Race details | |||
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Race 4 of 9 in the 1953 World Drivers' Championship | |||
Spa-Francorchamps layout
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Date | 21 June 1953 | ||
Official name | XV Grand Prix de Belgique | ||
Location | Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Francorchamps, Belgium | ||
Course | Permanent racing circuit | ||
Course length | 14.120 km (8.774 mi) | ||
Distance | 36 laps, 508.320 km (315.855 mi) | ||
Weather | Hot, dry | ||
Pole position | |||
Driver | Maserati | ||
Time | 4:30.0 | ||
Fastest lap | |||
Driver | José Froilán González | Maserati | |
Time | 4:34.0 on lap 2 | ||
Podium | |||
First | Ferrari | ||
Second | Ferrari | ||
Third | Maserati | ||
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The 1953 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula Two race held on 21 June 1953 at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. It was the fourth round of the 1953 World Drivers' Championship, which was run to Formula Two rules in 1952 and 1953, rather than the Formula One regulations normally used. The 36-lap race was won by Ferrari driver Alberto Ascari after he started from second position. His teammate Luigi Villoresi finished second and Maserati driver Onofre Marimón came in third.
Two weeks after the previous World Championship race, the Dutch Grand Prix, the teams headed to the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium. Ferrari were once again unchanged from the previous race, retaining the lineup of Alberto Ascari, Nino Farina, Luigi Villoresi and Mike Hawthorn, while there were also privateer Ferraris for Louis Rosier and the Ecurie Francorchamps duo of Jacques Swaters and Charles de Tornaco. The Maserati factory team added Johnny Claes and a third Argentine, Onofre Marimón, to their lineup of Juan Manuel Fangio and José Froilán González, while Felice Bonetto missed this race. Toulo de Graffenried drove the only privateer Maserati at Spa. Jean Behra, whose injuries prevented his participation at Zandvoort, returned for Gordini alongside Maurice Trintignant, and the American pairing of Harry Schell and Fred Wacker, while HWM called on the services of Paul Frère (as they had done the previous year) in their third car in addition to regulars Peter Collins and Lance Macklin. The field was completed by several privateers—Berger in a Simca-Gordini, Legat in a Veritas and Pilette in a Connaught.