1924 French Grand Prix
Alfa Romeo P2s debuted, taking first and second places.
On 3 August 1924, the 18th Grand Prix de l'A.C.F. took place in Lyon, doubling as the European Grand Prix for that year. Drivers completed 35 laps of a 23.15 km circuit, a shortened version of the 1914 track, for a total of 810.09 km.
Quick Facts
- Grand prix
- French
- Date
- 3 August
- Official name
- XVIII Grand Prix de l'Automobile Club de France
- Country
- France
- Location
- Lyon, France
- Course
- Public roads
- Distance laps
- 35
- Distance (mi)
- 503.37
Facts from the source article.
Entries
The 1924 race attracted 22 entries, one of the largest fields for a French Grand Prix in the 1920s. Sunbeam entered three cars, improved versions of their 1923 winners with superchargers, modified bodywork, and four-speed gearboxes, driven by Henry Segrave, Kenelm Lee Guinness, and Dario Resta. Fiat returned with four cars led by Felice Nazzaro, featuring revised superchargers. Alfa Romeo made their French Grand Prix debut with four Alfa Romeo P2s, driven by Antonio Ascari, Giuseppe Campari, and Louis Wagner; Enzo Ferrari did not start due to illness. All three teams used Roots-type superchargers. Three Delages were entered, developed from 1923 cars but without superchargers due to reliability concerns. Bugatti entered six Bugatti T35s, which were uncompetitive because of their naturally aspirated engines. Louis Zborowski entered an American Miller, the first private entry accepted for the French Grand Prix.
Race
At the rolling start, Henry Segrave led from the front row, shared with Albert Divo's Delage, while Antonio Ascari moved from the second row into second place. After one lap, Segrave led Ascari, Kenelm Lee Guinness, Giuseppe Campari, and Pietro Bordino, followed by Divo, Dario Resta, Giuseppe Pastore, Robert Benoist, and René Thomas. On lap two, Bordino overtook Campari, Guinness, and Ascari to take second, then took the lead on lap three when Segrave pitted for new plugs, dropping to 17th. Ascari kept pace with Bordino for several laps, while Guinness defended third from Campari. On lap nine, Bordino overshot a corner due to fading brakes, giving Ascari the lead; Bordino retook it the next lap but pitted for brake repairs and retired after 17 laps. Ascari pitted for fuel and tyres on lap 16, allowing Guinness a brief lead over Campari, but Guinness then blew a tyre, dropping to second. Segrave stopped for a new riding mechanic after his was hit by the tread of Guinness' tyre. After 17 laps, Campari led by nearly a minute over Guinness and Divo, with Ascari two minutes behind in fourth, followed by Benoist, Wagner, and Segrave a lap down. Ascari moved back into first on lap 20; Guinness retired with engine failure the next lap, giving Alfa Romeo first, second, and fifth places, with Delages third, fourth, and sixth. Campari led briefly on lap 27, but Ascari retook the lead before the lap ended. Divo pushed but could not challenge the leaders.
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