The 1958 French Grand Prix marked both Mike Hawthorn's final Formula One victory and Juan Manuel Fangio's last race in the sport.
Key Facts
- Race date
- 6 July 1958
- Winner
- Mike Hawthorn (Ferrari 246 F1)
- Championship round
- Race 6 of 11 in 1958 World Championship
- Fangio's final race
- Five-time World Champion's last Grand Prix
- Ruttman qualifying gap
- 15 seconds from pole position
- Ruttman finishing deficit
- 5 laps behind Hawthorn
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The 1958 Formula One season brought together top drivers at the legendary Reims circuit in France for the sixth round of the World Championship. Mike Hawthorn, competing for Ferrari, had not won a Formula One race since the 1954 Spanish Grand Prix, while Juan Manuel Fangio was nearing the end of his illustrious career.
Mike Hawthorn won the race driving a Ferrari 246 F1, securing his first victory since 1954. On the final lap, Hawthorn deliberately slowed to allow Fangio, running fifth, to finish on the lead lap in what proved to be the Argentine champion's last Formula One race. Peter Collins ran out of fuel on the final lap, pushing his car across the line in fifth place.
The race marked the permanent retirement of five-time World Champion Juan Manuel Fangio from Formula One competition. It also proved to be Hawthorn's last Grand Prix victory, as he would go on to claim the 1958 World Championship before retiring. American Troy Ruttman's sole non-Indianapolis Grand Prix appearance ended five laps behind the winner.