The 1939 Belgian Grand Prix was held on June 25 at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. Run in often heavy rain, the race was won by Hermann Lang in a Mercedes-Benz. Rudolf Hasse finished second in an Auto Union, and Manfred von Brauchitsch was third in another Mercedes. These were the only cars to complete the entire distance.
The race was marred by the fatal accident of top British driver Richard Seaman. Driving for Mercedes, he lost control between Clubhouse and La Source, where the modern pits are located. The car hit a tree, and the fuel tank ruptured, causing a fire. Seaman was eventually extricated by a Belgian soldier, but died of his burns later that evening.
Background[]
In the two years since the previous Grand Prix, a new bridge had been completed across the Eau Rouge creek, allowing the track to bypass the hairpin up by the old tollhouse. This had the effect of greatly increasing speeds through that section, and creating one of the truly demanding corners in racing. The lap distance was reduced to 14.50 km/9.01 miles.
Entry List[]
The full entry list for the 1939 Belgian Grand Prix is outlined below:
Qualifying[]
Qualifying Results[]
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Race[]
Results[]
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/Retired | Grid | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 |  Hermann Lang
|
Mercedes-Benz
|
35 | 3:20:21.0 | 2 | 1 |
| 2 | 8 | Rudolf Hasse
|
Auto Union
|
35 | + 16.9 | 4 | 2 |
| 3 | 24 | Manfred von Brauchitsch
|
Mercedes-Benz
|
35 | + 1:53.0 | 9 | 3 |
| 4 | 12 |  Raymond Sommer
|
 Alfa Romeo
|
33 | + 2 Laps | 10 | 4 |
| 5 | 14 | Robert Mazaud
|
Delahaye
|
31 | + 4 Laps | 11 | 4 |
| 6 | 18 | Louis Gérard
|
Delahaye
|
30 | + 5 Laps | 12 | 4 |
| Ret | 2 | Tazio Nuvolari
|
Auto Union
|
28 | Accident damage | 4 | 4 |
| Ret | 6 | Hermann Paul Müller
|
Auto Union
|
26 | Engine | 1 | 5 |
| Ret | 26 |  Richard Seaman
|
Mercedes-Benz
|
21 | Fatal accident | 5 | 5 |
| Ret | 10 | Giuseppe Farina
|
Alfa Romeo
|
20 | Supercharger | 3 | 5 |
| Ret | 28 |  Adolfo Mandirola
|
Maserati
|
19 | Suspension | 13 | 5 |
| Ret | 8 | Georg Meier
|
Auto Union
|
13 | Accident | 6 | 6 |
| Ret | 20 | Rudolf Caracciola
|
Mercedes-Benz
|
7 | Accident | 7 | 7 |
| DNS | 16 | Emmanuel de Graffenried
|
Alfa Romeo
|
0 | 8 |
Milestones[]
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Template:1939
| V T E |  Belgian Grand Prix
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Circuits | Spa-Francorchamps (1950 - 1970, 1983, 1985 - Present), Nivelles (1972, 1974), Zolder (1973, 1975 - 1982, 1984) |  |
| Races | 1950 • 1951 • 1952 • 1953 • 1954 • 1955 • 1956 • 1957 • 1958 • 1959 • 1960 • 1961 • 1962 • 1963 • 1964 • 1965 • 1966 • 1967 • 1968 • 1969 • 1970 • 1971 • 1972 • 1973 • 1974 • 1975 • 1976 • 1977 • 1978 • 1979 • 1980 • 1981 • 1982 • 1983 • 1984 • 1985 • 1986 • 1987 • 1988 • 1989 • 1990 • 1991 • 1992 • 1993 • 1994 • 1995 • 1996 • 1997 • 1998 • 1999 • 2000 • 2001 • 2002 • 2003 • 2004 • 2005 • 2006 • 2007 • 2008 • 2009 • 2010 • 2011 • 2012 • 2013 • 2014 • 2015 • 2016 • 2017 • 2018 • 2019 • 2020 • 2021 • 2022 • 2023 | |
| Pre-1950 races | 1925 • 1930 • 1931 • 1933 • 1934 • 1935 • 1937 • 1939 • 1947 • 1949 |