1935 French Grand Prix

{{Infobox Grand Prix race report

|Type = EC

|Grand Prix = French

|Race_No = 2

|Season_No = 7

|Image = Circuit (ébauche).svg

|Date = 23 June

|Year = 1935

|Official name = XXIX Grand Prix de l'Automobile Club de France

|Country = France

|Location = Montlhéry, France

|Course = Autodrome de Linas-Montlhéry

|Course_mi = 7.767

|Course_km = 12.50

|Distance_laps = 40

|Distance_mi = 310.7

|Distance_km = 500.0

|Pole_Driver = Achille Varzi

|Pole_Country = ITA

|Pole_flag_suffix= 1861

|Pole_Team = Auto Union

|Pole_Time = 5:20.1

|Fast_Driver = Tazio Nuvolari

|Fast_Team = Alfa Romeo

|Fast_Time = 5:29.1

|Fast_Country = ITA

|Fast_flag_suffix = 1861

|First_Driver = Rudolf Caracciola

|First_Team = Mercedes-Benz

|First_Country = Germany

|First_flag_suffix = 1933

|Second_Driver = Manfred von Brauchitsch

|Second_Team = Mercedes-Benz

|Second_Country = Germany

|Second_flag_suffix = 1933

|Third_Driver = Goffredo Zehender

|Third_Team = Maserati

|Third_Country = Italy

|Third_flag_suffix = 1861

}}

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

Background

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

Having witnessed the more powerful German cars winning nearly every race they entered (notably not the 1934 French Grand Prix), the organisers decided to reduce the speeds of the Montlhéry circuit by installing three slow chicanes. This was ultimately successful in ensuring the competitiveness of the Alfa Romeos, with Tazio Nuvolari able to set second fastest time in practice, and completing the fastest lap of the race, albeit 23 seconds slower than last year's fastest lap due to the chicanes.{{cite book |last=Hodges |first=David |date=1967 |title=The French Grand Prix |pages=111–114}}

Starting Grid (3x2)

class="wikitable"
GridNoDriverCarTime
18{{flagicon|Italy|1861}} Achille VarziAuto Union B5:20.1
214{{flagicon|Italy|1861}} Tazio NuvolariAlfa Romeo Tipo-B P35:23.6
310{{flagicon|Germany|1933}} Hans StuckAuto Union B5:28.8
42{{flagicon|Germany|1933}} Rudolf CaracciolaMercedes-Benz W255:31.6
516{{flagicon|Monaco}} Louis ChironAlfa Romeo Tipo-B P35:31.9
612{{flagicon|Germany|1933}} Bernd RosemeyerAuto Union B5:36.6
76{{flagicon|Italy|1861}} Luigi FagioliMercedes-Benz W255:37.9
84{{flagicon|Germany|1933}} Manfred von BrauchitschMercedes-Benz W255:46.6
924{{flagicon|France}} Robert BenoistBugatti T59/50
1018{{flagicon|Italy|1861}} Goffredo ZehenderMaserati Tipo 346:10.8
1120{{flagicon|France}} Raymond SommerMaserati 8CM
DNQ22{{flagicon|France}} Marcel LehouxS.E.F.A.C.Practiced only

Classification

class="wikitable"
PosNoDriverCarLapsTime/Retire
12{{flagicon|GER|1933}} Rudolf CaracciolaMercedes-Benz W25B404h00m54.6
24{{flagicon|GER|1933}} Manfred von BrauchitschMercedes-Benz W25B40+0.5
318{{flagicon|ITA|1861}} Goffredo ZehenderMaserati Tipo 3438+2 laps
46{{flagicon|ITA|1861}} Luigi FagioliMercedes-Benz W25B37+3 laps
58{{flagicon|ITA|1861}} Achille Varzi
{{flagicon|GER|empire}} Bernd Rosemeyer
Auto Union B35+5 laps
620{{flagicon|FRA}} Raymond SommerMaserati 8CM35+5 laps
NC24{{flagicon|FRA}} Robert BenoistBugatti T59/5016Not Classified
Ret14{{flagicon|ITA|1861}} Tazio NuvolariAlfa Romeo Tipo-B P314Transmission
Ret12{{flagicon|GER|1933}} Bernd RosemeyerAuto Union B11Spark plugs/transmission?
Ret16{{flagicon|MON}} Louis ChironAlfa Romeo Tipo-B P38Transmission
Ret10{{flagicon|GER|1933}} Hans StuckAuto Union B7Brakes

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

{{Cite web |url=http://www.teamdan.com/archive/gen/1935/1935r.html#acf |title=1935 AIACR European Driver Championship and Grands Prix |access-date=2013-05-21 |archive-date=2013-06-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130613202042/http://www.teamdan.com/archive/gen/1935/1935r.html#acf |url-status=dead }}

References

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