36

41eme Grand Prix de l'A.C.F.

04 Jul 1954Reims506.422 km (8302 m x 61 Laps)

 Pole Position: Juan Manuel Fangio, Mercedes-Benz W196 Str., 2:29.4 (200.0 km/h) Fastest Lap: Hans Herrmann, Mercedes-Benz W196 Str., 2:32.9 (195.5 km/h lap 3) Race Results: Pos Car# Driver Car Time Speed 1 18 Juan Manuel Fangio Mercedes-Benz W196 Str. 2:42:47.9 186.6 km/h 2 20 Karl Kling Mercedes-Benz W196 Str. 2:42:48.0 186.6 km/h 3 34 Robert Manzon Ferrari 625 -1 Lap 4 46 Prince Bira Maserati 250F -1 Lap 5 14 Luigi Villoresi Maserati 250F -3 Laps 6 24 Jean Behra Gordini T16 -5 Laps Did Not Finish: 28 Paul Frère Gordini T16 50 Rear axle 4 Maurice Trintignant Ferrari 625 36 Engine 12 Onofre Marimón Maserati 250F 27 Gearbox 36 Louis Rosier Ferrari 500 27 Engine 16 Roberto Mières Maserati A6GCM 24 Engine 42 Ken Wharton Maserati 250F 19 Transmission 48 Harry Schell Maserati A6GCM 19 Fuel pump 22 Hans Herrmann Mercedes-Benz W196 Str. 16 Engine 44 Roy Salvadori Maserati 250F 15 Halfshaft 2 José Froilán González Ferrari 553 Squalo 13 Engine 32 Lance Macklin HWM 53-Alta 10 Engine 6 Mike Hawthorn Ferrari 553 Squalo 9 Engine 30 Georges Berger Gordini T16 9 Engine 26 Jacques Pollet Gordini T16 8 Engine 10 Alberto Ascari Maserati 250F 1 Transmission Did Not Start: 40 Sergio Mantovani Maserati 250F Did Not Appear: 8 Giuseppe Farina Ferrari 625 Injury 38 Jacques Swaters Ferrari 500 Engine 50 Peter Collins Vanwall Special Lap Leaders: Car# Driver Car Laps Total 20 Karl Kling Mercedes-Benz W196 Str. 1-2 13 18 Juan Manuel Fangio Mercedes-Benz W196 Str. 3-28 48 20 Karl Kling Mercedes-Benz W196 Str. 29-33 18 Juan Manuel Fangio Mercedes-Benz W196 Str. 34-37 20 Karl Kling Mercedes-Benz W196 Str. 38 18 Juan Manuel Fangio Mercedes-Benz W196 Str. 39-53 20 Karl Kling Mercedes-Benz W196 Str. 54-57 18 Juan Manuel Fangio Mercedes-Benz W196 Str. 58-59 20 Karl Kling Mercedes-Benz W196 Str. 60 18 Juan Manuel Fangio Mercedes-Benz W196 Str. 61 Fastest Laps: Pos Car# Driver Car Time Speed Lap 1 22 Hans Herrmann Mercedes-Benz W196 Str. 2:32.9 195.5 3 2 20 Karl Kling Mercedes-Benz W196 Str. 2:33.2 195.1 3 18 Juan Manuel Fangio Mercedes-Benz W196 Str. 2:33.2 195.1 4 6 Mike Hawthorn Ferrari 553 Squalo 2:34.3 193.7 5 2 José Froilán González Ferrari 553 Squalo 2:34.3 193.7 6 46 Prince Bira Maserati 250F 2:35.3 192.4 7 12 Onofre Marimón Maserati 250F 2:35.8 191.8 8 24 Jean Behra Gordini T16 2:36.3 191.2 9 14 Luigi Villoresi Maserati 250F 2:36.4 191.1 10 4 Maurice Trintignant Ferrari 625 2:36.9 190.5 11 34 Robert Manzon Ferrari 625 2:37.6 189.6 12 16 Roberto Mières Maserati A6GCM 2:38.3 188.8 13 44 Roy Salvadori Maserati 250F 2:38.7 188.3 14 28 Paul Frère Gordini T16 2:40.7 186.0 15 48 Harry Schell Maserati A6GCM 2:43.2 183.1 16 36 Louis Rosier Ferrari 500 2:45.9 180.2 17 30 Georges Berger Gordini T16 2:46.0 180.0 18 26 Jacques Pollet Gordini T16 2:46.0 180.0 19 10 Alberto Ascari Maserati 250F 2:48.4 177.5 20 42 Ken Wharton Maserati 250F 2:50.8 175.0 21 32 Lance Macklin HWM 53-Alta 2:52.9 172.9 Qualifying Times: Pos Car# Driver Car Time Speed Entrant 1 18 Juan Manuel Fangio Mercedes-Benz W196 Str. 2:29.4 200.0 Daimler Benz AG 2 20 Karl Kling Mercedes-Benz W196 Str. 2:30.4 198.7 Daimler Benz AG 3 10 Alberto Ascari Maserati 250F 2:30.5 198.6 Officine Alfieri Maserati 4 2 José Froilán González Ferrari 553 Squalo 2:30.6 198.5 Scuderia Ferrari 5 12 Onofre Marimón Maserati 250F 2:31.6 197.1 Officine Alfieri Maserati 6 46 Prince Bira Maserati 250F 2:35.1 192.7 Prince Bira 7 22 Hans Herrmann Mercedes-Benz W196 Str. 2:35.3 192.4 Daimler Benz AG 8 6 Mike Hawthorn Ferrari 553 Squalo 2:35.6 192.1 Scuderia Ferrari 9 4 Maurice Trintignant Ferrari 625 2:36.1 191.5 Scuderia Ferrari 10 44 Roy Salvadori Maserati 250F 2:36.3 191.2 Gilby Engineering 11 16 Roberto Mières Maserati A6GCM 2:38.7 188.3 Roberto Mières 12 34 Robert Manzon Ferrari 625 2:42.0 184.5 Ecurie Rosier 13 36 Louis Rosier Ferrari 500 2:42.1 184.4 Ecurie Rosier 14 14 Luigi Villoresi Maserati 250F 2:42.7 183.7 Officine Alfieri Maserati 15 32 Lance Macklin HWM 53-Alta 2:52.5 173.3 HW Motors 16 42 Ken Wharton Maserati 250F 3:09.3 157.9 Owen Racing Organisation 17 24 Jean Behra Gordini T16 - - Equipe Gordini 18 26 Jacques Pollet Gordini T16 - - Equipe Gordini 19 28 Paul Frère Gordini T16 - - Equipe Gordini 20 30 Georges Berger Gordini T16 - - Georges Berger 21 48 Harry Schell Maserati A6GCM - - Harry Schell 22 40 Sergio Mantovani Maserati 250F - - Officine Alfieri Maserati Not Present: 8 Giuseppe Farina Ferrari 625 - - Scuderia Ferrari 38 Jacques Swaters Ferrari 500 - - Ecurie Francorchamps 50 Peter Collins Vanwall Special - - G.A. Vandervell
Starting Grid: 10 Alberto Ascari 20 Karl Kling 18 Juan Manuel Fangio Maserati 250F Mercedes-Benz W196 Str. Mercedes-Benz W196 Str. 2:30.5 2:30.4 2:29.4 12 Onofre Marimīn 2 José Froilán González Maserati 250F Ferrari 553 Squalo 2:31.6 2:30.6 6 Mike Hawthorn 22 Hans Herrmann 46 Prince Bira Ferrari 553 Squalo Mercedes-Benz W196 Str. Maserati 250F 2:35.6 2:35.3 2:35.1 44 Roy Salvadori 4 Maurice Trintignant Maserati 250F Ferrari 625 2:36.3 2:36.1 36 Louis Rosier 34 Robert Manzon 16 Roberto Mières Ferrari 500 Ferrari 625 Maserati 250F 2:42.1 2:42.0 2:38.7 32 Lance Macklin 14 Luigi Villoresi HWM 53-Alta Maserati 250F 2:52.5 2:42.7 26 Jacques Pollet 24 Jean Behra 42 Ken Wharton Gordini T16 Gordini T16 Maserati 250F No time No time 3:09.3 30 Georges Berger 28 Paul Frère Gordini T16 Gordini T16 No time No time 48 Harry Schell Maserati 250F No time
Notes: 1) Weather: Overcast, Wet.
Race Review:

The long-awaited Mercedes-Benz team arrived at the French GP with the new W196 cars for Juan Manuel Fangio, Karl Kling and Hans Herrmann. With Giuseppe Farina out of action after an accident Gianni Lancia agreed to release Alberto Ascari to drive for Maserati, ensuring that there was an Italian driver in the race. Ferrari fielded José Froilán González, Mike Hawthorn with Maurice Trintigant.

In practice Fangio was fastest from Kling with Ascari on the front row alongside the silver cars. González shared the second row with Maserati's Onofre Marimón while Prince Bira did well in his Maserati to record a faster time than Herrmann and Hawthorn.

Ascari's race was short as he retired with transmission failure during the first lap which left Fangio and Kling to run away with the race. There was a lively battle for third place with Hawthorn battling with Marimón before he had to retire. The Argentine also had to stop for a change of plugs and dropped to the tail of the field and so Prince Bira battled with Jean Behra's Gordini and Trintigant's Ferrari. Behra made a mistake and went off and Trintigant lost time trying to avoid his countryman and so Bira was able to escape but on the final lap he ran out of fuel and was overtaken by Robert Manzon in a Ferrari who had inherited fourth place when Trintignant went out with engine trouble.