1952 Belgian Grand Prix
| 1952 Formula One Season | |
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 1952 Belgian Grand Prix
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|---|---|
| Date | June 22, 1952 |
| Round | 3 |
| Track | Spa Francorchamps |
| Laps | 36 |
| Weather | Rain, Drying out |
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| Driver | |
| Time | |
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| Driver | |
| Time | |
After the race in Switzerland, Ferrari had had many successful races on the European continent. In one of which however, Luigi Fagioli had suffered a serious injury during a sportscar race at Monte Carlo. After being rushed to hospital, he was declated dead on May 31.
At Spa Francorchamps, Maserati had still not developed their cars. Their Number 1 driver, Juan Manuel Fangio, still could not race, this time due to injuries suffered at the non-championship Monza Grand Prix. This left Ferrari against Gordini and a host of British entrants, including Hersham and Walton Motors, and ERA.
Ferrari dominated practice, with Alberto Ascari taking pole from Giuseppe Farina and Piero Taruffi. Robert Manzon and Jean Behra were fourth and fifth in their Gordini's. Mike Hawthorn put his Cooper in sixth place.
Come the race, and Jean Behra took the lead from Alberto Ascari and Giuseppe Farina. Piero Taruffi had a terrible start and dropped back. Stirling Moss drove well for half a lap until his engine gave up.
Back at the front, the Ferrari's of Ascari and Farina had passed Behra, and on lap 13, Taruffi passed him too to put Ferrari in the top 3 spots. However, at Malmedy, Taruffi span, and Behra was unable to avoid a collision, eliminating both from the race. Robert Manzon soon passed Mike Hawthorn for third.
The positions stayed in that order until the end of the race, despite Hawthorn's car leaking fuel late on. Paul Frere took a popular fifth at his home Grand Prix. Alan Brown took sixth in an impressive result for Cooper.
Results
Bold type denotes bonus point for setting the fastest lap.
| Pos/Lap | Driver | Team | Time/Retired | Grid | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 
| Alberto Ascari | Ferrari | 3:03:46.3 | 1 | 9 |
| 2 |
| Giuseppe Farina | Ferrari | + 1:55.2 | 2 | 6 |
| 3 | 
| Robert Manzon | Gordini | + 4:28.4 | 4 | 4 |
| 4 | 
| Mike Hawthorn | Cooper-Bristol | + 1 lap | 6 | 3 |
| 5 |
| Paul Frere | HWM-Alta | + 2 laps | 8 | 2 |
| 6 |
| Alan Brown | Cooper-Bristol | + 2 laps | 9 | |
| 7 |
| Charles de Tornaco | Ferrari | + 3 laps | 13 | |
| 8 |
| Johnny Claes | Gordini | + 3 laps | 19 | |
| 9 |
| Eric Brandon | Cooper-Bristol | + 3 laps | 12 | |
| 10 | 
| Prince Bira | Simca-Gordini-Gordini | + 4 laps | 18 | |
| 11 |
| Lance Macklin | HWM-Alta | + 4 laps | 14 | |
| 12 |
| Roger Laurent | HWM-Alta | + 4 laps | 20 | |
| 13 |
| Arthur Legat | Veritas | + 5 laps | 21 | |
| 14 |
| Robert O'Brien | Simca-Gordini-Gordini | + 6 laps | 22 | |
| 15 | 
| Tony Gaze | HWM-Alta | + 6 laps | 16 | |
| 17 |
| Robin Montgomerie-Charrington | Aston Butterworth | Engine | 15 | |
| 13 |
| Piero Taruffi | Ferrari | Accident | 3 | |
| 13 |
| Jean Behra | Gordini | Accident | 5 | |
| 10 |
| Ken Wharton | Frazer Nash-Bristol | Accident | 7 | |
| 6 |
| Louis Rosier | Ferrari | Transmission | 17 | |
| 3 |
| Peter Collins | HWM-Alta | Halfshaft | 11 | |
| 0 |
| Stirling Moss | ERA-Bristol | Engine | 10 |
| Pole Position - Alberto Ascari, Ferrari, 4:37.0 |
| Fastest Lap - Alberto Ascari, Ferrari, 4:55.0 |
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| Tracks: Nivelles • Spa • Zolder |
