Hawthorn proves his worth

Mike Hawthorn joined the Scuderia Ferrari in 1952. He made his Formula One debut at the Belgian Grand Prix held at Spa-Francorchamps and finished right away in fourth place. By the end of the season, he had already secured his first podium, with a third place at the British Grand Prix and Enzo Ferrari was by now convinced to retain his services for the 1953 season.

Picture above: Mike Hawthorn sitting in his Ferrari 500, in the pits of the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps 1953, where he finished 6th.

The Englishman very quickly confirmed his worth by winning the 1953 French Grand Prix at Reims, in only his ninth Formula One race. That day, he succeeded to beat none other than Juan-Manuel Fangio in his Maserati (picture below) in what was dubbed ‘the race of the century’ with the top four drivers finishing within five seconds after 60 laps.