| 1938 Donington Grand Prix | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Race details | |||
| Date | 22 October 1938 | ||
| Official name | Fourth International Donington Grand Prix | ||
| Location |
Donington Park Leicestershire, United Kingdom | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 5.029 km (3.125 miles) | ||
| Distance | 80 laps, 402.3 km (250.0 miles) | ||
| Weather | Sunny, dry.[1] | ||
| Attendance | 61,000[2] | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Mercedes-Benz | ||
| Time | 2:11.0 | ||
| Fastest lap | |||
| Driver |
 Tazio Nuvolari | Auto Union | |
| Time | 2:14.4 | ||
| Podium | |||
| First | Auto Union | ||
| Second | Mercedes-Benz | ||
| Third | Mercedes-Benz | ||
The 1938 Donington Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held on 22 October 1938 over 80 laps of the Donington Park circuit. The race was won by Tazio Nuvolari driving an Auto Union.[3][4]
The race was organised by the Derby & District Motor Club and not by the Royal Automobile Club, and so is not generally accorded the title "British Grand Prix", notwithstanding that the race was run to the then-current international formula[5] and attracted entries from the top teams, and that there were no other Grand Prix races organised that year in Great Britain.
The race was originally scheduled for the 1st of October,[6] with the German Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union teams arriving a few weeks early to prepare, but due to the German invasion of Czechoslovakia, war seemed imminent, so the Germans made to leave, and the French entries seemed unlikely, so the decision was made to cancel the race. With the diplomatic crisis resolved by the Munich Agreement, the race was hastily rescheduled for the 22nd of October.[3]
