Luigi Fagioli wins the 1935 Monte Carlo Grand Prix; Rudolf Caracciola becomes European Champion with the Silver Arrow in 1935, 1937 and 1938

 

Monaco Grand Prix, 22 April 1935. Eventual race winner Luigi Fagioli in his Mercedes-Benz 750-kilogram W 25 formula racing car with number 4 shortly before the Gasometer curve. (Photo index number in the Mercedes-Benz Classic Archives: 21696)

90 years ago

• The European Championship is regarded as the forerunner of the Formula 1 World Championship introduced in 1950

From the 1920s onwards, the most important motorsport events were called “Grandes Épreuves”. The Grand Prix European Championship was created from these “Grand Tests” in 1931 – but was suspended in 1933 and 1934. Nonetheless, races were still held. From 1934, Mercedes-Benz joined the fray with the new W 25 and won two of the six Grandes Épreuves – on a par with Alfa Romeo. From 1935 to 1939, the European Championship title was again awarded, but with different racing formulae. The first championship race according to the 750-kilogram formula introduced in 1934 took place on 22 April 1935. Italian racing driver Luigi Fagioli won it with the Mercedes-Benz W 25. In 1935, the ME 25 engine of the first Silver Arrow produced up to 363 kW (494 hp) at 5,800 rpm from a displacement of 4,740 cubic centimetres. Mercedes-Benz dominated the 1935 motorsport season. Rudolf Caracciola became European champion, as he did in 1937 (with the W 125) and 1938 (with the W 154 for the new, displacement-based racing formula). In 1939, his team-mate Hermann Lang won the most races in the European Championship with the W 154. After the end of the war, the brand entered the new Formula 1 World Championship in 1954 and 1955, with Juan Manuel Fangio twice becoming champion in the Mercedes-Benz W 196 R. Mercedes-Benz returned to Formula 1 in 1994 and has been represented in the premier class of motorsport ever since: initially as an engine supplier for Sauber, McLaren and Brawn, and with its own works team since 2010.

Sex in the Rumble Seat -- an Advertisement from the 1920s: The Dangers of Spooning!

 

This ad about the dangers of spooning says it all!  From what I have seen of rumble seats, this had to be quite a feat.

Chinese Grand Prix Results, 2025

• George Russell finished third and Kimi Antonelli battled home to P8, despite floor damage, in Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix.
• George Russell lined up on the front-row alongside the McLaren of Oscar Piastri for the 56-lap race. As the lights went out, George made the better start but couldn’t quite pass the Australian; as he backed out, Lando Norris was able to get ahead.
• Kimi meanwhile, starting P8, gained one position by passing the Racing Bull of Isaac Hadjar. Unfortunately, he suffered significant floor damage that compromised his entire race, likely from running over debris.
• Nevertheless, the Italian battled on gamely. After switching to the Hard compound, he fought the other Racing Bull of Yuki Tsunoda and ultimately used a one-stop strategy to finish P8.
• George meanwhile controlled his pace throughout before deploying the undercut to regain Norris for P2.
• Ultimately, the pace of the McLarens was too strong and Norris retook second position in the second stint.
• Nevertheless, George drove a faultless race to maximise the result and take P3 and make it back-to-back podiums to start the year and an all Mercedes-powered top-three.
• George’s P3 marks Mercedes-Benz’s 300^th podium in F1 as a works team, and his own best start to an F1 season after two races.
• The team now returns to Brackley after this opening double-header before kicking off the Japan/Bahrain/Saudi Arabia triple-header in two weeks’ time.
  

Driver	Grid	Result	Fastest Lap	Start Tyre	Stop One
George Russell	P2	P3	1:35.816	Medium	Hard (L14)
Kimi Antonelli	P8	P8	1:36.046	Medium	Hard (L12)

George Russell

P3 was the maximum for us today. We can therefore be pleased with the result and getting our second podium in two races to start the season. I made a good start and tried to take the lead from Oscar (Piastri). It was unfortunate to not be able to make the pass, and then to lose out to Lando, but fair play to Oscar as he defended well. Overall, the McLarens were just a little bit too quick for us. As much as we want our race to be with them, at the moment it isn’t. We therefore have to be happy that we were best of the rest today.

It has been a really positive start our season. We finished P3 in Melbourne, P4 in the Sprint yesterday, and P3 again today. We have been consistent, and the car has felt good. We will keep working hard to make it faster and hopefully we can close the gap to the very front.

Kimi Antonelli

The race was pretty tough after I suffered floor damage on lap one. It looks like I hit some debris and that affected the performance quite heavily. I struggled with the rear in particular after that and that was something I wasn’t expecting. It definitely hindered my pace, but it was good learning to have to deal with that. I think we can still be happy that we were able to bring home some points in P8, even though that wasn’t what we were hoping for ahead of the race. I want to say a thank you to the fans for voting me driver of the day. I definitely wasn’t expecting it given how my race went but it’s great to see the support from the fans.

Overall, I’m happy with how I, and the team as a whole, have started the year. I think one of the main points of learning for me has been Qualifying. If I can put it all together on a Saturday then we will be starting further forward, less likely to get involved in incidents, and can maximise the pace of the car. I’m excited to get to work ahead of the next triple-header and come back refreshed for the races in Japan, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia.

Toto Wolff, Team Principal & CEO

That was a solid afternoon’s work. A podium felt like the realistic best-case scenario for us ahead of the race and that is what we were able to achieve. We knew that the McLarens were going to be very strong, and that the Ferraris and Verstappen were also going to be a threat. I don’t often give 10 out of 10s as I think there is always room to improve but George was faultless today. He extracted the maximum from the car and for me, that was a 10 out of 10 drive. He has started this season incredibly well and is performing exactly as we knew he would as the senior driver.

Kimi’s race was unfortunately compromised by floor damage he sustained on the first lap. He kept his head down though and fought really hard, despite the sizeable performance deficit he was carrying, to come home a creditable P8. He didn’t complain throughout the race, just kept focused on the job, and that’s exactly what we want to see.

Overall, it’s been a good start to the new season. The ambition is to win but we don’t feel any entitlement that we should. The car is not quite as fast as the McLaren as the moment, but the team are working hard to close that gap. For now, we are maximising the performance we have and to leave China second in the Constructors’ Championship, having taken two podiums for the first two races, is satisfying.

Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director

We're very pleased to get our second podium of the year with George. He lost one place in the first corner, which meant that McLaren could control the race and realistically, third was the best we could achieve today. There was still a threat to defend from behind with the Ferraris and Verstappen, but it was encouraging that we had the pace to keep them at arm’s length today.

Kimi was unlucky to pick up debris damage to his underfloor on lap one when he likely ran over some bits of the Ferrari front wing. That really hurt his performance today. We're nevertheless pleased that he could bring home some points, but it's a shame as he would have had fun racing with Verstappen and the Ferraris had it not been for that damage. 

Overall, we're pleased with how the first two races of the season have gone. The car is working well over a range of conditions and whilst we'll always hope for more, the performance we've seen is encouraging as we can certainly improve from here. This is the most solid start to a season that we've had for three years. We have a big task ahead of us to catch McLaren but we're not short of motivation and very excited for the season ahead.

Chinese Grand Prix, Preview, 2025 -- Mercedes-Benz

The second race of the 2025 F1 season takes place at the Shanghai International Circuit in China, incorporating the first Sprint weekend of the year. 

• Toto talks China
• Fact File: Chinese Grand Prix
• Stat Sheet: Chinese Grand Prix

Toto Talks China

We leave Australia with many positives but also a healthy dose of realism as to where we stand in the pecking order. The W16 provided a stable platform for the drivers, was less prone to swings in performance relative to the conditions than its predecessor, and at moments, showed strong enough pace to challenge at the front. It’s clear we have taken a good step forward over the winter. Our focus is now on unlocking more potential and adding performance. We are excited for that challenge.

The race itself was well-executed. We made the right decisions at the right time to claim our first podium of the season. George drove a flawless race, pushing when he needed to, managing his pace to capitalise on the podium and taking advantage of the opportunities when they presented themselves. A top performance and just underlies his speed, maturity and intelligence.

For Kimi, he could not have asked for a more difficult task on his Grand Prix debut: starting out of position, facing extremely difficult conditions and, at times, a treacherous track.

Nevertheless, he handled everything that was thrown at him with a maturity beyond his years. His speed when in free air was impressive and his confidence and decisiveness when overtaking were superb. There will be challenging moments for him across the season, but we are pleased with the trajectory we are seeing from him already. P4 was a just reward.

We now head to Shanghai and look forward to returning to China after what was a remarkable Grand Prix last year. You could sense the passion and energy from the fans as F1 returned to the country for the first time in five years. As the world's largest automotive market, and one of the world's biggest economies, China is crucial to the sport's global footprint. I am sure this year will see another great event.

Fact File: Chinese Grand Prix

• The Chinese Grand Prix returned to the calendar for the first time since 2019 in 2024, having first appeared on the F1 calendar in 2004.
• The 2019 race was also F1000, the 1000^th Grand Prix since the official inception of the sport in 1950.
• The 5.451km layout features 16 turns (nine right, seven left). The racing lap record from the first race in 2004 still stands today, set by Michael Schumacher.
• Shanghai International Circuit holds special memories for our team too, having been the site of our first win since returning to the sport when Nico Rosberg triumphed in 2012.
• Our first F1 pole in the modern era also came at the track in 2012.
• In 2005, the circuit hosted the season finale for the one and only time.
• Having originally taken place towards the end of the F1 calendar, the race moved to a more permanent slot in the early stages of the season from 2009.
• In 2024, the Chinese Grand Prix saw more non-DRS-assisted overtakes (25) than any other race on the calendar, with the hairpin at the end of the long back straight a popular overtaking spot.
• The first seven Chinese Grand Prix were all won by different drivers.
• Mercedes claimed six consecutive pole positions at the track between 2012 and 2017
• Like 2024, Shanghai will also host the first F1 Sprint race weekend of the season.
• The circuit has been fully resurfaced ahead of this year’s event.
• With a podium finish on Sunday, the team can claim Mercedes-Benz’s 300^th top three finish in F1 history.
• For 2025, China will host the first round of the F1 ACADEMY season. Mercedes Junior Driver Doriane Pin will represent the team in the series for a second campaign this season.

 

Interesting Video -- German Auto Industry and racing, 1950-52

The beginnings of reconstruction and first models released to the public after World War II in Germany. And there are clips of racing in Germany at the Hochenheim Ring, AVUA, and Nurburgring.  German enthusiasts were as addicted to speed as those in he victorious allied countries. Take a look! In German, but you can get the idea even if you do not know the language well.

"Who Said I Can’t?” When young men working with tools shaped national character

 There was a time when many young men worked with tools and their hands.  And old cars were the objects of their affections and passions. They learned how to think independently, solve problems, use materials to their advantage.  Now too many young people focus on screens -- and cars disincentivize working on them. We have become more passive than active, and this trend extends to other activities.