1955 Dutch GP

## Track Facts

* Name – Zandvoort
* Location – Netherlands
* Corners – 9
* Laps – 90
* Base (Worst) Lap Time – 2:30.000
* Lap Record (Real Life) – 1:40.000 (Juan Manuel Fangio)
* Lap Record (F1R) – 1:42.788 (Elie Bayol)
* Pit Lane Length – 20 seconds
* Fuel Consumption – Low
* Tyre Wear – Medium

## Qualifying

In a mixed session several drivers were caught out badly by the tough Zandvoort track and the unpredictable weather conditions! First of all notable absentees from the grid include the Gordini of Birger, the Lancia of Taruffi, the Ferrari of Iglesias and most surprisingly the current 3rd placed man in the championship Stirling Moss - who simply doesn't get out of the garage in time to take part!

The pressure may be off Farina slightly for that, but the Ferrari driver fails to capitalise on this as he only manages 6th place on the grid as the sole Ferrari to qualify. He will line up behind one of the Lancia pair, as Maglioli produces his best qualifying of the season to start 5th, whilst Brabham is a respectable 11th place overall.

Further down the field Connaught bring a large contingent to the race, but despite 5 of the 6 team-members making the grid their best driver is only 20th overall - still a strong performance for da Silva Ramos given the car's handling issues. He is joined by Sparken (22nd), Claes (23rd), Rolt (29th) and Fangio (32nd).

The Argentine driver was one of several to be caught out by the wet weather at the end of the session, as he was yet to set a lap before the rain came down. The most high profile victim of this was defending champion Hans Herrmann, who lines up a lowly 27th overall - it will be one hell of a drive to get anything from there! His team-mates fare slightly better, with Perdisa and Castellotti in 14th and 15th respectively.

Vanwall also struggled this time around, as their car development has been sub-par so far this season - Collins starts 18th, with Bayol 25th and Menditeguy 26th. Gordini also have a session to forget, though Pollet's 21st in a decent effort, with Simon in 28th and Ascari 31st overall.

The surprise package of this session is Arzani-Volpini! The tiny Italian marque come out of nowhere with the tiniest performance tweak that seems to have given confidence to their drivers - though Uria is only 30th, the team has Piotti in 19th, Whiteaway in 17th, Bucci in 13th and Paul Frere on his 1st race back in an incredible 10th place!!!

A mixed qualifying for Cooper meanwhile, as Hawthorn has an accident early on to put him in 24th, Fairman is a solid 16th, but Villoresi puts in some excellent lap-times to close out 4th place on the grid with a real shot at the team's 1st points of the season!

That leaves 2 teams - the 2 that fought over the pole all session long. HWM and Mercedes may not have been the teams everyone expected to be at the sharp end, but this qualifying session went down to the wire between them - first though to round off those who played a supporting role; Salvadori was 12th, Trintignant bagged a great 7th place on his return, McAlpine lines up 9th and Fitch claims 8th place on the grid.

That left the 2 HWMs of Wharton and Lucas to battle it out with the Mercedes of Kling - and though the German managed to get the better of Lucas by just over 0.1 seconds he could not match the pace of the HWM as Ken Wharton is the only man to break the 2:10 barrier to build on his hat-trick and take a 2nd consecutive pole position this season!

## Grid

Wharton looks strong here, and he will be tough to beat if he can get his HWM hooked up - traditionally Farina has been his closest competitor, but the championship leader is in a lowly 6th after Ferrari struggled in qualifying - and with no team-mates in the race how will that play out for the Italian?

Mercedes are looking strong again with Kling back to his old tricks in 2nd place and the returning Trintngnant down in 7th, but the likes of Lucas in the HWM, Villoresi in the Cooper and Maglioli in the Lancia will all be aiming for the podium here in the Netherlands. Finally Arzani-Volpini look closer to the pace, but with the mixed-up grid and the threat of rain in the air it should be an exciting race when we get under-way!!!

## Race Commentary

*Lap 1* - Wharton gets a solid start - but he must be stunned to see the man behind him already is none other than Farina! The Italian gets off the line perfectly, swerving around Maglioli, Villoresi, Lucas and Kling to move into 2nd place! Kling and Lucas are in 3rd and 4th place as it stands.

Trintignant gets away well, moving from 5th to 7th whilst Villoresi drops down from 4th to 6th, Fitch moves up to 7th and Maglioli drops to 8th place. Salvadori moves quickly away from the start and gets into 9th place ahead of McAlpine. However the best start BY FAR goes to Herrmann, who not only gallops into the top 20, but also manages to manoeuvre his way into an impressive 11th place.

Perdisa is up to 12th, ahead of Frere, Castellotti, Brabham and Fairman - who maintains position at the start. Bucci is now 17th after a poor start for him, though both Whiteaway and Piotti are now in 18th and 19th respectively for Arzani with da Silva Ramos holding his top 20 place too.

However it's an early exit for Pollet, Bayol and Uria who all get tangled up after the Gordini brakes too soon for Tarzanbocht, and is hit by the Vanwall - as they slide across the track they collect the Arzani-Volpini of Uria too to knock all 3 out at the first corner.

Finally Menditeguy pits after starting on wet tyres, and comes out right at the back of the pack - though at least with the correct tyres on now!

*Lap 2* - Farina is already starting to close the gap to Wharton - but there's still at least 1 second between them as it stands. Salvadori also gets the better of Maglioli here, with a well judged move at Marlboro to slide past the Lancia.

Herrmann continues his brilliant start to the race by making a pass on McAlpine look simple to move into the top 10. Meanwhile Fairman has a brilliant lap, as the Cooper not only manages to pass Brabham at Gerlachbocht, but also moves past Castellotti at Rob Slotemakerbocht to claim 14th place.

*Lap 3* - There's a lot of jostling in the mid-field with Trintignant in 5th down to Herrmann 10th separated by less than 3 seconds. Meanwhile at the back of the field Menditeguy catches and passes Claes; the Vanwall's next target will be the Gordini's of Simon and Ascari.

*Lap 4* - Farina moves to within 2 tenths of Wharton, whilst Menditeguy is now only 5 seconds behind Ascari…

*Lap 5* - Lucas is pressuring Kling for 3rd place, but no positions have changed at the front for a while as the leaders are clearly eager not to cause any damage to their cars in the opening laps. Meanwhile though the Arzani-Volpini scrap behind Frere is hotting up, as Piotti gets a great slipstream and moves into 18th ahead of Whiteaway at Bos Uit.

Menditeguy's comeback is still very much under-way, with a strong pass on Ascari to move himself into 27th place. He's only moving about as fast as the Connaughts at the outskirts of the top 20 though, so don't expect miracles!

*Lap 6* - McAlpine spins at Hugenholtzbocht, gifting Perdisa 12th place and damaging his car in the process - could be some tough laps ahead for the HWM driver. Piotti continues to advance in the inter-Arzani scrap, as he dispatches Bucci with a swift overtake at Gerlachbocht. Menditeguy is within 3 seconds of Simon as the Vanwall continues to make up for that early pit-stop.

*Lap 7* - Farina continues to pressure Wharton, whilst Lucas has a look up the inside of Kling but thinks better of it. Trintignant is still holding up a whole group of drivers, with everyone down to Herrmann still in contention for that final points paying position!

Meanwhile McAlpine's damage is starting to show, as he is powerless to defend against a whole group of drivers - Frere goes the long way around, whilst Fairman opts to go for the more direct inside route and despite a wheel on the grass takes not only the HWM but the Arzani as well. McAlpine then pulls wide, allowing both Castellotti and Brabham through - both have a far better run therefore on the two ahead of them; the Lancia takes Frere, whilst the Maserati forges his way to the front of that whole group!!!

Further back Menditeguy not only passes Simon, but also moves his way past team-mate Collins too - as the Brit really looks to be struggling with the Vanwall's handling. Hawthorn is now the next target for the Argentinian…

*Lap 8* - McAlpine is losing ground to Piotti and surely must come in soon to mend that damage. Meanwhile Menditeguy easily scythes his way past Hawthorn, but now has about 30 seconds to make up on the Connaught of Sparken ahead.

*Lap 9* - Maglioli takes a look at Salvadori, but there's still no place swapping in that group from 5th to 10th. Farina is being blocked by Wharton at the front now, as they dice for position the way fans have long hoped to see! Meanwhile da Silva Ramos slides wide at Sheivlak and damages his under-body, meaning that his top 20 place now looks under threat from his team-mates!

*Lap 10* - McAlpine finally pits to fix his damaged car - which lets all 3 Arzani-Volpini drivers through with the HWM out in 19th place. As predicted da Silva Ramos loses his 20th place to a team-mate as Rolt easily moves past the Brazilian at Panoramabocht.

*Lap 11* - Ascari is out!!! The Gordini gets it all wrong at Marlboro, and crashes through they hay bales at the side of the track to end his race with steam coming from the car's engine. Claes will take 28th place as a result. Elsewhere it seems the race has settled down a little…

*Lap 12* - Despite the pressure from Farina, Wharton sets the fastest lap of the race - but no-one has any idea how fast that Ferrari could be if he wasn't being held up!!! Simon is pressuring Collins, though as yet he's been unable to make his way past the Vanwall.

*Lap 13* - Salvadori gets the better of Fitch - the Mercedes pounces at Panoramabocht to claim 7th place. One wonders whether - should he be able to pass Villoresi - if Trintignant will oblige and let him through!

*Lap 14* - Wharton breaks the 2:22 barrier - but still is less than 1 second ahead of the persistent Ferrari of Farina! Whiteaway is coming under pressure from the recovering HWM of McAlpine - and the Arzani driver shows the cracks starting to appear as he gets his entry to Hugenholtzbocht all wrong, and has clearly done some damage to his suspension as a result!

*Lap 15* - Another sub 2:22 lap for Wharton, but Farina goes a little better with a 2:21.821! Still very tight all throughout the top 10, though changes afoot at the lower end of the top 20 as Whiteaway can do nothing to prevent McAlpine taking 18th place. Outside the top 20 Menditeguy manages to move past Sparken as well, and will now be looking to close down Fangio for 22nd place.

*Lap 16* - The 1st scheduled stops of the race take place, with Perdisa and Fairman coming in to change their tyres - both opt for dry tyres despite the low-hanging black clouds over the circuit. That moves Castellotti into 11th, Brabham 12th and the Arzani's of Frere, Piotti and Bucci in 13th to 15th places.

The Maserati emerges in 16th, with McAlpine pressuring him now in 17th and Fairman a few seconds back in 18th place. It's worth noting that Fangio is really pushing the ailing da Silva Ramos for 21st place as it stands too, and Simon is yet to give up on passing Collins for 26th either!

*Lap 17* - Farina pits from 2nd place to put on another set of dry tyres - an earlier stop for the Ferrari, who will be delighted to have some clear air to show his true pace in! However it's a disastrous pit exit after a really lacklustre stop from the mechanics who didn't seem at all prepared - the Italian comes out between Trintignant and Villoresi, which he definitely didn't want to happen!

Of course that means we have 2 HWMs on the podium as it stands, with Kling sandwiched between them and the Mercedes of Trintignant in 4th. Further back McAlpine comes in for his 1st scheduled stop, and loses a place to Fairman as a result. Fangio takes da Silva Ramos for 21st on this lap as well.

*Lap 18* - Wharton relaxes in the lead, and sets a strong lap-time now he has over 30 seconds advantage to any other driver. Behind him there are several pit-stops taking place, though no driver takes the risk to put on wet tyres at this stage of the race.

Lucas is first to come in, and with Farina making light work of passing Trintingant the Ferrari is already back up to 3rd, with the Mercedes 4th and the Cooper of Villoresi in a points paying position in 5th place. Salvadori, Fitch and Maglioli sit between 6th and 8th place as Lucas comes out in 9th overall.

Herrmann also comes in, allowing Castellotti inside the top 10 and Brabham up to 11th place, with the defending champion out in 12th. Further back Whiteaway pits to fix his damage, letting Rolt up to 19th, but the Arzani does come out still inside the top 20 at least.

Fangio also comes in, allowing da Silva Ramos back into 21st - and giving Menditeguy a new target to go after with about a 20 second deficit for the Vanwall to make up. Sparken and Simon both pit, though no positions change as a result.

*Lap 19* - The threat of rain hangs heavy over the track, and several spectators are grabbing their umbrella's in preparation for what could be a real downpour! Despite that the 3 drivers who come in this lap elect to put on dry tyres, though in fairness the track is still dry as it stands.

Fitch comes in to elevate Maglioli to 7th and team-mate Lucas up to 8th (who's currently enjoying a lot of free air in front). Piotti also comes in, and lets through Bucci - though it's a short-lived 14th for the Argentinian as Perdisa gains 2 places in the space of a lap thanks to a great pass at Tarzanobcht. Fairman and McAlpine both go through before Piotti emerges in 18th place. Claes also pits on this lap from 28th and last.

*Lap 20* - There is rain on track!!! It's still only a small drizzle as it stands, but it's definitely raining - and as a result MANY drivers come in to change tyres. 2 drivers time it perfectly with their own scheduled stops, as both Salvadori and Rolt will feel delighted to have done so well here.

Otherwise Wharton, Kling, Trintignant, Maglioli, Brabham, Herrmann, Perdisa, Fairman, da Silva Ramos, Fangio, Menditeguy, Sparken, Collins, Simon and the luckless Claes all come in to switch over to wet tyres.

Thanks to a superb lap and a decent stop Wharton does come back out in the lead, with about 15 seconds over Farina as it stands. Villoresi is now 3rd about 5 seconds further back, with Lucas up to 4th place 12 seconds behind the Cooper.

Kling comes out in 5th, with Salvadori 6th, Fitch 7th and Trintignant in 8th - much to the relief of those ahead of him! Maglioli is out in 9th, with Castellotti still retaining his top 10 place as he stays out. Frere is up to 11th, from Bucci 12th, Brabham 13th, Herrmann 14th, McAlpine 15th, Piotti 16th, Fairman 17th, Perdisa 18th, Whiteaway 19th and Rolt 20th.

*Lap 21* - It's still only light rain on track, and Wharton is still setting the pace despite being on dry tyres as it stands. Several drivers are really struggling to get heat into their tyres as the temperature has perceptibly dropped, and it appears to be particularly affecting the Lancia of Maglioli, who loses out to Castellotti here.

The Maserati also gains a place thanks to Trintignant taking his scheduled stop on this lap as well - the Mercedes come out on wet tyres to re-focus his attack. Bucci makes a scheduled stop to move on to wet tyres too, in a strong move for the Arzani.

Though Brabham does initially benefit from this, the Lancia is really struggling for pace just like his team-mate, and he quickly loses places to both Herrmann and McAlpine. Piotti, Fairman and Perdisa all go through before Bucci emerges from the pits in 19th place.

*Lap 22* - Wharton pits from the lead for his first scheduled stop - promoting Farina into the lead of the race for the 1st time today! Villoresi makes a well-timed scheduled stop to switch to wet tyres, whilst Lucas reacts to the conditions to switch to wets too.

Kling makes a scheduled stop too, all of which means that Salvadori is now in 3rd place overall! Kling now sits 4th, as the HWM mechanics clearly weren't expecting Lucas to come in at this stage. Villoresi comes out from his stop in 5th, with Lucas out in 6th place too.

Fitch reacts to the conditions and again the HWM mechanics are clearly not expecting the stop, and with Trintignant making a pass on Castellotti at Sheivlak the Mercedes is now into 7th place! The Maserati is 8th, from Maglioli 9th and the incredible Arzani of Frere in a brilliant 10th place overall!

Fitch is a couple of seconds behind in 11th, with Herrmann in 12th place. McAlpine is another HWM reacting to the conditions - much to the surprise of the team's mechanics! Brabham pits for a scheduled stop here too, which moves Fairman up to 13th after a strong move on Piotti pays dividends at Panoramabocht.

Perdisa also passes the Arzani to sit 14th, with Piotti 15th and Bucci 16th. McAlpine is out in 17th, with Brabham 18th. Whiteaway pits to change on to wet tyres, moving Rolt back into 19th and da Silva Ramos into the top 20 as well. Whiteaway does emerge in 21st though. Hawthorn and Collins pit on this lap too, but there are no changes in position as a result.

*Lap 23* - Farina comes in to switch over to wet tyres, and it's an incredibly slow stop - the Ferrari mechanics didn't realise he'd come into the pits until Farina jumped out of the car and ran into the garage to get them to come out and put on the wet tyres!!! Extraordinary scenes here!!!

Naturally that means Wharton now leads again, with Salvadori in an unlikely 2nd place around 30 seconds down, from Kling 3rd, Villoresi 4th, Lucas 5th (and bearing down quickly on those in front!) and Trintignant in 6th place. Farina comes out in 7th place, and looks visibly stunned by his team's incompetence!

Maglioli and Castellotti both pit to move Fitch into 8th, with the Lancia out in 9th place. Herrmann is also looking like he's enjoying the conditions as he moves up to 10th, with Castellotti out in 11th place on DRY TYRES?!? A surprising move from the Maserati - but who knows if he will turn out to be correct?

Frere loses his top 10 spot by virtue of a pit to change over his tyres, elevating Fairman to 12th and Perdisa 13th with the Arzani out in 14th position. Another Arzani coming in to change tyres is Piotti, meaning Bucci briefly holds 15th before McAlpine uses the HWM's improved power to overhaul the Argentinian.

Brabham is now 17th, with Rolt 18th and Piotti out in 19th. A scheduled stop for da Silva Ramos moves Whiteaway back inside the top 20, with Fangio now sniffing at the back of his Brazilian team-mate with only 3 seconds between them!

Interestingly Collins in the Vanwall has come alive now the rain is coming down, and he powers his way past Hawthorn, with a pace on par with those inside the top 5! What surprises could he spring if he can keep moving forward at the same rate?!?

*Lap 24* - Wharton continues to set the pace, and he looks peerless in these wet conditions - currently some 2 seconds a lap faster than his nearest competitor by lap-time! And 4 seconds a lap faster than Farina too…

That nearest competitor by lap-time is his team-mate Jean Lucas, who shows what he can do with a great pass around the outside of Villoresi at Tarzanbocht! Maglioli makes a scheduled stop on this lap, moving Herrmann into 9th place with the Lancia out in 10th.

Brabham still looks nervous, and slow out there, and Rolt does not hesitate to dispatch him at Marlboro to claim 17th place. Collins easily passes Sparken here as the Vanwall drivers continue to climb up through the places outside the top 20.

*Lap 25* - Lucas is gaining quickly on both Mercedes in 2nd and 3rd, whilst the other Mercedes of Trintignant comes in for another scheduled stop on this lap (bizarrely that's 2 scheduled stops in 4 laps!) and cedes 6th to Farina and 7th to Fitch as a result. Fairman looks confident in these conditions, and passes Castellotti for 11th place. Maglioli and the top 10 will be his next target, which looks eminently achievable!

McAlpine makes a big mistake at Tarzanbocht, and again damages his car a little - likely a recurrence of the previous issue he had in fact. Meanwhile Brabham's car isn't damaged, but given his pace he may want to push a little harder, as Piotti has little difficulty in moving past him for 18th place. Near the back it's interesting to note that Claes is gaining on Simon at a rate of around 10 seconds per lap, with the Gordini in turn catching Hawthorn at a similar rate!

*Lap 26* - Lucas is right behind Kling now, and will be pushing to make it 2 HWM on the podium! Meanwhile Fairman is equally close to Maglioli in his hunt to make it 2 Coopers in the top 10!!! Castellotti's dry tyres are really struggling to grip, now that the rain is lashing it down on the track, and he loses places to both Perdisa and Frere as a result.

*Lap 27* - Lucas powers his way past Kling on the straight after Bos Uit, to easily claim 3rd place. He has about 15 seconds to make up on Salvadori now if he wishes to make it a HWM 1-2! Fairman does pass Maglioli for 10th here as well.

Whiteaway has another off, as the Arzani really struggles with some of the lower grip corners - and there's some definite damage to his car too.

*Lap 28* - Positions are changing all the way up the field, as the wet weather specialist start to come to the fore. Frere passes Maglioli for 12th place, whilst despite his damaged car McAlpine moves past the dry-clad Maserati of Castellotti for 14th on track.

Da Silva Ramos gets the better of the struggling for Whiteaway for a top 20 place, but the man under real pressure is Brabham, who is liable to be passed by both unless he can drastically improve his pace! Also on this lap, Simon easily moves past Hawthorn for 26th place and will now look to close down Sparken's Connaught.

*Lap 29* - Lucas is now within 8 seconds of Salvadori, whilst Perdisa is trading lap-times with Fairman as they squabble over the final top 10 position. McAlpine comes in to fix his damaged car, which briefly moves Castellotti back into 14th place despite his dry tyres.

Da Silva Ramos and Whiteaway both pass Brabham, who is now in 21st place with Fangio right behind him!

*Lap 30* - The relentless pace of Wharton means he now has over 1 minute advantage over Salvadori in 2nd place, who now has Lucas within 3 seconds of him! At the same time things go from bad to worse for Farina, as he pushes too hard in his chase for a points position and fails to slow it down in time for Tarzanbocht - doing some damage to his under-body as he runs over the rough ground off track!

Frere pits to move Maglioli into 12th, Castellotti up to 13th and McAlpine back up to 14th place - the Belgian emerges in 15th but is at least still the top-ranked Arzani-Volpini in the race. Fangio easily passes Brabham and will now be targeting Whiteaway to make his way into the top 20 for the 1st time this race!

*Lap 31* - Lucas is right on the back of Salvadori now in the battle for 2nd - and Farina is bleeding time to Fitch as he endeavours to keep going despite the damage to his car. McAlpine re-passes Castellotti, who is still on dry tyres and will now be hunting down Maglioli for 12th place. Frere also passes Castellotti on this lap too to move up to 14th position.

Fangio takes Whiteaway, who can do nothing to defend with his damaged Arzani, meaning the Connaught driver joins Rolt and da Silva Ramos inside the top 20.

*Lap 32* - It's been coming for a while, but Lucas finally pulls the trigger and slipstreams around the outside of Salvadori to make it an HWM 1-2 and move the Mercedes down to 3rd and 4th respectively. Fitch is now right on the back of Farina, and it looks unlikely the HWM will stay behind him for long.

Fairman and Perdisa both pit for new fresh wet tyres (the Cooper mechanics do a far better job!), but neither lose position thanks to how slow Maglioli is going! Indeed the Lancia loses 12th place to McAlpine as another HWM is charging through the field at the same time as his team-mates!!!

Further back Menditeguy passes Brabham for 22nd place as the Vanwall pairing continue to fight their way towards the top 20 at a pace in these wet conditions.

*Lap 33* - Farina loses 6th to Farina, and the Ferrari's chance of points is now looking somewhat slim. He must be relieved that 1 score will be dropped this season!!! Frere takes Maglioli for 13th as the Lancia team continue to lose places all down the field.

*Lap 34* - An eventful lap right down the order - near the front Farina makes a scheduled stop, and fixes his car at the same time too. It must be galling for the Italian though, as he sees Wharton come through to lap him now! Trintignant reclaims 7th as a result, with Herrmann now 8th and the Ferrari out and ready to attack in 9th. Rolt passes Bucci for 16th place, as the Connaught continues to quietly improve his position with some deft driving in these treacherous slick conditions.

At the back disaster strikes for another Connaught though, as Sparken out-brakes himself into Tarzanbocht and aquaplanes off the circuit and into the catch-fencing near the circuit to end his race beached in a ditch - thankfully the driver looks unscathed despite the dangerous accident though.

*Lap 35* - McAlpine pits for his latest scheduled stop, allowing Frere to move into 12th place for Arzani-Volpini. Rolt continues his march forward by taking away 15th place from Castellotti at Sheivlak, such is his grip advantage with the right tyres on - though the rain does seem to be slackening off a little!

Collins passes Brabham too, as the Lancia driver will be praying for the rain to end as soon as possible. Menditeguy is also closing in on Whiteaway for 21st place at the moment.

*Lap 36* - The rain is certainly easing off, but that doesn't stop Lucas (who comes in for his pit-stop this lap) electing to continue on wet tyres. The HWM drops down to 4th place as both the Mercedes move past him - though he is only 3 seconds down on Kling as he emerges from the pit-lane.

Herrmann pits and also takes wet tyres, which allows Farina back up to 8th place. McAlpine is pressuring Frere heavily to regain 12th position, but as yet he has had no luck. Both Fangio and Whiteaway pit on this lap to take on wet tyres, which gifts Menditeguy both positions and a place inside the top 20 as a result!

Collins is now within 10 seconds of Whiteaway for 22nd place, though the Arzani-Volpini has at least been repaired now. At the back Claes at last manages to move out of last place, as he dispatches Hawthorn without issue at Bos Uit.

*Lap 37* - The rain continues to abate to only a light drizzle, and there's certainly a dry line starting to form out there - though rain tyres are still narrowly the best choice as it stands. No stops on this lap though, as the teams are clearly waiting to see how those on dry tyres (Castellotti and Hawthorn) perform comparative to their previous lap-times!

Lucas is pushing hard to pass Kling, but the Mercedes holds strong this time around. McAlpine takes Frere for 12th on this lap, as he gets back on the offensive. Rolt takes Maglioli for 14th here as well, whilst Collins is now just 1.4 seconds behind Whiteaway in the battle for 22nd place.

*Lap 38* - The rain has now stopped, and the dry line is becoming more pronounced, but it's still wet tyres as the best choice (though by a very narrow margin) - which creates a dilemma for those with scheduled stops on this lap; namely Fitch, Piotti and Claes. The former two take wet tyres, whilst Claes rolls the dice on going for dry tyres.

Lucas does muscle his way past Kling this time around, with a well-timed move at Hugenholtzbocht to claim a podium place for now. Fitch's pit-stop gifts 6th place back to Trintignant, whilst Castellotti's dry tyres are starting to look a much better choice as he rockets past the Lancia of Maglioli for 15th place.

Piotti's stop allows da Silva Ramos to move up to 18th position, whilst Collins does take 22nd place from Whiteaway's Arzani-Volpini. Also Claes stop allows Hawthorn to move out of last place, and to hopefully build on that using the Cooper's dry pace.

*Lap 39* - And given Castellotti's pace it's clear that dry tyres are now the best option - and so we see a whole host of cars pile into the pits! Wharton, Kling, Trintignant, Herrmann, Farina, Perdisa, Maglioli, Menditeguy, Farina, Collins, Brabham and Simon all elect to react to the conditions to switch over to dries.

Wharton holds onto 1st place, with nearly a minute advantage over 2nd place - meanwhile Villoresi is now 4th thanks to Kling's stop. Fitch moves into 6th ahead of Trintignant, who also loses out on 7th place to Farina as well.

Herrmann retains 9th, with McAlpine now up to 10th and Frere into 11th place ahead of Fairman out in 12th and Perdisa emerging in 13th position. Castellotti claims 14th place, using his new-found grip to comfortably see off Rolt with Bucci moving into 16th ahead of Maglioli. Da Silva Ramos retains 18th, with Piotti 19th and Fangio having a far quicker pit-stop than Menditeguy's to move inside the top 20.

Whiteaway is up to 21st, with Menditeguy coming out of the pits in 22nd and Collins out in 23rd to at least temporarily stall the Vanwall's climb up the standings. Both Hawthorn and Claes overtake Simon, as the Gordini pit-crew are really devoid of any urgency as they change the tyres over from wet to dry.

*Lap 40* - Salvadori makes another scheduled stop, to time it perfectly again for Mercedes and really boost his chances of taking a podium position. Lucas does take advantage and move into 2nd place, though his wet tyres are losing grip and temperature quickly! Meanwhile Kling uses his dry tyres to reclaim 4th from Villoresi, who is still on wets.

Trintignant comfortably retakes 7th place from Farina, who is yet to move back over to the correct tyres. Fairman takes Frere under similar circumstances, while both Rolt and Bucci make their own scheduled stops on this lap to move over to dry tyres.

That moves Maglioli back up 2 places to 15th overall, as the Lancia looks to have recovered its pace thanks to the improved conditions - meanwhile a spin for Piotti has certainly damaged the Arzani's bodywork. Menditeguy re-takes Whiteaway for 21st place, as the Vanwall charge carries on even after the weather change - though Collins is certainly not keeping up quite as well.

*Lap 41* - Lucas finally comes in to move over to dry tyres, which lets Salvadori back into 2nd, Kling into 3rd and even puts Villoresi in 4th position - but the HWM does at least emerge in the points. Fitch also comes in to change tyres, moving Trintignant to 6th and Farina into 7th. McAlpine comes in too, as HWM have a busy lap getting their cars back on track.

All of that means Fitch is now 8th, Herrmann is still 9th and Fairman has claimed a top 10 position. Frere is 11th for a short time, but finds himself helpless to defend against the advancing Perdisa who has the right tyres on for these conditions. McAlpine comes out in 14th place for HWM, and will have a fight on his hands to make his way back up the field.

The improved pace of the Lancia, and the decline of Collins, is shown in stark contrast here as Brabham scythes his way past the Brit without hesitation. Simon also gets the better of Claes this time around to claim 26th position.

*Lap 42* - Villoresi is really losing time, and will be easy prey for Lucas in a lap or two unless he switches to dry tyres very soon! Farina reacts to the condition change a little late, which allows Fitch to take 7th position. Frere's pit for the same reason moves Castellotti into 12th, McAlpine into 13th, Maglioli into 14th and Rolt into 15th overall.

The Arzani emerges in 16th position, still as the #1 in his team with Bucci some 16 seconds behind. Piotti also comes in to change tyres, allowing both Fangio and Menditeguy to move up to 19th and 20th places respectively.

*Lap 43* - A new fastest lap for Wharton, who seems determine to spoil the party for Farina by taking all possible points - with the hat-trick still very much on the table for the HWM! Meanwhile Villoresi pits to change over to dry tyres, ensuring the whole field is now on the tyres they should have on. He drops to 6th place behind both Lucas and Trintignant.

Frere is pressuring Rolt for 15th, but to no avail as yet. Menditeguy takes 19th place from Fangio, as the Vanwall continues his comeback. Piotti also passes the Connaught to move into the top 20 and drop the Argentine down to 21st position.

*Lap 44* - Several drivers make scheduled stops this lap, including Wharton, Kling, the luckless Villoresi, Brabham and Collins. None of the points positions are affected by these stops, though Lucas is now less than a second behind Kling as the Mercedes makes its way back onto the track.

Villoresi's pit allows Fitch back through into 6th place. Meanwhile Frere passes Rolt for 15th again, and Piotti continues his recovery to pass Menditeguy for 19th place.

*Lap 45* - Lucas exerts significant pressure on Kling, but the Mercedes manages to hold his position and deny the HWM a simple pass. Maglioli is also right behind McAlpine now in the fight for 13th place. Hawthorn pits this lap for a scheduled stop, and still comes out in 25th some 10 seconds ahead of Simon's Gordini.

*Lap 46* - Despite a valiant effort Kling can do nothing against the superior handling of the HWM, as Lucas moves back into a podium position with a deft move at Tarzanbocht. Castellotti pits to to switch onto a new set of dry tyres, promoting McAlpine to 12th with the Maserati out in 13th ahead of Maglioli, who also pits on this lap.

Da Silva Ramos makes a scheduled stop but doesn't lose any places in the process. Bucci meanwhile is catching Rolt for 16th place.

*Lap 47* - Bucci does pass Rolt here, with a well-executed pass at Rob Slotemarkerbocht in an otherwise quiet lap.

*Lap 48* - Maglioli is really making up for his slow pace during the wet conditions, with a pass on Castellotti for 13th place at Tarzanbocht. Bucci pushes too hard in his own endeavours to move up the field, as he slides wide at Bos Uit of all places to seriously damage his car and gift Rolt back the place he just took!

Menditeguy comes in for a scheduled stop this lap, allowing Fangio back into 20th and Whiteaway up to 21st as the Vanwall drops back outside the top 20 in another frustrating portion of the race for the British marque.

*Lap 49* - A much quieter lap here, with little to report other than Brabham moving within striking distance of Menditeguy for 22nd place.

*Lap 50* - A far more exciting lap follows though, as Fairman pits and loses 10th to Perdisa - but the Maserati celebrations are short-lived as Perdisa slows and grinds to a halt clearly out of fuel! Another calculation issue for the Maserati team, who have acquired quite a reputation for this sort of misjudgement over the past couple of seasons!

McAlpine is now 11th some 10 seconds down on Fairman, with Maglioli 12th, Castellotti 13th, Frere 14th, Rolt 15th, Bucci 16th, da Silva Ramos 17th, Piotti 18th, Fangio 19th and Whiteaway now back inside the top 20!

*Lap 51* - Brabham passes Menditeguy for what is now 21st place after Perdisa's demise - and the Lancia is now around 15 seconds down on the top 20.

*Lap 52* - Farina is now within 5 seconds of Villoresi, whilst Whiteaway is also closing in on Fangio's 19th place as it stands - otherwise the status quo is preserved.

*Lap 53* - It's all over for Trintignant, as he runs out of fuel going into the final turn. It's delight therefore for Fitch who moves inside the top 5, ahead of Villoresi 6th, Farina 7th, Herrmann 8th, Fairman 9th and McAlpine now inside the top 10!

*Lap 54* - Lucas makes his next scheduled stop on this lap, allowing Kling back into 3rd place as a result. Farina is within a second of Villoresi now in the battle for 6th place. Both Fangio and Whiteaway pit, allowing Brabham and Menditeguy to move into 18th and 19th place respectively with Fangio now rounding out the top 20.

*Lap 55* - Farina's recovery continues apace, as he drops Villoresi down to 7th place with a strong manoeuvre at Tarzanbocht to muscle his way through. McAlpine makes his next scheduled stop, allowing both Maglioli and Castellotti to move past him into 11th and 12th respectively.

Piotti passes da Silva Ramos for 17th on this lap, as the Arzani continues to gain ground on his ailing team-mate Bucci, who is still struggling with the damage to his car.

*Lap 56* - Disaster again for Maserati, as Herrmann is the latest driver to run out of fuel! The defending champion emerges from the car shaking his head in disgust - you have to ask yourself whether he will be willing to put up with another season of this!!!

*Lap 57* - Fitch comes into the pits for a scheduled stop, meaning that Farina is back inside the points. Villoresi is also up to 6th place as a result, meaning that the HWM emerges from the pits in 7th position. Piotti pits and loses a position to da Silva Ramos as a result - whilst Whiteaway passes Fangio for 21st position.

Claes pits on this lap for his next scheduled stop, but it's looking bleak for the Connaught who is falling way behind the likes of Simon and Hawthorn.

*Lap 58* - A quiet lap, with nothing particular to report.

*Lap 59* - Farina comes in for a scheduled stop this time round, emerging behind Villoresi and Fitch in 7th place after his brief tenure in the points. Bucci pits too, and finally fixes his car damage - and doesn't even lose a place in the process!

*Lap 60* - Salvadori comes in for his next scheduled stop, but such is the lead he's built up that he comes out in 2nd place still! And not only that but he's still on the lead lap, though for how much longer is certainly debatable! Frere and Rolt both come into the pits, and though the Connaught mechanics are significantly quicker no positions change hand.

*Lap 61* - Maglioli powers his way past Fairman and into 8th place, as the Lancia must be wishing his wet pace had been better - though with dark clouds again hanging low overhead one wonders if he may have a chance to work on that later this race!

Whiteaway continues to push, and catches Menditeguy napping at Marlboro to force his way up the inside and take 18th place. Thanks to Herrmann's demise Fangio is now inside the top 20 as well for Connaught.

*Lap 62* - Bucci is really catching Rolt at this point - though Wharton looks like he may be the next person to make a pass of significance, as he is now just 11 seconds away from lapping 2nd place man Salvadori!

*Lap 63* - The rain has started to fall on some parts of the circuit, though dry tyres are still just about the better option as there is not enough precipitation to cause a mass tyre change yet…

*Lap 64* - …but now there is! The cross-over point is reached quickly by an unexpected deluge that sends several drivers scurrying into the pits to change tyres. These include Wharton, Kling, Maglioli, Fairman, da Silva Ramos, Brabham, Menditeguy, Farina, Collins, Simon and Claes - several of whom will be delighted to be able to utilise their wet pace, not the least Collins and Claes who have been rather slow in the dry!

Wharton emerges still comfortably in the lead, whilst Lucas moves past Kling into 3rd place for now. Maglioli and Fairman coming in is all that's needed for both Castellotti and McAlpine to move into 8th and 9th respectively, with the Lancia and Cooper out in 10th and 11th places behind them.

Da Silva Ramos' stop allows Piotti by into 15th, but otherwise positions stay the same in the lower half of the grid.

*Lap 65* - Salvadori is bleeding time to Lucas, but still stays out on dry tyres. Even team-mate Kling is significantly quicker than the Brit at this point! Farina has another off this lap, in what has been a very unusual race for the normally dependable Italian - though he recovers from the spin at Hugenholtzbocht there is certainly some damage to the side of his car he'll need to get fixed.

The Lancia's are terribly slow as the rain beats down more heavily, with Maglioli now struggling to defend from Fairman and Brabham slipping back into the clutches of Whiteaway for 17th. Bucci pits for wet tyres this lap, which lets Piotti through into 14th and da Silva Ramos back up to 15th place.

*Lap 66* - Several drivers come into the pits to switch over to wet tyres here, most impressively though Villoresi manages to tie it in to his scheduled stop to remain on course for a very strong finish for Cooper! Also in are the HWMs of Lucas, Fitch and McAlpine - though all with a big enough gap not to affect the others' pitstops. Whiteaway reacts to the condition change as well, whilst Collins makes a scheduled stop here.

All of that sees Kling move back into 3rd place past Lucas, McAlpine drop behind Maglioli and Fairman, who themselves trade places thanks to the Lancia's struggles in the wet. Menditeguy also passes Whiteaway while the Arzani pits to re-take 18th place.

*Lap 67* - A poor lap for the Mercedes, with Salvadori losing over 10 seconds a lap as he struggles with the grip levels on his dry tyres, and with Kling coming in for a scheduled stop this lets Lucas comfortably into a net 3rd place now.

Farina comes in for wet tyres and to fix his damaged car, meanwhile Rolt slides wide at Bos Uit and seriously damages his under-body and the bodywork on the car! Frere pits on this lap too, but none of the above has affected the positions in the race.

Piotti comes in for wet tyres, and lets da Silva Ramos into 14th and Bucci into 15th. Brabham makes his latest scheduled stop, allowing Menditeguy to JUST move past him into 17th place.

*Lap 68* - Salvadori is still losing over 10 seconds per lap to Lucas, and his solid 2nd place is now looking in doubt! Castellotti seems to be remaining on dry tyres again, which makes it easy for Fairman to take away his 8th place at Panoramabocht.

McAlpine takes Maglioli at Tarzanbocht, thanks to the Lancia's wet weather struggles. Da Silva Ramos makes his scheduled stop to advance Bucci into 14th position again. Menditeguy does likewise, which moves Brabham back into 17th and Whiteaway into 18th right on the Lancia's tail. Hawthorn's latest scheduled stop is completed quickly enough to get him out ahead of Simon too.

*Lap 69* - Wharton makes his latest scheduled stop, and Salvadori comes into change onto wet tyres at last! Both come out in the same positions, though Lucas is a mere 5 seconds down on the Mercedes now. Also Wharton has now lapped Salvadori as a result of his slower stop.

Castellotti comes in for a fresh set of dry tyres (he seems set on not using wets for some reason!), which moves McAlpine up to 8th place ahead of the Maserati. Maglioli also makes a scheduled stop but retains 10th position thanks to some sharp work by the mechanics.

Rolt comes in to fix the damage on his car and move over to the wet tyres, though still comes out ahead of Bucci. Whiteaway and Fangio both get the better of Brabham, as the Lancia slides wide at Hugenholtzbocht - though the Connaught is bearing down on the Arzani for what is now 17th position. Menditeguy is also catching this group too!

*Lap 70* - Lucas is now right on the back of Salvadori in the fight for 2nd place, with 1.6 seconds between them. Fairman makes a scheduled stop and allows McAlpine to take 8th place as a result. Fangio is right on the back of Whiteaway now, and Menditeguy slides past Brabham for 19th place.

*Lap 71* - Lucas gets a run on Salvadori into Rob Slotemakerbocht, and makes the move stick by taking the outside line at the 1st part of the corner to give himself the inside into Sheivlak! The HWM 1-2 is back in place!!!

Fitch is gaining ground on Villoresi in the fight for the final points paying position, though there are still around 5 seconds between them. Meanwhile Bucci looks furious with himself, as he gets all crossed up into Hugenholtzbocht and spins the car off the track, which must have caused some damage to his under-body.

Da Silva Ramos pounces to take 14th position thanks to that incident, and further back Simon easily passes Hawthorn for what is now 22nd place.

*Lap 72* - Lucas makes his next stop, falling back behind Salvadori though now ahead of Kling - as the HWM's podium bid looks to be going very well indeed! Meanwhile Whiteaway and Fangio both pit, with the Connaught mechanics doing a great job to leap-frog the Arzani in the pit-lane!!!

That moves Menditeguy up to 17th, Fangio out in 18th and Whiteaway out in 19th place. Simon also pits this lap to gift 22nd back to Hawthorn.

*Lap 73* - The rain is really beating down on the track now, and Hawthorn is the latest victim of the conditions, as he loses control at Panoramabocht and is lucky not to roll the car! The Brit clambers out of the car his bow tie askew, but otherwise unscathed.

Fitch is now 2.2 seconds behind Villoresi, who is gaining on Kling - though the 50+ seconds gap is likely to be enough not to bother the Mercedes. McAlpine makes a scheduled stop, which moves Fairman into 8th place ahead of the HWM who comes out in 9th.

*Lap 74* - A quiet lap here with little to report…

*Lap 75* - The Cooper mechanics have their heads in their hands, as 5th place for Villoresi is snatched away by Fitch, who out-powers the Cooper on the straight down to Bos Uit to make it 3 HWMs in the points! The main hope for the Cooper now has to be that both are gaining ground on Kling ahead in 4th.

Farina stops for an expected stop this time around, and is very much in no-mans land in 7th place with little chance of being caught or indeed claiming any points today!

*Lap 76* - Hope for Cooper! Fitch makes a scheduled stop to move Villoresi back up to 5th - still 55 seconds to Kling though with time running out for him to make an impression on that gap.

Da Silav Ramos has an off at Sheivlak, which damages his car, meanwhile Bucci and Piotti both pit with just enough of a gap for the mechanics to finish the former's pit-stop before the latter makes his way into the pits! Claes makes a scheduled stop on this lap too.

*Lap 77* - Nothing much to report on this lap, other than that Claes has to pit again to move back on to wet tyres after a mistake at the pit-stop. The mechanics are shaking their head, as they knew what tyres he should have been on!

*Lap 78* - McAlpine tries to pass Fairman, but the door is shut at Tarzanbocht to keep the HWM behind for at least one more lap. Another poor lap for Claes, who gets it all wrong at Gerlachbocht of all places to run wide and damage his bodywork.

*Lap 79* - The rain has stopped on track for the most part now, with little warning - question is, will it be worth changing to dry tyres for the last part of the race. Right now the track surface is too wet to consider it, but a few laps with F1 cars going round should shift some of that water and make dries a viable option!

McAlpine passes Fairman this time round, with a well-timed move on the Cooper at Hugenholtzbocht to take 8th place back.

*Lap 80* - The rain tyres are still the best choice out there, albeit only just - and so both Salvadori and Rolt opt for them with their scheduled stops this lap. Will they end up regretting that decision?!?

Lucas now regains 2nd place as a result of that stop from the Mercedes, as quick as it was! Frere passes Maglioli for 11th, as the strong race for Arzani-Volpini continues here.

*Lap 81* - Dry tyres are the best choice now - and several drivers come in to take advantage of this, including Wharton, Kling, Fairman, Maglioli, da Silva Ramos, Menditeguy, Farina, Brabham, Collins, Simon and Claes.

Despite all these stops there is only one position change, as Whiteaway moves past Fangio for 18th place. With the dry conditions back expect the Lancia pair to start attacking the others to salvage something from this race!

*Lap 82* - Bucci pits for dry tyres, elevating Piotti to 15th briefly in an otherwise quiet lap.

*Lap 83* - Lucas comes in for dry tyres here, which moves Salvadori up to 2nd place with the HWM out in 3rd place to all but ensure his podium position. Respite for Villoresi too, as Fitch comes in to switch over to dry tyres.

McAlpine also pits for dries, and lets Fairman back into 8th place as that battle now looks set to go down to the wire with them less than 10 seconds apart! Whiteaway also pits to change his tyres, losing 18th to Fangio as a result.

*Lap 84* - The wet tyres are rapidly losing grip out there, and Salvadori is being hauled in by Lucas at an alarming rate of knots for the 2nd place on the podium. Farina switches over to dry tyres, and comes out still in 7th place with over a minute between him and any other car in front or behind.

Frere comes in to switch to dry tyres to gift Maglioli 11th place back to the Lancia. Meanwhile Piotti stops to switch to dries, letting not only Bucci through but also Menditeguy's Vanwall up to 16th as well!

*Lap 85* - Lucas pulls right onto the back of Salvadori, and the 2nd placed man will really need to pit soon or he runs the risk of Kling also catching him up! Villoresi moves over to dry tyres and thanks to some great work by the Cooper mechanics he comes out around 10 seconds ahead of Fitch with a real shot at the 1st points for the British marque this season.

Meanwhile Piotti easily slipstreams past Menditeguy, as the Vanwall is helpless to defend his 16th pace against the persistent Arzani-Volpini.

*Lap 86* - Salvadori at last pits to put on dry tyres, which does make the HWM 1-2 for Wharton and Lucas all but assured now. Worse still for Salvadori as he comes out of the pits a full 13 seconds down on Kling, as all that time on the wrong tyres has cost the Brit a podium position by the looks.

Rolt also pits for dry tyres this time around, and comes out 13th with a strong chance of keeping his place as top Connaught this race.

*Lap 87* - A quieter lap, with the main focus on track Whiteaway's pursuit of Fangio for 18th place.

*Lap 88* - Nothing to report as the race is clearly winding down, and not even Whiteaway looks likely to change that despite his efforts.

*Lap 89* - The closest cars on track are McAlpine and Fairman, but they are going at about the same pace 6 seconds apart…Wharton sets another fastest lap of the race to stamp his authority on proceedings!

*Lap 90* - And so it's another victory for Wharton, who takes 2 consecutive hat-tricks with real aplomb as he makes the most of the improved car and the fitness regime he has implemented to put the rest of the field to shame. HWM have even more reason to celebrate as Lucas makes it a 1-2, with Kling rounding out the podium for Mercedes and the luckless Salvadori in 4th.

Villoresi brings joy to the Cooper team, who take their 1st points of the season with a 5th place here, from Fitch's HWM in 6th, Farina in a poor 7th by his standards, Fairman in 8th to cap off a great day for Cooper, McAlpine 9th and Castellotti the only surviving Maserati after an unorthodox strategy gives him a top 10 position.

Maglioli is top Lancia in 11th, with Frere top Arzani in 12th and Rolt the best Connaught in 13th from team-mate da Silva Ramos 14th and the 2 Arzanis of Bucci and Piotti 15th and 16th. Menditeguy takes 17th, with Fangio 18th, Whiteaway 19th and Brabham rounding out the top 20.

Collins finishes 21st, with Simon and Claes the only other cars to reach the finish in 22nd and 23rd respectively. Along the way we lost Hawthorn, Herrmann, Trintignant, Perdisa, Spakren, Ascari, Pollet, Bayol and Uria in a race of real endurance here at Zandvoort.

## Race Setups

**How close setups were to perfect**

* 0.554504 Ken Wharton
* 1.10295 Jean Lucas
* 1.498583 Kenneth McAlpine
* 2.032992 Cesare Perdisa
* 2.1148 Jack Fairman
* 2.250024 Roy Salvadori
* 2.3242 Maurice Trintignant
* 2.427872 Karl Kling
* 2.444352 Luigi Villoresi
* 2.551504 Eugenio Castellotti
* 2.921175 Paul Frere
* 2.985152 Hans Herrmann
* 5.033952 Giuseppe Farina (s)
* 5.190575 John Fitch
* 5.945659 Ted Whiteaway
* 7.463148 Luigi Piotti
* 7.722019 Hermano da Silva Ramos
* 7.75584 Carlos Menditeguy
* 7.856408 Clemar Bucci
* 7.9018995 Tony Rolt
* 10.744095 Umberto Maglioli
* 14.65143 Juan Manuel Fangio
* 16.1385775 Jack Brabham
* 19.043375 Peter Collins (s)
* 26.941376 André Simon
* 29.5346425 Mike Sparken
* 32.377792 Mike Hawthorn (s)
* 33.682324 Johnny Claes (s)
* 43.10536 Alberto Ascari (s)