1956 Argentine Grand Prix: Least in the Kingdom is Greater

October 13, 2014 by Jeremy McMullen

Speaking of the power of humility, the Bible says the least, within the context of the world, if they follow God's commands, shall be greater than those considered great.

To say that Luigi Musso was the least within the kingdom of Scuderia Ferrari would be a terrible understatement. Having a reputation for caring more about his cars than those that pilot them, it was certainly true that Enzo held little place in his heart for his fellow Italian. However, in the Roman's very first Formula One race with the team, this axiom, if Luigi would adhere to it, would have the potential of being very rewarding.

Musso would have to prove himself at nearly every turn. Being the brother of three others that already had motor racing as their passion, Luigi would find himself without any help from his brothers. They would not allow him to drive their cars. This would force the young Roman to find his own car and to prove himself without the assistance of anyone else.

Buying a 750cc Giannini, young Musso would set about proving himself in motor racing. He would waste no time in aiming at the big stage taking part in the 1950 Targa Florio and the Mille Miglia. Both of these would result in failures, but Luigi would remain undaunted and would see the latter-part of the 1950 produce some fine results, including a class victory in the Giro delle Calabria.

Though he would earn a number of top results, Musso would still receive very little in the way of support. In 1953, Officine Alfieri Maserati, the official Maserati factory outfit came calling on Luigi and offered him a drive in their A6GCS sportscar. This seemed like the opportunity he had always wanted and hoped for, but still, he had to prove himself. The door with Maserati was certainly opened, but his place within the team was never really assured as he would be competing against other racing drivers for a couple of spots. There would be very little support here.

Realizing it was still on him, Luigi would set about proving himself once again. Finishing 11th in the Targa Florio in 1953 would soon lead to a victory in the Giro dell'Umbria and then the Avellino in mid-July. More class victories and podium finishes led into a highly successful '54 campaign. Musso was shown an opportunity, but still needed to prove that he deserved any kind of support. His response was to become the Italian Sportscar champion in the 2.0-liter category. He would further prove himself by taking 2nd in the Italian Grand Prix at the wheel of a 250F. It was just his third Formula One World Championship race. Surely, the Roman deserved some support now.

He would find it in 1955. Securing a place within the factory Formula One team, Musso would come through to finish on the podium in the Dutch Grand Prix and would earn another points-paying result in the British Grand Prix as well.

Musso had found a place with Maserati. It had become home quite quickly. The top results in sportscar just kept coming. This would lead him to being noticed by those at another factory effort, a kingdom of the highest order within motor racing—Ferrari.

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Following the departure of Alfa Romeo and Lancia from competitive racing there was really just one factory outfit that commanded respect and had an aura about it and that was certainly Scuderia Ferrari. Enzo had managed to captivate the world with his cars. Ruthless and a man terribly remarkable in his ability to read people and get them to believe and do what he wanted, Enzo had managed to not only build exotic sportscars for racers and customers alike. He had also managed to built a legend, a mystic, as well that was perhaps even more evocative. What this meant was the cars meant everything and how people were treated would be lost in the intoxication of the performance of the team. It was, very much, a kingdom ruled by one man and all the rest were, well and truly, serfs, people to be exploited for the good of the prancing horse.

Driving for Maserati, Musso could have become comfortable. A move to Ferrari, however, would be like going back to the days of his brothers not lending an ear or any help to advance his hopes and wishes. There would be no love extended, but there would be a great opportunity for him to prove himself yet again.

Luigi would take hold of the opportunity despite the reputation. Here was an Italian driving for the greatest Italian team in motor racing. Though he would have no support, he could not pass up on the chance.

Enzo was a racer in his own right and drove at the same time as the great Tazio Nuvolari. Nuvolari was considered one of the greatest drivers in the world, but was considered to be a man with a death-wish, someone willing to drive beyond the limits. This enthralled Enzo and set the benchmark for any driver that he would ever come in contact with. Young and wanting to impress, Musso would be given an opportunity to drive for Ferrari, but would have the memory and expectations of a Nuvolari in which to contend. This pushed competitive drivers to an impossible place. It would magnify a competitive nature that already was boosted to the max. This would pit drivers against each other and would tend to make them ruthless and inflexible. But then Enzo would counter this with the greatness of the mark. No one man was greater than the team. Drivers could not make choices for themselves. They had to follow team orders to the letter. This oxymoron made driving for Ferrari terribly difficult and contentious. The only way to be even remotely safe was to be a champion, and even then that wasn't always good enough.

Joining Scuderia Ferrari, Musso would have little time to prepare and get up to speed with the team's car, which, in 1956, would be an updated version of the Lancia D50. Producing upward of 260hp, the D50 was one of the strongest, and fastest, cars in all of Formula One. Musso could not have entered into a more favorable situation.

Musso would have little time to get used to the team and the car because the first round of the Formula One World Championship would take place in January in the South American country of Argentina.

Though under a great deal of pressure coming to drive for Ferrari, Musso would not have the pressure of the spotlight, at least not like his famous teammate. Juan Manuel Fangio had joined Ferrari following the departure of Mercedes-Benz from motor racing. The Argentinean had scored back-to-back World Championships and would be home to begin a campaign for another. Everyone would be consumed with the three-time World Champion. Luigi would be consumed with just getting up to speed in the D50.

The Argentine Grand Prix would take place on the 22nd of January. The race would take place at the Autodromo Municipal Ciudad de Buenos Aires and at a time of political upheaval. In 1955, there would be an attempt on President Peron's life. This would be followed a short time later by the Liberating Revolution coup, which would lead to Peron's resignation and exile. The whole of the country would be in a state of change. The Argentine Grand Prix would follow mere months afterward and there would be questions as to whether or not the race would go ahead as planned at all.

The race, a three-hour event around the circuit's 2.42 mile number two layout, would go ahead as planned and would only draw factory outfits from Maranello and Modena. Overall, there would be just 13 cars that would start the race on the 22nd. Five cars would be entered under the Maserati factory team name. Scuderia Ferrari would come to the event entering five cars of their own.

Scuderia Ferrari's fleet would be a mix. The 555 had been the hope of Maranello following the end of the useful life of the 500 F2 and the 553 failed to live up to expectations. It would quickly become apparent, however, none of the factory's cars would be able to routinely compete with Lancia's D50.

Never one to mind putting a good deal before a good life, Enzo would find his company in a strong position following the death of Alberto Ascari. Ascari was the number one driver with Lancia after having a falling-out with Enzo himself. Ascari at the helm, Lancia looked a favorite in Formula One. His death, however, spelled disaster. Without the sense of guarantee that came with Ascari behind the wheel, Lancia struggled and its financial picture only got worse. Very soon, Lancia would be looking to withdraw from motor racing and the potent D50 became available. Ferrari would snatch them up and, immediately, would again be a front-runner within Formula One.

Ferrari would enter two of their 555s for the race while they would also enter three of the D50s. Musso would find himself one of the lucky ones. He would be entered with a D50 along with Eugenio Castellotti and Juan Manuel Fangio. Peter Collins and Olivier Gendebien would be saddled with the under-achieving 555. On solid footing with Castellotti and Fangio, Musso would find himself needing to make an impression, to fight tooth-and-nail and never settle for less than 110 percent. He needed to be a fast, but immovable object.

Taking to the circuit for practice, it would be terribly difficult for Luigi to best Fangio on home soil. Posting a lap time of 1:44.7 would make him faster than his two Ferrari teammates burdened with the 555. He would also be quicker than either of the factory Maserati entries. This was a very good sign for the Roman driver entering his first Formula One race for the Maranello-based outfit.

Musso would also be very comparable to the next hope of Italian racing fans. Eugenio Castellotti would take to the circuit and would end up posting the same lap time as Musso. Here was Castellotti, he was much more firmly ensconced within the team, and yet, Musso matched him in lap time. This was a good sign for the freshman driver. But, his efforts would have little to offer in the way of challenge to Fangio. Lapping the circuit in 1:42.5, Fangio's best would be more than two seconds quicker than either Castellotti or Musso. This gap was huge and very poignant as the race unfolded.

In the end, Musso would still find himself on the front row of the grid in the 3rd position. Fangio would be on pole while Castellotti would be lining up 2nd. The last spot on the front row would go to the Frenchman Jean Behra. He would be at the wheel of a factory Maserati.

The Ferrari boys had overcome the heat to sweep the first three places on the grid for the race on that Sunday. As a response to the heat, the start of the race would be moved back to 4pm in hopes that it wouldn't be so unbearable. Lined up on the grid, Musso was ready to give his first race with Ferrari his best. And, he would do just that for when the flag dropped to start the race it would be the Roman that would pull away first and would lead the field.

Musso's lead would be short-lived however. Jose Froilan Gonzalez had also made a spectacular start and would actually make his way around Luigi to lead the first lap of the race. Luigi would cross the line holding onto the 2nd spot, but it would be a precarious position as Carlos Menditeguy and Castellotti would both get by before the completion of the second lap. Musso would hold onto 4th place for a few laps but he still had Stirling Moss and Fangio behind him. It seemed even 4th place was not secure.

Gonzalez would soon fade from the lead of the race. He would eventually retire altogether after completing 24 laps. His engine would fail him. But, his car would last longer than what Fangio's would. Having completed 22 laps, the fuel pump in the D50 would fail leaving Fangio out of his home grand prix.

Musso would lose out to Moss but would still be within the points until Jean Behra finally found some pace and challenged for the position. Luigi was in his first race for Ferrari and it was entirely within reason for a driver, even a very competitive one, to take it easy and ensure he brought the car home, not wrap it around some barrier and cost the team time and money rebuilding a car.

This presented a problem though. Castellotti sat in 3rd place. He was the highest running Ferrari in the field. Musso sat in 4th and 5th, depending upon who he was fighting with, or, who retired from the race. In a team where the only thing that mattered was victory, and at any cost, Musso's place behind the wheel became increasingly less certain.

Menditeguy continued to run an impressive race. He had taken over the lead within the first five laps of the race and continued to hold onto the position despite the fact Moss sat in 2nd place. Castellotti had consolidated 3rd place and Musso ran in 4th as the event made its way past 25 laps.

But then, Musso's cause would be lost. Throughout the previous five laps or so the Italian had been involved in an intriguing battle with Behra in his Maserati. The Frenchman had gotten by Luigi once before but Musso would take the position back. But then, around lap 27, Behra would move ahead of Luigi again and appeared capable of holding onto the position from that point on. This would be the unfortunate sign the team manager with Ferrari would be looking for. A couple of laps later, Luigi would be shown a sign to pit. He had lost his car. Fangio was going to get another crack at his home race.

Despite being shown the sign, Musso still had to make the decision to obey the order. He had come to Ferrari fully realizing he needed to prove himself and that meant being very competitive, ruthless even. They literally demanded that at Ferrari. But, he also knew the team ruled, the managers ruled, and what they wanted was to be the way. Having come face-to-face with reality, Musso would humble himself and would enter the pits the next time by. The Roman would come into the pits, get out from behind the wheel and would out of the running for any glory, or so he thought.

Fangio would head back into the race and would immediately go after Behra. Given new life, the Argentinean would waste no time closing the gap to the Frenchman. He would then pass him, only to give the place right back after a spin cost him time. Still, Fangio would recover and would go after Behra again. It seemed as though Behra, and every other car out on the circuit, was just standing still compared to Fangio.

Fangio would make his way by the Maserati of Behra and would set his sights forward even further. Musso's opportunity for glory would get stronger when, after 40 laps, Castellotti's Ferrari failed him. This moved Fangio up to 3rd place.

In spite of the fact it was Fangio behind the wheel of the Ferrari, Carlos' lead continued to grow. Just about everyone else, besides him, was suffering from some kind of trouble or delay and this allowed him to remain in the lead and stretch his advantage. However, not long after Castellotti retired from the race, Menditeguy would suffer a disappointing failure of his half-shaft. The lead was ripped from his hands and given to his more famous countryman.

Fangio had emerged from the pits in 5th place after he had taken over the Ferrari from Musso. Now he was within reach of the lead, but it was Moss that held onto the top spot and Fangio knew how difficult it would be to catch, and then pass, his former Mercedes teammate. Over 20 laps would go by with Moss holding onto the position at the point. Fangio seemed to close, but not with much efficiency.

But this was the Argentine Grand Prix and no Brit was going to be allowed victory on Argentine soil, especially not when a great champion sat in 2nd place. Sure enough, after having been in the lead for more than 20 laps, Moss' Maserati suddenly became ill and forced the Brit to retire from the race. Fangio was now in the lead. Musso had relinquished his car to Fangio when he was in 5th place. Now, because he had taken care of the car, and because he was humble enough to step out of it, he would find himself within reach of a victory in his very first race with Ferrari.

Moss' car would become increasingly ill causing him to fade even more. Behra would soon come up to challenge for the position and there was nothing Moss could do. Thirteen cars had started the race. It had been so tough and arduous that just six were still lapping the circuit heading into the final moments.

Though timed, the goal had been 100 laps of the circuit. There had been so much carnage and trouble that Fangio would cross the line having completed just 98 laps. Just one other car, which was Behra's Maserati, would finish on the lead lap. Behra would cross the line 25 seconds behind. Mike Hawthorn would complete the top three but he would end up more than two laps behind.

The whole place would erupt with Fangio being the victor, but the day didn't just belong to him. Only one other Ferrari would make it to the finish of the race. Had it not been for Musso, there would be no joy in Buenos Aires that day. Fangio had come through to take the lead and the victory, but it is entirely likely Musso would have done the same. The Italian didn't earn the victory on his own, but it was because of his own choice to follow orders, to humble himself, that he was now enjoying a victory in his very first outing with Ferrari. Incredibly, it would be his only in a World Championship round.

Before the race, Musso was very much the least in Ferrari's kingdom. However, because of his actions during he would end up standing side-by-side with the greatest.

Sources:
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'1956 World Drivers Championship', (http://www.silhouet.com/motorsport/archive/f1/1956/f156.html). 1956 World Drivers Championship. http://www.silhouet.com/motorsport/archive/f1/1956/f156.html. Retrieved 18 July 2014.

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1956 Argentine Grand Prix. Video. (1956). Retrieved 18 July 2014 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bn_tV1MSB9M.

Wikipedia contributors, 'Autódromo Juan y Oscar Gálvez', Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 24 June 2014, 15:11 UTC, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Aut%C3%B3dromo_Juan_y_Oscar_G%C3%A1lvez&oldid=614237363 accessed 18 July 2014

Wikipedia contributors, 'Argentina', Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 18 July 2014, 13:18 UTC, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Argentina&oldid=617451352 accessed 18 July 2014

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