World Championship 1954

Visit the link with the information of the 2nd championship

Click here

F1 1954 Race Results

Right from the official website of Formula 1 all the results of the 1954 F1 World Championship.

Click here

Technical characteristics

Engine: Eight cylinders in line inclined 60 degrees with respect to the vertical axis
Feeding: direct mechanical injection, with Bosch pump online
Diameter x Stroke: 76 x 68.8 mm
Total Displacement: 2496 cc
Maximum power: 290 hp at 8700 RPM
Compression ratio: 9: 1 - 9,5: 1
Combustion chamber: hemispherical
On: 2 spark plugs per cylinder and magnet
Crankshaft: Hirsch type, allows to assemble the connecting rods on rollers
Distribution: desmodromic, 4 trees at the head, two for every 4 cylinders sent by a cascade of gears with intake in the center of the crankshaft, giving movement to the suction valves and others to the exhaust
Camshafts: four at the head - two for every four cylinders
Valve command: Desmodromic
Number of valves: 16
Feeding: Normal aspiration and Bosch injection.
Refrigeration: by water, with centrifugal pump and radiator
Body type: Grand Prix monopod - F1
Chassis: aluminum
Chassis Type: Tubular structure of triangular steel pipes
Wheelbase: 2350 mm
Trail: 1320 mm front - 1350 mm rear
Weight: 700 Kg
Maximum speed: 280 Km / h / last versions reached 300 Km / h

Transmission: lateral cardan shaft with the intake of the motor center.
Clutch: a single dry disc and the mechanical gearbox, 5-speed, and recoil, forming a single set with the differential shaft and enclosed by a very light alloy casing

Shock absorbers: telescopic front and rear

Front suspension: independent to deformable parallelogram and torsion bar to superposed triangles with torsion bar and hydraulic telescopic shock absorbers.
Rear suspension: single-pivot rear axle with articulated half-axles below the differential, guided by longitudinal arms, with torsion bars assisted by a hydraulic cylinder and a spring.
Brakes: to drum, with hydraulic control with the servo on all four wheels - ventilated. Large diameter handles arranged on the chassis, centered in front of the engine and located behind the radiator. The rear ones also located on the chassis at the exit of the differential. Both in lightweight material and turbo cooled.

Fuel tank: 230 lts. Weight 680/700 Kg. Maximum speed: 280 Km / h
Tires: Continental 6.00 x 16 front - 7.00 x 16 rear
Dimensions: Wheelbase: 2350 mm, Track: front 1320 mm, rear 1350 mm
Exemplary produced: 4

THE MERCEDES BENZ CAMPAIGN
Since his debut on July 4, 1954, in Reims, with triumphs of Juan Manuel Fangio, until his retirement from the tracks on October 16, 1955, in the Targa Florio (Sport), the Mercedes Benz factory competed in 20 tests, fourteen of F1 and 6 in Sport. Of the 20 participations, the German firm achieved 16 victories, retired on a tip in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, in 1955 and suffered 3 defeats: Silvestone (1954), Spain (1954) and Monaco (1955). Of the 16 victories, 11 correspond to Fangio, 4 to Stirling Moss and 1 to Karl Kling.

In F1, they participated in 14 races between 1954 and 1955, of the 46 cars that started, 30 reached the finish line, the 16 dropouts were 3 due to accidents and the rest due to mechanical failures. They won 11 victories, 7 second places, 4 third places, achieving the lap record in 11 opportunities and 8 Pole Position. On one occasion they made the 1-2-3-4, once 1-2-3 and five times 1-2.

In Sport, they competed in six races and except for Le Mans (1955), which retired on the tip and due to the accident of Levegh, they won all with the model 300 SLR, which was identical to F1, although the cabin had 2 seats and the engine It was 3 liters. They won in the 1000 Miles, Tourist Trophy, Sweden and Targa Florio. Of the total of 18 cars that started only 2 did not arrive.

FANGIO CON MERCEDES BENZ
Of the 20 competitions that he played for Mercedes Benz, Juan Manuel Fangio 14 in F1 and 6 in Sport, he did with these results:

First 11 times (9 in F1 and 2 in Sport)
Second 5 times (2 in F1 and 3 in Sport)
Third 1 time (in F1)
Fourth 1 time (in F1)
Abandons 1 time (Monaco 1955)
Withdrawal required 1 time (Le Mans 1955)
Pole Positions 9 times (8 in F1 and 1 in Sport)
Records back 9 times (7 in F1 and 2 in Sport)

MERCEDES BENZ W 196

After the success obtained by the 300 SL the Board of Directors of the MB led by Dr. Fritz Könecke expressed the need for a return to the Grand Prix.
Studies on W (wagen) 196 were conducted between the first months of 1952 and the spring of 1953.
Without the Experimental Department of Rudolf Uhlenhaut, the Department of Competition, of Walter Kosteletzky, is created, working the chassis Ledwig Kraus, with Helmut Seller and Werner Bruder; in the design of the Hans Gassmann engine; in engine tests to Heinz Lamm and in the transmission to Hans Nedwidek. Walter Schüller was responsible for the Aluminum-Magnesium bodywork All supervised by Hans Scheremberg Director of the central design office, who reported to the Technical Director Dr. Fritz Nallinger. The machine had to be good, because those pre-war records of Mercedes Benz between 1934 and 1939 in 56 presentations of which won 34 or 60.7%, were beaten by Alfa Romeo from 1947 to 1951 with 35 races and 31 wins - 88.6% and by Ferrari F2 from 1952-1953 with 20 races and 18 wins - 90%.
It is the W196 model, which Fangio, Kling, and Herrmann drove in the F1 debut produced in Reims, with a crushing victory against their rivals. At that time, they used the fairings models, which later alternated with those of open wheels - called monoposto or without fairing - according to the scenario in which they participated.
The Mercedes Benz W196 had an in-line 8-cylinder injection engine with 76 mm diameter x 68.8 mm stroke, with the displacement reaching 2496 cc. It was of normal aspiration and the power delivered reached 298 HP, which in successive evolutions would be increased.
It had a crankshaft which, to avoid harmonic vibrations, was treated as if it were two 4-cylinder engines in line with the central power take-off, aimed at the rear transmission clutch-block differential box. It was mounted on 10 bearings on an engine that was the first of the F1 with Bosch direct injection.
The ignition was a magnet and the injectors designed in the same factory. It had double overhead camshaft and double valve per cylinder. Due to the fact that in the tests they verified that at a speed of more than 8000 rpm there was a rebound of the valves, the movement of these was designed without springs, repeating the use of the desmodromic system of the Delage and Schneider of 1914, but perfected by Hans Gassmann. This was the solution with a mechanical opening and closing system by means of two lobes per valve, providing greater safety, better performance at high rpm and high performance.
The clutch was a dry single disc, mechanical gearbox four forward gears and one of recoil that formed a single set with the differential on the rear axle, enclosed by the housing of very light material, lateralized by a double brake hood.
With this model MB stops using the Dion bridge The suspension was independent on all four wheels, the rear axle oscillating position with its propellant bodies arranged as low as possible and the brakes -as said- appeared centered and their drums 35 cm diameter forward and 27.5 cm back with 8.9 cm width for the shoes and were turbo cooled. In as much the wheels that did not form body with the brake drums, were of wire of 16 inches of diameter.
Based on the experience gained with the 300SL, Ludwig Kraus designed a spatial tubular chassis, using steel tubes, 25 and 20 mm in diameter. A double tube of greater diameter went from the front assembling with the rear axle that formed the spatial base where the telescopic shock absorbers were mounted.
The measurements of the distance between axes were 2.35 m and the front gauge of 1.33 m and rear of 1.358 m. The weight was in the order of 700 Kg for the fairing (streamliner) and 650 Kg for the open wheel bodies. The spatial characteristic allowed an enveloping body with its slanted line with a lower profile that gave it greater penetration.
When the Grand Prix program of 1954 was announced, Alfred Neubauer immediately defined that the fairing was to be used on the long straight lines such as Spa Francorchamps, Reims, Monza, and Pedralbes. Using the other in Monaco, Nürburgring, Bern, Silverstone, though contrary to the opinion of Uhlenhaut who preferred for all cases the streamlined.
The initial maximum speed reached 274 km / h, but with the running of the months and before successive modifications touched the 300 km / h.

Linking numerous successes this model Mercedes Benz was removed from the tracks once the 1955 season ended allowing Juan Manuel Fangio to conquer two world championships.

Career

• RaceDatePos
• N ° 140 French Grand Prix 04-07-1954 1º
• N ° 141 British Grand Prix 17-07-1954 4º
• N ° 144 Italian Grand Prix 05-09-1954 1º
• N ° 146 Berlin Grand Prix - Avus - Germany 19-09-1954 2º
• N ° 158 Italian Grand Prix 11-09-1955 1º