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XV° GRAN PREMIO D'ITALIA
Ardenza Circuit, Livorno, 12 September 1937
50 laps x 7.218 km (4.485 mi) = 360.9 km (224.3 mi)
Caracciola and Lang dominate the Italian Grand Prix
by Hans Etzrodt & Leif Snellman
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The three works teams of Mercedes-Benz, Auto Union, Alfa Romeo plus Scuderia Ferrari contested the 1937 Italian Grand Prix. The venue was changed from Monza to Livorno to give the Italians a greater chance
of winning but this did not produce the hoped-for Italian victory. Instead, the German cars completely outclassed the Italians and won easily without ever being challenged. Caracciola (Mercedes-Benz) was
the early leader but was soon passed by his eager teammate Lang, who launched a private duel just seconds apart to the dismay of furious Mercedes team manager Neubauer. Just seconds behind, in third place,
Rosemeyer (Auto Union) watched the fun, chasing after the two Mercedes, creating a high-speed trio, to the immense enjoyment of the large crowd. At mid-race, during the pit stops, Mercedes team manager
Neubauer lectured Lang as Caracciola had to win the race to become European Champion. Then Caracciola led uncontested with obedient Lang following behind with the sick and slowing Rosemeyer in third place.
Stuck stopped on the 18th lap when Hasse took over the driving. Guidotti in the new 4.5-L Alfa Romeo spun off the road and retired. Nuvolari (Alfa Romeo) once held 4th place on lap 21 but finding the
situation hopeless, handed his car over to Farina, who had withdrawn on lap 13. Brauchitsch (Mercedes-Benz) held 4th place for a long time before he fell behind to drop out on lap 36. Biondetti retired
his Alfa on lap 39. Kautz withdrew his Mercedes-Benz after 43 laps. The Auto Unions dropped behind the leading Mercedes followed by the Alfa Romeos. Eventually Caracciola won half a second ahead of
Lang with the sick Rosemeyer third, followed one lap behind by Seaman, Müller, Varzi, Farina for Nuvolari, then three laps back trailed Trossi, Hasse for Stuck and Belmondo last five laps in the rear.
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The organization of the 15th Gran Premio d'Italia and simultaneously the 17th Coppa Ciano was overseen by RACI Commendatore Magnani, who was in Livorno, accompanied by Commendatore Castagneto, who became
aware of all that had to be done, lingering for a long time on the narrow route and on the finish line. The Livorno branch of RACI, collaborating with the technicians from Rome, was perfecting the
organizational work, as 13 popular railroad trains were to arrive in Livorno between Saturday and Sunday.
The race counted towards the 1937 Italian and European Championships, to be held for the first time on the newly arranged Ardenza town circuit located just south of Livorno (Leghorn in English), leading
through narrow streets and being bordered by walls. From the start at Rotonda Ardenza, then Via della Torre - Ardenza terra - Via del Litorale - Via Aurelia - Piazza Bartolomei - (Antignano - Via
Aurelia Miramare) - Via Amerigo Vespucci - Via Duca Cosimo - Piazza Dino Leoni - Piazza del Castello - then along the narrow 1.4 km coastal straight of Viale Vittorio Emanuele, the only place to pass
another car. At its end was the start at Rotonda Ardenza, all measured 7 km, to be covered 55 times, for a total of 385 km. However, after remeasuring the circuit, the length was not 7.0 km,
but 7.218 km. Hours before the start, due to three delays, the race was reduced from 55 to 50 laps, with the total distance of 360.9 km, with full agreement of the manufacturer team managers.
The switch of the Grand Prix from Monza to Livorno was officially claimed as a successful test and a useful lecture but the true reason for this was that the venue change was to give the Italian
cars a greater chance of winning as they had been successful here at the 1936 Coppa Ciano, beating the Auto Unions. The prizes amounted to 150,000 Lire.
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Entries:
Entries for 16 drivers were received, representing three racing teams and Swiss champion Hans Rüesch as independent. But the latter did not start after car damage in practice, so there were just 15 starters.
The Daimler-Benz team, managed by Alfred Neubauer, arrived with five W 125 cars for Rudolf Caracciola, Manfred von Brauchitsch, Hermann Lang, Richard Seaman and Christian Kautz as drivers.
Auto Union, supervised by team manager Dr. Karl Otto Feuereissen, arrived with four V-16 type C cars, for Bernd Rosemeyer, Achille Varzi, Hans Stuck and H. P. Müller with Rudolf Hasse as reserve driver,
who was still handicapped with leg and foot injuries he had received at his Monaco crash. Varzi was a surprise entry. He told team manager Feuereissen that he had given up his affair with Ilse and
drugs and asked for a drive, his first Grand Prix in 1937. The team manager was hesitant but after persuasion by Rosemeyer, Varzi was signed on for the three last races of the season. Varzi then had
been at the Nürburgring for a few days, to work together on the final tuning of the cars and to train properly.
A change took place during March of 1937 when SA Alfa Romeo acquired 80% of the share capital in SA Scuderia Ferrari, on the basis that Enzo Ferrari's functions remained as before. But for the 15.
August Coppa Acerbo race, SA Alfa Romeo works entered two of the new more powerful 4.5-liter V12-cylinder 12C-37 type and not by Scuderia Ferrari. However, the cars were undrivable with twisting
frame in the hands of Nuvolari. So, for the Italian Grand Prix it was again Scuderia Ferrari who entered the 4.1-liter V12-cylinder type 12C-36 Alfa Romeos for Tazio Nuvolari, Giuseppe Farina,
Carlo Felice Trossi, reserve driver Belmondo and Marquis Antonio Brivio with Clemente Biondetti as his Scuderia Ferrari reserve driver. Biondetti was entered with an 8-cylinder Alfa Romeo but in
the race, he drove with the 12-cylinder. Marquis Brivio, who was originally entered as driver, had an altercation with Ferrari team manager engineer Luigi Bazzi, who decided that Biondetti was to
race instead. Brivio then stated that according to the contract with Ferrari, only he had the right to drive, as he was the second Scuderia driver after Nuvolari. But on Sunday Brivio appeared
with his wife as spectator in the race. However, there was a separate pit for SA Alfa Romeo, apart from Scuderia Ferrari, for a renewed trial run to test the new works entered 12C-37 type driven
by Alfa Romeo chief mechanic Gianbattista Guidotti, supervised by designer Vittorio Jano. The only independent driver was the Swiss Hans Rüesch with a 3.5-liter, 8-cylinder Alfa Romeo.
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Practice:
Thursday was the first practice with the fastest time made by Brauchitsch in 3m18.6s at 126.887 km/h average speed. All 17 drivers were able to put up laps during the two practice periods.
Guidotti drove the 12C-37 Alfa Romeo works entry. Practice was organized by engineer Furmanik, president of the ACI Sporting Commission and engineer Ivo Magnani, general director of RACI, also
race director Renzo Castagneto and Commendatore Emanuele Tron, chairman of the RACI organizing committee Livorno. The best times were as follows:
| Brauchitsch (Mercedes-Benz) | 3m18.6s |
| Varzi (Auto Union) | 3m20.2s |
| Caracciola (Mercedes-Benz) | 3m21.4s |
| Rosemeyer (Auto Union) | 3m21.6s |
| Lang (Mercedes-Benz) | 3m21.8s |
| Nuvolari (Alfa Romeo) | 3m22.4s |
| Stuck (Auto Union | 3m23.2s |
| Farina (Alfa Romeo) | 3m27.2s |
| Trossi (Alfa Romeo) | 3m27.2s |
| Biondetti (Alfa Romeo) | 3m28.6s |
| Müller (Auto Union) | 3m29.2s |
| Guidotti (Alfa Romeo) | 3m29.4s |
| Brivio (Alfa Romeo) | 3m30.4s |
| Seaman (Mercedes-Benz) | 3m30.6s |
| Kautz (Mercedes-Benz) | 3m35.2s |
| Belmondo (Alfa Romeo) | 3m42.8s |
| Rüesch (Alfa Romeo) | 3m45.0s |
Friday practice was disrupted by rain and wind but did not prevent an enthusiastic crowd from attending. During the storm Nuvolari recorded the time of 3m36.6s, while Rosemeyer ran in 3m34.4s
and Brauchitsch in 3m34s. Caracciola made a lap in 3m26.2s. Farina lapped in 3m36.2s. Nuvolari had left the eight-cylinder to take the wheel of the 1936 twelve-cylinder. With it he began to
turn in 3m29s, then gradually went down to 3m28s; 3m26s; 3m23.6s; 3m23s net and finally 3m22.4s, the best time of the day. But Nuvolari made the last lap, stopping before the finish line in 3m21.8s
according to the timing performed by the pits. Müller scored a time of 3m29s while Varzi was lapping also fast, his best in 3m23.2s. Mercedes drivers did not do any fast laps, probably in the hope
that they could show their paces on a dry Saturday. Belmondo and Rüesch did not practice.
| Nuvolari (Alfa Romeo) | 3m21.8s |
| Varzi (Auto Union) | 3m23.2s |
| Caracciola (Mercedes-Benz) | 3m26.2s |
| Müller (Auto Union) | 3m29.0s |
| Brauchitsch (Mercedes-Benz) | 3m34.0s |
| Rosemeyer (Auto Union) | 3m34.4s |
| Farina (Alfa Romeo) | 3m36.2s |
Charles Faroux reported that Saturday practice took place without rain, but with a real wind storm and one might fear for bad weather on Sunday. Caracciola flashed around in 3m11s at 132 km/h average
speed. Varzi registered a lap in 3m13.6 mph while Rosemeyer's time was 3m14.2s. The times were as follows:
| Caracciola (Mercedes-Benz) | 3m11.0s |
| Varzi (Auto Union) | 3m13.6s |
| Rosemeyer (Auto Union) | 3m14.2s |
| Lang (Mercedes-Benz) | 3m15.6s |
| Stuck (Auto Union | 3m17.4s |
| Brauchitsch (Mercedes-Benz) | 3m19.8s |
| Nuvolari (Alfa Romeo) | 3m20.8s |
| Seaman (Mercedes-Benz) | 3m21.6s |
| Trossi (Alfa Romeo) | 3m22.2s |
| Müller (Auto Union) | 3m22.4s |
| Biondetti (Alfa Romeo) | 3m24.6s |
| Guidotti (Alfa Romeo) | 3m24.2s |
| Farina (Alfa Romeo) | 3m24.4s |
| Belmondo (Alfa Romeo) | 3m39.0s |
Saturday afternoon between 4:30 and 5:30 was reserved for scrutineering and other formalities, presided by Technical Commissioner engineer Canestrini starting with Auto Union, Mercedes, Alfa Romeo
then Rüesch and Belmondo. Part of that was weighing the cars, all of which were below the 750 kg limit.
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Race:
Biondetti drove with the 12-cylinder instead of 8-cylinder Alfa Romeo. Rüesch, who had practiced on Thursday, did not start due to a damaged engine. But according to Charles Faroux, the Swiss
champion was absent at the start, as he broke his Alfa's rear bridge during practice.
Sunday morning a strong storm and rain eventually subsided, so the race took place in dry condition with the roads still moist in places. The gigantic crowd, estimated between 40,000 to over
50,000 people, was waiting in great anticipation along the seven km long circuit. Due to the heavy rain, the preliminaries preceding the race had been delayed and got underway at 2:35 p.m. with the
traditional parade in front of stands, which began with the notes of the national anthems being played, accompanied by enthusiastic applause. The banners were carried by the young fascists of the
various RACI provincial sections. Then followed together with the sound of the national anthems the cars and the drivers, greatly applauded by the crowd, preceded by the flags of the respective
nations carried by a sailor of the Italian Navy. First were the red Alfa Romeos led by Nuvolari. Next, the sounds of the German hymn echoed and the German drivers paraded with their cars.
They all lined up on the starting grid in order of their practice times with the fastest car at the right during the subsequent flag raising ceremony.
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12
Rosemeyer
Auto Union
3m14.2s
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14
Varzi
Auto Union
3m13.6s
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2
Caracciola
Mercedes-Benz
3m11.0s
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4
Brauchitsch
Mercedes-Benz
3m18.6s
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16
Stuck
Auto Union
3m17.4s
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6
Lang
Mercedes-Benz
3m15.6s
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26
Trossi
Alfa Romeo
3m22.2s
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8
Seaman
Mercedes-Benz
3m21.6s
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22
Nuvolari
Alfa Romeo
3m20.8s
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24
Farina
Alfa Romeo
3m24.4s
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30
Guidotti
Alfa Romeo
3m24.2s
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18
Müller
Auto Union
3m22.4s
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20
Belmondo
Alfa Romeo
3m40.0s
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10
Kautz
Mercedes
3m29.0s
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28
Biondetti
Alfa Romeo
3m24.6s
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The stands at the finish line were overloaded with spectators, the straight section of Antignano was black with crowds, the enclosure of the pits was semi-invaded, human clusters were everywhere and
along the slopes of Monte Nero even the meadows had been stormed. The giant crowd was so passionate and annoying taken by the event, that at certain points of the course people burst through barriers
and cordons and poured out in a stream onto the circuit roads, looking for a place to watch the race. As a result, the start had to be delayed by about half an hour to give time to clear the track as
best as possible. Accordingly, the race was then reduced from 55 to 50 laps, in full agreement with the manufacturer team managers to prevent drivers driving until the darkness of the evening.
George Monkhouse wrote, "Three minutes before the start, when all drivers were sitting in their cars waiting for the engines to be started up, it was apparent that about a quarter of a mile after the
start the road was completely blocked by spectators who were having a free fight with the police and definitely winning! Suddenly with a great rush about 3,000 or 4,000 people started stampeding down
the road to the back of the pits. Nuvolari, in order to get a better view of the incident, stood up on the tail of his car. It was obvious that it would be some time before the police could restore
order, so Neubauer very wisely shouted to the Mercedes mechanics to put back the soft plugs and warm up the engines again; Auto Union promptly followed suit.
"At last, order appeared to be finally restored, and the drivers got back into their cars, when it was announced that there would unfortunately be a further delay while an ambulance went round the
circuit to collect a spectator who had fallen out of the tree on to the road and killed himself."
Al last, the engines were started up and off went the screaming pack with Caracciola and Lang in the lead, followed by Rosemeyer and Brauchitsch; then came Varzi, Nuvolari, Müller and Seaman. The
wait for their return was just over three minutes when the cars appeared at great speed. The first to cross the finish line was the Mercedes of Caracciola, followed by Varzi, Lang, Rosemeyer,
Brauchitsch and Nuvolari, a gap, then Müller, Seaman, Stuck, Kautz and then Farina, Trossi, Biondetti, Guidotti and Belmondo.
After the second lap Caracciola remained in the lead ahead of Lang who had passed into second place, ahead of Rosemeyer with a gap to Brauchitsch, Varzi and Nuvolari, followed by Müller, Seaman,
Stuck, Farina, Kautz, Trossi, Biondetti, Guidotti and Belmondo.
At the beginning of the 4th lap Lang passed Caracciola for first place, much to the consternation of the Mercedes manager. According to Monkhouse:" No amount of flag waving, pit signals, or even
Neubauer's irate figure in the road, had any effect on Lang who seemed to have taken the bit between his teeth." Rosemeyer was driving seconds behind in third place, enjoying to watch the battle,
despite his handicap of a sore throat, making it difficult for him to turn the head. Lang's second lap was in 3m19.6s and the third lap in 3m18s at 131.236 km/h average speed. On the fourth lap
Farina made a brief pit stop. The order was as follows after five laps:
| 1. | Lang (Mercedes-Benz) | 16m45s |
| 2. | Caracciola (Mercedes-Benz) | 16m48s |
| 3. | Rosemeyer (Auto Union) | 16m50s |
| 4. | Brauchitsch (Mercedes-Benz) | 16m56s |
| 5. | Varzi (Auto Union) | 17m19s |
| 6. | Nuvolari (Alfa Romeo) | 17m20s |
| 7. | Müller (Auto Union) | 17m23s |
| 8. | Seaman (Mercedes-Benz) | 17m25s |
| 9. | Stuck (Auto Union) | 17m33s |
| 10. | Kautz (Mercedes-Benz) | 17m45.2s |
| 11. | Trossi (Alfa Romeo) | 17m59.0s |
| 12. | Biondetti (Alfa Romeo) | 18m09.0s |
| 13. | Guidotti (Alfa Romeo) | 18m10.0s |
| 14. | Farina (Alfa Romeo) | 18m11.8s |
| 15. | Belmondo (Alfa Romeo) | 18m51.4s |
On the sixth lap the positions of the first three remained the same but Nuvolari passed Varzi for fifth place to the enjoyment of the crowd. After eight laps Belmondo and Farina were lapped by the
leaders. On the 10th lap Guidotti's new Alfa Romeo was lapped. Stuck had fallen behind as he had to slow with a locking left front brake. Lang held the lead after the tenth lap at 131.617 km/h
average speed with the order as follows after ten laps:
| 1. | Lang (Mercedes-Benz) | 32m54.0s |
| 2. | Caracciola (Mercedes-Benz) | 32m57.8s |
| 3. | Rosemeyer (Auto Union) | 33m01.8s |
| 4. | Brauchitsch (Mercedes-Benz) | 33m11.4s |
| 5. | Nuvolari (Alfa Romeo) | 34m05.2s |
| 6. | Varzi (Auto Union) | 34m07.2s |
| 7. | Müller (Auto Union) | 34m08.6s |
| 8. | Seaman (Mercedes-Benz) | 34m09.4s |
| 9. | Stuck (Auto Union) | 34m24.4s |
| 10. | Kautz (Mercedes-Benz) | 34m45.2s |
| 11. | Trossi (Alfa Romeo) | 35m00.2s |
| 12. | Guidotti (Alfa Romeo) | 35m34.2s |
| 13. | Biondetti (Alfa Romeo) | 35m35.0s |
| 14. | Belmondo (Alfa Romeo) | 37m15.0s |
| 15. | Farina (Alfa Romeo) | 37m18.6s |
Lang again lowered the lap record with 3m12.2s at an average of 135.196 km/h. On the 11th lap Farina stopped for a long time at the pits to cure a carburetion problem. When he tried to rejoin,
the engine would not start, so he had to retire. At the end of the 15th lap Brauchitsch stopped at the pits to change the left rear tire in 30 seconds. Then it was Stuck's turn to change the right
rear tire. According to Peter Kirchberg's recordings, Stuck began his game again when he drove the car past the pits to the parking place, so that the mechanics had no opportunity to examine the car,
which was sufficient reason for management to let him go. Them, after changing tires, the car was taken over by reserve driver Hasse on the 18th lap. Rosemeyer stopped on the 19th lap to change both
rear wheels in 25 seconds. On lap 19 Caracciola regained the lead with Lang second, but he was again in the lead after the following lap at 132.676 km/h average speed with the order as follows
after 20 laps:
| 1. | Lang (Mercedes-Benz) | 1h05m17.0s |
| 2. | Caracciola (Mercedes-Benz) | 1h05m22.4s |
| 3. | Rosemeyer (Auto Union) | 1h06m45.0s |
| 4. | Müller (Auto Union) | 1h07m31.2s |
| 5. | Nuvolari (Alfa Romeo) | 1h07m31.4s |
| 6. | Seaman (Mercedes-Benz) | 1h07m38.4s |
| 7. | Varzi (Auto Union) | 1h07m40.0s |
| 8. | Brauchitsch (Mercedes-Benz) | 1h08m26.2s |
| 9. | Trossi (Alfa Romeo) | 1h09m04.2s |
| 10. | Biondetti (Alfa Romeo) | 1h10m05.0s |
| 11. | Guidotti (Alfa Romeo) | 1h10m08.4s |
| 12. | Hasse for Stuck (Auto Union) | 1h11m53.8s |
| 13. | Belmondo (Alfa Romeo) | 1h13m49.4s |
| 14. | Kautz (Mercedes-Benz) | no time |
The pursuit of Nuvolari kept the attention of the spectators. On the 21st lap Nuvolari, who had an excellent recovery, took fourth place ahead of Müller. Monkhouse recalled:" Nuvolari made several
efforts to get past Müller but without success, and then began some of his real driving acrobatics, which he generally reserves for his own countrymen. Nuvolari, when he really gets excited, looks
just like a little monkey on a stick. He was leaping up and down in the driving seat, broadsiding his Alfa on either side of Müller within inches of him, but never being able to get past. Eventually
he managed to squeeze through just before a corner with about a millimetre between his wheels and Müller's. The crowd went mad to see Tazio in such form." Unfortunately, Nuvolari's mechanical means
was what it was and the Mantuan, after a leap forward, fell behind. On lap 22, Nuvolari changed both rear wheels in 48 seconds. On lap 23 Lang stopped, since both rear tires were without tread and
changed them in 28 seconds. On the same lap, Nuvolari completed his fastest lap in 3m16.8s at an average of 132.035. Müller also stopped to refuel and change tires. Caracciola stopped on the 24th lap
to refuel and change both rear wheels in 38 seconds. On the same lap Guidotti with the new 12-cylinder Alfa slowly reached the walkway that precedes the finish line and retired. He talked with Jano,
the engineer, that he stopped due to a slight damage to the rear bridge, after Guidotti had skidded off the track and damaged the car. Caracciola led at 130.734 km/h average speed with the order as
follows after 25 laps:
| 1. | Caracciola (Mercedes-Benz) | 1h22m49.0s |
| 2. | Lang (Mercedes-Benz) | 1h23m05.2s |
| 3. | Rosemeyer (Auto Union) | 1h23m30.4s |
| 4. | Brauchitsch (Mercedes-Benz) | 1h23m57.2s |
| 5. | Müller (Auto Union) | 1h24m09.0s |
| 6. | Seaman (Mercedes-Benz) | 1h24m12.0s |
| 7. | Varzi (Auto Union) | 1h24m34.0s |
| 8. | Nuvolari (Alfa Romeo) | 1h25m17.0s |
| 9. | Kautz (Mercedes-Benz) | 1h25m30.0s |
| 10. | Biondetti (Alfa Romeo) | 1h27m22.0s |
| 11. | Trossi (Alfa Romeo) | 1h28m35.0s |
| 12. | Hasse for Stuck (Auto Union) | 1h30m00.0s |
| 13. | Belmondo (Alfa Romeo) | no time |
After 26 laps, Belmondo, Varzi and Kautz also stopped to refuel and change tires. As Varzi and Seaman lost some time with pit stops, Nuvolari advanced from eighth to sixth place. Seaman's Mercedes
refused to start but eventually he rejoined to hunt down Nuvolari and Müller. Trossi was able to get around Biondetti taking tenth position. After the 30th lap, Caracciola led at 130.703 km/h average
speed with the following order after 30 laps:
| 1. | Caracciola (Mercedes-Benz) | 1h39m25.2s |
| 2. | Lang (Mercedes-Benz) | 1h39m26.0s |
| 3. | Rosemeyer (Auto Union) | 1h39m57.0s |
| 4. | Brauchitsch (Mercedes-Benz) | 1h40m18.0s |
| 5. | Müller (Auto Union) | 1h41m30.0s |
| 6. | Nuvolari (Alfa Romeo) | 1h42m08.0s |
| 7. | Seaman (Mercedes-Benz) | 1h42m19.0s |
| 8. | Varzi (Auto Union) | 1h42m31.0s |
| 9. | Kautz (Mercedes-Benz) | 1h43m21.0s |
| 10. | Trossi (Alfa Romeo) | 1h45m36.0s |
| 11. | Biondetti (Alfa Romeo) | 1h45m41.0s |
| 12. | Hasse for Stuck (Auto Union) | 1h47m42.0s |
| 13. | Belmondo (Alfa Romeo) | 1h51m00.6s |
Nuvolari who had given a colossal display of driving, figured out that he could not make any real impression on the German cars and handed the Alfa over to Farina on the 32nd lap. On lap 33 Caracciola
and Lang in their wheel-to-wheel fight, set the new lap record in 3m11.2s at an average of 135.903 km/h, the fastest lap of the race. Monkhouse recalled:" The crowd enjoyed this fight between the two
Mercedes cars immensely, but not so Neubauer, who was very angry indeed, and when Lang came in to refuel at half distance, he spoke to him severely and told him not to be stupid. Caracciola was all
out to win this race on account of the European Championship, and also as two Mercedes cars were well in front of Rosemeyer, there was no object in trying to increase this lead any further." On lap 36
Brauchitsch retired due to suspension failure. Biondetti stopped at the pits again for 38 seconds and on the 40th lap he stopped at Antignano and retired. After the 40th lap, Caracciola led at
131.452 km/h average speed with the order now as follows after 40 laps:
| 1. | Caracciola (Mercedes-Benz) | 2h11m47.0s |
| 2. | Lang (Mercedes-Benz) | 2h11m48.2s |
| 3. | Rosemeyer (Auto Union) | 2h13m00.0s |
| 4. | Müller (Auto Union) | 2h15m08.2s |
| 5. | Seaman (Mercedes-Benz) | 2h15m31.2s |
| 6. | Varzi (Auto Union) | 2h16m25.8s |
| 7. | Kautz (Mercedes-Benz) | 2h16m55.4s |
| 8. | Farina for Nuvolari (Alfa Romeo) | 2h17m01.4s |
| 9. | Trossi (Alfa Romeo) | 2h22m26.8s |
| 10. | Hasse for Stuck (Auto Union) | 2h22m30.4s |
| 11. | Belmondo (Alfa Romeo) | 2h27m40.6s |
During the 43rd lap Kautz stopped at Miramare and retired with supercharger problems. This allowed Farina in Nuvolari's Alfa to climb to seventh, likewise advanced Trossi, Hasse in Stuck's car and
Belmondo. After his lengthy pit stop, Seaman did an inspiring race to catch up and finally pass Müller to gain fourth place. After the 45th lap, Caracciola led at 131.510 km/h average speed with the
order as follows after 45 laps:
| 1. | Caracciola (Mercedes-Benz) | 2h28m11.0s |
| 2. | Lang (Mercedes-Benz) | 2h28m14.8s |
| 3. | Rosemeyer (Auto Union) | 2h29m37.2s |
| 4. | Seaman (Mercedes-Benz) | 2h31m48.8s |
| 5. | Müller (Auto Union) | 2h32m05.6s |
| 6. | Varzi (Auto Union) | 2h32m54.4s |
| 7. | Farina for Nuvolari (Alfa Romeo) | 2h33m57.2s |
| 8. | Trossi (Alfa Romeo) | 2h39m27.0s |
| 9. | Hasse for Stuck (Auto Union) | 2h41m00.8s |
| 10. | Belmondo (Alfa Romeo) | no time |
On lap 48 Lang stopped for ten seconds for partial refueling. The last laps developed into a rather monotonous affair, as both Mercedes drivers had accomplished such an advantage that no danger was
threatening their positions. With a wonderful final spurt of about 15-meter advantage Caracciola secured his victory ahead of his young teammate Lang. While Caracciola made the lap of honor, much
applauded, the flag of Germany was placed on the highest flagpole of the Circuit, while the music played the German and Italian national anthems. The Mercedes mechanics and team members lifted the
winner from the car and accompanied him to the grandstand where he received congratulations from Constanzo and Galeazzo Ciano and la Contessa Edda and Conte Bonacossa. Then the tide of crowds poured
onto the track, led without stopping by the many thousands of spectators arriving from the Antignano straight.
Rosemeyer finished third on the same lap, a heroic performance to defend third place despite his sore throat, making it difficult to turn the head. One lap behind followed Seaman, Müller and Varzi
as sixth in a state of collapse who had to be helped out of his Auto Union. Seventh was Farina for Nuvolari, then three laps back finished Trossi, Hasse for Stuck and Belmondo who was last, five laps
in the rear.
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Results
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Entrant | Car | Type | Engine | Laps | Time/Status | Diff |
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| 1. | 2 | Rudolf Caracciola | Daimler-Benz AG | Mercedes-Benz | W 125 | 5.7 | S-8 | 50 | 2h44m54.4s |
| 2. | 6 | Hermann Lang | Daimler-Benz AG | Mercedes-Benz | W 125 | 5.7 | S-8 | 50 | 2h44m54.8s | + 0.4s |
| 3. | 12 | Bernd Rosemeyer | Auto Union AG | Auto Union | C | 6.0 | V-16 | 50 | 2h46m19.8s | + 2m25.4s |
| 4. | 8 | Richard Seaman | Daimler-Benz AG | Mercedes-Benz | W 125 | 5.7 | S-8 | 49 | 2h45m20.8s |
| 5. | 18 | Hermann Paul Müller | Auto Union AG | Auto Union | C | 6.0 | V-16 | 49 | 2h45m40.0s |
| 6. | 14 | Achille Varzi | Auto Union AG | Auto Union | C | 6.0 | V-16 | 49 | 2h46m15.4s |
| 7. | 22 | T. Nuvolari / G. Farina | Scuderia Ferrari | Alfa Romeo | 12C-36 | 4.1 | V-12 | 49 | 2h47m38.4s |
| 8. | 26 | Carlo Felice Trossi | Scuderia Ferrari | Alfa Romeo | 12C-36 | 4.1 | V-12 | 47 | 2h46m15.6s |
| 9. | 16 | H. Stuck / R. Hasse | Auto Union AG | Auto Union | C | 6.0 | V-16 | 47 | 2h46m39.4s |
| 10. | 20 | Vittorio Belmondo | Scuderia Ferrari | Alfa Romeo | 12C-36 | 4.1 | V-12 | 45 | 2h45m50.8s |
| DNF | 10 | Christian Kautz | Daimler-Benz AG | Mercedes-Benz | W 125 | 5.7 | S-8 | 43 | supercharger |
| DNF | 28 | Clemente Biondetti | Scuderia Ferrari | Alfa Romeo | 12C-36 | 4.1 | V-12 | 38 | mechanical |
| DNF | 4 | Manfred von Brauchitsch | Daimler-Benz AG | Mercedes-Benz | W 125 | 5.7 | S-8 | 36 | rear axle |
| DNF | 30 | Gianbattista Guidotti | SA Alfa Romeo | Alfa Romeo | 12C-37 | 4.5 | V-12 | 24 | crash damage |
| DNF | 24 | Giuseppe Farina | Scuderia Ferrari | Alfa Romeo | 12C-36 | 4.1 | V-12 | 10 | unable to restart |
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Fastest lap: R. Caracciola & M. von Brauchitsch (Mercedes-Benz) on lap 33 in 3m11.2s = 135.9.0 km/h (84.4 mph)
Winner's medium speed: 131.3 km/h (81.6 mph)
Pole position lap speed: 136.0 km/h (84.5 mph)
Weather: overcast, dry.
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In retrospect:
The intermediate times differed now and then between the sources. We believe to have selected the correct times.
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Primary sources researched for this article:
Allgemeine Automobil-Zeitung, Berlin
Allgemeine Automobil-Zeitung, Wien
AUTOMOBIL-REVUE, Bern
DDAC Motorwelt, München
IL LITTORIALE, Milano
IL TELEGRAFO, Livorno
Kölnische Zeitung , Köln
La Gazzetta della Domenica, Milano
La Gazzetta dello Sport, Milano
LA STAMPA, Torino
L'Auto, Paris
Motor Post, Berlin
MOTOR und SPORT, Pössneck
L'AUTO ITALIANA, Milano
Revista RACI, Roma
The Autocar, London
The Motor, London
Special thanks to:
Adam Ferrington
Alessandro Silva
Giuseppe Prisco
George Monkhouse: Motor Racing with Mercedes-Benz.
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(by Hans Etzrodt in The Golden Era of Grand Prix Racing)
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