1933 French Grand Prix

The 1933 French Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race which was run on 11 June 1933, in Montlhéry, France. Organized by the French Automobile Club, it was XXVII running of the Grand Prix de l'Automobile Club de France. The race, which was held over 40 laps, was won by the Italian driver Giuseppe Campari in a privately entered Maserati. It was to be Campari's final victory, as he was killed just three months later at Monza. Philippe Étancelin and George Eyston, both in privateer Alfa Romeos, finished in second and third, respectively.[1][2]

1933 French Grand Prix
Race details
Date 11 June 1933
Official name XXVII Grand Prix de l'Automobile Club de France
Location Montlhéry, France
Course Autodrome de Linas-Montlhéry
Course length 12.50 km (7.767 miles)
Distance 40 laps, 500.0 km (310.7 miles)
Pole position
Driver Bugatti
Grid positions set by car number
Fastest lap
Driver Italy Giuseppe Campari Maserati
Time 5:23.0 on lap 39
Podium
First Maserati
Second Alfa Romeo
Third Alfa Romeo

Background

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In an attempt to attract more entrants, the Automobile Club de France (ACF) changed the event's registration fees and prize money. Registration fees had previously been 2,000–3,000 francs (F), but were reduced to just 100 F for the 1933 race. Prizes of 100,000 F, 50,000 F and 20,000 F were offered to the first three finishers, while there were also bonus prizes for drivers who had completed 10, 20 or 30 laps. The magnitude of the bonuses were dependent on a driver's average speed (3,000 F for 125 km/h, 2,000 F for 115 km/h, 1,000 F for 105 km/h).[1]

Problems with the grandstand at Montlhéry placed the event's staging in jeopardy. Repairs, estimated at 500,000–800,000 F, needed to be carried out before the race could take place.[1]

The race was also affected by the absence of a number of notable drivers. Frédéric Toselli, Louis Trintignant (brother of the future Formula One driver Maurice), and Guy Bouriat, all of whom had entered the French Grand Prix, had all been killed at previous events in May. In addition, Rudolf Caracciola was still recovering his broken thigh, an injury which had been incurred at Monaco, while Tim Birkin was ill with blood poisoning after being burnt at Tripoli. On top of that, the works Bugatti team—including drivers Achille Varzi, Albert Divo, William Grover-Williams and René Dreyfus—were forced to pull out of the event because their cars were not ready.[1]

Report

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Tazio Nuvolari's participation in the race was in doubt when his car was damaged during Saturday practice. It is thought that his Scuderia Ferrari teammate, Baconin Borzacchini, allowed Nuvolari to swap the cars that were assigned to them, meaning that Nuvolari took the #10 Alfa, while Borzacchini was now due to drive car #14 (which had a broken blower shaft). Just ten minutes before the start of the race, the team's mechanics pushed Borzacchini's car (#14) off the grid, putting Piero Taruffi's #38 Alfa in its place. As such, Taruffi was able to start three rows further forward than he otherwise would have.[1]

Nuvolari, from fifth on the grid, took the lead early on, while Campari followed eight seconds behind, after having made up nine positions on lap one. Taruffi and Zehender from the third row of the grid, were in third and fourth, respectively, followed by Chiron and Étancelin, who had both made significant gains in the early stages. Chiron and Étancelin both overtook the Maserati of Zehender during lap two, and two laps later, the pair also passed Taruffi, who had been deliberately holding them up. After four laps, Nuvolari and Campari were still in front, while Chiron was up to third, ahead of Philippe Étancelin, while Taruffi and Zehender were not far behind. Both Nuvolari and Chiron pitted after six laps, although neither lasted long after rejoining the race, leaving Campari in first place, with a lead of over half a minute over Taruffi and Étancelin after eight laps. Campari made a pitstop after thirteen laps, handing the lead briefly to Étancelin, before the Frenchman was overtaken by Taruffi. After sixteen laps, Campari was approximately half a minute behind, but by the end of the nineteenth lap he had retaken the lead. At half distance, Campari led from Taruffi, with Sommer and Étancelin in third and fourth, respectively. Soon after, Taruffi pulled into the pits, and his car eventually rejoined the race, now driven by Nuvolari, who after twenty-four laps was in fourth place, behind Campari, Étancelin and Moll. Nuvolari was promoted into third when Moll made a lengthy pitstop, while Eyston was up to fourth. On lap twenty-six, Nuvolari was once again forced to retire, leaving just six cars in the race. Another pitstop for Campari allowed Étancelin to take a half-minute lead, although, by lap thirty-six, the gap had been reduced to just three seconds. However, when rain began to fall, Campari took to the pits once again to change tyres, increasing his deficit to Étancelin to a full minute. With one lap remaining, the gap had been reduced to 23.2 seconds. With Étancelin unable to change gears, Campari was able to take the lead, and shortly after, the win, which was his final victory, and Maserati's first in a Grande Épreuve. Étancelin took second, ahead of Eyston in his Alfa Romeo. Sommer, Moll and Villars were final cars to finish.[1]

Entries

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No Driver Entrant Constructor Chassis Engine
2   Earl Howe Private entry Bugatti Bugatti T51 2.3 L8
4   Pierre Félix Private entry Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo Monza 2.3 L8
6   Juan Zanelli Private entry Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo Monza 2.3 L8
8   Julio Villars Equipe Villars Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo Monza 2.3 L8
10   Tazio Nuvolari Scuderia Ferrari Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo Monza 2.6 L8
12   Goffredo Zehender
  Luigi Fagioli
Maserati Maserati Maserati 8CM 3.0 L8
14   Baconin Borzacchini Scuderia Ferrari Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo Monza 2.6 L8
16   Achille Varzi Automobiles E. Bugatti Bugatti Bugatti T59 2.8 L8
18   George Eyston Bernard Rubin Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo Monza 2.3 L8
20   Albert Divo Automobiles E. Bugatti Bugatti Bugatti T51 2.3 L8
22   Stanisłas Czaykowski Count Czaykowski Bugatti Bugatti T54 5.0 L8
24   Pierre Bussienne Private entry Bugatti Bugatti T51 2.3 L8
26   Philippe Étancelin Private entry Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo Monza 2.3 L8
28   Horst von Waldthausen Equipe Villars Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo Monza 2.3 L8
30   William Grover-Williams Automobiles E. Bugatti Bugatti Bugatti T51 2.3 L8
32   Giuseppe Campari Private entry Maserati Maserati 8C-3000 3.0 L8
34   Prince Nicolas Nicolas/Romania Bugatti ? ?
36   Jean Gaupillat Private entry Bugatti Bugatti T51 2.3 L8
38   Piero Taruffi Scuderia Ferrari Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo Monza 2.6 L8
40   Benoît Falchetto Private entry Bugatti ? ?
42   Louis Chiron Scuderia CC Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo Monza 2.3 L8
44   Marcel Lehoux Private entry Bugatti Bugatti T51 2.3 L8
46   Guy Moll Private entry Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo Monza 2.3 L8
48   Jean-Pierre Wimille Private entry Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo Monza 2.3 L8
50   René Dreyfus Automobiles E. Bugatti Bugatti Bugatti T51 2.3 L8
52   Raymond Sommer Private entry Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo Monza 2.3 L8
?   Ernesto Maserati Officine A. Maserati Maserati ? ?
?   Frédéric Toselli ? Bugatti Bugatti T37A 1.5 L4
?   Louis Trintignant ? Bugatti ? ?
?   Guy Bouriat ? Bugatti ? ?
?   Rudolf Caracciola Scuderia CC Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo Monza 2.3 L8
?   Tim Birkin Bernard Rubin Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo Monza 2.3 L8

Starting grid

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First row
3 2 1
  Zanelli
Alfa Romeo
  Félix
Alfa Romeo
  Howe
Bugatti
Second row
5 4
  Nuvolari
Alfa Romeo
  Villars
Alfa Romeo
Third row
8 7 6
  Eyston
Alfa Romeo
  Taruffi
Alfa Romeo
  Zehender
Maserati
Fourth row
10 9
  Bussienne
Bugatti
  Czaykowski
Bugatti
Fifth row
13 12 11
  Campari
Maserati
  Waldthausen
Alfa Romeo
  Étancelin
Alfa Romeo
Sixth row
15 14
  Chiron
Alfa Romeo
  Gaupillat
Bugatti
Seventh row
18 17 16
  Wimille
Alfa Romeo
  Moll
Alfa Romeo
  Lehoux
Bugatti
Eighth row
19
  Sommer
Alfa Romeo

Classification

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Race

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Pos No Driver Car Laps Time/Retired Grid
1 32   Giuseppe Campari Maserati 8C-3000 40 3:48:45.4 13
2 26   Philippe Étancelin Alfa Romeo Monza 40 +52.0 11
3 18   George Eyston Alfa Romeo Monza 39 +1 lap 8
4 52   Raymond Sommer Alfa Romeo Monza 39 +1 lap 19
5 46   Guy Moll Alfa Romeo Monza 38 +2 laps 17
6 8   Julio Villars Alfa Romeo Monza 34 +6 laps 4
Ret 38   Piero Taruffi
  Tazio Nuvolari
Alfa Romeo Monza 25 Transmission 7
Ret 12   Goffredo Zehender Maserati 8CM 19 Shock absorbers 6
Ret 2   Earl Howe Bugatti T51 19 Injured eye by broken glass 1
Ret 6   Juan Zanelli Alfa Romeo Monza 19 Did not finish 3
Ret 4   Pierre Félix Alfa Romeo Monza 17 Engine 2
Ret 22   Stanisłas Czaykowski Bugatti T54 8 Gearbox bearing 9
Ret 42   Louis Chiron Alfa Romeo Monza 6 Transmission 15
Ret 10   Tazio Nuvolari Alfa Romeo Monza 6 Transmission 5
Ret 24   Pierre Bussienne Bugatti T51 5 Gearbox 10
Ret 28   Horst von Waldthausen Alfa Romeo Monza 4 Engine 12
Ret 48   Jean-Pierre Wimille Alfa Romeo Monza 2 Gearbox 18
Ret 44   Marcel Lehoux Bugatti T51 1 Connecting rod 16
Ret 36   Jean Gaupillat Bugatti T51 0 Ignition 14
DNS 14   Baconin Borzacchini Alfa Romeo Monza Did not follow team orders
DNA 12   Luigi Fagioli Maserati 8CM Car driven by Zehender
DNA 16   Achille Varzi Bugatti T59 Withdrawn, car not ready
DNA 20   Albert Divo Bugatti T51 Withdrawn, car not ready
DNA 30   William Grover-Williams Bugatti T51 Withdrawn, car not ready
DNA 34   Prince Nicolas Bugatti ? Did not show up
DNA 40   Benoît Falchetto Bugatti ? Did not show up
DNA 50   René Dreyfus Bugatti T51 Withdrawn, car not ready
DNA ?   Ernesto Maserati Maserati ? Did not show up
DNA ?   Frédéric Toselli Bugatti T37A Died May 5 after a crash
DNA ?   Louis Trintignant Bugatti ? Died May 20 at Picardy GP
DNA ?   Guy Bouriat Bugatti ? Died May 21 at Picardy GP
DNA ?   Rudolf Caracciola Alfa Romeo Monza Injured in hospital
DNA ?   Tim Birkin Alfa Romeo Monza Sick in London
Sources:[1][2]

Notes:

  • Campari's Maserati was push-started during a pit stop, which was technically a breach of Article 187 of the regulations. As such, Campari's win was protested after the race, but the Sporting Commissioners upheld the result, penalising him only with a 1000 F fine.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Etzrodt, Hans. "Campari won convincingly at Montlhéry with his privately entered Maserati". kolumbus.fi. Archived from the original on 30 October 2013. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
  2. ^ a b "XXVII Grand Prix de l'Automobile Club de France". teamdan.com. Archived from the original on 1 October 2018. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
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