Christian Launtenschlager won the last GP race before World War I for Mercedes, the 1914 French. An American, Jimmy Murphy, won the first post-war GP, the 1921 French.

For those who are interested, the rich history of Formula 1 and its predecessor forms of auto racing – grand prix and formula – is gold waiting to be mined via research.

For example, the first race to use the name “grand prix” was the Grand Prix of Pau in 1901. A one-off, the race took place in the city in southwestern France that still hosts races more than 100 years later – on a street circuit. Earlier this year, Pau was the scene of a round of the World Touring Car Championship.

The first ongoing event with the name “grand prix” was the French Grand Prix. The organizer – the Automobile Club de France (ACF) – staged the first race in the series in 1906. Initially, it was announced that 2007 would be the last French Grand Prix at Magny-Cours. But the French Grand Prix is on the provisional 2008 F1 calendar.

Grand prix racing evolved into formula racing, which, in turn, led to F1 starting in 1950. The fact that F1 calls each of its races a “grand prix” can be viewed as a tip of the cap to the sport’s history.

A recent mining/research expedition yielded some nuggets that resulted in a three-part series on Suite101. The question that prompted the research was, “Did World War 1 and World War 2 cause grand prix racing to stop?”

The general answer with regard to racing in Europe is “yes.” But research revealed some interesting exceptions.

This first article in the series is on the last grand prix in Europe before WW 1 and the first grand prix in Europe after the war. Remember, two people were in the car until 1924 – the driver and the riding mechanic.

The second article is on the only grand prix that took place in Europe after the outbreak of WW 2 and the first grand prix in Europe after the war. It is titled, "Nuvolari Wins 1939 Belgrade GP."

The third article is titled, "First F1 Champ Won 1940 Tripoli GP." It is on the seven grands prix -- one in Africa and six in South America -- that took place outside of Europe during WW 2.

1914 French Grand Prix

The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the presumptive heir to throne of Austria-Hungary, and his wife Sophie was the event that sparked WW 1. The assassination took place on June 28, 1914 in Sarajevo, then the capitol of the Austro-Hungarian province of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The assassin, an ethic Serb, belonged to a group called Young Bosnia that sought unification of South Slavs with Serbia and independence from Austria-Hungary. The conflict began with Austria-Hungary declaring war on the Kingdom of Serbia on July 28. Other nations were quickly drawn into the conflict due to treaty obligations.

After the assassination, Austria-Hungary demanded that Serbia punish those responsible. When Austria-Hungary deemed that Serbia was not in compliance, Austria-Hungary declared war.

During the time between the assassination and the outbreak of the war, tension rose in Europe. But the 1914 French Grand Prix took place as scheduled on the French national holiday Bastille Day -- July 14.

The race was 20 laps of a 23.3-mile circuit at Lyon. A total of 37 cars started. The day belonged to Mercedes.

Using cars powered by a massive 4.5-liter engine, Mercedes took the top three places led by race winner Christian Launtenschlager. Teammates Louis Wagner and Otto Salzer finished second and third, respectively.

This was Launtenschlager’s second win in as many starts in the French Grand Prix. He also won the race in 1908 at Dieppe, also driving for Mercedes-Benz.

However, it is interesting to note that Launtenschlager was not a professional race car driver. He joined the company as a mechanic and then became a test driver of race cars.

One other note about the 1914 French Grand Prix. It was the first race in which drivers received signals from the pits.

1921 French Grand Prix

World War 1 ended in 1918. Auto racing returned to Europe in 1919. The first post-war grand prix race -- the 1921 French Grand Prix – took place on July 25, 1921.

In addition to it being the first post-war grand prix, the race has historical significance because it was the first grand prix race won by an American driving an American car. Jimmy Murphy emerged from a hospital bed several hours before the race to drive a Dusenberg to victory at Sarthe, Le Mans. Murphy had been injured a week earlier in an accident in practice for the race.

It would be 46 years until the next victory in a grand prix race by an American driving an American car. In 1967, Dan Gurney won the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps driving his own car – the Eagle-Weslake.

For more information on the 1921 French Grand Prix, please see the article on the Web titled, “The French Grand Prix of 1921: When America Won the Grand Prix.”

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