Swiss Grand Prix
This article is about the Swiss Grand Prix in Formula One; for motorcycle Grand Prix races, see Swiss Grand Prix (motorcycle); for the Swiss Grand Prix in show jumping, see CSIO Switzerland.
Grand Prix of Switzerland, at times also Grand Prix of Bremgarten, is the name of a circuit race held by the Automobile Club of Switzerland. From 1950 to 1954, as well as in 1982, the race was part of the Formula One World Championship.
The first race was held in the 1934 Grand Prix season on the Bremgarten circuit, and the Swiss Grand Prix was part of the racing series until the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939. The record winner during this period was the German Rudolf Caracciola with three victories.
After the war, three rounds of the Grand Prix season were again held at Bremgarten between 1947 and 1949; in 1950, the race in Switzerland
became part of the newly formed Formula One as the Grand Prix of Bremgarten and remained on the racing calendar until 1954.
After the serious accident at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1955, in which 84 people lost their lives, circuit races were banned throughout Switzerland for safety reasons, which spelled the end for the Swiss Grand Prix.
Nevertheless, a Swiss Grand Prix was held in both the 1975 and 1982 Formula One seasons, both races being held at the French Circuit de Dijon-Prenois. The 1975 race did not count towards the world championship, in 1982 the later world champion Keke Rosberg won his only race here that season.
On 21 March 2003, Ulrich Giezendanner submitted a parliamentary initiative to the Federal Assembly to allow circuit racing again. After the Council of States failed to act on the matter for the second time on 10 June 2009, the initiative was finally rejected and circuit racing remains banned in Switzerland. The discussion no longer focused on safety, but on environmental and traffic policy considerations.
Results
| Circulation | Year | Route | Winner | Second | Third | Pole position | Fastest lap |
| I | 1934 | Bremgarten | NS State | NS State | Third French Republic | NS State | NS State |
| II | 1935 | Bremgarten | German Reich NS | Italy 1861 | German Reich NS | Italy 1861 | German Reich NS |
| III | 1936 | Bremgarten | German Reich NS | Italy 1861 | German Reich NS | German Reich NS | German Reich NS |
| IV | 1937 | Bremgarten | German Reich NS | German Reich NS | German Reich NS | German Reich NS | German Reich NS |
| V | 1938 | Bremgarten | German Reich NS | United Kingdom | German Reich NS | United Kingdom | United Kingdom |
| VI | 1939 | Bremgarten | German Reich NS | German Reich NS | German Reich NS | German Reich NS | German Reich NS |
| 1940 until 1946 | No Swiss Grand Prix | ||||||
| VII | 1947 | Bremgarten | France 1946 | Italy | Italy | France 1946 | France 1946 |
| VIII | 1948 | Bremgarten | Italy | France 1946 | Italy | France 1946 | France 1946 |
| IX | 1949 | Bremgarten | Italy | Italy | France 1946 | Italy | Italy |
| X | 1950 | Bremgarten | Italy | Italy | France 1946 | Argentina | Italy |
| XI | 1951 | Bremgarten | Argentina | Italy | Italy | Argentina | Argentina |
| XII | 1952 | Bremgarten | Italy | Switzerland | France 1946 | Italy | Italy |
| XIII | 1953 | Bremgarten | Italy | Italy | United Kingdom | Argentina | Italy |
| XIV | 1954 | Bremgarten | Argentina | Argentina | Germany | Argentina | Argentina |
| 1955 until 1974 | No Swiss Grand Prix | ||||||
| XV | 1975 | Dijon | Switzerland | France | Germany | France | France |
| 1976 until 1981 | No Swiss Grand Prix | ||||||
| XVI | 1982 | Dijon | Finland | France | Austria | France | France |
| since 1983 | No Swiss Grand Prix | ||||||
.svg.png){kind=small}
.svg.png){kind=small}
.svg.png){kind=small}
.png){kind=small}
| Legend | ||
| Abbreviation | Class | Comment |
| F1 | Formula 1 | Formula 1 World Championship from 1950 |
| F2 | Formula 2 | |
| FL | Formula libre | Vehicle class usually advertised by the organizer |
| SW | Sports car | |
| TW | Touring car | |
| GP | Grand Prix cars | |
| ↓ Solid gray lines indicate when a new course was taken in history. ↓ | ||
| Entries with a bright red background were not rounds of the automobile or Formula 1 World Championship. | ||
| Entries with yellow background were heats for the European Championship. | ||
Questions and Answers
Q: What was the Swiss Grand Prix?
A: The Swiss Grand Prix was a motor race of Switzerland, and in its later years it was a Formula One race.
Q: When did Grand Prix racing start in Switzerland?
A: Grand Prix racing started in Switzerland in 1934.
Q: Where was the Bremgarten circuit located?
A: The Bremgarten circuit was just outside the town of Bremgarten, near Bern.
Q: How long did the Swiss Grand Prix count toward the European Championship for?
A: The Swiss Grand Prix counted toward the European Championship from 1935 to 1939.
Q: Why did motor racing get banned by the Swiss government in 1958?
A: Motor racing got banned by the Swiss government in 1958 as an unsafe spectator sport, following the death of 80 people at the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans race.
Q: Where were two more races held after motor racing got banned?
A: After motor racing got banned, two more races were held at Dijon-Prenois circuit, just across the border in France.
Q: Was there ever another Championship F1 race after 1975?
A: Yes, one Championship F1 race was held in 1982.
