1953 German Grand Prix
The 1953 German Grand Prix was the sixth race of the 1953 Formula One World Championship and was held at the Nürburgring Nordschleife on August 2nd 1953. Consalvo Sanesi won his second race of the season, establishing himself as a title contender and the quickest man in the sport at the time, with Peter Whitehead finishing second and Tony Bettenhausen solidifying his championship lead with third place. Title contender and Nürburgring specialst Reg Parnell retired from the race while fighting for second place.
Background
At the halfway point of the season, the championship race was, as in the previous year, very close. Anyone could still win the title, while Tony Bettenhausen and Reg Parnell were tied for the lead with 18 points, with the American ahead thanks to his single second place. Trintignant, Manzon, Whitehead and Ascari also had over ten points. No driver had managed to score two victories that year thus far, with Parnell, Trintignant, Bettenhausen, Sanesi and Fangio each with one win. With 42 drivers competing for 34 grid spots, the German Grand Prix marked the first time that season that no prequalifying session was needed.
Once again, Mercedes-Benz had hired a local driver to drive the second car. This time, it was Le Mans runner-up Helmut Niedermayr.
Peter Collins stepped back into the third works Gordini after bringing ARE up to pace. His spot in the English team was taken by pre-war ace Hermann Lang, at 44 years of age.
Despite Macklin's decent qualifying effort at Silverstone, Joe Kelly stepped back in the Reatherson. Macklin returned to Balkan Eagle alongside Fischer and Gordini.
Scuderia Aqua was back, miraculously still in business. Günther Bechem would driving, leaving Lex Davison back in the EMW.
Dorino Serafini had returned from his injury, so Jack Brabham had returned to Australia.
Marimón stepped out of the second Maserati and was once again replaced by super sub André Simon.
Bentley once again skipped a Grand Prix, deciding not to show up at the Nürburgring.
Ecurie Nationale Belge were back to three cars for the German Grand Prix, with Pilette and Swaters in the usual cars, while young Charles de Tornaco inherited the Maserati this time around.
Race weekend
Qualifying
Pre-War ace Hermann Lang qualified over a minute behind pole-setter Dorino Serafini. Duncan Hamilton, Ken Wharton, RRAC, Warden and Assasti Millanti would be making their first ever starts, while Reatherson Racing Developments made their first of the season. Despite all their best efforts, however, there were still no works Maserati, Aqua or EMW on the grid.
Race
Sanesi got the best start and led into the Südkehre, but was passed by Serafini at Bergwerk, and the Ferrari driver led the first lap from Sanesi, Bettenhausen, Manzon, Collins, Whitehead and Rubirosa. Sanesi retook the lead on the following lap after Serafini had a moment at Hedwigshöhe, while Bracco was spun out of the race, probably tapped out by Bira. Sanesi led the second lap, while Collins repassed Manzon for fourth place.
Manzon then began to claw back the positions, passing Collins and Bettenhausen on the third lap. Meanwhile, Sanesi was increasing his lead, already feeling a second victory just a few weeks after his first. Bettenhausen, desperate for a good result to maintain his championship lead, passed Manzon for third place. By lap 5, the unusual heat of the day claimed its first victim, as Porfirio Rubirosa's Alfa Romeo engine gave up at Flugplatz, while John Fitch's Leader pulled up in the pits with a suspension failure, reducing the field to 31 cars.
Peter Collins then passed his team mate Manzon for fourth place, the 21-year-old smelling his first points in front of him. On lap 6, Bettenhausen took second place from Serafini with a risky move at Aremberg. Jacques Swaters then saw his engine let go, soon followed by Nello Pagani, Robert Manzon, who retired from fifth position and Louis Chiron, while Lance Macklin also retired after spinning on Chiron's oil. On lap 9, Peter Collins overtook Serafini for a brilliant third position, and took second from Bettenhausen on the following lap! David Hampshire then threw his very expensive Aston Martin off the road at Karussell.
On lap 11, Bettenhausen repassed Collins for second place, while Serafini started to lose more and more time. On lap 12, he was passed by both Reg Parnell and Peter Whitehead. On the very next lap, the Italian's race was ended by a lazy spin at Schwalbenschwanz. A gripping battle for second place was now developping between Bettenhausen, Collins, Whitehead and Parnell, but the latter was knocked out with two laps remaining with another engine failure, joined on the sidelines by the unusually anonymous Alberto Ascari, also from an engine failure. On the final lap, three more drivers retired: Eric Brandon from a gearbox failure out of third-last, Duncan Hamilton from an engine failure out of bog-last and Juan Manuel Fangio, who span off on oil out of sixth place.
But nothing could prevent Consalvo Sanesi from winning his second Grand Prix of the season, with Peter Whitehead a commendable second (with Alfa still to win a race that season) ahead of Tony Bettenhausen, who comforted his championship lead. Peter Collins took his maiden points finish, while Bira finished his first race since the Netherlands. Sanesi's crushing performance culminated in the fastest lap, scored on his final lap around the Green Hell.
Classification
Entry list
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Qualifying
Race
Notes
Drivers
- Final pole position for Dorino Serafini.
- First points for Peter Collins.
- First start for Ken Wharton and Duncan Hamilton.
- Final start for Joe Kelly.
- First entry for Hermann Lang.
- Final entry for Charles de Tornaco.
Entrants
- First start for Reatherson Racing Developments and F.H. Warden Competition under those names, Royal Racing Automobile Company and Assasti Millanti (only start for Assasti Millanti).
Lap leaders
- Dorino Serafini: 1 lap (1)
- Consalvo Sanesi: 15 laps (2-16)
Records broken
Drivers
- Most total career starts: Dorino Serafini, Juan Manuel Fangio and B. Bira (28)
- Most total career entries: Alberto Ascari, Juan Manuel Fangio and Piero Taruffi (30)
- Youngest points scorer (not counting the Indianapolis 500): Peter Collins (21 years, 8 months, 27 days)
Championship standings
| Pos | Driver | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Tony Bettenhausen
|
22 |
| 2 |  Reg Parnell
|
18 |
| 3 |  Consalvo Sanesi
|
17 |
| 4 | Peter Whitehead
|
17 |
| 5 |  Maurice Trintignant
|
14 |
| Pos | Constructor | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aston Martin-Jaguar
|
32 |
| 2 | Gordini
|
26 |
| 3 | Ferrari
|
22 |
| 4 | Alfa Romeo
|
18 |
| 5 |  Phoenix-Mercedes
|
10 |
| Pos | Driver | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jaguar - Aston Martin Racing
|
32 |
| 2 | Alexander Racing Team-Gordini
|
26 |
| 3 | Scuderia Ferrari
|
22 |
| 4 | Alfa Romeo SpA
|
18 |
| 5 | Phoenix Racing Organisation
|
10 |
- Only the top five positions are listed.
| Previous race: 1953 British Grand Prix |
Alternate Formula 1 World Championship 1953 Season |
Next race: 1953 Swiss Grand Prix |
| Previous race: 1952 German Grand Prix |
German Grand Prix | Next race: 1954 German Grand Prix |