1951 German Grand Prix

Championship standings

Fangio still leads the championship after Silverstone. González’s victory for Ferrari there — the first World Championship win for the team — has shaken Alfa Romeo’s stranglehold on the season.

Previous race

At Silverstone, González beat Fangio by 51 seconds to give Ferrari their first World Championship victory. The Alfa Romeos of Fangio and Farina were forced to stop twice for fuel — their supercharged engines returning barely over one mile per gallon — while González made a single stop in the more fuel-efficient Ferrari. Farina retired at Abbey curve on lap 75 with a slipping clutch and his engine on fire. The BRM drivers Parnell and Walker, who had not practiced or qualified and started from the last row, raced to fifth and seventh despite suffering burns to their hands and feet.

Entrants

This is the first German Grand Prix held to Formula One regulations — the 1950 event was for Formula 2 cars. West Germany had been banned from international sporting competitions until 1951. The race is held at the Nürburgring Nordschleife, 22.9 kilometres of demanding public road. The 1939 lap record of 9 minutes 43.1 seconds still stands; no Formula One car has yet approached it.

No German manufacturer is present. Auto Union’s headquarters are in the communist East Germany; Mercedes has chosen not to race and is instead studying a new car for future regulations. The only German driver in the field is Paul Pietsch, who has replaced Consalvo Sanesi at Alfa Romeo. Pietsch led the 1939 German Grand Prix before finishing third. Ferrari retain Ascari, Villoresi, González and Taruffi following their Silverstone victory.