Grand Prix motor racing, a form of
motorsport
Motorsport, motorsports or motor sport is a global term used to encompass the group of competitive sporting events which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles. The terminology can also be used to describe forms of competition of two ...
competition, has its roots in organised
automobile racing
Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition.
Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organi ...
that began in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
as early as 1894.
It quickly evolved from simple
road races from one town to the next, to
endurance tests for car and driver. Innovation and the drive of competition soon saw speeds exceeding , but because early races took place on open roads, accidents occurred frequently, resulting in deaths both of drivers and of spectators.
A common abbreviation used for Grand Prix racing is "GP" or "GP racing".
Grand Prix motor racing eventually evolved into
formula racing
Formula racing (known as open-wheel racing in North America) is any of several forms of open-wheeled single-seater motorsport. The origin of the term lies in the nomenclature that was adopted by the FIA for all of its post-World War II single- ...
, and one can regard
Formula One
Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...
as its direct descendant. Each event of the Formula One World Championships is still called a
''Grand Prix''; Formula One is also referred to as "Grand Prix racing". Some
IndyCar
INDYCAR, LLC, is an American-based auto racing sanctioning body for Indy car racing and other disciplines of open wheel car racing. The organization sanctions five racing series: the premier IndyCar Series with its centerpiece the Indianapolis ...
championship races are also called "Grands Prix".
Origins of organized racing
Motor racing was started in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, 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 motoring contest took place on July 22, 1894, and was organised by a Paris newspaper, . The
Paris–Rouen rally was , from
Porte Maillot
The Porte Maillot (also known as the porte Mahiaulx, Mahiau or Mahiot after a Paille-maille court, or the Porte de Neuilly Alfred Fierro, ''Histoire et dictionnaire de Paris'', Robert Laffont, 1580 pages, 1996 ; page 848 : "the porte de Neuill ...
in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
, through the
Bois de Boulogne, to
Rouen
Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine in northern France. It is the prefecture of the Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one of ...
. Count
Jules-Albert de Dion
Marquis Jules Félix Philippe Albert de Dion de Wandonne (9 March 185619 August 1946) was a French pioneer of the automobile industry. He invented a steam-powered car and used it to win the world's first auto race, but his vehicle was adjudg ...
was first into Rouen after 6 hours 48 minutes at an average speed of . He finished 3 minutes 30 seconds ahead of
Albert Lemaître
Albert Lemaître (c. 1864 – in or after 1906), (aka Georges LemaîtreSome modern anglophone secondary sources (and myriad derivative internet sites) use the name Georges Lemaître, but the leading contemporary French sources of the 1890s–1900 ...
(
Peugeot
Peugeot (, , ) is a French brand of automobiles owned by Stellantis.
The family business that preceded the current Peugeot companies was founded in 1810, with a steel foundry that soon started making hand tools and kitchen equipment, and the ...
), followed by
Auguste Doriot
Auguste Frédéric Doriot (24 October 1863 – 1955) was a French motoring pioneer who developed, built and raced cars for Peugeot before founding his own manufacturing company D.F.P. in combination with Ludovic Flandrin and the Parant brothers. ...
(Peugeot, 16 minutes 30 seconds back),
René Panhard
Louis François René Panhard (27 May 1841 – 16 July 1908) was a French engineer, merchant and a pioneer of the automobile industry in France.
Born in Paris, he studied engineering at the Collège Sainte-Barbe and then graduated from École Cen ...
(
Panhard
Panhard was a French motor vehicle manufacturer that began as one of the first makers of automobiles. It was a manufacturer of light tactical and military vehicles. Its final incarnation, now owned by Renault Trucks Defense, was formed ...
, 33 minutes 30 seconds back), and
Émile Levassor
Émile Constant Levassor (21 January 1843 – 14 April 1897) was a French engineer and a pioneer of the automobile industry and car racing in France.
Biography
Levassor was born in Marolles-en-Hurepoix. After studying engineering and graduatin ...
(Panhard, 55 minutes 30 seconds back). 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 to be outside of their objectives.
In 1900,
James Gordon Bennett, Jr.
James Gordon Bennett Jr. (May 10, 1841May 14, 1918) was publisher of the '' New York Herald'', founded by his father, James Gordon Bennett Sr. (1795–1872), who emigrated from Scotland. He was generally known as Gordon Bennett to distinguish hi ...
, the owner of the ''
New York Herald
The ''New York Herald'' was a large-distribution newspaper based in New York City that existed between 1835 and 1924. At that point it was acquired by its smaller rival the ''New-York Tribune'' to form the '' New York Herald Tribune''.
His ...
'' and the ''
International Herald Tribune
The ''International Herald Tribune'' (''IHT'') was a daily English-language newspaper published in Paris, France for international English-speaking readers. It had the aim of becoming "the world's first global newspaper" and could fairly be said ...
'', established the
Gordon Bennett Cup. He hoped 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.
The 1903 event occurred in the aftermath of the fatalities at the Paris-Madrid road race, so the race, at Athy in Ireland, though on public roads, was run over a closed circuit: the first ever closed-circuit motor race.
In the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
,
William Kissam Vanderbilt II
William Kissam Vanderbilt II (October 26, 1878 – January 8, 1944) was an American motor racing enthusiast and yachtsman, and a member of the prominent Vanderbilt family.
Early life
He was born on October 26, 1878, in New York City, the second ...
launched the
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 on October 8 on a course set out in Nassau County, New York, Nassa ...
at
Long Island
Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...
,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
in 1904.
First Grands Prix
Some
anglophone sources wrongly list a race called the in 1901. This may stem from a mistranslation of the contemporary French sources such as the magazine of March 1901.
[Autosport, The Nostalgia Forum, Robert Dick quoting (translating) from ''La France Automobile'', March 1901](_blank)
/ref> The name of the 1901 event was the and it was run in three classes around the streets of Pau. The was the name of the prizes awarded for the lesser classes ('Light cars' and 'Voiturettes'). The was the name of the prize awarded for the 'Heavy' (fastest) class. Thus Maurice Farman
Maurice Alain Farman (21 March 1877 – 25 February 1964) was a British-French Grand Prix motor racing champion, an aviator, and an aircraft manufacturer and designer.
Biography
Born in Paris to English parents, he and his brothers Richard and ...
was awarded the for his overall victory in the driving a Panhard 24 hp.[By the turn of the century the term ''Grand Prix'' had become common parlance in France, having been used since the ]Grand Prix de Paris
The Grand Prix de Paris is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), and it ...
horse race in 1886 (e.g. the Grand Prix de Paris for Cyclists in 1895)
''New York Times'', July 18, 1895, "Grand Prix de Paris for Cyclists"
. Thus in the anglophone world the main winner's prize () subsequently became synonymous with the event. ()
In Pierre Souvestre described the 1901 event as: "in the ''Circuit du Sud-Ouest'', at the meeting in Pau" ().
First Grand Prix and the
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
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...
took place in 1906. The circuit used, which was based in Le Mans
Le Mans (, ) is a city in northwestern France on the Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. 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 Man ...
, was roughly triangular in shape, each lap covering . 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
Ferenc Szisz (September 20, 1873 – February 21, 1944), 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.
Early life
Szisz was born in the small town of Szeg ...
(1873–1944) won the race in a Renault
Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English; legally Renault S.A.) is a French multinational automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company produces a range of cars and vans, and in the past has manufactured ...
. This race was regarded as the first , 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 centred on 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. Early Grand Prix cars could be technically innovative, with marques such as Peugeot using technology that would later become more widespread.
Political numbering and renaming
A further historic confusion arose in the early 1920s when the Automobile Club de France attempted to pull off a retrospective political trick by numbering and renaming the major races held in France before the 1906 French Grand Prix as being , despite their running pre-dating the formation of the Club. Hence, the 1895 Paris–Bordeaux–Paris Trail was renamed ; and the true first Grand Prix in 1906 race was renamed the (9th). The ACF used this numbering in 1933, although some members of the Club dismissed it, "concerned the name of the Club was lent to the fiction simply out of a childish desire to establish their Grand Prix as the oldest race in the world".[Hodges (1967), pp. 2–3]["1895 Grand Prix and Paris Races"](_blank)
. Retrieved on 12 September 2009.
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 Mans
Le Mans (, ) is a city in northwestern France on the Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. 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 Man ...
circuit of the 1906 ''Grand Prix'', as well as the (run on of Sicilian roads), the German circuit in the Taunus
The Taunus is a mountain range in Hesse, Germany, located north of Frankfurt. The tallest peak in the range is ''Großer Feldberg'' at 878 m; other notable peaks are ''Kleiner Feldberg'' (825 m) and ''Altkönig'' (798 m).
The Taunus range spans ...
mountains, and the French circuit at Dieppe (a mere ), used for the 1907 Grand Prix. The exceptions were the steeply banked egg-shaped near oval of Brooklands
Brooklands was a motor racing circuit and aerodrome built near Weybridge in Surrey, England, United Kingdom. It opened in 1907 and was the world's first purpose-built 'banked' motor racing circuit as well as one of Britain's first airfields, ...
in England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, completed in 1907; the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is an automobile racing circuit located in Speedway, Indiana, an enclave suburb of Indianapolis, Indiana. It is the home of the Indianapolis 500 and the Verizon 200, and and formerly the home of the United State ...
, first used in 1909 with the first Indianapolis 500-Mile Race in 1911; and the Autodromo Nazionale Monza
The Monza Circuit ( it, Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, , National Automobile Racetrack of Monza) is a race track near the city of Monza, north of Milan, in Italy. Built in 1922, it was the world's third purpose-built motor racing circuit after ...
, in Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
, opened in 1922.
In 1908, the United States of America
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...
became the first country outside France to host an automobile race using the name Grand Prix (or Grand Prize), run at Savannah. The first outside France was the 1921 Italian Grand Prix
The Italian Grand Prix ( it, Gran Premio d'Italia) is the fifth oldest national Grand Prix motor racing, Grand Prix (after the French Grand Prix, the United States Grand Prix, the Spanish Grand Prix and the Russian Grand Prix), having been he ...
held at Montichiari
Montichiari (Brescian: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Brescia, in Lombardy. It received the honorary title of city with a presidential decree on December 27, 1991.
The town is home to the Gabriele D'Annunzio airport (Italian: ''Aer ...
. This was quickly followed by Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
and Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
(in 1924), and later spread to other countries including Britain (1926). Strictly speaking, this still was not 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 (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, 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 ( AIACR). In 1922 the (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
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
).
During this period a lot of changes of rules occurred. There was a mass start for the first time at the 1922 French Grand Prix
The 1922 French Grand Prix (formally the XVI French Grand Prix, Grand Prix de l'Automobile Club de France) was a Grand Prix motor racing, Grand Prix motor race held at Strasbourg on 15 July 1922. The race was run over 60 laps of the 13.38km circui ...
in Strasbourg. The 1925 season was the first season during which no riding mechanic
A riding mechanic was a mechanic that rode along with a race car during races, and who was tasked with maintaining, monitoring, and repairing the car during the race. The various duties included manually pumping oil and fuel, checking tire wear, ...
was required in a car, as this rule was repealed in Europe after the death of Tom Barrett during the 1924 Grand Prix season
The 1924 Grand Prix season saw Grand Prix motor racing spread further across Europe and North America. In Italy a number of new open-road events were held. In France two new circuits were opened – at Autodrome de Linas-Montlhéry, Montlhéry ne ...
. At the in 1926
Events January
* January 3 – Theodoros Pangalos declares himself dictator in Greece.
* January 8
**Abdul-Aziz ibn Saud is crowned King of Hejaz.
** Crown Prince Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh Thuy ascends the throne, the last monarch of V ...
a well thought-out system, with flags and boards, giving drivers tactical information, was used for the first time by Alfred Neubauer, the racing manager of the Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to as Mercedes and sometimes as Benz, is a German luxury and commercial vehicle automotive brand established in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a Mercedes-Benz Group subsidiary established in 2019) is headquartere ...
team. The 1933 Monaco Grand Prix
The 1933 Monaco Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at the Circuit de Monaco on 23 April 1933.
This was the first Grand Prix where grid positions were decided by practice time rather than the established method of balloting. Achille Var ...
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.
The Pre-WWII years
All the competing vehicles were painted in the international auto racing colors:
*blue ( Bleu de France) for France,
*green ( British racing green) for Britain,
*red (Rosso corsa
Rosso 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'' ("racing red"). ...
) for Italy,
*white for Germany,
**Note: 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
Silver Arrows (german: link=no, Silberpfeil) was the nickname given by the press to Germany's dominant Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union Grand Prix motor racing cars between 1934 and 1939. The name was later applied to the Mercedes-Benz Formula ...
". However, there are conflicting versions of how German Grand Prix cars came to be unpainted. Photos exist of unpainted Mercedes and Auto Union cars as early as 1932.
*yellow for Belgium.
French cars continued to dominate (led by Bugatti
Automobiles Ettore Bugatti was a German then French manufacturer of high-performance automobiles. The company was founded in 1909 in the then-German city of Molsheim, Alsace, by the Italian-born industrial designer Ettore Bugatti. The cars w ...
, but also including Delage
Delage was a French luxury automobile and racecar company founded in 1905 by Louis Delâge in Levallois-Perret near Paris; it was acquired by Delahaye in 1935 and ceased operation in 1953.
On 7 November 2019, the association "Les Amis de Dela ...
and Delahaye) until the late 1920s, when the Italians (Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury car manufacturer and a subsidiary of Stellantis. The company was founded on 24 June 1910, in Milan, Italy. "Alfa" is an acronym of its founding name, "Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili." ...
and Maserati
Maserati S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury vehicle manufacturer. Established on 1 December 1914, in Bologna, Italy, the company's headquarters are now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. The company has been owned by Stellantis since 2021. Ma ...
) 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
Benz, an old Germanic clan name dating to the fifth century (related to "bear", "war banner", "gau", or a "land by a waterway") also used in German () as an alternative for names such as Berthold, Bernhard, or Benedict, may refer to:
People Sur ...
aerodynamic "teardrop" body introduced at the 1923 European Grand Prix at Monza by Karl Benz
Carl Friedrich Benz (; 25 November 1844 – 4 April 1929), sometimes also Karl Friedrich Benz, was a German engine designer and automotive engineer. His Benz Patent Motorcar from 1885 is considered the first practical modern automobile and fir ...
.
In the 1930s, however, nationalism entered a new phase when the Nazis
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...
encouraged Mercedes
Mercedes may refer to:
People
* Mercedes (name), a Spanish feminine name, including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or last name
Automobile-related
* Mercedes (marque), the pre-1926 brand name of German automobile m ...
and Auto Union
Auto Union AG, was an amalgamation of four German automobile manufacturers, founded in 1932 and established in 1936 in Chemnitz, Saxony. It is the immediate predecessor of Audi as it is known today.
As well as acting as an umbrella firm f ...
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 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 on the increased interest in racing by manufacturers and holding the first European Grand Prix at Monza in 1923. The first World Championship
A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
took place in 1925
Events January
* January 1
** The Syrian Federation is officially dissolved, the State of Aleppo and the State of Damascus having been replaced by the State of Syria.
* January 3 – Benito Mussolini makes a pivotal speech in the Italia ...
, but it was for manufacturers only, consisting of four races of at least in length. The races that formed the first Constructors' Championship were the Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indi ...
, the European Grand Prix
The European Grand Prix (also known as the Grand Prix of Europe) was a Formula One event that was introduced during the mid-1980s and was held every year from to , except in . During these years, the European Grand Prix was held in a countr ...
, and the French and Italian Grands Prix. A European Championship, consisting of the major Grand Prix in a number of countries (named ) was instituted for drivers in 1931, and was competed every year until the outbreak of World War II in 1939 with the exception of 1933 and 1934.
The post-war years and 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 or "FIA" for short, headquartered in Paris. It announced the new International Formula, also known as Formula 1 or Formula A, to be effective from 1947. At the end of the 1949 season the FIA announced that for 1950 they would be linking several national Formula One
Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...
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 1950 at Silverstone
Silverstone is a village and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England. It is about from Towcester on the former A43 main road, from the M1 motorway junction 15A and about from the M40 motorway junction 10, Northampton, Milton Keynes and B ...
in the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
.
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
Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988) in 1939 from the Alfa Romeo racing division as ''Auto Avio Costruzioni'', the company built its first car in ...
appeared at the second World Championship race, in Monaco, and has the distinction of being the only manufacturer to compete in every season of the World Championship, still competing in .
Grandes Épreuves by season
''Italics denote that the race was also known as the European Grand Prix
The European Grand Prix (also known as the Grand Prix of Europe) was a Formula One event that was introduced during the mid-1980s and was held every year from to , except in . During these years, the European Grand Prix was held in a countr ...
.''
1906–1914
1921–1929
1930–1939
1940–1945
''For wartime events, see Grands Prix during World War II.''
1946–1949
Other events
*
Argentine Grand Prix
*
Australian Grand Prix
The Australian Grand Prix is an annual motor racing event which is under contract to host Formula One until 2035. One of the oldest surviving motorsport competitions held in Australia, the Grand Prix has moved frequently with 23 different venu ...
*
Bari Grand Prix
The Bari Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor racing, Grand Prix road race, held in Bari, Italy, between 1947 and 1956. The course was and, except for 1956, was run in an anticlockwise direction. In 1953 the race was not contested.
Winners
Bari ...
*
Belgian Grand Prix
The Belgian Grand Prix (French language, French: ''Grand Prix de Belgique''; Dutch language, Dutch: ''Grote Prijs van België''; German language, German: ''Großer Preis von Belgien'') is a motor racing event which forms part of the Formula O ...
*
Belgrade Grand Prix
The Belgrade Grand Prix is a former grand prix from the Grand Prix motor racing era - precursor to Formula One. It was held on the streets of Belgrade, the capital of Kingdom of Yugoslavia and Serbia's largest city. Only one championship event w ...
*
Buenos Aires Grand Prix
*
Chilean Grand Prix
*
Coppa Acerbo
The Coppa Acerbo was an automobile race held in Italy, named after Tito Acerbo, the brother of Giacomo Acerbo, a prominent fascist politician. Following Italy's defeat in World War II, and the consequent demise of fascism, the race was renamed the ...
*
Coppa Ciano
The Coppa Ciano was an automobile race held in Italy. Originally referred to as Coppa Montenero or Circuito Montenero, the Coppa Ciano name was officially in use between 1927 and 1939.
History
During the years immediately following World War I se ...
*
Czechoslovakian Grand Prix
*
Donington Grand Prix
The Donington Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at the Donington Park circuit in Leicestershire, England, from 1935 to 1938.
The Donington Grand Prix was held just four times, but quickly rose to prominence as one of the most importa ...
*
Dutch Grand Prix
The Dutch Grand Prix ( nl, Grote Prijs van Nederland) is a Formula One motor racing event held at Circuit Zandvoort, North Holland, the Netherlands, from 1950 to 1985 and from 2021 onwards. It was a part of the World Championship from 1952, ...
*
Hungarian Grand Prix
The Hungarian Grand Prix ( hu, Magyar NagydÃj) is a motor racing event held annually in Mogyoród. Since 1986, the race has been a round of the FIA Formula One World Championship.
History Origins
The first Hungarian Grand Prix was held on 21 ...
*
Lwów Grand Prix
*
Mille Miglia
The Mille Miglia (, ''Thousand Miles'') was an open-road, motorsport endurance race established in 1927 by the young Counts Francesco Mazzotti and Aymo Maggi, which took place in Italy twenty-four times from 1927 to 1957 (thirteen before World ...
*
Moroccan Grand Prix
The Moroccan Grand Prix (Arabic: سباق الجائزة الكبرى المغربي) was a Grand Prix first organised in 1925 in Casablanca, Morocco with the official denomination of "Casablanca Grand Prix".
History
In 1930, the race was held ...
*
New Zealand Grand Prix
*
Penya Rhin Grand Prix
The Penya Rhin Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor racing event staged at the three different circuits in three different eras in Spain. The race was held intermittently over its history, sometimes for full-size Grand Prix cars, sometimes for spor ...
*
Russian Grand Prix
*
San Sebastián Grand Prix
*
Stockholm Grand Prix
The 1948 Stockholm Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor racing, Grand Prix race held according to the then new Formula Two rules, at Skarpnäck Airfield outside Stockholm on 30 May 1948. It was won by Birabongse Bhanudej, B. Bira in a Simca-Gordini T ...
(Formula Two)
*
Swedish Summer Grand Prix
The Swedish Grand Prix (Swedish: Sveriges Grand Prix) was a round of the Formula One World Championship from 1973 to 1978. It took place at the Scandinavian Raceway in Anderstorp (Gislaved Municipality), about from Jönköping, in Småland, Swe ...
*
Swedish Winter Grand Prix
The Swedish Winter Grand Prix was a race held on the ice of frozen lakes, similar to races held in Estonian Grand Prix, Estonia, Finnish Grand Prix, Finland and Norwegian Grand Prix, Norway. The 1930s also saw the Swedish Summer Grand Prix, which c ...
*
Targa Florio
*
Tripoli Grand Prix
*
Tunis Grand Prix
The Tunis Grand Prix or ''Grand Prix de Tunis'' was a auto racing, motor race held in the 1920s and 30s in Tunis, the capital of the African colony of the French protectorate of Tunisia.
A race was held originally as an open-wheel motor race on a ...
*
United States Grand Prix
The United States Grand Prix is a motor racing event that has been held on and off since 1908, when it was known as the American Grand Prize. The Grand Prix later became part of the Formula One World Championship. , the Grand Prix has been held ...
*
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 on October 8 on a course set out in Nassau County, New York, Nassa ...
See also:
*List of major automobile races in France
Grand Prix and other major automobile races in France.
* Grand Prix d'Albi or Grand Prix de l'Albigeois
* Grand Prix de la Baule
* Grand Prix de Bordeaux
* Grand Prix de Cadours
*Grand Prix de Caen
*Grand Prix du Comminges
* Grand Prix de Dieppe
...
*List of major automobile races in Germany
This is a list of Grand Prix motor racing, Grand Prix and other major automobile races in Germany.
*German Grand Prix, Grand Prix of Germany
*European Grand Prix
*Rallye Deutschland
*6 Hours of Nürburgring
*Nürburgring 24 Hours
Auto races in G ...
*List of major automobile races in Italy
Grand Prix and other major automobile races in Italy.
* 10 Hours of Messina
* Adriana Grand Prix
* Alessandria Grand Prix
* Bari Grand Prix
* Circuito di Avellino
* Circuito del Garda
*Coppa Acerbo
**Pescara Grand Prix
*Coppa Ciano
* Coppa della ...
Grand Prix drivers
Notable drivers of the Grand Prix motor racing era included a few women who competed equally with the men:
*
Antonio Ascari
Antonio Ascari (15 September 1888 – 26 July 1925) was an Italian Grand Prix motor racing champion. He won four Grands Prix before his premature death at the 1925 French Grand Prix. He was the father of two-time World Champion Alberto Ascari.
Ea ...
- Italy
*
Robert Benoist
Robert Marcel Charles Benoist (20 March 1895 – 14 September 1944) was a French Grand Prix motor racing driver and war hero.
Early life
Born near Rambouillet, ÃŽle-de-France, France, Robert Benoist was the son of Baron Henri de Rothschild' ...
- France
*
Clemente Biondetti
Clemente Biondetti (18 October 1898 – 24 February 1955) was an Italian auto racing driver. Born into a working-class family, Biondetti raced motorcycles before turning to automobiles where he had greater success.
Biography
Born in Buddusò, Sa ...
- Italy
*
Georges Boillot
Georges Louis Frederic Boillot (August 3, 1884 – May 19, 1916) was a French Grand Prix motor racing driver and World War I fighter pilot.
Biography
Born in Valentigney, Doubs, Boillot was a mechanic by training who began automobile racing in ...
- France
*
Manfred von Brauchitsch
Manfred Georg Rudolf von Brauchitsch (15 August 1905 – 5 February 2003) was a German auto racing driver who drove for Mercedes-Benz in the famous "Silver Arrows" of Grand Prix motor racing in the 1930s.
Racing career
Brauchitsch won th ...
- Germany
*
Malcolm Campbell
Major Sir Malcolm Campbell (11 March 1885 – 31 December 1948) was a British racing motorist and motoring journalist. He gained the world speed record on land and on water at various times, using vehicles called ''Blue Bird'', including a 1 ...
- Great Britain
*
Rudolf Caracciola - Germany
*/
Luigi Chinetti - Italy; United States after the war
*
Louis Chiron - Monaco
*
Albert Divo
Albert Divo (24 January 1895, in Paris – 19 September 1966, in Morsang-sur-Orge, Essonne, France) was a Grand Prix motor racing driver. He was born in Paris, France. In 1922, Divo competed in the International Tourist Trophy endurance race on ...
- France
*
René Dreyfus - France
*
Philippe Étancelin - France
*
Luigi Fagioli
Luigi Cristiano Fagioli (; 9 June 1898 – 20 June 1952), nicknamed "the Abruzzi robber", was an Italian motor racing driver. Having won his last race at 53 years old, Fagioli holds the record for the oldest Formula One driver to win a race, and ...
- Italy
*
Giuseppe Farina - Italy; he became the first Formula One champion
*
Enzo Ferrari - Italy
*
Jules Goux - France
*
László Hartmann - Hungary
*
Elizabeth Junek
Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to:
People
* Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name)
* Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist
Ships
* HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships
* ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...
- Czechoslovakia
*
Hermann Lang - Germany
*
Christian Lautenschlager
Christian Friedrich Lautenschlager (April 13, 1877 – January 3, 1954) was a German Grand Prix motor racing champion.
Biography
Born in the village of Magstadt, Baden-Württemberg, Germany near Stuttgart, Christian Lautenschlager was 14 years ol ...
- Germany
*
Emilio Materassi
Emilio Materassi (October 30, 1894 – September 9, 1928) was an Italian Grand Prix motor racing driver.
Early life
Born in Borgo San Lorenzo, near Florence, Italy, Emilio began working in a bicycle shop, learning the basics of applied mechani ...
- Italy
*
Ferdinando Minoia
Ferdinando "Nando" Minoia (2 June 1884 – 28 June 1940) was an Italian racing driver with an exceptionally long, distinguished and varied career. In 1907, he won the Coppa Florio driving an Isotta Fraschini. In 1923, he drove the world’s ...
- Italy
*
Felice Nazzaro - Italy
*
Guy Moll
Guillaume Laurent "Guy" Moll (28 May 1910 – 15 August 1934) was a French racing driver.
Moll was the son of a French father and Spanish mother who had emigrated to Algeria, then a French colony. He had only started racing in 1930, running a ...
- Algeria
*
Hellé Nice
Hellé Nice (born Mariette Hélène Delangle; 15 December 1900 – 1 October 1984) was a French model, dancer, and a motor racing driver who competed in numerous minor Grands Prix and other races between 1928 and 1939, whose racing career was imp ...
- France
*
Tazio Nuvolari
Tazio Giorgio Nuvolari (; 16 November 1892 – 11 August 1953) was an Italian racing driver. He first raced motorcycles and then concentrated on sports cars and single-seaters. A resident of Mantua, he was known as 'Il Mantovano Volante' (Th ...
- Italy
*
Kay Petre
Kathleen Coad Petre (' Defries; 10 May 1903 – 10 August 1994), known as Kay Petre, was an early motor racing star. She was born in York, Ontario, now part of Toronto.
Family
Kathleen Coad Defries was the daughter of Robert Leo Defries KC (d ...
- Great Britain
*
Charles Pozzi
Charles Pozzi (27 August 1909 – 28 February 2001) was a French racing driver who participated in one World Championship Formula One race in 1950, the year of its inception.
Racing career
Born Carlo Alberto Pozzi in Paris, France of Itali ...
- France
*
Georges Philippe (Baron Philippe de Rothschild) - France
*
Bernd Rosemeyer - Germany
*
Richard Seaman
Richard John Beattie Seaman (4 February 1913 – 25 June 1939) was a British Grand Prix racing driver. He drove for the Mercedes-Benz team from 1937 to 1939 in the Mercedes-Benz W125 and W154 cars, winning the 1938 German Grand Prix. He died o ...
- Great Britain
*
Henry Segrave
Sir Henry O'Neal de Hane Segrave (22 September 1896 – 13 June 1930) was an early British pioneer in land speed and water speed records. Segrave, who set three land and one water record, was the first person to hold both titles simultaneous ...
- Great Britain
*
Raymond Sommer - France
*
Whitney Willard Straight
Air Commodore Whitney Willard Straight, (6 November 1912 – 5 April 1979) was a Grand Prix motor racing driver, aviator, businessman, and a member of the prominent Whitney family of the United States.
Early life
Born in New York City, Whitn ...
- Great Britain
*
Hans Stuck
Hans Stuck (pronounced ''"shtook"''; sometimes called Hans Stuck von Villiez; 27 December 1900 – 9 February 1978) was a German motor racing driver. Both his son Hans-Joachim Stuck (born 1951) and his grandsons Johannes and Ferdinand Stuck b ...
- Germany
*
Ferenc Szisz
Ferenc Szisz (September 20, 1873 – February 21, 1944), 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.
Early life
Szisz was born in the small town of Szeg ...
- Hungary
*
Achille Varzi
Achille Varzi (8 August 1904 – 1 July 1948) was an Italian Grand Prix driver.
Career
Born in Galliate, province of Novara (Piedmont), Achille Varzi was the son of a textile manufacturer. As a young man, he was a successful motorcycle ra ...
- Italy
*
Emilio Villoresi
Emilio Villoresi (December 7, 1914 – June 20, 1939), also known with his nickname "Mimì" Villoresi, a was an Italian Grand Prix motor racing driver.
Emilio Villoresi was born in Milan, Lombardy. He was the younger brother of the Maserati dr ...
- Italy
*
Luigi Villoresi - Italy
*
William Grover-Williams
William Charles Frederick Grover-Williams (born William Charles Frederick Grover, 16 January 1903 – 18 March 1945 (or shortly thereafter)), also known as "W Williams", was a British Grand Prix motor racing driver and special agent who worked ...
- Great Britain
*
Jean-Pierre Wimille - France
*
Juan Zanelli
Juan Zanelli (1906–1944) was a Chilean racecar driver. He was born in Iquique, Chile in 1906. He raced in Grand Prix motor racing and hillclimbs from 1929 to 1936. In a Bugatti he won the 1929 and 1930 Bugatti GP at Le Mans, finished 8th i ...
- Chile
Championships
From 1925 onwards, the AIACR and later the FIA organised World and European Championships for Grand Prix manufacturers, drivers and constructors:
*World Manufacturers' Championship
The World Manufacturers' Championship, also known as Automobile World Championship, was a competition organised by the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile, AIACR between 1925 Grand Prix season, 1925 and 1930 Grand Prix season, 1930.
Scoring ...
(1925
Events January
* January 1
** The Syrian Federation is officially dissolved, the State of Aleppo and the State of Damascus having been replaced by the State of Syria.
* January 3 – Benito Mussolini makes a pivotal speech in the Italia ...
–1927
Events January
* January 1 – The British Broadcasting ''Company'' becomes the British Broadcasting ''Corporation'', when its Royal Charter of incorporation takes effect. John Reith becomes the first Director-General.
* January 7
* ...
)
* European Drivers' Championship (1931
Events
January
* January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics.
* January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa.
* January 22 – Sir I ...
–1932
Events January
* January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel.
* January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...
, 1935
Events
January
* January 7 – Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval conclude Franco-Italian Agreement of 1935, an agreement, in which each power agrees not to oppose the other's colonial claims.
* ...
–1939
This year also marks the start of the Second World War, the largest and deadliest conflict in human history.
Events
Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
January
* January 1
** Third Reich
*** Jews are forbidden to ...
)
*World Drivers' Championship
Formula One, abbreviated to F1, is the highest class of open-wheeled auto racing defined by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), motorsport's world governing body. The "formula" in the name refers to a set of rules to which a ...
(1950
Events January
* January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed.
* January 5 – 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash, Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 cr ...
–1980
Events January
* January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission.
* January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC.
* January 9 – ...
)
* International Cup for Constructors (1958
Events
January
* January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being.
* January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed.
* January 4
** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the third ...
–1980
Events January
* January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission.
* January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC.
* January 9 – ...
)
*Formula One World Drivers' Championship
Formula One, abbreviated to F1, is the highest class of open-wheeled auto racing defined by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), motorsport's world governing body. The "formula" in the name refers to a set of rules to which a ...
(1981
Events January
* January 1
** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union.
** Palau becomes a self-governing territory.
* January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...
–present)
* Formula One World Constructors' Championship (1981
Events January
* January 1
** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union.
** Palau becomes a self-governing territory.
* January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...
–present)
Notes
::* 1st Grand Prix de l'Automobile Club de France - 1895 Paris–Bordeaux–Paris;
::* 2nd Grand Prix de l'Automobile Club de France - 1896 Paris–Marseille–Paris The Paris–Marseille–Paris race was the first competitive 'city to city' motor race originating in Paris, where the first car across the line was the winner, prior events having selected the winner by various forms of classification and judging. ...
;
::* 3rd Grand Prix de l'Automobile Club de France - 1898 Paris–Amsterdam–Paris The 1898 Paris–Amsterdam–Paris Race was a competitive 'city to city' motor race which ran over 7 days from 7–13 July 1898 and covered 1,431 km. It was won by Fernand Charron driving a Panhard et Levassor for 33 hours at an average speed o ...
Trail;
::* 4th Grand Prix de l'Automobile Club de France - 1899 Tour de France Trail. 16–24 July;
::* 5th Grand Prix de l'Automobile Club de France - 1900 Paris-Toulouse-Paris Trail;
::* 6th Grand Prix de l'Automobile Club de France - 1901 Paris-Berlin Trail;
::* 7th Grand Prix de l'Automobile Club de France - 1902 Paris-Vienna Trail;
::* 8th Grand Prix de l'Automobile Club de France - 1903 Paris-Madrid Trail;
::* 9th Grand Prix de l'Automobile Club de France - 1906 1st Grand Prix de l'Automobile Club de France. (Le Mans);
::* 10th Grand Prix de l'Automobile Club de France - 1907 Grand Prix de l'Automobile Club de France. (Dieppe);
::* 11th Grand Prix de l'Automobile Club de France - 1908 Grand Prix de l'Automobile Club de France. (Dieppe);
See also
* History of auto racing
Auto racing began in the mid-19th century. It became an organized sport in the early 20th century and has grown in popularity ever since.
The first race
The first prearranged match race of two self-powered road vehicles over a prescribed route oc ...
* Auto racing
Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition.
Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organise ...
* Formula One
Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...
* List of Formula One Grand Prix winners
Formula One (F1) is the highest class of open-wheeled motor racing defined by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), motorsport's world governing body. The "formula" in the name refers to a set of rules to which all participan ...
References
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.
- The Story of the Grand Prix
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grand Prix Motor Racing
Auto racing by type
Formula One