For the 1952 Championship, the rules were changed and the championship was run under Formula 2 rules. This had the desired effect of attracting more teams to compete, including the British teams of Cooper-Bristol, Connaught, Frazer Nash and ERA. This season was also the debut of Mike Hawthorn. Juan Manuel Fangio moved to Maserati, but missed the season after a crash caused a neck injury. Alberto Ascari led the Ferrari challenge, dominating the season and winning the first of his two drivers championship.