Motorsport Profiles

Greatest Formula 1 Races – The 1935 German Grand Prix

Dennis David

1935 German Grand Prix – The Maestro and the Pechvogel

By Douglas S. Brown

The proud aristocratic German felt that he had the race in his pocket. There was just over one lap to go in the 1935 Grosser Preis von Deutschland. Manfred von Brauchitsch, in the most powerful racing car of the day, the 445 bhp W25 Mercedes Benz, led Tazio Nuvolari’s outdated 330 bhp Alfa Romeo by 35 seconds, and the rest of the field trailed behind.

He knew that the hopes of the 300 000 spectators and indeed the hopes of Nazi Germany rested on his shoulders. He knew that the Führer himself was taking a keen interest in the race, and was anxious that one of the nine powerful German entrants won, preferably with a German driver. Von Brauchitsch, whose Uncle Walther held a prominent position in the German Army (he was later to become a Field Marshal) was perhaps the most loyal of all the German drivers to the cause.

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