1954 F1 World Championship

The 1954 F1 season was the fifth year of the World Championship of Drivers. It included nine races from 17 January to 24 October 1954 and included 24 non-championship events.

Season

Juan Manuel Fangio clinched his second Drivers’ Championship in 1954, adding to his first title in 1951. After starting the season with Maserati, Fangio made a mid-season switch to Mercedes-Benz, becoming the only F1 driver ever to win a championship while driving for two teams in the same season.

The championship format changed in 1954, moving from Formula Two regulations to allow a maximum engine displacement of 2.5 litres, significantly boosting power outputs by roughly 150%. This change welcomed several new teams to the formula, although some former Formula Two teams either withdrew or failed to prepare a Formula One chassis in time.

The season was also marked by tragedy during the 1954 German Grand Prix, where Argentine driver Onofre Marimón was killed in a practice session. He lost control over a steep hill, crashed through a corner, and his Maserati somersaulted into a ditch and landed on him, marking the first fatality during an F1 championship event.

1954 F1 Entries drivers and teams

The following teams and drivers participated in the 1954 FIA World Championship of Drivers, excluding those who competed solely in the Indianapolis 500.

Entrant	Constructor	Chassis	Engine	Tyre	Driver	Rounds
Officine Alfieri Maserati	Maserati	250F A6GCM	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6 Maserati A6 2.0 L6	P	Juan Manuel Fangio	1, 3
	Maserati	250F A6GCM	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6 Maserati A6 2.0 L6	P	Onofre Marimón	1, 3–6
	Maserati	250F A6GCM	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6 Maserati A6 2.0 L6	P	Luigi Musso	1, 8–9
	Maserati	250F A6GCM	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6 Maserati A6 2.0 L6	P	Birabongse Bhanudej	1
	Maserati	250F A6GCM	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6 Maserati A6 2.0 L6	P	Sergio Mantovani	3–4, 6–9
	Maserati	250F A6GCM	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6 Maserati A6 2.0 L6	P	Alberto Ascari	4–5
	Maserati	250F A6GCM	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6 Maserati A6 2.0 L6	P	Luigi Villoresi	4–6, 8
	Maserati	250F A6GCM	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6 Maserati A6 2.0 L6	P	Roberto Mieres	7–9
	Maserati	250F A6GCM	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6 Maserati A6 2.0 L6	P	Stirling Moss	7–9
	Maserati	250F A6GCM	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6 Maserati A6 2.0 L6	P	Harry Schell	7
	Maserati	250F A6GCM	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6 Maserati A6 2.0 L6	P	Louis Rosier	8
	Maserati	250F A6GCM	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6 Maserati A6 2.0 L6	P	Paco Godia	9
Scuderia Ferrari	Ferrari	625 553 500	Ferrari 625 2.5 L4 Ferrari 554 2.5 L4 Ferrari 500 2.0 L4	P	Giuseppe Farina	1, 3
	Ferrari	625 553 500	Ferrari 625 2.5 L4 Ferrari 554 2.5 L4 Ferrari 500 2.0 L4	P	José Froilán González	1, 3–8
	Ferrari	625 553 500	Ferrari 625 2.5 L4 Ferrari 554 2.5 L4 Ferrari 500 2.0 L4	P	Mike Hawthorn	1, 3–9
	Ferrari	625 553 500	Ferrari 625 2.5 L4 Ferrari 554 2.5 L4 Ferrari 500 2.0 L4	P	Umberto Maglioli	1, 7–8
	Ferrari	625 553 500	Ferrari 625 2.5 L4 Ferrari 554 2.5 L4 Ferrari 500 2.0 L4	P	Maurice Trintignant	3–9
	Ferrari	625 553 500	Ferrari 625 2.5 L4 Ferrari 554 2.5 L4 Ferrari 500 2.0 L4	P	Piero Taruffi	6
	Ferrari	625 553 500	Ferrari 625 2.5 L4 Ferrari 554 2.5 L4 Ferrari 500 2.0 L4	P	Robert Manzon	7
	Ferrari	625 553 500	Ferrari 625 2.5 L4 Ferrari 554 2.5 L4 Ferrari 500 2.0 L4	P	Alberto Ascari	8
Equipe Gordini	Gordini	T16	Gordini 23 2.5 L6	E	Jean Behra	1, 3–9
	Gordini	T16	Gordini 23 2.5 L6	E	Élie Bayol	1
	Gordini	T16	Gordini 23 2.5 L6	E	Roger Loyer	1
	Gordini	T16	Gordini 23 2.5 L6	E	Paul Frère	3–4, 6
	Gordini	T16	Gordini 23 2.5 L6	E	André Pilette	3, 5–6
	Gordini	T16	Gordini 23 2.5 L6	E	Jacques Pollet	4, 9
	Gordini	T16	Gordini 23 2.5 L6	E	Clemar Bucci	5–8
	Gordini	T16	Gordini 23 2.5 L6	E	Fred Wacker	7–8
Ecurie Rosier	Ferrari Maserati	500 625 250F	Ferrari 500 2.0 L4 Ferrari 625 2.5 L4 Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	D P	Louis Rosier	1, 4–6, 9
	Ferrari Maserati	500 625 250F	Ferrari 500 2.0 L4 Ferrari 625 2.5 L4 Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	D P	Maurice Trintignant	1
	Ferrari Maserati	500 625 250F	Ferrari 500 2.0 L4 Ferrari 625 2.5 L4 Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	D P	Robert Manzon	4–6, 8–9
Harry Schell	Maserati	A6GCM 250F	Maserati A6 2.0 L6 Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	P	Harry Schell	1, 4–6, 9
Emmanuel de Graffenried	Maserati	A6GCM	Maserati A6 2.0 L6	P	Toulo de Graffenried	1, 9
	Maserati	A6GCM	Maserati A6 2.0 L6	P	Ottorino Volonterio	9
Roberto Mieres	Maserati	A6GCM 250F	Maserati A6 2.0 L6 Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	P	Roberto Mieres	1, 3–6
Jorge Daponte	Maserati	A6GCM	Maserati A6 2.0 L6	P	Jorge Daponte	1, 8
Onofre Marimón	Maserati	A6GCM	Maserati A6 2.0 L6	P	Carlos Menditeguy	1
Ecurie Francorchamps	Ferrari	500	Ferrari 500 2.0 L4	E	Jacques Swaters	3, 7, 2009
Birabongse Bhanudej	Maserati	250F	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	P	Birabongse Bhanudej	3–6, 9
	Maserati	250F	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	P	Ron Flockhart	5
Equipe Moss & A.E. Moss	Maserati	250F	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	P	Stirling Moss	3, 5–6
Daimler Benz AG	Mercedes	W196	Mercedes M196 2.5 L8	C	Juan Manuel Fangio	4–9
	Mercedes	W196	Mercedes M196 2.5 L8	C	Karl Kling	4–9
	Mercedes	W196	Mercedes M196 2.5 L8	C	Hans Herrmann	4, 6–9
	Mercedes	W196	Mercedes M196 2.5 L8	C	Hermann Lang	6
Georges Berger	Gordini	T16	Gordini 23 2.5 L6	E	Georges Berger	4
HW Motors	HWM – Alta	53	Alta GP 2.5 L4	D	Lance Macklin	4
Owen Racing Organisation	Maserati	250F	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	D	Ken Wharton	4–7, 9
	Maserati	250F	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	D	Guerino Bertocchi	9
Gilby Engineering	Maserati	250F	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	D	Roy Salvadori	4–5
Scuderia Ambrosiana	Ferrari	500	Ferrari 500 2.0 L4	A	Reg Parnell	5
G.A. Vandervell & Vandervell Products	Vanwall	Special	Vanwall 254 2.5 L4	P	Peter Collins	5, 8–9
Peter Whitehead	Cooper – Alta	T24	Alta GP 2.5 L4	D	Peter Whitehead	5
Bill Whitehouse	Connaught – Lea-Francis	A	Lea-Francis 2.0 L4	D	Bill Whitehouse	5
Leslie Marr	Connaught – Lea-Francis	A	Lea-Francis 2.0 L4	D	Leslie Marr	5
R.R.C. Walker Racing Team	Connaught – Lea-Francis	A	Lea-Francis 2.0 L4	D	John Riseley-Prichard	5
Sir Jeremy Boles	Connaught – Lea-Francis	A	Lea-Francis 2.0 L4	D	Don Beauman	5
Ecurie Ecosse	Connaught – Lea-Francis	A	Lea-Francis 2.0 L4	D	Leslie Thorne	5
R.J. Chase	Cooper – Bristol	T23	Bristol BS1 2.0 L6	D	Alan Brown	5
Gould’s Garage (Bristol)	Cooper – Bristol	T23	Bristol BS1 2.0 L6	D	Horace Gould	5
Bob Gerard	Cooper – Bristol	T23	Bristol BS1 2.0 L6	D	Bob Gerard	5
Ecurie Richmond	Cooper – Bristol	T23	Bristol BS1 2.0 L6	D	Eric Brandon	5
	Cooper – Bristol	T23	Bristol BS1 2.0 L6	D	Rodney Nuckey	5
Hans Klenk	Klenk – BMW	Meteor	BMW 328 2.0 L6	P	Theo Helfrich	6
Giovanni de Riu	Maserati	A6GCM	Maserati A6 2.0 L6	P	Giovanni de Riu	8
Scuderia Lancia	Lancia	D50	Lancia DS50 2.5 V8	P	Alberto Ascari	9
Scuderia Lancia	Lancia	D50	Lancia DS50 2.5 V8	P	Luigi Villoresi	9

1954 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	Argentine Grand Prix	Autódromo Oscar Alfredo Gálvez	17 January
2	Indianapolis 500	Indianapolis Motor Speedway	31 May1
3	Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps	20 June
4	French Grand Prix	Reims-Gueux	4 July
5	British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit	17 July
6	German Grand Prix	Nürburgring	1 August
7	Swiss Grand Prix	Circuit Bremgarten	22 August
8	Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza	5 September
9	Spanish Grand Prix	Pedralbes Circuit	24 October

1954 Formula 1 Race Reports

Round 1: Argentine Grand Prix

Race date: 17 January 1954
Circuit: Autódromo 17 de Octubre, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Laps: 87
Circuit length: 3.912 km (2.431 miles)

Juan Manuel Fangio clinched victory on this day at the season-opening 1954 Argentine Grand Prix, driving a Maserati. Drivers faced a revised circuit, switched to anti-clockwise following an accident in 1953, which required relearning the track. The race, affected by rain, included Mike Hawthorn‘s disqualification for receiving a push start and Ferrari drivers easing off after their team protested that too many mechanics worked on Fangio’s car during a pit stop. The Ferrari team was confident that the protest would be upheld. Fangio caught and passed them both to win. The protest was rejected by the race organisers and later by the FIA as well. Nino Farina and Jose Froilan Gonzalez finished in second and third, respectively, for Ferrari.

Round 2: Indianapolis 500

Race date: 31 May 1954
Circuit: Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Laps: 200
Circuit length: 4.023 km (2.500 miles)

Bill Vukovich recorded his second successive victory in the 1954 Indianapolis 500, becoming the first man to lead the race for the most laps for three straight years. In 1952, he had been forced to quit through exhaustion while leading eight laps from the end. Jimmy Bryan finished second, and Jack McGrath third.

Round 3: Belgian Grand Prix

Race date: 20 June 1954
Circuit: Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
Laps: 36
Circuit length: 14.120 km (8.774 miles)

Stirling Moss achieved his first podium at the 1954 Belgian Grand Prix. This race also featured Juan Manuel Fangio’s final appearance for Maserati in 1954, before he switched to Mercedes. Fangio secured the win, followed by Maurice Trintignant in a Ferrari and the promising young Moss.

Round 4: French Grand Prix

Race date: 4 July 1954
Circuit: Reims Circuit, Gueux, France
Laps: 61
Circuit length: 8.302 km (5.159 miles)

Juan Manuel Fangio led Karl Kling to victory as Mercedes dominated the 1954 French Grand Prix at Reims, securing its first Formula One win as a team. Arriving with their striking but unconventional silver W196 cars, Mercedes dominated in practice, securing the front row alongside Alberto Ascari in a Maserati. However, Ascari’s race ended abruptly due to a transmission failure on the first lap, allowing Fangio and Kling to pull away from the pack, finishing a lap ahead of Robert Manzon in a Ferrari.

Round 5: British Grand Prix

Race date: 17 July 1954
Circuit: Silverstone Circuit
Laps: 90
Circuit length: 4.7105 km (2.927 miles)

At a wet 1954 British Grand Prix, local talent supplemented the big guns as usual, but it was the Italian teams who dominated, securing five of the first six places. The Maserati team arrived late and started from the back of the grid, yet their drivers worked their way through the field, with Onofre Marimon overtaking 19 cars on the first lap alone. Juan Manuel Fangio took an early lead but faced transmission problems with Mercedes, allowing Jose Froilan Gonzalez, Stirling Moss, and Mike Hawthorn to overtake him. Gonzalez managed to hold on for the win, while Moss suffered a rear axle failure, resulting in Hawthorn finishing second, Marimon third, and Fangio fourth.

Round 6: German Grand Prix

Race date: 1 August 1954
Circuit: Nürburgring, Nürburg, West Germany
Laps: 22
Circuit length: 22.810 km (14.173 miles)

The 1954 German Grand Prix marked the 17th running of the event since its inception in 1926 and the 16th time it was held at the Nürburgring circuit.

The race was won by 1951 World Champion Juan Manuel Fangio, who drove the dominant Mercedes-Benz W196 to victory. Ferrari secured the remaining podium spots, with Mike Hawthorn finishing second in a shared drive with Jose Froilan Gonzalez, while Maurice Trintignant claimed third place for Scuderia Ferrari.

Round 7: Swiss Grand Prix

Race date: 22 August 1954
Circuit: Bremgarten, Bern, Switzerland
Laps: 66
Circuit length: 7.280 km (4.524 miles)

Juan Manuel Fangio won the 1954 Swiss Grand Prix for Mercedes-Benz at Bremgarten in Berne. Although the Maserati of Stirling Moss and the Ferrari‘s of Mike Hawthorn and Froilan Gonzalez initially posed a challenge, Fangio quickly took control of the race. He secured victory by nearly a minute, lapping every car except Gonzalez, which finished second. Fangio’s teammate Hans Herrmann came in third.

This triumph marked Fangio’s fifth win in a dominant season, ultimately leading him to clinch his second Drivers’ Championship title with two races remaining. This event was the last Grand Prix held in Switzerland, as motor racing was banned following the 1955 Le Mans disaster, which claimed the lives of over 80 spectators and Mercedes driver Pierre Levegh.

Round 8: Italian Grand Prix

Race date: 5 September 1954
Circuit: Autodromo Nazionale di Monza
Laps: 80
Circuit length: 6.300 km (3.915 miles)

Mercedes driver Juan Manuel Fangio won at the 1954 Italian Grand Prix, finishing ahead of the Ferrari trio of Mike Hawthorn, Umberto Maglioli, and Jose Froilan Gonzalez. Early race leaders Karl Kling and Alberto Ascari were forced to retire, paving the way for Stirling Moss to chase the win in his Maserati. However, Moss’s hopes were dashed by a required oil change and subsequent engine failure, allowing Hawthorn to finish second behind Fangio. Umberto Maglioli and Froilan Gonzalez took joint third.

Round 9: Spanish Grand Prix

Race date: 24 October 1954
Circuit: Pedralbes Circuit, Barcelona, Spain
Laps: 80
Circuit length: 6.316 km (3.925 miles)

The 1954 Spanish Grand Prix took place on the Pedralbes street circuit in Barcelona. It was the season’s final race, with Ferrari’s Mike Hawthorn taking the win, followed by Luigi Mussi for Maserati and Juan Manuel Fangio, who drove for Mercedes in third place. This race marked the last time Formula One cars competed on the Pedralbes circuit, as safety concerns in 1955, due to the tragic loss of life at the the Le Mans disaster of 1955, led to its removal from the calendar.

1954 Formula 1 Race Results

Round	Grand Prix	Pole position	Fastest lap	Winning driver	Winning constructor	Report
1	Argentine Grand Prix	Giuseppe Farina	Jose Froilan Gonzalez	Juan Manuel Fangio	Maserati	Report
2	Indianapolis 500	Jack McGrath	Jack McGrath	Bill Vukovich	Kurtis Kraft – Offenhauser	Report
3	Belgian Grand Prix	Juan Manuel Fangio	Juan Manuel Fangio	Juan Manuel Fangio	Maserati	Report
4	French Grand Prix	Juan Manuel Fangio	Hans Herrmann	Juan Manuel Fangio	Mercedes	Report
5	British Grand Prix	Juan Manuel Fangio	Alberto Ascari Jean Behra Juan Manuel Fangio Jose Froilan Gonzalez Mike Hawthorn Onofre Marimón Stirling Moss	Jose Froilan Gonzalez	Ferrari	Report
6	German Grand Prix	Juan Manuel Fangio	Karl Kling	Juan Manuel Fangio	Mercedes	Report
7	Swiss Grand Prix	Jose Froilan Gonzalez	Juan Manuel Fangio	Juan Manuel Fangio	Mercedes	Report
8	Italian Grand Prix	Juan Manuel Fangio	Jose Froilan Gonzalez	Juan Manuel Fangio	Mercedes	Report
9	Spanish Grand Prix	Alberto Ascari	Alberto Ascari	Mike Hawthorn	Ferrari	Report

1954 Formula 1 Standings

Points were awarded to the top five finishers, with an additional point for the fastest lap, regardless of the driver’s finishing position or classification. Only a driver’s four best results contributed to their final championship standings. In cases where drivers shared a car and finished in a points position, they each received half the points for that position. If multiple drivers set identical fastest lap times, the fastest lap point was equally divided among them.

Position	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	Fastest Lap
Race	8	6	4	3	2	1

1954 Driver standings