1956 Drivers Championship
1. Juan Manuel Fangio - 30 2. Stirling Moss - 27 3. Peter Collins - 25
(Constructors title not introduced until 1958)
Fangio and Moss went their separate ways in their search for new teams. Fangio joined Ferrari, though the cars fielded by it in 1956 were modified Lancias. Fangio was always suspicious about the standard of preparation his cars received, and left Ferrari when the season ended...
Moss had enjoyed success with Mercedes, but was keen to go for a British car. In the end he settled on Maserati, feeling that would give him the best chance of unseating Fangio. The rival Italian camps would dominate the 1956 championship. Alongside Fangio, Ferrari had Luigi Musso, Eugenio Castellotti and the young Englishman Peter Collins. Jean Behra and Cesare Perdisa provided strong support to Moss at Maserati.
"Fangio sets the pace"
The opening round was in Argentina. Fangio's car failed early on, and he took over his team-mate Musso's to win from Behra. Moss had had a spell in front, but his engine also gave out. When Fangio had a problem, he took over the cars of well-placed team-mates; when Moss got into trouble he struggled for points. Monaco was another case in point. Moss gained his second Grand Prix win, while Fangio took over Collins' car to finish second. Fangio had spun his Lancia-Ferrari, then repeatedly hit barriers and kerbs. The car was a mess when he came into the pits, but he still came away from Monte Carlo with 3 useful points for a shared second place. Behra brought his Maserati home third, while Castellotti had to take over Fangio's battered machine, finishing fourth.
"Peter Collins leads the pack"
Collins gained back-to-back wins in Belgium and France. Moss and Fangio both had spells in front at Spa, but hit trouble. Fangio's transmission problem was terminal, but Moss did reappear; he took over Perdisa's car and finished third. Collins got home ahead of local favourite Paul Frere, driving a Ferrari. The Ferraris of Fangio, Collins and Castellotti set the pace at Reims. Fangio was delayed by a lengthy pit stop and Collins took the honours, inches ahead of Castellotti. Behra was third, Fangio fourth, and Moss, who again had to take over Perdisa's car, settled for a shared fifth.
"Championship all to play for"
The works BRMs of Hawthorn and Tony Brooks made an impact early in the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. They led for the first ten laps, but both then had problems. Moss subsequently led in his Maserati; he succumbed to axle trouble. Fangio came through to win; Collins grabbed second, but after he had taken over Alfonso de Portage's Ferrari. The championship was wide open. Collins led on 22 points, but Fangio was close on 21, and Behra was on 18. Fangio won the German Grand Prix emphatically, with Moss second. Behra was again in the points in third. Collins ran out of luck, lying second when his fuel tank fractured. He took over de Portage's car again, but crashed out of the race. He wasn't hurt, but he was now 8 points adrift of Fangio.
"Collins' magnanimous gesture"
Though Collins and Behra still had a chance of overhauling Fangio, they each needed to win in Italy, and set the fastest lap, in order to do so. Fangio was forced out of the race with steering trouble. Then came an extremely generous gesture. Collins, lying second and with an excellent chance of taking the title himself, pulled into the pits and offered Fangio his car. Fangio accepted, and tore after the leaders Moss and Musso. He couldn't catch Moss, whose victory meant that he finished runner-up for the second year, but a shared second place was enough to secure Fangio's fourth world crown. It was a title that he always acknowledged owed a lot to the magnanimity of Peter Collins.
