So four front-line Maseratis started the deciding Championship race, and all four had crashed - leaving the world title to Ferrari. For the record, Ferrari still took a 1-2 finish. Just this one catastrophic race for Maserati, when four of their big, expensive cars were destroyed, had been enough to push their finances over the edge and the company into virtual oblivion, at least as a racing team. At the very moment when Fangio was giving Officine Alfieri Maserati its first world championship in Formula One, the firm was going into survival mode. It was fared never to recover its position in the world of racing, and would spend decades trying to establish itself as a manufacturer of road cars. Note the RAC Tourist Trophy was given championship status but as in 1956 did not take place due to concerns about the safety of the Dundrod Circuit. Note:   The following models contributed to the net championship point scores of their respective manufacturers.