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1914 French Grand Prix
July 14th, 1914: Mercedes versus Peugeot.
The French Grand Prix took place as scheduled on Bastille Day, the French national holiday, only two weeks before the outbreak of the World War I. The race was 20 laps of a 23.3-mile circuit at Lyon. A total of 37 cars started. The day belonged to Mercedes.
Using cars powered by a massive 4.5-liter engine, Mercedes took the top three places led by race winner Christian Launtenschlager. Teammates Louis Wagner and Otto Salzer finished second and third, respectively.
It is interesting to note that Launtenschlager was not a professional race car driver. He joined Mercedes as a mechanic and then became a test driver of race cars.
One other note about this Grand Prix: it was the first race in which drivers received signals from the pits.
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