1957 Drivers Championship
1. Juan Manuel Fangio - 40 2. Stirling Moss - 25 3. Luigi Musso - 16
(Constructors title not introduced until 1958)
Once again, Fangio and Moss were moving. Fangio rejoined Maserati; Moss had now been impressed by the Vanwall, and another season of development and refinement made that car a serious prospect for the championship.
"Two Ferrari drivers killed"
Fangio's team-mate Behra and the Ferraris of Castellotti and Collins all had spells in front in Argentina, but Fangio crossed the line ahead of Behra, who was the only other driver to complete the race. It was an excellent day for Maserati: Carlos Menditeguy came third; Harry Schell, who had left Vanwall in 1956, was fourth. A Maserati even took'the fastest lap, thanks to Moss driving a borrowed car — Vanwall hadn't travelled to the race. His chances of winning were ended by gearbox trouble, but he came eighth. Ferrari had a terrible time: Collins, Hawthorn and Musso retired while Castellotti lost a wheel. He had a lucky escape then, but was killed a few weeks later testing a Ferrari at Modena. Ferrari soon lost another driver: Alfonso de Portago was killed in the Mille Miglia.
"Brabham pushes it for sixth place"
Moss hit the barricade at the chicane on the fourth lap at Monaco after taking an early lead. The track became scattered with poles, ending the race for Collins and Hawthorn's Ferraris. Tony Brooks, driving the second Vanwall, was also caught up but managed to escape and went on to finish 20 seconds behind Fangio, who won. Jack Brabham took his 2-litre Cooper-Climax into third, but his fuel pump failed five laps from the end. He pushed the car half:a mile, finishing sixth. There was no race in Holland or Belgium because of financial constraints, so France came next. Moss was ill, missing the race, and Fangio came home 50 seconds ahead of Musso's Ferrari Despite early-season setbacks, Vanwall and Moss's star was rising. Moss was leading the home Grand Prix at Aintree, on 20 July, when he swapped his ailing car for Brooks, putting him down to sixth place: he made his way back into the lead. This was the first victory by a British car in a major Grand Prix since 1923.
"Lap record falls ten times"
Fangio was not at Aintree, but he was back at the Nurburgring on 4 August. He began the race with a half-full tank, hoping to build up a sizeable lead to compensate for the extra refuelling stop. When he came into the pits he was 28 seconds ahead, but when he left he was more than 60 seconds down on Hawthorn and Collins. He set about catching them, breaking and rebreaking the lap record ten times. He passed both on the penultimate lap, and crossed the line 3.6 seconds ahead of Hawthorn. It was his final Grand Prix success, and his greatest.
"Fangio's world crown once again"
The Vanwalls were never in the picture in Germany due to suspension problems, but it was different in the last two rounds, both in Italy; Pescara was added to the series to compensate for the absent Belgium and Holland. The 16-mile road circuit was tricky and Enzo Ferrari is said to have banned his cars from participating in Italian road races, so Hawthorn and Collins were left without a drive. Musso still entertained hopes of winning the title, borrowed a car for the race and led in the early stages. Moss soon passed him, and when he retired on the tenth lap, it brought Fangio up to second. At Monza, Moss and Fangio fought an epic battle; Moss won. That gave Moss a final tally of 25 points — for the third year running he was runner-up to Fangio in the Drivers' championship.
Apart from Mercedes in 1954-55, the championship had been dominated by Italian marques. Now Maserati announced its withdrawal from racing and Ferrari was struggling. Maybe a British car could finally win the title.
