The cars would be assembled on the grid along what was normally a busy road between Thillois and Gueux. Fangio was back and many believed there could be one last victory for the Argentinean. But then there were the Ferraris, BRMs and Vanwalls. It was going to be a great race.
Hawthorn’s race would get off to a poor start as it would be Harry Schell that powered his way to the front off the line. From the second row back the field would be rather slow off the line and would be packed-up. Bonnier would avoid the trouble and would get underway still at the back of the field.
Heading through the fast right-hander for the first time it would be Schell holding the advantage over Hawthorn and Musso. However, over the course of the first lap Hawthorn would recover and would be challenging Schell for the lead. The power in Hawthorn’s Ferrari would enable him to catch and pass Schell for the lead. Musso, who would lead a small train of cars, would also gain on the lonely Schell.
At the completion of the first lap it would be Hawthorn in the lead. Schell would be in 2nd place, but would be coming under attack from Musso and a fleet of cars that included Moss, Brooks, Fangio and Collins.
Bonnier’s start would be okay but his performance over the course of the first lap of the race would be fantastic. Though not as good as Roy Salvadori’s launch, Bonnier would manage to complete the first lap two positions higher than where he started. He was just outside the top ten after just the first lap of the race. He just needed to make it to the end though.
Hawthorn would be in the lead with Musso and Collins having dispatched Schell for 2nd place. Behind Hawthorn, Musso was again leading a train of cars that battled back and forth as they slipstreamed down the long straights at Reims. The battle would be thoroughly enthralling as Moss, Collins, Brooks, Fangio, Behra and Schell would all swap positions over a number of laps.
The man with the most pressure would be Musso. A personal life in crisis and the pressure of all Italy would see Musso push harder and harder in his 246. He would manage to break away from the gaggle of cars and would be running on his own in an effort to track down Hawthorn. Musso, in many ways, was driving beyond himself. And, as Fangio would later comment, he would ‘leave himself no room’. Around one of the fast, sweeping bends Musso would drift wide and would clip the edge with his front wheel. This caused his Ferrari to overturn a number of times quite violently. Luigi would be eventually thrown from the car into one of the many fields around the circuit. He would be lifted and taken by helicopter to the hospital but would be declared dead almost immediately as a result of a fractured skull.
The race would go on but it was clear the drivers knew Musso’s accident was fatal. Hawthorn continued to lead the way but the cars behind him would continue to fight back and forth changing positions a number of times, even over the course of a single lap.
Bonnier, on the other hand, would not be involved in so much drama. Scarlatti would certainly like that. Jo continued to make his way forward, especially when Musso tragically died in his accident and then when Tony Brooks retired as a result of a gearbox failure. Besides a brief tussle with Peter Collins after the Ferrari driver made an early mistake, Bonnier was driving a clean and unbothered race. He was pulling away from those that had started in the middle of the pack, but he also could not keep up with those that started toward the front either. By the halfway mark he was 9th. If the car could stay together over the last half of the race he likely would finish even higher.
Moss had come charging up through the field. He would manage to break away from the group staying together and sliptstreaming everywhere. Hawthorn was still on his own at the front of the field but he too was pushing hard to maintain his advantage over the cars working together. The fighting continued. Fangio remained right at the heart of the group that even included the two BRMs of Behra and Schell. However, both of them would suffer a failure with just 9 laps remaining. Schell would suffer from overheating while Behra would be forced to retire with a fuel pump problem.
Prior to their retirements, Behra and Schell had managed to hold Fangio at bay with his slower 250F. However, with just a few laps remaining in the race he was back up to 4th place. The retirement of the two BRMs also meant Bonnier moved up as the Scarlatti Maserati was within reach of its first race finish of the season.
Hawthorn would never be in reach over the course of the race. His advantage would be such that he would even slow over the final lap of the race to ensure that he would not lap Fangio in what everyone knew would be his final race. Hawthorn would cruise to victory. Posting the fastest lap and enjoying an average speed of 125mph, Mike would earn his third Formula One World Championship victory of his career and second in the French Grand Prix. His first had come in that wild 1953 edition that saw him out-duel Fangio to the checkered flag. Some five years later, he would ease his way to victory, slowing just to help Fangio save face in his last race.
Moss’ late charge meant he would finish in 2nd place some 24 seconds behind. Wolfgang von Trips would also put in a late charge to finish in 3rd place almost exactly a minute behind Hawthorn.
Scarlatti would care less who would win the race or who ended up on the podium with Hawthorn. Bonnier had managed to bring his Maserati home for the first time all season long. It seemed impossible but it happed. Though two laps down, Bonnier would finish a splendid 8th and would look strong doing it. It would be a big moment of relief and a big moment of letting-go for Scarlatti.
The result in the French Grand Prix signaled to Scarlatti that it was the right time to let go of Formula One, at least in 1958. He would, therefore, decide, right then and there following the race, to sell the Maserati to Bonnier for his use the remainder of the season.
The year, at least for Formula One, had come to an end for Giorgio Scarlatti. The relief he would experience at the end of the French Grand Prix would, undoubtedly, be matched by the relief he would have after he sold the car after the race. The Italian would switch his focus back to sportscars for the remainder of the season. However, he wasn’t done with Formula One. Scarlatti would be back.
