The 1935 Grand Prix season was the second year of the new 750 kg Formula. The success of the previous year encouraged the AIACR to reinitiate the European Championship. It was composed of the seven national Grands Prix and was won by Rudolf Caracciola, driving for the Mercedes-Benz team. The team dominated the season winning five of those Grand Épreuves, as well as four of the other major races of the season. However, in one of the great motor-races in sporting history, Tazio Nuvolari in a Scuderia Ferrari Alfa Romeo beat the combined numbers of the German teams in their home Grand Prix. The season also saw the arrival on the international stage of the bright young talent Bernd Rosemeyer in the Auto Union team.
Note that the Nazi German flag, bearing the swastika, was adopted on 15 September 1935 – one week before the final championship race of the season.
European Championship Grands Prix Date Name Circuit RaceRegulations Weather RaceDistance Winner'sTime Winning driver Winningconstructor Fastestlap Report 1 22 Apr VII Grand Prix de Monaco Monte Carlo AIACR overcast 320 km 3h 24m Luigi Fagioli Mercedes-Benz W25 Luigi Fagioli Mercedes-Benz Report 2 23 Jun XXIX Grand Prix de l’ACF Montlhéry AIACR hot 500 km 4h 01m Rudolf Caracciola Mercedes-Benz W25B Tazio Nuvolari Alfa Romeo Report 3 14 Jul VI Grand Prix de Belgique Spa-Francorchamps AIACR hot 505 km 3h 13m Rudolf Caracciola Mercedes-Benz W25B Manfred von Brauchitsch Mercedes-Benz Report 4 28 Jul VIII Grosser Preis von Deutschland Nürburgring AIACR rain 500 km 4h 09m Tazio Nuvolari Alfa Romeo Tipo B Manfred von Brauchitsch Mercedes-Benz Report 5 25 Aug II Grosser Preis der Schweiz Bremgarten AIACR rain 510 km 3h 31m Rudolf Caracciola Mercedes-Benz W25B Rudolf Caracciola Mercedes-Benz Report 6 8 Sep XIII Gran Premio d’Italia Monza AIACR hot, windy 500 km 3h 40m Hans Stuck Auto Union Type B Tazio Nuvolari Alfa Romeo Report 7 22 Sep X Gran Premio de España Lasarte AIACR hot 520 km 3h 10m Rudolf Caracciola Mercedes-Benz W25A Achille Varzi Auto Union Report Sources:Rendall 1993, p.364
Major Non-championship Races Multiple classes are mentioned when they were divided and run to different race lengths. Date Name Circuit RaceRegulations Weather RaceDistance Winner'sTime Winning driver Winningconstructor Report 10 Feb II Norges Grand Prix Bogstadvannet, Oslo Formula Libre snowstorm 100 km 51m Per-Viktor Widengren Alfa Romeo 8C 2600 Monza Report 17 Feb II Vallentunaloppet Vallentunasjön Formula Libre snowstorm 40 km 22m Per-Viktor Widengren Alfa Romeo 8C 2600 Monza Report 24 Feb III Grand Prix de Pau Pau Formula Libre sunny 220 km 2h 38m Tazio Nuvolari Alfa Romeo Tipo B Report 1 Apr VIII Australian Grand Prix Phillip Island Up to 2-litrehandicap sunny, dusty 200 miles 3h 03m Les Murphy MG P-type Report 28 Apr XXVI Targa Florio Piccolo Madonie Formula LibreVoiturette sunny 430 km 5h 27m Antonio Brivio Alfa Romeo Tipo B Report A 5 May VI Grand Prix de Tunisie Carthage Formula Libre sunny, windy 500 km 3h 06m Achille Varzi Auto Union Type A Report B12 May IX Gran Premio di Tripoli (III Lotteria di Tripoli) Mellaha Formula Libre warm 525 km 2h 39m Rudolf Caracciola Mercedes-Benz W25 Report IV Eläintarhanajot(Djurgårdsloppet) Eläintarharata Formula Libre sunny, cold 100 km 60m Karl Ebb Mercedes-Benz SSK Report 19 May I Circuito di Bergamo(Coppa Citta di Bergamo) Bergamo Formula Libre sunny 200 km 2h 23m Tazio Nuvolari Alfa Romeo Tipo B Report C26 May V Internationales Avusrennen AVUS Formula Libreheats overcast 200 km 49m Luigi Fagioli Mercedes-Benz W25 Report XI Grand Prix de Picardie Péronne Formula Libre overcast 390 km 3h 00m Robert Benoist Bugatti Type 59 Report III Circuit d'Orléans Orléans Formula Libre rain 110 km*race stoppedat 25 km 17m* Robert Cazaux Bugatti Type 51 Report 29 May III Mannin Beg Douglas Voiturette 200 miles 3h 00m Pat Fairfield ERA Type A Report 30 May XXIII International 500 Mile Sweepstakes Indianapolis AAA overcast 500 miles 4h 42m Kelly Petillo Wetteroth-Offenhauser Report 31 May III Mannin Moar Douglas Formula Libre overcast 200 miles 2h 40m Brian Lewis, Baron Essendon Bugatti Type 59 Report 2 Jun II Grand Prix de l’UMF Montlhéry Formula Libre wet 90 km 36mins Raymond Sommer Alfa Romeo Tipo B Report III Grande Prêmio da Cidade de Rio de Janeiro Gávea Formula Libre sunny 280 km 4h 03m Riccardo Carú Fiat 1.5-litre Report 9 Jun X Grand Prix des Frontières Chimay Formula Libre sunny 220 km 1h 44m Rudolf Steinweg Bugatti Type 51A Report II Circuito di Biella Biella Formula Libre,heatsVoiturette hot 110 km 1h 15m Tazio Nuvolari Alfa Romeo Tipo B Report D 16 Jun IX Eifelrennen Nürburgring AIACRVoiturette rain 250 km 2h 08m Rudolf Caracciola Mercedes-Benz W25B Report 23 Jun Circuito do Chapadão Campinas Formula Libre 200 km Chico Landi Fiat 1500 Report E30 Jun VI Gran Premio de Penya Rhin Montjuïc Park AIACR hot 270 km 2h 28m Luigi Fagioli Mercedes-Benz W25B Report IV Grand Prix de Lorraine(Les Trois Heures de Nancy) Seichamps, Nancy Formula LibreVoiturette ? 326 km(winner) 3 hours Louis Chiron Alfa Romeo Tipo B Report 7 Jul X Grand Prix de la Marne Reims-Gueux Formula Libre,heats windy 326 km(winner) 1 hour (final) René Dreyfus Alfa Romeo Tipo B Report I Gran Premio del Valentino Parco del Valentino,Turin Formula Libre,heats sunny 125 km(reduced) 1h 04m Tazio Nuvolari Alfa Romeo Tipo B Report 14 Jul III Grand Prix de l'Albigeois Les Planques,AlbiGeorgano 1971, p.60 Voiturette,heats rain 360 km 2h 35m Pierre Veyron Bugatti Type 51A Report 21 Jul VII Grand Prix de Dieppe Dieppe< Formula LibreVoiturette sunny 400 km(winner) 3 hours René Dreyfus Alfa Romeo Tipo B Report 4 Aug IX Coppa Ciano Montenero Formula LibreVoiturette hot 240 km 2h 42m Tazio Nuvolari Alfa Romeo Tipo B Report XI Grand Prix du Comminges Saint-Gaudens Formula Libre,heats cloudy 165 km 1h 04m Raymond Sommer Alfa Romeo Tipo B Report F 15 Aug XI Coppa Acerbo PescaraGeorgano 1971, p.129-30 AIACRVoiturette overcast 520 km 3h 44m Achille Varzi Auto Union B Report 18 Aug IV Grand Prix de Nice Nice AIACR cloudy 320 km 3h 05m Tazio Nuvolari Alfa Romeo Tipo B Report 25 Aug II Prix de Berne Bremgarten Voiturette wet 150 km 1h 05m Richard Seaman ERA B Report 1 Sep Grand Prix de Vichy cancelled 15 Sep IV Circuito di Modena Modena Formula LibreVoiturette sunny 190 km 1h 48m Tazio Nuvolari Alfa Romeo 8C-35 Report III Eesti Suursõit Pirita-Kose, Tallinn Formula LibreVoiturette cloudy 70 km 42 mins Karl Ebb Mercedes-Benz SSK Report G29 Sep VI Velká Cena Masarykova Masaryk-Ring,Cimarosti 1997, p.88Brno Formula LibreVoiturette sunny 500 km 3h 44m Bernd Rosemeyer Auto Union Type B Report Coppa Edda Ciano I Circuito di Lucca Lucca Formula Libre,heats sunny 120 km 1h 15m Mario Tadini Alfa Romeo Tipo B Report 200 Milles du Tucumán Parque Neuve de Julio,Tucumán Province Formula Libre 200 miles* shortened to155 miles 3h 06m / Karel "Carlos" Zatuszek Mercedes-Benz SSK Report 5 Oct I Donington Grand Prix Donington Park Formula Libre rain 490 km 4h 47m Dick Shuttleworth Alfa Romeo Tipo B Report 6 Oct IX Coppa della SilaIV Coppa Michele Bianchi Cosenza Formula Libre,heats 125 km 1h 27m Antonio Brivio Alfa Romeo Tipo B Report 20 Oct II Circuito do Estoril Estoril Formula Libre 185 km 2h 00m Francisco Ribeiro Ferreira Bugatti Type 51 Report 27 Oct Coppa Principessa di Piemonte Posillipo cancelled 15 Nov Grande Prêmio da Cidade de Porto Alegre Porto Alegre Formula Libre Norberto Jung Ford Report 29 Dec Premio Emilio Saint Parque Urquioza Parana,Entre Ríos Province Formula Libre 100 miles 2h 18m / Karel "Carlos" Zatuszek Mercedes-Benz SSK Report
Regulations This was the second year of the 750 kg Formula, and also marked the return of the European Championship. Seven of the eight recognised national races were included (excepting a British GP) with the AIACR requiring a minimum race-length of 500 km. After a successful inaugural race, the AIACR elevated the Swiss Grand Prix to Grand Épreuve status.
Top-tier racing was quickly becoming the preserve of the major manufacturers and big customer teams. With limited funds and a good quantity of entries from those teams, race organisers were less likely to pay starting-money to the solo privateers. Thus, this year saw the formation in Paris of the Independent Drivers' Association, as they were gradually consigned to the lesser, local races in the Grand prix calendar.Fox 1973, p.61 This was also a reason that 1935 saw the rise in popularity of the voiturette formula, now extended to include 1.5-litre engines. It saw close racing between tried and tested Maserati and Bugatti models versus the new British ERA.
Technical Innovation The previous season had seen the strong debut of the two German works teams from Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union. For this year, Mercedes-Benz stayed with the W25 model, gradually boring out the engine from 3.7-litres to 4.0 then 4.3-litres.Cimarosti 1997, p.101 The gearbox was also uprated to be able to withstand the additional engine power. Designer Dr Hans Nibel had died of a stroke the previous November, and former racer Max Sailer had replaced him as Technical Director.Rendall 1993, p.143
By contrast, Auto Union unveiled its Type B, with 56 individual changes, including torsion bar rear suspension and increasing the engine size to 4.9-litres (and then 5.6-litres late in the season).Rendall 1993, p.142
The Alfa Romeo Tipo B had been the only car able to take on the German cars with any consistency. This year it was overhauled, getting an improved 3.2-litre engine, new independent rear-suspension and hydraulic brakes. Scuderia Ferrari stayed on as the works team, however the Tipo B was also now released to private sale and there were a number of buyers from Italy, France and Britain. Later in the year, the latest iteration of the 8C, the 8C-35 was given to Ferrari. A sleek new design in the style of the Mercedes, it had a 3.8-litre engine and fully independent suspension. Enzo Ferrari also unveiled the mighty Bimotore for the open-formula races on the high-speed tracks. Designed by Ferrari engineer Luigi Bazzi, it featured two 3.2-litre Tipo B engines, mounted in front of, and behind, the driver. The clutch was mounted by the front engine, with the gearbox between the engines and twin driveshafts sending power to the rear wheels.Cimarosti 1997, p.103 Despite its potential power (developing 540 bhp), it was very difficult to handle and ferocious on tyre wear and fuel consumption. Nuvolari, however, did set a flying kilometre speed-record later in the year on the Florence Autostrada.
Near the end of the season, Alfa Romeo released its new model to Ferrari – the 8C-35. The 3.8-litre engine was put onto a new chassis with a rear-mounted gearbox and swing-axle rear suspension. It was an interim measure while Vittorio Jano worked on a new V12.Ludvigsen 2008, p.79Ludvigsen 2008, p.90
Maserati had unveiled its next model, the 6C-34, to Nuvolari near the end of the last season to limited success. They continued to campaign both that and the older 8CM. In the middle of the year, they released the new V8-RI model. It had a supercharged 4.8-litre engine, was fitted with independent suspension on all four wheels, and rear-mounted drivetrain. However, the lack of interest from the company left it undeveloped.Ludvigsen 2008, p.90
Automobiles Ettore Bugatti saw that its Type 59 was uncompetitive, even with a bigger 3.8-litre. Therefore, the team chose only to contest the Championship sporadically. Instead they, and their fleet of customer drivers, entered the second tier races where the German teams did not arrive, with much improved reliability finally.