On this date in 1958 the inaugural F1 Constructors Championship was won by Vanwall.
The Drivers title was won by Mike Hawthorn in a Ferrari, so honours even. Mike secured it by one point from Stirling Moss. Stirling won the race but by Mike being let through to 2nd in the race by his team mate Phil Hill he’d got the extra point needed to beat Stirling.
Whilst ‘honours even’ for the Italians and British it was seismic for Vanwall. They had set out on a mission over 8 years previously to get a British based and owned team to be on top of the F1 world and break the mainland Europe dominance.
At Vanwall 1958, the only official marque owner with GB brand heritage going back to the 1950s, we are proud that Vanwall became the pace setter for GB based teams. Since the Vanwall victory, GB based teams have won more manufacturers and drivers titles than any other country. We like to say that Vanwall led the creation of a winning mindset which prevails to this day even if the teams have International ownership outside the UK.
The 19th of October 1958 is a day for UK based teams to celebrate. As ever in a sport such as motor racing, where danger is omni present, the victory wasn’t without a huge cost. Team Vanwall’s 3rd driver, Stuart Lewis-Evans was badly injured and succumbed to his injuries a week later. This meant the victory whilst momentous, was as we say ‘bitter-sweet’.
This also led to Tony Vandervell, himself not in the best of health, effectively retiring Vanwall from Formula One as he withdrew factory support thereafter.
So, praise to Tony Vandervell, your team and above all everyone in Formula One back in 1958 and right through to today. The Vanwall legacy lives on and as the official GB based owners “Vanwall we salute you”.
Photo Credit: Vanwall
