1950 Swiss Grand Prix

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Flag of Switzerland svg.png 1950 Swiss Grand Prix
Race 4 of 7 in the 1950 Alternate Formula One season
Circuit Bremgarten.png
Date June 4, 1950
Official Name X Großer Preis der Schweiz
Location Circuit Bremgarten
Course Permanent racing facility
7.28 km (4.524 mi)
Distance 42 laps, 305.760 km (190.008 mi)
Weather Sunny
Pole Position
Driver Flag of Argentina svg.png Juan Manuel Fangio Alfa Romeo
Time 2:42.3
Fastest Lap
Driver Flag of Switzerland svg.png Toulo de Graffenried Ferrari
Time 2:46.3
Podium
First Flag of Argentina svg.png Juan Manuel Fangio Alfa Romeo
Second Flag of the United States svg.png Tony Bettenhausen Gordini
Third Flag of Thailand svg.png B. Bira Talbot-Lago-Talbot


The 1950 Swiss Grand Prix was the fourth race of the Formula One World championship, held on June 4th 1950. The race was the first won by Juan Manuel Fangio, ahead of Tony Bettenhausen and B. Bira. It was also the first time that the race's pole sitter also took the victory. It still holds the record for the most starters in a Formula One race, with 37 drivers competing.

Background

Next to all the teams retaining the same lineup for the race (AAR, Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Maserati, Claes, Phoenix) some had gone for changes or would make their débuts. The most notable of these rookies among teams were Jaguar. The team managers, who had been on the sidelines since the start of the championship due to a lack of drivers, finally sorted out the team's lineup during the Monaco Grand Prix and, after hiring Wilbur Shaw for the Indy 500 to get a feel for a race weekend, they decided that, having shown experience and pace behind the wheel, Bob Gerard and Philippe Etancelin, third drivers for Motorsport Bleu in Great Britain and Monaco respectively, would be the ideal pairing.

Scuderia Maremmana, despite the brilliant performance of Roger Loyer at Monaco, had returned to a more traditional two-car operation for Biondetti and Holland, again driving the Ferrari-Jaguar hybrids. After deciding not to enter the Monaco Grand Prix, part-time entrants EXTRAS and Lancia had made the trip to Bremgarten and entered Peter Walker and Tazio Nuvolari respectively. The ever-changing ENB, entering the Bugatti-Gordinis (or whatever they were called at that point), had entered, along with regulars Chaboud, Martin and Giraud-Cabantous, young British Formula 3 racer Stirling Moss, who had shown much promise in the junior series.

Motorsport Bleu continued their revolving-door policy for the third car, Rudi Fischer now taking the place after Bob Gerard and Philippe Etancelin. After their successful participation against the Europeans in the Indy 500, the surprise entrant was Kurtis Kraft. The American constructor was confident that they could beat pretty much everyone, and had fittingly hired pre-war ace Hans Stuck. However, he would only be the second driver. The first car would be shared by Cecil Green and Joie Chitwood for the rest of the season, Green taking the start in Switzerland.

While Aston Martin kept Sommer and ART kept Manzon and Bettenhausen, two privateers had found their way among the giants. Alfred Dattner would drive a Maserati-OSCA and Adolfo Mandirola would drive a Simca Gordini.

Race weekend

Qualifying

This time, Alfa Romeo and Ferrari shared the limelight in qualifying, but it was Juan Manuel Fangio who took his second career pole position, the first man to start from first position twice. He was followed by Serafini and de Graffenried, while Mauri Rose took fourth, desperate to come back to the front after an admittedly disastrous Indy 500. Louis Chiron, the championship leader, would be satisfied with fifth position, the Maserati losing its edge as the season went on. After that, Ferraris, Alfa Romeos, Parnell, Fagioli and Claes rounded out the top 12, Taruffi only qualifying 15th, with Bonetto a relatively dismal 19th.

Motorsport Bleu showed good pace in qualifying, taking 13th with Bira, 17th with Fischer and 22nd with Chiron, and were undoubtedly the second-best private team behind Claes. Third in this unofficial ranking was arguably ART, as Tony Bettenhausen would start from a fine 14th position. This was countered by Manzon's abysmal 27th place on the grid. Scuderia Maremmana was also pretty much where it should, Holland qualifying 16th and Biondetti 24th.

All American Racers, who had been bad-mouthing Harry Schell, their driver, would be pretty happy with his qualifying performance, as 18th out of 37 placed him 7th in the non-European manufacturer unofficial ranking. Schell had indeed qualified in the top half of the field, and would be hoping for a good performance during the race. The "factory privateers", Lancia and Aston Martin, had done quite well considering their early-season pace, Nuvolari qualifying 20th and Sommer 21st, while EXTRAS driver Peter Walker would line up 23rd, not a bad job by any means.

Phoenix could also be considered a "private manufacturer", as they had everything a privateer team did, only they made their own chassis. For a while, they also made their own engine, but had recently decided to switch to a Maserati engine. This decision seemed to have paid off partly, 25th and 30th a good result considering the large field. Jaguar were in the same boat, as their lack of pace was not at all surprising. It would take a miracle for them to even get in the midfield, much less rival with the top manufacturers.

Nothing said nationalism like Ecurie Nationale Belge, yet nothing in their team seemed to be Belgian at that moment, apart from the management. This time, Eugène Chaboud had outdone himself to secure 26th place on the grid, while young rookie Stirling Moss seemed to have adapted to Formula 1 quite well, qualifying 32nd, just ahead of much more experienced team mate Eugène Martin. Yves Giraud-Cabantous, meanwhile, perpetuated his dismal performances with last place. In the same vein, but not as marked, Kurtis Kraft's first foray into Europe had gone horribly pear-shaped, although, surprisingly, Cecil Green got the better of Hans Stuck in the woods around Bern. Still, 34th position was nothing to celebrate.

Finally, the locals hadn't been very surprising thus far, apart from Adolfo Mandirola's do-or-die lap to secure 28th position on the grid. Dattner, meanwhile, would start 35th.

Race

It was a hot day at Bremgarten, and the teamperature was such that everyone expected a high-attrition race. And that's exactly what happened.

It all started on lap 1. While most people made it through without much trouble, the back of the pack quickly began to heat up. At Eymatt, Stirling Moss made a rookie mistake and span. Philippe Etancelin and Alfred Dattner both aimed for the same gap to avoid him and lightly collided, while Cecil Green also lost control in the mêlée, spinning off track. The accident was not at high speed, and no one was injured, but all four drivers were out of the race.

At this point, the heat was starting to take its toll on the cars. The dust on the track combined with the hot spring day contributed to engines overheating, and it was not long before people started retiring. First, it was Manzon on lap 3, then Giraud-Cabantous two laps later. On lap 7, it was Felice Bonetto's turn to retire the Maserati. At the front, Fangio revelled under the heat. De Graffenried and Chiron both attempted to follow him, but the Maestro had already pulled out a stable but big gap, and both backed off after making mistakes attempting to follow Fangio's incredible pace.

Meanwhile, cars and drivers were failing. Schell spun off at Worsthaus. Taruffi and Farina's cars gave up the ghost one lap apart, closely followed by Johnny Claes. At this point, de Graffenried had launched another attack on Fangio, aided by Luigi Fagioli. While de Graffenried managed to lead 3 laps and Fagioli one, they were simply unable to match Fangio's speed consistently, and once again began to fall back.

The massacre continued further down the field, with Stuck, Chaboud, Villoresi and Ascari's cars stopping by the side of the track. Chiron's race ended on lap 24 after lightly colliding with Trintignant. His suspension was damaged by the contact and he was forced to retire. Fangio then made an unusual driver error, letting de Graffenried, Fagioli and Serafini through. Serafini therefore took over the race lead. At that point, Rosier was forced to retire, quickly followed by the first retirement amongst the frontrunners, Luigi Fagioli. De Graffenried then began pushing hard, judging that Serafini was an easier target than Fangio. He took the lead on lap 33, but retired just 3 laps later with a burnt-out clutch.

Serafini therefore retook the lead. Adolfo Mandirola then retired after a quiet race, leaving 17 cars out of 37 at the start of the race. The high and seemingly random attrition left a surprise result with 5 laps to go. Serafini led the race, closely followed by Fangio, who had recovered beautifully from his spin. Third, however, a fair way back, was Tony Bettenhausen in the ART Gordini, who had driven a simply fantastic race from 14th on the grid and had taken advantage of Parnell and Whitehead's lacklustre race pace. An equally brilliant fourth place was B. Bira from 13th on the grid.

Sommer and Rose had both been driving anonymously, yet both had to drop out of the race at the same moment, although they were still classified. Serafini then lost the race after making a small mistake at Jorden. He went on the grass and spun, getting passed by Fangio in the process. He then retired when his transmission gave up. On the final lap. This was the perfect opportunity for Bettenhausen to take a brilliant second position. Bira also held on to take third, while Serafini managed to keep fourth position.

Classification

Entry list

No Driver Entrant Chassis Engine
2 Flag of the United States svg.png Harry Schell Flag of the United States svg.png All American Racers AAR T1G Weslake 3.0 V12
4 Flag of Italy svg.png Luigi Villoresi Flag of Italy svg.png Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 375 Ferrari 375 4.5 V12
6 Flag of Italy svg.png Dorino Serafini Flag of Italy svg.png Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 375 Ferrari 375 4.5 V12
8 Flag of the United Kingdom svg.png Peter Whitehead Flag of Italy svg.png Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 375 Ferrari 375 4.5 V12
10 Flag of Switzerland svg.png Toulo de Graffenried Flag of Italy svg.png Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 375 Ferrari 375 4.5 V12
12 Flag of Argentina svg.png Juan Manuel Fangio Flag of Italy svg.png Alfa Romeo SpA Alfa Romeo 158/50 Alfa Romeo 158 1.5 L8s
14 Flag of Italy svg.png Giuseppe Farina Flag of Italy svg.png Alfa Romeo SpA Alfa Romeo 158/50 Alfa Romeo 158 1.5 L8s
16 Flag of France svg.png Maurice Trintignant Flag of Italy svg.png Alfa Romeo SpA Alfa Romeo 158/50 Alfa Romeo 158 1.5 L8s
18 Flag of the United States svg.png Mauri Rose Flag of Italy svg.png Alfa Romeo SpA Alfa Romeo 158/50 Alfa Romeo 158 1.5 L8s
20 Flag of Italy svg.png Alberto Ascari Flag of Spain svg.png Phoenix Racing Organisation Phoenix PRO1-1 Maserati 4CLT 1.5 L4s
22 Flag of Argentina svg.png José Froilan Gonzalez Flag of Spain svg.png Phoenix Racing Organisation Phoenix PRO1-1 Maserati 4CLT 1.5 L4s
24 Flag of France svg.png Philippe Etancelin Flag of the United Kingdom svg.png Jaguar Racing Jaguar A-Type Jaguar XK 3.4
26 Flag of the United Kingdom svg.png Bob Gerard Flag of the United Kingdom svg.png Jaguar Racing Jaguar A-Type Jaguar XK 3.4
28 Flag of Italy svg.png Clemente Biondetti Flag of Italy svg.png Scuderia Maremmana Ferrari 166S Jaguar XK 3.4 L6
30 Flag of the United States svg.png Bill Holland Flag of Italy svg.png Scuderia Maremmana Ferrari 166S Jaguar XK 3.4 L6
32 Flag of Belgium svg.png Johnny Claes Flag of Belgium svg.png Claes Racing Developments Maserati 4CLT/48 Maserati 4CLT 1.5 L4s
34 Flag of Monaco svg.png Louis Chiron Flag of Belgium svg.png Claes Racing Developments Maserati 4CLT/48 Maserati 4CLT 1.5 L4s
36 Flag of Italy svg.png Tazio Nuvolari Flag of Italy svg.png Lancia Lancia D40 Lancia 2.0 V8
38 Flag of the United Kingdom svg.png Peter Walker Flag of the United Kingdom svg.png EXTRAS ERA F-Type ERA 1.5 L6S
40 Flag of France svg.png Eugène Chaboud Flag of Belgium svg.png Ecurie Nationale Belge Bugatti T15 ENB-Gordini 15C 1.5 L4s
42 Flag of France svg.png Yves Giraud-Cabantous Flag of Belgium svg.png Ecurie Nationale Belge Bugatti T15 ENB-Gordini 15C 1.5 L4s
44 Flag of France svg.png Eugène Martin Flag of Belgium svg.png Ecurie Nationale Belge Bugatti T15 ENB-Gordini 15C 1.5 L4s
46 Flag of the United Kingdom svg.png Stirling Moss Flag of Belgium svg.png Ecurie Nationale Belge Bugatti T15 ENB-Gordini 15C 1.5 L4s
48 Flag of France svg.png Louis Rosier Flag of France svg.png Motorsport Bleu Talbot-Lago T26C Talbot 23CV 4.5 L6
50 Flag of Thailand svg.png B. Bira Flag of France svg.png Motorsport Bleu Talbot-Lago T26C Talbot 23CV 4.5 L6
52 Flag of Switzerland svg.png Rudi Fischer Flag of France svg.png Motorsport Bleu Talbot-Lago T26C Talbot 23CV 4.5 L6
54 Flag of the United States svg.png Cecil Green Flag of the United States svg.png Kurtis Kraft Kurtis Kraft 01 Offenhauser 3.0 L4s
56 Flag of Germany svg.png Hans Stuck Flag of the United States svg.png Kurtis Kraft Kurtis Kraft 01 Offenhauser 3.0 L4s
58 Flag of Italy svg.png Luigi Fagioli Flag of Italy svg.png Officine Alfieri Maserati Maserati 4CLT/48 Maserati 4CLT 1.5 L4s
60 Flag of Italy svg.png Piero Taruffi Flag of Italy svg.png Officine Alfieri Maserati Maserati 4CLT/48 Maserati 4CLT 1.5 L4s
62 Flag of Italy svg.png Felice Bonetto Flag of Italy svg.png Officine Alfieri Maserati Maserati 4CLT/48 Maserati 4CLT 1.5 L4s
64 Flag of the United Kingdom svg.png Reg Parnell Flag of Italy svg.png Officine Alfieri Maserati Maserati 4CLT/48 Maserati 4CLT 1.5 L4s
66 Flag of France svg.png Raymond Sommer Flag of the United Kingdom svg.png Aston Martin Racing Aston Martin AM-01 Aston Martin 4.5 V6
68 Flag of the United States svg.png Tony Bettenhausen Flag of the United Kingdom svg.png/Flag of France svg.png Alexander Racing Team Gordini T15 Gordini 1.5 L4s
70 Flag of France svg.png Robert Manzon Flag of the United Kingdom svg.png/Flag of France svg.png Alexander Racing Team Gordini T15 Gordini 1.5 L4s
72 Flag of Switzerland svg.png Alfred Dattner Flag of Switzerland svg.png Alfred Dattner Maserati 4CL O.S.C.A. 4.5 V12
74 Flag of Switzerland svg.png Adolfo Mandirola Flag of Switzerland svg.png Adolfo Mandirola Simca Gordini T11 Gordini 15C 1.5 L4s

Qualifying

Pos No Driver Constructor Time Gap
1 12 Flag of Argentina svg.png Juan Manuel Fangio Alfa Romeo 2:42.3 -
2 6 Flag of Italy svg.png Dorino Serafini Ferrari 2:42.8 + 0.5
3 10 Flag of Switzerland svg.png Toulo de Graffenried Ferrari 2:42.9 + 0.6
4 18 Flag of the United States svg.png Mauri Rose Alfa Romeo 2:43.1 + 0.8
5 34 Flag of Monaco svg.png Louis Chiron Maserati 2:43.3 + 1.0
6 64 Flag of the United Kingdom svg.png Reg Parnell Maserati 2:43.4 + 1.1
7 14 Flag of Italy svg.png Giuseppe Farina Alfa Romeo 2:44.2 + 1.9
8 58 Flag of Italy svg.png Luigi Fagioli Maserati 2:44.4 + 2.1
9 8 Flag of the United Kingdom svg.png Peter Whitehead Ferrari 2:44.6 + 2.3
10 4 Flag of Italy svg.png Luigi Villoresi Ferrari 2:44.7 + 2.4
11 32 Flag of Belgium svg.png Johnny Claes Maserati 2:44.7 + 2.4
12 16 Flag of France svg.png Maurice Trintignant Alfa Romeo 2:44.9 + 2.6
13 50 Flag of Thailand svg.png B. Bira Talbot-Lago-Talbot 2:45.4 + 3.1
14 68 Flag of the United States svg.png Tony Bettenhausen Gordini 2:45.4 + 3.1
15 60 Flag of Italy svg.png Piero Taruffi Maserati 2:45.5 + 3.2
16 30 Flag of the United States svg.png Bill Holland Ferrari-Jaguar 2:45.7 + 3.4
17 52 Flag of Switzerland svg.png Rudi Fischer Talbot-Lago-Talbot 2:45.9 + 3.6
18 2 Flag of the United States svg.png Harry Schell AAR-Weslake 2:46.0 + 3.7
19 62 Flag of Italy svg.png Felice Bonetto Maserati 2:46.0 + 3.7
20 36 Flag of Italy svg.png Tazio Nuvolari Lancia 2:46.0 + 3.7
21 66 Flag of France svg.png Raymond Sommer Aston Martin 2:47.2 + 4.9
22 48 Flag of France svg.png Louis Rosier Talbot-Lago-Talbot 2:47.5 + 5.2
23 38 Flag of the United Kingdom svg.png Peter Walker ERA 2:47.5 + 5.2
24 28 Flag of Italy svg.png Clemente Biondetti Ferrari-Jaguar 2:47.8 + 5.5
25 22 Flag of Argentina svg.png José Froilan Gonzalez Phoenix-Maserati 2:47.8 + 5.5
26 40 Flag of France svg.png Eugène Chaboud Bugatti-Gordini 2:48.3 + 6.0
27 70 Flag of France svg.png Robert Manzon Gordini 2:48.8 + 6.5
28 74 Flag of Switzerland svg.png Adolfo Mandirola Simca Gordini 2:48.8 + 6.5
29 26 Flag of the United Kingdom svg.png Bob Gerard Jaguar 2:49.1 + 6.8
30 22 Flag of Italy svg.png Alberto Ascari Phoenix-Maserati 2:49.3 + 7.0
31 24 Flag of France svg.png Philippe Etancelin Jaguar 2:49.9 + 7.6
32 46 Flag of the United Kingdom svg.png Stirling Moss Bugatti-Gordini 2:49.9 + 7.6
33 44 Flag of France svg.png Eugène Martin Bugatti-Gordini 2:50.3 + 8.0
34 54 Flag of the United States svg.png Cecil Green Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser 2:50.4 + 8.1
35 72 Flag of Switzerland svg.png Alfred Dattner Maserati-O.S.C.A. 2:50.4 + 8.1
36 56 Flag of Germany svg.png Hans Stuck Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser 2:51.1 + 8.8
37 42 Flag of France svg.png Yves Giraud-Cabantous Bugatti-Gordini 2:51.9 + 9.6

Race

Pos No Driver Constructor Laps Time/Retired Grid Pts
1 12 Flag of Argentina svg.png Juan Manuel Fangio Alfa Romeo 42 2:02:14.4 1 8
2 68 Flag of the United States svg.png Tony Bettenhausen Gordini 42 + 1:57.4 14 6
3 50 Flag of Thailand svg.png B. Bira Talbot-Lago-Talbot 41 + 1 lap 13 4
4 6 Flag of Italy svg.png Dorino Serafini Ferrari 41 Transmission 2 3
5 16 Flag of France svg.png Maurice Trintignant Alfa Romeo 39 + 3 laps 12 2
6 64 Flag of the United Kingdom svg.png Reg Parnell Maserati 39 + 3 laps 6
7 8 Flag of the United Kingdom svg.png Peter Whitehead Ferrari 39 + 3 laps 9
8 18 Flag of the United States svg.png Mauri Rose Alfa Romeo 38 Transmission 4
9 28 Flag of Italy svg.png Clemente Biondetti Ferrari-Jaguar 37 + 5 laps 24
10 52 Flag of Switzerland svg.png Rudi Fischer Talbot-Lago-Talbot 37 + 5 laps 17
11 36 Flag of Italy svg.png Tazio Nuvolari Lancia 36 + 6 laps 20
12 10 Flag of Switzerland svg.png Toulo de Graffenried Ferrari 35 Clutch 3 1
13 30 Flag of the United States svg.png Bill Holland Ferrari-Jaguar 34 + 8 laps 16
14 38 Flag of the United Kingdom svg.png Peter Walker ERA 32 + 10 laps 23
15 66 Flag of France svg.png Raymond Sommer Aston Martin 32 Engine 21
16 22 Flag of Argentina svg.png José Froilan Gonzalez Phoenix-Maserati 31 + 11 laps 25
17 26 Flag of the United Kingdom svg.png Bob Gerard Jaguar 31 + 11 laps 29
18 44 Flag of France svg.png Eugène Martin Bugatti-Gordini 29 + 13 laps 33
19 58 Flag of Italy svg.png Luigi Fagioli Maserati 29 Engine 8
Ret 74 Flag of Switzerland svg.png Adolfo Mandirola Simca Gordini 27 Oil leak 28
Ret 48 Flag of France svg.png Louis Rosier Talbot-Lago-Talbot 26 Overheating 22
Ret 34 Flag of Monaco svg.png Louis Chiron Maserati 22 Collision 5
Ret 4 Flag of Italy svg.png Luigi Villoresi Ferrari 21 Engine 10
Ret 40 Flag of France svg.png Eugène Chaboud Bugatti-Gordini 18 Engine 26
Ret 22 Flag of Italy svg.png Alberto Ascari Phoenix-Maserati 17 Overheating 30
Ret 56 Flag of Germany svg.png Hans Stuck Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser 16 Oil pump 36
Ret 32 Flag of Belgium svg.png Johnny Claes Maserati 16 Engine 11
Ret 14 Flag of Italy svg.png Giuseppe Farina Alfa Romeo 13 Overheating 7
Ret 60 Flag of Italy svg.png Piero Taruffi Maserati 11 Overheating 15
Ret 2 Flag of the United States svg.png Harry Schell AAR-Weslake 9 Spin 18
Ret 62 Flag of Italy svg.png Felice Bonetto Maserati 6 Suspension 19
Ret 42 Flag of France svg.png Yves Giraud-Cabantous Bugatti-Gordini 3 Engine 37
Ret 70 Flag of France svg.png Robert Manzon Gordini 2 Gearbox 27
Ret 46 Flag of the United Kingdom svg.png Stirling Moss Bugatti-Gordini 0 Spin 32
Ret 24 Flag of France svg.png Philippe Etancelin Jaguar 0 Collision 31
Ret 72 Flag of Switzerland svg.png Alfred Dattner Maserati-O.S.C.A. 0 Collision 35
Ret 54 Flag of the United States svg.png Cecil Green Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser 0 Spin 34

Notes

Drivers

Constructors

Entrants

Laps led

Records broken

Drivers

Constructors

Races

  • Shortest running time (2:02:14.4)
  • Shortest race distance (305.760 km)
  • Largest winning margin (1:57.4)
  • Most starters (37)
  • Most retirements (23)

Championship standings

Pos Driver Points
1 Flag of Argentina svg.png Juan Manuel Fangio 15
2 Flag of Monaco svg.png Louis Chiron 9
3 Flag of the United States svg.png Johnny Mauro 9
4 Flag of Italy svg.png Giuseppe Farina 8
5 Flag of Thailand svg.png B. Bira 8
  • Only the top five positions are listed.
Previous race:
1950 Indianapolis 500
Alternate Formula 1 World Championship
1950 Season
Next race:
1950 Belgian Grand Prix
Previous race:
None
Swiss Grand Prix Next race:
1953 Swiss Grand Prix