1950 Belgian Grand Prix

Infobox Grand Prix race report
Type = F1
Country = Belgium
Grand Prix = Belgian
Official name = XII Grote Prijs Van Belgie


Caption =
Date = June 18
Year = 1950
Race_No = 5
Season_No = 7
Location = Spa-Francorchamps, Francorchamps, Belgium
Course = Permanent racing circuit
Course_mi = 8.825
Course_km = 14.120
Distance_laps = 35
Distance_mi = 308.875
Distance_km = 494.2
Weather = Warm, dry and sunny
Pole_Driver = Nino Farina
Pole_Team = Alfa Romeo
Pole_Time = 4:37:0
Pole_Country = Italy
Fast_Driver = Nino Farina
Fast_Team = Alfa Romeo
Fast_Time = 4:34:1
Fast_L

Fast_Country = Italy
First_Driver = Juan Manuel Fangio
First_Team = Alfa Romeo
First_Country = Argentina
Second_Driver = Luigi Fagioli
Second_Team = Alfa Romeo
Second_Country= Italy
Third_Driver = Louis Rosier
Third_Team = Automobiles Talbot-Darracq SA
Third_Country = France

The 1950 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on June 18, 1950 at Spa-Francorchamps. It was the fifth round of the 1950 World Drivers Championship.

Report

By the time of the Belgian Grand Prix, the pace of the season was beginning to tell, with only 14 cars arriving at the Spa circuit. These included the dominant Alfa Romeos of Nino Farina, Juan Manuel Fangio and Luigi Fagioli. Ferrari was down to two 125s for Luigi Villoresi and Alberto Ascari, although Ascari had a new V12 engine to try out. The factory Talbot-Lago team had three cars for Louis Rosier, Yves Giraud-Cabantous and Philippe Étancelin (standing in for the injured Eugène Martin). The rest of the field was made up of Talbot-Lagos (notably one for Raymond Sommer), a single Alta and one Maserati for Toni Branca.

Farina and Fangio were fastest as usual in qualifying with Fagioli unable to match them. Sommer split the Ferraris in his old Talbot-Lago. The race would be a similar story. The Alfas went off on their own and Sommer battled with the two Ferraris. When the Alfa stopped for fuel, Sommer found himself in the unlikely position of being race leader. Unfortunately his engine blew up. Ascari took the lead but he had to stop for fuel and that meant that the Alfas went ahead again with Fangio leading Farina and Fagioli. Farina suffered transmission trouble in the closing laps and dropped to fourth behind the best of the surviving Talbot-Lagos being driven by Rosier. Ascari finished fifth.

Entries

Notes

* Drivers: 14 competing, 14 qualified for race, 10 classified.
* Numbers: 28 not assigned.
* Leaders:
** Juan Manuel Fangio 22 laps (laps 1-6, 20-35)
** Nino Farina 7 laps (laps 7-11, 18-19)
** Luigi Fagioli 1 lap (lap 12)
** Raymond Sommer 5 laps (laps 13-17)

References

"Unless otherwise indicated, all race results are taken from cite web |title=The Official Formula 1 website |url=http://www.formula1.com/results/season/1950/383/ |accessdate=2007-06-05

F1 race report
Name_of_race = Belgian Grand Prix
Year_of_race = 1950
Previous_race_in_season = 1950 Swiss Grand Prix
Next_race_in_season = 1950 French Grand Prix
Previous_year's_race = 1949 Belgian Grand Prix
Next_year's_race = 1951 Belgian Grand Prix