The 1951 Spanish Grand Prix was a

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

motor race Motorsport, motorsports or motor sport is a global term used to encompass the group of competitive sporting events which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles. The terminology can also be used to describe forms of competition of two ...

held on 28 October 1951 at

Pedralbes Circuit The Pedralbes Circuit ( es, Circuito de Pedralbes) was a street racing course in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. First opened in 1946 in the western suburbs of the city, in the Pedralbes neighbourhood, the course featured wide streets and expansiv ...

. It was the eighth and final race of the 1951 World Championship of Drivers. This race was determined by tyre choice – Ferrari chose a 16-inch rear wheel, whilst

Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury car manufacturer and a subsidiary of Stellantis. The company was founded on 24 June 1910, in Milan, Italy. "Alfa" is an acronym of its founding name, "Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili." "A ...

settled for the 18 inch, which proved to be the better of the two options. Juan Manuel Fangio led

Alberto Ascari Alberto Ascari (; 13 July 1918 – 26 May 1955) was an Italian racing driver and a two time Formula One World Champion. He was a multitalented racer who competed in motorcycle racing before switching to cars. Ascari won consecutive world titles ...

by two points before the race. Ascari led the race from

José Froilán González José Froilán González (October 5, 1922 – June 15, 2013) was an Argentine racing driver, particularly notable for scoring Ferrari's first win in a Formula One World Championship race at the 1951 British Grand Prix. He made his Formula One ...

, but the Ferraris suffered numerous tread problems.

Piero Taruffi Piero Taruffi (12 October 1906 – 12 January 1988) was a racing driver from Italy. Sports car career Taruffi began his motorsport career racing motorcycles. He won the 1932 500cc European Championship on a Norton and in 1937 set the motorcycle ...

threw a tyre tread on lap 6 and was followed on lap 7 by

Luigi Villoresi Luigi Villoresi (16 May 1909 – 24 August 1997) was an Italian Grand Prix motor racing driver who continued racing on the Formula One circuit at the time of its inception. Biography Born in Milan, Lombardy, and nicknamed "Gigi", he was the older ...

, Ascari on lap 8 and Gonzalez on lap 14. The Ferraris were forced to stop frequently to change tyres and Fangio comfortably won the race and his first drivers' title, after Ascari finished 4th was not able to overhaul Fangio's total. After the race, Alfa Romeo announced that due to lack of finances, they would not be competing in the 1952 season.

Entries

: — Peter Whitehead and Reg Parnell both withdrew from the event prior to practice. : — Juan Jover qualified in the #46 Maserati, although he did not start the race. Joaquin Palacio had been entered in car #46, but he withdrew prior to practice. : — Toni Branca withdrew from the event prior to practice.

Chico Landi Francisco Sacco Landi (July 14, 1907 – June 7, 1989), better known as Chico, was a racing driver from São Paulo, Brazil. He participated in six Formula One World Championship ''Grands Prix'', debuting on September 16, 1951. He scored a to ...

had also been entered in car #48, but he too withdrew from the Grand Prix before practice.

Classification

Qualifying

Race

;Notes * – Includes 1 point for fastest lap

Championship permutations

* Three drivers were fighting for the championship going into the race: Fangio on 27 points, Ascari on 25 points and González on 21 points. ** Fangio would finish ahead of Ascari in the Championship if: *** Fangio finished ahead of Ascari, or *** Ascari finished 3rd or lower ** Fangio would finish ahead of González in the Championship if: *** González failed to win with the fastest lap or *** Fangio scored at least one point with González winning with the fastest lap ** Ascari would win the championship if he either: *** won, or *** finished 2nd with Fangio 3rd or lower ** González needed to win, and set the fastest lap, with Ascari finishing third or lower and Fangio not scoring at all to win the Championship.

Championship standings after the race

;Drivers' Championship standings *Note: Only the top five positions are included. Only the best 4 results counted towards the Championship. Numbers without parentheses are Championship points; numbers in parentheses are total points scored.

References

{{F1GP 50-59

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

Spanish Grand Prix 1951 in Spanish motorsport