Which driver won the 1906 French Grand Prix, often called the first Grand Prix?

Ferenc Szisz won the 1906 French Grand Prix, widely regarded as the first true Grand Prix.

The race was organised by the Automobile Club de France and held near Le Mans over two days, June 26 and 27, 1906. Szisz drove a Renault AK alongside riding mechanic Jérôme, completing 12 laps of the roughly 103-kilometre circuit in just over 12 hours.

Szisz built a commanding lead despite a damaged rear suspension late in the event. He finished more than 32 minutes ahead of Felice Nazzaro’s FIAT, with Albert Clément third. His victory helped Renault gain international prestige and demonstrated the importance of endurance, mechanical care and tyre strategy in early motor racing.

The “first Grand Prix” label needs context. Earlier races used Grand Prix in their names, but the 1906 event was the first genuinely international race officially organised around that title. It also helped inspire similar national events, including Germany’s 1907 Kaiserpreis.