The 1956 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One

Formula One

Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...

 motor race held on 3 June 1956 at Spa-Francorchamps

Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps

The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps is the venue of the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix and the Spa 24 Hours endurance race. It is also home to the all Volkswagen club event, 25 Hours of Spa, run by the Uniroyal Fun Cup. It is one of the most challenging race tracks in the world, mainly due to its...

. It was the fourth round of the 1956 World Drivers' Championship

1956 Formula One season

The 1956 Formula One season featured the seventh FIA World Championship of Drivers as well as numerous non-championship races for Formula One cars. The championship series commenced on January 22, 1956 and ended on September 2 after eight races. Juan Manuel Fangio won his third consecutive title,...

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After the first day of practice on Thursday, Fangio was on pole with a time almost 5 sec faster than second place Moss. These times wouldn’t be touched with wet conditions on Friday and windy conditions on Saturday.

It was raining when the race began and Fangio made a poor start and settled in fifth with Moss well in the lead. But by lap 3 Fangio would be in second having passed Behra, Collins, and then Castellotti. By the fifth lap he was in the lead and had opened up an 8 second lead on Moss by lap 10 with Collins third on a drying track. Collins took second when Moss lost a back wheel on the climb after the Eau Rouge bridge. He was able to safely stop and sprint back to the pits and take over Perdisa’s car. He resumed in sixth but a lap down to the leaders. Collins took the lead for good when Fangio lost his transmission on lap 24. A tight battle for second between Behra and Frere ended when Behra’s engine began to misfire. This allowed Moss to move to third as he had passed Schell earlier. Moss ended the race on a furious pace but the two leaders were too far ahead to make up the gap.

Classification

Pos	No	Driver	Constructor	Laps	Time/Retired	Grid	Points
1	8	Peter Collins Peter Collins (racing driver) Peter John Collins was a Formula One driver from England. He participated in 35 World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 18 May 1952. He won 3 races, achieved 9 podiums, and scored a total of 47 championship points....	Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing....	36	2:40:00.3	3	8
2	6	Paul Frère Paul Frère Paul Frère was a racing driver and journalist from Belgium, born in Le Havre . He participated in eleven World Championship Formula One Grands Prix debuting on 22 June 1952 and achieving one podium finish with a total of eleven championship points...	Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing....	36	+1:51.3	8	6
3	34	Cesare Perdisa Cesare Perdisa Cesare Perdisa, October 21, 1932–May 10, 1998, was a racing driver from Bologna, Italy. He participated in 8 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on May 22, 1955... Stirling Moss Stirling Moss Sir Stirling Craufurd Moss, OBE FIE is a former racing driver from England...	Maserati Maserati Maserati is an Italian luxury car manufacturer established on December 1, 1914, in Bologna. The company's headquarters is now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. It has been owned by the Italian car giant Fiat S.p.A. since 1993...	36	+3:16.6	9	2 3
4	10	Harry Schell Harry Schell Harry O'Reilly Schell was an American Grand Prix motor racing driver.-Early life:...	Vanwall Vanwall Vanwall was a Formula One motor racing team that competed in the 1950s. Founded by Tony Vandervell, the Vanwall name was derived by combining the name of the team owner with that of his Thinwall bearings produced at the Vandervell Products factory at Acton, London...	35	+1 Lap	6	3
5	22	Luigi Villoresi Luigi Villoresi Luigi Villoresi was an Italian Grand Prix motor racing driver who continued racing on the Formula One circuit at the time of its inception.-Biography:...	Maserati Maserati Maserati is an Italian luxury car manufacturer established on December 1, 1914, in Bologna. The company's headquarters is now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. It has been owned by the Italian car giant Fiat S.p.A. since 1993...	34	+2 Laps	11	2
6	20	André Pilette André Pilette André Pilette , son of former Indy 500 participant Théodore Pilette, was a racing driver from Belgium. He participated in 14 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 17 June 1951. He scored 2 championship points...	Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing....	33	+3 Laps	16
7	32	Jean Behra Jean Behra Jean Marie Behra was a Formula One driver who raced for the Gordini, Maserati, BRM, Ferrari and Porsche teams.-Appearance and personality:...	Maserati Maserati Maserati is an Italian luxury car manufacturer established on December 1, 1914, in Bologna. The company's headquarters is now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. It has been owned by the Italian car giant Fiat S.p.A. since 1993...	33	+3 Laps	4
8	24	Louis Rosier Louis Rosier Louis Rosier was a racing driver from France.-Career highlights:...	Maserati Maserati Maserati is an Italian luxury car manufacturer established on December 1, 1914, in Bologna. The company's headquarters is now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. It has been owned by the Italian car giant Fiat S.p.A. since 1993...	33	+3 Laps	10
Ret	2	Juan Manuel Fangio Juan Manuel Fangio Juan Manuel Fangio , nicknamed El Chueco or El Maestro , was a racing car driver from Argentina, who dominated the first decade of Formula One racing...	Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing....	23	Transmission	1
Ret	12	Maurice Trintignant Maurice Trintignant Maurice Bienvenu Jean Paul Trintignant was a motor racing driver and vintner from France. He competed in the Formula One World Championship for fourteen years, between 1950 and 1964, one of the longest careers in the early years of F1...	Vanwall Vanwall Vanwall was a Formula One motor racing team that competed in the 1950s. Founded by Tony Vandervell, the Vanwall name was derived by combining the name of the team owner with that of his Thinwall bearings produced at the Vandervell Products factory at Acton, London...	11	Fuel system	7
Ret	30	Stirling Moss Stirling Moss Sir Stirling Craufurd Moss, OBE FIE is a former racing driver from England...	Maserati Maserati Maserati is an Italian luxury car manufacturer established on December 1, 1914, in Bologna. The company's headquarters is now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. It has been owned by the Italian car giant Fiat S.p.A. since 1993...	10	Wheel	2
Ret	4	Eugenio Castellotti Eugenio Castellotti Eugenio Castellotti was a Formula One driver from Italy.-Driving career:Castellotti was born in Lodi. After being signed by Scuderia Ferrari, Eugenio Castellotti participated in 14 World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 16 January 1955...	Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing....	10	Transmission	5
Ret	28	Piero Scotti Piero Scotti Piero Scotti was a racing driver from Italy. He participated in one Formula One World Championship Grand Prix, on June 3, 1956. He scored no championship points....	Connaught-Alta	10	Engine	12
Ret	26	Horace Gould Horace Gould Horace Gould was a racing driver from Bristol, England, died in Southmead. He participated in 17 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on July 17, 1954, plus numerous non-Championship races...	Maserati Maserati Maserati is an Italian luxury car manufacturer established on December 1, 1914, in Bologna. The company's headquarters is now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. It has been owned by the Italian car giant Fiat S.p.A. since 1993...	2	Gearbox	15
Ret	36	Paco Godia Paco Godia Francisco Godia Sales, better known as Paco Godia was a racing driver from Barcelona, Spain. He drove intermittently in Formula One between and , participating in 14 World Championship Grands Prix and numerous non-Championship races.-Complete Formula One World Championship results:-Sources:*...	Maserati Maserati Maserati is an Italian luxury car manufacturer established on December 1, 1914, in Bologna. The company's headquarters is now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. It has been owned by the Italian car giant Fiat S.p.A. since 1993...	0	Accident	13

Drivers' Championship standings after the race

Pos	Driver	Points
1	Peter Collins Peter Collins (racing driver) Peter John Collins was a Formula One driver from England. He participated in 35 World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 18 May 1952. He won 3 races, achieved 9 podiums, and scored a total of 47 championship points....	11
2	Stirling Moss Stirling Moss Sir Stirling Craufurd Moss, OBE FIE is a former racing driver from England...	11
3	Jean Behra Jean Behra Jean Marie Behra was a Formula One driver who raced for the Gordini, Maserati, BRM, Ferrari and Porsche teams.-Appearance and personality:...	10
4	Juan Manuel Fangio Juan Manuel Fangio Juan Manuel Fangio , nicknamed El Chueco or El Maestro , was a racing car driver from Argentina, who dominated the first decade of Formula One racing...	9
5	Pat Flaherty Pat Flaherty George Francis 'Pat' Flaherty, Jr. was an American racecar driver who won the Indianapolis 500 in 1956....	8

• Note: Only the top five positions are included.