European Championship (auto racing)
The European Grand Prix racing was the most important championship in motor racing before the introduction of the Formula 1 World Championship for drivers in 1950. She was discharged 1935-1939, based on the results of selected Grand Prix races, the so-called Grandes Epreuves, each one for each country, each respectively the most important Grand Prix races in the country.
The season in 1935 with five race: the Grand Prix of Belgium, the Grand Prix of Germany, the Italian Grand Prix, the Grand Prix of Spain, as well as the Grand Prix of Switzerland. ( The Grand Prix of the ACF, the most important race of the time, due to animosity against the French, proposed by the German Championship at the beginning was not part of the European Championship! )
1936, the Belgian and the Spanish Grand Prix was taken out of the championship and for that received the Grand Prix of Monaco. In 1937 the Belgian races back to it. 1938, the Monaco race, the Belgian Grand Prix was canceled and discharged as a sports car race. But ultimately the French Grand Prix was part of the European Championship. In the last season in 1939, finally, the Italian race was taken out of the championship, as it was advertised for Voiturette racing cars with 1.5 liter displacement. For the Belgian Grand Prix was again part of the championship.
- Grand Prix Season 1935: Belgian Grand Prix, Grand Prix of Germany, Italian Grand Prix, Spanish Grand Prix, Grand Prix of Switzerland
- Grand Prix Season 1936: Monaco Grand Prix, Grand Prix of Germany, Italian Grand Prix, Grand Prix of Switzerland
- Grand Prix Season 1937: Belgian Grand Prix, Grand Prix of Germany, Italian Grand Prix, Monaco Grand Prix, Grand Prix of Switzerland
- Grand Prix Season 1938: Grand Prix of Germany, Italian Grand Prix, Grand Prix of the ACF Grand Prix of Switzerland
- Grand Prix Season 1939: Grand Prix of Germany, Belgian Grand Prix, Grand Prix of the ACF Grand Prix of Switzerland
The European Evaluation was based on a system in which the driver of the first 3 places the score got that corresponded place. On the following places points were awarded 4-7, depending on how far the driver had come in the race. 8 Points were awarded for when a driver had not taken part in a race. At the end of the season the driver was European champion, who had the fewest points. In 1938, the dot award eg successor reasonably:
- Win - 1 point
- 2nd place - 2 points
- 3rd place - 3 points
- 4th Place and all the other drivers who had driven at least 3/4 of the race distance - 4 points
- All drivers who had covered at least half race distance - 5 points
- All drivers who had driven at least 1/4 of the race distance - 6 points
- All drivers who had traveled less than 1/4 of the race distance - 7 points
- All drivers who did not participate in the race - 8 points
A driver could only receive points for one car, with which he had started a race. This provision was important because it was not uncommon at the time that several drivers took turns on a race car.
European Championship results
Note 1: Oddly agree the scores listed in contemporary publications do not completely agree with the points that arise after the award procedure described above. For example, Rudolf Caracciola is listed in contemporary reports for the 1935 season with 16 points.
Note 2: In 1939 there was no official European champions. However, the Supreme National Sports Authority of Germany declared Hermann Lang thereto, in the calculation of scores an enigmatic approach was applied to the day. After the previous applied point system Hermann Paul Müller would have been European champions. See also: European Champion 1939