1952 Formula One season

The 1952 Formula One season was the third season of FIA Formula One motor racing. In comparison to previous seasons, the 1952 season consisted of a relatively small number of Formula One races, following the FIA's decision to run the Grand Prix events counting towards the World Championship of Drivers to Formula Two regulations rather than Formula One.

The 3rd FIA World Championship of Drivers, which commenced on May 18, 1952, and ended on September 7 after eight races, was won by Alberto Ascari, driving for Scuderia Ferrari.

In addition to the Formula One races and the World Championship Formula Two races, numerous other Formula Two races, which did not count towards the Championship, were also held during the year.

World Championship season summary
Alfa Romeo, unable to fund a new car, withdrew from racing, while BRM had been preparing two V16-powered cars for the season but withdrew them before an April race at Valentino Park, Turin, whilst attempting to enlist Juan Manuel Fangio as teammate to Stirling Moss, leaving Ferrari as the only serious Formula 1 contender. This led World Championship organizers to run their races for Formula Two, utilising 2-litre unsupercharged engines, which meant larger fields and a greater variety of cars, even if the victories all went to Ferrari. Ascari won the six Grands Prix he entered, missing the Swiss race because he was at Indianapolis qualifying for the Indy 500 – the first European to do so. Maserati and Gordini offered little challenge, but Mike Hawthorn's drives in his Cooper would earn him a works Ferrari drive in 1953. Reigning champion Fangio, badly injured in an early season crash, took no part in the championship, but was to go on to drive for BRM.

Teams and drivers
The following teams and drivers competed in the 1952 FIA World Championship of Drivers. The list does not include those that contested only the Indianapolis 500 event. * Car entered only in the Indianapolis 500 race

1952 Drivers Championship final standings
Points were given to top five finishers (8, 6, 4, 3, 2). One point was given for fastest lap. Only the best four of eight scores counted towards the world championship. Points for shared drives were divided equally between the drivers, regardless of who had driven more laps. In 1952, all World Championship events, save the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, were run under Formula 2 regulations.


 * Italics indicate fastest lap (1 point awarded – point shared equally between drivers sharing fastest lap)
 * Bold indicates pole position
 * † Position shared between more drivers of the same car
 * Only the best 4 results counted towards the Championship. Numbers without parentheses are Championship points; numbers in parentheses are total points scored.

Non-Championship race results
Formula One/Two Grand Prix races, which did not count towards the World Championship, also held in 1952.