1953 Formula One season

Alberto Ascari won his second consecutive Drivers' Championship.

The 1953 Formula One season was the seventh season of the FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 4th World Championship of Drivers,^[1] which was contested over nine races between 18 January and 13 September 1953.^[2] The season also included several non-championship races and a separate East German Championship.

As in 1952, all races counting towards the Formula One championship, except the Indianapolis 500, were held for cars complying with Formula Two regulations. A couple of non-championship races were still run under Formula One regulations.

The World Drivers' Championship was won by Alberto Ascari driving for Scuderia Ferrari.^[3][4] Ascari became the first driver since the inception of the championship in 1950 to successfully defend his title. It would be his last title, as well as the last for any Italian driver, as of 2024^[update].

For the first time, a championship event was included outside of Europe (with expection of the Indianapolis 500): the 1953 Argentine Grand Prix. It was marred by an accident involving 1950 champion Nino Farina, who crashed into an unprotected crowd, killing nine spectators.

Teams and drivers

The following teams and drivers competed in the 1953 FIA World Championship of Drivers. The list does not include those who only contested the Indianapolis 500.

Entrant	Constructor	Chassis	Engine	Tyre	Driver	Rounds
Officine Alfieri Maserati	Maserati	A6GCM	Maserati A6 2.0 L6	P	Juan Manuel Fangio	1, 3–9
					José Froilán González	1, 3–6
					Felice Bonetto	1, 3, 5–9
					Oscar Gálvez	1
					Johnny Claes	4
					Onofre Marimón	4–9
					Hermann Lang	8
					Sergio Mantovani	9
					Luigi Musso	9
Scuderia Ferrari	Ferrari	500 553	Ferrari 500 2.0 L4 Ferrari 553 2.0 L4	P	Alberto Ascari	1, 3–9
					Nino Farina	1, 3–9
					Luigi Villoresi	1, 3–9
					Mike Hawthorn	1, 3–9
					Umberto Maglioli	9
					Piero Carini	9
Cooper Car Company	Cooper-Bristol Cooper-Alta	T20 T23 Special T24	Bristol BS1 2.0 L6 Alta GP 2.5 L4	D	Alan Brown	1
					John Barber	1
					Adolfo Schwelm Cruz	1
					Stirling Moss	5, 7, 9
Equipe Gordini	Gordini Simca-Gordini	Type 16 Type 15	Gordini 20 2.0 L6 Gordini 1500 1.5 L4	E	Robert Manzon	1
					Harry Schell	1, 3–7, 9
					Maurice Trintignant	1, 3–9
					Jean Behra	1, 4–8
					Carlos Menditeguy	1
					Pablo Birger	1
					Roberto Mieres	3, 5, 9
					Fred Wacker	3–4, 8
Ecurie Rosier	Ferrari	500	Ferrari 500 2.0 L4	D	Louis Rosier	3–7, 9
				E		8
Enrico Platé	Maserati	A6GCM	Maserati A6 2.0 L6	P	Toulo de Graffenried	3
Connaught Engineering	Connaught-Lea-Francis	Type A	Lea-Francis 2.0 L4	D	Roy Salvadori	3, 5–7, 9
					Kenneth McAlpine	3, 6–7, 9
					Stirling Moss	3
					Birabongse Bhanudej	5–7
					Jack Fairman	9
Ecurie Belge	Connaught-Lea-Francis	Type A	Lea-Francis 2.0 L4	E	Johnny Claes	3, 5, 7, 9
					André Pilette	4
Ken Wharton	Cooper-Bristol	T23	Bristol BS1 2.0 L6	D	Ken Wharton	3, 5–6, 8–9
HW Motors	HWM-Alta	53	Alta GP 2.5 L4	D	Peter Collins	3–6
					Lance Macklin	3–6, 8–9
					Paul Frère	4, 8
					Yves Giraud-Cabantous	5, 9
					Duncan Hamilton	6
					Jack Fairman	6
					Albert Scherrer	8
					John Fitch	9
Emmanuel de Graffenried	Maserati	A6GCM	Maserati A6 2.0 L6	P	Toulo de Graffenried	4–9
Georges Berger	Simca-Gordini	Type 15	Gordini 1500 1.5 L4	E	Georges Berger	4
Arthur Legat	Veritas	Meteor	Veritas 2.0 L6	E	Arthur Legat	4
Ecurie Francorchamps	Ferrari	500	Ferrari 500 2.0 L4	E	Jacques Swaters	4, 7–8
					Charles de Tornaco	4
Louis Chiron	OSCA	20	OSCA 2000 2.0 L6	P	Louis Chiron	5–6, 8–9
Élie Bayol	OSCA	20	OSCA 2000 2.0 L6	P	Élie Bayol	5, 8
Bob Gerard	Cooper-Bristol	T23	Bristol BS1 2.0 L6	D	Bob Gerard	5–6
R.R.C. Walker Racing Team	Connaught-Lea-Francis	Type A	Lea-Francis 2.0 L4	D	Tony Rolt	6
Ecurie Ecosse	Connaught-Lea-Francis Cooper-Bristol	Type A T20	Lea-Francis 2.0 L4 Bristol BS1 2.0 L6	D	Ian Stewart	6
					Jimmy Stewart	6
R.J. Chase	Cooper-Bristol	T23	Bristol BS1 2.0 L6	D	Alan Brown	6
Atlantic Stable	Cooper-Alta	T24	Alta GP 2.5 L4	D	Peter Whitehead	6
Tony Crook	Cooper-Bristol	T20	Bristol BS1 2.0 L6	D	Tony Crook	6
Hans Stuck	AFM-Bristol	6	Bristol BS1 2.0 L6	D	Hans Stuck	7, 9
Wolfgang Seidel	Veritas	RS	Veritas 2.0 L6	D	Wolfgang Seidel	7
Willi Heeks	Veritas	Meteor	Veritas 2.0 L6	D	Willi Heeks	7
Theo Helfrich	Veritas	RS	Veritas 2.0 L6	D	Theo Helfrich	7
Oswald Karch	Veritas	RS	Veritas 2.0 L6	D	Oswald Karch	7
Helmut Niedermayr	AFM-BMW	U8	BMW 328 2.0 L6	D	Theo Fitzau	7
Ernst Loof	Veritas	Meteor	Veritas 2.0 L6	D	Ernst Loof	7
Hans Herrmann	Veritas	Meteor	Veritas 2.0 L6	D	Hans Herrmann	7
Erwin Bauer	Veritas	RS	Veritas 2.0 L6	D	Erwin Bauer	7
Ecurie Espadon	Ferrari	500 212	Ferrari 500 2.0 L4 Ferrari 166 2.0 V12	P	Kurt Adolff	7
					Peter Hirt	8
					Max de Terra	8
Rennkollektiv EMW	EMW	R2	EMW 6 2.0 L6	D	Edgar Barth	7
Dora Greifzu	Greifzu-BMW	Eigenbau	BMW 328 2.0 L6	D	Rudolf Krause	7
Ernst Klodwig	Heck-BMW	Eigenbau	BMW 328 2.0 L6	D	Ernst Klodwig	7
Equipe Anglaise	Cooper-Bristol	T23	Bristol BS1 2.0 L6	D	Alan Brown	7, 9
					Helmut Glöckler	7
Rodney Nuckey	Cooper-Bristol	T23	Bristol BS1 2.0 L6	D	Rodney Nuckey	7
Günther Bechem	AFM-BMW	50–5	BMW 328 2.0 L6	D	Günther Bechem	7
Escuderia Bandeirantes	Maserati	A6GCM	Maserati A6 2.0 L6	P	Chico Landi	8
OSCA Automobili	OSCA	20	OSCA 2000 2.0 L6	P	Élie Bayol	9
Scuderia Milano	Maserati	A6GCM	Maserati A6 2.0 L6	P	Chico Landi	9
					Birabongse Bhanudej	9

Team and driver changes

Juan Manuel Fangio (leaning on car) was hired by Maserati. Teammate José Froilán González is seen sitting in the car.

• After competing in just one race in 1952, Maserati entered at least three cars in each race this year. They convinced 1951 champion Juan Manuel Fangio to return to the sport and to replace Franco Rol.
• Mike Hawthorn was offered a drive with Ferrari after displaying his talent in several non-championship races in 1952. He replaced Piero Taruffi, who took up a drive with the Lancia sports car racing team.
• After separating with their driver Prince Bira during the 1952 season, Gordini attracted American driver Harry Schell for this year.
• Connaught had made their debut halfway through last season. They expanded their operations and hired Roy Salvadori and Kenneth McAlpine to drive.
• Cooper entered with a works team for the first time, but initially only competed in the season opener.

Mid-season changes

Louis Chiron (left) returned to F1 driving for OSCA.

• Robert Manzon left Gordini after just one race. He would return in 1954 with Louis Rosier's private team. Roberto Mieres made his debut as Manzon's replacement.
• From the Belgian Grand Prix on, Onofre Marimón joined Maserati as a full-time driver. José Froilán González left the team after the British Grand Prix. He would return to the grid with Ferrari in 1954.
• Veteran racer Louis Chiron returned to F1 at the 1953 French Grand Prix with OSCA.
• After competing in the season opener, Cooper returned to the grid for the French Grand Prix, with Stirling Moss as their sole driver, after he left a part-time drive at Connaught.
• When Moss left, Prince Bira joined the Connaught team for three races.
• Peter Collins left HWM before the end of the season. He would return in 1954 with Vanwall.
• José Froilán González crashed a Lancia sports car before the German Grand Prix, got injured and was out of F1 for the rest of the season.^[5][6] Hermann Lang returned to Grand Prix racing after 14 years to replace him for one race, before Sergio Mantovani and Luigi Musso joined the team to make their F1 debut.

Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	Argentine Grand Prix	Autódromo Oscar Alfredo Gálvez, Buenos Aires	18 January
2	Indianapolis 500	Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Speedway	30 May[a]
3	Dutch Grand Prix	Circuit Zandvoort, Zandvoort	7 June
4	Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot	20 June
5	French Grand Prix	Reims-Gueux, Gueux	5 July
6	British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone	18 July
7	German Grand Prix	Nürburgring, Nürburg	2 August
8	Swiss Grand Prix	Circuit Bremgarten, Bern	23 August
9	Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza	13 September

Calendar changes

• On 18 January, the Argentine Grand Prix hosted its first World Championship Grand Prix.
• The Swiss Grand Prix was moved back from mid May to late August, while the Dutch Grand Prix was moved up from mid August to early June.
• After a year at Rouen-Les-Essarts, the French Grand Prix was moved back to Reims-Gueux.
• The Spanish Grand Prix was scheduled to be held on 26 October, but it was cancelled for monetary reasons.^[2]

Championship report

Rounds 1 to 3

Maserati drivers Juan Manuel Fangio (left) and José Froilán González (right) during a test before the 1953 Argentine Grand Prix

The 1953 season started in Argentina, the first championship Formula One Grand Prix outside of Europe (with the exception of the Indianapolis 500). Alberto Ascari and Ferrari had dominated 1952, but Juan Manuel Fangio, the 1951 champion returning after a year away, at the new Maserati works team were expected to put up a good fight. Ascari qualified on pole position, ahead of Fangio and Ferrari teammates Luigi Villoresi and Nino Farina. The race attracted so many spectators that they were able to break through the security parameter and sit by the track. Only the fear of a riot resisted the organisers from cancelling the race. Ascari held the lead at the start, ahead of Fangio, as the lines of people grew thicker. On lap 21, one of the Adolfo Schwelm Cruz's Cooper lost a wheel, which bounced into the crowd, and eleven laps later, Farina spun off, crushing bodies until his Ferrari came to a halt. At least nine people were killed, which became ten when a panic ensued, a little boy ran unto the track and he was hit by the Cooper of Alan Brown. The race continued, Fangio retired with a broken transmission and Ascari finished a lap ahead of Villoresi and Maserati's José Froilán González.^[7][8][9]

The Indianapolis 500 was included in the Formula One championship, but no F1 drivers attended. Bill Vukovich won the race for the second year in a row.

Alberto Ascari (Ferrari) won the Dutch Grand Prix.

The Dutch Grand Prix, being the first round of the year in Europe, attracted no less than twenty entrants, and Maserati brought upgraded cars. Still, the starting grid looked almost the same as in Argentina: Ascari, with Fangio and Farina next to him, and Villoresi and González on the second row. At the start, Ascari took the lead, while his teammates converged on Fangio, squeezing him almost to a standstill. The three prancing horses led away unchallenged. Both González and Fangio retired with a broken rear axle. Villoresi retired when his injection failed. Ascari and Farina finished 1-2, while González managed to get third after taking over the car from a teammate.^[10]

In the Drivers' Championship, Alberto Ascari (Ferrari) was leading with 17 points. Bill Vukovich was second with 9, but he would not enter any other races. Luigi Villoresi (Ferrari) was third with 7 points.

Rounds 4 to 7

The Maseratis were favourites going into the Belgian Grand Prix because of their high top speed. Juan Manuel Fangio delivered and set pole position, ahead of championship leader Alberto Ascari and teammate José Froilán González. Ascari's Ferrari teammates Nino Farina and Luigi Villoresi occupied the second row. González took the lead at the start and the two Maseratis streaked away, until they retired with mechanical issues two laps from each other. Farina retired as well, leaving Ascari and Villoresi to finish 1-2, ahead of Onofre Marimón on his debut for Maserati.^[11]

Ascari continued his dominance with a pole position for the French Grand Prix, ahead of Maserati's Felice Bonetto (teammate González set the qualifying time, but it was in Bonetto's car) and Villoresi. Fangio and González stood on the second row, but the latter took the lead at the start. Farina had a good start, while Bonetto spun, so González was now under threat from a group of four Ferraris. But the Argentinian streaked away and it was Fangio who started pressuring the group from behind. At half-distance, González pitted to refuel, which explained his good pace. A tight group was formed of seven red cars, all fighting for the lead. The Ferraris were better through the corners, but the Maseratis had a higher top speed, and with two laps to go, Mike Hawthorn and Fangio were side-by-side over the line. Hawthorn managed to inch in front and won, ahead of Fangio and González.^[12]

At the British Grand Prix, the front row was divided between the two Italian teams: Ascari scored pole, ahead of González, Hawthorn and Fangio. Fangio tried to take the lead at the start, but drifted wide and Ascari went back through. Hawthorn spun off and returned to the pits for a check-up. González was in second place, before officials suspected his Maserati from losing oil and ordered him to pit. Ascari increased his lead over now-second Fangio, before rain and hail fell and the circuit flooded. A couple of drivers spun, but Ascari finished his faultless race to win, a minute ahead of Fangio and two laps ahead of Farina. Ascari and González set the same fastest lap (measured in whole seconds), so they both gained an extra half a point.^[13]

In the Drivers' Championship, Alberto Ascari (Ferrari) was leading with 33.5 points, ahead of Mike Hawthorn (Ferrari) with 16 and José Froilán González (Maserati) with 13.5.

Rounds 7 to 9

Championship leader Alberto Ascari qualified on pole position for the German Grand Prix, ahead of Juan Manuel Fangio, Nino Farina and Mike Hawthorn. Fangio took the lead at the start, but Ascari was back in front after half a lap. He looked set to score his fourth win of the year, until he suddenly appeared in the pits with just three wheels. Farina took the lead, while Ascari fell back to ninth place. On lap 10, he took over the car from teammate Luigi Villoresi, suddenly bringing the championship leader back to fourth place. He set the fastest lap since Hermann Lang in 1939 but then retired with a blown engine. Farina held on to the lead and won the race, ahead of Fangio and Hawthorn.^[14]

At this point, the Spanish Grand Prix was still scheduled for 26 October, so there were three races left to go. Farina, Fangio and Hawthorn could theoretically prevent Ascari from becoming champion, but they had to win all remaining races, while setting the fastest lap in at least two of them. At the Swiss Grand Prix, Fangio scored pole position, ahead of Ascari and Farina, while Hawthorn started seventh. Ascari passed Fangio on the opening lap, while Farina fell back. On lap 10, Fangio switched cars with teammate Felice Bonetto, since the Italian's seemed to be running better, but then Fangio had to pit again with a flat tyre, and on lap 28, dramatically retired with a blown engine. This let the recovering Farina into second place, which became the lead when Ascari's carburetor failed and he spent 11 minutes in the pits. He rejoined in third, but such was his pace, that he passed both Hawthorn and Farina and then won over a minute ahead of Farina. Mike Hawthorn finished third to make it an all-Ferrari podium. Hermann Lang finished fifth in his first Grand Prix since 1939.^[15]

The starting grid for the Italian Grand Prix

With his win in Switzerland, Ascari had big enough of a lead to secure his second consecutive title. This became even clearer when the Spanish Grand Prix was cancelled and only one race was left in the season, the Italian Grand Prix. Ascari showed no signs of slowing down and reached a record total of six pole positions in a season. He started ahead of Fangio and Farina. Fourth-placed Onofre Marimón made a good start to pass both champions ahead of him, to slot in behind the now-double champion. Like in Reims, the four leaders formed a group that lapped the rest of the field and never separated more than a car length or two from each other. Just over half-distance, Marimón pitted with a damaged radiator, so it was now a three-horse race. On the very last corner, Ascari spun off into the grass, Farina went off the track to avoid him and, although the latter continued over the finish line, it let Fangio claim his first win since 1951. Farina was second and, although Ascari retired just 200 yards from the finish, he was classified behind all cars still running, so Villoresi took third.^[16]

In the Drivers' Championship, Alberto Ascari (Ferrari) scored 34.5 points to clinch his second consecutive title, ahead of Juan Manuel Fangio (Maserati) with 28 and Nino Farina (Ferrari) with 26.

Results and standings

Grands Prix

Round	Grand Prix	Pole position	Fastest lap	Winning driver	Winning constructor	Tyre	Report
1	Argentine Grand Prix	Alberto Ascari	Alberto Ascari	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari	P	Report
2	Indianapolis 500	Bill Vukovich	Bill Vukovich	Bill Vukovich	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	F	Report
3	Dutch Grand Prix	Alberto Ascari	Luigi Villoresi	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari	P	Report
4	Belgian Grand Prix	Juan Manuel Fangio	José Froilán González	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari	P	Report
5	French Grand Prix	Alberto Ascari	Juan Manuel Fangio	Mike Hawthorn	Ferrari	P	Report
6	British Grand Prix	Alberto Ascari	Alberto Ascari José Froilán González	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari	P	Report
7	German Grand Prix	Alberto Ascari	Alberto Ascari	Giuseppe Farina	Ferrari	P	Report
8	Swiss Grand Prix	Juan Manuel Fangio	Alberto Ascari	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari	P	Report
9	Italian Grand Prix	Alberto Ascari	Juan Manuel Fangio	Juan Manuel Fangio	Maserati	P	Report

World Championship of Drivers standings

Further information: List of Formula One World Championship points scoring systems

Points were awarded to the top five classified finishers, with an additional point awarded for setting the fastest lap, regardless of finishing position or even classification. Only the best four results counted towards the championship. Shared drives result in half points for each driver if they finished in a points-scoring position. If more than one driver set the same fastest lap time, the fastest lap point would be divided equally between the drivers. Numbers without parentheses are championship points; numbers in parentheses are total points scored. Points were awarded in the following system:

Position	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	FL
Race	8	6	4	3	2	1
Source:[17]

Pos. Driver ARG 500‡ NED BEL FRA GBR GER SUI ITA Pts. 1 Alberto Ascari 1^P^F 1^P (1) (4)^P 1^P^F* 8^P†/ (Ret^F)† 1^F Ret^P 34.5 (46.5) 2 Juan Manuel Fangio Ret Ret Ret^P/ Ret† 2^F 2 2 (4^P†) / Ret† 1^F 28 (29.5) 3 Nino Farina Ret 2 Ret (5) (3) 1 2 2 26 (32) 4 Mike Hawthorn 4 (4) 6 1 (5) 3 3 (4) 19 (27) 5 Luigi Villoresi 2 Ret^F 2 6 Ret 8† / Ret† 6 3 17 6 José Froilán González 3 3† (Ret^F) 3 4^F* 13.5 (14.5) 7 Bill Vukovich 1^P^F 9 8 Toulo de Graffenried 5 4 7 Ret 5 Ret Ret 7 9 Felice Bonetto Ret 3† Ret 6 4 4† / Ret† Ret 6.5 10 Art Cross 2 6 11 Onofre Marimón 3 9 Ret Ret Ret Ret 4 12 Maurice Trintignant 7† 6 5 Ret Ret Ret Ret 5 4 13 Sam Hanks 3† 2 14 Duane Carter 3† 2 15 Óscar Alfredo Gálvez 5 2 16 Jack McGrath 5 2 17 Hermann Lang 5 2 18 Fred Agabashian 4† 1.5 19 Paul Russo 4† 1.5 — Stirling Moss 9 Ret 6 13 0 — Jean Behra 6 Ret 10 Ret Ret Ret 0 — Roberto Mieres Ret Ret 6 0 — Jimmy Daywalt 6 0 — Harry Schell 7† Ret 7 Ret Ret Ret 9 0 — Louis Rosier 7 8 8 10 10 Ret 16 0 — Ken Wharton Ret Ret 8 7 NC 0 — Birabongse Bhanudej Ret 7 Ret 11 0 — Jacques Swaters DNS 7 Ret 0 — Jim Rathmann 7 0 — Sergio Mantovani 7† 0 — Luigi Musso 7† 0 — Peter Collins 8 Ret 13 Ret 0 — John Barber 8 0 — Ernie McCoy 8 0 — Max de Terra 8 0 — Umberto Maglioli 8 0 — Alan Brown 9 Ret Ret 12 0 — Fred Wacker DNS 9 DNS 0 — Tony Bettenhausen 9 0 — Peter Whitehead 9 0 — Hans Herrmann 9 0 — Albert Scherrer 9 0 — Louis Chiron 15 DNS DNS 10 0 — Paul Frère 10 Ret 0 — Jimmy Davies 10 0 — Duke Nalon 11 0 — André Pilette 11 0 — Bob Gerard 11 Ret 0 — Rodney Nuckey 11 0 — Johnny Claes NC Ret† 12 Ret Ret 0 — Carl Scarborough 12 0 — Theo Helfrich 12 0 — Kenneth McAlpine Ret Ret 13 NC 0 — Manny Ayulo 13 0 — Yves Giraud-Cabantous 14 15 0 — Hans Stuck Ret 14 0 — Jimmy Bryan 14 0 — Rudolf Krause 14 0 — Bill Holland 15 0 — Ernst Klodwig 15 0 — Rodger Ward 16 0 — Wolfgang Seidel 16 0 — Walt Faulkner 17 0 — Jack Fairman Ret NC 0 — Lance Macklin Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 0 — Roy Salvadori Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 0 — Élie Bayol Ret DNS Ret 0 — Chico Landi Ret Ret 0 — Robert Manzon Ret 0 — Carlos Menditeguy Ret 0 — Pablo Birger Ret 0 — Adolfo Schwelm Cruz Ret 0 — Marshall Teague Ret 0 — Spider Webb Ret 0 — Bob Sweikert Ret 0 — Mike Nazaruk Ret 0 — Pat Flaherty Ret 0 — Jerry Hoyt Ret 0 — Johnnie Parsons Ret 0 — Don Freeland Ret 0 — Gene Hartley Ret 0 — Chuck Stevenson Ret 0 — Cal Niday Ret 0 — Bob Scott Ret 0 — Andy Linden Ret 0 — Johnny Thomson Ret 0 — Georges Berger Ret 0 — Arthur Legat Ret 0 — Jimmy Stewart Ret 0 — Tony Rolt Ret 0 — Ian Stewart Ret 0 — Duncan Hamilton Ret 0 — Tony Crook Ret 0 — Edgar Barth Ret 0 — Oswald Karch Ret 0 — Willi Heeks Ret 0 — Theo Fitzau Ret 0 — Kurt Adolff Ret 0 — Günther Bechem Ret 0 — Ernst Loof Ret 0 — Erwin Bauer Ret 0 — Peter Hirt Ret 0 — Piero Carini Ret 0 — John Fitch Ret 0 — Charles de Tornaco DNS 0 — Helmut Glöckler DNS 0 Pos. Driver ARG 500‡ NED BEL FRA GBR GER SUI ITA Pts.

Key Colour Result Gold Winner Silver Second place Bronze Third place Green Other points position Blue Other classified position Not classified, finished (NC) Purple Not classified, retired (Ret) Red Did not qualify (DNQ) Black Disqualified (DSQ) White Did not start (DNS) Race cancelled (C) Blank Did not practice (DNP) Excluded (EX) Did not arrive (DNA) Withdrawn (WD) Did not enter (empty cell) Annotation Meaning P Pole position F Fastest lap

• † Position shared between more drivers of the same car
• * Point for fastest lap shared between different drivers.
• ‡ Several cars were shared in this race. See the race page for details.

Non-championship races

The following Formula One/Formula Two/Formula Libre races, which did not count towards the World Championship of Drivers, were held in 1953.

Race name	Circuit	Date	Formula	Winning driver	Constructor	Report
VII Gran Premio Ciudad de Buenos Aires	Autódromo Oscar y Juan Gálvez	1 February	Formula Libre	Giuseppe Farina	Ferrari	Report
III Gran Premio di Siracusa	Syracuse	22 March	Formula Two	Toulo de Graffenried	Maserati	Report
XIV Pau Grand Prix	Pau	6 April	Formula Two	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari	Report
V Lavant Cup	Goodwood	6 April	Formula Two	Toulo de Graffenried	Maserati	Report
II Aston Martin Owners Club Formula 2 Race	Snetterton	18 April	Formula Two	Eric Thompson	Connaught-Lea Francis	Report
III Grand Prix de Bordeaux	Bordeaux	3 May	Formula Two	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari	Report
V BRDC International Trophy	Silverstone	9 May	Formula Two	Mike Hawthorn	Ferrari	Report
XV Eläintarhanajot	Eläintarharata	10 May	Formula One	Rodney Nuckey	Cooper-Bristol	Report
VI Gran Premio di Napoli	Posillipo	10 May	Formula Two	Giuseppe Farina	Ferrari	Report
VII Ulster Trophy	Dundrod	16 May	Formula Two	Mike Hawthorn	Ferrari	Report
I Winfield JC Formula 2 Race	Charterhall	23 May	Formula Two	Ken Wharton	Cooper-Bristol	Report
XXIII Grand Prix des Frontières	Chimay	24 May	Formula Two	Maurice Trintignant	Gordini	Report
III Coronation Trophy	Crystal Palace	25 May	Formula Two	Tony Rolt	Connaught-Lea Francis	Report
I Snetterton Coronation Trophy	Snetterton	30 May	Formula Two	Tony Rolt	Connaught-Lea Francis	Report
XVII Internationales ADAC Eifelrennen	Nürburgring	31 May	Formula Two	Toulo de Graffenried	Maserati	Report
XV Grand Prix de l'Albigeois	Albi (Les Planques)	31 May	Formula Two	Louis Rosier	Ferrari	Report
I Coupe de Printemps	Montlhéry	31 May	Formula Two	Marcel Balsa	BMW	Report
II West Essex CC Race	Snetterton	27 June	Formula Two	Kenneth McAlpine	Connaught-Lea Francis	Report
I Midlands MECC Race	Silverstone	27 June	Formula Two	Tony Crook	Cooper-Alta	Report
III Grand Prix de Rouen-les-Essarts	Rouen-Les-Essarts	28 June	Formula One	Giuseppe Farina	Ferrari	Report
I Crystal Palace Trophy	Crystal Palace	11 July	Formula Two	Tony Rolt	Connaught-Lea Francis	Report
IX Internationales Avusrennen	AVUS	12 July	Formula Two	Jacques Swaters	Ferrari	Report
II United States Air Force Trophy	Snetterton	25 July	Formula Two	Tony Rolt	Connaught-Lea Francis	Report
V Circuit du Lac	Aix-les-Bains	26 July	Formula Two	Élie Bayol	OSCA	Report
I Bristol MC & LCC Race	Thruxton	3 August	Formula Two	Tony Rolt	Connaught-Lea Francis	Report
I Mid-Cheshire MC Race	Oulton Park	8 August	Formula Two	Tony Rolt	Connaught-Lea Francis	Report
III Grand Prix de Sables d'Olonne	Les Sables-d'Olonne	9 August	Formula Two	Louis Rosier	Ferrari	Report
II Newcastle Journal Trophy	Charterhall	15 August	Formula Two	Ken Wharton	Cooper-Bristol	Report
V Circuit de Cadours	Cadours	30 August	Formula Two	Maurice Trintignant	Gordini	Report
I RedeX Trophy	Snetterton	12 September	Formula Two	Eric Thompson	Connaught-Lea Francis	Report
III Skarpnäcksloppet	Skarpnäck	13 September	Formula One	Erik Lundgren	Ford	Report
I London Trophy	Crystal Palace	19 September	Formula Two	Stirling Moss	Cooper-Alta	Report
IV Gran Premio di Modena	Modena	20 September	Formula Two	Juan Manuel Fangio	Maserati	Report
VI Madgwick Cup	Goodwood	26 September	Formula Two	Roy Salvadori	Connaught-Lea Francis	Report
II Joe Fry Memorial Trophy	Castle Combe	3 October	Formula Two	Bob Gerard	Cooper-Bristol	Report
I Curtis Trophy	Snetterton	17 October	Formula Two	Bob Gerard	Cooper-Bristol	Report

East German races

Race name	Circuit	Date	Winning driver	Constructor	Report
I Strassen-Rennen Karl-Marx-Stadt	Karl-Marx-Stadt	3 May	Rudolf Krause	BMW-Reif	Report
I Paul Greifzu Gedachtnisrennen	Dessau	7 June	Edgar Barth	EMW	Report
IV Strassen-rennen Halle-Saale-Schleife	Halle-Saale-Schleife	5 July	Edgar Barth	EMW	Report
I Dresden Autobahnspinne	Dresden-Hellerau	26 July	Edgar Barth	EMW	Report
V Sachsenringrennen	Sachsenring	6 September	Edgar Barth	EMW-BMW	Report
II Bernau Autobahnschleife	Bernau	27 September	Arthur Rosenhammer	EMW	Report

The Bernau race was not part of the East German Championship.

East German Championship

The table below shows the points awarded for each race. Only East German drivers were eligible for points.

Place	Driver	Entrant	Car	KAR	DES	HAL	DRE	SAC	Total
1	Edgar Barth	EMW Rennkollektiv	EMW 52/53-BMW 328		6	6	6	6	24
2	Rudolf Krause	Greifzu-Sühl	Greifzu-BMW 328	6	4	4		4	18
3	Karl Weber	BSG Motor	Werkmeister-BMW 328	4	3			2	9
4	Ernst Klodwig	BSG Motor	Lodwig-Heck-BMW 328			2		3	5
5	Kurt Straubel	BSG Motor	Eigenbau-BMW 328				4		4
6	Paul Thiel	EMW Rennkollektiv	EMW 52/53-BMW 328			3			3
=	Heinz Melkus	BSGN Sedlitz	ARO-Veritas-Alfa Romeo	3					3
8	Bobby Kohlrauch	Greifzu-Sühl	Greifzu-BMW 328		2				2

Notes

1. The Indianapolis 500 also counted towards the 1953 AAA Championship Car season, and was run for AAA Championship cars, but was not run to Formula One regulations.

References

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2. Mike Lang, Grand Prix! Volume 1: 1950 to 1965, pages 53 to 66
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6. "Circuito de Lisboa". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
7. Martin Williamson (18 January 1953). "Ascari dominates a day tinged with tragedy". ESPN. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
8. Keith Collantine (18 January 2013). "How Peron's grand prix ended in carnage". RaceFans. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
9. "1953 Argentine Grand Prix - RACE RESULT". Formula1. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
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11. Denis Jenkinson (21 June 1953). "Grand Prix de Belgique". Motorsport Magazine. Archived from the original on 27 June 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
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13. admin (18 July 1953). "1953 British Grand Prix race report - Ascari holds off Maserati". Motorsport Magazine. Archived from the original on 10 September 2022. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
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