1948 Swiss Grand Prix
Encyclopedia
The 1948 Swiss Grand Prix was a Grand Prix
motor race held at Circuit Bremgarten
, near Bern, on 4 July 1948. Despite racing for nearly two hours, at the finishing line Frenchman Jean-Pierre Wimille
was only 0.2 seconds behind the race winner, the Italian driver Carlo Felice Trossi
. Trossi's compatriot Luigi Villoresi
finished over two and a half minutes behind the pair, in third place. Pre-WWII star driver Achille Varzi
was killed when he crashed during practice, and the wealthy Swiss privateer Christian Kautz
died in an accident during the race.
Grand Prix motor racing
Grand Prix motor racing has its roots in organised automobile racing that began in France as far back as 1894. It quickly evolved from a simple road race from one town to the next, to endurance tests for car and driver...
motor race held at Circuit Bremgarten
Circuit Bremgarten
The Circuit Bremgarten was a 7.28 km race course in Bern, Switzerland which formerly hosted the Formula One Swiss Grand Prix and the Swiss motorcycle Grand Prix....
, near Bern, on 4 July 1948. Despite racing for nearly two hours, at the finishing line Frenchman Jean-Pierre Wimille
Jean-Pierre Wimille
Jean-Pierre Wimille was a Grand Prix motor racing driver and a member of the French Resistance during World War II.-Biography:...
was only 0.2 seconds behind the race winner, the Italian driver Carlo Felice Trossi
Carlo Felice Trossi
Count Carlo Felice Trossi was an Italian racecar driver and auto constructor. During his career, he raced for two teams, Mercedes-Benz and Alfa Romeo. He won the 1947 Italian Grand Prix and the 1948 Swiss Grand Prix...
. Trossi's compatriot Luigi Villoresi
Luigi Villoresi
Luigi Villoresi was an Italian Grand Prix motor racing driver who continued racing on the Formula One circuit at the time of its inception.-Biography:...
finished over two and a half minutes behind the pair, in third place. Pre-WWII star driver Achille Varzi
Achille Varzi
Achille Varzi , was an Italian Grand Prix driver.-Career:Born in Galliate, province of Novara , Achille Varzi was the son of a prosperous textile manufacturer...
was killed when he crashed during practice, and the wealthy Swiss privateer Christian Kautz
Christian Kautz
Christian Kautz was an auto racing driver from Switzerland.Son of a Swiss multi-millionaire, his career started with Mercedes-Benz as a junior driver in 1936, then as an Auto Union junior driver in 1938, starting in three Grands Prix. Kautz was a testpilot for Lockheed in the USA during the Second...
died in an accident during the race.
Classification
Pos. | No. | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/Retired | Grid |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 26 | Carlo Felice Trossi Carlo Felice Trossi Count Carlo Felice Trossi was an Italian racecar driver and auto constructor. During his career, he raced for two teams, Mercedes-Benz and Alfa Romeo. He won the 1947 Italian Grand Prix and the 1948 Swiss Grand Prix... |
Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian manufacturer of cars. Founded as A.L.F.A. on June 24, 1910, in Milan, the company has been involved in car racing since 1911, and has a reputation for building expensive sports cars... 158 |
40 | 1:59:17.3 | 4 |
2 | 30 | Jean-Pierre Wimille Jean-Pierre Wimille Jean-Pierre Wimille was a Grand Prix motor racing driver and a member of the French Resistance during World War II.-Biography:... |
Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian manufacturer of cars. Founded as A.L.F.A. on June 24, 1910, in Milan, the company has been involved in car racing since 1911, and has a reputation for building expensive sports cars... 158 |
40 | + 0.2 s | 1 |
3 | 34 | Luigi Villoresi Luigi Villoresi Luigi Villoresi was an Italian Grand Prix motor racing driver who continued racing on the Formula One circuit at the time of its inception.-Biography:... |
Maserati Maserati Maserati is an Italian luxury car manufacturer established on December 1, 1914, in Bologna. The company's headquarters is now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. It has been owned by the Italian car giant Fiat S.p.A. since 1993... 4CLT/48 |
40 | + 2:37.3 | 3 |
4 | 56 | Consalvo Sanesi Consalvo Sanesi Consalvo Sanesi was best known as the Alfa Romeo works' test driver in the period following World War II, but he also competed in five Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on September 3, 1950... |
Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian manufacturer of cars. Founded as A.L.F.A. on June 24, 1910, in Milan, the company has been involved in car racing since 1911, and has a reputation for building expensive sports cars... 158 |
39 | + 1 lap | 6 |
5 | 32 | Alberto Ascari Alberto Ascari Alberto Ascari was an Italian racing driver and twice Formula One World Champion. He is one of only two Italian Formula One World Champions in the history of the sport, and the only one winning his two championships in a Ferrari.... |
Maserati Maserati Maserati is an Italian luxury car manufacturer established on December 1, 1914, in Bologna. The company's headquarters is now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. It has been owned by the Italian car giant Fiat S.p.A. since 1993... 4CLT/48 |
39 | + 1 lap | 5 |
6 | 4 | Louis Chiron Louis Chiron Louis Alexandre Chiron was a Grand Prix driver.-Career:As a teenager, Louis Chiron fell in love with cars and racing. He learned to drive at a young age and joined the Grand Prix circuit after World War I where he had been requisitioned from the artillery section to serve as a chauffeur... |
Talbot-Lago Talbot-Lago Talbot-Lago was a French automobile manufacturer based in Suresnes, Hauts de Seine, outside of Paris.-Origins:The Anglo-French STD combine collapsed in 1935. The French Talbot company was acquired and reorganised by a Venetian born engineer called Anthony Lago and after that, the Talbot-Lago... T26 |
38 | + 2 laps | 8 |
7 | 8 | Charles Pozzi Charles Pozzi Charles Pozzi was a French racing driver who participated in one World Championship Formula One race in 1950, the year of its inception.... |
Talbot-Lago Talbot-Lago Talbot-Lago was a French automobile manufacturer based in Suresnes, Hauts de Seine, outside of Paris.-Origins:The Anglo-French STD combine collapsed in 1935. The French Talbot company was acquired and reorganised by a Venetian born engineer called Anthony Lago and after that, the Talbot-Lago... T26SS |
37 | + 3 laps | 10 |
8 | 54 | Yves Giraud-Cabantous | Talbot-Lago Talbot-Lago Talbot-Lago was a French automobile manufacturer based in Suresnes, Hauts de Seine, outside of Paris.-Origins:The Anglo-French STD combine collapsed in 1935. The French Talbot company was acquired and reorganised by a Venetian born engineer called Anthony Lago and after that, the Talbot-Lago... T150C |
36 | + 4 laps | 20 |
9 | 42 | Igor Troubetzkoy Igor Troubetzkoy Prince Igor Nikolayevich Troubetzkoy was the driver of the first Ferrari to ever compete in Grand Prix Motor Racing. He drove a 2-litre Ferrari "Tipo" 166 in Monaco on May 16, 1948. Earlier that year he had won the Targa Florio with the Ferrari 166 Sport Allemano Spyder... |
Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing.... 166SC Ferrari 166 S The Ferrari 166 S was an evolution of Ferrari's 125 S sports race car that became a sports car for the street in the form of the 166 Inter. Only 39 Ferrari 166 S's were produced, soon followed by the production of the 166 Mille Miglia which was made in much larger numbers from 1949 to 1952... |
35 | + 5 laps | 18 |
Ret | 20 | George Abecassis George Abecassis George Edgar Abecassis DFC was an English racing driver, and co-founder of the HWM Formula One team.-Pre-1946 career:... |
Alta GP | 12 | ||
Ret | 40 | Clemente Biondetti Clemente Biondetti Clemente Biondetti was an Italian auto racing driver.-Biography:Born in Buddusò, Sardinia, into a working class family, Biondetti began racing motorcycles in 1923 but in 1927 turned to automobiles... |
Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing.... 166C Ferrari 166 S The Ferrari 166 S was an evolution of Ferrari's 125 S sports race car that became a sports car for the street in the form of the 166 Inter. Only 39 Ferrari 166 S's were produced, soon followed by the production of the 166 Mille Miglia which was made in much larger numbers from 1949 to 1952... |
15 | ||
Ret | 52 | B. Bira | Maserati Maserati Maserati is an Italian luxury car manufacturer established on December 1, 1914, in Bologna. The company's headquarters is now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. It has been owned by the Italian car giant Fiat S.p.A. since 1993... 4CL |
16 | ||
Ret | 36 | Gianfranco Comotti | Talbot-Lago Talbot-Lago Talbot-Lago was a French automobile manufacturer based in Suresnes, Hauts de Seine, outside of Paris.-Origins:The Anglo-French STD combine collapsed in 1935. The French Talbot company was acquired and reorganised by a Venetian born engineer called Anthony Lago and after that, the Talbot-Lago... T26C |
19 | ||
Ret | 48 | Emmanuel de Graffenried | Maserati Maserati Maserati is an Italian luxury car manufacturer established on December 1, 1914, in Bologna. The company's headquarters is now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. It has been owned by the Italian car giant Fiat S.p.A. since 1993... 4CL |
13 | ||
Ret | 46 | Luigi Fagioli Luigi Fagioli Luigi Fagioli , nicknamed "the Abruzzi robber", was an Italian motor racing driver.-Career:Born in the small city of Osimo, Ancona Province in the Marche region of central Italy, as a boy Luigi Fagioli was fascinated by the relatively new invention of the automobile and the ensuing racing... |
Maserati Maserati Maserati is an Italian luxury car manufacturer established on December 1, 1914, in Bologna. The company's headquarters is now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. It has been owned by the Italian car giant Fiat S.p.A. since 1993... 4CL |
17 | ||
Ret | 38 | Giuseppe Farina Giuseppe Farina Emilio Giuseppe "Nino" Farina was an Italian racing driver. He stands out in the history of Grand Prix motor racing for his much copied 'straight-arm' driving style and his status as the first ever Formula One World Champion.-Biography:Born in Turin, Italy and nicknamed "Nino", Farina was a doctor... |
Maserati Maserati Maserati is an Italian luxury car manufacturer established on December 1, 1914, in Bologna. The company's headquarters is now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. It has been owned by the Italian car giant Fiat S.p.A. since 1993... 4CLT |
2 | ||
Ret | 50 | Christian Kautz Christian Kautz Christian Kautz was an auto racing driver from Switzerland.Son of a Swiss multi-millionaire, his career started with Mercedes-Benz as a junior driver in 1936, then as an Auto Union junior driver in 1938, starting in three Grands Prix. Kautz was a testpilot for Lockheed in the USA during the Second... |
Maserati Maserati Maserati is an Italian luxury car manufacturer established on December 1, 1914, in Bologna. The company's headquarters is now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. It has been owned by the Italian car giant Fiat S.p.A. since 1993... 4CL |
Fatal accident | 11 | |
Ret | 24 | Raymond Mays Raymond Mays Thomas Raymond Mays CBE was an auto racing driver and entrepreneur from Bourne, Lincolnshire, England.He attended Oundle School, where he met Amherst Villiers, leaving at the end of 1917. After army service in the Grenadier Guards in France, he attended Christ's College, Cambridge... |
ERA English Racing Automobiles English Racing Automobiles was a British racing car manufacturer active from 1933 to 1954. Currently the ERA trademark is owned by a British kit-car manufacturer.-Prewar history:... B-Type |
9 | ||
Ret | 18 | Louis Rosier Louis Rosier Louis Rosier was a racing driver from France.-Career highlights:... |
Talbot-Lago Talbot-Lago Talbot-Lago was a French automobile manufacturer based in Suresnes, Hauts de Seine, outside of Paris.-Origins:The Anglo-French STD combine collapsed in 1935. The French Talbot company was acquired and reorganised by a Venetian born engineer called Anthony Lago and after that, the Talbot-Lago... T26C |
14 | ||
Ret | 10 | Raymond Sommer Raymond Sommer Raymond Sommer was a Grand Prix motor racing driver.... |
Gordini Gordini Gordini is a French sports car manufacturer. The firm was founded by Amédée Gordini nicknamed "Le Sorcier" .Gordini competed in Formula One from 1950 to 1956.... T15 |
7 | ||
DNQ | 44 | Clemar Bucci Clemar Bucci Clemar Bucci was a racing driver from Argentina. He participated in five World Championship Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 17 July 1954 and several non-Championship Formula One races. He scored no championship points... |
Maserati Maserati Maserati is an Italian luxury car manufacturer established on December 1, 1914, in Bologna. The company's headquarters is now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. It has been owned by the Italian car giant Fiat S.p.A. since 1993... 4CL |
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DNQ | 22 | Bob Gerard Bob Gerard Frederick Roberts "Bob" Gerard was a racing driver and businessman from England... |
ERA English Racing Automobiles English Racing Automobiles was a British racing car manufacturer active from 1933 to 1954. Currently the ERA trademark is owned by a British kit-car manufacturer.-Prewar history:... B-Type |
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DNQ | 28 | Achille Varzi Achille Varzi Achille Varzi , was an Italian Grand Prix driver.-Career:Born in Galliate, province of Novara , Achille Varzi was the son of a prosperous textile manufacturer... |
Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian manufacturer of cars. Founded as A.L.F.A. on June 24, 1910, in Milan, the company has been involved in car racing since 1911, and has a reputation for building expensive sports cars... 158 |