Formula 1
Teams Constructors TeamsScuderia Guastalla: 1956 Formula One Season By Jeremy McMullenIn the years immediately following the end of the Second World War, Alfa Romeo was the dominant player in single-seater grand prix racing with its 158/159 Alfetta. However, when the new Formula One World Championship was announced there were a couple of other challengers on the scene, and both originated from the same location—Modena.
Franco Cornacchia would have his own dealership in Milan and would become a gentleman racer that would take part in a number of sportscar events in the years following the war. Very quickly he would begin to realize the cars coming out of the manufacturers based in Modena and would routinely make trips to the Ferrari and Maserati factories.
Cornacchia would quickly prove himself to be a very good sportscar driver earning a 3rd place finish in the Coppa Inter-Europa driving a Ferrari 166 S. Driving a 166 MM he would go on to score consecutive victories in the Ciruito de Senigallia and the Circuito di Trieste. He would also take a class victory in the Giro delle Calabria and would earn many other top results in some tough sportscar endurance races. This would lead to Cornacchia developing a strong relationship with Ferrari and would, in turn, lead to him receiving some new models for testing and evaluation.
Having such a relationship with people like Enzo Ferrari would eventually lead Cornacchia to starting his own racing team. Though just a small town in the province of Reggio Emilia, Guastalla would be the inspiration for Cornacchia's new team. Situated in the Po River valley, the only real connection Guastalla and Modena would have would be that the city would become inherited by the Duke of Modena in 1847.
Scuderia Guastalla would by no means be some struggling outfit. Well connected with Ferrari, Cornacchia's team would enter the newest Ferrari sportscars in the endurance races. Having such equipment at his disposal, Cornacchia would partner with Giovanni Bracco and would finish the 1951 Targa Florio in 2nd place overall. He would then win his class in the 1952 Quarta Coppa della Toscana.
More success would come later on in 1952 with a 2nd place result in the 12 Hours of Pescara as he partnered with Clemente Biondetti. This pair would later go on to take the victory in the 10 Hours of Messina at the end of August in 1952.
Cornacchia's racing career would continue well into the mid-1950s, and mostly all with Ferrari. The resulting relationship had led to Cornacchia opening an agency in Rome as Ferrari's representative in the capital city. However, he wasn't partial to just the one Modena-based manufacturer. By the mid-1950s some of the most exotic and beautiful looking sportscars were rolling out of the doors at Maserati. Once again, Cornacchia would develop a relationship with the Maserati factory similar to that of which he had with Ferrari. He would open up another agency in his home of Milan and would begin an almost daily commute between the two cities.
The new relationship with Maserati also opened up another door of possibility that had not even been something on the radar for the Scuderia Guastalla team—Formula One.
Cornacchia had enjoyed a rather long and very successful relationship with Enzo Ferrari as he concentrated on endurance sportscar races. While he was achieving great success in these races, Ferrari's Formula One effort was the most dominant force in the World Championship with Alberto Ascari taking back-to-back World Championships in 1952 and 1953. This was during the Formula 2 era of the World Championship.
When Formula One regulations made a comeback in the World Championship, starting in 1954, Ferrari would not be in the strongest position. It would be Maserati that would introduce their 250F. And though raced by the Maserati factory team, the 250F would be widely available for privateer teams and individuals. Therefore, Cornacchia's relationship with Maserati would put him and his Scuderia Guastalla in a prime position to not only have the latest Maserati sportscars for use in endurance racing, but also, to make its presence known in single-seater Formula One racing as well.
The relationship Cornacchia had with the Maserati factory would lead to him being given a 1955 factory car for use in the 1956 season. Having the car in hand, Scuderia Guastalla would be in need of a driver.
Looking around for a driver the team would notice a rather interesting individual hanging around with the Maserati factory driver Jean Behra. Smoking pal of Behra, Gerino Gerini had quite a bit of talent but would usually be on the outside looking in. Still, in 1956, he would be with the factory Maserati team at the first round of the World Championship. In that race, he would partner with Brazilian Chico Landi to finish the race in 4th place overall. So it was certainly clear he had the talent to compete in Formula One.
The factory Maserati team would be welcoming their latest evolutions of the 250F, and therefore, would pass along chassis 2515 to Scuderia Guastalla. Gerino Gerini would kind of come with the car as he would be with the team almost throughout the whole of the season from then on.
The team's first race of the season wouldn't be until the European grand prix season kicked off in April. Then, on the 15th of the month the team would make its way to Sicily in order to take part in the 6th Gran Premio di Siracusa.
Only a matter of months before, the factory Maserati team would be humiliated by the humble Connaught Engineering squad and Tony Brooks. One year later, the field would be full of talented teams and drivers. Scuderia Ferrari would be the largest entry in the race bringing three of their Lancia-Ferraris to the race. The factory Maserati team would appear to be still licking its wounds as it would only release one car to the event and it would be driven by Frenchman Jean Behra. Scuderia Guastalla would be present for the 80 lap race with Gerini as its driver.
The race at Syracuse switched times of year every-other season. The last time the race had taken place in the springtime the event would be marred by the accident of Mike Hawthorn. His car would burst into flame leaving him burned from the episode. In the end, two cars would go up into flames as Jose Froilan Gonzalez would also stop to help his teammate and his car would erupt into flames as well.
Situated amongst the rolling countryside just to the west of the ancient city, the Syracuse circuit was anything but slow, but there was little room for error with portions of the circuit lined with stone retaining walls.
The circuit was a perfect fit for the usually perfect Juan Manuel Fangio in his Lancia-Ferrari. He would go out onto the 3.48 mile circuit and would turn the fastest lap with a time of 1:58.0. Eugenio Castellotti would give his teammate a run for his money but would end up eight-tenths of a second slower and would be relegated to 2nd place. The final position on the front row would go to Jean Behra.
Gerini maybe could match Behra in pace when it came to smoking, but he couldn't match him in pace while driving. Gerini's best effort around the circuit would be over 10 seconds slower than Behra and would lead to him starting the race from well down in the field. In fact, he would end up on the fifth row of the grid in the 11th position.
Though he couldn't drive faster than Behra, on this day, Gerini would outlast him as Behra's race would come to an end after just one lap due to mechanical problems. Another Maserati, this one driven by Horace Gould, wouldn't make it past 2 laps before retiring. Thankfully for Gerini, he had absolutely no complaints to speak of and just kept soldiering on behind the line of cars that was headed up by Fangio in the Lancia.
Completing a lap with an average speed of over 103 mph, Fangio put the heat on the rest of the field. Many would try and respond only to have their races come to an end as well. By the halfway mark in the race there would be seven of the 15 starters that would be out of the race. Among them would be Castellotti and Desmond Titterington.
At the head of the field it would be an absolutely dominant display with the three remaining Lancias leading the way right in lock-step with each other. These three cars would be absolutely destroying the field leaving all other challengers, including Gerini, well out of the picture. Gerini would be following along behind Villoresi but the distance to the leaders would really be insurmountable unless Providence really stepped in and changed things.
No such woes would befall the Ferrari team as it rounded the final corner and powered toward the line. The only drama really left surrounded who exactly it would be that would take the victory.
The ever-confident Fangio would show his teammates the way and would go on to cross the line just a couple of tenths ahead of Luigi Musso finishing in 2nd place. The 3rd place finished, Peter Collins, would be just three-tenths of a second behind Musso and would help to create a Ferrari sweep and an utterly incredible display of Ferrari dominance.
While Ferrari would dominate, Gerini would be happy to finish the race. Following Vlloresi home, Gerini would complete the race distance in the 5th place spot some 3 laps behind the leaders.
Gerini showed his strong, steady driving style by bringing home a solid result for the team in its first Formula One effort. The team had performed well despite its relative inexperience and this certainly seemed to signal a bright future for the team in Formula One.
Following the team's debut performance in Syracuse on the 15th of April, Scuderia Guastalla would have three weeks before it attempted its second single-seater grand prix race.
The 9th Gran Premio di Napoli would be set to take place on the 6th of May at the Posillip circuit situated high up on a ridge overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea. Meaning 'new city', Naples is anything but new having the distinction of being one of the oldest continuously-inhabited cities in the world. Having its skyline dominated by the famous Mount Vesuvius, the city is literally a treasure-trove of archeology, architecture, art and history.
Situated far to the west, the Posillipo quarter of Naples is mostly comprised of residences. Called by the Greeks 'respite from worry', Posillipo offers stunning views and dramatic architecture right at water's edge. High atop the rocky cliffs, and amongst the residences, is where the 2.55 mile circuit could be found. Though not as popular as some of the other non-championship events held throughout Europe during the season, the Gran Premio di Napoli had the ability to draw some big teams and drivers, and the 9th editions of the race, held on the 6th of May would be no different.
Gerino Gerini would again be employed by Scuderia Guastalla and he would again run into Scuderia Ferrari with Eugenio Castellotti and Luigi Musso behind the wheel of Lancia-Ferraris. Scuderia Centro Sud would also be present with a couple of Maserati 250Fs. So the field would be talented despite its smaller size.
Eugenio Castellotti would set the pace in practice beating out his Ferrari teammate by a mere tenth of a second for the pole. Robert Manzon, at the wheel of a much older Gordini T16, would surprise just about everyone and would capture the final front row starting position.
Gerini would put together some more consistent times behind the wheel of the Maserati. Though he would not clock a top fast enough for either of the first two rows of the grid, Gerini would still put together a solid performance that would net him 7th on the grid, which meant the middle of the third row.
Though he would start from the pole, Castellotti would end up being the first casualty in the 60 lap race when his oil pump failed after just 2 laps. This would leave Luigi Musso and Robert Manzon up at the front of the field with Luigi Villoresi, Horace Gould and Francisco Godia-Sales giving it everything they had as well. Gerini would be looking great shape in the Maserati but would just not be able to match the pace of those that qualified ahead of him.
Providence would help Gerini overcome his short-comings in pace. Villoresi would depart the scene after 21 laps with a failed engine. Godia-Sales would suffer a crash and Luigi Musso would leave Manzon alone out front of the field after his engine failed after 37 laps.
Amazingly, Manzon held onto the lead of the race by more than a few seconds over Horace Gould. But, though Gould was behind the wheel of a newer Formula One car he just could not keep up with Manzon on this day, for that fact, neither could anybody else.
Manzon would be incredible on this day. Gerino Gerini would find himself running in 3rd place heading into the final couple of laps of the race, but, despite being behind the wheel of what had been a factory Maserati, he could not even stay on the same lap with Manzon and the Gordini. Manzon would cruise home to victory beating Gould to the line by more than 11 seconds. It wouldn't be a matter of seconds but of miles the distance back to Gerini who would finish in 3rd place.
Gerini would put together yet another consistent and steady performance behind the wheel of the Maserati. Unfortunately there was one thing he still was lacking—speed. Though he would finish the race a fine 3rd, he would end up nearly 8 miles behind when it was all said and done. Three laps at a circuit like Posillipo was huge. In longer World Championship races it was likely that figure could double. Scuderia Guastalla and Gerino Gerini needed to find some speed, and quick.
Besides the Formula One effort, Scuderia Guastalla would continue its endurance sportscar program as well. This presented some long breaks in between grand prix races for the team. Also, the lack of non-championship events on the European continent only added to the length in between races. As the calendar rolled past May and into June, the World Championship was again in full swing. However, the team would bypass such events as the Monaco, Belgian and French Grand Prix. But, by July the team figured it was as good a time as any to make it Formula One World Championship debut. And so, the team would pack everything up and would make its way across the English Channel. The team's ultimate destination was Silverstone and the British Grand Prix held on the 14th of July.
Amazingly, the team would bypass the Belgian and French Grand Prix but would head to Silverstone to take part in the 6th round of the World Championship. Heading to Silverstone, the team was heading into something of a maelstrom as the 2.90 mile circuit always took a heavy toll on its participants.
The heavy toll expected at Silverstone was rather befitting its life before motor racing. Originally RAF Silverstone, the triangular-patterned runways would serve as a bomber training base for the Royal Air Force and would serve until 1947 when it would almost immediately become a home for motor racing.
The home of the first-ever round of the Formula One World Championship in 1950, Silverstone would be back on as the host venue following a year in which Aintree hosted the British Grand Prix as part of the World Championship.
Needing speed at Silverstone, Scuderia Guastalla would turn to another driver. Umberto Maglioli would be available and he would take over the driving duties. But, being a single car effort, Maglioli and the team would have their hands full going up against five Ferraris, four factory Maseratis, four Connaughts and a slew of other English entries.
In practice, Stirling Moss would be the fastest in his factory Maserati. His lap of 1:41 would earn him the pole by about a second over his former teammate Juan Manuel Fangio. Mike Hawthorn would make it the second Brit and the third type of car on the front row when he secured 3rd place and Peter Collins would make it three Brits on the front row when he secured the 4th, and final, front row spot.
Unfortunately for Guastalla, Maglioli would prove to be little faster than Gerini as his best lap in practice would be over 13 seconds slower than Moss. This would force Maglioli to start the 101 lap race from the seventh row of the grid in the 24th position overall.
The day of the race would see the skies overcast but the circuit was dry and under little threat from rain. The huge crowd would assemble around the circuit preparing for a long day of racing. With the tension running high around the circuit the flag would drop to start the race.
As the cars roared away Moss would make a terrible start and would be well down before reaching the first turn at Copse. The man leading the way would be the BRM pilot, Mike Hawthorn. Right behind him would be his teammate Tony Brooks who would make a quick start from the second row of the grid. Starting from the back of the field, Maglioli needed to be careful heading into the first turn so as to keep from making contact and ending his race early. One who would find his race over very early would be two-time winning Jose Froilan Gonzalez. The driveshaft would break on his car bringing an end to his race after a mere hundred feet.
Coming around at the completion of the first lap it would be Hawthorn leading Brooks. The two BRM pilots would have a couple of seconds in hand over the rest of the field, which included Fangio and Harry Schell in 3rd and 4th place. Maglioli would start the race from the 24th position on the grid and would manage to creep up a couple of positions by the end of the first lap. Coming around Woodcote, he would have Bob Gerard following along behind while he chased after Jack Brabham.
Hawthorn and Brooks would hold onto their positions despite heavy pressure from Fangio on the junior BRM driver. Moss would be busy making up for his poor start and would be flying up through the field until he was sitting in 4th place after just 8 laps.
Fangio would make a mistake and would spin that would allow Brooks to hold onto 2nd place but it would allow Moss to come up to 3rd place overall. Further back, Maglioli would be on the move. He would make his way past Brabham and would continue to move forward as others, like Harry Schell, ran into trouble and dropped well down in the order. By the 15th lap Maglioli would be right around 17th and looking quite strong.
Mike Hawthorn was looking strong out in front in the BRM. However, his car would sour after 15 laps and Moss would take over the lead of the race. Surprisingly, Roy Salvadori would be the man that would hold down 2nd place in the procession.
Similar to Hawthorn, Maglioli appeared to have a strong car under him. However, just about the time Salvadori was busy taking over 2nd place behind Moss the gearbox in the Maserati would be giving Maglioli fits and he would be forced to pit and retire from the race. This was Guastalla's first Formula One World Championship race and they, unfortunately, would not see the checkered flag.
It certainly seemed as though Moss would see the checkered flag from the top rank. Over 52 laps would be completed with Moss in the lead. Around 30 of those laps would see Salvadori performing absolutely beautifully to hold down 2nd place. However, Salvadori would run into trouble with a tank strap breaking loose. The result is that he would be forced out of the race giving Fangio the position with Peter Collins following along in 3rd.
Moss continued to hold onto the lead but it was more than obvious Fangio was reeling in his former teammate. Fangio would end up taking over the lead of the race from Moss who had so absolutely dominated that he practically had the entire field lapped. Moss continued to hold onto 2nd place, but not all was well. Only 7 laps remaining in the race, and after dominating for so long, Moss would pull over out of the race as a result of gearbox failure.
Moss out of the picture, Fangio would be able to ease to the victory. Crossing the line in just under three hours, Fangio would enjoy a margin of victory of more than a lap over Peter Collins in Alfonso de Portago's Lancia-Ferrari. Two laps would be the distance back to Jean Behra finishing in 3rd place.
It would be a day of heartbreak for Scuderia Guastalla. Despite having a competitive car, it just could not make its way up to the front of the field. The gearbox issues that brought the whole effort to an end would be just another part of the frustration. Still, the team had the resources and the relationships necessary to be successful. The question would be whether or not they could actually do it?
Some privateer teams elect to enter one World Championship race to get a feel for their performances. The majority of their season would be spent taking part in non-championship races in order to build confidence and momentum. This is not how Guastalla would do things. Following the disappointment at Silverstone in the British Grand Prix the team would not set it sights on the 1st Vanwall Trophy race that took place just up the road at Aintree the following week. No, the team would turn its attention immediately toward the seventh round of the Formula One World Championship for 1956, the German Grand Prix.
A World Championship event has a way of separating the serious contender from the talented regional racer. The German Grand Prix, which would take place at the infamous 14 mile long Nurburgring separated the best from the very best and served as perhaps the most arduous test a car and driver could go through in a single race.
Later in life the Nurburgring would earn the nickname the 'Green Hell'. It would be an apt nickname as it presented car and driver with a truly epic battle with constant onslaughts coming from all sides. As dangerous as any temporary road course of the period, the purpose-built circuit beat up and wore down its challengers through its never-ending array of blind corners, rapid elevation changes and a length that made it almost impossible to memorize the nearly 180 corners. Compared to some non-championship races, just one lap represented a race. In the case of the German Grand Prix, car and driver would have to endure 22 grueling laps.
Cornacchia had never raced at the Nurburgring throughout his sportscar career. However, just a single lap around the circuit was similar in approach and make-up to events like the Targa Florio and the Mille Miglia. Therefore, the Scuderia Guastalla team had some reason to be confident coming in.
The team may have been confident about their chances but they would soon become squelched by reality. Luigi Villoresi would actually climb in behind the wheel of the car for one of the practices. This would come after Umberto Maglioli had already had some time behind the wheel and would end up being offered the opportunity to driver the number 8 Maserati for the factory Maserati team. Villoresi would have some time behind the wheel. However, he too would find another ride and the Scuderia Guastalla Maserati would be left without a pilot. Therefore, the team would end up making the trip but would be able to turn around and leave before qualifying as they had no driver.
The trip, then, to the Nurburgring would be very disappointing for the team considering they never even got the chance to take part in the race. It was now early August, the number of available Formula One races, either championship or non, were really beginning to run thin. In all reality, there was really just one more option, and it would be the most important for one for the Italian team.
The final round of the World Championship for 1956 would be the most important race for any Italian. Set to take place on the 2nd of September, the Italian Grand Prix would be the place for Scuderia Guastalla to perform well, or at least go down swinging.
While a debate might rage between either Milan or Modena being the home of the soul of Italian automobile manufacture, there would be absolutely no debate as to the place in which that soul would be most likely to bear itself. Beyond all shadow of a doubt, that canvas, that setting for the soul to express itself would be Autodromo Nazionale Monza.
Built in the early 1920s, the Autodromo Nazionale Monza would incorporate a road circuit with a loop track creating an overall circuit measuring 6.2 miles in length. By the time the Formula One World Championship came into being the loop track would be abandoned and practically all races would take place on the 3.91 mile road course. This would change heading into the 1955 season. The loop track would be redone with concrete and would feature steep banking. Once again, the original track would come to be used. At 6.2 miles of sheer speed, the Monza circuit was not for the faint of heart. And despite the terrible bumps along the banked oval, the 10km circuit would be back for the 1956 edition of the race.
As usual a sea of red could be seen up and down the paddock. However, with the presence of Connaught Engineering and Vandervell Products, there would be a bit more balance to the entry list. But, no matter how many foreign teams were in the field, this would be a race in which every Italian team, like Guastalla, would be pushing extra hard in an effort to win.
To be competitive, therefore, Guastalla would have to push their Maserati to its limits. The team would call upon Gerino Gerini to find that much needed speed in order to compete with the best teams and drivers in the most important race in Italy. He would take to the circuit in practice and would be up to speed rather quickly. Unfortunately, he would not be anywhere near as fast as those with the factory efforts.
Fastest of all would be Fangio in the Lancia-Ferrari. His best lap would be 2:42.6 at an average speed of more than 137 mph. Fangio would take the pole for the race by beating out Eugenio Castellotti by eight-tenths of a second. Luigi Musso would make sure it was an all Ferrari front row when he posted a time three-tenths off of Castellotti's best.
While the Tifosi may have been truly overwhelmed with pleasure at the sight of an all Ferrari front row, Gerini and Scuderia Guastalla would not be as pleased with their placement on the grid. The best Gerini would manage around the 6.2 mile circuit would be a time of 3:02.6. This would be 20 seconds slower than Fangio and would lead to the Guastalla car being relegated to the sixth row of the grid in 16th place.
As usual, a large throng of spectators would descend upon the circuit to cheer on their favorite car adorned in Italian-Red livery. The weather would be nice and comfortable as the drivers headed to their cars but there certainly seemed to be a threat of rain in the air. This was something that had been unheard of in all the previous Italian Grand Prix at Monza, at least while part of the Formula One World Championship.
The cars were lined up on the grid ready to go, but the clock was not. After a couple of moments everything would be ready and the field would roar off into the distance on the beginning of its arduous 50 lap journey. Musso would lay down some rubber as he and Fangio would get the best starts amongst those on the front row. However, Castellotti would quickly recover and would begin a fantastic duel with Musso for the lead of the race. Coming around through the first lap of the race it would be Castellotti and Musso side-by-side on the banking in a truly remarkable fight amongst teammates. Another that would make a great start would be Gerini. He would find some speed early on and would actually be a few places up from where he started as he neared the end of the first lap.
At the completion of the first lap it would be Castellotti leading Musso, but only slightly. Fangio would be just ahead of Schell in 3rd place while Gerini would find himself in the 13th position at the end of the first trip around the bumpy circuit.
Despite the incredible duel, tire wear would cause the battle to end between Castellotti and Musso as both would need tires to be changed. This would hand the lead of the race over to Moss, who had jumped ahead of Schell, Fangio and Collins. All of the Ferraris would run into tire tread problems very early on and this enabled Moss to take over the lead with Schell following along in 2nd place. The misfortune of some would benefit others, like Gerini. He would find himself up to 10th place by the end of the 7th lap, but it wasn't to last as he too would make a stop. By the time the stop was over he would be running dead-last.
Like Silverstone, Monza has a knack for causing cars fits and this race would be no different as Salvadori would suffer from an oil leak and would undergo a lengthy repair. Hermanos da Silva Ramos, Les Leston, Alfonso de Portago, Luigi Villoresi, Robert Manzon and Eugenio Castellotti would all be out of the event before it even reached 10 laps.
Trouble for Gerini would cause him to remain at the tail-end of the field, but, at least the car was still running. This would be an achievement as the list of retirements would only grow as four more cars would fall out of the race before the halfway mark. Meanwhile, up front, Stirling Moss would soldier on without a problem and would show Schell the way until he fell foul of transmission troubles and also retired from the race.
It would become a game of musical cars as the World Championship was still up for grabs. Moss out front of the field would cause Ferrari to look at its situation. Collins was running well but was further down. Fangio would be pacing himself thinking and dealing with the tire issues. Then things would really get dicey when Fangio came quickly into the pits with his wheels pointing in strange angles. It was clear the stress of the circuit was taking its toll on the cars. Problem was the circuit was taking a toll on Fangio's title chances as Moss continued to lead the way.
Heading into the final 15 laps of the race, Moss would still be out front leading the way with Musso catching up to the Brit with every passing lap. Collins would show one grand sporting gesture by pulling into the pits to give his car to Fangio for the remainder of the race. If Fangio could hold onto the 3rd place position the World Championship would again be his. Meanwhile, at the tail-end of the field Gerini would manage to make his way by a fellow-struggler in Roy Salvadori. This put Gerini 12th on the circuit, but likely too far behind to end up classified. The most unfortunate part about the whole thing would be the fact that Jean Behra would drop out of the race while in Umberto Maglioli's Maserati with just 8 laps remaining, and yet, would still be considered as having completed a greater distance by the end of the race.
Speaking of the end of the race, Moss was still leading the way but a late puncture in Musso's tires meant 2nd place belonged to Fangio. Fangio had Moss firmly in his sights, but time was running out to make anything happen. Only 3 laps from the finish Moss would respond to the pressure by turning the fastest lap of the race with a time of 2:45.5. Considering all of the tire problems on the day this would be a bold move, and it would work as he managed to maintain an advantage of a few seconds over Fangio.
Throwing down laps at an incredible rater despite all of the problems, just Moss and Fangio would remain on the lead lap as they roared off into the distance for the final time. Fangio would give it everything he had, but so too would Moss. Leading the way for a total of 43 of the possible 50 laps, Moss would power his way across the line some 5 seconds ahead of Fangio to take the victory. The 2nd place result would help to secure the World Championship for Fangio despite Moss' victory. Ron Flockhart would feel as though he had just become World Champion as he would surprisingly come through to finish the race a lap down, but in 3rd position.
No such surprise would be in order for Gerino Gerini. Though he would come through to finish his race, he would end up being some 8 laps behind by the end of the race, and therefore, would not be classified as having finished.
It would be a truly disappointing end to the season for the team that had started out so strongly at Syracuse back in mid-April. The non-classification at Monza would go on to show that despite Cornacchia's relationship with Maserati, his aspirations in Formula One, while valid, would likely not come to fruition.
Following the Italian Grand Prix Cornacchia would apparently reassess his goals in Formula One. He would not take part in another major sportscar race following the 1956 season and it would become quite clear that because his racing days were quickly drawing to an end that the Scuderia Guastalla days in sportscars or Formula One were also drawing to a close.
The team would take part in just the three Formula One races in its entire career. What's more, the team would simply fade away without very many people even ever wondering what happened to them. Cornacchia's operation was by no means an unproductive and unsuccessful situation, and yet, it would disappear as though it never even had a shot. It was clear the hypnotism had worn off.
Scuderia Guastalla| Year | Constructor | Engine | Chassis | Drivers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | Maserati | Maserati 2.5 L6 | Maserati 250F | Gerino Gerini Umberto Maglioli |