1956 F1 World Championship

The 1956 F1 season was the seventh year of the World Championship of Drivers. It included eight races from 22 January to 2 September 1956 and included nine non-championship events.

Season

While driving for Ferrari, Juan Manuel Fangio secured his third consecutive World Championship title. This was his fourth championship overall, a record that remained unmatched until Michael Schumacher beat it in 2002. Fangio’s closest challengers in the title fight were his Ferrari teammate, Peter Collins, and Maserati driver Stirling Moss.

Notably, no British constructor won a race in the championship that season—remarkably a rarity that would not be repeated until 2006.

On 29 October, veteran racer Louis Rosier suffered a crash during a sports car race at Montlhéry. He sustained severe head injuries and succumbed to them three weeks later.

1956 F1 Entries drivers and teams

The following teams and drivers participated in the 1956 FIA World Championship of Drivers, excluding those who competed solely in the Indianapolis 500.

Entrant	Constructor	Chassis	Engine	Driver	Rounds
Officine Alfieri Maserati	Maserati	250F	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	Stirling Moss	1–2, 4–8
				Jean Behra	1–2, 4–8
				Carlos Menditeguy	1
				Luigi Piotti	1
				Chico Landi	1
				Gerino Gerini	1
				José Froilán González	1
				Cesare Perdisa	2, 4–7
				Paco Godia	4–8
				Mike Hawthorn	4
				Piero Taruffi	5
				Umberto Maglioli	7–8
				Luigi Villoresi	8
				Jo Bonnier	8
Owen Racing Organisation	Maserati	250F	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	Mike Hawthorn	1
	BRM	P25	BRM P25 2.5 L4	Mike Hawthorn	2, 6
				Tony Brooks	2, 6
				Ron Flockhart	6
Alberto Uría	Maserati	A6GCM	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	Alberto Uría	1
				Óscar González	1
Scuderia Ferrari	Ferrari	D50 555	Ferrari DS50 2.5 V8 Ferrari 555 2.5 L4	Juan Manuel Fangio	1–2, 4–8
				Eugenio Castellotti	1–2, 4–8
				Luigi Musso	1–2, 7–8
				Peter Collins	1–2, 4–8
				Olivier Gendebien	1, 5
				Paul Frère	4
				André Pilette	4
				Alfonso de Portago	5–8
				Wolfgang von Trips	8
Equipe Gordini	Gordini	T16 T32	Gordini 23 2.5 L6 Gordini 25 2.5 L8	Robert Manzon	2, 5–8
				Élie Bayol	2
				André Pilette	2, 5, 2007
				Hermano da Silva Ramos	2, 5–6, 8
				André Milhoux	7
				André Simon	8
Ecurie Rosier	Maserati	250F	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	Louis Rosier	2, 4–7
Vandervell Products	Vanwall	VW 2	Vanwall 254 2.5 L4	Maurice Trintignant	2, 4, 6, 8
				Harry Schell	2, 4–6, 8
				Mike Hawthorn	5
				Colin Chapman	5
				José Froilán González	6
				Piero Taruffi	8
Gould’s Garage (Bristol) / H.H. Gould	Maserati	250F	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	Horace Gould	2, 4, 6–7
Giorgio Scarlatti	Ferrari	500	Ferrari 500 2.0 L4	Giorgio Scarlatti	2
Scuderia Centro Sud	Maserati	250F	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	Louis Chiron	2
				Luigi Villoresi	4
				Harry Schell	7
				Toulo de Graffenried	8
	Ferrari	500	Ferrari 500 2.0 L4	Giorgio Scarlatti	7
Piero Scotti	Connaught – Alta	B	Alta GP 2.5 L4	Piero Scotti	4
Automobiles Bugatti	Bugatti	T251	Bugatti 2.5 L8	Maurice Trintignant	5
Luigi Piotti	Maserati	250F	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	Luigi Villoresi	5–7
				Luigi Piotti	7–8
André Simon	Maserati	250F	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	André Simon	5
Scuderia Guastalla	Maserati	250F	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	Umberto Maglioli	6
				Gerino Gerini	8
Connaught Engineering	Connaught – Alta	B	Alta GP 2.5 L4	Archie Scott-Brown	6, 8
				Desmond Titterington	6
				Jack Fairman	6, 8
				Les Leston	8
				Ron Flockhart	8
Bob Gerard	Cooper – Bristol	T23	Bristol BS1 2.0 L6	Bob Gerard	6
Gilby Engineering	Maserati	250F	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	Roy Salvadori	6–8
Bruce Halford	Maserati	250F	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	Bruce Halford	6–8
Jack Brabham	Maserati	250F	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	Jack Brabham	6
Emeryson Cars	Emeryson – Alta	56	Alta GP 2.5 L4	Paul Emery	6
Ottorino Volonterio	Maserati	A6GCM	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	Ottorino Volonterio	7

1956 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	Argentine Grand Prix	Argentina Autódromo Oscar Alfredo Gálvez , Buenos Aires	22 January
2	Monaco Grand Prix	Monaco Circuit de Monaco , Monte Carlo	13 May
3	Indianapolis 500	United States Indianapolis Motor Speedway , Speedway	30 May1
4	Belgian Grand Prix	Belgium Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps , Stavelot	3 June
5	French Grand Prix	France Reims-Gueux , Gueux	1 July
6	British Grand Prix	United Kingdom Silverstone Circuit , Silverstone	14 July
7	German Grand Prix	West Germany Nürburgring , Nürburg	5 August
8	Italian Grand Prix	Italy Autodromo Nazionale di Monza , Monza	2 September

The Swiss Grand Prix was removed from the calendar following the Swiss government’s ban on motor racing, a decision made in response to the 1955 Le Mans disaster. While the French and German Grands Prix had been cancelled in 1955, both returned to the schedule for the 1956 season.

The Dutch Grand Prix, initially scheduled for 17 June, was cancelled due to the Suez Crisis. Similarly, the Spanish Grand Prix set to return on 28 October, was also called off for the same reason.

Meanwhile, the British Grand Prix rotated venues as part of its event-sharing agreement, moving from Aintree to Silverstone for the 1956 race.

1956 Formula 1 Race Reports

Round 1: Argentine Grand Prix

Race date: 22 January 1956
Circuit: Autódromo Municipal Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires
Laps: 98
Circuit length: 3.912 km (2.431 miles)

During the opening race of the season, the 1956 Argentine Grand Prix, world champion Juan Manuel Fangio had to borrow the Ferrari of his teammate, Luigi Musso, after suffering engine trouble in practice. Despite this, he still secured pole. When more engine issues arose during the race, Fangio switched to Musso’s car again and drove it to victory. However, his win was contested by the Maserati team, who claimed that Fangio had been helped back onto the track after a spin. The protest was dismissed by the race officials and the FIA. Jean Behra and Maserati teammate Mike Hawthorn finished second and third, respectively.

Round 2: Monaco Grand Prix

Race date: 13 May 1956
Circuit: Circuit de Monaco
Laps: 100
Circuit length: 3.145 km (1.955 miles)

Stirling Moss won in dominant fashion, from start to finish, at the 1956 Monaco Grand Prix on May 13, capitalising on a rare off day for Juan Manuel Fangio. Moss pulled ahead in his Maserati 250F, while Fangio recovered from a poor start by overtaking Eugenio Castellotti during the opening lap. However, on the second lap, Fangio misjudged the first corner, causing Harry Schell and Luigi Musso to swerve to avoid him, leading to their retirement. Fangio, unscathed, continued the race and started narrowing the gap, passing Jean Behra and Ferrari teammate Peter Collins along the way. In a rare lapse, Fangio collided with the barrier at the harbour chicane’s exit and, visibly upset, handed over his car to teammate Castellotti, who had earlier retired due to clutch issues. Fangio lingered in the pits until Ferrari unexpectedly called Collins in mid-race. When Collins stopped, he was abruptly told to exit the car, and Fangio took over the D50 for another attempt at catching Moss. Reenergized, Fangio overtook Behra and closed a 45-second gap to Moss in just 30 laps eventually taking second in a shared drive with Collins. Meanwhile, Moss faced his own challenges; contact with a backmarker caused his bonnet to come loose and flap open at high speeds. Despite the difficulties, Moss held on to finish six seconds ahead of Fangio, securing the second win of his career. Jean Behra finished third for Maserati.

Round 3: Indianapolis 500

Race date: 30 May 1956
Circuit: Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Laps: 200
Circuit length: 4.0225 km (2.499 mi)

The 1956 Indianapolis 500 was the third round of the eight-race World Championship season. However, the event failed to attract participation from the regular Championship drivers. Former World Champion Giuseppe Farina attempted to enter but struggled to bring his car up to speed and was ultimately unable to make a qualifying attempt.

Pat Flaherty claimed victory in the race, earning eight points towards the World Championship. Despite not competing in any other rounds that season, he finished fifth in the final standings—the highest-ever championship placement for an Indianapolis 500 winner during the race’s 11-year tenure on the World Championship calendar. Sam Hanks finished second, with Don Freeland securing third place.

Round 4: Belgian Grand Prix

Race date: 3 June 1956
Circuit: Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
Laps: 36
Circuit length: 14.120 km (8.774 miles)

Transmission failure dashed Juan Manuel Fangio‘s near-certain victory at the 1956 Belgian Grand Prix at Spa Francorchamps, handing the win to his Ferrari teammate, Peter Collins. Fangio had dominated all weekend but lost ground at the start due to excessive wheelspin, dropping to fifth as Stirling Moss took the lead. Over five laps, Fangio surged through the field, reclaiming his position at the front. As the track dried, Moss struggled to keep pace and lost a wheel at Eau Rouge, spinning off the circuit at high speed. Remarkably uninjured, Moss jogged back to the pits and took over Cesare Perdisa’s car. Fangio led comfortably until gearbox problems forced him to retire. Collins then took the lead, securing the win ahead of Paul Frere in a Ferrari. Moss impressively climbed back to third, sharing points with Perdisa.

Round 5: French Grand Prix

Race date: 1 July 1956
Circuit: Reims Circuit, Reims, France
Laps: 61
Circuit length: 8.302 km (5.159 miles)

Ferrari dominated the 1956 French Grand Prix, with Peter Collins leading his teammate Eugenio Castellotti to victory. The team nearly secured a 1-2-3 finish, but a fuel leak dropped Juan Manuel Fangio to fourth place behind Jean Behra, who took third in a Maserati.

Bugatti made a rare one-off appearance in this race, entering the Type 251 with Maurice Trintignant behind the wheel. However, the car proved uncompetitive, and Trintignant retired after just 18 laps.

The race was also the only Formula One World Championship entry as a driver for Lotus founder Colin Chapman.

Round 6: British Grand Prix

Race date: 14 July 1956
Circuit: Silverstone Circuit
Laps: 101
Circuit length: 4.7105 km (2.927 miles)

Juan Manuel Fangio won the 1956 British Grand Prix, although it wasn’t one of his most remarkable wins. An early spin dropped him down the field, but he persevered as a series of retirements among the leading drivers allowed him to recover. Tony Brooks narrowly escaped serious injury when his BRM overturned and caught fire; he was thrown clear and emerged with only minor injuries. Alfonso de Portago and Peter Collins shared second for Ferrari, and Jean Behra finished third for Maserati.

Round 7: German Grand Prix

Race date: 5 August 1956
Circuit: Nürburgring, Nürburg, West Germany
Laps: 22
Circuit length: 22.810 km (14.173 miles)

Juan Manuel Fangio won from pole position and secured the fastest lap at the Nurburgring during the 1956 German Grand Prix with Ferrari. Fangio finished 46.6 seconds ahead of the Maserati of Stirling Moss. Jean Behra came home for Maserati in third.

As well as the win, at forty-five years old, Argentine Fangio still had the speed; he broke Hermann Lang’s 17-year-old lap record, which was set in a Mercedes.

Round 7: Italian Grand Prix

Race date: 2 September 1956
Circuit: Autodromo Nazionale di Monza
Laps: 50
Circuit length: 10.000 km (6.214 miles)

Stirling Moss won the 1956 Italian Grand Prix, but Juan Manuel Fangio secured enough points to win the season’s Drivers’ Championship. Heading into the race, Fangio held an eight-point advantage over his Ferrari teammate Peter Collins and Maserati driver Jean Behra.

During the race, Fangio was forced to retire due to a broken steering arm, and Behra also had to withdraw. Luigi Musso, another Ferrari driver, was asked to hand his car over to Fangio to help secure the Argentine’s fourth title, but he refused. However, Peter Collins, who had a chance to win his first world championship, sportingly offered his car to Fangio during a routine pit stop. Fangio went on to finish in second place, behind Stirling Moss, allowing him and Collins to share the points for second place and securing Fangio’s fourth title.

1956 Formula 1 Race Results

Round	Grand Prix	Pole position	Fastest lap	Winning driver	Winning constructor	Report
1	Argentine Grand Prix	Juan Manuel Fangio	Juan Manuel Fangio	Luigi Musso / Juan Manuel Fangio	Ferrari	Report
2	Monaco Grand Prix	Juan Manuel Fangio	Juan Manuel Fangio	Stirling Moss	Maserati	Report
3	Indianapolis 500	Pat Flaherty	Paul Russo	Pat Flaherty	Watson – Offenhauser	Report
4	Belgian Grand Prix	Juan Manuel Fangio	Stirling Moss	Peter Collins	Ferrari	Report
5	French Grand Prix	Juan Manuel Fangio	Juan Manuel Fangio	Peter Collins	Ferrari	Report
6	British Grand Prix	Stirling Moss	Stirling Moss	Juan Manuel Fangio	Ferrari	Report
7	German Grand Prix	Juan Manuel Fangio	Juan Manuel Fangio	Juan Manuel Fangio	Ferrari	Report
8	Italian Grand Prix	Juan Manuel Fangio	Stirling Moss	Stirling Moss	Maserati	Report

1956 Formula 1 Standings

Points were awarded to the top five classified finishers, with an additional point granted for the fastest lap, regardless of finishing position or classification. Only the best five results contributed to the championship standings. In cases of shared drives, points were divided among the drivers if they finished in a scoring position. However, if both cars in a shared drive finished in a points-scoring position, only the highest finishing position was counted. If multiple drivers recorded the same fastest lap time, the fastest lap point was equally split among them. Numbers outside parentheses indicate championship points, while numbers in parentheses represent total points scored. The points were awarded according to the following system:

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

1956 Drivers’ standings