Grand Prix motor racing
Encyclopedia
Grand Prix motor racing has its roots in organised automobile racing
that began in France
as far back as 1894. It quickly evolved from a simple road race from one town to the next, to endurance tests for car and driver. Innovation and the drive of competition soon saw speeds exceeding 100 mi/h, but because the races were held on open roads there were frequent accidents with the resulting fatalities of both drivers and spectators.
Grand Prix motor racing eventually evolved into formula racing
, and Formula One
can be seen as its direct descendant. Each event of the Formula One World Championships is still called a Grand Prix. Formula One
is still referred to as Grand Prix racing.
Motor racing was started in France
, as a direct result of the enthusiasm with which the French public embraced the motor car. Manufacturers were enthusiastic due to the possibility of using motor racing as a shop window for their cars. The first motor race took place on July 22, 1894 and was organised by Le Petit Journal
, a Parisian newspaper. It was run over the eighty mile (128 km) distance between Paris
and Rouen
. The race started from Porte Maillot and went through the Bois de Boulogne
. Count Jules-Albert de Dion was first into Rouen after 6 hours and 48 minutes at an average speed of 19 kilometre per hour. He finished 3’30” ahead of Georges Lemaître
(Peugeot
), followed by Doriot
(Peugeot) at 16’30”, René Panhard
(Panhard
) at 33’30’’ and Émile Levassor
(Panhard) at 55’30”. The official winners were Peugeot and Panhard as cars were judged on their speed, handling and safety characteristics, and De Dion's steam car needed a stoker which the judges deemed this outside of their objectives.
In 1900, James Gordon Bennett, Jr.
, the owner of the New York Herald
newspaper and the International Herald Tribune
, established the Gordon Bennett Cup
. He hoped that the creation of an international event would drive automobile manufacturers to improve their cars. Each country was allowed to enter up to three cars, which had to be fully built in the country that they represented and entered by that country's automotive governing body. International racing colours were established in this event. In the United States
, William Kissam Vanderbilt II
launched the Vanderbilt Cup
at Long Island, New York
in 1904.
The first event to carry the name Grand Prix was the Pau Grand Prix in 1901, although this race was a one-off and the term Grand Prix was not in wide usage at the time.
The only race at the time to regularly carry the name Grand Prix was organised by the Automobile Club de France (ACF), of which the first
took place in 1906. The circuit used, which was based in Le Mans
, was roughly triangular in shape, each lap covering 105 kilometres (65.2 mi). Six laps were to run each day, and each lap took approximately an hour using the relatively primitive cars of the day. The driving force behind the decision to race on a circuit - as opposed to racing on ordinary roads from town to town - was the Paris to Madrid road race
of 1903. During this race a number of people, both drivers and pedestrians - including Marcel Renault
- were killed and the race was stopped by the French authorities at Bordeaux. Further road based events were banned.
From the 32 entries representing 12 different automobile manufacturers, at the 1906 event, the Hungarian
-born Ferenc Szisz
(1873–1944) won the 1260 km (782.9 mi) race in a Renault
. This race was regarded as the first Grand Épreuve, which meant "great trial" and the term was used from then on to denote up to the eight most important events of the year.
Races in this period were heavily nationalistic affairs, with a few countries setting up races of their own, but no formal championship tying them together. The rules varied from country to country and race to race, and typically centered around maximum (not minimum) weights in an effort to limit power by limiting engine size indirectly (10–15 L engines were quite common, usually with no more than four cylinders, and producing less than 50 hp). The cars all had mechanics on board as well as the driver, and no one was allowed to work on the cars during the race except for these two. A key factor to Renault winning this first Grand Prix was held to be the detachable wheel rims (developed by Michelin), which allowed tire changes to occur without having to lever the tire and tube off and back on the rim. Given the state of the roads, such repairs were frequent.
circuit of the 1906 Grand Prix, as well as the Targa Florio
(run on 93 miles (150 km) of Sicilian roads), the 75 miles (121 km) German Kaiserpreis
circuit in the Taunus
mountains, and the French circuit at Dieppe (a mere 48 miles (77.2 km)), used for the 1907 Grand Prix
. The exceptions were the steeply banked egg-shaped near oval of Brooklands
in England
, completed in 1907, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
, first used in 1909 with the first Indianapolis 500-Mile Race in 1911, and the Autodromo Nazionale Monza
, in Italy
, opened in 1922.
In 1908, the United States of America
became the first country outside France to host an automobile race using the name Grand Prix (or Grand Prize), run at Savannah. The first Grand Épreuve outside of France was the 1921 Italian Grand Prix
held at Brescia
. This was quickly followed by Belgium
and Spain
(in 1924), and later spread to other countries including Britain (1926). Strictly speaking, this still wasn't a formal championship, but a loose collection of races run to various rules. (A "formula" of rules had appeared just before World War I
, finally based on engine size as well as weight, but it was not universally adopted.)
In 1904, many national motor clubs banded together to form the Association Internationale des Automobile Clubs Reconnus (AIACR). In 1922 the Commission Sportive Internationale (CSI) was empowered on behalf of AIACR to regulate Grand Prix racing and other forms of international racing. Since the inception of Grand Prix racing, competitions had been run in accordance with a strict formula based on engine size and vehicle weight. These regulations were virtually abandoned in 1928 with an era known as Formula Libre
when race organisers decided to run their events with almost no limitations. From 1927 to 1934, the number of races considered to have Grand Prix status exploded, jumping from five events in 1927, to nine events in 1929, to eighteen in 1934 (the peak year before World War II
).
was the first time in the history of the sport that the grid was determined by timed qualifying rather than the luck of a draw.
All the competing vehicles were painted in the international auto racing colors:
Beginning in 1934, the Germans stopped painting their cars, allegedly after the paint had been left off a Mercedes-Benz W25
in an effort to reduce weight. The unpainted metal soon had the German vehicles dubbed by the media as the "Silver Arrows
".
French cars continued to dominate (led by Bugatti
, but also including Delage
and Delahaye
) until the late 1920s, when the Italians (Alfa Romeo
and Maserati
) began to beat the French cars regularly. At the time, the Germans engineered unique race vehicles as seen in the photo here with the Benz aerodynamic "teardrop" body introduced at the 1923 European Grand Prix at Monza by Karl Benz
.
In the 1930s, however, nationalism entered a new phase when the Nazis
encouraged Mercedes
and Auto Union
to further the glory of the Reich
. (The government did provide some money to the two manufacturers, but the extent of the aid into their hands was exaggerated in the media; government subsidies amounted to perhaps 10% or less of the costs of running the two racing teams.) The two German marques utterly dominated the period from 1935 to 1939, winning all but three of the official Championship Grands Prix races run in those years. The cars by this time were single-seaters (the riding mechanic vanished in the early 1920s), with 8 to 16 cylinder supercharged engines producing upwards of 600 hp on alcohol fuels.
As early as October 1923, the idea of an automobile championship was discussed at the annual autumn conference of the AIACR (Association Internationale des Automobile Clubs Reconnus) in Paris. However, discussion centered around the increased interest in racing by manufacturers and holding the first European Grand Prix at Monza in 1923. The first World Championship
took place in 1925
, but it was for manufacturers only, consisting of four races of at least 800 km (497 mi) in length. The races that formed the first Constructors Championship were the Indianapolis 500
, the European Grand Prix
, and the French and Italian Grands Prix. A European Championship
, consisting of the major Grand Prix in a number of countries (named Grandes Epreuves) was instituted for drivers in 1935, and was competed every year until the outbreak of World War II in 1939.
, History of Formula One
In 1946, following World War II, only four races of Grand Prix calibre were held. Rules for a Grand Prix World Championship had been laid out before World War II, but it took several years afterward until 1947 when the old AIACR reorganised itself as the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile
or "FIA" for short. Headquartered in Paris, at the end of the 1949 season it announced that for 1950 they would be linking several national Formula One
Grands Prix to create a World Championship for drivers, although due to economic difficulties the years and were actually competed in Formula Two
cars. A points system was established and a total of seven races were granted championship status including the Indianapolis 500. The first World Championship race was held on 13 May at Silverstone
in the United Kingdom
.
The Italians once again did well in these early World Championship races, both manufacturers and drivers. The first World Champion was Giuseppe Farina
, driving an Alfa Romeo. Ferrari
appeared at the second World Championship race, in Monaco, and has the distinction of being the only manufacturer to compete throughout the entire history of the World Championship, still competing in 2011.
.
For wartime events, see 1940-1945 Grand Prix season
.
organised World and European Championships for Grand Prix manufacturers, drivers and constructors:
Auto racing
Auto racing is a motorsport involving the racing of cars for competition. It is one of the world's most watched televised sports.-The beginning of racing:...
that began in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
as far back as 1894. It quickly evolved from a simple road race from one town to the next, to endurance tests for car and driver. Innovation and the drive of competition soon saw speeds exceeding 100 mi/h, but because the races were held on open roads there were frequent accidents with the resulting fatalities of both drivers and spectators.
Grand Prix motor racing eventually evolved into formula racing
Formula racing
Formula racing is a term that refers to various forms of open wheeled single seater motorsport. Its origin lies in the nomenclature that was adopted by the FIA for all of its post-World War II single seater regulations, or formulae. The best known of these formulæ are Formula One, Formula Two, and...
, and Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
can be seen as its direct descendant. Each event of the Formula One World Championships is still called a Grand Prix. Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
is still referred to as Grand Prix racing.
The origins of organised racing
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, as a direct result of the enthusiasm with which the French public embraced the motor car. Manufacturers were enthusiastic due to the possibility of using motor racing as a shop window for their cars. The first motor race took place on July 22, 1894 and was organised by Le Petit Journal
Le Petit Journal
Le Petit Journal was a daily Parisian newspaper published from 1863 to 1944. It was founded by Moïse Polydore Millaud. In its columns were published several serial novels of Émile Gaboriau and of Ponson du Terrail.- Publishing :...
, a Parisian newspaper. It was run over the eighty mile (128 km) distance between Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and Rouen
Rouen
Rouen , in northern France on the River Seine, is the capital of the Haute-Normandie region and the historic capital city of Normandy. Once one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe , it was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy in the Middle Ages...
. The race started from Porte Maillot and went through the Bois de Boulogne
Bois de Boulogne
The Bois de Boulogne is a park located along the western edge of the 16th arrondissement of Paris, near the suburb of Boulogne-Billancourt and Neuilly-sur-Seine...
. Count Jules-Albert de Dion was first into Rouen after 6 hours and 48 minutes at an average speed of 19 kilometre per hour. He finished 3’30” ahead of Georges Lemaître
Georges Lemaître
Monsignor Georges Henri Joseph Édouard Lemaître was a Belgian priest, astronomer and professor of physics at the Catholic University of Louvain. He was the first person to propose the theory of the expansion of the Universe, widely misattributed to Edwin Hubble...
(Peugeot
Peugeot
Peugeot is a major French car brand, part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, the second largest carmaker based in Europe.The family business that precedes the current Peugeot company was founded in 1810, and manufactured coffee mills and bicycles. On 20 November 1858, Emile Peugeot applied for the lion...
), followed by Doriot
Doriot
Doriot is a French surname, and may refer to:* Georges Doriot , one of the first American venture capitalists.* Jacques Doriot , a French communist, later fascist...
(Peugeot) at 16’30”, René Panhard
René Panhard
Louis François René Panhard was a French engineer, merchant and a pioneer of the automobile industry in France....
(Panhard
Panhard
Panhard is currently a French manufacturer of light tactical and military vehicles. Its current incarnation was formed by the acquisition of Panhard by Auverland in 2005. Panhard had been under Citroën ownership, then PSA , for 40 years...
) at 33’30’’ and Émile Levassor
Emile Levassor
Émile Levassor was a French engineer and a pioneer of the automobile industry and car racing in France.- Biography :...
(Panhard) at 55’30”. The official winners were Peugeot and Panhard as cars were judged on their speed, handling and safety characteristics, and De Dion's steam car needed a stoker which the judges deemed this outside of their objectives.
In 1900, James Gordon Bennett, Jr.
James Gordon Bennett, Jr.
James Gordon Bennett, Jr. was publisher of the New York Herald, founded by his father, James Gordon Bennett, Sr., who emigrated from Scotland. He was generally known as Gordon Bennett to distinguish him from his father....
, the owner of the New York Herald
New York Herald
The New York Herald was a large distribution newspaper based in New York City that existed between May 6, 1835, and 1924.-History:The first issue of the paper was published by James Gordon Bennett, Sr., on May 6, 1835. By 1845 it was the most popular and profitable daily newspaper in the UnitedStates...
newspaper and the International Herald Tribune
International Herald Tribune
The International Herald Tribune is a widely read English language international newspaper. It combines the resources of its own correspondents with those of The New York Times and is printed at 38 sites throughout the world, for sale in more than 160 countries and territories...
, established the Gordon Bennett Cup
Gordon Bennett Cup in auto racing
As one of three Gordon Bennett Cups established by James Gordon Bennett, Jr., millionaire owner of the New York Herald, the automobile racing award was first given in 1900 in France....
. He hoped that the creation of an international event would drive automobile manufacturers to improve their cars. Each country was allowed to enter up to three cars, which had to be fully built in the country that they represented and entered by that country's automotive governing body. International racing colours were established in this event. In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, William Kissam Vanderbilt II
William Kissam Vanderbilt II
William Kissam Vanderbilt II was a motor racing enthusiast and yachtsman and a member of the prominent United States Vanderbilt family.-Biography:...
launched the Vanderbilt Cup
Vanderbilt Cup
The Vanderbilt Cup was the first major trophy in American auto racing.-History:An international event, it was founded by William Kissam Vanderbilt II in 1904 and first held at a course set out in Nassau County on Long Island, New York. The announcement that the race was to be held caused...
at Long Island, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in 1904.
The first Grands Prix
The only race at the time to regularly carry the name Grand Prix was organised by the Automobile Club de France (ACF), of which the first
1906 French Grand Prix
The 1906 Grand Prix de l'Automobile Club de France, commonly known as the 1906 French Grand Prix, was a motor race held on 26 and 27 June 1906, on closed public roads outside the city of Le Mans...
took place in 1906. The circuit used, which was based in Le Mans
Le Mans
Le Mans is a city in France, located on the Sarthe River. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Mans. Le Mans is a part of the Pays de la Loire region.Its inhabitants are called Manceaux...
, was roughly triangular in shape, each lap covering 105 kilometres (65.2 mi). Six laps were to run each day, and each lap took approximately an hour using the relatively primitive cars of the day. The driving force behind the decision to race on a circuit - as opposed to racing on ordinary roads from town to town - was the Paris to Madrid road race
Paris-Madrid race
The Paris–Madrid race of May 1903 was an early experiment in auto racing, organized by the Automobile Club de France and by the Spanish Automobile Club, Automóvil Club Español....
of 1903. During this race a number of people, both drivers and pedestrians - including Marcel Renault
Marcel Renault
Marcel Renault was a French racing car driver and industrialist, co-founder of the car maker Renault, and the brother of Louis and Fernand Renault....
- were killed and the race was stopped by the French authorities at Bordeaux. Further road based events were banned.
From the 32 entries representing 12 different automobile manufacturers, at the 1906 event, the Hungarian
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
-born Ferenc Szisz
Ferenc Szisz
Ferenc Szisz , was a Hungarian race car driver and the winner of the first Grand Prix motor racing event on a Renault Grand Prix 90CV on 26 June, 1906....
(1873–1944) won the 1260 km (782.9 mi) race in a Renault
Renault
Renault S.A. is a French automaker producing cars, vans, and in the past, autorail vehicles, trucks, tractors, vans and also buses/coaches. Its alliance with Nissan makes it the world's third largest automaker...
. This race was regarded as the first Grand Épreuve, which meant "great trial" and the term was used from then on to denote up to the eight most important events of the year.
Races in this period were heavily nationalistic affairs, with a few countries setting up races of their own, but no formal championship tying them together. The rules varied from country to country and race to race, and typically centered around maximum (not minimum) weights in an effort to limit power by limiting engine size indirectly (10–15 L engines were quite common, usually with no more than four cylinders, and producing less than 50 hp). The cars all had mechanics on board as well as the driver, and no one was allowed to work on the cars during the race except for these two. A key factor to Renault winning this first Grand Prix was held to be the detachable wheel rims (developed by Michelin), which allowed tire changes to occur without having to lever the tire and tube off and back on the rim. Given the state of the roads, such repairs were frequent.
Racecourse development
For the most part, races were run over a lengthy circuit of closed public roads, not purpose-built private tracks. This was true of the Le MansLe Mans
Le Mans is a city in France, located on the Sarthe River. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Mans. Le Mans is a part of the Pays de la Loire region.Its inhabitants are called Manceaux...
circuit of the 1906 Grand Prix, as well as the Targa Florio
Targa Florio
The Targa Florio was an open road endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily near Palermo. Founded in 1906, it was the oldest sports car racing event, part of the World Sportscar Championship between 1955 and 1973...
(run on 93 miles (150 km) of Sicilian roads), the 75 miles (121 km) German Kaiserpreis
Kaiserpreis
The Kaiserpreis auto race, named after Emperor Wilhelm II, was held in 1907. Like his brother's Prinz-Heinrich-Fahrt held from 1908 to 1911, it was a precursor to the German Grand Prix....
circuit in the Taunus
Taunus
The Taunus is a low mountain range in Hesse, Germany that composes part of the Rhenish Slate Mountains. It is bounded by the river valleys of Rhine, Main and Lahn. On the opposite side of the Rhine, the mountains are continued by the Hunsrück...
mountains, and the French circuit at Dieppe (a mere 48 miles (77.2 km)), used for the 1907 Grand Prix
1907 French Grand Prix
The 1907 French Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Dieppe on 2 July 1907.-The Race:38 cars set off at one minute intervals to complete 10 laps of a circuit on a triangular circuit near the city of Dieppe. The field was led away by Vincenzo Lancia's Fiat.The race was run under a 9.4 mpg...
. The exceptions were the steeply banked egg-shaped near oval of Brooklands
Brooklands
Brooklands was a motor racing circuit and aerodrome built near Weybridge in Surrey, England. It opened in 1907, and was the world's first purpose-built motorsport venue, as well as one of Britain's first airfields...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, completed in 1907, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, located in Speedway, Indiana in the United States, is the home of the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race and the Brickyard 400....
, first used in 1909 with the first Indianapolis 500-Mile Race in 1911, and the Autodromo Nazionale Monza
Autodromo Nazionale Monza
The Autodromo Nazionale Monza is a race track located near the town of Monza, north of Milan, in Italy. The circuit's biggest event is the Formula One Italian Grand Prix, which has been hosted there since the sport's inception....
, in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, opened in 1922.
In 1908, the United States of America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
became the first country outside France to host an automobile race using the name Grand Prix (or Grand Prize), run at Savannah. The first Grand Épreuve outside of France was the 1921 Italian Grand Prix
Italian Grand Prix
The Italian Grand Prix is one of the longest running events on the motor racing calendar. The first Italian Grand Prix motor racing championship took place on 4 September 1921 at Brescia...
held at Brescia
Brescia
Brescia is a city and comune in the region of Lombardy in northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, between the Mella and the Naviglio, with a population of around 197,000. It is the second largest city in Lombardy, after the capital, Milan...
. This was quickly followed by Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
(in 1924), and later spread to other countries including Britain (1926). Strictly speaking, this still wasn't a formal championship, but a loose collection of races run to various rules. (A "formula" of rules had appeared just before World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, finally based on engine size as well as weight, but it was not universally adopted.)
In 1904, many national motor clubs banded together to form the Association Internationale des Automobile Clubs Reconnus (AIACR). In 1922 the Commission Sportive Internationale (CSI) was empowered on behalf of AIACR to regulate Grand Prix racing and other forms of international racing. Since the inception of Grand Prix racing, competitions had been run in accordance with a strict formula based on engine size and vehicle weight. These regulations were virtually abandoned in 1928 with an era known as Formula Libre
Formula Libre
Formula Libre is a form of automobile racing allowing a wide variety of types, ages and makes of purpose-built racing cars to compete "head to head". This can make for some interesting matchups, and provides the opportunity for some compelling driving performances against superior machinery...
when race organisers decided to run their events with almost no limitations. From 1927 to 1934, the number of races considered to have Grand Prix status exploded, jumping from five events in 1927, to nine events in 1929, to eighteen in 1934 (the peak year before World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
).
The Pre-WW II years
The 1933 Monaco Grand PrixMonaco Grand Prix
The Monaco Grand Prix is a Formula One race held each year on the Circuit de Monaco. Run since 1929, it is widely considered to be one of the most important and prestigious automobile races in the world, alongside the Daytona 500, Indianapolis 500, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans...
was the first time in the history of the sport that the grid was determined by timed qualifying rather than the luck of a draw.
All the competing vehicles were painted in the international auto racing colors:
- green (British racing greenBritish racing greenBritish racing green or BRG, a colour similar to Brunswick green, hunter green, forest green or moss green , takes its name from the green international motor racing colour of Britain. Although there is still some debate as to an exact hue for BRG, currently the term is used to denote a spectrum of...
) for Britain, - blue (Bleu de FranceBleu de France (colour)Bleu de France is the traditional colour of France. It was used by all French teams as a national colour used by the Kings of France in heraldry since the 12th century, but it is also a brighter version the blue colour of the present flag of France, the so called French tricolour...
) for France, - red (Rosso corsaRosso corsaRosso Corsa is the red international motor racing colour of cars entered by teams from Italy.Since the 1920s Italian race cars of Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Lancia, and later Ferrari and Abarth have been painted in rosso corsa . This was the customary national racing colour of Italy as recommended...
) for Italian, - yellow for Belgium, and
- white for Germany.
Beginning in 1934, the Germans stopped painting their cars, allegedly after the paint had been left off a Mercedes-Benz W25
Mercedes-Benz W25
The Mercedes-Benz W25 was a Grand Prix racing car designed by Daimler-Benz AG for the 1934 Grand Prix season, in which new rules were introduced, and no championship was held. In 1935, the European Championship was resumed, and it was won by Rudolf Caracciola in a W25...
in an effort to reduce weight. The unpainted metal soon had the German vehicles dubbed by the media as the "Silver Arrows
Silver Arrows
Silver Arrows was the name given by the press to Germany's dominant Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union Grand Prix motor racing cars between 1934 and 1939, and also later applied to the Mercedes-Benz Formula One and sports cars in 1954/55.For decades until the introduction of sponsorship liveries, each...
".
Bugatti
Automobiles E. Bugatti was a French car manufacturer founded in 1909 in Molsheim, Alsace, as a manufacturer of high-performance automobiles by Italian-born Ettore Bugatti....
, but also including Delage
Delage
Delage was a French luxury automobile and racecar company founded in 1905 by Louis Delage in Levallois-Perret near Paris; it was acquired by Delahaye in 1935 and ceased operation in 1953.-History:...
and Delahaye
Delahaye
Delahaye automobile manufacturing company was started by Emile Delahaye in 1894, in Tours, France. His first cars were belt-driven, with single- or twin-cylinder engines. In 1900, Delahaye left the company.-History:...
) until the late 1920s, when the Italians (Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian manufacturer of cars. Founded as A.L.F.A. on June 24, 1910, in Milan, the company has been involved in car racing since 1911, and has a reputation for building expensive sports cars...
and Maserati
Maserati
Maserati is an Italian luxury car manufacturer established on December 1, 1914, in Bologna. The company's headquarters is now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. It has been owned by the Italian car giant Fiat S.p.A. since 1993...
) began to beat the French cars regularly. At the time, the Germans engineered unique race vehicles as seen in the photo here with the Benz aerodynamic "teardrop" body introduced at the 1923 European Grand Prix at Monza by Karl Benz
Karl Benz
Karl Friedrich Benz, was a German engine designer and car engineer, generally regarded as the inventor of the gasoline-powered car, and together with Bertha Benz pioneering founder of the automobile manufacturer Mercedes-Benz...
.
In the 1930s, however, nationalism entered a new phase when the Nazis
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
encouraged Mercedes
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
and Auto Union
Auto Union
Auto Union was an amalgamation of four German automobile manufacturers, founded in 1932 and established in 1936 in Chemnitz, Saxony, during the Great Depression. The company has evolved into present day Audi, as a subsidiary of Volkswagen Group....
to further the glory of the Reich
Reich
Reich is a German word cognate with the English rich, but also used to designate an empire, realm, or nation. The qualitative connotation from the German is " sovereign state." It is the word traditionally used for a variety of sovereign entities, including Germany in many periods of its history...
. (The government did provide some money to the two manufacturers, but the extent of the aid into their hands was exaggerated in the media; government subsidies amounted to perhaps 10% or less of the costs of running the two racing teams.) The two German marques utterly dominated the period from 1935 to 1939, winning all but three of the official Championship Grands Prix races run in those years. The cars by this time were single-seaters (the riding mechanic vanished in the early 1920s), with 8 to 16 cylinder supercharged engines producing upwards of 600 hp on alcohol fuels.
As early as October 1923, the idea of an automobile championship was discussed at the annual autumn conference of the AIACR (Association Internationale des Automobile Clubs Reconnus) in Paris. However, discussion centered around the increased interest in racing by manufacturers and holding the first European Grand Prix at Monza in 1923. The first World Championship
World Manufacturers' Championship
The World Manufacturers' Championship was a competition organised by the AIACR between 1925 and 1927.-Scoring system:Unlike the modern Formula One points system, the championship awarded fewer points for higher finishes; the champion would be the manufacturer which ended the season on the lowest...
took place in 1925
1925 Grand Prix season
The 1925 Grand Prix season was the first AIACR World Manufacturers' Championship season. The championship was won by Alfa Romeo, utilising the P2 model.-World Championship Grands Prix:-Other Grands Prix:-Championship Final Standings:...
, but it was for manufacturers only, consisting of four races of at least 800 km (497 mi) in length. The races that formed the first Constructors Championship were the Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...
, the European Grand Prix
European Grand Prix
The European Grand Prix is a Formula One event that was reintroduced during the mid-1980s and has been held regularly since 1999. From 2008 it will take place for at least another 7 years...
, and the French and Italian Grands Prix. A European Championship
European Championship (auto racing)
The European Drivers' Championship was an annual competition in auto racing that existed prior to the establishment of the Formula One world championship in 1950...
, consisting of the major Grand Prix in a number of countries (named Grandes Epreuves) was instituted for drivers in 1935, and was competed every year until the outbreak of World War II in 1939.
The post-war years and Formula One
Related topics : Formula OneFormula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
, History of Formula One
History of Formula One
The history of Formula One has its roots in the European Grand Prix motor racing of the 1920s and 1930s. However, the foundation of Formula One began in 1946 with the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile's standardisation of rules. A World Drivers' Championship followed in 1950...
In 1946, following World War II, only four races of Grand Prix calibre were held. Rules for a Grand Prix World Championship had been laid out before World War II, but it took several years afterward until 1947 when the old AIACR reorganised itself as the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile
Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile
The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile is a non-profit association established as the Association Internationale des Automobile Clubs Reconnus on 20 June 1904 to represent the interests of motoring organisations and motor car users...
or "FIA" for short. Headquartered in Paris, at the end of the 1949 season it announced that for 1950 they would be linking several national Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
Grands Prix to create a World Championship for drivers, although due to economic difficulties the years and were actually competed in Formula Two
Formula Two
Formula Two, abbreviated to F2, is a type of open wheel formula racing. It was replaced by Formula 3000 in 1985, but the FIA announced in 2008 that Formula Two would return for 2009 in the form of the FIA Formula Two Championship...
cars. A points system was established and a total of seven races were granted championship status including the Indianapolis 500. The first World Championship race was held on 13 May at Silverstone
Silverstone Circuit
Silverstone Circuit is an English motor racing circuit next to the Northamptonshire villages of Silverstone and Whittlebury. The circuit straddles the Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire border, with the current main circuit entry on the Buckinghamshire side...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
The Italians once again did well in these early World Championship races, both manufacturers and drivers. The first World Champion was Giuseppe Farina
Giuseppe Farina
Emilio Giuseppe "Nino" Farina was an Italian racing driver. He stands out in the history of Grand Prix motor racing for his much copied 'straight-arm' driving style and his status as the first ever Formula One World Champion.-Biography:Born in Turin, Italy and nicknamed "Nino", Farina was a doctor...
, driving an Alfa Romeo. Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing....
appeared at the second World Championship race, in Monaco, and has the distinction of being the only manufacturer to compete throughout the entire history of the World Championship, still competing in 2011.
Grandes Épreuves by season
Note : For 1950 onwards, see List of Formula One Grands Prix. Italics denote that the race was also known as the European Grand PrixEuropean Grand Prix
The European Grand Prix is a Formula One event that was reintroduced during the mid-1980s and has been held regularly since 1999. From 2008 it will take place for at least another 7 years...
.
1906–1914
| Race | 1906 1906 Grand Prix season The 1906 Grand Prix season was the first Grand Prix racing season.-Grandes Épreuves:-Other Grands Prix:... |
1907 1907 Grand Prix season The 1907 Grand Prix season was the second Grand Prix racing season.-Grandes Épreuves:-Other Grands Prix:... |
1908 1908 Grand Prix season The 1908 Grand Prix season was the third Grand Prix racing season.-Grandes Épreuves:-Other Grands Prix:... |
1912 1912 Grand Prix season The 1912 Grand Prix season saw Grand Prix motor racing in Europe and the United States. The French Grand Prix was held in Dieppe. The American Grand Prize was held in Milwaukee, moving from its home in Savannah.-Grandes Épreuves:-Other Grands Prix:... |
1913 1913 Grand Prix season The 1913 Grand Prix season consisted of Grand Prix races in Europe and the United States. The French Grand Prix was held in Amiens. The first ever Russian Grand Prix was held in St. Petersburg. There was no American Grand Prize this year.... |
1914 1914 Grand Prix season The 1914 Grand Prix season saw the return of the American Grand Prize and was the last Grand Prix motor racing season in Europe, before the outbreak of World War I. The French Grand Prix was held in Lyon. The American Grand Prize was held in Santa Monica.... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  French1906 French Grand Prix The 1906 Grand Prix de l'Automobile Club de France, commonly known as the 1906 French Grand Prix, was a motor race held on 26 and 27 June 1906, on closed public roads outside the city of Le Mans... |
French 1907 French Grand Prix The 1907 French Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Dieppe on 2 July 1907.-The Race:38 cars set off at one minute intervals to complete 10 laps of a circuit on a triangular circuit near the city of Dieppe. The field was led away by Vincenzo Lancia's Fiat.The race was run under a 9.4 mpg... |
French 1908 French Grand Prix The 1908 French Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Dieppe on 7 July 1908.-Formula Changes:The race was run under a new formula agreed in Ostend in 1907... |
French 1912 French Grand Prix The 1912 French Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Dieppe on 25–26 June 1912.-The Race:The race was run over two days with the drivers completing ten laps on each day and their times being aggregated to produce the winner . Coupé cars competed alongside Grand Prix cars. The coupé cars... |
French 1913 French Grand Prix The 1913 French Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Amiens on 12 July 1913.-The Race:The restriction on Grand Prix cars for 1913 included an minimum weight and an maximum weight, as well as a fuel consumption limit..... |
French 1914 French Grand Prix The 1914 French Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Lyon on 4 July 1914.-The Race:The restriction on Grand Prix cars for 1914 included an maximum weight and a 4500cc maximum engine capacity.... |
1921–1929
| Race | 1921 1921 Grand Prix season The 1921 Grand Prix season saw Grand Prix motor racing finally fully recovered after World War I. The French Grand Prix was held in Sarthe, Le Mans. It was the first GP in which a US make, Duesenberg, entered, and the first in which hydraulically operated four wheel brakes were used . Ballot... |
1922 1922 Grand Prix season The 1922 Grand Prix season saw the French Grand Prix being held in Strasbourg. The Italian Grand Prix moved to its spiritual home at Monza.-Grandes Épreuves:-Other Grands Prix:... |
1923 1923 Grand Prix season The 1923 Grand Prix season saw Grand Prix motor racing in Europe. For the first time, the Indianapolis 500 was also designated a Grand Épreuve by the International Sporting Commission of the AIACR. The French Grand Prix was held in Tours. The Italian Grand Prix was held at Monza... |
1924 1924 Grand Prix season The 1924 Grand Prix season again saw Grand Prix motor racing in Europe and North America. The Indianapolis 500 was again designated a Grand Épreuve by the International Sporting Commission of the AIACR, along with the French Grand Prix, held in Lyon and the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. The French... |
1925 1925 Grand Prix season The 1925 Grand Prix season was the first AIACR World Manufacturers' Championship season. The championship was won by Alfa Romeo, utilising the P2 model.-World Championship Grands Prix:-Other Grands Prix:-Championship Final Standings:... |
1926 1926 Grand Prix season The 1926 Grand Prix season was the second AIACR World Manufacturers' Championship season. The championship was won by Bugatti.-World Championship Grands Prix:-Other Grands Prix:-Championship Final Standings:... |
1927 1927 Grand Prix season The 1927 Grand Prix season was the third AIACR World Manufacturers' Championship season. The championship was won by Delage.-World Championship Grands Prix:-Other Grands Prix:-Championship Final Standings:... |
1928 1928 Grand Prix season The 1928 Grand Prix season saw the Monegasque driver Louis Chiron take seven Grand Prix victories whilst driving for the Bugatti team.During the 1928 Italian Grand Prix in Monza a serious accident involved the car of Emilio Materassi: his Talbot crashed at 200 km/h into the grandstand, killing... |
1929 1929 Grand Prix season The 1929 Grand Prix season was dominated by Italian constructors. Both Alfa Romeo and Bugatti won races, with "W Williams" and Louis Chiron being the dominant drivers.-Grandes Épreuves:-Other Grands Prix:... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French 1921 French Grand Prix The 1921 French Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Le Mans on 25 July 1921.- Classification :-References:... |
French 1922 French Grand Prix The 1922 French Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Strasbourg on July 16, 1922.- Classification :* Some sources say that Marco was Italian.-References:... |
 Indy 5001923 Indianapolis 500 Results of the 1923 Indianapolis 500 held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Wednesday, May 30, 1923.... |
Indy 500 1924 Indianapolis 500 Results of the 1924 Indianapolis 500 held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Friday, May 30, 1924.... |
Indy 500 1925 Indianapolis 500 Results of the 1925 Indianapolis 500 held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 30, 1925.... |
Indy 500 1926 Indianapolis 500 Results of the 1926 Indianapolis 500 held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday, May 31, 1926. "Twenty-eight cars, groomed to mirror brilliance, wheeled in behind Louis Chevrolet and his Chrysler pace car for the start." -Footnotes:... |
Indy 500 1927 Indianapolis 500 Results of the 1927 Indianapolis 500 held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday, May 30, 1927.... |
Indy 500 1928 Indianapolis 500 Results of the 1928 Indianapolis 500 held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Wednesday, May 30, 1928.... |
Indy 500 1929 Indianapolis 500 Results of the 1929 Indianapolis 500 held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Thursday, May 30, 1929.*Ray Keech reigned as champion for only 17 days; he was killed at Altoona Speedway June 15, 1929.... |
| 2 |  Italian1921 Italian Grand Prix The 1921 Italian Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Brescia on September 4, 1921.- Classification :-References:... |
Italian 1922 Italian Grand Prix The 1922 Italian Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Monza on September 10, 1922.- Classification :-References:... |
French 1923 French Grand Prix The 1923 French Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Tours on July 2, 1923.- Classification :-References:... |
French 1924 French Grand Prix The 1924 French Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Lyon on August 3, 1924.- Classification :-References:... |
 Belgian1925 Belgian Grand Prix The 1925 Belgian Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Spa-Francorchamps on June 28, 1925.-Entries:-Race:- Starting Grid Positions :-Notes:... |
French 1926 French Grand Prix The 1926 French Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at the Circuit of Miramas on June 27, 1926.It was the second race of the 1926 AIACR World Manufacturers' Championship season. Unfortunately for the spectators, of all the cars that were announced to participate in the race, only three... |
French |
Italian |
French |
| 3 | Italian 1923 Italian Grand Prix The 1923 Italian Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Monza on September 9, 1923.It was the first race to be designated as the European Grand Prix.- Classification :-References:... |
Italian 1924 Italian Grand Prix The 1924 Italian Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Monza on October 19, 1924.- Classification :-References:... |
French 1925 French Grand Prix The 1925 French Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Autodrome de Linas-Montlhéry on July 26, 1925.- Classification :-References:... |
 San Sebastián1926 San Sebastián Grand Prix The 1926 San Sebastián Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Circuito Lasarte on July 18, 1926. It was also designated as the European Grand Prix.... |
Spanish |
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| 4 | Italian 1925 Italian Grand Prix The 1925 Italian Grand Prix was a combined Grand Prix and Voiturette motor race held at Monza on September 6, 1925. The voiturettes competed for their own trophy.It was the final race of the 1925 AIACR World Manufacturers' Championship season.... |
British 1926 British Grand Prix The 1926 British Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at the Brooklands circuit on August 7, 1926.It was the fourth race of the 1926 AIACR World Manufacturers' Championship season, and the inaugural edition of the British Grand Prix.- Classification :... |
Italian 1927 Italian Grand Prix The 1927 Italian Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Monza on September 4, 1927 and run to Formula Libre regulations.It was part of the 1927 AIACR World Manufacturers' Championship season.- Classification :-References:... |
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| 5 | Italian 1926 Italian Grand Prix The 1926 Italian Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Monza on September 5, 1926.It was the final race of the 1926 AIACR World Manufacturers' Championship season.- Classification :-References:... |
British 1927 British Grand Prix The II Royal Automobile Club Grand Prix, commonly referred to as the 1927 British Grand Prix, was a Grand Prix motor race held at the Brooklands circuit on October 1, 1927. It was the fifth and final race of the 1927 AIACR World Manufacturers' Championship season. The race was won by French driver... |
1930–1939
| Race | 1930 1930 Grand Prix season The 1930 Grand Prix season was dominated by the Italian constructors Bugatti and Maserati. All six finishers at the Monaco Grand Prix were driving Bugattis. Achille Varzi won two races driving a Maserati.-Grandes Épreuves:-Other Grands Prix:... |
1931 1931 Grand Prix season The 1931 Grand Prix season was the first AIACR European Championship season. The championship was won by Ferdinando Minoia, driving for the Alfa Corse team. Minoia won the championship despite not winning a single race during the championship season... |
1932 1932 Grand Prix season The 1932 Grand Prix season was the second AIACR European Championship season. The championship was won by Tazio Nuvolari, driving for the Alfa Corse team. Nuvolari won two of the three events that counted towards the championship... |
1933 1933 Grand Prix season The 1933 Grand Prix season was the first year of a two-year hiatus for the European Championship. Tazio Nuvolari proved to be the most successful driver, winning seven Grands Prix. Alfa Romeo's cars proved difficult to beat, winning 19 of the season's 36 Grands Prix.-Grandes Épreuves:-Other Grands... |
1934 1934 Grand Prix season The 1934 Grand Prix season was the final year of a two-year hiatus for the European Championship. Achille Varzi proved to be the most successful driver, winning six Grands Prix. Alfa Romeo's cars proved difficult to beat, winning 18 of the season's 35 Grands Prix.-Grandes Épreuves:-Other Grands... |
1935 1935 Grand Prix season The 1935 Grand Prix season was the third AIACR European Championship season. The championship was won by Rudolf Caracciola, driving for the Mercedes-Benz team.-Teams:-Works teams:-Independent teams:-Private entries:... |
1936 1936 Grand Prix Season The 1936 Grand Prix season was the fourth AIACR European Championship season. The championship was won by Bernd Rosemeyer, driving for the Auto Union team... |
1937 1937 Grand Prix Season The 1937 Grand Prix season was the fifth AIACR European Championship season. The championship was won by Rudolf Caracciola, driving for the Mercedes-Benz team... |
1938 1938 Grand Prix season The 1938 Grand Prix season was the sixth AIACR European Championship season. The championship was won by Rudolf Caracciola, driving for the Mercedes-Benz team... |
1939 1939 Grand Prix season The 1939 Grand Prix season was the seventh AIACR European Championship season. The championship winner was never officially announced by the AIACR due to the outbreak of World War II less than two weeks after the final event in Switzerland. The Italian GP initially had been a fifth event, but it... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Indy 500 1930 Indianapolis 500 Results of the 1930 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Friday, May 30, 1930.Note: Cars not finishing were awarded positions in the order in which they left the track, regardless of lap count... |
Italian 1931 Italian Grand Prix The 1931 Italian Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Monza on May 24, 1931.- Classification :... |
Italian 1932 Italian Grand Prix The 1932 Italian Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Monza on June 5, 1932.-Race:- Starting grid positions :... |
 Monaco1933 Monaco Grand Prix The 1933 Monaco Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at the Circuit de Monaco on April 23, 1933.This was the first Grand Prix where grid positions were decided by practice time rather than the established method of balloting... |
Monaco |
Monaco |
Monaco 1936 Monaco Grand Prix The 1936 Monaco Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Circuit de Monaco on April 13, 1936.Heavy rain contributed to a series of accidents, while a broken oil line on the Alfa Romeo of Mario Tadini led to so many wrecks in the chicane out of the tunnel it was almost impassable... |
Belgian 1937 Belgian Grand Prix The 1937 Belgian Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Spa-Francorchamps on July 11, 1937.-Classification:... |
French 1938 French Grand Prix The 1938 French Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Reims-Gueux on July 3, 1938.-Classification:... |
Belgian 1939 Belgian Grand Prix The 1939 Belgian Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held on June 25, 1939 at Spa-Francorchamps.Richard Seaman crashed at the La Source hairpin into a tree, causing the fuel line to break. Fuel rushed over the car and the car caught fire. Seaman couldn't move because his right hand was broken... |
| 2 | Belgian |
French 1931 French Grand Prix The 1931 French Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Autodrome de Linas-Montlhéry on June 21, 1931.- Classification :... |
French 1932 French Grand Prix The 1932 French Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Reims-Gueux on July 3, 1932.- Classification :- Race :- Starting grid positions :... |
French |
French |
French |
 German1936 German Grand Prix The 1936 German Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at the Nürburgring on July 26, 1936.-Classification:... |
German 1937 German Grand Prix The 1937 German Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at the Nürburgring on July 25, 1937.Driver Ernst von Delius collided with Richard Seaman during this race on lap 6 and the accident was eventually fatal for von Delius, experiencing thrombosis. Von Delius was 25 years old.-Classification:... |
German 1938 German Grand Prix The 1938 German Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at the Nürburgring on July 24, 1938.-Classification:... |
French 1939 French Grand Prix The 1939 French Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Reims-Gueux on July 9, 1939.-Classification:... |
| 3 | French |
Belgian 1931 Belgian Grand Prix The 1931 Belgian Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Spa-Francorchamps on July 12, 1931.- Classification :-Race:- Starting grid positions :... |
 German1932 German Grand Prix The 1932 German Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at the Nürburgring on July 17, 1932.- Classification :... |
Belgian |
 German1934 German Grand Prix The 1934 German Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at the Nürburgring on July 15, 1934.- Race :-Notes:*Manfred von Brauchitsch badly crashed in practice, and Mercedes employee Hanns Geier was called on short notice to replace him... |
Belgian 1935 Belgian Grand Prix The 1935 Belgian Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Spa-Francorchamps on July 14, 1935.- Race :- Starting grid positions :-Notes:... |
 Swiss1936 Swiss Grand Prix The 1936 Swiss Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Bremgarten on August 23, 1936.-Classification:... |
Monaco 1937 Monaco Grand Prix The 1937 Monaco Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at the Circuit de Monaco on August 8, 1937.-Classification:... |
Swiss 1938 Swiss Grand Prix The 1938 Swiss Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Bremgarten on August 21, 1938.-Classification:... |
German 1939 German Grand Prix The 1939 German Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at the Nürburgring on July 23, 1939.-Classification:... |
| 4 | German 1931 German Grand Prix The 1931 German Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at the Nürburgring on July 19, 1931.-Race:- Starting Grid Positions :... |
Italian |
Belgian |
German 1935 German Grand Prix The 1935 German Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at the Nürburgring on July 28, 1935.- Race :- Starting grid positions :-Notes:*Ernst von Delius destroyed his car during practice, so shared Mays' car in the race.... |
Italian 1936 Italian Grand Prix The 1936 Italian Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Monza on September 13, 1936.-Classification:... |
Swiss 1937 Swiss Grand Prix The 1937 Swiss Grand Prix was a 750 kg Formula race held on August 22, 1937 at the Bremgarten Circuit.-Race Report:After the start, Hans Stuck chopped across the nose of the other drivers to take the early lead, followed by Caracciola and Rosemeyer. Rosemeyer was soon in trouble though, under... |
Italian 1938 Italian Grand Prix The 1938 Italian Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Monza on September 11, 1938.-Classification:... |
Swiss 1939 Swiss Grand Prix The 1939 Swiss Grand Prix was a motor race held at Bremgarten on August 20, 1939.The Grand Prix was run as a combined event for Grand Prix cars and Voiturettes. Each class had a heat with the best from each going through to a combined final.-Final:... |
||
| 5 |  Spanish |
Italian |
Swiss 1935 Swiss Grand Prix The 1935 Swiss Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Bremgarten on August 25, 1935.- Classification :-Notes:* Hanns Geier crashed in practice, ending his driving career.... |
Italian 1937 Italian Grand Prix The 1937 Italian Grand Prix was a 750 kg Formula race held on September 12, 1937 at the Livorno Circuit.-Race report:Caracciola took an early lead from pole, Lang was second but he soon took the lead from Caracciola, the two Mercedes drivers pushing each other hard. Team manager Alfred... |
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| 6 | Spanish |
Italian 1935 Italian Grand Prix The 1935 Italian Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Monza on September 8, 1935.- Classification :-Notes:* Paul Pietsch and René Dreyfus were called in so that Bernd Rosemeyer and Tazio Nuvolari, respectively, could take over their cars.... |
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| 7 | Spanish 1935 Spanish Grand Prix The 1935 Spanish Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Lasarte on September 22, 1935.- Classification :-Notes:* Paul Pietsch took over from Achille Varzi after the latter's face was cut due to a stone smashing his windscreen. After treatment, Varzi took the car back but gave it back to... |
For wartime events, see 1940-1945 Grand Prix season
1940-1945 Grand Prix season
The 1940-1945 Grand Prix seasons occurred during wartime and so were limited to a very small number of events. The majority of Grand Prix races during this period were run in South America. The first post-war Grand Prix was run in Paris, shortly after the end of the war.-1940:-1941:-1942:-1945:...
.
1946–1949
| Race | 1946 1946 Grand Prix season The 1946 Grand Prix season was the first post-war year for Grand Prix racing. Raymond Sommer proved to be the most successful driver, winning five Grands Prix. Maserati's cars proved difficult to beat, winning 9 of the season's 20 Grands Prix.... |
1947 1947 Grand Prix season The 1947 Grand Prix season was the second post-war year for Grand Prix racing. Luigi Villoresi proved to be the most successful driver, winning six Grands Prix. Alfa Romeo's cars proved difficult to beat, winning 13 of the season's 32 Grands Prix.... |
1948 1948 Grand Prix season The 1948 Grand Prix season was the third post-war year for Grand Prix racing.-Grandes Épreuves:-Other Grands Prix:... |
1949 1949 Grand Prix season The 1949 Grand Prix season was the fourth post-war year for Grand Prix racing and the final year before the beginning of the Formula One World Championship. Races were run to a formula which restricted engines to 1.5 litres supercharged or 4.5 litres naturally aspirated; the formula was... |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saint-Cloud |
Swiss 1947 Swiss Grand Prix The 1947 Swiss Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Bremgarten on June 8, 1947.-Heat 1:Drivers in bold advanced to the final* Pole position : Carlo Felice Trossi, 2:42.9* Fastest lap : Achille Varzi, 3:02.3-Heat 2:... |
Monaco 1948 Monaco Grand Prix The 1948 Monaco Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race, held in Monte Carlo on 16 May 1948.The first event under a new formula, 1½ litres supercharged or 4½ litres naturally aspirated, it featured a motley crowd of marques. Jean-Pierre Wimille's Simca-Gordini took an early lead, but was... |
British 1949 British Grand Prix The 1949 British Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race which was held at Silverstone on 14 May 1949. The race was won by Emmanuel de Graffenried driving a Maserati 4CLT.-Entries:-Qualifying:-Race:-References:... |
| 2 | Nations 1946 Nations Grand Prix The 1946 Nations Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held in Geneva on July 21, 1946.-Final:-Heat 1:Drivers in bold advanced to the final* Pole position : Jean-Pierre Wimille, 1:37.5* Fastest lap : Jean-Pierre Wimille, 1:47.2-Heat 2:... |
Belgian 1947 Belgian Grand Prix The 1947 Belgian Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Spa-Francorchamps on June 29, 1947. The race was also known as the European Grand Prix.-Classification:... |
Swiss 1948 Swiss Grand Prix The 1948 Swiss Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Circuit Bremgarten, near Bern, on 4 July 1948. Despite racing for nearly two hours, at the finishing line Frenchman Jean-Pierre Wimille was only 0.2 seconds behind the race winner, the Italian driver Carlo Felice Trossi. Trossi's... |
Belgian 1949 Belgian Grand Prix The 1949 Belgian Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race which was held at Spa-Francorchamps on 19 June 1949. The race was won by Louis Rosier driving a Talbot-Lago T26C. -Entries:-Race:-References:... |
| 3 | Turin 1946 Turin Grand Prix The 1946 Turin Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Valentino Park on September 1, 1946.-Final:... |
 Italian1947 Italian Grand Prix The 1947 Italian Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Sempione Park on September 7, 1947.-Entries:-Qualifying:-Race:-References:... |
French 1948 French Grand Prix The 1948 French Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race, held at Reims on 18 July 1948. The race was won by Jean-Pierre Wimille, driving an Alfa Romeo 158.-Classification:-References:* http://www.silhouet.com/motorsport/archive/f1/nc/1948/1948.html#acf... |
Swiss 1949 Swiss Grand Prix The 1949 Swiss Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race which was held at Bremgarten on 3 July 1949. The race was won by Alberto Ascari driving a Ferrari 125.-Entries:-Qualifying:-Race:-References:... |
| 4 | French 1947 French Grand Prix The 1947 French Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Lyon-Parilly on September 21, 1947.- Classification :-References:*http://www.silhouet.com/motorsport/archive/f1/nc/1947/1947.html#acf... |
Italian 1948 Italian Grand Prix The 1948 Italian Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Valentino Park on September 5, 1948. It was won by French driver Jean-Pierre Wimille in an Alfa Romeo 158.- Classification :-References:... |
French 1949 French Grand Prix The 1949 French Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Reims on 17 July 1949. The race was won by Louis Chiron, who was driving a Talbot-Lago T26C.-Entries:-Race:-References:... |
|
| 5 | British 1948 British Grand Prix The Royal Automobile Club International Grand Prix was a motor race held on 2 October 1948, at Silverstone Airfield, Northamptonshire, UK. The race was held to the then recently introduced Formula One regulations, which effectively replaced the pre-war Grand Prix motor racing standards, two years... |
Italian 1949 Italian Grand Prix The 1949 Italian Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Monza on September 11, 1949. The race was won by Alberto Ascari.-Entries:-Qualifying:-Race:-References:... |
Other events included
See also:- List of major automobile races in France
- List of major automobile races in Germany
- List of major automobile races in Italy
- List of major automobile races in Spain
Grand Prix drivers
Notable drivers of the Grand Prix motor racing era included a few women who competed equally with the men:Championships
From 1925 onwards, the AIACR and later the FIAFédération Internationale de l'Automobile
The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile is a non-profit association established as the Association Internationale des Automobile Clubs Reconnus on 20 June 1904 to represent the interests of motoring organisations and motor car users...
organised World and European Championships for Grand Prix manufacturers, drivers and constructors:
- World Manufacturers' ChampionshipWorld Manufacturers' ChampionshipThe World Manufacturers' Championship was a competition organised by the AIACR between 1925 and 1927.-Scoring system:Unlike the modern Formula One points system, the championship awarded fewer points for higher finishes; the champion would be the manufacturer which ended the season on the lowest...
(19251925 Grand Prix seasonThe 1925 Grand Prix season was the first AIACR World Manufacturers' Championship season. The championship was won by Alfa Romeo, utilising the P2 model.-World Championship Grands Prix:-Other Grands Prix:-Championship Final Standings:...
-19271927 Grand Prix seasonThe 1927 Grand Prix season was the third AIACR World Manufacturers' Championship season. The championship was won by Delage.-World Championship Grands Prix:-Other Grands Prix:-Championship Final Standings:...
) - European Drivers' ChampionshipEuropean Championship (auto racing)The European Drivers' Championship was an annual competition in auto racing that existed prior to the establishment of the Formula One world championship in 1950...
(19311931 Grand Prix seasonThe 1931 Grand Prix season was the first AIACR European Championship season. The championship was won by Ferdinando Minoia, driving for the Alfa Corse team. Minoia won the championship despite not winning a single race during the championship season...
-19321932 Grand Prix seasonThe 1932 Grand Prix season was the second AIACR European Championship season. The championship was won by Tazio Nuvolari, driving for the Alfa Corse team. Nuvolari won two of the three events that counted towards the championship...
, 19351935 Grand Prix seasonThe 1935 Grand Prix season was the third AIACR European Championship season. The championship was won by Rudolf Caracciola, driving for the Mercedes-Benz team.-Teams:-Works teams:-Independent teams:-Private entries:...
-19391939 Grand Prix seasonThe 1939 Grand Prix season was the seventh AIACR European Championship season. The championship winner was never officially announced by the AIACR due to the outbreak of World War II less than two weeks after the final event in Switzerland. The Italian GP initially had been a fifth event, but it...
) - World Drivers' Championship (19501950 Formula One seasonThe 1950 Formula One season included the inaugural FIA Formula One World Championship season, which commenced on May 13, 1950, and ended on September 3 after 7 races...
-19801980 Formula One seasonThe 1980 Formula One season was the 31st season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1980 World Championship of Drivers and the 1980 International Cup for F1 Constructors which were contested concurrently from January 13 to October 5 over a fourteen race series...
) - International Cup for Constructors (19581958 Formula One seasonThe 1958 Formula One season was the ninth season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1958 World Championship of Drivers which commenced on January 19, 1958, and ended on October 19 after eleven races...
-19801980 Formula One seasonThe 1980 Formula One season was the 31st season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1980 World Championship of Drivers and the 1980 International Cup for F1 Constructors which were contested concurrently from January 13 to October 5 over a fourteen race series...
) - Formula One World Drivers' Championship (19811981 Formula One seasonThe 1981 Formula One season included the 32nd FIA Formula One World Championship season, which commenced on March 15, 1981, and ended on October 17 after fifteen races. Nelson Piquet won the Drivers' Championship, claiming the first of his three Formula One titles...
-present) - Formula One World Constructors' Championship (19811981 Formula One seasonThe 1981 Formula One season included the 32nd FIA Formula One World Championship season, which commenced on March 15, 1981, and ended on October 17 after fifteen races. Nelson Piquet won the Drivers' Championship, claiming the first of his three Formula One titles...
-present)
External links
- Grandprix-Live.com - Covers all the major Grand Prix motorsport championships, including Formula One, MotoGP, NASCAR, IRL, WSBK, WRC Rally and many more.
- Grand Prix History - The Story of the Grand Prix