1950s Formula One Grand Prix Quiz | F1 GP by Season

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. How many points were awarded to the driver who finished 6th in 1950?

Answer: 0 points

The rules for Formula One in the 1950s were vastly different. The winner received 8 points, 2nd place got 6 points, 3rd got 4 points, 4th got 3 points, 5th place got 2 points, while the driver who set the fastest lap got 1 point. The 6th place finisher just got the pleasure in finishing sixth.

2. The first World Champion in 1950, 'Nino' Farina, was from which country?

Answer: Italy

Italy dominated the first season of the new Formula One World Championship. Farina won three races and won the World Championship, while Alfa Romeo won all six European races (except the Indianapolis 500 which was part of the Championship but never seriously contested by any European drivers).

3. Ferrari won their first Grand Prix at which race in 1951?

Answer: British Grand Prix

Jose Froilan Gonzalez won the first Grand Prix for Ferrari at the 1951 British Grand Prix at Silverstone, seeing off the two Alfa Romeo's of Fangio, who finished second, and Farina, who retired late in the race with clutch failure.

4. The 1952 World Champion Aberto Ascari, missed the opening Grand Prix to compete at the Indianapolis 500. Where did he finish?

Answer: Did Not Finish

It was essentially a wasted journey for the Italian as he missed the opening race in Switzerland, which was won by Piero Taruffi, and did not finish at the Indianapolis 500 after qualifying 19th. It was the only time during the 10 years that the Indianapolis 500 was part of the World Championship that Ferrari appeared at the 500, and the only time Ferrari ever raced at Indianapolis (until the USGP moved there).

5. Ferrari dominated again in 1953, with Ascari winning the Championship with 5 race wins, while Farina also won a race. But a third Ferrari driver won their first race for the marque. Who was it?

Answer: Mike Hawthorn

After impressing at Cooper in 1952, Hawthorn moved to Ferrari for the 1953 season and won his first race at the French Grand Prix at Reims, holding off the two Maserati's of Fangio and Gonzalez.

6. Spain hosted a Grand Prix in 1951 and 1954 at the Pedrables circuit, which was situated close to which Spanish city?

Answer: Barcelona

The circuit was popular with drivers as it was fast and wide, allowing great racing, but the LeMans tragedy in 1955 meant racing never returned to Pedrables after only two events held, primarily due to the safety concerns of the street venue.

7. The 1955 British Grand Prix was held at which circuit?

Answer: Aintree

Somewhat controversially, the British Grand Prix moved from the airfield circuit at Silverstone to a circuit within and around the Aintree Racecourse on Merseyside. Aintree would host five Grand Prix from 1955 to 1962.

8. Three drivers won three races in 1956. Which of the following did not win two races?

Answer: Luigi Musso

In a season dominated by Ferrari, Fangio won the World Championship while Moss in a Maserati finished second, with Collins third overall in another Ferrari. Musso won the season opener in Argentina in a third Ferrari.

9. Apart from the Indianapolis 500, Juan Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss won all seven Grand Prix between them in 1957.

Answer: True

Fangio won the Argentinian Monaco, French and German Grand Prix in a Maserati. Moss won the British, Pescaran, and Italian Grand Prix in a Vanwall. Fangio won the Championship with Moss in second.

10. What Grand Prix appeared for the only time in 1957?

Answer: Pescaran Grand Prix

The Pescaran Grand Prix was held for the only time in 1957 where Stirling Moss won in a Vanwall. It would be the only time a Grand Prix was held at the street circuit. Morocco would host their only Grand Prix in 1958. The Swiss Grand Prix was held at Bremgarten from 1950-54, but motor racing ended in Switzerland in 1955.

11. Which British constructor won the opening two rounds of the 1958 Grand Prix season?

Answer: Cooper-Climax

Cooper had been pioneering with rear-engined constructions since the early 1950s, but the new Cooper-Climax of 1958 was the first truly competitive rear-engined car. Stirling Moss won in Argentina while Tringtigant scored his second career victory at Monaco.

12. Who won the first Constructors Championship in 1958?

Answer: Vanwall

Tony Vandervell had started his racing team, Vanwall, simply as a way to beat Ferrari and 'those bloody red cars'. Although Moss failed to win the drivers championship in 1958, Vandervell was rewarded with the first Constructors Championship. However, the team disbanded at the end of the season.

13. How many drivers won in a Cooper-Climax in 1959?

Answer: 3

Three drivers won in a Cooper-Climax in 1959, World Champion Jack Brabham, Stirling Moss, and Bruce McLaren. Cooper also won the Constructors Championship, an achievement they would repeat in 1960.

14. The 1959 German Grand Prix was held at Avus for the only time. Who won this race?

Answer: Tony Brooks

For the only time in Formula One, a Grand Prix was decided by two heats, each consisting of 30 laps along the Avus track. It was not particularly testing to the driver, and Avus only hosted this one event.

15. The final race of the 1950s was the United States Grand Prix, held at which circuit?

Answer: Sebring

The first United States Grand Prix was held at Sebring in December 1959, a race which was won by Bruce McLaren, his first win. The USGP would replace the Indianpolis 500 on the calendar from 1961 onwards.

Source: Author minardifan

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Nightmare before going online.
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1950s Formula One Grand Prix Trivia Quiz

The 1950s saw the inauguration of the Formula One World Championship. The early years saw the domination by the Italian manufacturers, but by the end of the decade, small British constructors were starting to make a dent.

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