Maserati 250F

Maserati 250F

Category	Formula One
Constructor	Maserati
Designer(s)	Gioacchino Colombo Valerio Colotti
Technical specifications
Chassis	Aluminium tubular ladder frame
Suspension (front)	Independent wishbone
Suspension (rear)	De Dion tube
Engine	Maserati 1954 - 2490 cc, straight 6 1957 - works cars - V12, naturally aspirated, All models:front engine, longitudinally mounted
Transmission	1954: Maserati 1956: Stirnsia 1954: 4 speed 1956: 5 speed manual
Fuel	50% methanol, 35% petrol, 10% acetone, 4% benzol, 1% castor oil
Tyres	Pirelli
Competition history
Notable entrants	Officine Alfieri Maserati, Owen Racing Organisation, Equipe Moss/Stirling Moss Ltd
Notable drivers	Juan Manuel Fangio, Stirling Moss
Debut	1954 Argentine Grand Prix, J.M. Fangio, 1st
Races Wins Poles Fastest laps 46 F1 Championship Grands Prix (277 driver entries) 8 1954:(Argentina, Belgium- J.M. Fangio) 1956:(Monaco, Italy - Stirling Moss) 1957:(Argentina, Monaco, France, Germany - J.M. Fangio) 8 10
Constructors' Championships	0, Note that Constructors' Championship was first awarded in 1958
Drivers' Championships	2 1954: J.M. Fangio (Maserati / Mercedes) 1957: J.M. Fangio

The Maserati 250F was a racing car made by Maserati of Italy used in '2.5 litre' Formula One racing between January 1954 and November 1960. Twenty-six examples were made.

Mechanical details

The 250F principally used the SSG 220 bhp (@ 7400 rpm) 2.5-litre Maserati A6 straight-six, ribbed 13.4" drum brakes, wishbone independent front suspension and a De Dion tube axle. It was built by Gioacchino Colombo, Vittorio Bellentani and Alberto Massimino; the tubular work was by Valerio Colotti.

A streamlined version with bodywork which partially enclosed the wheels (similar to the 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196 "Typ Monza") was used in the 1956 French Grand Prix.^[1]

Racing history

The Maserati team's 250Fs before the start of the 1957 British Grand Prix.

The Maserati 250F is sufficiently important in the history of motorsport that replicas have been built for display and racing.

The 250F first raced in the 1954 Argentine Grand Prix where Juan Manuel Fangio won the first of his two victories before he left for the new Mercedes-Benz team. Fangio won the 1954 Drivers' World Championship, with points gained with both Maserati and Mercedes-Benz; Stirling Moss raced his own privately owned 250F for the full 1954 season.

Although Bellentoni and Massimino left for Ferrari and Moss left for Mercedes-Benz, 1955 saw a setup with 5-speed gearbox as well as SU fuel injection (240 bhp) and Dunlop disc brakes. Jean Behra ran this in a five-member works team which included Luigi Musso.

In 1956 Stirling Moss won at the Italian Grand Prix and the Monaco Grand Prix in his private car.

In 1956 three 250F T2 cars first appeared for the works drivers. Developed by Giulio Alfieri using lighter steel tubes they sported a slimmer, stiffer body and sometimes the new 315 bhp (235 kW) V12 engine, although it offered little or no real advantage over the older straight 6. It was eventually reused in the unsuccessful 1966 F1 Cooper Maserati.

In 1957 Juan Manuel Fangio drove to four more championship victories, including his legendary final win at German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring (Aug. 4, 1957), where he overcame a 48 second deficit in just 22 laps, passing the race leader, Mike Hawthorn, on the final lap to take the win. In doing so he broke the lap record at the Nürburgring, 10 times.

The Constructors' World Championship was introduced in 1958, by which time the 250F was generally outclassed. However, the car remained a favourite with the privateers, including Maria Teresa de Filippis and was used until 1960.

In total, the 250F competed in 46 Formula One championship races with 277 entries, leading to eight wins. Success was not limited to World Championship events with 250F drivers winning many non-championship races around the world.

References

1. ^ Grand Prix Data Book, David Hayhoe & David Holland, 2006

• David McKinney, Maserati 250F,

External links

• 250F Overview Article
• Case history of 250F article with complete chassis data
• Top Gear 250F review