The 1925 Grand Prix season was the first year for the new AIACR World Manufacturers' Championship season. The championship was won by Alfa Romeo, with its P2 model.
In January, the AIACR had settled on the championship format – four Grands Prix to be held in the US, Belgium, France and Italy (of minimum 800km length), with compulsory attendance of the Italian GP and the manufacturer's home race to qualify. The best three of the four results would count. It ran on the successful 2-litre formula already in place.
This year, the Targa Florio was a competition between the French teams of Bugatti and Peugeot as the major Italian teams did not enter. In a close race, the Peugeots initially led but it was the smaller Bugatti of Bartolomeo Costantini that came through for the victory. Louis Wagner was second for Peugeot, after he was delayed when stopping to assist his teammate, Christian d'Auvergne, who had been seriously injured in an accident.
Only a small entry lined up for the Indianapolis 500, dominated by Millers. Dave Lewis ran the new Miller – the first front-wheel drive car to enter the race. The Duesenberg challenge was led by the previous year's winner Peter DePaolo. From the start the Duesenberg teammates DePaolo and Phil Shafer set the pace. Just after halfway, DePaolo pitted suffering from blistered hands, taking relief from Norman Batten while the injury was attended to. Lewis in the FWD Miller got to the lead but was reeled in by DePaolo after he had gotten back in his car. Lewis in turn was substituted by Bennett Hill who had retired earlier. Although Hill charged hard, DePaolo held on and won by almost a minute, with Shafer third. It was the first time the race had been won in under 5 hours, averaging over 100mph. Pete DePaolo would go on to win the AAA championship.
The inaugural Belgian Grand Prix had only seven entrants with only the Alfa Romeo and Delage works teams starting. Then when all four of the French cars had retired by half distance, it left just Antonio Ascari and Giuseppe Campari circulating to give Alfa Romeo a 1–2 victory. The blue riband French Grand Prix did have a more complete entry list and was held on the recently completed full circuit at Montlhéry. Once again Ascari leaped into the lead until he misjudged a corner and crashed. Seriously injured, he died on the way to the hospital. When the news was announced the rest of the Alfa Romeo team was withdrawn. After that, Robert Benoist led giving Delage a 1–2 victory and becoming the first Frenchman to win his home Grand Prix since 1913.
The Italian Grand Prix was the final race of the championship. Alfa Romeo, Delage and Duesenberg had one win apiece but Delage chose not to contest it. Duesenberg entered two cars for Tommy Milton and Pete Kreis. Indianapolis winner Pete DePaolo also came across, taking the place of Ascari in the Alfa Corse team. Bugatti entered its new 1.5-litre models. Kreis in the Duesenberg led at the start but crashed on lap 3. The Alfas then set the pace but when they pitted for fuel Milton led until he was delayed with a slow pitstop. Brilli-Peri took a comfortable win by 20 minutes from Campari, thus giving Alfa Romeo the Manufacturer's Championship.
In the middle of the year, Germany was admitted into the AIACR, allowing German teams to enter the Championship in 1926. This was the last year of the current 2-litre formula. Increased concerns about the high speeds and safety led the AIACR change the regulations the following year to the 1.5-litre voiturette class for Grand Prix racing.
Manufacturers' World Championship Sources: Rendall 1993, p.360
Rnd Date Name Circuit RaceRegulations Weather RaceDistance Winner'sTime Winning driver Winningconstructor Fastestlap Report 1 30 May XIII International 500 Mile Sweepstakes Indianapolis AAA sunny 500 miles 4h 57m Pete DePaolo Duesenberg 122 not recorded Report 2 28 Jun I Belgian Grand Prix III European Grand Prix Spa-Francorchamps AIACR fine 800 km 6h 43m Antonio Ascari Alfa Romeo P2 8C/2000 Antonio AscariAlfa Romeo Report 3 26 Jul XIX French Grand Prix Montlhéry AIACR fine then rain 1000 km 8h 55m Robert Benoist Albert Divo Delage 2LCV Albert DivoDelage Report 4 6 Sep V Italian Grand Prix Monza AIACRVoiturette sunny 800 km 5h 15m Conte Gastone Brilli-Peri Alfa Romeo P2 8C/2000 Pete KreisDuesenberg Report
Other races Major non-championship races are in bold Sources: Rendall 1993, p.360
Date Name Circuit RaceRegulations Weather RaceDistance Winner'sTime Winning driver Winningconstructor Report A 22 Feb I Premio Reale di Roma Monte Mario Formula LibreVoiturette fine 425 km 4h 21m Carlo Masetti Bugatti Type 35 Report 8 Mar I Grand Prix de Provence Miramas Formula Libre cloudy 500 km 3h 59m Henry Segrave Talbot 70 Report 18 Apr I Gran Premio di Tripoli Tripoli Formula Libre sunny 210 km 2h 15m Renato Balestrero OM 665 S Report 26 Apr II Circuito di Alessandria Alessandria Formula Libre briefrain 255 km 3h 11m Massimo Degiovannini Bugatti Type 22 Report B3 May VIII Coppa FlorioMedio MadonieTarga Floriohot 432 km 6h 04m André Boillot Peugeot 174 SReport XVI Targa FlorioThe Targa Florio and the Coppa Florio were run simultaneously over the same route. The Targa Florio comprised four laps of the 108 km route for a total of 432 km, and the Coppa Florio added a fifth lap, for a total of 540 km. It was possible to win one and not the other. 540 km 7h 32m Meo Constantini Bugatti Type 35 17 May II Grand Prix de l’Ouverture Montlhéry Voiturette fine then rain 500 km 3h 12m George Duller Talbot 70 Report I Solituderennen Solitude Formula Libre sunny 225 km 2h 48m Otto Merz Mercedes M72/94 PP TF Report 21 May III Circuito di Savio Ravenna Formula Libre sunny 300 km 2h 48m Emilio Materassi Itala Special 5.8L Report 24 May II Coppa della Perugina Perugia Formula Libre briefrain 300 km 2h 46m Conte Gastone Brilli-Peri Ballot Indianapolis 1919 Report 31 May VI Circuito di Mugello Mugello Formula Libre hot 360 km 5h 13m Emilio Materassi Itala Special 5.8L Report I Coppa Etna Gelso Bianco Formula Libre sunny 250 km 2h 51m Costantino Magistri Bugatti Type 13 Report 19 Jun IV Eifelrennen Nideggen Formula LibreVoiturette rain 500 km 6h 55m Vittorio Rosa Alfa Romeo RL SS Report 21 Jun II Coppa Acerbo Pescara Formula Libre hot 510 km 5h 28m Guido Ginaldi Alfa Romeo RL TF Report 5 Jul I Coppa Vinci Messina Formula Libre sunny 260 km 3h 43m Renato Balestrero OM 665 S Report 2 Aug I Grand Prix de la Marne Beine-Nauroy Formula Libre ? 220 km 2h 09m Pierre Clause Bignan Report 16 Aug V Coppa Montenero Montenero Formula Libre hot 225 km 3h 17m Emilio Materassi Itala Special Report 29 Aug V Grand Prix de Boulogne Boulogne-sur-Mer Voiturette ? 450 km 4h 20m Bunny Marshall Bugatti Type 22 Report 6 Sep I Grand Prix du Comminges Saint-Gaudens Formula Libre ? 390 km 4h 49m Goury Bignan B Report C 19 Sep III Gran Premio de San Sebastián Lasarte AIACR hot 710 km 5h 45m Albert Divo André Morel Delage 2LCV Report 29 Sep V Junior Car Club 200 Brooklands VoituretteCyclecar ? 200 miles 2h 35m Henry Segrave Talbot-Darracq 70 Report 18 Oct V Circuito del Garda Salò Formula Libre sunny 250 km 2h 56m Conte Aymo Maggi Bugatti Type 35 Report 22 Nov I Apuano Circuit Carrara Formula Libre ? 160 km 1h 58m Renato Balestrero OM 665 S Report
Teams and drivers Sources: Entrant Constructor Chassis Engine Tyre Driver Rounds Alfa Corse Alfa Romeo RL Targa FlorioP2 8C/2000 Alfa Romeo 3.0L S6Alfa Romeo 2.0L S8 s/c Antonio Ascari 2, 3; A Giuseppe Campari 2, 3, 4 Conte Gastone Brilli-Peri 2, 3, 4 Peter DePaolo 4 Giovanni Minozzi 4* Duesenberg Bros Duesenberg Type 122 Duesenberg 2.0L S8 s/c Peter DePaolo 1 Phil Shafer 1 Pete Kreis 1, 4 Wade Morton 1 Norman Batten 1* Jimmy Gleason 1* Miller Automobiles Miller Type 122 Miller 2.0L S8 s/c Bennett Hill 1 Jules Ellingboe 1 Cliff Durant Miller Junior 8 Type 122 Miller 2.0L S8 s/c Miller 2.0L S8 s/c Dave Lewis 1 Earl Cooper 1 Harry Hartz Miller Type 122 Miller 2.0L S8 s/c Harry Hartz 1 Fred Comer 1 “Leon Duray” 1 Ira Vail 1 Tommy Milton MillerDuesenberg Type 122Type 122 Miller 2.0L S8 s/cDuesenberg 2.0L S8 s/c Tommy Milton 1, 4 Bob McDonogh 1 Usines Bugatti Bugatti Type 35Type 39 Type 37 Bugatti 2.0L S8Bugatti 1.5L S8 s/cBugatti 1.5L S4 Meo Constantini , 3, 4; B, C Pierre de Vizcaya , 3, 4; B, C Ferdinand de Vizcaya 3, 4; B, C Jules Goux 3, 4 Giulio Foresti 4 Automobiles Delage Delage Delage 2LCV Delage 2.0L V12 s/c Albert Divo 2, 3, ; C Robert Benoist 2, 3, ; C René Thomas 2, ; C Paul Torchy 2, 3*, ; C Louis Wagner 3 André Morel C* STD Motors Ltd Sunbeam GP Sunbeam 2.0L S4 s/c Henry Segrave , 3; [C] Conte Giulio Masetti , 3; C Caberto Conelli , 3; [C] SA AutocontruzioniDiatto Diatto 20S Diatto 2.0L S4 s/c Alfieri Maserati 4; [C] Emilio Materassi 4; [C] Officine Meccaniche O.M. Tipo 665 S O.M. 2.0L S6 Renato Balestrero A, B Giuseppe Morandi A Archimede Rosa A Fab. Torinese VelivoliChiribiri & Cie Chiribiri 12/16 Chiribiri 1.5L S4 Luigi Platé 4; A ? . Santoleri 4 ? “Nino” A SA des Autoset Cycles Peugeot Peugeot Type 174 Sport Peugeot 3.8L S4 André Boillot B Louis Wagner B Louis Rigal B Christian d'Auvergne B SA AutomobilesEduardo Bianchi Bianchi 18 Bianchi 2L Luigi Lopez [B] Tatra-Werke AG Tatra 12 Tatra 1.1L F2 Alfieri Maserati B Emilio Materassi B
Significant Privateer drivers Entrant Constructor Chassis Engine Tyre Driver Rounds Private Entrant Fiat 805/405 Fiat 2.0L S8 s/c Pietro Bordino 1 Private Entrant Miller Type 122 Miller 2.0L S8 s/c Ralph DePalma 1 Private Entrant Eldridge Special Anzani 1.5L S4 Ernest Eldridge , 4 Private Entrant Guyot Spéciale Schmid 2.0L S6sleeve-valve supercharged Albert Guyot 4 Private Entrant Alfa Romeo RL Targa Florio Alfa Romeo 3.0L S6 Guido Ginaldi A, B Private Entrant Bugatti Type 35 Bugatti 2.0L S8 Conte Carlo Masetti A Note: * was raced as a relief driver. Those in brackets show, although entered, the driver did not race
Regulations and technical The AIACR (forerunner of the FIA) 2-litre regulations for Grand Prix races remained unchanged. In the United States, the American Automobile Association (AAA) stayed with the same regulations as well. The AIACR followed the American example to remove the mandatory mechanic on board, replacing him with a compulsory rear-view mirror instead. Rendall 1993, p.110 As the circuits used became shorter, as well as the danger to the passenger, the mechanic had become superfluous. Legate 2006, p.12 Incongruously, the cars still had to be 2-seaters. Monkhouse 1953, p.6
The Targa Florio regulations remained open to any sized cars. The smallest engine classes were merged up to 1.1-litres and only ran three laps. Each car had a minimum weight of 120kg and, unlike other regulations, had to have a driver and a mechanic (who was not permitted to drive). The crew was allowed to be swapped at the end of a lap with a pre-registered substitute crew. With a maximum time limit of 10 hours, each entry had to finish within an hour of the class winner to be classified. The Targa Florio and Coppa Florio were held simultaneously, with the Coppa was held over just four laps, with teams paying extra to enter both races. The Coppa Ciano was only open to factory entries who had registered. The two smaller classes – to 1.1-litre and to 1.5-litre only ran 3 laps.
The World Championship Cimarosti 1997, p.68 As early as the October 1923 meeting of the AIACR, there were discussions about holding an international championship. The initial ideas were for a European competition including grand prix, touring car and endurance events but there were concerns about achieving a balance of performance.