European Grand Prix Championship 1937
In the 1937 Grand Prix season , as in the two previous years , the International Automobile Association ( AIACR) once again announced a European Grand Prix Championship for drivers. With the Grand Prix of Belgium , Germany , Monaco , Switzerland and Italy, there were a total of five Grandes Épreuves , which were run according to the unchanged provisions of the International Grand Prix racing formula(Racing cars up to a maximum of 750 kg curb weight, 85 cm minimum width, racing distance at least 500 km). The championship mode also remained the same as in previous years.
The most successful driver of the season was Rudolf Caracciola in a Mercedes-Benz W 125 , who won three of the five Grandes Épreuves and thus secured the European championship title.
Teams and cars
As early as December 1935 , the international automobile association AIACR had called its member associations to a meeting in view of the dramatic performance explosion of the German Silver Arrows . However, an agreement on new regulations could not be reached, so that the current 750 kg racing formula was extended for another year until the end of 1937.
The German teams immediately took the opportunity to top it off again. After the slump in 1936 and the withdrawal before the end of the season, Mercedes-Benz in particular returned to the Grand Prix stage even more strongly. The Mercedes-Benz W 125 developed by the newly established racing department under chief engineer Rudolf Uhlenhaut , with its 5.7-liter in-line eight-cylinder of up to 600 hp, clearly exceeded the performance values of the 6-liter V16 engines from Auto Union from 1936 and thus remained for decades - until the beginning of the turbo era in Formula 1 at the beginning of the 1980s - the most powerful Grand Prix racing car ever built. The unit was only 20 kg more than the weight of the original design in the W 25 from 1934 with 3.4 liters displacement and little more than 300 hp.
However, as experience from 1936 had shown, engine performance alone was no guarantee of success, and so the W 125 had also made some decisive improvements in the chassis area compared to the previous model. Above all, the wheelbase was extended, a new type of oval tube frame was used and the De Dion rear axle was fundamentally redesigned. In addition to further changes to the suspension, brakes and transmission, the tank capacity was increased so much that a Grand Prix distance could be covered without a refueling stop, which was another decisive advantage over the competition.
When it comes to the team, Mercedes racing director Alfred Neubauer continued to rely on ex-European champion Rudolf Caracciola , with seven victories - including the shared success with Luigi Fagioli at the Italian Grand Prix in 1934 - meanwhile the driver with the most Grand Prix successes, and Manfred von Brauchitsch . On the other hand, the contract with Luigi Fagioli, with whom there had been violent conflicts over the ranking in the team for three years, and who has now moved to Auto Union , was not extended. In his place, the previous "junior driver" Hermann Lang moved up into the regular line- up, who had constantly developed his potential over the past two years and, in contrast to von Brauchitsch, had shown a prudent, above all material-friendly driving style. His two victories at the beginning of the 1937 season in Tripoli and at the AVUS increasingly created new tensions in the team because his two established teammates saw their status threatened by the "upstart" who had started out as a simple racing mechanic. In the further course of the season, Lang had to pause for a long time due to an infection, which in the end prevented a good position in the European Championship. New young drivers, so-called “juniors”, were the Swiss Christian Kautz and the British Richard Seaman , who had already achieved some significant successes in the Voiturette class.
The financially weaker Auto Union , on the other hand, had rested a little over the winter on the laurels of the previous season and only allowed the Auto Union Type C to be given minor model updates. With a displacement of 6 liters and around 550 hp, the V16 cylinder was not too far removed from the Stuttgart competition. The undisputed number 1 driver of the team as the reigning European champion was now Bernd Rosemeyer , who enjoyed extreme popularity thanks to his successes as well as his carefree youthful charisma and was also appropriately instrumentalized by the propaganda machine of the National Socialist regime . In addition, Hans Stuck remained a regular driver; But Achille Varzi , who had finally fallen out of favor with the team due to drug use and other antics, was replaced by Fagioli, who had moved over from Mercedes. However, Faglioli was not a great addition to the team because he was increasingly plagued by rheumatism and was often unable to compete in races. Ernst von Delius and Rudolf Hasse stayed with the team as “juniors” .
The main opponent of the German teams was still Scuderia Ferrari , which had been organizing races for Alfa Romeo since 1933 and, after taking over the majority of the company shares, had become a real subsidiary of the Italian automobile group. Enzo Ferrari was now employed as race director under director Ugo Gobbato . Tazio Nuvolari remained the undisputed captain of the team with the up-and-coming Giuseppe Farina and Antonio Brivio as other regular drivers. Only René Dreyfus left the team to compete in Voiturette races for Maserati .
The Alfa Romeo 12C-36 with a 4.1-liter V12 engine was hardly able to cope with the German cars in the previous season and was not significantly improved over the winter. A new model with a displacement of 4.5 liters took long into the season and proved to be a failure in the first outings in Pescara and at the Italian Grand Prix , so that the team could not play a decisive role during the season.
In view of their limited company resources, Maserati and Bugatti were no longer able to follow the development spiral and - at least at the factory - withdrew completely from Grand Prix racing in order to look for new, more promising fields of activity in other motorsport niches. In France, for example, almost all major events were advertised as sports car races this year , including the French Grand Prix itself again, and Bugatti was successful with Jean-Pierre Wimille and old master Robert Benoist in the classic Le Mans 24-hour race . Maserati, on the other hand, shifted almost entirely to the Voiturette class (racing cars up to 1.5 liters displacement), to which most of the private driver customers previously active in Grand Prix racing had switched. However, there was an opponent there with the British ERA team that should not be underestimated, but this created a lot of tension and interest from the audience. As a result , the number of Voiturette races increased rapidly to the same extent that fewer and fewer "full" Grand Prix races with cars based on the international racing formula took place. Sometimes there were frame races in the program of the official Grands Prix, but more and more there were also completely stand-alone events that replaced previous classics such as the Targa Florio .
Season report
Unlike in previous years, the 1937 racing season did not start with the classic Grand Prix kick-off in Monaco , as the race had been postponed to August. As a result, the Grandes Épreuves crowded this year on a relatively narrow period of two months between July and September, but this did not mean that there was no significant racing activity in the first half of the season. On the contrary, events like the Grand Prix of Tripoli , the race at the Berlin AVUS or the Eifel race at the Nürburgring had already developed into real classics and were hardly inferior to the official Grand Prix in terms of importance and public attention.
At the very first of these races on what was then the world's fastest road circuit in Tripoli, North Africa, the Mercedes team had the opportunity to demonstrate the qualities of the new W 125. Hermann Lang, who has not yet appeared too conspicuously and has just been promoted from junior to regular driver, completed the distance on the tire-guzzling route in a flawless and cleared drive with only two scheduled pit stops, while the Auto-Union racing cars sometimes a multiple of that required.
A highlight of this season, which was not lacking in particularities, was the Avus race afterwards. Since it was not a Grande Épreuve with championship status , the organizer was able to host a formula -free race in which the racing cars, among other things, did not have to adhere to the weight limit of 750 kg otherwise specified in the international racing formula . The spectacular new steep bend, two long straights and only one bend that really had to be braked made the use of special streamlined bodies, such as those normally used in record drives, appear promising. Such a vehicle was also available to Lang, who achieved speeds of just under the 400 km / h limit and was celebrated as the winner of the fastest race to date with an average speed of over 260 km / h.
Auto Union's revenge for the two defeats at the start took place immediately at the Eifel race on the drivingly demanding Nürburgring, where Rosemeyer showed his skills to the full and ultimately got the upper hand in an intense battle with Mercedes driver Caracciola. Before the actual Grand Prix season began with the Belgian Grand Prix, we first went to the United States , where the old tradition of the Vanderbilt Cup as a competition between the old ones at Roosevelt Raceway in Westbury , New York last year and the new world had been brought back to life. Again the winner was Rosemeyer and so the cards between the two German teams seemed fairly evenly distributed, while Alfa Romeo had not played a role until then.
Because of the short gap of just one week from the lavish New York race, the top teams had shared their strengths and only entered the Belgian Grand Prix with their second teams. With only eight participants, Auto Union young driver Rudolf Hasse prevailed in a three-way battle with his team mate Hans Stuck and Mercedes driver Hermann Lang thanks to one fewer stop and achieved the only Grand Prix victory of his career.
At the German Grand Prix , all the stars were once again in attendance, so that the race marked the actual start of this year's Grand Prix season. This time, Mercedes Caracciola had the upper hand over Lang's one-stop strategy, while the Auto Union cars fell victim to technical defects one after the other. After a collision with Mercedes Junior Seaman, Auto Union youngster Ernst von Delius died of his injuries a few days later. Despite the immense increase in engine performance, this year he was the only driver to be killed in a Grand Prix race.
The Monaco Grand Prix was postponed to early August in 1937. Auto Union ran into difficulties again, so that the race developed into a duel between Mercedes drivers Caracciola and Manfred von Brauchitsch, which in the end was decided by the tires. Caracciola had to make an extra stop so that von Brauchitsch, for once in luck, could celebrate his first success at an official International Grand Prix . Because he was the only one of the top drivers to have competed and classified in all three Grands Prix by then, he also took the lead in the European Championship standings.
In the traditional race for the Coppa Acerbo , Rosemeyer was again one of the Auto Union drivers in front for a change, but since he barely scored in the championship races, he was no longer an option for the title despite his three victories this season. Alfa Romeo also appeared in Pescara with the expected new Alfa Romeo 12C / 37 , now also with a tubular frame and with a significantly more aerodynamic, lower body. Despite great press announcements, Farina’s car fell victim to a technical defect before the start and Nuvolari was also out of the race after a few laps.
After this setback, Alfa Romeo decided not to take part in the Swiss Grand Prix , so Nuvolari surprisingly competed for Auto Union. However, he had great difficulty coping with the unfamiliar driving behavior of the Heckomtor racing car in such a short time. Because the other Auto Union drivers did not achieve their top form either, the race with Caracciola ended in front of Lang and von Brauchitsch with a triple victory for Mercedes.
The last race for the European Championship in 1937, the Italian Grand Prix , was exceptionally moved to the Montenero route near Livorno because Alfa Romeo's chances seemed better on the winding road circuit than on the artificial track at Monza . But the new Alfa Romeo 12C / 37 also failed completely on its second use , which resulted in the immediate separation from chief designer Vittorio Jano . In the championship standings, the title race between himself and von Brauchitsch after Caracciola's victory in Bern was open again, although the latter could have afforded to finish one place behind his stable competitor in order to win the title anyway. But while Caracciola achieved a flawless start-and-finish victory despite constant attacks from Lang, Brauchitsch was once again haunted by his proverbial bad luck and had to end the race prematurely with a technical defect. Despite Achille Varzi's return to the team at short notice - the race director Karl Otto Feuereissen assured that he had meanwhile renounced drugs - Auto Union again played an extra role and had to be content with Rosemeyer's third place.
At the end of the season there were two more internationally important races without Grande Épreuve status, the Masaryk race in Brno , Czechoslovakia , which was another success for Mercedes and Caracciola, and the Donington Grand Prix , the first appearance of the German Silver Arrows on the British Insel, with a win by Rosemeyer for Auto Union.
In an exciting, high-profile last season of the expiring 750 kg Grand Prix formula, Mercedes and Rudolf Caracciola prevailed in the end, but the lead over Auto Union - in whose team everything focused only on Rosemeyer - was, however much tighter than it appears from the sheer numbers and lists of results.
Racing calendar
Grandes Épreuves for the European Championship
| date | run | route | winner | statistics | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 07/11 |
 Belgian Grand Prix
|
Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps |
.svg){kind=small} Rudolf Hasse ( Auto Union ) |
statistics |
| 2 | 25.07. |
Grand Prix of Germany
|
Nürburgring |
Rudolf Caracciola ( Mercedes-Benz ) |
statistics |
| 3 | 08.08. |
 Monaco Grand Prix
|
Circuit de Monaco |
Manfred von Brauchitsch ( Mercedes-Benz ) |
statistics |
| 4th | 08/22 |
 Swiss Grand Prix
|
Bremgarten circuit |
Rudolf Caracciola ( Mercedes-Benz ) |
statistics |
| 5 | 12.09. |
 Italian Grand Prix
|
Circuito di Montenero |
Rudolf Caracciola ( Mercedes-Benz ) |
statistics |
More races
Race results
Grandes Épreuves for the European Championship
Belgian Grand Prix
| space | driver | team | time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Rudolf Hasse
|
Auto Union | 3: 01.22 h |
| 2 |
Hans Stuck
|
Auto Union | + 42.0 s |
| 3 |
Hermann Lang
|
Mercedes Benz | + 2.45.0 min |
Since the racing cars did not return from the Vanderbilt Cup in time, only eight vehicles took part in the Belgian Grand Prix in Spa-Francorchamps on July 11, 1937. In the end, Rudolf Hasse was able to achieve his only victory at a Grand Prix.
Grand Prix of Germany
| space | driver | team | time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Rudolf Caracciola
|
Mercedes Benz | 3: 46.00.1 h |
| 2 |
Manfred von Brauchitsch
|
Mercedes Benz | + 46.2 s |
| 3 |
Bernd Rosemeyer
|
Auto Union | + 1.01.3 min |
The German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring on July 25, 1937 was a disaster for Auto Union. Rosemeyer dominated the practice session, but fell far behind in the race after a puncture. More tragic was the accident of the young pilot Ernst von Delius , who died of his injuries the next day. Caracciola and von Brauchitsch achieved a Mercedes double victory.
Monaco Grand Prix
| space | driver | team | time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Manfred von Brauchitsch
|
Mercedes Benz | 3: 07.23.9 h |
| 2 |
Rudolf Caracciola
|
Mercedes Benz | + 1.24.3 min |
| 3 | Christian Kautz | Mercedes Benz | + 2 rounds |
At the Monaco Grand Prix on August 8, 1937, Mercedes celebrated a triple success. The winner was Brauchitsch's "unlucky fellow" because he ignored the team order and did not let Caracciola overtake him despite violent gestures from Alfred Neubauer . The third place of the young Swiss Mercedes driver Christian Kautz was noteworthy.
Swiss Grand Prix
| space | driver | team | time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Rudolf Caracciola
|
Mercedes Benz | 2: 17.39.3 h |
| 2 |
Hermann Lang
|
Mercedes Benz | + 49.4 s |
| 3 |
Manfred von Brauchitsch
|
Mercedes Benz | + 1.06.4 s |
The Swiss Grand Prix was held in Bremgarten on August 22, 1937 . On the wet track, "Rain Master" Caracciola lived up to his reputation once again and won without risk. Tazio Nuvolari , who surprisingly had been signed by Auto Union, could not yet cope with the unfamiliar mid-engined car and had to give Rosemeyer, who had already retired on the second lap, his vehicle halfway through the race.
Italian Grand Prix
| space | driver | team | time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Rudolf Caracciola
|
Mercedes Benz | 2: 44.54.4 h |
| 2 |
Hermann Lang
|
Mercedes Benz | + 0.4 s |
| 3 |
Bernd Rosemeyer
|
Auto Union | + 2.25.4 min |
The Italian Grand Prix was held for the only time on the 7-kilometer Circuito di Montenero near Livorno and took place on September 12, 1937. The Italian organizers had hoped that Alfa Romeo could be on a par with the powerful German teams on this route, but this was not the case. During the entire race, the Mercedes drivers Caracciola and Lang fought an exciting duel, which in the end Caracciola won by less than 0.5 seconds.
More races
Gran Premio di Tripoli
| space | driver | team | time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Hermann Lang
|
Mercedes Benz | 2: 27.57.67 h |
| 2 |
Bernd Rosemeyer
|
Auto Union | + 9.65 s |
| 3 |
Ernst von Delius
|
Auto Union | + 1.14.18 min |
The Gran Premio di Tripoli on the high-speed line from Mellaha near Tripoli in the Libyan desert on May 9, 1937 was characterized by the duel between the two German teams, which finished in the first eight places. In the end, Mercedes driver Hermann Lang was able to secure a narrow lead of around 10 seconds over Auto-Union driver Bernd Rosemeyer, who started a brilliant catch-up race after a failed pit stop.
AVUS race
| space | driver | team | time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Hermann Lang
|
Mercedes Benz | 35.30.2 min |
| 2 |
Ernst von Delius
|
Auto Union | + 2.0 s |
| 3 |
Rudolf Hasse
|
Auto Union | + 36.0 s |
The AVUS in Berlin had been equipped with a new, up to 44 ° banked curve and was the scene of this race on May 30, 1937. The cars were equipped with more powerful engines and some with their own, streamlined body and achieved a section of during training up to 284 km / h. Around 300 to 400,000 spectators saw the race, which was held in three rounds and in which Mercedes driver Hermann Lang won again.
Eifel race
| space | driver | team | time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Bernd Rosemeyer
|
Auto Union | 1: 42.11.2 h |
| 2 |
Rudolf Caracciola
|
Mercedes Benz | + 50.6 s |
| 3 |
Manfred von Brauchitsch
|
Mercedes Benz | + 1.45.6 min |
The Eifel race at the Nürburgring on June 13, 1937 was seen by the teams as preparation for the German Grand Prix that took place later in the year. Bernd Rosemeyer won for the third time in a row at the Nürburgring ahead of Caracciola, who was plagued by problems with the fuel pump.
Vanderbilt Cup
| space | driver | team | time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Bernd Rosemeyer
|
Auto Union | 3: 38.00.75 h |
| 2 |
 Richard Seaman
|
Mercedes Benz | + 51.03 s |
| 3 |
Rex Mays
|
Alfa Romeo | + 6.35.07 s |
The most important European teams undertook the long voyage to compete against the US racing teams at the Vanderbilt Cup at Roosevelt Raceway in Long Island ( USA ). The race, postponed by two days due to rain, took place on July 5, 1937 and saw Auto-Union driver Bernd Rosemeyer as the winner.
Coppa Acerbo
| space | driver | team | time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Bernd Rosemeyer
|
Auto Union | 2: 55.39.05 h |
| 2 |
Manfred von Brauchitsch
|
Mercedes Benz | + 1.41.85 min |
| 3 |
Hermann Paul Muller
|
Auto Union | + 6.10.81 min |
The Coppa Acerbo took place on August 15th on the Circuito di Pescara in Pescara, Italy. Alfa Romeo tried to make up ground against the German teams with the new Alfa Romeo 12C / 37 , but it hardly succeeded. Although he had ruined a tire at one kilometer stone and had to return to the pits on three wheels, Bernd Rosemeyer won the race with superiority.
Masaryk Grand Prix
| space | driver | team | time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Rudolf Caracciola
|
Mercedes Benz | 3: 09.25.3 h |
| 2 |
Manfred von Brauchitsch
|
Mercedes Benz | + 36.4 s |
| 3 |
Hermann Paul Müller / Bernd Rosemeyer
|
Auto Union | + 41.1 s |
The Masaryk Grand Prix on September 26, 1937 was held again on the 29 km long Masaryk Ring near Brno . In a serious accident, Hermann Lang went off the track, two spectators were killed. Initially Rosemeyer was in the lead, but had to retire after a brake defect. He took over Müller's car, but only achieved third place. The victory went to Rudolf Caracciola.
Donington Grand Prix
| space | driver | team | time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Bernd Rosemeyer
|
Auto Union | 3: 01.02.5 h |
| 2 |
Manfred von Brauchitsch
|
Mercedes Benz | + 37.5 s |
| 3 |
Rudolf Caracciola
|
Mercedes Benz | + 1.16.3 min |
The Donington Grand Prix on October 2, 1937 was the first major international race in Great Britain, the British drivers and teams had so far largely remained to themselves. The English cars - mainly ERAs - could not keep up with the German vehicles any more than the other teams throughout the season, and so the victory went to Bernd Rosemeyer. It was his last triumph, just four months later he was killed.
Driver ranking
.svg){kind=small}
| 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
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 1937 European Grand Prix Championship. Www.kolumbus.fi, accessed on July 28, 2014 (English).
- 1937 Grand Prix Results. www.teamdan.com, accessed on November 18, 2017 (English).
Individual evidence
- ↑ The type designation of the Auto Union racing cars was only introduced later by specialist authors to differentiate between the individual models.