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For many years, the Monaco Grand Prix was held in late May, but it now takes place on the first weekend of June. However, long before this recent change to the schedule, the race had already seen a one-time exception in its history. On August 8, 1937, the Principality hosted a round of the European Drivers’ Championship, the predecessor to the Formula 1 World Championship.
Although it is now held on the first weekend of June, the Monaco Grand Prix has seen several date changes during its history. From its creation in 1929 through 1936, the Monaco race was traditionally held in April. In 1937, the Grand Prix was moved to August 8 to better fit into the European Drivers’ Championship calendar, between the German and Swiss Grands Prix.
This edition is particularly significant because it counted toward the European Championship, the most prestigious international competition of the time, 13 years before the creation of the Formula 1 World Championship.
In 1937, European motorsports were dominated by the German manufacturers Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union, backed by the Nazi regime, which used auto racing as a tool for propaganda. Their single-seaters racked up one victory after another against their Italian (Alfa Romeo and Maserati) and French (Talbot) rivals.
In qualifying, the Silver Arrows confirmed their superiority. Driving his Mercedes W125, German driver Rudolf Caracciola secured pole position with a time of 1:47.5. He was joined on the front row, which at the time consisted of three drivers, by his compatriots Manfred von Brauchitsch (Mercedes) and Bernd Rosemeyer (Auto Union).
Mercedes quickly set the pace. Caracciola and von Brauchitsch pulled away early, with the pole-sitter leading for much of the race. Ultimately, Manfred von Brauchitsch capitalized on a better strategy, with one fewer pit stop, to overtake his teammate. He won the race after 3 hours and 7 minutes of racing, finishing ahead of Rudolf Caracciola and the Swiss driver Christian Kautz: a total triumph for the three Mercedes cars of the Daimler-Benz AG team, the predecessor of today’s Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula 1 team.
The only edition to take place in August, the 1937 Monaco Grand Prix remains famous for other reasons. In particular, it marked the peak of the legendary pre-war Silver Arrows: thanks to the progress of the Mercedes W125, the average speed exceeded 100 km/h (101.8 km/h) for the first time. Pole-sitter Rudolf Caracciola also set the fastest lap in Grand Prix history with a time of 1:46.5. A record that would not be broken until 1955 by Juan Manuel Fangio.
After that race, the Monaco Grand Prix disappeared from the calendar in 1938. The races scheduled between 1939 and 1947 were subsequently canceled due to World War II. The Principality finally welcomed Grand Prix cars back in 1948, this time in May, before the race became part of the Formula 1 World Championship upon its inception in 1950.
