European Grand Prix Championship 1936
In the 1936 Grand Prix season , as in the previous year , the International Automobile Association ( AIACR) announced another European championship for drivers. With the Grand Prix of Monaco , Germany , Switzerland and Italy, a total of four Grandes Épreuves served as the races , which according to the unchanged provisions of the International Grand Prix Formula (racing cars up to a maximum of 750 kg empty weight; 85 cm minimum width; racing distance at least 500 km). The championship mode also remained the same as in the previous year.
In terms of motorsport, the Auto Union season was dominated by the new star racing driver Bernd Rosemeyer in his Auto Union Type C , who secured the European title with three of four possible Grand Prix victories. Mercedes-Benz had a disastrous season and withdrew before the end of the year in order to devote itself entirely to developing new models for 1937 . Alfa Romeo with top driver Tazio Nuvolari , however, was able to achieve some respectable successes.
Season report
The season was strongly shaped by the political events due to the Italian invasion of Ethiopia , the German reoccupation of the Rhineland and finally the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War . In response to the League of Nations sanctions against his country , Benito Mussolini banned Italian drivers and racing teams from racing in France or Great Britain for a while. Due to the currency problem, German teams also had increasing problems with trips abroad. Of course, this mainly affected private drivers, who were in an increasingly difficult position in the course of the synchronization . to practice independent sport. In contrast, the racing successes of the German Silver Arrows at the Grand Prix races were celebrated propagandistically by the Hitler regime and their pilots were revered as modern gladiators, above all the young Bernd Rosemeyer, who, with his carefree and youthful charisma, was built into a hero figure.
In view of the circumstances mentioned, the number of official International Grand Prix races was lower than it has been for a long time. In addition to the elimination of the Spanish Grand Prix due to the civil war, the Belgian Grand Prix and the Le Mans 24-hour race had to be canceled due to civil unrest and strikes. As a result of the dominance of the German Silver Arrows, the French automobile club ACF had also decided to host its Grand Prix as a sports car race this year .
After the great success of the previous season, Mercedes-Benz experienced a radical slump in 1936. The development spiral that began in 1934 had simply been exaggerated and the new 5.6-liter V12-cylinder DAB engine achieved a record of 600 hp, but the heavy unit was hardly in the range of the 750 -kg weight limits in a Grand Prix car. Among other things, the chassis had to be shortened by 25 cm, which made the car unstable and practically inoperable despite the switch to a de Dion rear axle . As an emergency solution, a version of the proven eight-cylinder in-line engine with a displacement of 4.7 liters and at least 450 hp, derived from the previous model, the Mercedes-Benz W 25 , was used, but the driving behavior of the racing cars remained problematic and the original basic design of the The engine was at the limit of its capacity and the defects increased. So was Rudolf Caracciola , who as reigning European champions along with runner- Luigi Fagioli and Manfred von Brauchitsch course again formed the crew, only in the season opener for the Monaco Grand Prix win a major success because here due to the particular circuit characteristics of the street circuit the disadvantages of the Mercedes- Boliden did not come to fruition. A little later, Caracciola also achieved success in the Tunis race , but only after practically all opponents had dropped out there.
Along with the technical problems, tensions within the team had also increased. Especially with Fagioli, who often felt unjustifiably disadvantaged by the stable management , race director Alfred Neubauer repeatedly got into disputes, especially since at the same time Caracciola's good friend Louis Chiron had also been committed, which now pushed four top drivers into the team. However, a serious accident at the German Grand Prix meant the temporary end of the Monegasque's career, who was only to reappear at the wheel of a Grand Prix racing car after the Second World War . After the disastrous course of the Swiss Grand Prix , the team was finally completely withdrawn from the Grand Prix sport during the current season and started preparing for the 1937 season .
The situation at Auto Union was exactly the opposite . After the initial crisis, the unusual rear-engined racing cars had already proven themselves to be very fast, if not always reliable, towards the end of the preseason. In the new Type C , it was also possible to accommodate a V16 engine with a remarkable 6 liters displacement and an almost unbelievable 520 hp power output within the weight limit, without the driving characteristics being significantly impaired. To this end, the team had also repositioned itself in terms of personnel. Instead of the somewhat problematic Willy Walb , Dr. Karl Feuereissen had been appointed the new race director, and Bernd Rosemeyer - just one year after his very first participation in a car race - a new star of the Grand Prix scene had matured. As he was one of the few drivers who also got along very well with the idiosyncratic driving behavior of the rear-engined racing car, he was soon hard to beat in the course of the season and with three consecutive victories at the Grand Prix of Germany , Switzerland and Italy also won the European championship title . At the same time, the team became increasingly thinner for the two established regular pilots. Despite consistently outstanding appearances, Hans Stuck was increasingly assessed as not being physically or mentally fresh enough for the Grand Prix sport, while Achille Varzi , after the first serious accident of his career at the race in Tunis , was largely physically intact, but morally his position in the team, which was significantly strained by personal escapades and increasing drug consumption.
After all, Auto Union had originally pursued the plan to set up a kind of B-team for the three young drivers Rudolf Hasse , Ernst von Delius and Rudolf Heydel . But when Heydel died in test drives before the start of the season, it was considered better to slowly introduce such young and inexperienced drivers to the sophisticated racing cars, initially in the classic role of test and reserve drivers.
Scuderia Ferrari , to which Alfa Romeo had still outsourced racing, had little to counter the new power of Auto Union . Although the Alfa Romeo 8C-35 , which appeared as a transitional model in mid-1934, soon also had the originally planned V12-cylinder engine with a displacement of 4.1 liters, it did not achieve any great success. At least Tazio Nuvolari was able to show the potential of the car, as well as his own class, with another victory over the Silver Arrows at the Hungarian Grand Prix , as well as the successes in the races of Barcelona , Milan , Livorno and Modena . In addition, at the end of the season he was able to win the lavish race for the Vanderbilt Cup in New York , albeit in the absence of the two German racing teams.
The second driver in the team was the young driver Giuseppe Farina , who with Nuvolari as a mentor quickly recommended himself for higher tasks, but also fatally in the fatal accident, became the second driver in the team after the departure of Louis Chiron to Mercedes and the previous president of Scuderia, Carlo Felice Trossi to Maserati by Marcel Lehoux was involved in the Deauville race . Other regular drivers at Scuderia were Antonio Brivio and René Dreyfus , although the latter had to pause at the beginning of the season because French drivers were initially not allowed to compete for Italian teams due to the Mussolini decree.
A major restructuring had also taken place in the Maserati warehouse. Gino Rovere , who together with Luigi della Chiesa had previously been responsible for the works outings with the Scuderia Subalpina - similar to the Ferrari team for Alfa Romeo - had been promoted to director at Maserati, while the racing team after the arrival of ex-Ferrari Director Carlo Felice Trossi was renamed Scuderia Torino . However, the team worked very listlessly on the further development of the problematic current Grand Prix model Maserati V8-RI and concentrated almost entirely on the production of the new bestseller Maserati 6CM for the smaller Voiturette class (up to 1.5 liter displacement). In view of the hegemony of the German Silver Arrows in Grand Prix sport, this category really flourished and in 1936 completely independent racing events were held in it for the first time.
Finally, with Bugatti , a fifth manufacturer was represented on the Grand Prix stage, even if the team was now only a shadow of its earlier days. After all, it was possible to keep a promising talent in Jean-Pierre Wimille , who drove the team's only racing car in the increasingly sporadic outings. The Bugatti Type 59 / 50B was an attempt to convert the already somewhat antiquated basic model into a single-seater with a new light-alloy engine with a displacement of 4.7 liters. Despite the unchanged chassis technology with rigid axles and cable brakes, Wimille managed to achieve a respectable second place in the New York Vanderbilt race at the end of the season.
Racing calendar
Grandes Épreuves for the European Championship
| date | run | route | winner | statistics | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | April 13th |
 Monaco Grand Prix
|
Circuit de Monaco |
.svg){kind=small} Rudolf Caracciola ( Mercedes-Benz ) |
statistics |
| 2 | 07/26 |
Grand Prix of Germany
|
Nürburgring |
Bernd Rosemeyer ( Auto Union ) |
statistics |
| 3 | 08/23 |
 Swiss Grand Prix
|
Bremgarten circuit |
Bernd Rosemeyer ( Auto Union ) |
statistics |
| 4th | 13.09. |
 Italian Grand Prix
|
Autodromo di Monza |
Bernd Rosemeyer ( Auto Union ) |
statistics |
More races
Race results
Grandes Épreuves for the European Championship
Monaco Grand Prix
| space | driver | team | time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Rudolf Caracciola
|
Mercedes Benz | 3: 49, 20.4 |
| 2 |
Achille Varzi
|
Auto Union | + 1.48.9 |
| 3 |
Hans Stuck
|
Auto Union | + 1 lap |
The pouring rain at the Monaco Grand Prix on April 13, 1936 made for a failed race. Mercedes driver Caracciola surprised the competition with a racing tactic without a pit stop and won two Auto Unions before. He lived up to his reputation as the proverbial “rain master” once again.
Grand Prix of Germany
| space | driver | team | time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Bernd Rosemeyer
|
Auto Union | 3: 48,39.5 |
| 2 |
Hans Stuck
|
Auto Union | + 3.56.7 |
| 3 |
Antonio Brivio
|
Alfa Romeo | + 8.25.5 |
Around 350,000 spectators attended the German Grand Prix on July 26, 1936 at the Nürburgring . The race brought another severe setback for the Mercedes team, the vehicles all had to grapple with major technical problems. The superior winner was Bernd Rosemeyer, who won with just under 4 minutes ahead of his team-mate Stuck.
Swiss Grand Prix
| space | driver | team | time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Bernd Rosemeyer
|
Auto Union | 3: 09.01.6 |
| 2 |
Achille Varzi
|
Auto Union | + 52.6 |
| 3 |
Hans Stuck
|
Auto Union | + 1 lap |
The Swiss Grand Prix was held on August 23, 1936 on the Bremgarten circuit near Bern . Mercedes believed they had got their problems with the vehicles under control and entered with four vehicles. However, only one crossed the finish line, and Mercedes then announced its withdrawal for the remainder of the season. Auto Union achieved a triple victory, and Rosemeyer was the winner again.
Italian Grand Prix
| space | driver | team | time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Bernd Rosemeyer
|
Auto Union | 3: 43.25.0 |
| 2 |
Tazio Nuvolari
|
Alfa Romeo | + 2.05.3 |
| 3 |
Ernst von Delius
|
Auto Union | + 2 rounds |
At the Italian Grand Prix on September 13, 1936, which was held in Monza , Bernd Rosemeyer confirmed his role as a favorite and secured victory in the European Championship with a victory, only Tazio Nuvolari was able to challenge him at the beginning of the race. Hans Stuck was lucky, who got away with almost no injuries in a serious accident.
More races
Gran Premio di Tripoli
| space | driver | team | time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Achille Varzi
|
Auto Union | 2: 31.25.4 |
| 2 |
Hans Stuck
|
Auto Union | + 4.4 |
| 3 |
Luigi Fagioli
|
Mercedes Benz | + 1 lap |
Just one day after Italy celebrated the annexation of Ethiopia, the Gran Premio di Tripoli took place on May 10, 1936 in Mellaha in what was then the Italian colony of Libya . The German race directors had received secret instructions from the state leadership that, if possible, an Italian should win the race. Auto-Union race director Feuereissen ensured with confusing instructions that the Italian Varzi Hans Stuck was able to overtake on the last lap - neither of the drivers knew anything about it. Varzi was subsequently massacred in public, possibly one of the triggers for his drug problem, which ensured that he was barely allowed to compete in races before the war.
Grand Prix of Tunisia
| space | driver | team | time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Rudolf Caracciola
|
Mercedes Benz | 2: 22,44.6 |
| 2 |
Carlo Maria Pintacuda
|
Alfa Romeo | + 2 rounds |
| 3 |
 Jean-Pierre Wimille
|
Bugatti | + 2 rounds |
One week after the Gran Premio di Tripoli, the Grand Prix of Tunisia took place on May 17, 1936 at the Carthage Grand Prix Circuit . It was a black day for Auto Union: Varzi had a terrible accident that miraculously survived unharmed and Rosemeyer's vehicle burned out completely after a defect. So Mercedes driver Caracciola was able to achieve a superior victory.
Gran Premio de Penya Rhin
| space | driver | team | time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Tazio Nuvolari
|
Alfa Romeo | 2: 43.07.5 |
| 2 |
Rudolf Caracciola
|
Mercedes Benz | + 3.4 |
| 3 |
Giuseppe Farina
|
Alfa Romeo | + 3 rounds |
The Gran Premio de Penya Rhin was held on June 7, 1936 on the Circuit de Montjuïc near Barcelona . Tazio Nuvolari played his driving skills to the full on the narrow, winding track and won, the German cars could not make use of their performance advantage, and Rosemeyer was thrown far behind by a long pit stop.
Eifel race
| space | driver | team | time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Bernd Rosemeyer
|
Auto Union | 1: 56.41.2 |
| 2 |
Tazio Nuvolari
|
Alfa Romeo | + 2.12.8 |
| 3 |
Antonio Brivio
|
Alfa Romeo | + 2.49.2 |
The Eifel race on the Nürburgring on June 14, 1936 served as preparation for the German Grand Prix that took place later that year. In the thick of fog, Rosemeyer was able to achieve an impressive victory, which earned him the name “Nebelmeister” (based on Caracciola's nickname “Rainmaster”). Mercedes had nothing to do with the decision; its vehicles either failed or were far behind.
Hungarian Grand Prix
| space | driver | team | time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Tazio Nuvolari
|
Alfa Romeo | 2: 14.03.5 |
| 2 |
Bernd Rosemeyer
|
Auto Union | + 14.2 |
| 3 |
Achille Varzi
|
Auto Union | + 2 rounds |
The Hungarian Grand Prix was held for the first time, on June 21, 1936 on a narrow, winding track in the Népliget in Budapest . 100,000 spectators saw an eventful race in which the Mercedes vehicles all retired and Alfa driver Nuvolari celebrated an impressive victory in front of the Auto Union cars.
Coppa Ciano
| space | driver | team | time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
CM Pintacuda / T. Nuvolari
|
Alfa Romeo | 1: 44, 40.0 |
| 2 |
Antonio Brivio
|
Alfa Romeo | + 17.8 |
| 3 |
René Dreyfus
|
Alfa Romeo | + 1.30.4 |
The Coppa Ciano took place on August 2, 1936 on a 7 km long route near Livorno . Mercedes skipped the race in order to improve its vehicles, Auto Union started with three vehicles, but they were unable to intervene in the decision for victory. To the delight of the public, Nuvolari, who had taken over Pintcuda's car after his early departure, led an Alfa Romeo triple success.
Coppa Acerbo
| space | driver | team | time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Bernd Rosemeyer
|
Auto Union | 2: 57.04.0 |
| 2 |
Ernst von Delius
|
Auto Union | + 7.14.0 |
| 3 |
Achille Varzi
|
Auto Union | + 7.57.4 |
The Mercedes team also skipped the Coppa Acerbo on August 15, 1936 on the Circuito di Pescara around Pescara . Nuvolari initially led the race, but after retiring due to a technical defect, no one could prevent Auto Union's success. In over 40 ° heat, Rosemeyer won over 7 minutes ahead.
Driver ranking
| colour | meaning | Points |
|---|---|---|
| gold | winner | 1 |
| silver | 2nd place | 2 |
| bronze | 3rd place | 3 |
| green | covered more than 75% of the race distance | 4th |
| blue | covered between 50% and 75% of the race distance | 5 |
| violet | covered between 25% and 50% of the race distance | 6th |
| red | covered less than 25% of the race distance | 7th |
| black | Disqualified (DQ) | 8th |
| Blank | not started | 8th |
Bold - Pole Position
Italic - Fastest race lap
References
literature
- GN Georgano: The Encyclopaedia of Motor Sport . Ebury Press and Michael Joseph, London 1971. ISBN 0-7181-0955-4
Web links
- Leif Snellman, Felix Muelas: Detailed history of the 1936 European Grand Prix Championship. Www.kolumbus.fi, accessed on July 28, 2014 (English).
- Detailed results of the 1936 Grand Prix season ( memo from November 30, 2004 in the Internet Archive )
Individual evidence
- ↑ The type designation of the Auto Union racing cars was only introduced later by specialist authors to differentiate between the individual models