The recently-independent state of Morocco wanted to establish its own international identity and applied for a World Championship race on the Ain Diab circuit, a very fast road circuit near Casablanca.

Stirling Moss and Mike Hawthorn went to Morocco for the final round of the World Championship with Moss needing to win and set the fastest lap with Hawthorn finishing third if he was going to win the title. There was a strong field of 25 cars but as expected Hawthorn and Moss were at the front with the Ferrari driver a tenth faster after practice. Stuart Lewis-Evans was third quickest in his Vanwall while the second row featured Jean Behra's BRM and Phil Hill in the second Ferrari. Olivier Gendebien (Ferrari), Tony Brooks (Vanwall) and Jo Bonnier (BRM) made up the third row.

The newly-crowned King Mohammad V was present for the race and watched Moss take the lead at the start. Phil Hill made a great start from the second row (as he had done in the previous race at Monza) and was second. he challenged for the lead on several occasions but on the third lap he went off up an escape road and dropped behind Hawthorn and Bonnier. Hill quickly caught the Swedish driver and Hawthorn waved him through to go after Moss. Brooks, keen to help Moss by overtaking Hawthorn overtook Bonnier and caught and then passed Hawthorn. The World Championship was in play although Moss then ran into the back of Wolfgang Seidel and dented his car. Moss set a new lap record - which would gain an extra point - while Hawthorn speeded up and battled with Brooks for 11 laps before the Vanwall blew up. Hill was told to slow down to allow Hawthorn into second place. Lewis-Evans, in the third Vanwall, tried to close up but on lap 42 his engine blew up and as the car ran off the circuit the oil spraying from the engine caught fire. Lewis-Evans jumped out, his overalls alight, and the flames were extinguished. Despite this he had suffered terrible burns. He was flown back to Britain in a chartered jet and admitted to a specialist burns unit in East Grinstead but he died six days later.

Moss's victory was not enough to win him the World title but England celebrated Mike Hawthorn becoming its first World Champion. He announced his retirement a few days later - at the early age of 29. Three months later he was killed in a road accident in his Jaguar road car while racing the Mercedes of Rob Walker on the Guildford bypass.