1914 French Grand Prix

Infobox Grand Prix race report
Type = GP
Grand Prix = French
Date = July 4
Year = 1914
Official name = Grand Prix de l'Automobile Club de France
Country = France
Location = Lyon, France
Course = Public roads
Course_mi = 23.380
Course_km = 37.629
Distance_laps = 20
Distance_mi = 467.600
Distance_km = 752.58
Fast_Driver = Max Sailer
Fast_Team = Mercedes GP
Fast_Time = 20:06.0
Fast_Country = Germany
Fast_flag_suffix = empire
First_Driver = Christian Lautenschlager
First_Team = Mercedes GP
First_Country = Germany
First_flag_suffix = empire
Second_Driver = Louis Wagner
Second_Team = Mercedes GP
Second_Country = France
Third_Driver = Otto Salzer
Third_Team = Mercedes GP
Third_Country = Germany
Third_flag_suffix = empire

The 1914 French Grand Prix took place at Lyon on 4th July 1914.

The Race

The restriction on Grand Prix cars for 1914 included an convert|1100|kg|lb|0|abbr=on maximum weight and a 4500cc maximum engine capacitycite book
last=Higham
first=Peter
title=The Guinness Guide to International Motor Racing
publisher=Guinness Publishing
date=1995
pages=194 - 196
isbn=0-85112-642-1] cite web
title=8W, Remember it for the one who lost.
url=http://www.forix.com/8w/f14.html
last=Snellman
first=Leif
accessdate=2008-06-25] .

Christian Lautenschlager won at an average speed of 65.665 mph (105.677 km/h). The fastest lap was set by Max Sailer, at an average speed of 69.780 mph (112.325 km/h).cite web
title=1914 Grands Prix.
url=http://www.teamdan.com/archive/gen/1914/1914.html#acf
accessdate=2008-05-20]

The Grand Prix was a contest between the the French Peugeots and the German Mercedes. This was the last Grand Prix before the First World War, and took place less than a week after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. An estimated crowd of over 300,000cite web
title=France, 1914 and the Artist Historians.
url=http://www.king-of-the-boards.com/articles/france1914.pdf
first=Gary D.
last=Doyle
accessdate=2008-06-25] watched thirty-seven cars start in pairs with a thirty-second gap between each pair. Sailer led by 18 seconds at the end of the first lap, and by lap five had built a lead of almost three minutes. Sailer retired with a blown engine on lap six. Georges Boillot took over the lead and retained it for the next twelve laps. At one point he led by over four minutes.

The Mercedes drivers each made one stop during the race for new Continental tyres, regardless of the tyre wear. This contrasted with the poor wear of the Dunlop tyres used by Peugeotcite web
title=Peugeot 1914 Grand Prix.
url=http://www.ddavid.com/formula1/peugeot1914gp.htm
last=David
first=Dennis
accessdate=2008-06-25] and Boillot's eight stops for tyres. Boillot's many stops allowed Lautenschlager to pass Boillot on lap 18. By the end of that lap, Lautenschlager had opened up a lead of over 30 seconds. Boillot dropped out during the final lap.

Ferenc Szisz, the winner of the first French Grand Prix in 1906, had to retire from the race through injury. On the 11th lap Szisz was forced to stop to change a wheel. During the wheel change, he was hit by another car and suffered a broken arm. His mechanic was also injuredcite web
title=8W, The first Grand Prix.
url=http://www.forix.com/8w/f06.html
last=Sury
first=Geza
coauthors=Hans Etzrodt and Jimmy Piget
accessdate=2008-06-25] .

Classification

Grand Prix race report
Name_of_race = French Grand Prix
Year_of_race = 1914
Previous_race_in_season = None
Next_race_in_season = None
Previous_year's_race = 1913 French Grand Prix
Next_year's_race = 1921 French Grand Prix

References