1938 Italian Grand Prix
| 1938 Italian Grand Prix | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 4 of 4 in the 1938 European Championship | |||
| Race details | |||
| Date | 11 September 1938 | ||
| Official name | XVI Gran Premio d'Italia | ||
| Location |
Autodromo Nazionale di Monza Monza, Italy | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 6.993 km (4.345 miles) | ||
| Distance | 60 laps, 419.58 km (260.71 miles) | ||
| Weather | Warm, sunny | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Mercedes-Benz | ||
| Time | 2:32.4 | ||
| Fastest lap | |||
| Driver | Hermann Lang | Mercedes-Benz | |
| Time | 2:34.2 | ||
| Podium | |||
| First | Auto Union | ||
| Second | Alfa Romeo | ||
| Third | Mercedes-Benz | ||
The 1938 Italian Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Monza on 11 September 1938. The 1938 Italian Grand Prix was part of the European Championship season and took place during a period of intense rivalry between German and Italian manufacturers. Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union entered their newly developed 3-litre Grand Prix cars, while Alfa Romeo represented Italy with the 308 model under the Scuderia Ferrari banner.
The race covered 60 laps of the 6.993 km Monza circuit, totaling 419.58 km. Hermann Lang, driving for Mercedes-Benz, achieved pole position and the fastest lap, but mechanical issues forced several front-runners to retire. Tazio Nuvolari, driving for Auto Union, took advantage of the attrition to win the race, finishing one lap ahead of Giuseppe Farina in an Alfa Romeo and Christian Kautz in a Mercedes-Benz.
The result marked one of Nuvolari’s most celebrated victories and was his last major win before the outbreak of the Second World War. The race also concluded the 1938 European Championship, which was won overall by Rudolf Caracciola for Mercedes-Benz.