1953 German Grand Prix

Championship standings

After six rounds, Ascari leads with 33.5 points, ahead of Hawthorn on 16 and González on 13.5. Three races remain on the calendar (German, Swiss, Italian, plus the scheduled Spanish on 26 October), and Farina, Fangio, and Hawthorn could theoretically still prevent Ascari from becoming champion — but only if they win all remaining races while setting the fastest lap in at least two of them.

Previous race

At Silverstone, Ascari led from pole in worsening weather. Rain and hail flooded sections of the circuit in the closing stages, with several drivers spinning, but Ascari was untroubled, finishing a minute ahead of Fangio and two laps clear of Farina. Ascari and González set identical fastest lap times and shared the extra point between them.

Between-race developments

José Froilán González crashed a Lancia sports car before this race, was injured, and will miss the remainder of the season. Hermann Lang, the pre-war Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix ace, returns to Grand Prix racing after a 14-year absence to replace him at Maserati.

Milestones

This race has the highest number of cars on the grid of any World Drivers’ Championship event to date, with 34 starters. Four East German drivers are competing under East German licences — the first and last time any driver has raced under an East German licence in the World Championship. Crown Prince Akihito of Japan is attending the race during his European tour, which also included the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.