1954-10-24 553 F1 Squalo (38) Mike Hawthorn ESP - Pedralbes 1
The 1954 Spanish Grand Prix 24 October 1954 at Pedralbes.. The 80-lap race was won by Ferrari driver Mike Hawthorn with this 553 Squalo, after he started from third position. Luigi Musso finished second for the Maserati team and Mercedes driver Juan Manuel Fangio came in third.
The long-awaited Lancia D50s arrived-using their 90 degree V8 engine as a stiffening aid for the chassis; they were simple but brilliantly designed. Alberto Ascari immediately set the fastest practice lap and led from pole. Luigi Villoresi in the fellow Lancia retired with brake trouble after just 1 lap and Ascari succumbed to clutch problems after 9 laps.
Various other drivers took the lead and then retired. Finally the race boiled down to a duel between Mike Hawthorn and Juan Manuel Fangio but the Argentine was losing oil and lost second place to Luigi Musso. Hawthorn hung on to take the win with Fangio driving well to claim the final podium position and won the 1954 Drivers World Championship with Mercedes (his second of five) This proved to be the last major race held at the Pedralbes street circuit. The Le Mans disaster in 1955 meant tighter safety regulations, and the spectator-lined street circuit in the Pedralbes neighborhood of Barcelona was abandoned and has not been used since.
