The 1956 Formula One season was the tenth season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the seventh World Championship of Drivers, which was contested over eight races between 22 January and 2 September 1956. The season also included nine non-championship races for Formula One cars.
Juan Manuel Fangio driving for Ferrari won his third consecutive championship. It was his fourth in total, a record that would not be beaten until Michael Schumacher in . Fangio's main rivals were his teammate Peter Collins and Maserati driver Stirling Moss.
None of the championship races were won by a British constructor. This would not happen again until .
At 29 October, veteran racer Louis Rosier crashed in a sports car race at Montlhéry. He sustained head injuries and succumbed to them three weeks later.
Teams and drivers The following teams and drivers competed in the 1956 FIA World Championship. The list does not include those who only contested the Indianapolis 500.
Entrant Constructor Chassis Engine Tyre Driver Rounds Officine Alfieri Maserati Maserati 250F Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6 Stirling Moss 1–2, 4–8 Jean Behra 1–2, 4–8 Carlos Menditeguy 1 Luigi Piotti 1 Chico Landi 1 Gerino Gerini 1 José Froilán González 1 Cesare Perdisa 2, 4–7 Paco Godia 4–8 Mike Hawthorn 4 Piero Taruffi 5 Umberto Maglioli 7–8 Luigi Villoresi 8 Jo Bonnier 8 Owen Racing Organisation Maserati 250F Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6 Mike Hawthorn 1 BRM P25 BRM P25 2.5 L4 2, 6 Tony Brooks 2, 6 Ron Flockhart 6 Alberto Uría Maserati A6GCM Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6 Alberto Uría 1 Óscar González 1 Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari D50555 Ferrari DS50 2.5 V8Ferrari 555 2.5 L4 Juan Manuel Fangio 1–2, 4–8 Eugenio Castellotti 1–2, 4–8 Luigi Musso 1–2, 7–8 Peter Collins 1–2, 4–8 Olivier Gendebien 1, 5 Paul Frère 4 André Pilette 4 Alfonso de Portago 5–8 Wolfgang von Trips 8 Equipe Gordini Gordini T16T32 Gordini 23 2.5 L6Gordini 25 2.5 L8 Robert Manzon 2, 5–8 Élie Bayol 2 André Pilette 2, 5, 7 Hermano da Silva Ramos 2, 5–6, 8 André Milhoux 7 André Simon 8 Ecurie Rosier Maserati 250F Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6 Louis Rosier 2, 4–7 Vandervell Products Vanwall VW 2 Vanwall 254 2.5 L4 Maurice Trintignant 2, 4, 6, 8 Harry Schell 2, 4–6, 8 Mike Hawthorn 5 Colin Chapman 5 José Froilán González 6 Piero Taruffi 8 Gould's Garage (Bristol) H.H. Gould Maserati 250F Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6 Horace Gould 2, 4, 6–7 Giorgio Scarlatti Ferrari 500 Ferrari 500 2.0 L4 Giorgio Scarlatti 2 Scuderia Centro Sud Maserati 250F Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6 Louis Chiron 2 Luigi Villoresi 4 Harry Schell 7 Toulo de Graffenried 8 Ferrari 500 Ferrari 500 2.0 L4 Giorgio Scarlatti 7 Piero Scotti Connaught-Alta B Alta GP 2.5 L4 Piero Scotti 4 Automobiles Bugatti Bugatti T251 Bugatti 2.5 L8 Maurice Trintignant 5 Luigi Piotti Maserati 250F Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6 Luigi Villoresi 5–7 Luigi Piotti 7–8 André Simon Maserati 250F Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6 André Simon 5 Scuderia Guastalla Maserati 250F Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6 Umberto Maglioli 6 Gerino Gerini 8 Connaught Engineering Connaught-Alta B Alta GP 2.5 L4 Archie Scott Brown 6, 8 Desmond Titterington 6 Jack Fairman 6, 8 Les Leston 8 Ron Flockhart 8 Bob Gerard Cooper-Bristol T23 Bristol BS1 2.0 L6 Bob Gerard 6 Gilby Engineering Maserati 250F Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6 Roy Salvadori 6–8 Bruce Halford Maserati 250F Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6 Bruce Halford 6–8 Jack Brabham Maserati 250F Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6 Jack Brabham 6 Emeryson Cars Emeryson-Alta 56 Alta GP 2.5 L4 Paul Emery 6 Ottorino Volonterio Maserati A6GCM Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6 Ottorino Volonterio 7
Team and driver changes Mercedes had withdrawn from all motorsport activities after the 1955 Le Mans disaster. Reigning champion Juan Manuel Fangio moved to Scuderia Ferrari, which had taken over the assets from Lancia. Fangio would go on to win the championship in the Lancia D50. Besides remaining driver Eugenio Castellotti, the squad was completed by Luigi Musso and Peter Collins, both coming from Maserati. Stirling Moss, runner-up and Fangio's teammate at Mercedes, had moved to rival team Maserati. Maurice Trintignant moved from Ferrari to Vanwall to replace Ken Wharton.
Mid-season changes Paco Godia joined the Maserati team from the Belgian Grand Prix on. Alfonso de Portago made his debut when he joined Scuderia Ferrari from the French Grand Prix on. Also at the French Grand Prix, Colin Chapman made his F1 racing debut with Vanwall but crashed into his team leader during practice and did not start the race. It would be his only race entry, but he would go on to become a legendary race engineer. And finally in France, Bugatti made a one-off appearance with their Type 251 driven by Maurice Trintignant. For the first time since , BRM used their own chassis, which made its debut at the British Grand Prix. It was also the championship debut for driver Tony Brooks.
Calendar Round Grand Prix Circuit Date 1 Argentine Grand Prix Autódromo Oscar Alfredo Gálvez, Buenos Aires 22 January 2 Monaco Grand Prix Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo 13 May 3 Indianapolis 500 Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Speedway 30 May 4 Belgian Grand Prix Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot 3 June 5 French Grand Prix Reims-Gueux, Gueux 1 July 6 British Grand Prix Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone 14 July 7 German Grand Prix Nürburgring, Nürburg 5 August 8 Italian Grand Prix Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza 2 September
Calendar changes The Swiss Grand Prix was removed from the calendar after the Swiss Government banned motor racing as a result of the 1955 Le Mans disaster. The French Grand Prix and the German Grand Prix were already cancelled in 1955, but were back on the calendar for 1956. The Dutch Grand Prix was supposed to have been held on 17 June but was cancelled due to the Suez Crisis. The Spanish Grand Prix, like the French and German rounds, was supposed to return to the calendar, to be held on 28 October, but was cancelled due to the Suez Crisis. The British Grand Prix was moved from Aintree Motor Racing Circuit to Silverstone Circuit, in keeping with the event-sharing arrangement between the two circuits.
Championship report Rounds 1 to 3 Argentinian racing driver Juan Manuel Fangio had already won three Formula One World Championships, while driving for three different constructors. Now he was aiming to make it four in four: after his previous employer Mercedes had withdrawn, he moved to Scuderia Ferrari for 1956. The first race of the season was his home race, the Argentine Grand Prix, and he managed to take pole position in front of the adoring crowd. Teammates Eugenio Castellotti and Luigi Musso started alongside him on the front row. Behind them came a series of Maserati, with the whole field consisting of just thirteen cars, all of them Italian. At the start, sixth-starting Argentinian Carlos Menditeguy managed to take the lead, ahead of teammate Stirling Moss. Fangio was able to follow until his fuel pump broke on lap 21. Musso was called into the pits to give his car to the team leader, but Fangio spun off and was almost lapped by Menditeguy. The latter, however, spun off in sympathy and retired on the spot. Fangio made an inspiring recovery drive until he was in second place and, on lap 70, took the lead when his teammate Moss's engine failed. He won the race, but received half the points because of the shared drive, ahead of Frenchman Jean Behra and Brit Mike Hawthorn.
As it had been since the inclusion of the Argentine Grand Prix on the calendar, there was a four-month gap to the second race in the championship, the Monaco Grand Prix. Constructors Vanwall, BRM and Gordini attended, but it was Fangio who once again started on pole, ahead of Moss and Castellotti. It was Moss who reached the hairpin first and quickly extended his lead, with the Ferrari trio of Fangio, Collins and Castellotti in pursuit. Suddenly, Fangio spun and ended up facing the wrong way. Hurrying to turn round, he got in the way of Luigi Musso and Harry Schell, who avoided the Ferrari but in doing so, both crashed out. Like in Argentina, Fangio made an impressive recovery drive up to second place. But through the narrow streets of Monte Carlo, there is little margin for error and the reigning champion tapped a wall, bent his rear wheel and retreated into the pits. But again, like in Argentina, he received the car of a teammate - Collins sacrificed his second place - so he could continue. From almost being lapped by Moss, he pressed on to get within six seconds of the lead, but could not stop the Brit from taking his second career victory. Behra finished third, a lap down.
The Indianapolis 500 was included in the Formula One championship, but no active drivers attended. Former champion Nino Farina did, but he failed to qualify. Pat Flaherty won the race.
In the Drivers' Championship, Jean Behra (Maserati) was leading with 10 points, ahead of Juan Manuel Fangio (Scuderia Ferrari) on 9 and Stirling Moss (Maserati) and Pat Flaherty (winner of the Indianapolis 500) on 8.
Rounds 4 to 6 The Belgian Grand Prix began with a tense qualifying battle, in which the Maseratis and Ferraris seemed evenly matched, until Juan Manuel Fangio set a lap that was more than ten seconds under the lap record and almost five seconds faster than his closest competitor. However, as it had happened already two times this year, the reigning champion fell back at the race start. Stirling Moss (Maserati) and Peter Collins (Ferrari) had started next to Fangio on the front row and led away. Moss was leading over six seconds before Fangio recovered to second place, but after nine laps, it was the Argentinian leading the Brit by the same distance. Things took a turn when Moss's left rear wheel came off and Castellotti retired with a broken transmission. Moss took over the car from one of his teammates but was over a lap down, while Fangio was setting multiple lap records. Collins was in second place, until on lap 24, the leader's Ferrari suddenly came to a halt at the far end of the circuit, providing no opportunity for a car swap in the pit. So Collins won the race, ahead of teammate and local hero Paul Frère and Moss.
Fangio scored his fourth pole position in a row during the French Grand Prix, with teammates Castellotti and Collins making it an all-Ferrari front row. Two Vanwalls separated them from their main rivals, Maserati. Fangio again lost the lead at the start, but the trio of red cars did run away from the rest of the field. Moss and Schell retired and the Ferrari team even occupied five positions at the front. Schell, however, took over the car from one of his teammates, set a new lap record and managed to close up to the unsighted leaders. The green car from Britain was faster on the straight, so the Italian squad drove side-by-side to try to block him. But going into one of the hairpins, Schell managed to pass Collins and Castellotti in one move and immediately dove into Fangio's slipstream. The reigning champion held on, however, and Schell's valiant drive came to a halt when technical issues forced a pit stop. On lap 40, Fangio also pitted with a split fuel line. It seemed not one race was going smoothly this year. Collins was carefree as he scored his second win in a row, ahead of teammate Castellotti and Frenchman Jean Behra.