British GP 1957

British GP, 1957

Having missed the French Grand Prix both Vanwall drivers were back in action at Aintree and it was Stirling Moss who set the fastest time in practice with Tony Brooks third on the grid behind the Maserati of Jean Behra. Stuart Lewis-Evans appeared in a third Vanwall but he was only sixth on the grid.

Juan-Manuel Fangio qualified his Maserati fourth with team mates Harry Schell seventh and Carlos Menditeguy 11th. The Lancia-Ferraris of Mike Hawthorn and Peter Collins were fifth and eighth with Maurice Trintignant and Luigi Musso ninth and 10th in similar cars. BRM had two cars but Les Leston was only 12th and Jack Fairman was 16th. Roy Salvadori reappeared in one of the two Cooper-Climaxes entered, the other being driven by Jack Brabham.

At the start of the race Behra took off into the lead with Moss in hot pursuit and it was the Englishman who emerged ahead at the end of the lap, to the delight of the partisan crowd. Brooks was third with Hawthorn fourth and Collins fifth. There were four British drivers in the top five positions. They came Schell, Musso and Fangio. Moss was able to build up his lead but then the car began to sound rough and he pitted. Behra took the lead with Brooks behind him but the second Vanwall driver was soon called into the pits to give his car to Moss who rejoined in ninth position. he began to work his way through the field. Behra remained ahead with Hawthorn unable to challenge him. Then came Lewis-Evans and Collins. Moss was quickly back up to fifth. The field was thinned out by a series of mechanical failures including Fangio and Collins. Moss caught Lewis-Evans but then on lap 69 the whole race changed when Behra's clutch exploded. Hawthorn ran over some of the wreckage and suffered a puncture. Lewis-Evans took the lead but was passed almost immediately by Moss. The dream of a Vanwall 1-2 was punctured when Lewis-Evans suffered a broken throttle linkage which dropped him to seventh place. Moss duly won the race, claiming the first World Championship victory for a British car. Musso was second with Hawthorn third.

POSNODRIVERENTRANTLAPSTIME/RETIREMENTQUAL POS
1= 20 Tony Brooks Vanwall VW (57)   3 
1= 20 Stirling Moss Vanwall VW (57) 90 3h06m37.800s   
2 14 Luigi Musso Lancia Ferrari 801 90 3h07m03.400s  10 
3 10 Mike Hawthorn Lancia Ferrari 801 90 3h07m20.600s  5 
4= 16 Maurice Trintignant Lancia Ferrari 801   9 
4= 16 Peter Collins Lancia Ferrari 801 88   
5 36 Roy Salvadori Cooper-Climax T43 85  15 
6 38 Bob Gerard Cooper-Bristol T44 82  18 
7 22 Stuart Lewis-Evans Vanwall VW (57) 82  6 
r 34 Jack Brabham Cooper-Climax T43 74 Clutch 13 
8 32 Ivor Bueb Maserati 250F 71  19 
r 4 Jean Behra Maserati 250F 69 Clutch 2 
r 12 Peter Collins Lancia Ferrari 801 53 Mechanical 8 
r= 18 Stirling Moss Vanwall VW (57)   1 
r= 18 Tony Brooks Vanwall VW (57) 51 Engine  
r 2 Juan-Manuel Fangio Maserati 250F 49 Engine 4 
r 24 Jack Fairman BRM P25 46 Engine 16 
r 26 Les Leston BRM P25 44 Engine 12 
r 6 Harry Schell Maserati 250F 39 Mechanical 7 
r 8 Carlos Menditeguy Maserati 250F 35 Transmission 11 
r 28 Jo Bonnier Maserati 250F 18 Transmission 17 
ns 30 Horace Gould Maserati 250F  Accident/ Injury 14