Date 24 October 1954 | Course length 6.316 km (3.925 mi) | |
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Official name XII Gran Premio de España Location Pedralbes Circuit, Barcelona, Spain Course Temporary street circuit Distance 80 laps, 505.280 km (313.966 mi) | ||
The 1954 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 24 October 1954 at Pedralbes. It was the ninth and final round of the 1954 World Drivers' Championship. The 80-lap race was won by Ferrari driver Mike Hawthorn after he started from third position. Luigi Musso finished second for the Maserati team and Mercedes driver Juan Manuel Fangio came in third.
Contents
Race report
The long-awaited Lancia D50s arrived-using their 90 degree V8 engine as a stiffening aid for the chassis; they were simple but brilliantly designed. Ascari immediately set the fastest practice lap and led from pole.
Villoresi in the fellow Lancia retired with brake trouble after just 1 lap and Ascari succumbed to clutch problems after 9 laps.
Various other drivers took the lead and then retired-Schell spun off, Trintignant had mechanical problems and Moss overheated (one of several retirements caused by flying newspaper jamming the radiator ducts). The race boiled down to a duel between Hawthorn and Fangio but the Argentine was losing oil and lost second place to Musso. Hawthorn hung on to take the win with Fangio driving well to claim the final podium position.
This proved to be the last major race held at the Pedralbes street circuit. The Le Mans disaster in 1955 meant tighter safety regulations, and the spectator-lined street circuit in the Pedralbes neighborhood of Barcelona was abandoned and has not been used since.