Monday 22nd April 1935

Alfred Neubauer, the head of the Mercedes team, ignored Hitler’s instructions that only German drivers should drive German cars and hired the best drivers available to drive the new 3.99 litre, 460 hp W25 at the Monaco Grand Prix. The mechanics looked more like laboratory assistants, the engine oil needed to be pre-heated to become fluid, mechanical parts were covered in electrical heated blankets and the fuel was the same as used in the V1 rockets. The public looked at this in awe. Italian Luigi Fagioli won the Grand Prix for Mercedes, with Alfa Romeo’s driven by Rene Dreyfus and Antonio Brivio finishing 2nd and 3rd, respectively.