European Grand Prix

European Grand Prix
Race information
Number of times held	23; Nürburgring (12); Valencia Street Circuit (5); Brands Hatch (2); Circuito de Jerez (2); Donington Park (1); Baku City Circuit (1)
First held	1983
Last held	2016
Most wins (drivers)	Michael Schumacher (6)
Most wins (constructors)	Ferrari (7)
Last race (2016)
Pole position
	Nico Rosberg; Mercedes; 1:42.758;
Podium
	1. N. Rosberg; Mercedes; 1:32:52.366; ; 2. S. Vettel; Ferrari; +16.696; ; 3. S. Pérez; Force India-Mercedes; +25.241; ;
Fastest lap
	Nico Rosberg; Mercedes; 1:46.485;

The European Grand Prix (also known as the Grand Prix of Europe) was a Formula One event that was introduced during the mid-1980s and was held every year from 1993 to 2012, except in 1998. During these years, the European Grand Prix was held in a country that hosted its own national Grand Prix at a different point in the same season, at a different circuit (except in 2007). The race returned as a one-off in 2016, being held on a street circuit in Baku, Azerbaijan; this event was renamed to the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in 2017.

In earlier years, the European Grand Prix was not a race in its own right, but an honorific title given to one of the national Grands Prix in Europe. The first race to be so named was the 1923 Italian Grand Prix, held at Monza, and the last was the 1977 British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

As an honorific title

The European Grand Prix was created as an honorific title by the AIACR, the FIA's predecessor in the organisation of motor racing events. The first race to receive the title was the Italian Grand Prix, in 1923; the French Grand Prix followed in 1924 and the Belgian Grand Prix in 1925. After a hiatus in 1929, the Belgian race received the title in 1930, becoming the last race to do so before World War II.

The title was revived by the FIA after the war, when it was given to the 1947 Belgian Grand Prix. For the next thirty years (except 1953 and 1969–1971), the title was distributed across several countries, including at the prestigious Monaco Grand Prix in 1963. The last race to receive the title was the 1977 British Grand Prix. All post-war honorific European Grands Prix were Formula One races except for the 1952 event, the Belgian Grand Prix, which was run to Formula Two regulations.

The Italian and Belgian Grands Prix both received the title seven times, more than any other race.

As a standalone round of the World Championship

Brands Hatch (1983, 1985)

The event was initially created as a stop-gap. In 1983, the Formula One schedule originally featured a race near Flushing Meadows in New York City. When the race was cancelled three months before the event, track organizers at Brands Hatch were able to create a European Grand Prix at the track in its place. The success of the event, buoyed by a spirited battle for the World Championship, led to the event returning on the schedule the following year.

Brands Hatch was unable to host the European Grand Prix in 1984, as it was hosting the British Grand Prix in even numbered years (alternating with Silverstone) so the European GP went to a redesigned and shorter Nürburgring circuit in 1984.

Brands Hatch returned to host the European Grand Prix in 1985, Originally the 1985 European Grand Prix was going to be held in Rome on a street circuit around the EUR^[1] but was moved to Brands Hatch.

Cancelled race Jarama (1986)

There was a attempt to stage the European Grand Prix in 1986 with an early version of the calendar publishing Jarama as the host track but these plans fell through.

Donington Park (1993)

In 1990, a wealthy Japanese businessman, Tomonori Tsurumaki, built the Nippon Autopolis with the idea of hosting a Formula One race. In 1992, plans were made to have an Asian Grand Prix in 1993 to replace the Mexican Grand Prix on the schedule. However, these plans failed to materialise. Instead, Bernie Ecclestone added a race at Donington Park to the schedule, which brought back the European Grand Prix moniker. The race was the brainchild of Tom Wheatcroft, who had been trying to bring F1 to the track since an abortive attempt to host the British Grand Prix in 1988. The first and so far only Formula One Grand Prix at Donington Park resulted in Ayrton Senna's victory in mixed wet and dry conditions.

Jerez (Cancelled 1992 race, 1994, 1997)

The Circuito de Jerez in Jerez de la Frontera in Spain was intended to be host of the European Grand Prix in 1992 but this was cancelled. However, Jerez would eventually host the event two years later as round 14 of 16 in 1994 and the season finale in 1997, and it was the site of the controversial collision between Michael Schumacher and Jacques Villeneuve which saw Schumacher get disqualified from the championship and it was also the scene of Mika Häkkinen's first Formula One victory.

Nürburgring GP-Strecke (1984, 1995-1996, 1999-2007)

Brands Hatch was unable to host the European Grand Prix in 1984, so the European GP went to a redesigned and shorter Nürburgring circuit in 1984. It was a far cry from the 23 kilometre Nürburgring that most were used to seeing, and was initially unpopular during Formula One's return.

The race returned to Nürburgring in 1995, which was now popular again with drivers. But after complaints that no other countries were to get the race, the Nürburgring race was renamed the Luxembourg Grand Prix. Jerez got the race back in 1997 as a replacement for the Portuguese Grand Prix.

In 1998, the European Grand Prix was dropped from the schedule with Jerez dropping off the schedule and the Nürburgring race retaining the Luxembourg Grand Prix moniker for that year, but returned in 1999 when the race at Nürburgring re-adopted the European Grand Prix name.

The 1999 race saw torrential rain conditions which caused numerous retirements, presenting Johnny Herbert with the opportunity to take Stewart Grand Prix's first and only victory in its final season before being sold to Ford.

The race continued to be held at the Nürburgring until 2007. On 29 August 2006 it was announced that it had been removed from the F1 calendar for the 2007 season. From then there would only be one GP hosted in Germany each year, alternating between Hockenheimring and Nürburgring. However, what the name of this Grand Prix would be was uncertain for a time; while originally intended to be the German Grand Prix from 2007,^[2] the Nürburgring race of 2007 was renamed "Großer Preis von Europa" (European Grand Prix)^[3] due to a dispute over the ownership of the title "German Grand Prix".^[4]

Valencia Street Circuit (2008–2012)

From 2008 to 2012 the European Grand Prix took place in Valencia, Spain. During the 2009 event, Valencia signed a deal for a further 5 races, which put Valencia on the calendar until 2014.^{[citation needed]} Despite this, in March 2012, it was announced that the European Grand Prix was to be discontinued in 2013, with the Spanish Grand Prix planned to alternate between Barcelona and Valencia.^[5]^{[failed verification]} However, Barcelona has retained the race since 2013, and the Valencia circuit was removed from the calendar.

Baku City Circuit (2016)

The European Grand Prix returned to the Formula One World Championship in 2016, being held on the Baku City Circuit in Azerbaijan. The race was renamed the Azerbaijan Grand Prix for the 2017 season. This means that the European Grand Prix was again discontinued after a one-off in 2016.

Winners of the European Grand Prix

Repeat winners (drivers)

Only includes standalone events.

Drivers in bold are competing in the Formula One championship in the current season.

Wins	Driver	Years won
6	Michael Schumacher	1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2006
3	Fernando Alonso	2005, 2007, 2012
2	Rubens Barrichello	2002, 2009
2	Sebastian Vettel	2010, 2011
Source:^[6]

Repeat winners (constructors)

Only includes standalone events.

Teams in bold are competing in the Formula One championship in the current season.

Wins	Constructor	Years won
7	Ferrari	2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2012
4	McLaren	1984, 1993, 1997, 2007
3	Williams	1985, 1996, 2003
2	Benetton	1994, 1995
2	Red Bull	2010, 2011
Source:^[6]

Repeat winners (engine manufacturers)

Only includes standalone events.

Manufacturers in bold are competing in the Formula One championship in the current season.

Wins	Manufacturer	Years won
7	Ferrari	2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2012
5	Renault	1995, 1996, 2005, 2010, 2011
4	Mercedes *	1997, 2007, 2009, 2016
3	Ford **	1993, 1994, 1999
2	BMW	1983, 2003
Source:^[6]

* Built by Ilmor in 1997

** Built by Cosworth

By year: the European Grand Prix as a standalone event

Year	Driver	Constructor	Location	Report
1983	Nelson Piquet	Brabham-BMW	Brands Hatch	Report
1984	Alain Prost	McLaren-TAG	Nürburgring GP-Strecke	Report
1985	Nigel Mansell	Williams-Honda	Brands Hatch	Report
1986 – 1992	Not held
1993	Ayrton Senna	McLaren-Ford	Donington	Report
1994	Michael Schumacher	Benetton-Ford	Jerez	Report
1995	Michael Schumacher	Benetton-Renault	Nürburgring GP-Strecke	Report
1996	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams-Renault	Nürburgring GP-Strecke	Report
1997	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren-Mercedes	Jerez	Report
1998	Not held
1999	Johnny Herbert	Stewart-Ford	Nürburgring GP-Strecke	Report
2000	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari		Report
2001	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari		Report
2002	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari		Report
2003	Ralf Schumacher	Williams-BMW		Report
2004	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari		Report
2005	Fernando Alonso	Renault		Report
2006	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari		Report
2007	Fernando Alonso	McLaren-Mercedes		Report
2008	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	Valencia	Report
2009	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn-Mercedes		Report
2010	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull-Renault		Report
2011	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull-Renault		Report
2012	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari		Report
2013 – 2015	Not held
2016	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	Baku	Report
2017	replaced by Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Source:^[6]

By year: the European Grand Prix as an honorary designation

A pink background indicates an event which was not part of the Formula One World Championship.

Year	Driver	Constructor	Designated Grand Prix	Location	Report
1923	Carlo Salamano	Fiat	Italian Grand Prix	Monza Full Circuit	Report
1924	Giuseppe Campari	Alfa Romeo	French Grand Prix	Lyon	Report
1925	Antonio Ascari	Alfa Romeo	Belgian Grand Prix	Spa-Francorchamps 15 km circuit	Report
1926	Jules Goux	Bugatti	San Sebastián Grand Prix	Lasarte	Report
1927	Robert Benoist	Delage	Italian Grand Prix	Monza Full Circuit	Report
1928	Louis Chiron	Bugatti	Italian Grand Prix	Monza Full Circuit	Report
1929	Not held
1930	Louis Chiron	Bugatti	Belgian Grand Prix	Spa-Francorchamps 15 km circuit	Report
1931 – 1946	Not held
1947	Jean-Pierre Wimille	Alfa Romeo	Belgian Grand Prix	Spa-Francorchamps 14 km circuit	Report
1948	Carlo Felice Trossi	Alfa Romeo	Swiss Grand Prix	Bremgarten	Report
1949	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari	Italian Grand Prix	Monza	Report
1950	Giuseppe Farina	Alfa Romeo	British Grand Prix	Silverstone	Report
1951	Luigi Fagioli Juan Manuel Fangio	Alfa Romeo	French Grand Prix	Reims-Gueux	Report
1952	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari	Belgian Grand Prix	Spa-Francorchamps 14 km circuit	Report
1953	Not held
1954	Juan Manuel Fangio	Mercedes	German Grand Prix	Nürburgring Nordschleife	Report
1955	Maurice Trintignant	Ferrari	Monaco Grand Prix	Monaco	Report
1956	Stirling Moss	Maserati	Italian Grand Prix	Monza Full Circuit	Report
1957	Tony Brooks Stirling Moss	Vanwall	British Grand Prix	Aintree	Report
1958	Tony Brooks	Vanwall	Belgian Grand Prix	Spa-Francorchamps 14 km circuit	Report
1959	Tony Brooks	Ferrari	French Grand Prix	Reims-Gueux	Report
1960	Phil Hill	Ferrari	Italian Grand Prix	Monza Full Circuit	Report
1961	Stirling Moss	Lotus-Climax	German Grand Prix	Nürburgring Nordschleife	Report
1962	Graham Hill	BRM	Dutch Grand Prix	Zandvoort	Report
1963	Graham Hill	BRM	Monaco Grand Prix	Monaco	Report
1964	Jim Clark	Lotus-Climax	British Grand Prix	Brands Hatch	Report
1965	Jim Clark	Lotus-Climax	Belgian Grand Prix	Spa-Francorchamps 14 km circuit	Report
1966	Jack Brabham	Brabham-Repco	French Grand Prix	Reims-Gueux	Report
1967	John Surtees	Honda	Italian Grand Prix	Monza	Report
1968	Jackie Stewart	Matra-Ford	German Grand Prix	Nürburgring Nordschleife	Report
1969 – 1971	Not held
1972	Emerson Fittipaldi	Lotus-Ford	British Grand Prix	Brands Hatch	Report
1973	Jackie Stewart	Tyrrell-Ford	Belgian Grand Prix	Zolder	Report
1974	Clay Regazzoni	Ferrari	German Grand Prix	Nürburgring Nordschleife	Report
1975	Vittorio Brambilla	March-Ford	Austrian Grand Prix	Österreichring	Report
1976	James Hunt	McLaren-Ford	Dutch Grand Prix	Zandvoort	Report
1977	James Hunt	McLaren-Ford	British Grand Prix	Silverstone	Report
Source:^[7]

References

^ Daily Mail Grand Prix Racing 1985
^ Official FIA press release. "2007 FIA Formula One championship circuit and lap information, published on February 14, 2007". Official FIA press release. Archived from the original on 4 April 2007. Retrieved 22 April 2007.
^ "Nürburgring". Official Homepage of the Nürburgring. Retrieved 14 April 2007.
^ The race held at Nürburgring in 2007 was originally going to be called the German Grand Prix but the title was changed to European Grand Prix due to the dispute over the ownership of the German Grand Prix name. See Autosport: Name row leads to return of European GP
^ "Valencia pays 2012 fee, Spain to alternate from 2013". MSN Sport. MSN Sport. 9 March 2012. Archived from the original on 25 February 2014. Retrieved 9 March 2012.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "European GP". ChicaneF1. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
^ Higham, Peter (1995). The Guinness Guide to International Motor Racing. London, England: Motorbooks International. pp. 8–88, 197–208. ISBN 978-0-7603-0152-4 – via Internet Archive.