The 1948 French Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race, held at Reims on 18 July 1948. The race was won by Jean-Pierre Wimille, driving an Alfa Romeo 158.
| 1948 French Grand Prix | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Race details | |||
| Date | 18 July 1948 | ||
| Official name | XXXV Grand Prix de l'ACF | ||
| Location | Reims | ||
| Course | Reims-Gueux | ||
| Course length | 7.774 km (4.831 miles) | ||
| Distance | 64 laps, 497.536 km (309.155 miles) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Alfa Romeo | ||
| Time | 2:35.2 | ||
| Fastest lap | |||
| Driver |  Jean-Pierre Wimille | Alfa Romeo | |
| Time | 2:41.2 | ||
| Podium | |||
| First | Alfa Romeo | ||
| Second | Alfa Romeo | ||
| Third | Alfa Romeo | ||
Report
editOfficial practice was held in very wet conditions. In spite of this Jean-Pierre Wimille was able to set a time of 2:35.2, not far from the record set in 1939 in dry conditions, nearly 10 seconds faster than Alberto Ascari and nearly 20 seconds faster than the fastest non-Alfa Romeo, Philippe Étancelin's Talbot-Lago.
As expected, the three Alfa Romeos lead at the start from the Talbot-Lagos. However, Luigi Villoresi's Maserati, which started from near the back of the grid, quickly moved up into third place ahead of Consalvo Sanesi in the third of the Alfas. Villoresi was starting to challenge Ascari for second place when forced to pit for what would be the first of many mechanical issues. This allowed Alfa Romeo to take an easy 1-2-3 win, two laps ahead of the best Talbot-Lago. Although Wimille and Ascari would swap for the lead a few times, mostly as a result of pitstops, they finished in the order decided by team manager Giovanni Guidotti which required Ascari to slow and allow Sanesi to pass him just before the finish.[1]
Classification
edit| Pos | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/Retired | Grid[1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jean-Pierre Wimille | Alfa Romeo 158 | 64 | 3:01:07.5 | 1 |
| 2 |  Consalvo Sanesi | Alfa Romeo 158 | 64 | + 24.5 | 3 |
| 3 | Alberto Ascari | Alfa Romeo 158 | 64 | + 25.0 | 2 |
| 4 | Franco Comotti | Talbot-Lago T26C | 62 | + 2 laps | 6 |
| 5 | "Georges Raph" | Talbot-Lago T26C | 62 | + 2 laps | 8 |
| 6 | Louis Rosier | Talbot-Lago T26C | 60 | + 4 laps | 10 |
| 7 | Luigi Villoresi Tazio Nuvolari | Maserati 4CLT/48 | 59 | + 5 laps | 16 |
| 8 | Eugène Chaboud | Delahaye 135S | 59 | + 5 laps | 9 |
| 9 |  Louis Chiron | Talbot-Lago T26SS | 56 | + 15 laps | 5 |
| 10 | Charles Pozzi | Talbot-Lago T26SS | 45 | + 19 laps | 13 |
| Ret |  Juan Manuel Fangio | Simca-Gordini T11 | 41 | Engine | 11 |
| Ret | Nello Pagani | Maserati 4CL | 37 | Oil leak | 19 |
| Ret | Yves Giraud-Cabantous | Talbot-Lago 150C | 31 | Fuel Tank | 7 |
| Ret | Philippe Étancelin | Talbot-Lago T26C | 22 | Engine | 4 |
| Ret | Soave Besana | Ferrari 166SC | 19 | Engine | 14 |
| Ret |  Emmanuel de Graffenried | Maserati 4CL | 11 | Oil leak | 15 |
| Ret |  John Heath | Alta GP | 7 | Clutch | 18 |
| Ret | Pierre Veyron | Simca Gordini T11 | 5 | Engine | 17 |
| Ret | Raymond Sommer | Maserati 4CM | 2 | Oil pressure | 12 |
| DNP | Eugène Martin | CTA-Arsenal | Not present | ||
| DNP |  B. Bira | ERA B-Type | Not present |
References
editExternal links
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