Grand Prix motor racing , a form of motorsport competition, has its roots in organised automobile racing that began in France as early as 1894. It quickly evolved from simple road races from one town to the next, to endurance tests for car and driver. Innovation and the drive of competition soon saw speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour (160 km/h), but because early races took place on open roads, accidents occurred frequently, resulting in deaths both of drivers and of spectators. A common abbreviation used for Grand Prix racing is "GP" or "GP racing".
51-474: The South African Grand Prix was first run as a Grand Prix motor racing handicap race in 1934 at the Prince George Circuit at East London , Cape Province . It drew top drivers from Europe including Bernd Rosemeyer , Richard "Dick" Seaman , Richard Ormonde Shuttleworth and the 1939 winner Luigi Villoresi . World War II brought an end to the race, but it was revived in 1960 as part of
102-497: A European Championship , consisting of the major Grand Prix in a number of countries (named Grandes Épreuves ) was instituted for drivers in 1931 , and was competed every year until the outbreak of World War II in 1939 with the exception of the 1933 and 1934 seasons. In 1946, following World War II, only four races of Grand Prix calibre were held. Rules for a Grand Prix World Championship had been laid out before World War II, but it took several years afterward until 1947 when
153-438: A few countries setting up races of their own, but no formal championship tying them together. The rules varied from country to country and race to race, and typically centred on maximum (not minimum) weights in an effort to limit power by limiting engine size indirectly (10–15 L engines were quite common, usually with no more than four cylinders, and producing less than 50 hp). The cars all had mechanics on board as well as
204-916: A shop window for their cars. The first motoring contest took place on July 22, 1894, and was organised by a Paris newspaper, Le Petit Journal . The Paris–Rouen rally was 126 km (78 mi), from Porte Maillot in Paris , through the Bois de Boulogne , to Rouen . Count Jules-Albert de Dion was first into Rouen after 6 hours 48 minutes at an average speed of 19 km/h (12 mph). He finished 3 minutes 30 seconds ahead of Albert Lemaître ( Peugeot ), followed by Auguste Doriot (Peugeot, 16 minutes 30 seconds back), René Panhard ( Panhard , 33 minutes 30 seconds back), and Émile Levassor (Panhard, 55 minutes 30 seconds back). The official winners were Peugeot and Panhard as cars were judged on their speed, handling and safety characteristics, and De Dion's steam car needed
255-630: A stoker which the judges deemed to be outside of their objectives. In 1900, James Gordon Bennett, Jr. , the owner of the New York Herald and the International Herald Tribune , established the Gordon Bennett Cup . He hoped the creation of an international event would drive automobile manufacturers to improve their cars. Each country was allowed to enter up to three cars, which had to be fully built in
306-738: The Association Internationale des Automobile Clubs Reconnus ( AIACR ). In 1922 the Commission Sportive Internationale (CSI) was empowered on behalf of AIACR to regulate Grand Prix racing and other forms of international racing. Since the inception of Grand Prix racing, competitions had been run in accordance with a strict formula based on engine size and vehicle weight. These regulations were virtually abandoned in 1928 with an era known as Formula Libre when race organisers decided to run their events with almost no limitations. From 1927 to 1934,
357-666: The Formula One circuit, entering the World Championship calendar two years later. It was a popular F1 event, but the Grand Prix was suspended right after the controversial 1985 race , due to the nation's policy of apartheid . Following the end of apartheid in 1991, the race returned to the Formula One schedule in 1992 and 1993 . The 1993 race was the last South African Grand Prix, as of 2023. Plans to revive
408-716: The Indianapolis Motor Speedway , first used in 1909 with the first Indianapolis 500-Mile Race in 1911; and the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza , in Italy , opened in 1922. In 1908, the United States of America became the first country outside France to host an automobile race using the name Grand Prix (or Grand Prize), run at Savannah. The first Grande Épreuve outside France was the 1921 Italian Grand Prix held at Montichiari . This
459-531: The Lotus 78 with its Colin Chapman -inspired ground effect aerodynamics, battled Patrick Depailler in his Tyrrell on the last lap to take a dramatic victory. John Watson finished third for Brabham. Young Italian, Riccardo Patrese got his Arrows into the lead before retiring with a blown engine. Pole sitter and reigning world champion Niki Lauda , in his first season with Brabham, retired with engine failure and
510-607: The Vanderbilt Cup at Long Island , New York in 1904. Some anglophone sources wrongly list a race called the Pau Grand Prix in 1901. This may stem from a mistranslation of the contemporary French sources such as the magazine La France Auto of March 1901. The name of the 1901 event was the Circuit du Sud-Ouest and it was run in three classes around the streets of Pau. The Grand Prix du Palais d'Hiver
561-734: The 1901 event as: "in the Circuit du Sud-Ouest , at the meeting in Pau" ( "dans le Circuit du Sud-Ouest, à l'occasion du meeting de Pau" ). The only race at the time to regularly carry the name Grand Prix was organised by the Automobile Club de France (ACF), of which the first took place in 1906. The circuit used, which was based in Le Mans , was roughly triangular in shape, each lap covering 105 kilometres (65 mi). Six laps were to run each day, and each lap took approximately an hour using
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#1732794030912612-552: The 1982 race after he lost a wheel around mid-distance; he charged through the field and took victory from Carlos Reutemann. The 1981 event was a victim of the FISA–FOCA war . As agreement could not be reached with FISA for the Grand Prix to be run as a round of the Formula One World Championship or as a non-championship Formula One race, it was officially staged as a Formula Libre event. Consequently, it
663-490: The 32 entries representing 12 different automobile manufacturers, at the 1906 event, the Hungarian -born Ferenc Szisz (1873–1944) won the 1,260 km (780 mi) race in a Renault . This race was regarded as the first Grande Épreuve , which meant "great trial" and the term was used from then on to denote up to the eight most important events of the year. Races in this period were heavily nationalistic affairs, with
714-607: The African continent. The only South African driver to win the South African Grand Prix was Jody Scheckter in 1975 . British driver Jim Clark won it 4 times and Austrian driver Niki Lauda won 3 times. In April 2018, The South African discussed the possibility of South Africa returning to the Formula One Grand Prix calendar with Adrian Scholtz, CEO of Motorsport South Africa. He said that
765-616: The F1 calendar for the near future due to the South African government's stance on the Russian invasion of Ukraine . A pink background indicates an event which was not part of the Formula One World Championship. A pink background indicates an event which was not part of the Formula One World Championship. Teams in bold are competing in the Formula One championship in the current season. A pink background indicates an event which
816-593: The Formula One World Championships is still called a Grand Prix ; Formula One is also referred to as "Grand Prix racing". Some IndyCar championship races are also called "Grands Prix". Motor racing was started in France , as a direct result of the enthusiasm with which the French public embraced the motor car. Manufacturers were enthusiastic due to the possibility of using motor racing as
867-615: The Grand Prix motor racing era included a few women who competed equally with the men: From 1925 onwards, the AIACR and later the FIA organised World and European Championships for Grand Prix manufacturers, drivers and constructors: 1978 South African Grand Prix The 1978 South African Grand Prix (formally the XXIV Citizen and Asseng Grand Prix of South Africa ) was a Formula One motor race held on 4 March 1978 at Kyalami . It
918-478: The car, and he was fired from the team. Piquet's Italian teammate Riccardo Patrese won the race. 1984 saw the event take place early in the season, and Prost (now driving for McLaren ) started from the pit lane in the spare car after his race car didn't start. This was made legal when the first start was aborted after Briton Nigel Mansell stalled on the grid. Prost drove through the field to finish 2nd behind his teammate Niki Lauda. Briton Derek Warwick completed
969-557: The country that they represented and entered by that country's automotive governing body. International racing colours were established in this event. The 1903 event occurred in the aftermath of the fatalities at the Paris-Madrid road race, so the race, at Athy in Ireland, though on public roads, was run over a closed circuit: the first ever closed-circuit motor race. In the United States , William Kissam Vanderbilt II launched
1020-838: The country, called apartheid . Most people involved in Formula One were strongly against going to race in South Africa. Some governments tried to ban their drivers from going, and the Ligier and Renault teams did boycott the race in line with the French Government 's ban on sporting events in South Africa; however French drivers Alain Prost, who had wrapped up the 1985 championship in the previous race, and Philippe Streiff , both driving for British teams, did take part. British driver Nigel Mansell won his second consecutive Formula One race and his teammate Keke Rosberg stormed around
1071-557: The driver, and no one was allowed to work on the cars during the race except for these two. A key factor to Renault winning this first Grand Prix was held to be the detachable wheel rims (developed by Michelin), which allowed tire changes to occur without having to lever the tire and tube off and back on the rim. Given the state of the roads, such repairs were frequent. Early Grand Prix cars could be technically innovative, with marques such as Peugeot using technology that would later become more widespread. A further historic confusion arose in
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#17327940309121122-526: The early 1920s when the Automobile Club de France attempted to pull off a retrospective political trick by numbering and renaming the major races held in France before the 1906 French Grand Prix as being Grands Prix de l'Automobile Club de France , despite their running pre-dating the formation of the Club. Hence, the 1895 Paris–Bordeaux–Paris Trail was renamed I Grand Prix de l'Automobile Club de France ; and
1173-518: The early 1920s), with 8 to 16 cylinder supercharged engines producing upwards of 600 hp (450 kW) on alcohol fuels. As early as October 1923, the idea of an automobile championship was discussed at the annual autumn conference of the AIACR (Association Internationale des Automobile Clubs Reconnus) in Paris. However, discussion centered on the increased interest in racing by manufacturers and holding
1224-404: The extent of the aid into their hands was exaggerated in the media; government subsidies amounted to perhaps 10% or less of the costs of running the two racing teams.) The two German marques utterly dominated the period from 1935 to 1939, winning all but three of the official Championship Grands Prix races run in those years. The cars by this time were single-seaters (the riding mechanic vanished in
1275-667: The first European Grand Prix at Monza in 1923. The first World Championship took place in 1925 , but it was for manufacturers only, consisting of four races of at least 800 km (497 mi) in length. The races that formed the first Constructors' Championship were the Indianapolis 500 , the European Grand Prix , and the French and Italian Grands Prix. This world championship was officially cancelled in 1930 , but in 1928 –1930 no titles were awarded. Subsequently,
1326-506: The forced induction turbo engines could regulate how much air went into the engine whereas the normally aspirated engines could not; the turbo-charged engines had a horsepower advantage in 1982 of 150 hp over the normally aspirated engines, and often qualified on the front row of the grid considerably faster than the normally aspirated engined cars; and the Renault team dominated both the 1980 and 1982 races; Frenchman Alain Prost won
1377-459: The history of the sport that the grid was determined by timed qualifying rather than the luck of a draw. All the competing vehicles were painted in the international auto racing colors : French cars continued to dominate (led by Bugatti , but also including Delage and Delahaye ) until the late 1920s, when the Italians ( Alfa Romeo and Maserati ) began to beat the French cars regularly. At
1428-513: The main obstacles are the high costs of hosting such an event and the fact that currently no South African racetrack fulfills the FIA requirements to host a Formula One race, although Kyalami comes close. In early 2023, a deal for a return of the South African Grand Prix for the 2024 season was close to finalization, but in June 2023, the FIA declared that the South African Grand Prix would not return to
1479-423: The name Prince George Circuit . The first World Championship F1 race in South Africa was held on 29 December 1962. In that race, Graham Hill took advantage of Jim Clark 's mechanical problems with his Lotus and took race victory and the championship. The race was held at Prince George again in 1963 , 1965 and 1966 , the latter relegated to non-championship status as a new 3-litre formula came into effect on
1530-460: The number of races considered to have Grand Prix status exploded, jumping from five events in 1927, to nine events in 1929, to eighteen in 1934 (the peak year before World War II ). During this period a lot of changes of rules occurred. There was a mass start for the first time at the 1922 French Grand Prix in Strasbourg. The 1925 season was the first season during which no riding mechanic
1581-525: The old AIACR reorganised itself as the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile or "FIA" for short, headquartered in Paris. It announced the new International Formula, also known as Formula 1 or Formula A, to be effective from 1947. At the end of the 1949 season the FIA announced that for 1950 they would be linking several national Formula One Grands Prix to create a World Championship for drivers, although due to economic difficulties
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1632-452: The podium in a Renault and Brazilian future world champion Ayrton Senna scored his first point in a Toleman , finishing 6th. The 1985 race was mired in international controversy as nations began boycotting South African sporting events because of a state of emergency declared by the South African government in July of that year because of a surge of violence related to racial segregation in
1683-412: The race and slam head-on to the barriers; he later died from his injuries. Argentine Carlos Reutemann won for the first time at that year's event. 1975 saw South African Jody Scheckter take victory. The 1977 event was the location of one of the most gruesome crashes in history, as Tom Pryce was killed when he hit and killed track marshal Frederick Jansen Van Vuuren at full speed. Niki Lauda won
1734-399: The race in 2024 have been abandoned. The first South African Grands Prix were held on a 24.4 km (15.2 mi) road course known as the Prince George Circuit , running through different populated areas of the coastal city of East London . This was shortened to 17.7 km (11.0 mi) in 1936. When racing resumed after World War II, a permanent circuit was built in 1959 that retained
1785-541: The race, and Mexican Pedro Rodríguez took victory. 1968 saw Clark take victory; he broke Juan Manuel Fangio 's record for most career wins and it turned out to be his last F1 victory; he was killed at a Formula 2 race at Hockenheim later that year. 1969 saw Jackie Stewart win, and the following year 44-year-old veteran Jack Brabham won his last F1 race. 1971 saw American Mario Andretti win his maiden Grand Prix, on debut for Ferrari . 1974 saw American Peter Revson crash horribly at Barbeque Bend during testing for
1836-444: The race, but the accident sent shock waves throughout the sport. 1978 saw Ronnie Peterson take a late victory from Patrick Depailler and Riccardo Patrese ; the 1979 event was held in changeable weather conditions and was won by Canadian Gilles Villeneuve . Going into the 1980s, turbo-charged cars began to dominate the Grand Prix. Because of the high altitude of the fast Kyalami circuit (approximately 6,000 feet above sea level)
1887-426: The relatively primitive cars of the day. The driving force behind the decision to race on a circuit – as opposed to racing on ordinary roads from town to town – was the Paris to Madrid road race of 1903. During this race a number of people, both drivers and pedestrians – including Marcel Renault – were killed and the race was stopped by the French authorities at Bordeaux. Further road based events were banned. From
1938-563: The same day. In 1967 , the race was moved to the Kyalami circuit near the high-altitude inland city of Johannesburg in the Transvaal , where it would remain as long as the South African Grand Prix was on the official Formula One calendar. The fast Kyalami circuit, which was built in the early 1960s, played host to its first South African Grand Prix in 1967 , where privateer John Love nearly took victory but ran into fuel problems late in
1989-617: The time, the Germans engineered unique race vehicles as seen in the photo here with the Benz aerodynamic "teardrop" body introduced at the 1923 European Grand Prix at Monza by Karl Benz . In the 1930s, however, nationalism entered a new phase when the Nazis encouraged Mercedes and Auto Union to further the glory of the Reich . (The government did provide some money to the two manufacturers, but
2040-480: The track after 2 pitstops to take 2nd, completing a 1–2 for the Williams team. 1985 was the final South African Grand Prix until the end of apartheid, with FIA president Jean-Marie Balestre announcing days after the race that a Grand Prix would not return to the nation because of apartheid. After the end of apartheid in 1991, Formula One returned to Kyalami for two Grands Prix in 1992 and 1993 . The 1992 event
2091-532: The true first Grand Prix in 1906 race was renamed the IX Grand Prix de l'Automobile Club de France (9th). The ACF used this numbering in 1933, although some members of the Club dismissed it, "concerned the name of the Club was lent to the fiction simply out of a childish desire to establish their Grand Prix as the oldest race in the world". For the most part, races were run over a lengthy circuit of closed public roads, not purpose-built private tracks. This
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2142-613: The years 1952 and 1953 were actually competed in Formula Two cars. A points system was established and a total of seven races were granted championship status including the Indianapolis 500. The first World Championship race was held on 13 May 1950 at Silverstone in the United Kingdom . The Italians once again did well in these early World Championship races, both manufacturers and drivers. The first World Champion
2193-477: Was Giuseppe Farina , driving an Alfa Romeo. Ferrari appeared at the second World Championship race, in Monaco, and has the distinction of being the only manufacturer to compete in every season of the World Championship, still competing in 2024 . Italics denote that the race was also known as the European Grand Prix . For wartime events, see Grands Prix during World War II . See also: Notable drivers of
2244-602: Was contested only by the FOCA -aligned teams, with cars which did not strictly comply with the 1981 Formula One regulations. The 1983 event was the last race of that season, and it saw a three-way battle for the Drivers' Championship between Prost, Brazilian Nelson Piquet and Frenchman René Arnoux . Prost and Arnoux both went out with engine problems and Piquet took 3rd place and the Drivers' Championship; Prost made scathing comments about Renault's conservative approach to developing
2295-519: Was dominated by Mansell and the 1993 running saw an intense battle between Prost, Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher , with Prost taking victory. In July 1993 Kyalami was sold to the South African Automobile Association, which managed to run the facility at a profit; however, running a Formula One event proved too costly and the Grand Prix did not return, that year's race having also been the last time that F1 came to
2346-441: Was not part of the Formula One World Championship. Manufacturers in bold are competing in the Formula One championship in the current season. * Built by Cosworth A pink background indicates an event which was not part of the Formula One World Championship. Grand Prix motor racing Grand Prix motor racing eventually evolved into formula racing , with Formula One considered its direct descendant. Each event of
2397-441: Was quickly followed by Belgium and Spain (in 1924), and later spread to other countries including Britain (1926). Strictly speaking, this still was not a formal championship, but a loose collection of races run to various rules. (A "formula" of rules had appeared just before World War I , finally based on engine size as well as weight, but it was not universally adopted.) In 1904, many national motor clubs banded together to form
2448-578: Was required in a car, as this rule was repealed in Europe after the death of Tom Barrett during the 1924 Grand Prix season . At the Solituderennen in 1926 a well thought-out system, with flags and boards, giving drivers tactical information, was used for the first time by Alfred Neubauer , the racing manager of the Mercedes-Benz team. The 1933 Monaco Grand Prix was the first time in
2499-464: Was the name of the prizes awarded for the lesser classes ('Light cars' and 'Voiturettes'). The Grand Prix de Pau was the name of the prize awarded for the 'Heavy' (fastest) class. Thus Maurice Farman was awarded the Grand Prix de Pau for his overall victory in the Circuit du Sud-Ouest driving a Panhard 24 hp . In L'Histoire de l'Automobile/Paris 1907 Pierre Souvestre described
2550-459: Was the third round of the 1978 Formula One season and the 300th World Championship Grand Prix held since the championship began in 1950 . This was the debut race of the future world champion Keke Rosberg . The Ferrari ( 312T3 ) and Brabham ( BT46 ) teams had new cars in Kyalami for the race. The event also saw the return of Renault with its unique turbocharged car. Ronnie Peterson , in
2601-604: Was true of the Le Mans circuit of the 1906 Grand Prix , as well as the Targa Florio (run on 93 miles (150 km) of Sicilian roads), the 75 miles (121 km) German Kaiserpreis circuit in the Taunus mountains, and the French circuit at Dieppe (a mere 48 miles (77 km)), used for the 1907 Grand Prix . The exceptions were the steeply banked egg-shaped near oval of Brooklands in England , completed in 1907;
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