The Best F1 Drivers Of The 1950s – Global Sports Planet

Editorial credit: Joseph Sohm / Shutterstock.com

The first Formula 1 world championship was held in 1950, with the first race taking place on the Silverstone circuit. During the following decades, F1 would establish itself as one of the most prestigious and famous motorsport categories and one of the most popular sports in the world.

Hundreds of drivers and teams have competed in Formula 1 since 1950, leaving their mark on the category, whether through their achievements and successes, or their hardships. Much has changed since the early days when there were hardly any safety measures like seat belts, barriers or helmets, so it was normal that there were several deaths each season.

It was known who was going to start the season, but not who was going to finish it. The early pioneers of Formula 1 had to have great skill to drive those cars, as they were not easy to drive, and even more so, they had to have bravery and courage, and also a bit of luck.

Today we will review some of the best F1 drivers of the 1950s, who laid the foundations of the category and made it possible for Formula 1 to become what it is today.

1. Juan Manuel Fangio

Active years: 1950-1951, 1953-1958

Entries: 52

Wins: 24

Podiums: 35

Pole Positions: 29

World Champion in 1951, 1954, 1955, 1956 and 1957

Juan Manuel Fangio is considered by many to be the best driver in history, and it is not for less, since the Argentine was the undisputed king of the 1950s. \”El Maestro\” was one of the pioneers of the first generation of F1 drivers, and between 1950 and 1958 he won five championships with four different teams: Alfa Romeo, Mercedes, Ferrari and Maserati.

Fangio has long been the most successful driver in F1 history until he was beaten by Michael Schumacher, although he holds the record for the highest winning percentage at 46%.

In 1950, the inaugural championship, Fangio was runner-up, beaten by Nino Farina by just 3 points, and in 1951 he won his first championship with Alfa Romeo. In 1952 he was unable to compete, as F1 decided to run Formula 2 specs, and Alfa Romeo was unable to build a new car.

That season, Fangio was going to race with BRM, but a serious accident in Monza left him off the track for several months. In 1953, already recovered, he was runner-up again, this time behind Alberto Ascari.

His fortune would change from the next season, winning the 1954 and 1955 championships with Mercedes, and with the withdrawal of the German team from the competition, he raced with Ferrari in 1956 and with Maserati in 1957, also achieving both world titles.

Fangio retired after three races in 1958 and in 1987 became Honorary President for Life of Mercedes-Benz Argentina until his death in 1995.

Juan Manuel Fangio is one of the best, if not the best, drivers in F1 history, not only because of his incredible speed but also because of his ability to quickly adapt to any car and team, in an era where safety was conspicuous by its absence, which is why he is highly esteemed by all F1 drivers.

2. Alberto Ascari

Active years: 1950-1955

Entries: 33

Wins: 13

Podiums: 17

Pole Positions: 14

World Champion in 1952 and 1953

Alberto Ascari was one of Fangio\’s toughest rivals, and one of the most notorious figures in the history of F1 and Scuderia Ferrari, as he was the first driver to win a championship for the Prancing Horse. He is also the last Italian to have won a world title.

After finishing fifth in 1950 and runner-up in 1951, Ascari\’s dominating spell with Ferrari began in 1952. That season, the Italian dominated the grid, scoring 6 wins and 6 fastest laps in the 8-race championship. 1953 was also a very dominant year, obtaining 5 wins.

With his two titles in 1952 and 1953, Ascari became the first driver to win multiple world championships. In 1954 he raced for Maserati, Ferrari and Lancia, although he did not finish any races, just like in 1955.

In this very dangerous age, when driving one of those cars was not easy at all and could cost you your life, Ascari was one of the safest drivers due to his careful precision and finely-judged accuracy. Ascari was highly superstitious and took great pains to avoid tempting fate.

Unfortunately, however, Ascari was killed in an accident at Monza during a test session for Ferrari. His inexplicable fatal accident, at the same age as his father\’s, on the same day of the month and under very similar circumstances, remains one of F1\’s great tragic coincidences.

3. Stirling Moss

Active years: 1951-1961

Entries: 67

Wins: 16

Podiums: 24

Pole Positions: 16

Championship runner-up four times (1955, 1956, 1957 and 1958) and 3rd three times (1959, 1960 and 1961)

Sir Stirling Moss is considered the best driver in the history of F1 who has not won a world championship, which is why he is known as the “knight without a crown”. He is also the driver with the most wins without getting a title, making him one of the best drivers in history.

He grew up in a family linked to motorsports, as his father was an amateur driver who came to race in the Indy 500, and soon he got into the world of racing. Moss made his Formula 1 debut in 1951, competing in sporadic races until 1953, and from 1954 he joined the championship full-time.

In 1954 he got his first podium, and from 1955 on he established himself as one of the best drivers of his generation, being runner-up four times in a row between 1955 and 1958 and third three consecutive times between 1959 and 1961, achieving numerous victories and podiums, and always in the fight for the championship.

In 1958, he was just one point away from winning the championship, behind Mike Hawthorn. Moss displayed an act of sportsmanship and chivalry at the Portuguese GP when, in speaking to the stewards after the race, he prevented his rival Hawthorn from being disqualified for bump starting his stalled car.

Stirling Moss retired from motor racing in 1962 after an accident at the Goodwood circuit, which left him in a coma for a month and half a year with the left side of his body paralyzed. Moss has been one of the most consistent and classy drivers of all time and will go down in the history books as one of the best.

4. Giuseppe Farina

Active years: 1950-1956

Entries: 36

Wins: 5

Podiums: 20

Pole Positions: 5

Wolrd Champion in 1950

Giuseppe “Nino” Farina wrote his name in the history books by becoming the first Formula 1 world champion in 1950, as well as winning the first Grand Prix at Silverstone.

Farina raced the first two seasons, 1950 and 1951, with Alfa Romeo, and had a tough fight with his teammate Juan Manuel Fangio. In 1950, despite the fact that they both achieved 3 victories, the Italian beat the Argentine, who had accumulated more retirements.

In 1951 fortunes changed, and it was Fangio who finished first in the championship, with Farina fourth. Between 1952 and 1955, Farina drove for Ferrari, finishing second in the championship in 1952, behind teammate Ascari, and third in 1953.

In 1954, Farina had two serious accidents in sports cars from which he would never fully recover, and he had to take morphine to withstand the pain when he was driving, so from then on, he would only participate in sporadic races. Even so, we could still see glimpses of the Italian\’s talent, scoring two podium finishes at the 1955 Argentine and Belgian GPs.

Following his retirement in 1955, Farina became involved in Alfa Romeo and Jaguar distributorships and later assisted at the Pininfarina factory. Farina died in 1966 in a car accident on his way to the French GP, where he going to take part in the filming of the movie Grand Prix.

5. Jack Brabham

Active years: 1955-1970

Entries: 128

Wins: 14

Podiums: 31

Pole Positions: 13

World Champion in 1959, 1960 and 1966

Although most of Australian Sir Jack Brabham\’s successes came in the 1960s, during the 1950s he already demonstrated his talent and potential. Brabham was a Royal Australian Air Force flight mechanic and ran a small engineering workshop before he started racing, so he knew a lot about cars.

Brabham competed in F1 in 1956 and 1957 in sporadic races with Cooper, and in 1958 he joined the championship full-time. Brabham contributed to the design of mid-engined cars, which was in its early days, and Cooper was the first team to introduce them in Formula 1.

In addition, Cooper used 2-litre engines, which were smaller than allowed, so Brabham could not achieve great results during those years.

However, all the hard work of those years paid off in 1959, when Brabham won the championship, using a 2.5-liter Climax engine. Brabham took 2 wins and 2 podiums and beat the previous year\’s champions, Ferrari. Additionally, the Cooper T51 became the first rear-engined car to win the title.

Already in the following decade, in 1960, Brabham and Cooper repeated the success. Years later, the Australian would create his own team, with which he won the title in 1966, becoming the first and so far only driver to win the championship in his own car.

In addition, Brabham became the second driver, behind Fangio, to win three world titles.

6. Mike Hawthorn

Active years: 1952-1958

Entries: 47

Wins: 3

Podiums: 18

Pole Positions: 4

World Champion in 1958

With his world championship in 1958, Mike Hawthorn became the first British driver to win the title. Hawthorn made his F1 debut in 1952, scoring a podium finish that season, which caught the eye of Enzo Ferrari, who signed him in 1953.

That year, Hawthorn got his first win, at the French GP, as well as two podiums. In 1954, the British was third in the championship, with a victory and 3 podiums and behind the Argentines Juan Manuel Fangio and José Froilán.

1955 and 1956 were tough and not very competitive years for Hawthorn, driving for Vanwall, Ferrari, BRM and Maserati. In 1957, Hawthorn returned to driving full-time for Ferrari, scoring a stronger season, with a fourth-place finish in the championship.

Hawthorn\’s best season was his last, 1958, when he became world champion, just one point ahead of Stirling Moss.

However, this title would not have been possible without the generosity of Moss, who at the Portuguese GP stepped in on Hawthorn\’s behalf after he was disqualified for bump starting his stalled car going downhill in the opposite direction, thus restoring him to second place.

In the last race, his teammate Phil Hill slowed and waved Hawthorn through for second place to gain enough points to take the championship.

Hawthorn retired from racing at the end of the season, deeply affected by the death of his teammate and friend Peter Collins two months earlier at the German GP. However, fortune was not on his side, and Hawthorn was killed in a car accident three months after retiring, aged just 29.

7. Tony Brooks

Active years: 1956-1961

Entries: 39

Wins: 6

Podiums: 10

Pole Positions: 3

Championship runner-up in 1959 and 3rd in 1958

Tony Brooks was called the “Racing Dentist” as his father was a dentist and Tony himself studied dentistry at the University of Manchester while starting his racing career as a hobby.

Brooks made his F1 debut in 1956 competing in sporadic races with BRM, and in 1957 he joined the championship full-time with Vanwall, winning his first race at the British GP and taking a podium finish at Monaco. That victory at the British GP, in which he shared car with Stirling Moss, was the first victory for a British manufacturer in F1.

1958 and 1959 were the peak years of his career. In 1958 he finished third with Vanwall despite taking 3 wins as he had many reliability problems, and in 1959 he joined Ferrari and finished second in the championship just four points behind Jack Brabham.

Brooks won 46% of the races he finished between 1956 and 1958, which is pretty remarkable, and if the cards had been played differently, he could have won a championship. He was always aware of the danger of F1, as he lost many friends and teammates, so he was very cautious and retired at the age of 29.

As a curious fact, he is the only winning driver of the 50s that still lives.

8. José Froilán González

Active years: 1950-1957, 1960

Entries: 26

Wins: 2

Podiums: 15

Pole Positions: 3

Championship runner-up in 1954 and 3rd in 1951

José Froilán made his F1 debut in 1950, taking part in two races, and in 1951 he signed for Ferrari, becoming the first Prancing Horse driver to win a race, at the British GP, by beating the unbeatable Alfa Romeo. Froilán got 4 more podiums, which earned him to be third in the championship, just one point behind runner-up Alberto Ascari.

In 1952 and 1953 he raced with Maserati, obtaining several podium finishes. In 1954 he returned to Ferrari, this being his best year, obtaining 4 podiums and 1 victory, and the runner-up, behind Juan Manuel Fangio.

After that season, Froilán would not compete in F1 full-time again, making only sporadic appearances. The fact of having been the first driver to win a race for Ferrari marked the history of José Froilán, being the object of recognition and honored on numerous occasions.

9. Peter Collins

Active years: 1952-1958

Entries: 35

Wins: 3

Podiums: 9

Pole Positions: 0

3rd in the championship in 1956

Peter Collins started racing at just 19 years old, and at the age of 20, he made his F1 debut in 1952 with HW Motors. After four seasons without really competitive cars, and with very poor results, in 1956 his sports career took off when he signed for Ferrari.

That season, Collins was able to show his full potential, being in the fight for the championship alongside his teammate Juan Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss, and earned the appreciation of Enzo Ferrari, who after the death of his son Dino turned to the young British man for solace, treating him like a member of the family.

Collins could have won the title that year, but in the final race of the season, the Italian GP, he voluntarily gave up his car to Fangio, who had suffered a steering-arm failure. This gesture shocked Enzo Ferrari and Fangio himself, earning great appreciation for both.

Collins and Fangio finished second in that race, which earned the Argentine to be champion, while Moss, with his victory, was able to secure the runner-up position. It was a very close fight, as the three drivers finished less than five points apart. In 1957, Ferrari did not have such a competitive car, so he could only get two podium finishes.

In 1958, after a victory at the British GP, and with four races to go, Collins was in contention for the championship, but during the German GP, while following Tony Brooks\’s Vanwall, Collins went wide and lost control of his car, crashing into a tree, which caused him severe head injuries, and he died that afternoon at just 26 years of age.

10. Luigi Musso

Active years: 1953-1958

Entries: 25

Wins: 1

Podiums: 7

Pole Positions: 0

3rd in the championship in 1957

Luigi Musso was an Italian driver who drove in Formula 1 for Maserati between 1953 and 1956 and for Ferrari between 1956 and 1958. Musso was known for the bitter and fierce rivalry he had with the British Mike Hawthorn and Peter Collins during his time at Ferrari.

With Maserati, Musso only competed for one full season in 1955, and in those three years, he scored two podium finishes. When he signed for Ferrari in 1956, his racing career, like that of Collins, took off. In his first race with Ferrari, at the 1956 Argentine GP, he took his only victory, but an accident in a sports car race at the Nurburgring kept him away from the tracks for a few months that year.

In 1957, Musso scored two podium finishes and finished third in the championship, beating rivals and teammates Hawthorn and Collins. In 1958 he achieved two podium finishes as well and was having a solid season, but during the French GP, while chasing the leader Hawthorn, Musso lost control of the car, struck a ditch and somersaulted.

Due to serious head injuries, the Italian driver died that day. Years later, Musso\’s girlfriend, Fiamma Breschi, described the rivalry that the Italian had with the British in the documentary The Secret Life of Enzo Ferrari:

\”The Englishmen (Hawthorn and Collins) had an agreement. Whichever of them won, they would share the winnings equally. It was the two of them against Luigi, who was not part of the agreement. Strength comes in numbers, and they were united against him. This antagonism was actually favorable rather than damaging to Ferrari. The faster the drivers went, the more likely it was that a Ferrari would win.\”

She recalled that Musso was in debt and that the monetary prize awarded to the winner of the 1958 French GP was very important to the Italian. She also commented that she hated Hawthorn and Collins, due to their attitude and that the day Musso died she found them playing and laughing. The following year, they were both dead, and she felt a sense of relief.

\"\" — Editorial credit: Dan74 / Shutterstock.com

Conclusion

You had to be very talented and extremely brave to compete in Formula 1 during the 1950s, since, as we have seen, many drivers died in accidents during races.

Among all the brave who participated in the first decade of F1 history, these are some of the fastest and those who marked an entire generation, serving as an example for future generations, and consolidating the first pillars of the category.