According to Alfred Neubauer, Mercedes' most famous racing team manager of all time, the Swiss Grand Prix was one of the fastest racing tracks in 1930's Europe.
It is on the Bremgarten circuit, near Berne, in Switzerland, that the supercharged V12's of the Mercedes-Benz W154 Silver Arrows made history on 21 August 1938.
After 50 laps of the 7-kilometers(4.3 miles) long circuit, comprising a total distance of 364 kilometers (226 miles), the 1938 edition was seen more of a race against the elements and the circuit itself.
“You can feel the car wants to break aways on the cobblestones like an unruly horse,” Rudolf Caracciola, the race's winner, was recalling later. “I have to sense what the car wants to do before it does it and then keep it under control with steady, gentle movements. It’s not just your hands that do the steering. Your whole body feels the vehicle and keeps it in check.”
Although Mercedes-Benz young driver Richard Seaman had started from pole position, the weather change during the race saw the Regenmeister (Rainmaster) Rudolf Caracciola battle the young Englishman and snatching his place in the lead, with the two of them being followed on podium by another Mercedes-Benz W154 driver, Manfred von Brauchitsch.
The win at Berne meant that Caracciola was a step closer to its third European Championship title, an award which he did acquire following two more wins in 1938.
After 50 laps of the 7-kilometers(4.3 miles) long circuit, comprising a total distance of 364 kilometers (226 miles), the 1938 edition was seen more of a race against the elements and the circuit itself.
“You can feel the car wants to break aways on the cobblestones like an unruly horse,” Rudolf Caracciola, the race's winner, was recalling later. “I have to sense what the car wants to do before it does it and then keep it under control with steady, gentle movements. It’s not just your hands that do the steering. Your whole body feels the vehicle and keeps it in check.”
Although Mercedes-Benz young driver Richard Seaman had started from pole position, the weather change during the race saw the Regenmeister (Rainmaster) Rudolf Caracciola battle the young Englishman and snatching his place in the lead, with the two of them being followed on podium by another Mercedes-Benz W154 driver, Manfred von Brauchitsch.
The win at Berne meant that Caracciola was a step closer to its third European Championship title, an award which he did acquire following two more wins in 1938.