Luigi Musso

Former F1 driver
Name = Luigi Musso
Nationality = flagicon|Italy Italian | Years = F1|1953-F1|1958
Team(s) = Ferrari, Maserati
Races = 25 (24 starts)
Championships = 0
Wins = 1
Podiums = 7
Points = 44
Poles = 0
Fastest laps = 1
First race = 1953 Italian Grand Prix
First win = 1956 Argentine Grand Prix
Last win = 1956 Argentine Grand Prix
Last race = 1958 French Grand Prix

Luigi Musso (born July 28, 1924 in Rome - died July 6, 1958 at Reims-Gueux) was an Italian racing driver.

Musso began his racing career driving sports cars before debuting on the Formula One circuit on January 17, 1954, driving a Maserati. In 1954 he won the Coppa Acerbo, a non-championship Formula One race. At Zandvoort, in the 1955 Dutch Grand Prix, Musso placed third in a Maserati. ["Fangio Captures Dutch Grand Prix", Long Beach Independent, June 20, 1955, Page 15.] At the end of the 1955 Formula 1 season he switched to Ferrari. He shared victory in the 1956 Argentine Grand Prix with Juan Manuel Fangio, however his season was cut short after a crash in a sports car race at Nürburgring.

Musso triumphed in a Ferrari 3500 in the City of Buenos Aires sports car race on January 20, 1957. He was thethird driver of the car. Stirling Moss finished second in a "light powered" Maserati 3000. Moss made a last ditch effort for his team at the end but came up short. A second Ferrari 3500, driven by Eugenio Castellotti, came in third. The Ferrari team gained eight points toward the 1957 World Championship in the event. ["Ferraris Nip Maserati", Lima, Ohio News, January 21, 1957, Page 19.] The same year he won the Grand Prix de la Marne. Although the Marne was also not part of the Drivers' Championship, Musso nevertheless finished third in the overall standings for the season.

In 1958, he picked up two second place finishes in his first three races but was killed in an accident during the 1958 French Grand Prix at Reims, France. Musso's Ferrari hurtled off the course on the 10th lap of the 50 lap race. ["Luigi Musso Is Killed In Race Crash", Fresno Bee Republican, July 7, 1958, Page19] He was thrown off the Reims' track at the tricky "Muizone Curve" while holding second place ["Hawthorn in Race Victory", Los Angeles Times, July 7, 1958, Page C4]

During his F1 career, Luigi Musso won one World Championship Grand Prix, achieved 7 podiums, and scored a total of 44 championship points.

Complete Formula One World Championship results

() (Races in "italics" indicate fastest lap)

:"† Indicates shared drive with Sergio Mantovani.:"‡ Indicates shared drive with Sergio Mantovani and Harry Schell.:"* Indicates shared drive with Juan Manuel Fangio.

References