48	Bill Vukovich	Bentley-Mercedes	3:50.37	+ 20.14
33	2	Cliff Bergere	Mercedes-Bentley	3:55.02	+ 24.79

Race

Pos	No	Driver	Constructor	Laps	Time/Retired	Grid	Pts
1	24	Consalvo Sanesi	Gordini	42	2:37:40.92	1	9
2	8	Peter Whitehead	Alfa Romeo	42	+ 1:27.99	7	6
3	34	Luigi Villoresi	Aston Martin-Jaguar	39	+ 3 laps	19	4
4	50	David Hampshire	Bentley	38	+ 4 laps	20	3
5	44	Umberto Maglioli	Ambrosiana-Alfa Romeo	38	+ 4 laps	24	2
6	62	Toulo de Graffenried	Ferrari	38	+ 4 laps	18	1
7	32	Troy Ruttman	Aston Martin-Jaguar	38	+ 4 laps	15
8	30	Maria Teresa de Filippis	O.S.C.A.-Bentley	37	+ 5 laps	29
9	46	Porfirio Rubirosa	Ambrosiana-Alfa Romeo	37	Gearbox	16
10	58	Jean Behra	Ultimate-O.S.C.A.	36	Brakes	26
11	52	Paul Frère	Maserati	36	+ 6 laps	31
12	48	Bill Vukovich	Bentley-Mercedes	36	+ 6 laps	32
Ret	28	Hernando da Silva Ramos	Gordini	30	Accident	6
Ret	22	Robert Manzon	Gordini	26	Oil leak	8
Ret	36	Reg Parnell	Ferrari	25	Accident	14
Ret	42	Roberto Mieres	Aston Martin-Jaguar	22	Engine	23
Ret	12	Mike Hawthorn	Loyer-Ferrari	21	Clutch	27
Ret	64	John Fitch	Bentley	20	Accident	25
Ret	40	Jack Brabham	Ferrari	19	Clutch	2
Ret	4	Giuseppe Farina	Alfa Romeo	16	Gearbox	3
Ret	10	Louis Chiron	Leader-O.S.C.A.	16	Gearbox	28
Ret	54	Ron Flockhart	Maserati	15	Clutch	30
Ret	14	Alberto Ascari	Phoenix-Mercedes	12	Oil line	10
Ret	56	Edgar Barth	Ultimate-O.S.C.A.	12	Engine	17
Ret	60	Giannino Marzotto	O.S.C.A.	11	Spin	21
Ret	26	Peter Collins	Gordini	10	Steering	9
Ret	16	Tony Bettenhausen	Aston Martin-Jaguar	7	Suspension	13
Ret	18	Dries van der Lof	Aston Martin-Jaguar	5	Gearbox	12
Ret	6	André Pilette	Alfa Romeo	3	Puncture	11
Ret	20	B. Bira	Aston Martin-Jaguar	2	Collision	4
Ret	66	Bernie Ecclestone	Mercedes	2	Engine	22
Ret	38	Dorino Serafini	Ferrari	1	Accident	5
DNQ	2	Cliff Bergere	Mercedes-Bentley
DNA		Maurice Trintignant	Aston Martin-Jaguar		Car unavailable
DNA		Lance Macklin	Bentley-Jaguar		Car unavailable

Championship standings

Pos	Driver	Points
1	B. Bira	36
2	Dries van der Lof	24
3	Hernando da Silva Ramos	17
4	Jack Brabham	14
5	Consalvo Sanesi	13

Pos	Constructor	Points
1	Aston Martin-Jaguar	51
2	Gordini	43
3	Ferrari	20
4	Alfa Romeo	19
5	O.S.C.A.-Bentley	9

Pos	Driver	Points
1	Jaguar - Aston Martin Racing	47
2	Alexander Racing Team - Gordini	43
3	Alfa Romeo SpA	19
4	Scuderia Ferrari	19
5	/ Scuderia Anglo-Italia	9

• Only the top five positions are listed.

Previous race: 1954 German Grand Prix	Alternate Formula 1 World Championship 1954 Season	Next race: 1954 Italy Grand Prix
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