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| {{NSFL|discussion of a fatal motor racing accident}}
| | #REDIRECT [[Formula One (partially found footage of Grand Prix races featuring fatal and/or serious accidents; 1958-1978)]] |
| {{InfoboxLost
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| |title=<center>1958 French Grand Prix</center>
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| |image=1958frenchgrandprix1.jpg
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| |imagecaption=Mike Hawthorn on route to achieving his final Formula One win.
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| |status=<span style="color:orange;">'''Partially Found'''</span>
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| }}
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| The '''''1958 French Grand Prix''''' was the sixth race of the 1958 Formula One Season. Occurring on 6th July at the Circuit de Reims, the race was ultimately won by Ferrari's Mike Hawthorn, his last Formula One World Championship victory. The event also marked an end of an era, as it was five-time champion Juan Manuel Fangio's final Formula One race, with future champion Phil Hill making his debut. However, the race is also infamous for the fatal accident of Ferrari driver Luigi Musso.
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| ==Background==
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| The ''1958 French Grand Prix'' was the eighth running of the event in the Formula One calendar,<ref name="ultimate">[https://ultimatecarpage.com/winners/&race=french_grand_prix ''Ultimate Car Page'' listing every French Grand Prix.] Retrieved 17th Aug '22</ref> with the race lasting 50 laps.<ref name="results">[https://racing-reference.info/race-results/1958_Grand_Prix_of_France/F/ ''Racing-Reference'' detailing qualifying and race results of the event.] Retrieved 17th Aug '22</ref> The 37th French Grand Prix overall,<ref name="ultimate"/> the race has been held at a variety of circuits, with the last one held at Reims occurring in 1966.<ref name="destination">[https://f1destinations.com/race-facts-french-grand-prix/ ''F1 Destinations'' detailing the history of the French Grand Prix.] Retrieved 17th Aug '22</ref> After the race was dropped from the schedule in 2009, it returned in 2018, where it has consistently been held at Circuit Paul Ricard.<ref name="destination"/><ref name="ultimate"/>
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| Heading into the race, Ferrari had high confidence of success following a suspension change to its 246s..<ref name="magazine">[https://motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/august-1958/13/the-44th-grand-prix-de-lacf ''Motor Sport'' providing a detailed race report.] Retrieved 17th Aug '22</ref><ref name="grand">[https://grandprix.com/races/french-gp-1958.html ''Grand Prix'' summarising the race and Musso's crash.] Retrieved 17th Aug '22</ref> The team was ecstatic when Hawthorn achieved pole position with a time of 2:21.7, which also set a Reims lap record.<ref name="espn">[http://en.espn.co.uk/f1/motorsport/story/16053.html ''ESPN'' summarising the race and Fangio's post-race comments.] Retrieved 17th Aug '22</ref><ref name="magazine"/><ref name="grand"/><ref name="results"/> Directly behind him was teammate Musso, with BRM's Harry Schell lining up third.<ref name="magazine"/><ref name="results"/><ref name="espn"/><ref name="grand"/> In contrast, Vanwall was struggling with overheating cars, with star drivers Tony Brooks and Stirling Moss only qualifying fifth and sixth respectively.<ref name="grand"/><ref name="magazine"/><ref name="results"/> Meanwhile, Fangio competed in a new works Maserati, but faced disappointment, <ref name="magazine"/><ref name="grand"/> qualifying eighth out of 21 competitors, though he had seemingly grown tired of driving an underpowered Maserati against up and coming drivers and cars.<ref name="espn"/><ref name="grand"/><ref name="results"/> Future champion Phil Hill made his World Championship debut in a Maserati, qualifying 13th on the grid.<ref name="grand"/><ref name="magazine"/><ref name="results"/> Unlike with previous races, the field also appeared to contain a balance of green (British) and red (Italian) cars.<ref name="magazine"/>
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| ==The Race==
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| With the starting order decided, the 1958 French Grand Prix commenced on 6th July.<ref name="results"/> Schell beat Hawthorn and Musso at the start, but Hawthorn managed to regain it prior to the back straight.<ref name="magazine"/><ref name="grand"/><ref name="espn"/><ref name="results"/> Schell then lost multiple places a lap later, with Ferrari's Peter Collins making it a 1-3.<ref name="magazine"/><ref name="grand"/> However, he then lost a metal air-scoop situated above the Ferrari's magneto, which ended up behind the brake pedal.<ref name="magazine"/> He was forced to remove it on the escape road, dropping him to the back of the field.<ref name="magazine"/><ref name="grand"/> Hawthorn controlled proceedings, and began to lap cars after 10 laps.<ref name="magazine"/><ref name="espn"/> Suddenly, Musso suffered his fatal accident, promoting Brooks to second.<ref name="magazine"/><ref name="grand"/><ref name="espn"/><ref name="results"/> He did not remain there, as two laps later, he entered the pits with a failing gearbox, retiring on lap 16.<ref name="magazine"/><ref name="grand"/><ref name="results"/> The race for second, therefore, began to emerge between Moss, Fangio, and BRM's Jean Behra.<ref name="magazine"/><ref name="espn"/>
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| On lap 25, Fangio dropped out of contention to resolve gearbox issues, dropping to sixth behind Ferrari's Wolfgang von Trips and the recovering Collins.<ref name="magazine"/> He was unable to make ground due to the sheer pace of those ahead, but did move up to fifth when Behra retired on lap 40 following a fuel pump failure.<ref name="magazine"/><ref name="grand"/><ref name="espn"/><ref name="results"/> Moss was well-ahead in second, but simply could not challenge Hawthorn, who set a lap record on lap 45.<ref name="magazine"/><ref name="grand"/><ref name="results"/> Hawthorn, therefore, claimed his first victory in four years, and eight points in the Drivers' Championship, with him, awarded another for the fastest lap.<ref name="magazine"/><ref name="espn"/><ref name="grand"/><ref name="results"/> Moss finished second, with von Trips taking third.<ref name="results"/><ref name="espn"/><ref name="magazine"/> Collins ran out of fuel on the final lap, allowing Fangio to move into fourth despite spinning on the same lap.<ref name="magazine"/><ref name="grand"/><ref name="espn"/><ref name="results"/> This proved to be the five-time champion's final Formula One race, with Hawthorn refusing to lap the Argentine so he could complete the full race distance.<ref name="espn"/><ref name="magazine"/><ref name="grand"/><ref name="results"/> Collins pushed his car over for fifth, with Hill finishing a clean race in seventh.<ref name="magazine"/><ref name="espn"/><ref name="results"/>
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| The result left Hawthorn level on points with Moss in the Drivers' Championship, with this also marking the Brit's final victory in the sport.<ref>[https://gpracingstats.com/drivers/mike-hawthorn/wins/ ''GP Racing Stats'' noting this was Hawthorn's final Formula One victory.] Retrieved 17th Aug '22</ref><ref name="espn"/><ref name="magazine"/> But despite Hawthorn's win and Fangio's last race being marked, no ceremony would occur as news spread of Musso's death.<ref name="espn"/><ref name="magazine"/> Post-race, Fangio stated "I stopped the car in the pits and a decision was made. I would stop racing. But there was no ceremony for me and no joy for Hawthorn. I then went to the hospital to see poor Musso. But poor Musso was gone."<ref name="espn"/>
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| ==Death of Luigi Musso==
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| On lap 10, Musso was running in second behind Hawthorn.<ref name="memorial">[http://motorsportmemorial.org/focus.php?db=ct&n=17 ''Motorsport Memorial'' page for Luigi Musso.] Retrieved 17th Aug '22</ref><ref name="magazine"/><ref name="grand"/> According to Musso's girlfriend Fiamma Breschi, Musso was involved in an intra-team rivalry with Brits Hawthorn and Collins.<ref name="memorial"/> The latter pair worked together in races, as they agreed to split their winnings equally, essentially creating a two-vs-one duel with the Italian.<ref name="memorial"/> Breschi revealed Musso was running into debt heading into the race, and considering that the French Grand Prix boasted the largest prize pot of all Formula One Grand Prix, he was seemingly placing vital importance on winning the event.<ref name="memorial"/>
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| Musso was only around fifty metres behind Hawthorn heading into lap 9, and in the following lap, they began to lap backmarkers.<ref name="memorial"/><ref name="magazine"/><ref name="espn"/><ref name="grand"/> As they approached the Courbe du Calvaire, Musso hit an inside kerb at around 150 mph.<ref name="memorial"/><ref name="grand"/><ref name="magazine"/> According to Fangio, Musso did not give himself enough room for the corner, causing the Ferrari's front wheel to hit the kerb.<ref name="espn"/><ref name="magazine"/><ref name="memorial"/><ref name="grand"/> It caused the Ferrari to flip into a ditch and roll three times into a wheat field, with Musso being thrown free of the vehicle.<ref name="grand"/><ref name="memorial"/><ref name="espn"/><ref name="magazine"/> Musso's skull was fractured on impact; while he was airlifted to hospital by helicopter, a safety feature recently unveiled, Musso passed away from his injuries, aged 33.<ref name="memorial"/><ref name="espn"/><ref name="grand"/><ref name="magazine"/> The winner of the 1956 Argentine Grand Prix, Musso also achieved ten-second places in his career and was considered a "courageous and brave driver" according to ''Motor Sport''.<ref name="memorial"/><ref name="magazine"/>
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| ==Availability==
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| According to Issue 1,808 of ''Radio Times'', footage was included in a report by ''Sportsview'' on 9th July, with Moss himself providing commentary.<ref name="genome">[https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/12dcbc95f1984fe98e136464a70b7ebb BBC Genome archive of ''Radio Times'' issues detailing the ''Sportsview'' broadcast of the race.] Retrieved 17th Aug '22</ref><ref name="radio">[https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/page/12dcbc95f1984fe98e136464a70b7ebb Issue 1,808 of ''Radio Times'' listing the ''Sportsview'' broadcast.] Retrieved 17th Aug '22</ref><ref>[https://onedrive.live.com/view.aspx?cid=8D94CC199E340254&resid=8D94CC199E340254!149 List of Formula One television broadcasts noting the BBC provided race highlights.] Retrieved 17th Aug '22</ref> It is unclear how long the segment lasted, as the 30-minute program also included reports on the AAA Championships and the White City Jubilee.<ref name="genome"/><ref name="radio"/> The broadcast has yet to publicly resurface, although other race footage exists thanks to a British documentary. No footage of Musso's fatal accident and its aftermath is known to be available.
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| ==Gallery==
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| ===Video===
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| {{Video|perrow =1
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| |service1 =youtube
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| |id1 =FtvW3T4fxUA
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| |description1 =Colour footage of the race from a British documentary.
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| }}
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| ===Images===
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| <gallery mode=packed heights=225px>
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| 1958frenchgrandprix2.jpg|Programme for the race.
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| 1958frenchgrandprix3.jpg|The start of the race.
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| 1958frenchgrandprix4.jpg|Start of the race from the back.
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| 1958frenchgrandprix5.jpg|Fangio ahead of Moss.
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| 1958frenchgrandprix6.jpg|Fangio during the race.
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| 1958frenchgrandprix7.jpg|Behra ahead of Moss and Fangio.
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| 1958frenchgrandprix8.jpg|Hill during the race.
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| 1958frenchgrandprix9.jpg|Von Trips during the race.
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| 1958frenchgrandprix10.jpg|Hawthorn celebrating his win.
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| 1958frenchgrandprix11.jpg|Issue 1,808 of ''Radio Times'' listing the ''Sportsview'' broadcast.
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| 1958frenchgrandprix12.jpg|Aftermath of Musso's crash.
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| 1958frenchgrandprix13.jpg|Luigi Musso.
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| </gallery>
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| ==See Also==
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| *[[1953 British Grand Prix (partially found footage of Formula One World Championship race; 1953)]]
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| *[[1953 Italian Grand Prix (partially found footage of Formula One World Championship race; 1953)]]
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| *[[1954 British Grand Prix (partially found footage of Formula One World Championship race; 1954)]]
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| *[[1954 Italian Grand Prix (partially found footage of Formula One World Championship race; 1954)]]
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| *[[1955 Dutch Grand Prix (partially found footage of Formula One World Championship race; 1955)]]
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| *[[1955 Italian Grand Prix (partially found footage of Formula One World Championship race; 1955)]]
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| *[[1955 Monaco Grand Prix (partially found footage of Formula One World Championship race; 1955)]]
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| *[[1956 Belgian Grand Prix (partially found footage of Formula One World Championship race; 1956)]]
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| *[[1956 British Grand Prix (partially found footage of Formula One World Championship race; 1956)]]
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| *[[1956 French Grand Prix (partially found footage of Formula One World Championship race; 1956)]]
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| *[[1956 Italian Grand Prix (partially found footage of Formula One World Championship race; 1956)]]
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| *[[1956 Monaco Grand Prix (partially found footage of Formula One World Championship race; 1956)]]
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| *[[1957 British Grand Prix (partially found footage of Formula One World Championship race; 1957)]]
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| *[[1957 Monaco Grand Prix (partially found footage of Formula One World Championship race; 1957)]]
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| *[[1958 Monaco Grand Prix (partially found footage of Formula One World Championship race; 1958)]]
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| *[[2005 San Marino Grand Prix (partially found ITV advert break during final laps of Formula One race; 2005)]]
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| *[[Angelo Orsi's photos of Ayrton Senna (lost photos of Formula One driver post-crash; 1994)]]
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| *[[Anthoine Hubert and Juan Manuel Correa (partially found FOM footage of fatal Formula 2 crash; 2019)]]
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| *[[Ayrton Senna (partially lost on-board video of fatal Formula One crash; 1994)]]
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| *[[Donkey Does F1 (partially found photos of Shrek character inflatable at Formula One races; 2004)]]
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| *[[F-1 World Grand Prix III (lost build of cancelled Nintendo 64 Formula One racing game; 2000-2001)]]
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| *[[F1 2000 (lost pre-release builds of Formula One game; 2000)]]
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| *[[F1 2010 (lost pre-alpha build of Formula One game; 2010)]]
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| *[[F1 Racing Championship 2 (lost build of cancelled PC/PlayStation 2 Formula One game; 2001)]]
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| *[[Fernando Alonso's 2015 testing accident (lost footage of Formula One test session crash; 2015)]]
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| *[[Grand Prix 3 (lost build of cancelled Dreamcast port of PC Formula One racing game; 2001)]]
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| *[[Grand Prix 4 (lost build of cancelled Xbox port of PC Formula One racing game sequel; 2002)]]
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| *[[Jules Bianchi (lost FOM footage of fatal Formula One crash; 2014)]]
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| *[[María De Villota (lost footage of fatal Formula One crash; 2012)]]
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| *[[McLaren MP4-18 (lost footage of unraced Formula One car; 2003)]]
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| *[[Michael Schumacher (lost photo of Formula One driver post-skiing accident; 2016)]]
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| *[[Neil Shanahan (lost footage of fatal British Formula Ford Zetec Championship crash; 1999)]]
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| *[[Paul Warwick (lost footage of fatal British F3000 crash; 1991)]]
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| *[[Racing Arrows (partially found Formula One TV series; 2001)]]
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| *[[Robert Kubica's 2010 Japanese Grand Prix Q3 lap (lost audio of Formula One qualifying lap; 2010)]]
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| *[[Williams FW15C (partially found footage and lap time information of unraced CVT Formula One car; 1993)]]
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| ==References==
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| {{reflist}}
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| [[Category:Lost recordings of sports events]]
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| [[Category:Partially found media]]
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| [[Category:Historic]]
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| <no-comment-streams />
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