1953 German GP

## Track Facts

* Name – Nurburgring Nordschleife
* Location – Germany
* Corners – 24
* Base (Worst) Lap Time – 11:00.000
* Lap Record (Real Life) – 9:55.800 (Juan Manuel Fangio)
* Lap Record (F1R) – 9:59.976 (Bob Gerard)
* Pit Lane Length – 40 seconds
* Laps – 18
* Fuel Consumption – High
* Tyre Wear – Very High

## Qualifying 1

A stunning end to the session saw the HWM pair of Scherrer and Mantovani attempt to prevent a Ferrari gaining provisional pole, but a brilliant final attempt by three-time winner this season Bob Gerard gave him the top spot going into Q2.

Pietsch is a respectable 4th, and will take solace from at least being the top German, if not the top Ferrari driver. Fellow home favourites Lang and Hermann have very different days, finishing 5th for the HWM driver and a lowly 14th for the Veritas man (the other German's in the field are even lower down though!).

A strong showing for Carini on his debut sees him the top Veritas driver in 6th, with both O.S.C.A cars lining up within the top 10 too worthy of a mention.

A no-show again for Bayol, who is said to be having financial difficulties at the moment, with Moss missing a rare opportunity to race ahead of the usual group of drivers who fail to show up for the qualifying session.

**Qualifying 1 Results**

* 1st – Bob Gerard [F] – 10:00.220 (5)
* 2nd – Sergio Mantovani [H] – 10:00.354 (4)
* 3rd – Albert Scherrer [H] – 10:01.068 (4)
* 4th – Paul Pietsch [F] – 10:02.262 (4)
* 5th – Hermann Lang [H] – 10:02.979 (5)
* 6th – Piero Carini [V] – 10:03.030 (4)
* 7th – Fred Wacker [O] – 10:03.122 (3)
* 8th – Peter Collins [H] – 10:03.269 (5)
* 9th – Luigi Villoresi [O] – 10:03.798 (4)
* 10th – Peter Whitehead [F] – 10:03.919 (4)
* 11th – Toulo de Graffenried [M] – 10:04.693 (5)
* 12th – Alberto Ascari [M] – 10:05.506 (3)
* 13th – Giuseppe Farina [M] – 10:05.786 (4)
* 14th – Hans Hermann [V] – 10:05.844 (4)
* 15th – Umberto Maglioli [M] – 10:06.500 (2)
* 16th – Hans Stuck [CP] – 10:06.798 (3)
* 17th – Roy Salvadori [F] – 10:11.283 (5)
* 18th – Onofre Marimon [V] – 10:16.993 (3)
* 19th – Jose Froilan Gonzalez [CP] – 10:17.570 (1)
* 20th – Erwin Bauer [CP] – 10:18.275 (2)
* 21st – Charles de Tornaco [G] – 10:21.378 (4)
* 22nd – Jean Behra [G] – 10:27.970 (3)
* 23rd – Johnny Claes [CN] – 10:40.466 (3)
* 24th – Prince Bira [CN] – 10:47.123 (3)
* 25th – Luigi Musso [ B ] – 10:47.308 (2)
* 26th – Mike Hawthorn [CN] – 11:08.277 (2)
* 27th – Elie Bayol [M] – No Time Set (0)
* 28th – Stirling Moss [M] – No Time Set (0)
* 29th – Carlos Menditeguy [H] – No Time Set (0)
* 30th – Maurice Trintignant [G] – No Time Set (0)
* 31st – Louis Chiron [CP] – No Time Set (0)
* 32nd – Louis Rosier [G] – No Time Set (0)
* 33rd – Alan Brown [CN] – No Time Set (0)
* 34th – Juan Manuel Fangio [CP] – No Time Set (0)

## Qualifying 2

HWM finish strongly in the session to keep 3 drivers in the top 10, with Lang and Mantovani in 6th and 7th respectively. The Ferrari drivers will be happy with their grid positions for the most part, as they take a 1-2-3-5 today.

The man spoiling the prancing horse party is home favourite Hermann in the Veritas, who will hope to challenge pole-sitter Pietsch for supremacy tomorrow.

Sadly no BMW in the race, as Musso doesn't compete in Q2, with neither of the Coopers of Stuck and Gonzalez taking part either - though Bauer will represent Cooper in a very credible 8th position tomorrow.

**Qualifying 2 Results**

* 1st – Paul Pietsch [F] – 9:55.513 (4)
* 2nd – Roy Salvadori [F] – 9:55.693 (4)
* 3rd – Peter Whitehead [F] – 9:55.888 (4)
* 4th – Hans Hermann [V] – 9:56.759 (4)
* 5th – Bob Gerard [F] – 9:57.763 (4)
* 6th – Hermann Lang [H] – 9:58.249 (4)
* 7th – Sergio Mantovani [H] – 9:58.340 (4)
* 8th – Erwin Bauer [CP] – 9:58.407 (4)
* 9th – Toulo de Graffenried [M] – 9:59.141 (4)
* 10th – Albert Scherrer [H] – 9:59.403 (4)
* 11th – Peter Collins [H] – 9:59.639 (3)
* 12th – Onofre Marimon [V] – 9:59.661 (3)
* 13th – Piero Carini [V] – 9:59.798 (5)
* 14th – Fred Wacker [O] – 10:00.046 (5)
* 15th – Luigi Villoresi [O] – 10:00.165 (4)
* 16th – Giuseppe Farina [M] – 10:00.198 (4)
* 17th – Umberto Maglioli [M] – 10:01.137 (4)
* 18th – Alberto Ascari [M] – 10:03.382 (4)
* 19th – Jean Behra [G] – 10:07.570 (4)
* 20th – Charles de Tornaco [G] – 10:10.883 (3)
* 21st – Mike Hawthorn [CN] – 10:13.779 (4)
* 22nd – Prince Bira [CN] – 10:17.888 (4)
* 23rd – Johnny Claes [CN] – 10:21.741 (4)
* 24th – Hans Stuck [CP] – No Time Set (0)
* 25th – Jose Froilan Gonzalez [CP] – No Time Set (0)
* 26th – Luigi Musso [ B ] – No Time Set (0)

## Overall Qualifying Results

So pole for Pietsch sets him up for a home victory, which would be his 2nd in a row and his 1st ever German Grand Prix win. It looks likely that a Ferrari will take the win with 4 of the top 5 on the grid, but should Hermann upset the odds to take a podium at his home grand prix it would be the best result for Veritas since Josef Peters 4th place at the Swiss Grand Prix in '52.

The HWM crowd will feel they have a good chance to take points tomorrow, with Collins' podium in Argentina and Mantovani's fastest lap at Spa all they have to show for this season so far.

## Race Commentary

*Lap 1* - AND WE ARE GO IN GERMANY!!! The Ferrari's are watching each other's braking points into Sudkehre and Pietsch brakes slightly late, causing Salvadori, Gerard and Whitehead to all attempt to out-brake him and go wide as a group!

That lets the quick-starting Lang in the HWM to move into the lead from Hermann in the Veritas and then Pietsch for Ferrari as the home-crowd are ecstatic with a German 1-2-3. Mantovani does well to slot in 4th ahead of the recovering remainder Ferrari trio, before Carini in the Veritas in 9th and Scherrer's HWM in 10th.

The only casualty at this early stage is Behra's Gordini, who puts a wheel on the grass and spins out wildly into the wooded area at the side of the track…he emerges from the car the lucky survivor of a crash that could have been far worse!

*Lap 2* - Predictably enough the Ferrari comeback is rather swift; Pietsch catches and passes both of his countrymen in almost record time, with another German driver in the shape of Bauer' Cooper following him through to 2nd place. Salvadori's Ferrari is up to 3rd place after some impressive overtaking moves too, with Lang now 4th, Mantovani 5th, Gerard 6th and then Hermann's Veritas in 7th place.

Further back Marimon is the man on the move, with passes on Villoresi, de Graffenried, Collins and Scherrer, with Collins and Villoresi dropping down to the rear of this pack too.

*Lap 3* - Lang forges past Salvadori, as he uses his local knowledge to the best of his abilities. As he makes his way through he pushes the Ferrari driver wide, causing the Brit to veer out of control and almost have an encounter with a nearby tree! He just avoids trouble, but loses a lot of time in getting the car facing the right direction, which sees him lose positions to the hard-charging Hermann from Veritas, Whitehead, Carini's Veritas, Gerard, Marimon and Mantovani too.

Villoresi loses places to Wacker and Farina on this lap too.

*Lap 4* - Already pitting on this lap are Hermann, Maglioli and de Tornaco, whilst Mantovani drops places to Salvadori and Scherrer on this lap too. Farina and Villoresi pass Wacker here, as the 3-way battle continues apace!

Whitehead is the man on the move up front though, with passes on both Bauer and Lang to make it a Ferrari 1-2 as it stands. Predictably enough Maglioli and de Tornaco emerge from the pits at the back of the pack with Claes the only man between them, whilst Hermann is just behind Hawthorn as it stands.

*Lap 5* - On this lap Bauer and Farina pit, which elevates the Veritas of Carini into a podium position in his 1st ever race!!! Salvadori does well to move past Marimon and Lang to make it 4 Ferrari's in the top 5, whilst further back Collins passes de Graffenried for what is now 10th position. Wacker also takes de Graffenried, and Villoresi too.

Meanwhile the value of fresher tyres are clear to see, with Hermann breezing past Hawthorn, and both Maglioli and de Tornaco doing the same to Bira and Claes respectively.

Of those who pitted this time Farina is out behind Hawthorn, whilst Bauer emerges just ahead of the Connaught driver…these two will now look to put their new rubber to good use.

*Lap 6* - Now the established strategy for the majority of the field is a 2-stopper, which almost all the drivers come into the pits for. Good stops for the Ferrari's, Collins and Mantovani help them stay ahead of others who struggle - including Lang and Hawthorn.

And as such those who stay out have an advantage meaning an incredible front order is in place, with Wacker leading from Villoresi in an O.S.C.A 1-2!!! 3rd is Ascari with Hermann up to 4th place having already pitted and now ahead of Pietsch in 5th.

Whitehead, Bauer, Gerard and Salvadori are next up as the Ferrari's continue to remain ever-present in the battle for the lead. Carini has sadly lost a fair amount of time thanks to his somewhat inept mechanics, and he drops behind his team-mate Marimon as a result.

*Lap 7* - The leading trio pit, with Villoresi comfortably quicker than the other two as his mechanic really gets a sprint on. That promotes Hermann into the lead for Veritas, followed by the four Ferrari's occupying the other remaining points positions.

Bauer is 6th position, from Mantovani, Collins and the advancing Scherrer who takes Farina on this lap. Villoresi comes out of the pits ahead of Lang, with Wacker out in front of de Tornaco and Ascari out just behind him. Also making great progress is de Graffenried, who sets the fastest lap of the race on this lap.

*Lap 8* - Hermann loses positions to Pietsch, Whitehead and Gerard as his tyres start to give out. Villoresi takes Carina while a brush with some woodland for de Tornaco gives him a quite severe car problem to cope with out on track.

Maglioli pits for the 2nd time here, with a strategic decision that would have needed a lot more pace to make something of, by the looks of things.

*Lap 9* - Bauer sets a stunning lap-time, as he drafts past Salvadori at Sudkehre, then Gerard at Metzgesfeld, and then Whitehead further round the lap at Mutkurve. And to cap it all off on the run into Kleines Karussell he gets up the inside of Pietsch to make it an incredible rise to lead the race for this lap at very least!

Hermann pits this time around, emerging ahead of Wacker in 15th place, whilst Scherrer takes Collins and Farina loses positions to de Graffenried, Marimon and Villoresi thanks to his heavily worn tyres.

De Tornaco also pits to drop behind Hawthorn and Maglioli, but stays ahead of both Bira and Claes.

*Lap 10* - Bauer pits from the lead for Cooper (and there's a sentence no-one expected to hear today!), coming out in 14th ahead of Wacker after a very strong pit-stop. The Ferrari's are in a fascinating 4 way tussle for position, with Gerard getting the upper-hand at the moment, from Salvadori, Whitehead and Pietsch.

Now promoted to the points is Mantovani for HWM in 5th, whilst Collins is 6th after passing Scherrer this time around. Villoresi passes Marimon on this lap too, whilst Lang demotes Carini in a poor lap for Veritas.

Farina pits to drop behind Ascari, with Claes finally coming in to change his tyres - that 1 stop strategy choice has clearly not come in handy today!

*Lap 11* - Pietsch is on the move, as he passes Whitehead for 3rd, much to the delight of the home fans. Villoresi passes de Graffenried on this lap too, in what must be a galling move for 'The Baron.' Maglioli also takes Hawthorn on this lap, in what is otherwise a relatively quiet lap.

*Lap 12* - But all that changes with the 2nd and final pit-stops for the majority of the field taking place now, which sees Bauer reclaim the lead with passes on Hermann and Villoresi who are now 2nd and 3rd respectively in another unlikely 1-2-3.

Gerard comes out in 4th place, from Salvadori and in 6th place is Wacker's O.S.C.A no less! Whitehead re-passes Pietsch in the pits thanks to some smart work from his mechanic. Carini takes Lang in the pits too, whilst on track Farina passes Ascari and de Tornaco is up a couple of positions thanks to the pits of Maglioli and Hawthorn.

*Lap 13* - Gerard loses out to Salvadori, as they both get right on the back of Villoresi's O.S.C.A with a clear speed advantage. Wacker pits on this lap to drop back behind Lang to 16th place with Ascari behind him who also pits. De Tornaco comes in and loses places to Maglioli and Hawthorn as a result.

*Lap 14* - The leading trio now come into the pits, with all three pitting relatively comfortably and emerging in the same order in 9th, 10th and 14th positions respectively. The question for them and the other 3-stoppers (Farina, de Tornaco and the 4-stopping Maglioli) is whether they can regain the time lost in the pits using their fresher tyres.

So ahead of them are de Graffenried in 8th, Scherrer 7th, Collins 6th, Mantovani 5th, Pietsch 4th, Gerard 3rd, Salvadori 2nd and now Whitehead in the lead who takes both Gerard and Salvadori in the space of one single lap to give himself a real shot at the victory today.

*Lap 15* - Bauer and Hermann are starting to zero in on de Graffenried as they endeavour to come through to a points paying position; the Cooper driver actually sets a fastest lap this time around that is unlikely to be bettered! Villoresi passes Lang but is rather too far off to make any impact on the points even if he can keep that pace up for the remainder of the race.

Maglioli pits for his 4th scheduled stop, which was not wise given the length of the pit-lane, and de Tornaco takes Hawthorn too as the battle between Gordini and Connaught rages on - seemingly in the French marque's favour at the moment.

Less than 2 seconds separates the top 4, as any of them could still take the victory today!

*Lap 16* - Bauer moves past de Graffenried with ease and is now just 5 seconds down on Scherrer in 7th and 10 seconds on the points paying positions. Hermann in the Veritas also passes de Graffenried on this lap too.

Now just 0.4 seconds covers the top 4 as they are almost neck and neck going over the timing line with the final couple of laps to settle who will take the win here in Germany.

*Lap 17* - Maglioli passes Hawthorn for 19th place, whilst Farina takes 14th from Lang and Villoresi moves into 12th at the expense of Carini. Otherwise Scherrer drops back to 9th as it seems as if his tyres have "dropped off the cliff", whilst it's Hermann in the Veritas who profits the most as he takes Bauer in this lap as well to be 7th and 8th for these two some 2 seconds outside the points positions.

Up front Gerard gets it all wrong at Karussell and loses a place to Pietsch, who also forces his way past Salvadori at the Kleines Karussell corner…but Whitehead is still leading with nearly 1 second advantage at the moment; but will it be enough?

*Lap 18* - On the final lap Maglioli takes de Tornaco to salvage some pride at least by not being beaten by any Connaught or Gordini drivers. Hawthorn has an accident on the final lap, which he emerges from unscathed with a car that he can coax to the finish - not that it makes the slightest bit of difference. Villoresi takes Marimon for 11th position in what has been a relatively good debut for the Veritas drivers who finish 12th and 13th respectively.

10th place goes to de Graffenried in a race weekend that never really got going for Maserati, 9th place is Scherrer, 8th is Collins and 7th is Mantovani after a decent showing from HWM who lose positions in the final couple of laps to the impressively resurgent duo of Hermann and Bauer. The former of the two will be delighted with 5th position, but the latter takes the fastest lap to be the 1st ever Cooper driver to do so!

Whitehead takes the victory with aplomb in a race that cements his position at the top of the standings and helps his title chances no end. Behind him it is Gerard who finishes most quickly with Pietsch joining him on the podium, and thus Salvadori must settle for 4th as has become the norm this season.