1935 French Grand Prix
Race 2 of 7 in the 1935 European Championship
Race details
Date	23 June 1935
Official name	XXIX Grand Prix de l'Automobile Club de France
Location	Montlhéry, France
Course	Autodrome de Linas-Montlhéry
Course length	12.50 km (7.767 miles)
Distance	40 laps, 500.0 km (310.7 miles)
Pole position
Driver	Achille Varzi	Auto Union
Time	5:20.1
Fastest lap
Driver	Tazio Nuvolari	Alfa Romeo
Time	5:29.1
Podium
First	Rudolf Caracciola	Mercedes-Benz
Second	Manfred von Brauchitsch	Mercedes-Benz
Third	Goffredo Zehender	Maserati

The 1935 French Grand Prix (formally the XXIX Grand Prix de l'Automobile Club de France) was a Grand Prix motor race which was held at Montlhéry, France on 23 June 1935. The race lasted 500 km (12.5 km x 40 laps) and was won by Rudolf Caracciola driving a Mercedes-Benz.

Background

For the first time, the Automobile Club of France decided that the grid positions should be set by practice times, rather than by ballot, a practice introduced in Europe at the Monaco Grand Prix.

Having witnessed the more powerful German cars winning nearly every race they entered (notably not the 1934 French Grand Prix), the organisers decided to reduce the speeds of the Montlhéry circuit by installing three slow chicanes. This was ultimately successful in ensuring the competitiveness of the Alfa Romeos, with Tazio Nuvolari able to set second fastest time in practice, and completing the fastest lap of the race, albeit 23 seconds slower than last year's fastest lap due to the chicanes.^[1]

Starting Grid (3x2)

Grid	No	Driver	Car	Time
1	8	Achille Varzi	Auto Union B	5:20.1
2	14	Tazio Nuvolari	Alfa Romeo Tipo-B P3	5:23.6
3	10	Hans Stuck	Auto Union B	5:28.8
4	2	Rudolf Caracciola	Mercedes-Benz W25	5:31.6
5	16	Louis Chiron	Alfa Romeo Tipo-B P3	5:31.9
6	12	Bernd Rosemeyer	Auto Union B	5:36.6
7	6	Luigi Fagioli	Mercedes-Benz W25	5:37.9
8	4	Manfred von Brauchitsch	Mercedes-Benz W25	5:46.6
9	24	Robert Benoist	Bugatti T59/50
10	18	Goffredo Zehender	Maserati Tipo 34	6:10.8
11	20	Raymond Sommer	Maserati 8CM
DNQ	22	Marcel Lehoux	SEFAC	Practiced only

Classification

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/Retire
1	2	Rudolf Caracciola	Mercedes-Benz W25B	40	4h00m54.6
2	4	Manfred von Brauchitsch	Mercedes-Benz W25B	40	+0.5
3	18	Goffredo Zehender	Maserati Tipo 34	38	+2 laps
4	6	Luigi Fagioli	Mercedes-Benz W25B	37	+3 laps
5	8	Achille Varzi Bernd Rosemeyer	Auto Union B	35	+5 laps
6	20	Raymond Sommer	Maserati 8CM	35	+5 laps
NC	24	Robert Benoist	Bugatti T59/50	16	Not Classified
Ret	14	Tazio Nuvolari	Alfa Romeo Tipo-B P3	14	Transmission
Ret	12	Bernd Rosemeyer	Auto Union B	11	Spark plugs/transmission?
Ret	16	Louis Chiron	Alfa Romeo Tipo-B P3	8	Transmission
Ret	10	Hans Stuck	Auto Union B	7	Brakes

Fastest Lap: Tazio Nuvolari (Alfa Romeo Tipo-B P3) 5:29.1, 136.74 km/h

^[2]