1950 French Grand Prix#TOC
{{Infobox Grand Prix race report
|Type = F1
|Country = France
|Grand Prix = French
|Official name = XXXVII Grand Prix de l'A.C.F.
|Image = Circuit-Reims-Gueux-1926.png
|Date = 2 July
|Year = 1950
|Previous_round = 1950 Belgian Grand Prix
|Next_round = 1950 Italian Grand Prix
|Location = Reims-Gueux, Reims, France
|Course = Temporary road course
|Course_mi = 4.856
|Course_km = 7.815
|Distance_laps = 64
|Distance_mi = 310.785
|Distance_km = 500.160
|Weather = Hot and sunny
|Pole_Driver = Juan Manuel Fangio
|Pole_Team = Alfa Romeo
|Pole_Time = 2:30.6
|Pole_Country = Argentina
|Fast_Driver = Juan Manuel Fangio
|Fast_Team = Alfa Romeo
|Fast_Time = 2:35.6
|Fast_Country = Argentina
|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 = Peter Whitehead
|Third_Team = Ferrari
|Third_Country = United Kingdom
|Lapchart = {{F1Laps1950|FRA}}
}}
The 1950 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 2 July 1950 at Reims-Gueux. It was race 6 of 7 in the 1950 World Championship of Drivers. The 64-lap race was won by Alfa Romeo driver Juan Manuel Fangio after he started from pole position. His teammate Luigi Fagioli finished second and Peter Whitehead took third in a privateer Ferrari.
Report
A total of 22 cars entered the event, four of which did not start the race. Franco Comotti did not attend the event; Eugène Chaboud did not start in his own car, instead sharing Philippe Étancelin's Talbot-Lago; and the two Scuderia Ferrari entries of Luigi Villoresi and Alberto Ascari withdrew in practice.
Fangio put in a stunning display with a 187 km/h (116 mph) practice lap. With Ferrari not starting their 3-litre cars, the main opposition was to come from the Talbots, complete with dual ignition engines with 12 spark plugs. However, they suffered from radiator problems and overheated, allowing Fangio and Fagioli to lead home another Alfa demonstration run, whilst Farina succumbed to fuel pump trouble. Peter Whitehead finished third despite a fractured head gasket in the last two laps.
Entries
| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 95%;" | ||||||
| No | Driver | Entrant | Constructor | Chassis | Engine | Tyre |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2
| {{flagicon|Italy}} Nino Farina | rowspan=3| Alfa Romeo SpA | Alfa Romeo 158 1.5 L8s | align="center"| {{Pirelli}} | ||||||
| 4
| {{flagicon|Italy}} Luigi Fagioli | Alfa Romeo 158 1.5 L8s | align="center"| {{Pirelli}} | ||||||
| 6
| {{flagicon|Argentina}} Juan Manuel Fangio | Alfa Romeo 158 1.5 L8s | align="center"| {{Pirelli}} | ||||||
| 8
| {{flagicon|Italy}} Luigi Villoresi | rowspan=2| Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari | align="center"| {{Pirelli}} | ||||||
| 10
| {{flagicon|Italy}} Alberto Ascari | Ferrari | align="center"| {{Pirelli}} | ||||||
| 12
| {{flagicon|France}} Raymond Sommer | align="center"| {{Dunlop}} | ||||||
| 14
| {{flagicon|UK}} Peter Whitehead | Peter Whitehead | Ferrari | align="center"| {{Pirelli}} | ||||||
| 16
| {{flagicon|France}} Philippe Étancelin{{Ref|1|1}} | Philippe Étancelin | align="center"| {{Dunlop}} | ||||||
| 18
| {{flagicon|France}} Yves Giraud-Cabantous | rowspan=2| Automobiles Talbot-Darracq | align="center"| {{Dunlop}} | ||||||
| 20
| {{flagicon|France}} Louis Rosier | align="center"| {{Dunlop}} | ||||||
| 22
| {{flagicon|France}} Pierre Levegh | Pierre Levegh | align="center"| {{Dunlop}} | ||||||
| 24
| {{flagicon|France}} Eugène Chaboud | align="center"| {{Dunlop}} | ||||||
| 26
| {{flagicon|France}} Charles Pozzi{{Ref|2|2}} | Charles Pozzi | align="center"| {{Dunlop}} | ||||||
| 28
| {{flagicon|Italy}} Franco Rol | rowspan=2| Officine Alfieri Maserati | Maserati | align="center"| {{Pirelli}} | ||||||
| 30
| {{flagicon|Monaco}} Louis Chiron | Maserati | align="center"| {{Pirelli}} | ||||||
| 32
| {{flagicon|UK}} Reg Parnell | rowspan=2| Scuderia Ambrosiana | Maserati | align="center"| {{Dunlop}} | ||||||
| 34
| {{flagicon|UK}} David Hampshire{{Ref|3|3}} | Maserati | align="center"| {{Dunlop}} | ||||||
| 36
| {{flagicon|Argentina}} José Froilán González | rowspan=2| Scuderia Achille Varzi | Maserati | align="center"| {{Pirelli}} | ||||||
| 38
| {{flagicon|Italy}} Franco Comotti | Maserati | align="center"| {{Pirelli}} | ||||||
| 40
| {{flagicon|Italy}} Felice Bonetto | align="center"| {{Pirelli}} | ||||||
| 42
| {{flagicon|Belgium}} Johnny Claes | align="center"| {{Dunlop}} | ||||||
| 44
| {{flagicon|France}} Robert Manzon | Simca-Gordini T15 | Simca-Gordini 15C 1.5 L4s | align="center"| {{Englebert}} | ||||||
| style="background-color:#E5E4E2" align="center"
! colspan=7| Sources: {{cite web|url=http://www.manipef1.com/results/1950/france/entries/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120509150510/http://www.manipef1.com/results/1950/france/entries/|archive-date=9 May 2012|title=1950 French Grand Prix - Race Entries|publisher=manipef1.com|url-status=usurped|access-date=6 January 2016}}{{cite web|url=http://chicanef1.com/race.pl?year=1950&gp=ACF%20GP&r=1&type=ent |title=1950 ACF GP - Entry List |publisher=ChicaneF1.com |access-date=16 November 2013}} |
:{{Note|1|1}} — Philippe Étancelin qualified and drove 26 laps of the race in the #16 Talbot-Lago. Eugène Chaboud, who did not start the race despite qualifying in his own car, took over Étancelin's vehicle for 33 laps of the race.{{cite web|url=http://www.espn.co.uk/f1/motorsport/race/1394.html |title=French Grand Prix 1950 - Results |publisher=ESPN F1 |access-date=7 January 2014}}
:{{Note|2|2}} — Charles Pozzi qualified and drove 14 laps of the race in the #26 Talbot-Lago. Louis Rosier, whose own car had already retired, took over #26 for 42 laps of the race.
:{{Note|3|3}} — David Hampshire qualified the #34 Maserati and drove it in the race until he was forced to retire. David Murray, named substitute driver for the car, was not used during the Grand Prix.{{cite web|url=http://www.statsf1.com/en/1950/france/engages.aspx |title=France 1950 - Race entrants |publisher=Stats F1 |access-date=7 January 2014}}
Classification
=Qualifying=
| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 95%;" | |||||
| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1
| 6 | {{flagicon|Argentina}} Juan Manuel Fangio | 2:30.6 | – | |||||
| 2
| 2 | {{flagicon|Italy}} Nino Farina | 2:32.5 | + 1.9 | |||||
| 3
| 4 | {{flagicon|Italy}} Luigi Fagioli | 2:34.7 | + 4.1 | |||||
| 4
| 16 | {{flagicon|France}} Philippe Étancelin | 2:39.0 | + 8.4 | |||||
| 5
| 18 | {{flagicon|France}} Yves Giraud-Cabantous | 2:42.7 | + 12.1 | |||||
| 6
| 20 | {{flagicon|France}} Louis Rosier | 2:46.0 | + 15.4 | |||||
| 7
| 28 | {{flagicon|Italy}} Franco Rol | Maserati | 2:46.7 | + 16.1 | |||||
| 8
| 36 | {{flagicon|Argentina}} José Froilán González | Maserati | 2:48.0 | + 17.4 | |||||
| 9
| 22 | {{flagicon|France}} Pierre Levegh | 2:49.0 | + 18.4 | |||||
| 10
| 24 | {{flagicon|France}} Eugène Chaboud | Unknown | – | |||||
| 11
| 40 | {{flagicon|Italy}} Felice Bonetto | 2:51.0 | + 20.4 | |||||
| 12
| 32 | {{flagicon|UK}} Reg Parnell | Maserati | 2:54.0 | + 23.4 | |||||
| 13
| 44 | {{flagicon|France}} Robert Manzon | 2:55.5 | + 24.9 | |||||
| 14
| 30 | {{flagicon|Monaco}} Louis Chiron | Maserati | 2:55.9 | + 25.3 | |||||
| 15
| 42 | {{flagicon|Belgium}} Johnny Claes | 2:57.4 | + 26.8 | |||||
| 16
| 26 | {{flagicon|France}} Charles Pozzi | 2:58.0 | + 27.4 | |||||
| 17
| 12 | {{flagicon|France}} Raymond Sommer | 2:59.3 | + 28.7 | |||||
| 18
| 34 | {{flagicon|UK}} David Hampshire | Maserati | 2:59.5 | + 28.9 | |||||
| 19
| 14 | {{flagicon|UK}} Peter Whitehead | Ferrari | 3:01.0 | + 30.4 | |||||
| WD
| 8 | {{flagicon|ITA}} Luigi Villoresi | Ferrari | – | – | |||||
| WD
| 10 | {{flagicon|ITA}} Alberto Ascari | Ferrari | – | – | |||||
| DNA
| 38 | {{flagicon|ITA}} Franco Comotti | Maserati | – | – | |||||
| colspan="6"|{{center|Source:{{cite web |title=XXXVII Grand Prix de l'Automobile Club de France|publisher=Silhouet.com |url=http://www.silhouet.com/motorsport/archive/f1/1950/50f.html |access-date=25 December 2015}}{{cite web |title=France 1950 |publisher=Stats F1 |url=http://www.statsf1.com/en/1950/france/qualification.aspx |access-date=11 January 2017}}}} |
= Race =
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
! Pos ! No ! Driver ! Constructor ! Laps ! Time/Retired ! Grid ! Points |
| 1
| 6 | {{flagicon|Argentina}} Juan Manuel Fangio | 64 | 2:57:52.8 | 1 | 9{{ref|1|1}} |
|---|
| 2
| 4 | {{flagicon|Italy}} Luigi Fagioli | 64 | + 25.7 | 3 | 6 |
| 3
| 14 | {{flagicon|UK}} Peter Whitehead | Ferrari | 61 | + 3 Laps | 18 | 4 |
| 4
| 44 | {{flagicon|France}} Robert Manzon | 61 | + 3 Laps | 12 | 3 |
| 5
| 16 | {{flagicon|France}} Philippe Étancelin | 59 | + 5 Laps | 4 | 1 |
| 6
| 26 | {{flagicon|France}} Charles Pozzi | 56 | + 8 Laps | 15 | |
| 7
| 2 | {{flagicon|Italy}} Nino Farina | 55 | Fuel Pump | 2 | |
| 8
| 18 | {{flagicon|France}} Yves Giraud-Cabantous | 52 | + 12 Laps | 5 | |
| Ret
| 22 | {{flagicon|France}} Pierre Levegh | 36 | Engine | 9 | |
| Ret
| 40 | {{flagicon|Italy}} Felice Bonetto | 14 | Engine | 10 | |
| Ret
| 42 | {{flagicon|Belgium}} Johnny Claes | 11 | Overheating | 14 | |
| Ret
| 20 | {{flagicon|France}} Louis Rosier | 10 | Overheating | 6 | |
| Ret
| 32 | {{flagicon|UK}} Reg Parnell | Maserati | 9 | Engine | 11 | |
| Ret
| 28 | {{flagicon|Italy}} Franco Rol | Maserati | 6 | Engine | 7 | |
| Ret
| 30 | {{flagicon|Monaco}} Louis Chiron | Maserati | 6 | Engine | 13 | |
| Ret
| 34 | {{flagicon|UK}} David Hampshire | Maserati | 5 | Engine | 17 | |
| Ret
| 12 | {{flagicon|France}} Raymond Sommer | 4 | Overheating | 16 | |
| Ret
| 36 | {{flagicon|Argentina}} José Froilán González | Maserati | 3 | Engine | 8 | |
| DNS
| 24 | {{flagicon|France}} Eugène Chaboud | | Practice only | | |
| DNS
| 8 | {{flagicon|ITA}} Luigi Villoresi | Ferrari | | Withdrawn | | |
| DNS
| 10 | {{flagicon|ITA}} Alberto Ascari | Ferrari | | Withdrawn | | |
| colspan="8"|{{center|Source:{{cite web |url=http://www.formula1.com/results/season/1950/384/ |title=1950 French Grand Prix |publisher=formula1.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150226031503/http://www.formula1.com/results/season/1950/384/ |archive-date=26 February 2015 |access-date=25 December 2015}}}} |
;Notes
- {{Note|1|1}} – Includes 1 point for fastest lap
Shared drives
- Car #16: Philippe Étancelin (first 26 laps) then Eugène Chaboud (33 laps). They shared the points for 5th place.
- Car #26: Charles Pozzi (14 laps) then Louis Rosier (42 laps)
Championship standings after the race
;Drivers' Championship standings
| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;" |
| ! Pos
! Driver ! Points |
|---|
| align="left"| 10px 2
|align="center"| 1 | {{flagicon|Argentina}} Juan Manuel Fangio |align="left"| 26 |
| align="left"| 10px
|align="center"| 2 | {{flagicon|Italy}} Luigi Fagioli |align="left"| 24 |
| align="left"| 10px 2
|align="center"| 3 | {{flagicon|Italy}} Giuseppe Farina |align="left"| 22 |
| align="left"| 10px
|align="center"| 4 | {{flagicon|France}} Louis Rosier |align="left"| 10 |
| align="left"| 10px
|align="center"| 5 | {{flagicon|United States|1912}} Johnnie Parsons |align="left"| 9 |
| colspan=4|Source: {{Cite web|url=https://www.statsf1.com/en/1950/france/championnat.aspx|title=France 1950 - Championship|website=statsf1.com|access-date=1 March 2019}} |
- {{small|Note: Only the top five positions are listed. Only the best 4 results counted towards the Championship.}}
References
{{Reflist | 30em}}
Further reading
- {{cite book |last=Lang |first=Mike |title=Grand Prix! Vol 1 |publisher=Haynes Publishing Group |year=1981 |pages=21–22 |isbn=0-85429-276-4 }}
- Sheldon and Rabagliati, A Record of Grand Prix and Voiturette Racing, Volume 5, 1950–1953, 1988
{{F1 race report
| Name_of_race = French Grand Prix
| Year_of_race = 1950
| Previous_race_in_season = 1950 Belgian Grand Prix
| Next_race_in_season = 1950 Italian Grand Prix
| Previous_year's_race = 1949 French Grand Prix
| Next_year's_race = 1951 French Grand Prix
}}
{{F1GP 50-59}}