The 1921 Grand Prix season saw motor racing in Europe blossom again. The French Grand Prix was held for the first time since 1914, at La Sarthe, Le Mans. and the inaugural Italian Grand Prix was held in Montichiari, near Brescia. The 3-litre formula of the AIACR, already in use at Indianapolis, was adopted by those Grand Prix meaning manufacturers could design on a common formula.
Wealthy privateer Conte Giulio Masetti, gave FIAT's only win in the Targa Florio, heading home a big field including a strong challenge from Max Sailer’s Mercedes. This year was the swansong of European involvement in the Indianapolis 500. For the third year in a row, Ralph DePalma recorded the fastest time in practise (driving for Ballot), but it was former Duesenberg driver Tommy Milton who comfortably won for Louis Chevrolet’s Frontenac team, on his way to claiming the AAA championship for 1921.
An international field lined up for the French Grand Prix, with entries from France, Great Britain, Italy and a late entry from the American Duesenberg team. Those cars had innovative hydraulically operated four-wheel brakes giving them a decided advantage on the sharp corners of the Le Mans course. Lead driver Jimmy Murphy had a big accident during practice but, heavily bandaged up, he took the start. Never seriously challenged in the race, Murphy became the first driver to win both an American and European Grand Prix, with DePalma coming home second for Ballot.
A promising field for the first Italian Grand Prix evaporated leaving just six cars – a two-way battle between Ballot and FIAT. By driving more consistently and looking after their tyres, it was a French victory for the Ballots of Goux and Chassagne, with Wagner’s FIAT being the only other finisher.
During the year, Germany opened its first purpose-built racing track – the very fast AVUS circuit just outside of Berlin. At the end of the year, the AIACR signalled the close of the 3-litre formula. Ballot shut down its racing program to concentrate on touring-car production and it marked the start of the divergence of the European and American racing scenes.
Major races Sources:Rendall 1993, p.359
Date Name Circuit RaceRegulations RaceDistance Winner'sTime Winning driver Winningconstructor Report 22 May I Circuito del Garda Salò Formula Libre 200 km 2h 47m Eugenio Silvani Bugatti Type 22 Report 29 May XII Targa Florio Medio Madonie Targa Florio 430 km 7h 25m Conte Giulio Masetti Fiat 451 Report 30 May IX International 500 Mile Sweepstakes Indianapolis AAA 500 miles 5h 35m Tommy Milton Frontenac Report 6 Jun I Coppa della Cascine Florence Formula Libre 110 km 1h 03m "Deo" (Amadeo Chiribiri) Chiribiri Report 26 Jun I Grand Prix de MCF Provins Cyclecar 300 km 3h 49m Chabreiron E.H.P.-Ruby Report 3 Jul I Grand Prix de Boulogne Boulogne-sur-Mer Voiturette 500 km 5h 46m Joseph Collomb La Licorne Report 24 Jul II Circuito di Mugello Mugello Formula Libre 390 km 6h 13m Giuseppe Campari Alfa Romeo 40/60 Report 26 Jul XV French Grand Prix Le Mans AIACR 515 km 4h 07m Jimmy Murphy Duesenberg Report 4 Sep I Italian Grand Prix V Coppa Florio Montichiari AIACR 520 km 3h 35m Jules Goux Ballot 3-litre Report 8 Sep I Gran Premio della Vetturette Voiturette 350 km 2h 59m Ernest Friderich Bugatti Type 22 Report 12 Sep Circuito di Brescia Voiturette 350 km 3h 10m Franz Conelli Bugatti Type 22 Report 17 Sep III Grand Prix de l’UMF Le Mans Cyclecar 310 km 3h 32m André Lombard Salmson AL Report 18 Sep IX Coupe des Voiturettes Voiturette 440 km 3h 52m René Thomas Talbot-Darracq 56 Report 25 Sep I Coppa Montenero Montenero Formula Libre 110 km 2h 44m Corrado Lotti Ansaldo 2000 Report 16 Oct I Gran Premi Penya Rhin Villafranca Voiturette 440 km 5h 11m Pierre de Vizcaya Bugatti Type 22 Report 22 Nov I Junior Car Club 200 Brooklands Voiturette 200 miles 2h 16m Henry Segrave Talbot-Darracq 56 Report
Regulations and technical The regulations set up by the AIACR (forerunner of the FIA) the previous year remained in force: an engine limit of 3.0-litres, with a minimum weight of 800 kg. These were being taken up in Europe and the United States, allowing manufacturers a unified platform to design around.Cimarosti 1997, p.56-7 This year the Targa Florio regulations were open to any-sized racing cars, as well as production cars available to the public, divided into four engine-capacity categories (split at 2.0, 3.0 and 4.5-litres).
The new Duesenberg was fitted with hydraulic brakes on all four wheels. Using pressurised glycerine and water, it was the first racing car to be fitted with them.Spurring 2015, p.26 It would be a further ten years until Maserati picked them up as well.Monkhouse 1953, p.3
Manufacturer ModelCimarosti 1997, p.57 Engine PowerOutput Max. Speed (km/h) Dry Weight (kg) Ballot 3-Litre Ballot 3.0L S8 108 bhp 180 920 Peugeot Indianapolis Peugeot 3.0L S4 110 bhp 180 1050 Duesenberg GP Duesenberg 3.0L S8 115 bhp 185 1160 Frontenac Frontenac 3.0L S8 125 bhp 180 1020 Miller Miller 3.0L S8 125 bhp 185 990 Alfa Romeo 40/60 Alfa Romeo 6.1L S4 82 bhp 160 1100 Alfa Romeo 20/30 ES Alfa Romeo 4.3L S4 67 bhp 170 920 Fiat S.p.A. 801-402 FIAT 3.0L S8 120 bhp 155 830 Mercedes Benz 28/95 Mercedes 7.3L S6 150 bhp 185 980
Season review The season opened in Italy in May. A number of local events were held across the country this year. In the first, the northern Circuito del Garda, was entered a 30-year old motorcyclist, now trying his hand at four-wheel racing – Tazio Nuvolari, driving an Ansaldo.Rendall 1993, p.90-1 The Targa Florio returned to its springtime date and attracted one of its biggest and best fields to date. It included a number of Italian grand prix and sports cars, as well as a 1914 works Mercedes driven by Max Sailer from Stuttgart for the event. The Alfa Corse team returned with a 6-litre 40/60 for team leader Giuseppe Campari, and there were 20/30 hp ES sports models for Antonio Ascari, Enzo Ferrari, Ugo Sivocci and Giuseppe Baldoni. The FIAT team had a pair of 3-litre 801s for Ferdinando Minoia and Pietro Bordino, while wealthy privateer, the Conte Giulio Masetti drove a S57/14B. Other privateers filled the field with a range of Italian cars including Diatto and SCAT, Ceirano and Itala from the Ceirano brothers.
Sailer set the pace from the start, taking the lead with the fastest lap of the race on the first lap. But Masetti's skill got him the lead the next time around. Despite Sailer's pressure, he held on to win by two minutes in what was to be FIAT's only win in this iconic Italian event.Ludvigsen 2008, p.33 The three Alfa Romeos of Campari, Sivocci and Ferrari were next.
Once again, a solid field lined up for the Indianapolis 500, but the European presence was reduced. Ballot only had a single car, for Ralph DePalma, and Peugeot just had a pair of cars for Howdy Wilcox and Jean Chassagne. Sunbeam had three cars for René Thomas, André Boillot and Ora Haibe while another for former champion Dario Resta did not eventuate.
Louis Chevrolet had a four-strong team in his new Frontenacs. After his brother had been killed at the end of the previous year, Tommy Milton had been brought in from Duesenberg to lead the team, that included veteran Ralph Mulford and the team's engineer-driver Cornelius van Ranst. The Duesenberg brothers entered a big team of seven cars with their new straight-eights. French veteran Albert Guyot joined Jimmy Murphy, Joe Boyer and Roscoe Sarles (both latterly of Frontenac).
For the third year running, DePalma set the fastest qualifying lap, sharing the front row with Milton's Frontenac and Ira Vail’s Miller-engined special. DePalma led for the first half of the race, but then he got tied up trying to lap Thomas's Sunbeam. In the process he damaged his engine and had to retire. This moved Milton's Frontenac into the lead with Sarles in second. The Duesenberg pit vigorously exhorted Sarles to chase down Milton. To prove a point to his former team, Milton slowed to let him pass before blasting straight back around him and then cruised off to take a comfortable victory of nearly four minutes. Only eight cars finished the race, with Bennett Hill finishing 45 minutes behind Milton in 7th. Frontenac and Duesenberg dominated the results and the only European car to finish this year was Haibe's Sunbeam in 5th.
Three wins, five seconds and competing in 19 of the 20 Championship races (more than any other driver), gave Milton sufficient points to comfortably win the 1921 AAA championship from Sarles and Eddie Hearne when it was retroactively calculated in 1927.
Without doubt, the premier event of the year was the return of the French Grand Prix, in what promised to be an exciting showdown between some of the best cars from Europe and the United States. The ACO, having held the Coupe des Voiturettes the previous year on its new circuit just south of Le Mans, was awarded the honour of the first post-war Grand Prix. A strong field was entered, with the favourites being the Ballot team. Louis Wagner, Chassagne and DePalma were in the 3-litre cars while Jules Goux ran a new 2-litre sports-car prototype.Venables 2009, p.37
Émile Mathis was the sole other French entrant with a car of his own manufacture. Still so close to war's end, German teams were not invited. The Anglo-French STD (Sunbeam) company had seven cars entered, however ten days out from the race Louis Coatalen, racing director realised the cars would not be prepared and withdrew the team. When the drivers protested he relented to let anyone who could be ready to race. In the event four started – those for René Thomas, André Boillot and Brooklands regulars Kenelm Lee Guinness and Henry Segrave - while another STD entrant, alcohol heir André Dubonnet, switched to Duesenberg to replace their injured driver, Inghilbert.Rendall 1993, p.92-3 FIAT had entered three of its new 802 models, including cars for Bordino, and Sivocci (formerly at Alfa Romeo). However industrial unrest in Italy prevented them being ready and delivered in time. When entries closed the list was quite short. Fred Duesenberg had been keen to send four cars across but could not afford the shipping costs. When French-American spark-plug manufacturer Albert Champion provided $60000 of sponsorship, their entries were gladly received. The works drivers of Murphy, Guyot and Boyer were supplemented by French driver Louis Inghilbert.
The Duesenberg's hydraulic brakes caused quite a stir. While the Ballots had better handling, the Duesenbergs would be able to brake later at the Pontlieue and Mulsanne hairpins at the end of long straights. In practise the weight shifting caused many problems and when on a sighting lap with Inghilbert, Murphy crashed heavily. When Murphy's mechanic noticed the Ballot had smaller brakes at the rear, the team made a similar change and greatly improving performance. Meanwhile, Inghilbert had four broken ribs and could not race but Murphy, heavily bandaged up, discharged himself from hospital two hours before the race.Spurring 2015, p.28Legate 2006, p.22 In the Ballot camp, Édouard Ballot could not understand how DePalma was consistently faster than his local drivers. Then it was found that DePalma had moved the gear-lever in-board for his mechanic to do the gear-changes. This saved precious seconds down-shifting for the hard-braking corners. Ballot was furious and had the team work all night before the race to transfer the gear-lever back out to the driver's side.