1925 Grand Prix season
In January, the AIACR had settled on the championship format – four Grands Prix to be held in the US, Belgium, France and Italy (of minimum 800km length), with compulsory attendance of the Italian GP and the manufacturer's home race to qualify.
Then when all four of the French cars had retired by half distance, it left just Antonio Ascari and Giuseppe Campari circulating to give Alfa Romeo a 1–2 victory.
Increased concerns about the high speeds and safety led the AIACR change the regulations the following year to the 1.5-litre voiturette class for Grand Prix racing.
The initial ideas were for a European competition including grand prix, touring car and endurance events but there were concerns about achieving a balance of performance.
The committee voted to omit the Spanish GP, and Brooklands had to cancel the British race because of legal action with neighbours about noise complaints.
The winning manufacturer would receive FF70000 cash prize as well as a FF30000 bronze and gold trophy designed by Italian sculptor Antonio Maraini.
[37] Only the best-finishing car for each manufacturer would score points, which were awarded as follows: And in the case of a tie, a 200km race-off would be held at Monza within 2 days of the Italian GP.
They also voted to exclude German teams from the Championship, as Germany was not a member of the AIACR, and they were still not permitted to officially race in France, Great Britain or Belgium.
Antonio Ascari, who had replaced Giovanni Minozzi in his Alfa Romeo, crashed heavily on the steep downhill section while overtaking Conte Aymo Maggi in a smaller car.
Renato Balestrero, works driver for OM won from Luigi Platé, who drove his Chiribiri with his wife as the co-driver.
Peugeot returned with four of their Type 174 sports cars with André Boillot, Louis Wagner, Victor Rigal and Christian d'Auvergne as the drivers.
[59] The Grand Prix d’Ouverture heralded the official opening for racing at the completed Autodrome de Linas-Montlhéry outside of Paris.
A pedestrian race ended in rain with the expected 1-2-3 result for the Talbots led by Duller, 20 laps ahead of Eldridge.
Miller's own team driver, Bennett Hill, tested the car but preferred to race the older, rear-wheel drive version with a supercharger instead.
[53] Harry Hartz also ran supercharged Millers for himself, Fred Comer and Leon Duray, as did previous race-winners Tommy Milton and Ralph DePalma.
At quarter distance, DePaolo's teammate, rookie Phil Shafer (who had been the final qualifier, starting at the back) had moved up to second and the pair duelled for the lead for the next eighty miles.
It was the inaugural Belgian Grand Prix and part of the World Championship, but only the Alfa Romeo and Delage works teams arrived.
Alfa Corse had Antonio Ascari, Giuseppe Campari and Gastone Brilli-Peri as their drivers, with the latter running an older, 1924, model.
The four Delages (driven by team manager René Thomas, Albert Divo, Robert Benoist and Paul Torchy) were now fitted with twin superchargers.
Finally, the Sunbeam team arrived from Britain with three cars for Henry Segrave and the Italian counts Giulio Masetti and Caberto Conelli.
Then on the 22nd lap, after two hours racing, Ascari cut a corner too close, slide and mowed down 100 metres of fencing, before the car rolled twice throwing the driver out.
Delage felt they were beaten and instead chose to concentrate on preparing for the upcoming (non-Championship) San Sebastián Grand Prix.
Indianapolis winner Pete DePaolo also came across, taking the place of Ascari in the Alfa Corse team, alongside Campari and Brilli-Peri.
[82] Fellow Italian manufacturer Diatto had two new cars, designed by Alfieri Maserati[83] and driven by himself and Emilio Materassi,[84] with the final 2-litre entrant being former pre-war Delage driver Albert Guyot in his own Special.
Henceforth the iconic Visconti badge carried on their cars had a laurel wreath added to the design to celebrate the achievement.
German and Austrian manufacturers and drivers had not been allowed to compete in races held in France, Belgium or Great Britain since the end of the war.
In May, Otto Merz in a 2-litre Mercedes won the main race in an opening weekend of the new Solitude circuit around the castle of the same name near Stuttgart in front of over 100000 spectators.
When the Mercedes team withdrew from the main race, it lost a lot of its interest and the wet Ardennes weather further detracted from the occasion.
But becoming more and more concerned with the higher speeds, the AIACR decided that a new 1.5-litre formula for Grand prix racing would come into effect as of the 1926 season.
[97] ** non-participation disqualified the manufacturer from the championship * Only one dropped score allowed italics show the driver of the race's fastest lap.
