The 1953 Formula One season was the seventh season of the FIA's Formula One racing. It consisted only of several non-championship motor races. As in 1952, all races counting towards the World Championship of Drivers, apart from the Indianapolis 500, were held for cars complying with Formula Two regulations rather than with Formula One, with the Indianapolis 500 held to AAA regulations.

The 4th FIA World Championship of Drivers,^[1] which commenced on 18 January and ended on 13 September after nine races,^[2] was won by Alberto Ascari,^[1] driving for Scuderia Ferrari.^[3] Ascari became the first driver to successfully defend his title.

In addition to the non-championship Formula One races and the World Championship Formula Two races, numerous other non-championship Formula Two races were also held during the year.

Teams and drivers

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

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	4 July
6	British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone	17 July
7	German Grand Prix	Nürburgring, Nürburg	1 August
8	Swiss Grand Prix	Circuit Bremgarten, Bern	22 August
9	Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza	5 September

Calendar changes

The Argentine Grand Prix hosted its first World Championship Grand Prix in 1953, the race was held at Autódromo Oscar Alfredo Gálvez on 18 January.

The Dutch Grand Prix was moved from mid August to early June.

The French Grand Prix was moved from Rouen-Les-Essarts to Reims-Gueux.

The Swiss Grand Prix was moved from mid May to late August.

The Spanish Grand Prix was scheduled to be held on 26 October but it was cancelled for monetary reasons.^[2]

World Championship season summary

Ferrari drivers again dominated the championship, taking seven of the eight Grands Prix. However, Juan Manuel Fangio's challenge in his more fragile Maserati took him to second place in the championship and a win at Monza. Ascari extended his unbeaten run to nine consecutive World Championship Grand Prix wins before his teammate Mike Hawthorn broke the sequence in becoming the first-ever British winner in the French Grand Prix at Reims after a thrilling battle with Fangio.

In 1953, all but one of the races counting towards the World Championship of Drivers were run under Formula 2 regulations, while the remaining one, the Indianapolis 500, was run under AAA Championship Car regulations. The 1953 championship was the first genuinely global World Championship of Drivers, with a championship event staged outside of Europe or the United States for the first time. That race, the 1953 Argentine Grand Prix, was marred by an accident involving the Ferrari of Giuseppe Farina, which crashed into an unprotected crowd, killing nine spectators.

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

Championship points were awarded to the first five finishers in each race on an 8–6–4–3–2 basis. Points for shared drives were divided equally between the drivers, regardless of the number of laps driven by each. One point was also awarded for the fastest lap in each race. The point was shared equally between drivers sharing the fastest lap. Only the best four results from the nine races counted towards a driver's total points in the World Championship. In the points column, numbers without parentheses are retained championship points, and numbers within parentheses are total points scored.

Pos. Driver ARG 500‡ NED BEL FRA GBR GER SUI ITA Pts. 1 Alberto Ascari 1PF 1P (1) (4)P 1PF* 8P†/ (RetF)† 1F RetP 34.5 (46.5) 2 Juan Manuel Fangio Ret Ret RetP/ Ret† 2F 2 2 (4P†) / Ret† 1F 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 RetF 2 6 Ret 8† / Ret† 6 3 17 6 José Froilán González 3 3† (RetF) 3 4F* 13.5 (14.5) 7 Bill Vukovich 1PF 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