1935 French Grand Prix

1935 French Grand Prix
Race 2 of 7 in the 1935 European Championship
Race details
Date 23 June 1935
Official name XXIX Grand Prix de l'Automobile Club de France
Location Montlhéry, France
Course Autodrome de Linas-Montlhéry
Course length 12.50 km (7.767 miles)
Distance 40 laps, 500.0 km (310.7 miles)
Pole position
Driver
Auto Union
Time 5:20.1
Fastest lap
Driver Italy Tazio Nuvolari Alfa Romeo
Time 5:29.1
Podium
First
Mercedes-Benz
Second
Mercedes-Benz
Third
Maserati

The 1935 French Grand Prix (formally the XXIX Grand Prix de l'Automobile Club de France) was a Grand Prix motor race which was held at Montlhéry, France on 23 June 1935. The race lasted 500 km (12.5 km x 40 laps) and was won by Rudolf Caracciola driving a Mercedes-Benz.

Background

For the first time, the Automobile Club of France decided that the grid positions should be set by practice times, rather than by ballot, a practice introduced in Europe at the Monaco Grand Prix.

Having witnessed the more powerful German cars winning nearly every race they entered (notably not the 1934 French Grand Prix), the organisers decided to reduce the speeds of the Montlhéry circuit by installing three slow chicanes. This was ultimately successful in ensuring the competitiveness of the Alfa Romeos, with Tazio Nuvolari able to set second fastest time in practice, and completing the fastest lap of the race, albeit 23 seconds slower than last year's fastest lap due to the chicanes.[1]

Starting Grid (3x2)

Grid No Driver Car Time
1 8 Italy Achille Varzi Auto Union B 5:20.1
2 14 Italy Tazio Nuvolari Alfa Romeo Tipo-B P3 5:23.6
3 10 Germany Hans Stuck Auto Union B 5:28.8
4 2 Germany Rudolf Caracciola Mercedes-Benz W25 5:31.6
5 16 Monaco Louis Chiron Alfa Romeo Tipo-B P3 5:31.9
6 12 Germany Bernd Rosemeyer Auto Union B 5:36.6
7 6 Italy Luigi Fagioli Mercedes-Benz W25 5:37.9
8 4 Germany Manfred von Brauchitsch Mercedes-Benz W25 5:46.6
9 24 France Robert Benoist Bugatti T59/50
10 18 Italy Goffredo Zehender Maserati Tipo 34 6:10.8
11 20 France Raymond Sommer Maserati 8CM
DNQ 22 France Marcel Lehoux SEFAC Practiced only

Classification

Pos No Driver Car Laps Time/Retire
1 2 Germany Rudolf Caracciola Mercedes-Benz W25B 40 4h00m54.6
2 4 Germany Manfred von Brauchitsch Mercedes-Benz W25B 40 +0.5
3 18 Italy Goffredo Zehender Maserati Tipo 34 38 +2 laps
4 6 Italy Luigi Fagioli Mercedes-Benz W25B 37 +3 laps
5 8 Italy Achille Varzi
Germany Bernd Rosemeyer		 Auto Union B 35 +5 laps
6 20 France Raymond Sommer Maserati 8CM 35 +5 laps
NC 24 France Robert Benoist Bugatti T59/50 16 Not Classified
Ret 14 Italy Tazio Nuvolari Alfa Romeo Tipo-B P3 14 Transmission
Ret 12 Germany Bernd Rosemeyer Auto Union B 11 Spark plugs/transmission?
Ret 16 Monaco Louis Chiron Alfa Romeo Tipo-B P3 8 Transmission
Ret 10 Germany Hans Stuck Auto Union B 7 Brakes

Fastest Lap: Tazio Nuvolari (Alfa Romeo Tipo-B P3) 5:29.1, 136.74 km/h

[2]

References

  1. ^ Hodges, David (1967). The French Grand Prix. pp. 111–114.
  2. ^ "1935 AIACR European Driver Championship and Grands Prix". Archived from the original on 2013-06-13. Retrieved 2013-05-21.
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