State of the Nations

At the beginning of the 1950s, Italian drivers dominated international motor racing – winning three of the first four world championships. By 1958 however, Ascari and Castellotti had both been killed while Farina had retired. Luigi Musso was the last of the breed. The burden of carrying Italy’s racing prestige – as well as escalating gambling debts - weighed heavily on his shoulders. Even at the heart of Italian motor racing – Ferrari – he felt isolated by the camaraderie between team mates Mike Hawthorn and Peter Collins. Here, Musso follows Hawthorn onto the seafront at Monte Carlo. Hawthorn ultimately retired from the lead and Musso finished second to Trintignant’s Cooper. Later in the season Musso was killed at Reims while chasing teammate Hawthorn’s Dino 246 once more. Hawthorn went on to take the first title for a British driver, signaling the start of a decade dominated by Anglo Saxon drivers. No Italian has won the World Championship since 1953…