Maserati 250F – Widescreen gallery
By Marcel Hundscheid / Speed-O-Graphica
Take a few minutes to enjoy the iconic lines of the Maserati 250F in this widescreen gallery by Marcel Hundscheid of Speed-O-Graphica.
While 1950 was the fourth season of Formula One racing, it was the first for the World Championship of Drivers. Alfa Romeo was strong, entering Giuseppe Farina, Luigi Fagioli and Juan-Manuel Fangio in the supercharged Alfa Romeo 158. Ferrari debuted at Monaco and would be their main rival, but reliability problems meant that the championship would ultimately be decided by the three Alfa Romeo Drivers. Competition went down to the final round at Monza, which Giuseppe Farina won, taking the World Championship of Drivers as well.
For 1954, teams could run 2.5-litre non-supercharged engines or 750cc supercharged engines. With Alfa Romeo no longer competing, Maserati returned to the sport, selling cars for customers to race in lieu of a factory team. Juan-Manuel Fangio and Onofre Marimón got two interim cars as the new chassis would not be available in time, known as Maserati 250F.
For the 250F, Maserati used a straight six normally aspirated engine based on the A5SSG engine and able to produce 220 bhp at 7400 rpm. They used a multi-tubular chassis on the 250F including a 200 liter fuel tank. The transmission had four forward gears plus a reverse.
Fangio gave Maserati the first two victories in their first year, winning the Argentine Grand Prix and Belgian Grand Prix before moving to Mercedes (and continuing to win races.) Alberto Ascari replaced Fangio, but the Italian never became one with the 250F and left Maserati.
Stirling Moss came to Maserati, winning a Formula Libre race in Aintree and going on to earn plenty of success in the car. Just as Fangio did, Moss decided to leave Maserati for Mercedes.
Maserati used the 250F until 1960, but it was already clear back in 1958 that the car was outclassed by the new rear-engined Formula One cars. Between January 1954 and November 1960 Maserati competed in 46 F1 championship races, scoring eight wins.
Images by Marcel Hundscheid of Speed-O-Graphica
