The 1952 Naples Grand Prix (Italian: Gran Premio di Napoli 1952) was a non‑championship motor race run under the Formula Two regulations that were in effect for the 1952 World Championship season. The event took place on the Circuito di Posillipo in Naples, Italy.
Key details
| Item | Information |
|---|---|
| Date | 13 June 1952 |
| Location | Naples, Italy – Circuito di Posillipo (temporary road circuit) |
| Circuit length | Approximately 2.5 km (1.56 mi) per lap |
| Race distance | 60 laps, totalling about 150 km (93 mi) |
| Regulation | Formula Two (the same formula used for the 1952 World Championship) |
| Winner | Alberto Ascari driving a Ferrari 500 |
| Second place | Giuseppe Farina – Ferrari 500 |
| Third place | Luigi Villoresi – Ferrari 500 |
| Pole position | Alberto Ascari (Ferrari 500) |
| Fastest lap | Alberto Ascari (Ferrari 500) |
Context
- The race was one of several non‑championship events held throughout Europe in 1952, providing drivers and teams with additional competition opportunities outside the official World Championship calendar.
- All leading entries were Ferrari 500s, reflecting the dominance of the Italian marque in Formula Two that year.
- The Posillipo circuit was a street layout that incorporated public roads around the Posillipo hill district of Naples; it was used intermittently for motor‑sport events from the late 1940s through the early 1950s.
Historical significance
- Alberto Ascari’s victory at Naples contributed to his overall success in the 1952 season, during which he won the World Championship of Drivers.
- The race exemplifies the period in which the World Championship adopted Formula Two specifications (1952–1953) before reverting to Formula One regulations.
No further contested or divergent accounts of the event have been identified in major encyclopedic sources.
