STORY OF THE DAY — Ascari Leads a Ferrari 1–2 at Bremgarten: On July 3, 1949, Alberto Ascari won the Swiss Grand Prix at Bremgarten in this Ferrari 125 F1, with teammate Luigi Villoresi finishing second in the other Ferrari. This was still the pre-World Championship era: the official Formula One World Championship would not begin until 1950.

The 125 F1 has a special place in Ferrari history. Introduced in 1948, it was Ferrari’s first Formula One car, powered by a supercharged 1.5-litre V12. At Bremgarten, Ascari started third behind Giuseppe Farina’s Maserati and brought Ferrari one of the important Grand Prix victories that helped establish the young Maranello marque at the highest level of international racing.

Ascari had joined Ferrari for 1949 and soon became the team’s defining driver of the early 1950s. When the World Championship adopted Formula Two regulations, he dominated with Ferrari, winning consecutive Drivers’ Championships in 1952 and 1953. He became Ferrari’s first World Champion and remains the last Italian driver to win the Formula One World Championship.

This 1949 victory therefore belongs to the brief but fascinating period just before the modern World Championship began — when Ferrari and Ascari were already becoming the combination that would soon dominate Formula One.