Mike Hawthorn earned his ranking as one of the greatest F1 drivers. However, he was not known to be the most consistent driver from race-to-race. Nonetheless, when the British driver was on form he was nearly impossible to beat.
The 50s saw the rise of British drivers like Stirling Moss and Peter Collins, and interest in Grand Prix racing amongst British fans was at its peak. When the Formula One Championship visited Silverstone for the 1953 British Grand Prix, two short weeks after Mike Hawthorn had scored his first F1 victory in the Grand Prix of France at Reims, the atmosphere was electric!
At Silverstone, Hawthorn put his Tipo 500 F2 on the front row alongside regular front-runners, Alberto Ascari and Froilan Gonzalez. A fierce battle was waged between the Italian teams, led by Ascari, with Fangio chasing hard in his Maserati. When the checkered flag fell, concluding a fantastic British G.P., Ascari held his lead, Fangio was second, Farina claimed third, fourth place went to Gonzalez' Maserati, while Hawthorn and Bonetto continued the pattern!
Hawthorn's 1953 Tipo 500 F2 features improvements over previous Exoto Tipo 500 F2s including fantastic miniature metal exhaust bracket and undertray.