European Grand Prix

The European Grand Prix (also known as the Grand Prix of Europe) was a Formula One event that was introduced during the mid-1980s and was held every year from 1993 to 2012, except in 1998. During these years (except in 2007), the European Grand Prix was held in a country that hosted its own national Grand Prix at a different point in the same season, at a different circuit. The race returned as a one-off in 2016, being held on a street circuit in Baku, Azerbaijan; this event was renamed to the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in 2017.

European Grand Prix
Race information
Number of times held23
Nürburgring (12)
Valencia Street Circuit (5)
Brands Hatch (2)
Circuito de Jerez (2)
Donington Park (1)
Baku City Circuit (1)
First held1983
Last held2016
Most wins (drivers) Michael Schumacher (6)
Most wins (constructors) Ferrari (7)
Last race (2016)
Pole position
Podium
Fastest lap

In earlier years, the European Grand Prix was not a race in its own right, but an honorific title given to one of the national Grands Prix in Europe. The first race to be so named was the 1923 Italian Grand Prix, held at Monza, and the last was the 1977 British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

As an honorific title

The European Grand Prix was created as an honorific title by the AIACR, the FIA's predecessor in the organisation of motor racing events. The first race to receive the title was the Italian Grand Prix, in 1923; the French Grand Prix followed in 1924 and the Belgian Grand Prix in 1925. After a hiatus in 1929, the Belgian race received the title in 1930, becoming the last race to do so before World War II.

The title was revived by the FIA after the war, when it was given to the 1947 Belgian Grand Prix. For the next thirty years (except 1953 and 1969–71), the title was distributed across several countries, including at the prestigious Monaco Grand Prix in 1963. The last race to receive the title was the 1977 British Grand Prix. All post-war honorific European Grands Prix were Formula One races except for the 1952 event, the Belgian Grand Prix, which was run to Formula Two regulations.

The Italian and Belgian Grands Prix both received the title seven times, more than any other race.

As a round of the World Championship

Brands Hatch

The event was initially created as a stop-gap. In 1983, the Formula One schedule originally featured a race near Flushing Meadows in New York City. When the race was cancelled three months before the event, track organizers at Brands Hatch were able to create a European Grand Prix at the track in its place. The success of the event, buoyed by a spirited battle for the World Championship, led to the event returning on the schedule the following year.

Brands Hatch was unable to host the European Grand Prix in 1984, as it was hosting the British Grand Prix in even numbered years (alternating with Silverstone) so the European GP went to a redesigned and shorter Nürburgring circuit in 1984.

Brands Hatch returned to host the European Grand Prix in 1985, but the race was replaced in 1986 by the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Donington Park

In 1990, a wealthy Japanese businessman, Tomonori Tsurumaki, built the Nippon Autopolis with the idea of hosting a Formula One race. In 1992, plans were made to have an Asian Grand Prix in 1993 to replace the Mexican Grand Prix on the schedule. However, these plans failed to materialise. Instead, Bernie Ecclestone added a race at Donington Park to the schedule, which brought back the European Grand Prix moniker. The race was the brainchild of Tom Wheatcroft, who had been trying to bring F1 to the track since an abortive attempt to host the British Grand Prix in 1988. The first and so far only Formula One Grand Prix at Donington Park resulted in Ayrton Senna's victory in mixed wet and dry conditions.

Jerez

The European race would go the following season to Jerez in Spain. Jerez hosted round 14 of 16 in 1994 and the season finale in 1997, and it was the site of the famous collision between Michael Schumacher and Jacques Villeneuve which saw Schumacher get disqualified from the championship and it was also the scene of Mika Häkkinen's first Formula One victory.

Nürburgring

Brands Hatch was unable to host the European Grand Prix in 1984, so the European GP went to a redesigned and shorter Nürburgring circuit in 1984. It was a far cry from the 14-mile Nürburgring that most were used to seeing, and was initially unpopular during Formula One's return.

The race returned to Nürburgring in 1995, which was now popular again with drivers. But after complaints that no other countries were to get the race, the Nürburgring race was renamed the Luxembourg Grand Prix. Jerez got the race back in 1997 as a replacement for the Portuguese Grand Prix.

In 1998, the European Grand Prix was dropped from the schedule, but returned in 1999 when the race at Nürburgring re-adopted the European Grand Prix name.

The 1999 race saw torrential rain conditions which caused numerous retirements, presenting Johnny Herbert with the opportunity to take Stewart Grand Prix's first and only victory in its final season before being sold to Ford.

The race continued to be held at the Nürburgring until 2007. On 29 August 2006 it was announced that it had been removed from the F1 calendar for the 2007 season. From then there would only be one GP hosted in Germany each year, alternating between Hockenheimring and Nürburgring. However, what the name of this Grand Prix would be was uncertain for a time; while originally intended to be the German Grand Prix from 2007,[1] the Nürburgring race of 2007 was renamed "Großer Preis von Europa" (European Grand Prix)[2] due to a dispute over the ownership of the title "German Grand Prix".[3]

Valencia

From 2008 to 2012 the European Grand Prix took place in Valencia, Spain. During the 2009 event, Valencia signed a deal for a further 5 races, which put Valencia on the calendar until 2014. Despite this, in March 2012, it was announced that the European Grand Prix was to be discontinued in 2013, with the Spanish Grand Prix planned to alternate between Barcelona and Valencia.[4] However, Barcelona has retained the race since 2013, and the Valencia circuit was removed from the calendar.

Baku

The European Grand Prix returned to the Formula One World Championship in 2016, being held on the Baku City Circuit in Azerbaijan. The race was renamed the Azerbaijan Grand Prix for the 2017 season. This means that the European Grand Prix was again discontinued after a one-off in 2016.

Official names

Winners of the European Grand Prix

Repeat winners (drivers)

Only includes standalone events.

Wins Driver Years won
6 Michael Schumacher 1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2006
3 Fernando Alonso 2005, 2007, 2012
2 Rubens Barrichello 2002, 2009
Sebastian Vettel 2010, 2011

Repeat winners (constructors)

Only includes standalone events.

Wins Constructor Years won
7 Ferrari 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2012
4 McLaren 1984, 1993, 1997, 2007
3 Williams 1985, 1996, 2003
2 Benetton 1994, 1995
Red Bull 2010, 2011

Repeat winners (engine manufacturers)

Only includes standalone events.

Wins Manufacturer Years won
7 Ferrari 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2012
5 Renault 1995, 1996, 2005, 2010, 2011
4 Mercedes * 1997, 2007, 2009, 2016
3 Ford ** 1993, 1994, 1999
2 BMW 1983, 2003

* Built by Ilmor in 1997

** Built by Cosworth

By year: the European Grand Prix as a standalone event

Baku City Circuit, used in 2016
Valencia Street Circuit, used from 2008 to 2012
Nürburgring GP-Strecke, used in 1984, 1995, 1996 and from 1999 to 2007
Jerez, used in 1994 and 1997
Donington, used in 1993
Brands Hatch, used in 1983 and 1985
A map of all the locations of the European Grand Prix and other Grands Prix designated as the European Grand Prix
Year Driver Constructor Location Report
1983 Nelson Piquet Brabham-BMW Brands Hatch Report
1984 Alain Prost McLaren-TAG Nürburgring GP-Strecke Report
1985 Nigel Mansell Williams-Honda Brands Hatch Report
1986

1992
Not held
1993 Ayrton Senna McLaren-Ford Donington Report
1994 Michael Schumacher Benetton-Ford Jerez Report
1995 Michael Schumacher Benetton-Renault Nürburgring GP-Strecke Report
1996 Jacques Villeneuve Williams-Renault Report
1997 Mika Häkkinen McLaren-Mercedes Jerez Report
1998 Not held
1999 Johnny Herbert Stewart-Ford Nürburgring GP-Strecke Report
2000 Michael Schumacher Ferrari Report
2001 Michael Schumacher Ferrari Report
2002 Rubens Barrichello Ferrari Report
2003 Ralf Schumacher Williams-BMW Report
2004 Michael Schumacher Ferrari Report
2005 Fernando Alonso Renault Report
2006 Michael Schumacher Ferrari Report
2007 Fernando Alonso McLaren-Mercedes Report
2008 Felipe Massa Ferrari Valencia Report
2009 Rubens Barrichello Brawn-Mercedes Report
2010 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault Report
2011 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault Report
2012 Fernando Alonso Ferrari Report
2013

2015
Not held
2016 Nico Rosberg Mercedes Baku Report

By year: the European Grand Prix as an honorary designation

A pink background indicates an event which was not part of the Formula One World Championship.

Year Driver Constructor Designated Grand Prix Location Report
1923 Carlo Salamano Fiat Italian Grand Prix Monza Full Circuit Report
1924 Giuseppe Campari Alfa Romeo French Grand Prix Lyon Report
1925 Antonio Ascari Alfa Romeo Belgian Grand Prix Spa-Francorchamps 15 km circuit Report
1926 Jules Goux Bugatti San Sebastián Grand Prix Lasarte Report
1927 Robert Benoist Delage Italian Grand Prix Monza Full Circuit Report
1928 Louis Chiron Bugatti Italian Grand Prix Monza Full Circuit Report
1929 Not held
1930 Louis Chiron Bugatti Belgian Grand Prix Spa-Francorchamps 15 km circuit Report
1931

1946
Not held
1947 Jean-Pierre Wimille Alfa Romeo Belgian Grand Prix Spa-Francorchamps 14 km circuit Report
1948 Carlo Felice Trossi Alfa Romeo Swiss Grand Prix Bremgarten Report
1949 Alberto Ascari Ferrari Italian Grand Prix Monza Report
1950 Giuseppe Farina Alfa Romeo British Grand Prix Silverstone Report
1951 Luigi Fagioli
Juan Manuel Fangio
Alfa Romeo French Grand Prix Reims-Gueux Report
1952 Alberto Ascari Ferrari Belgian Grand Prix Spa-Francorchamps 14 km circuit Report
1953 Not held
1954 Juan Manuel Fangio Mercedes German Grand Prix Nürburgring Nordschleife Report
1955 Maurice Trintignant Ferrari Monaco Grand Prix Monaco Report
1956 Stirling Moss Maserati Italian Grand Prix Monza Full Circuit Report
1957 Tony Brooks
Stirling Moss
Vanwall British Grand Prix Aintree Report
1958 Tony Brooks Vanwall Belgian Grand Prix Spa-Francorchamps 14 km circuit Report
1959 Tony Brooks Ferrari French Grand Prix Reims-Gueux Report
1960 Phil Hill Ferrari Italian Grand Prix Monza Full Circuit Report
1961 Stirling Moss Lotus-Climax German Grand Prix Nürburgring Nordschleife Report
1962 Graham Hill BRM Dutch Grand Prix Zandvoort Report
1963 Graham Hill BRM Monaco Grand Prix Monaco Report
1964 Jim Clark Lotus-Climax British Grand Prix Brands Hatch Report
1965 Jim Clark Lotus-Climax Belgian Grand Prix Spa-Francorchamps 14 km circuit Report
1966 Jack Brabham Brabham-Repco French Grand Prix Reims-Gueux Report
1967 John Surtees Honda Italian Grand Prix Monza Report
1968 Jackie Stewart Matra-Ford German Grand Prix Nürburgring Nordschleife Report
1969

1971
Not held
1972 Emerson Fittipaldi Lotus-Ford British Grand Prix Brands Hatch Report
1973 Jackie Stewart Tyrrell-Ford Belgian Grand Prix Zolder Report
1974 Clay Regazzoni Ferrari German Grand Prix Nürburgring Nordschleife Report
1975 Vittorio Brambilla March-Ford Austrian Grand Prix Österreichring Report
1976 James Hunt McLaren-Ford Dutch Grand Prix Zandvoort Report
1977 James Hunt McLaren-Ford British Grand Prix Silverstone Report

References

  1. Official FIA press release. "2007 FIA Formula One championship circuit and lap information, published on February 14, 2007". Official FIA press release. Archived from the original on 4 April 2007. Retrieved 22 April 2007.
  2. "Nürburgring". Official Homepage of the Nürburgring. Retrieved 14 April 2007.
  3. The race held at Nürburgring in 2007 was originally going to be called the German Grand Prix but the title was changed to European Grand Prix due to the dispute over the ownership of the German Grand Prix name. See Autosport: Name row leads to return of European GP
  4. "Valencia pays 2012 fee, Spain to alternate from 2013". MSN Sport. MSN Sport. 9 March 2012. Archived from the original on 25 February 2014. Retrieved 9 March 2012.
  5. Mitchell, Malcolm. "1983 Formula 1 Programmes – The Motor Racing Programme Covers Project". www.progcovers.com.
  6. Mitchell, Malcolm. "1984 Formula 1 Programmes – The Motor Racing Programme Covers Project". www.progcovers.com.
  7. Mitchell, Malcolm. "1985 Formula 1 Programmes – The Motor Racing Programme Covers Project". www.progcovers.com.
  8. Mitchell, Malcolm. "1993 Formula 1 Programmes – The Motor Racing Programme Covers Project". www.progcovers.com.
  9. "1994 Formula 1 World Championship Programmes | the Motor Racing Programme Covers Project".
  10. "1995 Formula 1 World Championship Programmes | the Motor Racing Programme Covers Project".
  11. "1996 Formula 1 World Championship Programmes | the Motor Racing Programme Covers Project".
  12. "1997 Formula 1 World Championship Programmes | the Motor Racing Programme Covers Project".
  13. "2005 Formula 1 World Championship Programmes | the Motor Racing Programme Covers Project".
  14. "2006 Formula 1 World Championship Programmes | the Motor Racing Programme Covers Project".
  15. "2007 Formula 1 World Championship Programmes | the Motor Racing Programme Covers Project".
  16. "2011 Formula 1 World Championship Programmes | the Motor Racing Programme Covers Project".
  17. "2012 Formula 1 World Championship Programmes | the Motor Racing Programme Covers Project".
  18. "2016 Formula 1 World Championship Programmes | the Motor Racing Programme Covers Project".
  19. Mitchell, Malcolm. "2001 Formula 1 Programmes – The Motor Racing Programme Covers Project". www.progcovers.com.
  20. Mitchell, Malcolm. "2002 Formula 1 Programmes – The Motor Racing Programme Covers Project". www.progcovers.com.
  21. Mitchell, Malcolm. "2010 Formula 1 Programmes – The Motor Racing Programme Covers Project". www.progcovers.com.
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