1956 Formula One season (Kaiserreich: Legacy of the Weltkrieg)

The 1956 Formula One season was the tenth season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the seventh World Championship of Drivers, which was contested over eight races between 22 January and 2 September 1956. The season also included nine non-championship races for Formula One cars.
Juan Manuel Fangio driving for Ferrari won his third consecutive championship. It was his fourth in total, a record that would not be beaten until Michael Schumacher in 2002. Fangio's main rivals were his teammate Peter Collins and Maserati driver Stirling Moss.
None of the championship races were won by a British constructor. This would not happen again until 2006.
Starting this season, the Indianapolis 500 changed its sanctioning from AAA to the FIA; the race was officially listed as the "International Grand Prix", but was still marketed as the Indianapolis 500.
At 29 October, veteran racer Louis Rosier crashed in a sports car race at Montlhéry. He sustained head injuries and succumbed to them three weeks later.
==Teams and drivers==
The following teams and drivers competed in the 1956 FIA World Championship.
Entrant 	Constructor 	Chassis	Engine 	Tyre	Driver
Officine Alfieri Maserati	Maserati 	250F 	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	P 	Stirling Moss
Officine Alfieri Maserati	Maserati 	250F 	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	P 	Jean Behra
Officine Alfieri Maserati	Maserati 	250F 	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	P 	Carlos Menditeguy
Officine Alfieri Maserati	Maserati 	250F 	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	P 	Luigi Piotti
Officine Alfieri Maserati	Maserati 	250F 	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	P 	Chico Landi
Officine Alfieri Maserati	Maserati 	250F 	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	P 	Gerino Gerini
Officine Alfieri Maserati	Maserati 	250F 	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	P 	José Froilán González
Officine Alfieri Maserati	Maserati 	250F 	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	P 	Cesare Perdisa
Officine Alfieri Maserati	Maserati 	250F 	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	P 	Paco Godia
Officine Alfieri Maserati	Maserati 	250F 	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	P 	Mike Hawthorn
Officine Alfieri Maserati	Maserati 	250F 	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	P 	Piero Taruffi
Officine Alfieri Maserati	Maserati 	250F 	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	P 	Umberto Maglioli
Officine Alfieri Maserati	Maserati 	250F 	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	P 	Luigi Villoresi
Officine Alfieri Maserati	Maserati 	250F 	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	P 	Jo Bonnier
Officine Alfieri Maserati	Maserati 	250F 	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	P 	Johnnie Parsons
Owen Racing Organisation 	Maserati 	250F 	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	P
D 	Mike Hawthorn
Owen Racing Organisation 	BRM 	P25 	BRM P25 2.5 L4 	P
D 	Mike Hawthorn
Owen Racing Organisation 	BRM 	P25 	BRM P25 2.5 L4 	P
D 	Tony Brooks
Owen Racing Organisation 	BRM 	P25 	BRM P25 2.5 L4 	P
D 	Ron Flockhart
Alberto Uría 	Maserati 	A6GCM 	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	P 	Alberto Uría
Alberto Uría 	Maserati 	A6GCM 	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	P 	Óscar González
Scuderia Ferrari 	Ferrari 	D50
555	Ferrari DS50 2.5 V8
Ferrari 555 2.5 L4	E
P 	Juan Manuel Fangio
Scuderia Ferrari 	Ferrari 	D50
555	Ferrari DS50 2.5 V8
Ferrari 555 2.5 L4	E
P 	Eugenio Castellotti
Scuderia Ferrari 	Ferrari 	D50
555	Ferrari DS50 2.5 V8
Ferrari 555 2.5 L4	E
P 	Luigi Musso
Scuderia Ferrari 	Ferrari 	D50
555	Ferrari DS50 2.5 V8
Ferrari 555 2.5 L4	E
P 	Peter Collins
Scuderia Ferrari 	Ferrari 	D50
555	Ferrari DS50 2.5 V8
Ferrari 555 2.5 L4	E
P 	Olivier Gendebien
Scuderia Ferrari 	Ferrari 	D50
555	Ferrari DS50 2.5 V8
Ferrari 555 2.5 L4	E
P 	Paul Frère
Scuderia Ferrari 	Ferrari 	D50
555	Ferrari DS50 2.5 V8
Ferrari 555 2.5 L4	E
P 	André Pilette
Scuderia Ferrari 	Ferrari 	D50
555	Ferrari DS50 2.5 V8
Ferrari 555 2.5 L4	E
P 	Alfonso de Portago
Scuderia Ferrari 	Ferrari 	D50
555	Ferrari DS50 2.5 V8
Ferrari 555 2.5 L4	E
P 	Wolfgang von Trips
Equipe Gordini 	Gordini 	T16
T32	Gordini 23 2.5 L6
Gordini 25 2.5 L8	E 	Robert Manzon
Equipe Gordini 	Gordini 	T16
T32	Gordini 23 2.5 L6
Gordini 25 2.5 L8	E 	Élie Bayol
Equipe Gordini 	Gordini 	T16
T32	Gordini 23 2.5 L6
Gordini 25 2.5 L8	E 	André Pilette
Equipe Gordini 	Gordini 	T16
T32	Gordini 23 2.5 L6
Gordini 25 2.5 L8	E 	Hermano da Silva Ramos
Equipe Gordini 	Gordini 	T16
T32	Gordini 23 2.5 L6
Gordini 25 2.5 L8	E 	André Milhoux
Equipe Gordini 	Gordini 	T16
T32	Gordini 23 2.5 L6
Gordini 25 2.5 L8	E 	André Simon
Ecurie Rosier 	Maserati 	250F 	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	P 	Louis Rosier
Ecurie Rosier 	Maserati 	250F 	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	P 	Pat Flaherty
Vandervell Products 	Vanwall 	VW 2 	Vanwall 254 2.5 L4 	P 	Maurice Trintignant
Vandervell Products 	Vanwall 	VW 2 	Vanwall 254 2.5 L4 	P 	Harry Schell
Vandervell Products 	Vanwall 	VW 2 	Vanwall 254 2.5 L4 	P 	Mike Hawthorn
Vandervell Products 	Vanwall 	VW 2 	Vanwall 254 2.5 L4 	P 	Colin Chapman
Vandervell Products 	Vanwall 	VW 2 	Vanwall 254 2.5 L4 	P 	José Froilán González
Vandervell Products 	Vanwall 	VW 2 	Vanwall 254 2.5 L4 	P 	Piero Taruffi
Gould's Garage (Bristol)
 H.H. Gould	Maserati 	250F 	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	D 	Horace Gould
Gould's Garage (Bristol)
 H.H. Gould	Maserati 	250F 	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	D 	Tony Bettenhausen
Giorgio Scarlatti 	Ferrari 	500 	Ferrari 500 2.0 L4 	P 	Giorgio Scarlatti
Scuderia Centro Sud 	Maserati 	250F 	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	P 	Louis Chiron
Scuderia Centro Sud 	Maserati 	250F 	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	P 	Luigi Villoresi
Scuderia Centro Sud 	Maserati 	250F 	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	P 	Harry Schell
Scuderia Centro Sud 	Maserati 	250F 	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	P 	Toulo de Graffenried
Scuderia Centro Sud 	Ferrari 	500 	Ferrari 500 2.0 L4 	P 	Giorgio Scarlatti
Piero Scotti 	Connaught-Alta	B 	Alta GP 2.5 L4 	P 	Piero Scotti
Automobiles Bugatti 	Bugatti 	T251 	Bugatti 2.5 L8 	E 	Maurice Trintignant
Luigi Piotti 	Maserati 	250F 	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	P 	Luigi Villoresi
Luigi Piotti 	Maserati 	250F 	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	P 	Luigi Piotti
André Simon 	Maserati 	250F 	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	P 	André Simon
Scuderia Guastalla 	Maserati 	250F 	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	P 	Umberto Maglioli
Scuderia Guastalla 	Maserati 	250F 	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	P 	Gerino Gerini
Connaught Engineering 	Connaught-Alta	B 	Alta GP 2.5 L4 	P
A 	Archie Scott-Brown
Connaught Engineering 	Connaught-Alta	B 	Alta GP 2.5 L4 	P
A 	Desmond Titterington
Connaught Engineering 	Connaught-Alta	B 	Alta GP 2.5 L4 	P
A 	Jack Fairman
Connaught Engineering 	Connaught-Alta	B 	Alta GP 2.5 L4 	P
A 	Les Leston
Connaught Engineering 	Connaught-Alta	B 	Alta GP 2.5 L4 	P
A 	Ron Flockhart
Bob Gerard 	Cooper-Bristol	T23 	Bristol BS1 2.0 L6 	D 	Bob Gerard
Gilby Engineering 	Maserati 	250F 	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	D 	Roy Salvadori
Bruce Halford 	Maserati 	250F 	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	D 	Bruce Halford
Jack Brabham 	Maserati 	250F 	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	D 	Jack Brabham
Emeryson Cars 	Emeryson-Alta 	56 	Alta GP 2.5 L4 	D 	Paul Emery
Ottorino Volonterio 	Maserati 	A6GCM 	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	P 	Ottorino Volonterio
===Team and driver changes===
*Mercedes had withdrawn from all motorsport activities after the 1955 Le Mans disaster. Reigning champion Juan Manuel Fangio moved to Scuderia Ferrari, which had taken over the assets from Lancia. Fangio would go on to win the championship in the Lancia D50. Besides remaining driver Eugenio Castellotti, the squad was completed by Luigi Musso and Peter Collins, both coming from Maserati.
*Stirling Moss, 1955 runner-up and Fangio's teammate at Mercedes, had moved to rival team Maserati.
*Maurice Trintignant moved from Ferrari to Vanwall to replace Ken Wharton.
====Mid-season changes====
*Paco Godia joined the Maserati team from the Belgian Grand Prix on.
*Alfonso de Portago made his debut when he joined Scuderia Ferrari from the French Grand Prix on.
*Also at the French Grand Prix, Colin Chapman made his F1 racing debut with Vanwall but crashed into his team leader during practice and did not start the race. It would be his only race entry, but he would go on to become a legendary race engineer.
*And finally in France, Bugatti made a one-off appearance with their Type 251 driven by Maurice Trintignant.
*For the first time since 1951, BRM used their own chassis, which made its debut at the British Grand Prix. It was also the championship debut for driver Tony Brooks.
*Several USAC National Championship drivers entered the Indianapolis 500 with Formula One teams, including Johnnie Parsons, Pat Flaherty, and Tony Bettenhausen.
== Calendar ==
Round	Grand Prix 	Circuit 	Circuit Type 	Date
1 	Argentine Grand Prix	Autódromo Oscar Alfredo Gálvez, Buenos Aires	Road Course 	22 January
2 	Indianapolis 500
(International Grand Prix)	Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Speedway 	Oval 	30 May
3 	Belgian Grand Prix 	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot 	Hybrid Course	3 June
4 	French Grand Prix 	Reims-Gueux, Gueux 	Road Course 	1 July
5 	British Grand Prix 	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone 	Road Course 	14 July
6 	German Grand Prix 	Nürburgring, Nürburg 	Road Course 	5 August
7 	Italian Grand Prix 	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza 	Road Course 	2 September
=== Calendar changes ===
* The Indianapolis 500 officially became a Formula One race after AAA ceased sanctioning Champ Car racing following the 1955 Le Mans disaster. This caused a fight with the United States Auto Club (USAC) over the race, a fight that continues to this day.
* The Swiss Grand Prix was removed from the calendar after the Swiss Government banned motor racing as a result of the 1955 Le Mans disaster. The French Grand Prix and the German Grand Prix were already cancelled in 1955, but were back on the calendar for 1956.
* The Monaco Grand Prix was also removed from the calendar due to its mid-May date interfering with practice and qualifying for the Indianapolis 500.
* The Dutch Grand Prix was supposed to have been held on 17 June but was cancelled due to the Suez War. The Spanish Grand Prix, like the French and German rounds, was supposed to return to the calendar, to be held on 28 October, but was cancelled due to the Suez War. As the German Empire was directly involved in the Suez War, there was much speculation as to whether or not the German Grand Prix would go through, but Kaiser Frederick Wilhelm V said that "sports should never be tied to politics", and the race went forward.
* The British Grand Prix was moved from Aintree Motor Racing Circuit to Silverstone Circuit, in keeping with the event-sharing arrangement between the two circuits.
== Results ==
Round	Grand Prix 	Pole position 	Fastest lap 	Winning driver 	Winning constructor
1 	Argentine Grand Prix 	Juan Manuel Fangio	Juan Manuel Fangio	Luigi Musso
 Juan Manuel Fangio	Ferrari
2 	International Grand Prix	Pat Flaherty 	Paul Russo 	Stirling Moss 	Maserati
3 	Belgian Grand Prix 	Juan Manuel Fangio	Stirling Moss 	Peter Collins 	Ferrari
4 	French Grand Prix 	Juan Manuel Fangio	Juan Manuel Fangio	Peter Collins 	Ferrari
5 	British Grand Prix 	Stirling Moss 	Stirling Moss 	Juan Manuel Fangio	Ferrari
6 	German Grand Prix 	Juan Manuel Fangio	Juan Manuel Fangio	Juan Manuel Fangio	Ferrari
7 	Italian Grand Prix 	Juan Manuel Fangio	Stirling Moss 	Stirling Moss 	Maserati
== See also ==
* List of Formula One seasons (Kaiserreich: Legacy of the Weltkrieg)
Category:Kaiserreich: Legacy of the Weltkrieg