1956 Belgian Grand Prix
The 1956 Belgian Grand Prix was the third race of the 1956 Formula One World Championship and was held in Spa-Francorchamps on June 17th 1956. Jack Brabham won the race, his second consecutive race victory which gave him a nine-point lead in the championship. Ottorino Volonterio, replacing Robert Manzon at O.S.C.A. for the first time, scored a shock second place ahead of teammate Stirling Moss.
Background
Formula One is in mourning.
Two weeks ago, Dries van der Lof perished in a violent accident during the French Grand Prix at Rouen-les-Essarts, an accident which also claimed the lives of seven spectators. Van der Lof's untimely passing led to the inevitable outpouring of grief. Most teams released a statement sending their condolences. FIAT withdrew from competition and sold their racing assets to Federico Hernandez. Following the mass-resignation of Alfa Romeo's racing managers, the manufacturer officially ceased all motorsport operations. Team Lotus, the most strongly affected team, were hit hard by the loss of one of their drivers, and decided to sit out the Belgian Grand Prix to return in Germany with a two-car team.
The accident also sparked a debate on the subject of safety. O.S.C.A. team director Piero Taruffi, who himself saw his racing career ended by a serious accident at the Swiss Grand Prix in 1954, publicly ciritcised the current state of the sport, calling for better protection for spectators and an increased proportion of closed-circuit races on the calendar. On the opposite end, IRC team manager Cathal Byrne defended the traditional approach to road racing, citing the Mille Miglia, Targa Florio and 24 Hours of le Mans as examples of the beauty of the sport as it is.
As the debate rages on, the world keeps on turning, and the drivers and teams roll on to Spa-Francorchamps for the Belgian Grand Prix. A diminished field is present for multiple reasons, meaning that for the first time since the 1954 German Grand Prix (Soviet debacle notwithstanding), a European Grand Prix weekend will not feature a prequalifying session, and only four drivers will fail to make Sunday's grid.
-Duncan Hamilton was injured in the French Grand Prix, which proved costly for the team, as Stuart Lewis-Evans also crashed out and Desmond Titterington's engine expired. As a result, the team has been reduced to two cars for Stuart and Desmond.
-Scuderia Centro Sud make their long-awaited début, entering Luigi Villoresi in the O.S.C.A. and Castelldefels refugee Alfonso de Portago in IRC's repaired Lancia.
-Hernandez return to the scene with a rebadged Gordini and Targa Florio winner Umberto Maglioli replacing Carlos Menditéguy.
-Bruce Halford makes his first foray into Formula One, entering two Vanwalls for himself and a guest driver where possible. This time around, it's local sportscar racer André Milhoux returning after a failed qualification attempt three years ago.
-Maria Teresa de Filippis is back with BRUNEL, although the deal with Cooper sees them ditch the O.S.C.A.-Porsche in favour of a Cooper-Maserati combination.
-Robert Manzon was also injured in the French Grand Prix and ill be missing most of the remaining races. O.S.C.A. attempted to sign the then-uncontracted Tony Gaze, only to fail and take on the promising Ottorino Volonterio, who finished 12th here last year.
-Speaking of Tony Gaze, it was Scuderia Ferrari who managed to sign him after the Alfa Romeo debacle left him without a drive. However, with too many drivers to choose from and Phil Hill returning from his Monaco injury, a choice had to be made. Umberto Maglioli was given permission to race for Hernandez, and 1953 World Champion Tony Bettenhausen was left on the sidelines, leaving a line-up of Fangio, Godia, Gaze, Ramos and Hill.
-British Racing Motors return with ostensibly the same line-up, but with the added change that Frère will be driving the BRM, Flockhart the AAC and Behra an odd AAC-BRM hybrid.
-After the much-publicised creation of the Cooper T41 bankrupted ENB, Tasman and Australasia last year, Cooper decided to take matters into their own hands and enter an official works team based in Surbiton. Their original plan was to stick to the British rounds for this season, but the signing of Olivier Gendebien prompted them to moved their entry ahead to the Belgian Grand Prix, with a Cooper-Climax.
-Equipo Castelldefels finally got an entry together for Reims, but their dismal times prompted team boss Manuel Bautista to sell the outfit to IRC and focus on the preparation of a new team for 1957. Alfonso de Portago promptly moved to Scuderia Centro Sud, while Luigi Musso remains a free agent.
-Ecurie Rosier's attempt to prequalify in Reims was not a success, and from their base in Clermont-Ferrand, Louis simply couldn't justify the expense of traveling to Spa, returning the '53 Gordini to its original factory.
-Of course, following the tragic death of Dries van der Lof at the French Grand Prix, Team Lotus have not sent their cars to Belgium, Colin Chapman preferring to rebuild the team in time for the German Grand Prix.
As previously mentioned, 34 of the 38 cars will be making the grid, so four drivers will not be starting the race, but who will they be?
Race weekend
Qualifying
Only four drivers out of 38 would fail to make the grid, meaning that many teams and drivers will make their first starts, including Lucien Bianchi, Olivier Gendebien, Bruce Halford, BRM and Hernandez.
Race
Titterington got the best start of the frontrunners and led the first lap ahead of Jack Brabham and Consalvo Sanesi, but right behind them, González got a good start as well, mixing it at the front, until his gearbox prematurely failed at Stavelot. The resulting oil sprayed directly onto Peter Collins' tyres, and the Brit immediately span out into the straw bales, knocking out two major contenders for the race win. On the next lap, Consalvo Sanesi's brakes had an issue, causing him to stop. André Simon also retired when he misjudged a defensive move against Fangio, spinning out in the process. The field was then reduced to 29, when Serafini's fuel pump failed. After this initial string of retirements, Titterington still led from Brabham, Castellotti, Volonterio, Brooks and Moss.
David Hampshire's gearbox then began to have issues with his gearbox, and Theo Fitzau pulled into the pits with a failing clutch. Then Umberto Maglioli retired in a low-speed coming together with Cliff Allison at La Source, and Mike Hawthorn's throttle stopped working on the same lap. They were followed by de Filippis (steering) and Behra (engine). At the very front, Ottorino Volonterio continued to impress, passing Eugenio Castellotti to take third place in his first race for O.S.C.A. On the following lap, Brabham finally got a good run on Titterington into La Source and took the race lead after laps of trying.
The next retirement was Hernando da Silva Ramos, with a driveshaft failure, reducing the field to 22 drivers. Then, there were 20 when Phil Hill suffered from a puncture and de Portago from a clutch failure, stopping in the same escape road. The Ferrari sportscar teammates watched the rest of the race from the side of the track. They were followed by two of the race's Belgians, Lucien Bianchi suffering from an oil leak and Paul Frère from transmission issues. More importantly, though, Desmond Titterington, on course for a comfortable second place, ran out of fuel, likely caused by a leak in his fuel tank that had gone unnoticed.
This left Tony Brooks in second place ahead of Volonterio, Godia and Moss. Volonterio took second place on lap 21, and Brooks promptly retired with an oil leak, bringing an end to B.C.M.A.'s race. He was joined in the pits by Roy Salvadori, suffering from a gearbox failure. This left Moss in third place, ahead of Godia, Gaze and Fangio. On the final lap, Stuart Lewis-Evans suffered from a steering failure and Gerino Gerini from an engine failure. But none of this could stop Jack Brabham, as the Australian World Champion scored his second consecutive victory, the fifth of his career, and establishing a comfortable championship lead.
Ottorino Volonterio held on to take second place in his first race with O.S.C.A., spending the last two laps defending from his teammate Stirling Moss. Paco Godia came fourth, leading a Ferrari 4-5-6, with Gaze and Fangio in tow. Whitehead came seventh, ahead of Cabianca, Allison, Marimón, Gendebien, and Halford, although Lewis-Evans and Gerini were classified ahead of Halford.
Classification
Entry list
Qualifying
| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 |  Jack Brabham
|
Gordini | 4:09.55 | - |
| 2 | 17 |  Peter Collins
|
B.C.M.A. | 4:10.85 | + 1.30 |
| 3 | 1 | Desmond Titterington
|
Lancia | 4:12.00 | + 2.45 |
| 4 | 15 |  José Froilán González
|
O.S.C.A. | 4:14.49 | + 4.94 |
| 5 | 21 |  Consalvo Sanesi
|
Gordini | 4:14.74 | + 5.19 |
| 6 | 18 | Tony Brooks
|
B.C.M.A. | 4:16.89 | + 7.34 |
| 7 | 23 | Eugenio Castellotti
|
Gordini | 4:18.48 | + 8.93 |
| 8 | 28 | Tony Gaze
|
Ferrari | 4:18.98 | + 9.43 |
| 9 | 12 |  Ottorino Volonterio
|
O.S.C.A. | 4:19.33 | + 9.78 |
| 10 | 16 | Peter Whitehead
|
O.S.C.A. | 4:19.78 | + 10.23 |
| 11 | 19 | Mike Hawthorn
|
B.C.M.A. | 4:20.58 | + 11.03 |
| 12 | 27 |  Paco Godia
|
Ferrari | 4:21.58 | + 12.03 |
| 13 | 14 | Stirling Moss
|
O.S.C.A. | 4:22.38 | + 12.83 |
| 14 | 31 |  André Simon
|
Gordini | 4:24.97 | + 15.42 |
| 15 | 26 | Juan Manuel Fangio
|
Ferrari | 4:25.42 | + 15.87 |
| 16 | 29 |  Hernando da Silva Ramos
|
Ferrari | 4:25.52 | + 15.97 |
| 17 | 37 | Onofre Marimón
|
O.S.C.A. | 4:25.97 | + 16.42 |
| 18 | 5 | Umberto Maglioli
|
Hernandez | 4:27.12 | + 17.57 |
| 19 | 30 |  Phil Hill
|
Ferrari | 4:30.91 | + 21.36 |
| 20 | 24 | Giulio Cabianca
|
Ferrari | 4:34.95 | + 25.40 |
| 21 | 25 |  Theo Fitzau
|
O.S.C.A. | 4:36.30 | + 26.75 |
| 22 | 8 | Dorino Serafini
|
Ferrari | 4:36.60 | + 27.05 |
| 23 | 35 | Cliff Allison
|
Vanwall | 4:37.80 | + 28.25 |
| 24 | 20 |  Lucien Bianchi
|
Cooper-Maserati | 4:38.95 | + 29.40 |
| 25 | 2 | Stuart Lewis-Evans
|
Lancia | 4:40.59 | + 31.04 |
| 26 | 39 | Roy Salvadori
|
Vanwall-O.S.C.A. | 4:43.14 | + 33.59 |
| 27 | 38 | David Hampshire
|
Vanwall | 4:43.79 | + 34.24 |
| 28 | 7 | Gerino Gerini
|
Ferrari | 4:44.29 | + 34.74 |
| 29 | 36 | Olivier Gendebien
|
Cooper-Climax | 4:44.49 | + 34.94 |
| 30 | 11 | Maria Teresa de Filippis
|
Cooper-Maserati | 4:45.14 | + 35.59 |
| 31 | 4 | Alfonso de Portago
|
Lancia | 4:46.03 | + 36.48 |
| 32 | 9 | Bruce Halford
|
Vanwall | 4:46.73 | + 37.18 |
| 33 | 34 | Paul Frère
|
BRM | 4:50.48 | + 40.93 |
| 34 | 33 | Jean Behra
|
AAC-BRM | 4:51.72 | + 42.17 |
| 35 | 3 | Luigi Villoresi
|
O.S.C.A. | 4:51.77 | + 42.22 |
| 36 | 10 | André Milhoux
|
Vanwall | 4:52.22 | + 42.67 |
| 37 | 6 |  Louis Chiron
|
AAC | 4:52.62 | + 43.07 |
| 38 | 32 | Ron Flockhart
|
AAC | 4:53.27 | + 43.72 |
Race
| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Laps | Time/Retired | Grid | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 | Jack Brabham
|
Gordini | 25 | 1:51:06.88 | 1 | 9 |
| 2 | 12 | Ottorino Volonterio
|
O.S.C.A. | 24 | + 1 lap | 9 | 6 |
| 3 | 14 | Stirling Moss
|
O.S.C.A. | 24 | + 1 lap | 13 | 4 |
| 4 | 27 | Paco Godia
|
Ferrari | 24 | + 1 lap | 12 | 3 |
| 5 | 28 | Tony Gaze
|
Ferrari | 24 | + 1 lap | 8 | 2 |
| 6 | 26 | Juan Manuel Fangio
|
Ferrari | 24 | + 1 lap | 15 | 1 |
| 7 | 16 | Peter Whitehead
|
O.S.C.A. | 24 | + 1 lap | 10 | |
| 8 | 24 | Giulio Cabianca
|
Ferrari | 23 | + 2 laps | 20 | |
| 9 | 35 | Cliff Allison
|
Vanwall | 23 | + 2 laps | 23 | |
| 10 | 37 | Onofre Marimón
|
O.S.C.A. | 23 | + 2 laps | 17 | |
| 11 | 36 | Olivier Gendebien
|
Cooper-Climax | 23 | + 2 laps | 29 | |
| 12 | 2 | Stuart Lewis-Evans
|
Lancia | 22 | Steering | 25 | |
| 13 | 7 | Gerino Gerini
|
Ferrari | 22 | Engine | 28 | |
| 14 | 9 | Bruce Halford
|
Vanwall | 22 | + 3 laps | 32 | |
| Ret | 18 | Tony Brooks
|
B.C.M.A. | 20 | Oil leak | 6 | |
| Ret | 39 | Roy Salvadori
|
Vanwall-O.S.C.A. | 19 | Gearbox | 26 | |
| Ret | 23 | Eugenio Castellotti
|
Gordini | 18 | Engine | 7 | |
| Ret | 1 | Desmond Titterington
|
Lancia | 17 | Out of fuel | 3 | |
| Ret | 20 | Lucien Bianchi
|
Cooper-Maserati | 15 | Oil leak | 24 | |
| Ret | 34 | Paul Frère
|
BRM | 15 | Transmission | 33 | |
| Ret | 30 | Phil Hill
|
Ferrari | 12 | Puncture | 19 | |
| Ret | 4 | Alfonso de Portago
|
Lancia | 12 | Clutch | 31 | |
| Ret | 29 | Hernando da Silva Ramos
|
Ferrari | 11 | Driveshaft | 16 | |
| Ret | 11 | Maria Teresa de Filippis
|
Cooper-Maserati | 8 | Steering | 30 | |
| Ret | 33 | Jean Behra
|
AAC-BRM | 8 | Engine | 34 | |
| Ret | 5 | Umberto Maglioli
|
Hernandez | 7 | Collision | 18 | |
| Ret | 19 | Mike Hawthorn
|
B.C.M.A. | 7 | Throttle | 11 | |
| Ret | 25 | Theo Fitzau
|
O.S.C.A. | 6 | Clutch | 21 | |
| Ret | 38 | David Hampshire
|
Vanwall | 5 | Gearbox | 27 | |
| Ret | 8 | Dorino Serafini
|
Ferrari | 2 | Fuel pump | 22 | |
| Ret | 21 | Consalvo Sanesi
|
Gordini | 1 | Brakes | 5 | |
| Ret | 31 | André Simon
|
Gordini | 1 | Collision | 14 | |
| Ret | 17 | Peter Collins
|
B.C.M.A. | 0 | Accident | 2 | |
| Ret | 15 | José Froilán González
|
O.S.C.A. | 0 | Gearbox | 4 | |
| DNQ | 3 | Luigi Villoresi
|
O.S.C.A. | ||||
| DNQ | 10 | André Milhoux
|
Vanwall | ||||
| DNQ | 6 | Louis Chiron
|
AAC | ||||
| DNQ | 32 | Ron Flockhart
|
AAC |
Notes
Drivers
- First podium and points for Ottorino Volonterio.
- Final points for Paco Godia.
- First start for Lucien Bianchi and Bruce Halford.
- Final start for Cliff Allison.
- First entry for Bruce Halford.
- Final entry for Luigi Villoresi.
Constructors
Entrants
- First podium for O.S.C.A..
- First start for Escuderia Hernandez, Halford Auto Racing Team, Scuderia Centro Sud, MSG Köthen and Cooper Car Company.
- First entry for Halford Auto Racing Team, Scuderia Centro Sud and Cooper Car Company.
Lap leaders
- Desmond Titterington: 9 laps (1-9)
- Jack Brabham: 16 laps (10-25)
Records broken
Constructors
- Most total points: Ferrari (271.5)
- Most races started: Gordini (51)
- Most total race starts: Ferrari (254)
- Most races entered: Ferrari (53)
- Most total entries: Ferrari (294)
Championship standings
| Pos | Driver | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jack Brabham
|
18 |
| 2 | Desmond Titterington
|
9 |
| 3= | Peter Collins
|
6 |
| 3= | Eugenio Castellotti
|
6 |
| 5 | Ottorino Volonterio
|
6 |
| Pos | Constructor | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gordini
|
18 |
| 2 | O.S.C.A.
|
12 |
| 3 | Lancia
|
9 |
| 4 | Ferrari
|
7 |
| 5 | B.C.M.A.
|
6 |
| Pos | Driver | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alexander Racing Team-Gordini
|
18 |
| 2 | Officine Specializzate Costruzione Automobili
|
12 |
| 3 |  Irish Racing Cars
|
9 |
| 4 | Scuderia Ferrari
|
7 |
| 5 | British Commonwealth Motorsport Association
|
6 |
- Only the top five positions are listed.
| Previous race: 1956 French Grand Prix |
Alternate Formula 1 World Championship 1956 Season |
Next race: 1956 German Grand Prix |
| Previous race: 1955 Belgian Grand Prix |
Belgian Grand Prix | Next race: 1957 Belgian Grand Prix |