European Grand Prix Championship
The European Grand Prix Championship for racing drivers was the most important championship in automobile sport before the Second World War .
The automobile championship was held between 1931 and 1939, based on the results of selected Grand Prix races, the so-called Grandes Épreuves , one for each country, each of the most important Grand Prix races in the country.
Events
Regulations
The regulations of the Commission Sportive Internationale (CSI) for the 1931 season stipulated that the races each had a minimum duration of ten hours. For the Grandes Épreuves , therefore, two pilots per vehicle always had to be registered. Furthermore, the Formula Libre was used, which made no restrictions on engine size, vehicle weight, fuel consumption and composition. The cars had to be two-seater with a minimum width of 100 cm. Only one driver and no copilot or mechanic was allowed on board, driver changes were only allowed in the pits . During the pit stops , apart from the pilot, only two mechanics were allowed to work on the vehicle.
The regulations were changed only minimally for the 1932 season . The duration of the Grandes Épreuves was reduced from a minimum of ten to a maximum of five hours, as the long races were met with great rejection from both drivers and spectators. In addition, monoposti with a minimum width of 80 cm could now also be used.
Scoring
Bold - Pole Position |
The scoring of the European Championship was based on a system in which the drivers in the first three places were given the number of points that corresponded to their place. In the following places, from four to seven points were awarded, depending on how far the driver had come in the race. Eight points were awarded for not taking part in a race. At the end of the season, the European champion was the driver with the fewest points.
- Winner - 1 point
- Second - 2 points
- Third - 3 points
- Fourth and all other drivers who had covered at least three quarters of the race distance - 4 points
- All drivers who had covered at least half of the race distance - 5 points
- All drivers who had covered at least a quarter of the race distance - 6 points
- All drivers who covered less than a quarter of the race distance - 7 points
- All drivers who did not take part in the race - 8 points
A driver could only get points for a car he had started a race in. This regulation was important because at the time it was not uncommon for several drivers to take turns on a racing car.
European Championship results
| year | European champion | Second | Third |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1931 |
 Ferdinando Minoia ( Alfa Romeo ) |
Giuseppe Campari ( Alfa Romeo ) |
 Albert Divo / Guy Bouriat ( Bugatti )
|
| 9 points | 9 | 12 | |
| 1932 |
Tazio Nuvolari ( Alfa Romeo ) |
Baconin Borzacchini ( Alfa Romeo ) |
.svg){kind=small} Rudolf Caracciola ( Alfa Romeo )
|
| 4th | 8th | 9 | |
| 1933-1934 | no European championship announced | ||
| 1935 |
.svg){kind=small} Rudolf Caracciola ( Mercedes-Benz ) |
Luigi Fagioli ( Mercedes-Benz ) |
Manfred von Brauchitsch ( Mercedes-Benz )
|
| 17th | 22nd | 34 | |
| 1936 |
Bernd Rosemeyer ( Auto Union ) |
Hans Stuck ( Auto Union ) |
Tazio Nuvolari ( Alfa Romeo )
|
| 10 | 15th | 17th | |
| 1937 |
Rudolf Caracciola ( Mercedes-Benz ) |
Manfred von Brauchitsch ( Mercedes-Benz ) |
Hermann Lang ( Mercedes-Benz ) Christian Kautz ( Mercedes-Benz )
 |
| 13 | 15th | 19th | |
| 1938 |
Rudolf Caracciola ( Mercedes-Benz ) |
Manfred von Brauchitsch ( Mercedes-Benz ) |
Hermann Lang ( Mercedes-Benz )
|
| 8th | 15th | 17th | |
| 1939 1 |
Hermann Paul Müller ( Auto Union ) |
Hermann Lang ( Mercedes-Benz ) |
Rudolf Caracciola ( Mercedes-Benz )
|
| 12 | 14th | 17th | |
Note 1 : season canceled; Score after the Swiss Grand Prix .
Explanation: After the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, the season was no longer continued, the organizing international organization AIACR - honorary title Grand Prix of Europe . AIACR did not meet again and the official title of European Champion 1939 was not awarded.
In December 1939, the ONS , Germany's highest national sports authority, declared Hermann Lang European champion. According to the points system that was used from 1935 to 1938, however, Hermann Paul Müller had fewer points and would have been European champion. (At that time there were fewer points for better places, and Müller would have had 12 compared to Lang's 14 points). However, during the season, a new points system similar to that used in Formula 1 after 1950 was discussed , and after that Lang had 23 points. Why the National Socialists used the new point system and whether they wanted to prefer Lang over Müller has not yet been clarified. It is probably due to the fact that Hermann Lang was the dominant driver this season, who in addition to the Grand Prix counting for the European Championship won several other Grand Prix and hill climbs, while H. P. Müller could only win a single race.
literature
- Chris Nixon, Racing the Silver Arrows: Mercedes-Benz versus Auto Union 1934-1939 (Osprey, London, 1986)
- Adriano Cimarosti, The Century of Racing (Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart, 1997)
Individual evidence
- ↑ The term "Grandes Épreuves" was used to designate the official races of the European Championship, and that means something like "Great Trials" or "Great Competition".