# 1953 German Grand Prix

The 1953 German Grand Prix was a Formula Two motor racing event held on 2 August 1953 at the Nürburgring Nordschleife. It was race 7 of 9 in the 1953 World Championship of Drivers, which was run to Formula Two rules in 1952 and 1953, rather than the Formula One regulations normally used. This race had the highest number of cars on the grid of any World Drivers' Championship race, with 34 starters.
This race was won by Nino Farina in a Ferrari, just over 1 minute ahead of Juan Manuel Fangio. This was Farina's last victory in Formula One.
Ferrari driver Alberto Ascari clinched his second consecutive World Drivers' Championship as neither Mike Hawthorn nor Juan Manuel Fangio won the race and now couldn't beat his points total with two races left.
Four East German drivers partook in this race; these four drivers were the only ever drivers to race under an East German licence. This race was the last time any driver competed under an East German licence: Theo Fitzau, Ernst Klodwig and Rudolf Krause would never race in Formula One again, while Edgar Barth would race again under a West German licence.
During his tour of Europe that saw Japan's 19-year old Crown Prince Akihito visit the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, he also attended the German Grand Prix.

## Entries

| Team | No | Driver | Car | Engine | Tyre |
| Scuderia Ferrari | 1 | Alberto Ascari | Ferrari Tipo 500 | Ferrari 500 2.0 L4 | P |
| Scuderia Ferrari | 2 | Nino Farina | Ferrari Tipo 500 | Ferrari 500 2.0 L4 | P |
| Scuderia Ferrari | 3 | Mike Hawthorn | Ferrari Tipo 500 | Ferrari 500 2.0 L4 | P |
| Scuderia Ferrari | 4 | Luigi Villoresi | Ferrari Tipo 500 | Ferrari 500 2.0 L4 | P |
| Officine Alfieri Maserati | 5 | Juan Manuel Fangio | Maserati A6GCM | Maserati A6 2.0 L6 | P |
| Officine Alfieri Maserati | 7 | Felice Bonetto | Maserati A6GCM | Maserati A6 2.0 L6 | P |
| Officine Alfieri Maserati | 8 | Onofre Marimón | Maserati A6GCM | Maserati A6 2.0 L6 | P |
| Equipe Gordini | 9 | Jean Behra | Gordini Type 16 | Gordini 20 2.0 L6 | E |
| Equipe Gordini | 10 | Maurice Trintignant | Gordini Type 16 | Gordini 20 2.0 L6 | E |
| Equipe Gordini | 11 | Harry Schell | Gordini Type 16 | Gordini 20 2.0 L6 | E |
| Ecurie Belge | 12 | Johnny Claes | Connaught Type A | Lea-Francis 2.0 L4 | E |
| Connaught Engineering | 14 | Prince Bira | Connaught Type A | Lea-Francis 2.0 L4 | D |
| Connaught Engineering | 15 | Roy Salvadori | Connaught Type A | Lea-Francis 2.0 L4 | D |
| Connaught Engineering | 16 | Kenneth McAlpine | Connaught Type A | Lea-Francis 2.0 L4 | D |
| Emmanuel de Graffenried | 17 | Toulo de Graffenried | Maserati A6GCM | Maserati A6 2.0 L6 | P |
| Ecurie Francorchamps | 18 | Jacques Swaters | Ferrari Tipo 500 | Ferrari 500 2.0 L4 | E |
| Cooper Car Company | 19 | Stirling Moss | Cooper T24 | Alta GP 2.5 L4 | D |
| Ecurie Rosier | 20 | Louis Rosier | Ferrari Tipo 500 | Ferrari 500 2.0 L4 | D |
| Hans Stuck | 21 | Hans Stuck | AFM 6 | Bristol BS1 2.0 L6 | D |
| Wolfgang Seidel | 22 | Wolfgang Seidel | Veritas RS | Veritas 2.0 L6 | D |
| Willi Heeks | 23 | Willi Heeks | Veritas Meteor | Veritas 2.0 L6 | D |
| Theo Helfrich | 24 | Theo Helfrich | Veritas RS | Veritas 2.0 L6 | D |
| Oswald Karch | 26 | Oswald Karch | Veritas RS | Veritas 2.0 L6 | D |
| Helmut Niedermayr | 28 | Theo Fitzau | AFM U8 | BMW 328 2.0 L6 | D |
| Ernst Loof | 30 | Ernst Loof | Veritas Meteor | Veritas 2.0 L6 | D |
| Hans Herrmann | 31 | Hans Herrmann | Veritas Meteor | Veritas 2.0 L6 | D |
| Erwin Bauer | 32 | Erwin Bauer | Veritas RS | Veritas 2.0 L6 | D |
| Ecurie Espadon | 34 | Kurt Adolff | Ferrari Tipo 500 | Ferrari 500 2.0 L4 | P |
| Rennkollektiv EMW | 35 | Edgar Barth | EMW R2 | EMW 6 2.0 L6 | D |
| Dora Greifzu | 36 | Rudolf Krause | Eigenbau | BMW 328 2.0 L6 | D |
| Ernst Klodwig | 37 | Ernst Klodwig | Eigenbau | BMW 328 2.0 L6 | D |
| Equipe Anglaise | 38 | Alan Brown | Cooper T23 | Bristol BS1 2.0 L6 | D |
| Equipe Anglaise | 39 | Helm Glöckler | Cooper T23 | Bristol BS1 2.0 L6 | D |
| Rodney Nuckey | 40 | Rodney Nuckey | Cooper T23 | Bristol BS1 2.0 L6 | D |
| Günther Bechem | 41 | Günther Bechem | AFM 50-5 | BMW 328 2.0 L6 | D |
| Source: ||||||

## Classification
### Qualifying

| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Time | Gap |
| 1 | 1 | Alberto Ascari | Ferrari | 9:59.8 | — |
| 2 | 5 | Juan Manuel Fangio | Maserati | 10:03.7 | + 3.9 |
| 3 | 2 | Nino Farina | Ferrari | 10:04.1 | + 4.3 |
| 4 | 3 | Mike Hawthorn | Ferrari | 10:12.6 | + 12.8 |
| 5 | 10 | Maurice Trintignant | Gordini | 10:21.7 | + 21.9 |
| 6 | 4 | Luigi Villoresi | Ferrari | 10:22.8 | + 23.0 |
| 7 | 7 | Felice Bonetto | Maserati | 10:40.8 | + 41.0 |
| 8 | 8 | Onofre Marimón | Maserati | 10:41.0 | + 41.2 |
| 9 | 9 | Jean Behra | Gordini | 10:45.5 | + 45.7 |
| 10 | 11 | Harry Schell | Gordini | 10:46.2 | + 46.4 |
| 11 | 17 | Toulo de Graffenried | Maserati | 10:46.6 | + 46.8 |
| 12 | 19 | Stirling Moss | Cooper-Alta | 10:48.3 | + 48.5 |
| 13 | 15 | Roy Salvadori | Connaught-Lea-Francis | 10:57.5 | + 57.7 |
| 14 | 31 | Hans Herrmann | Veritas | 10:59.8 | + 1:00.0 |
| 15 | 14 | Prince Bira | Connaught-Lea-Francis | 11:02.1 | + 1:02.3 |
| 16 | 16 | Kenneth McAlpine | Connaught-Lea-Francis | 11:07.3 | + 1:07.5 |
| 17 | 38 | Alan Brown | Cooper-Bristol | 11:08.7 | + 1:08.9 |
| 18 | 23 | Willi Heeks | Veritas | 11:18.0 | + 1:18.2 |
| 19 | 18 | Jacques Swaters | Ferrari | 11:18.9 | + 1:19.1 |
| 20 | 40 | Rodney Nuckey | Cooper-Bristol | 11:22.1 | + 1:22.3 |
| 21 | 28 | Theo Fitzau | AFM-BMW | 11:23.4 | + 1:23.6 |
| 22 | 20 | Louis Rosier | Ferrari | 11:27.4 | + 1:27.6 |
| 23 | 21 | Hans Stuck | AFM-Bristol | 11:37.2 | + 1:37.4 |
| 24 | 35 | Edgar Barth | EMW | 11:40.8 | + 1:41.0 |
| 25 | 12 | Johnny Claes | Connaught-Lea-Francis | 11:45.5 | + 1:45.7 |
| 26 | 36 | Rudolf Krause | Greifzu-BMW | 11:49.5 | + 1:49.7 |
| 27 | 34 | Kurt Adolff | Ferrari | 11:53.1 | + 1:53.3 |
| 28 | 24 | Theo Helfrich | Veritas | 11:56.3 | + 1:56.5 |
| 29 | 22 | Wolfgang Seidel | Veritas | 11:59.3 | + 1:59.5 |
| 30 | 41 | Günther Bechem | AFM-BMW | 12:13.3 | + 2:13.5 |
| 31 | 30 | Ernst Loof | Veritas | 12:16.8 | + 2:17.0 |
| 32 | 37 | Ernst Klodwig | Heck-BMW | 12:24.6 | + 2:24.8 |
| 33 | 32 | Erwin Bauer | Veritas | No time | — |
| 34 | 26 | Oswald Karch | Veritas | No time | — |
| 35 | 39 | Helm Glöckler | Cooper-Bristol | No time | — |
| Source: ||||||

### Race

| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Laps | Time/Retired | Grid | Points |
| 1 | 2 | Nino Farina | Ferrari | 18 | 3:02:25.0 | 3 | 8 |
| 2 | 5 | Juan Manuel Fangio | Maserati | 18 | + 1:04.0 | 2 | 6 |
| 3 | 3 | Mike Hawthorn | Ferrari | 18 | + 1:43.6 | 4 | 4 |
| 4 | 7 | Felice Bonetto | Maserati | 18 | + 8:48.6 | 7 | 3 |
| 5 | 17 | Toulo de Graffenried | Maserati | 17 | + 1 Lap | 11 | 2 |
| 6 | 19 | Stirling Moss | Cooper-Alta | 17 | + 1 Lap | 12 | |
| 7 | 18 | Jacques Swaters | Ferrari | 17 | + 1 Lap | 19 | |
| 8 | 1 | Alberto Ascari Luigi Villoresi | Ferrari | 17 | + 1 Lap | 1 | |
| 9 | 31 | Hans Herrmann | Veritas | 17 | + 1 Lap | 14 | |
| 10 | 20 | Louis Rosier | Ferrari | 17 | + 1 Lap | 22 | |
| 11 | 40 | Rodney Nuckey | Cooper-Bristol | 16 | + 2 Laps | 20 | |
| 12 | 24 | Theo Helfrich | Veritas | 16 | + 2 Laps | 28 | |
| 13 | 16 | Kenneth McAlpine | Connaught-Lea-Francis | 16 | + 2 Laps | 16 | |
| 14 | 36 | Rudolf Krause | Greifzu-BMW | 16 | + 2 Laps | 26 | |
| 15 | 37 | Ernst Klodwig | Heck-BMW | 15 | + 3 Laps | 32 | |
| 16 | 22 | Wolfgang Seidel | Veritas | 14 | + 4 Laps | 29 | |
| Ret | 4 | Luigi Villoresi Alberto Ascari | Ferrari | 15 | Engine | 6 | 1 |
| Ret | 38 | Alan Brown | Cooper-Bristol | 15 | Engine | 17 | |
| Ret | 8 | Onofre Marimón | Maserati | 13 | Suspension | 8 | |
| Ret | 35 | Edgar Barth | EMW | 12 | Exhaust | 24 | |
| Ret | 12 | Johnny Claes | Connaught-Lea-Francis | 12 | Engine | 25 | |
| Ret | 26 | Oswald Karch | Veritas | 10 | Engine | 34 | |
| Ret | 23 | Willi Heeks | Veritas | 8 | Transmission | 18 | |
| Ret | 9 | Jean Behra | Gordini | 7 | Gearbox | 9 | |
| Ret | 11 | Harry Schell | Gordini | 6 | Engine | 10 | |
| Ret | 14 | Prince Bira | Connaught-Lea-Francis | 6 | Suspension | 15 | |
| Ret | 28 | Theo Fitzau | AFM-BMW | 3 | Engine | 21 | |
| Ret | 34 | Kurt Adolff | Ferrari | 3 | Transmission | 27 | |
| Ret | 41 | Günther Bechem | AFM-BMW | 2 | Engine | 30 | |
| Ret | 10 | Maurice Trintignant | Gordini | 1 | Differential | 5 | |
| Ret | 15 | Roy Salvadori | Connaught-Lea-Francis | 1 | Engine | 13 | |
| Ret | 32 | Erwin Bauer | Veritas | 1 | Engine | 33 | |
| Ret | 21 | Hans Stuck | AFM-Bristol | 0 | Engine | 23 | |
| Ret | 30 | Ernst Loof | Veritas | 0 | Fuel Pump | 31 | |
| DNS | 39 | Helm Glöckler | Cooper-Bristol | 0 | Engine | | |
| Source: ||||||||

#### Notes

* ^1 – 1 point for fastest lap

## Shared drives

* : (Ascari and Villoresi switched cars)
** Car #1: Ascari (9 laps) then Villoresi (8 laps)
** Car #4: Villoresi (10 laps) then Ascari (5 laps)

## Championship standings after the race
### Drivers' Championship standings

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Alberto Ascari | 33.5 (37.5) |
| 4 | 2 | Nino Farina | 20 |
| 2 | 3 | Juan Manuel Fangio | 19 |
| 2 | 4 | Mike Hawthorn | 18 (20) |
| 2 | 5 | José Froilán González | 13.5 (14.5) |
| Source: ||||
* Note: Only the top five positions are included. Only the best 4 results counted towards the Championship. Numbers without parentheses are Championship points; numbers in parentheses are total points scored.