Fangio made some appearances during 1958, but had effectively retired. This opened up the field for other contenders, notably Moss. He remained with Vanwall: its line-up remained unchanged, Tony Brooks and Stuart Lewis-Evans filling the supporting roles.
Fangio made some appearances during 1958, but had effectively retired. This opened up the field for other contenders, notably Moss. He remained with Vanwall: its line-up remained unchanged, Tony Brooks and Stuart Lewis-Evans filling the supporting roles.
There were new regulations about fuel; 130-octane aviation fuel became mandatory. The Vanwall team was carrying out adjustments when the season began in Argentina and Moss entered the race in a Rob Walker 2-litre Cooper-Climax. He won, despite the best efforts of Ferrari's Musso. He won, despite the best efforts of Ferrari's Musso. The Vanwalls were ready in time for Monaco, but all three failed to finish. The little Cooper did it again in Monte Carlo, this time with Maurice Trintignant. Faster cars fell by the wayside and Trintignant, driving steadily, emerged the winner; Ferrari's Musso and Collins followed him home. Zandvoort was dominated by British cars. Brooks and Lewis-Evans failed to finish, but Moss won, leading the BRMs of Harry Schell and Jean Behra. Roy Salvadori's Cooper-Climax was fourth, and Cliff Allison finished sixth in the new Lotus. Hawthorn took fifth in his Ferrari.
"Another setback for Moss"
Moss suffered a setback at Spa; he missed a gear, the revs shot up and the engine blew. It was still a great day for Vanwall, as Brooks and Lewis-Evans came first and third respectively. Teresa de Filippis became the first woman to compete in a world championship race, driving a Maserati, and finished tenth.
Fangio finished the Reims Grand Prix in fourth; his final bow. This marked a turning point for Ferrari and Hawthorn; he won but any delight was muted by the death of Musso who crashed at Muizon while challenging Hawthorn for the lead. Moss and Hawthorn were tied on 23 points as the circus moved to Silverstone, but Moss's race was over after 24 laps. Hawthorn finished second to his team-mate Collins.
"Peter Collins killed at Nurburgring"
Magneto trouble put Moss out of the race at the Nurburgring a fortnight later, after only four laps. The Ferraris of Collins and Hawthorn looked like prevailing, but Brooks passed them in his Vanwall. Tragedy then struck. On the iith lap Peter Collins' Ferrari went off the track at loomph; he died in the resulting crash.
Hawthorn, seeing this, retired almost immediately, devastated by the loss of a team-mate and close friend. Though one big name was lost, another was making an appearance: Bruce McLaren, driving a Cooper, finished first in the Formula 2 class, and fifth overall.
At the first Portuguese Grand Prix at Oporto Moss won comfortably, having been on pole. Hawthorn finished second again, maintaining his challenge for the title. At Monza Moss succumbed to gearbox failure; Hawthorn led the race in the latter stages, but a clutch problem allowed Brooks to come through and win. Hawthorn was second, and now had 40 points from six races, the best six finishes counting for championship purposes. Moss had 32, having only finished five times.
"Hawthorn by the narrowest of margins"
The final round was another new venue, Ain Diab in Casablanca. With an 8-point deficit, Moss had to both win and set the fastest lap. He did exactly that, and took a maximum 9 points, finishing on 41. But for Moss to win the title, Hawthorn had to finish no better than third. The Ferrari team's tactics worked beautifully. Phil Hill, in only his second Formula 1 drive, held on to second place, then eased off to allow Hawthorn through, giving him a final tally of 42. Hawthorn had won just once, compared with Moss's four, but consistency brought him the championship by a single point. There was even worse news for Vanwall. Lewis-Evans had crashed out of the race, dying before he reached hospital.
"Hawthorn killed after retirement"
Hawthorn had been considering retiring even before the German Grand Prix; Peter Collins death made this a certainty. Then, on 22 January 1959, the now-retired Hawthorn was killed when his Jaguar collided with a lorry. He was 29.
1958 Drivers Championship
1. Mike Hawthorn- 42 2. Stirling Moss - 41 3. Tony Brooks - 24
1958 Constructors Title
1. Vanwall - 48 2. Ferrari - 40 3. Cooper-Climax - 31
