AIACR European Championship
Category | Single-seaters |
---|---|
Country | Europe |
Inaugural season | 1931 |
Folded | 1939 |
Drivers | 32 (1939) |
Teams | 8 (1939) |
Constructors | 7 (1939) |
Last Drivers' champion | Rudolf Caracciola (1938) |
The European Drivers' Championship was an annual competition in auto racing that existed prior to the establishment of the Formula One world championship in 1950. It was established in 1931 and ran until the end of 1939 with a hiatus from 1933–34, and awarded points to drivers based on the results of selected Grand Prix races, the so-called Grandes Épreuves (this term had been used for the most prestigious races since the 1920s; the only Grande Épreuve to be excluded from the championship was the 1931 German Grand Prix). The championship was discontinued because of the outbreak of World War II in 1939, and no champion was officially declared for the last season.
The championship was run by the Association Internationale des Automobile Clubs Reconnus (AIACR), the forerunner to the FIA who are today's world governing body of motorsport.
History
The 1931 and 1932 seasons were run to existing Formula Libre regulations, with a minimum car weight of 900 kg.[1] The calendar consisted of the Italian Grand Prix, the French Grand Prix and the Belgian Grand Prix/German Grand Prix.
In 1934, the AIACR introduced a maximum weight limit of 750 kg for Grand Prix cars.
The 750 kg formula lasted until the end of 1937. By then, the German cars had over 600 hp, more than twice the rule makers had expected to be possible with that weight limit. For 1938, a new formula was introduced, limiting also engine sizes. Cars with a supercharger were permitted to have an engine size between 666 cc and 3000 cc, whereas
At the AIACR's end of season meeting towards the end of 1938, it was expressed that some were not content using the then current points system. Belgium's representative, Mr. Langlois, was asked to come up with an alternative system for 1939.[4] Langlois took several months to propose a new system and there is no evidence to suggest that the previous scoring system was rescinded.[4]
In 1939,
Summary of results
Scoring system
Unlike the modern Formula One points system, the championship awarded fewer points for higher finishes; the champion would be the driver who ended the season on the lowest points score. The championship awarded one, two and three points to first, second and third places respectively. Other competitors were awarded points based on the percentage of the race distance they completed, as follows.
% completed | Points |
---|---|
>75% | 4 |
50–75% | 5 |
25–50% | 6 |
<25% | 7 |
Not entering, or failing to start the race, earned the driver eight points. Drivers only scored points with the car they entered the race with. In 1931, co-drivers were eligible to score championship points, but only from the car they were assigned to at the start, and provided that they had completed a stint in the car during the race. From 1932 onwards, if a driver handed his car over to another driver mid-race, only the original driver would score points from the car's final position.
Championship history
Season | Champion Driver | Team | Poles | Wins | Podiums | Fastest Laps | Points | Margin (pnts) | Championship Grands Prix | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1931 | Ferdinando Minoia | Alfa Romeo | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 | ITA |
FRA |
BEL |
||||
1932 | Tazio Nuvolari | Alfa Romeo | 0 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 4 | ITA |
FRA |
GER |
||||
1933–1934 | Not held | ||||||||||||||
1935 | Rudolf Caracciola | Mercedes-Benz | 0 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 11 | 6 | MON |
FRA |
BEL |
GER |
SUI |
ITA |
ESP |
1936 | Bernd Rosemeyer | Auto Union | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 5 | MON |
GER |
SUI |
ITA |
|||
1937 | Rudolf Caracciola | Mercedes-Benz | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 13 | 2 | BEL |
GER |
MON |
SUI |
ITA |
||
1938 | Rudolf Caracciola | Mercedes-Benz | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 7 | FRA |
GER |
SUI |
ITA |
|||
1939 | Title not awarded due to the start of World War II | BEL |
FRA |
GER |
SUI |
Footnotes
- ^ Etzrodt, Hans. "GRAND PRIX WINNERS 1895-1949". The Golden Era of Grand Prix Racing. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2007-03-19.
- ^ ISBN 0-297-83550-5.
- ^ a b "1938, Part 1 : Introduction". The Golden Era of Grand Prix Racing. Archived from the original on 2010-10-07. Retrieved 2007-02-20.
- ^ a b c d "The 1939 European Championship". 8W. Retrieved 2007-02-20.
- ^ "1939 Championship Table". The Golden Era of Grand Prix Racing. Retrieved 2007-02-20.
Further reading
- Chris Nixon, Racing the Silver Arrows: Mercedes-Benz versus Auto Union 1934-1939 (Osprey, London, 1986)
See also
External links
- The Golden Era of Grand Prix Racing Archived 2019-01-03 at the Wayback Machine