29th, Historic Battle at Montlhéry: Alfa Romeo's 1-2-3 Triumph in the French Grand Prix
Scuderia Ferrari’s Alfa Romeos mopped up while the Germans prepared for action: 1-2s at Monaco and in the Targa Florio, plus a 1-2-3-4 at Alessandria, a 1-2-3 in Tripoli and a win in Morocco, with Guy Moll, Louis Chiron and Achille Varzi sharing the spoils.
1934 French GP
July 1, Montlhéry
They even finished 1-2 – Moll from Varzi – at the Avusrennen (May 27) in the debut presence of Auto Union, although Hans Stuck’s radical rear-engined device had disappeared over the horizon before suffering a broken clutch.
Mercedes-Benz arrived later, at the Nürburgring’s Eifelrennen on June 3, and promptly ended Alfa’s run of success, courtesy of Manfred von Brauchitsch; Stuck was second. That, though, was home soil. The French GP would be a truer test of the preparedness of the Silver Arrows.
Though fast in practice, they were found wanting in the heat of the race. All three Auto Unions – one didn’t even make the start – and all three Mercs failed to finish, retiring through a range of faults indicative of the newness of these complex cars: defective steering, a disintegrating supercharger, failed brakes – there was debate whether this was caused by Luigi Fagioli’s excursion rather than vice versa – and a fractured fuel feed. Only one Silver Arrow, Stuck’s, made it beyond half-distance, by which time it was out of contention because of a long pitstop caused by the problem that eventually sidelined it: a weakening water pump.
Alfa Romeo was thus handed another 1-2-3. In defence of its winner Chiron, however, the classy Monégasque had matched the German machines from the moment he accelerated into the lead from the third row; only Stuck headed him. It wouldn’t be long, however, before the Silver Arrows wedded experience to experiment and the Alfa, a three-year-old design, was made to look its age.
*Stuck did not take up his pole position. He started from the middle of a depleted front row having taken over team-mate August Momberger’s car. The latter switched to Hermann zu Leiningen’s chassis and started from the second row. PF
1st Louis Chiron (Alfa Romeo)
2nd Achille Varzi (Alfa Romeo)
3rd Felice Trossi/Guy Moll (Alfa Romeo)
Winner’s time & speed 3hr 39min 14.0sec, 84.978mph
Pole position Hans Stuck* (Auto Union) Grid decided by ballot