Nino Farina won his final Formula One race while Alberto Ascari clinched his second consecutive World Drivers' Championship at this record-grid-size event.
Key Facts
- Race date
- 2 August 1953
- Championship round
- Race 7 of 9 in 1953 World Championship
- Grid size
- 34 starters — most in any WDC race to that point
- Race winner
- Nino Farina (Ferrari)
- Winning margin
- Over 1 minute ahead of Juan Manuel Fangio
- East German drivers
- 4 drivers, last ever to race under East German licence
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The 1953 Formula One season operated under Formula Two regulations, as it had in 1952, with Ferrari dominating the championship. Alberto Ascari entered the German Grand Prix with a substantial points lead, needing only his rivals Fangio and Hawthorn to fail to win in order to secure the title.
The 1953 German Grand Prix was held on 2 August 1953 at the Nürburgring Nordschleife, attracting a record 34 starters. Nino Farina drove his Ferrari to victory by more than a minute over Fangio. Four East German drivers competed, the only occasion drivers raced under an East German licence in World Championship history.
Farina's victory, combined with Fangio and Hawthorn's failure to win, allowed Ascari to clinch his second successive World Drivers' Championship, making him the first back-to-back champion in Formula One history. The four East German drivers never again competed under an East German licence, with Edgar Barth later racing under a West German flag.