Zach LarkinsGREAT RACES - THE MONACO GRAND PRIX
The Monaco Grand Prix (Grand Prix de Monaco) is a Formula One race held each year on the Circuit de Monaco and has been run since 1929. It is considered to be one of the most important and prestigious automobile races in the world alongside the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race and 24 Hours of Le Mans. The Indy 500 certainly is a prestigious race and it's importance is verified by the fact of its history and the celebrity of its entrants. As a Formula One event, it ranks in the same class as Monaco, Le Mans and Monza, but it hardly fits the bill as a brutal test of man and machine.
The Indy requires drivers to go fast and know how to turn left. Once in high gear, there is little gear changing going on. Granted, the drivers do get uncomfortable in the high heat of cars interior, but except for some spectacular crashes both today and in years gone by, there really isn't too much to this race save its party atmosphere. Monaco combines atmosphere, parties, way more prestige and the requirement that the drivers actually get to down shift a couple of thousand times while turn right every now and then.
The first race in 1929, organized by Antony Noghes through the "Automobile Club de Monaco", was won by William Grover-Williams driving a Bugatti. This race, because of the spectacle and glamour associated with it, is considered "the jewel of the Formula One crown". It was part of the pre-Second World War European Championship and was included in the first Formula One World Championship in 1950. The course itself is narrow, being laid out through the streets of Monaco, whose many elevation changes and tight corners make it one of the most demanding tracks in Formula One. While Brazil's Ayrton Senna won the race more times than any other driver, with six victories, five of them consecutively from 1989 to 1993, it is Graham Hill, a 5- time winner of the race in the 1960's, who is known as "Mr Monaco".
The race consists of 78 laps run over a circuit length of 3.34 km (2.08 miles) for a total race length of 260.52 km (161.88 miles). As mentioned, Ayrton Senna holds the record for most wins by single driver (6), while the most wins by single constructor goes to McLaren (13). The Circuit de Monaco consists of the city streets of Monte Carlo and La Condamine, which includes the famous harbour. It is unique in having been held on the same circuit every time it has been run over such a long period, with only the Italian Grand Prix, which has been held at Monza every year except 1980 and 1921, having a similarly lengthy and close relationship with a single circuit. The erecting of the circuit takes six weeks, the removal after the race takes three. The race circuit has many elevation changes, tight corners, and a narrow course that make it perhaps the most demanding track in Formula One racing, but as of 2006, only two drivers have crashed and ended up in the harbour, the most famous being Alberto Ascari in 1955. The course has had minor changes several times during its history but is still is considered the ultimate test of driving skills in Formula One. It is of interest to note that if it were not already an existing Grand Prix, it would not be permitted to be added to the schedule, for safety reasons. Even way back in 1929, 'La Vie Automobile' magazine offered the opinion that "Any respectable traffic system would have covered the track with ‘DANGER' sign posts left, right and centre". Triple Formula One champion Nelson Piquet was fond of saying that racing at Monaco was "like trying to cycle round your living room," but added that "a win here was worth two anywhere else".
Like many European races, the Monaco Grand Prix predates the organized World Championships. The Principality's first Grand Prix was organized in 1929 by Antony Noghes, under the auspices of Prince Louis II, through the Automobile Club de Monaco (A.C.M.). In 1928 the club applied to the Association Internationale des Automobiles Clubs Reconnus (AIACR), the international governing body of motorsports, to be upgraded from a regional French club, to full national status. They found that this was not easy as their application was refused. The governing body cited the lack of a major motorsport event held wholly within the principality boundaries as a prime reason for the failure of the application. The rally could not be considered as it mostly used the roads of other European countries. Noghes, in an attempt to attain full national status, proposed the creation of an automobile Grand Prix in the streets of Monte Carlo. He obtained the official support of Prince Louis II along with that of Monagasque Louis Chiron, a Bugatti driver in European Grands Prix.
The first Grand Prix Automobile de Monaco was an invitation only event, but not everyone invited attended. The leading Maserati and Alfa Romeo drivers decided not to compete but Bugatti was well represented. Mercedes sent their leading driver, Rudolf Caracciola, to drive a Mercedes SSK. And he drove a good race, bringing his SSK up to second position at the end despite starting in fifteenth spot. The race was won by "Williams" (pseudonym of expatriot Briton William Grover-Williams) driving a Bugatti Type 35B painted in what would later become the famous British racing green, while another driver to obscure their true identity was "Georges Philippe" who was actually the Baron Philippe de Rothschild. Chiron, unfortunately was unable to compete, having a prior commitment to the Indianapolis 500 on the same day.
Chiron did compete the following year, finishing second, and took victory in the 1931 race, again driving a Bugatti. As of 2006, he remains the only native of Monaco to have won the event. The race grew in importance and because of the large number of races which were being termed ‘Grands Prix', the AIACR formally recognized the most important race of each of its affiliated national automobile clubs as International Grands Prix, or ‘Grandes Épreuves'. In 1933 Monaco was ranked as such alongside the French, Belgian, Italian and Spanish Grands Prix. That year's race was the first Grand Prix where grid positions were decided as they are now, by practice time rather than the established method of balloting. This race saw Achille Varzi and Tazio Nuvolari exchange the lead many times before being settled in Varzi's favour on the final lap when Nuvolari's car caught fire. The race became a round of the new European Championship in 1936 and 1937, both races won by Mercedes-Benz before the Second World War ended organized racing in Europe until 1945.
Racing in Europe started again on September 9, 1945 at the Bois de Boulogne in the city of Paris four months and one day after the end of the war in Europe. In 1946, a new racing formula, Formula One, was defined by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile which had succeeded the AIACR, based on the pre-war voiturette class and was intended to act as the premier racing category. A Monaco Grand Prix was run to this formula in 1948, won by the future world champion Nino Farina in a pre-war Maserati 4CLT. The 1949 event was cancelled due to the death of Prince Louis II, but for 1950 the Monaco Grand Prix was included. That race provided future five-time world champion Juan Manuel Fangio with his first win in a World Championship race, as well as Louis Chiron's best result in the World Championship era, as he took third place at the age of 51. There was no race in 1951, but since 1955, when Chiron again scored points and became the oldest driver to compete in a Formula One Grand Prix, the Monaco Grand Prix has taken place each year and has been part of the Formula One World Championship.
When Fangio won again in 1957, the Grand Prix had its first multiple winner. Between 1954 and 1961, his former Mercedes colleague, Stirling Moss, went one better. The 1961 race saw Moss fend off three works Ferrari 156's in a year-old privateer Rob Walker Lotus 18 to take his third Monaco victory. Britain's Graham Hill won the prestigious race five times in the 1960's and became known as "King of Monaco" and "Mr. Monaco". The 1965 race has been considered his best. The race was also notable for the debut of Honda in the World Championship, and for Paul Hawkins' Lotus ending up in the harbour. In the early 1970's, as Brabham team owner Bernie Ecclestone started to marshall the collective bargaining power of the Formula One Constructors Association Monaco was prestigious enough to become an early bone of contention.
Historically, the number of cars permitted in a race was decided by the race organizer, in this case the ACM, which had always set a low number, 16. In 1972, Ecclestone was starting to negotiate deals which relied on FOCA guaranteeing at least 18 entrants for every race. A stand off over this issue left the 1972 race in jeopardy until the ACM gave in and agreed that 26 cars could participate, the same number permitted at most other circuits. Two years later, in 1974, the ACM managed to get the numbers back down to 18.
Because of its tight confines and punishing nature, Monaco has often thrown up unexpected results. In the 1982 race, René Arnoux led the first 15 laps, before retiring. Alain Prost then led until four laps from the end, when he spun off on the wet track, hit the barriers and lost a wheel, giving Riccardo Patrese the lead. Patrese himself spun with only a lap and a half to go, letting Didier Pironi through to the front, followed by Andrea de Cesaris. On the last lap, Pironi ran out of fuel in the tunnel, letting de Cesaris past, who also then ran out of fuel. In the meantime Patrese had bump-started his car and went through to score his first Grand Prix win. Truth is sometimes stranger than fiction. Even Hollywood would have a hard time re-enacting this finish. For a decade from 1984 to 1993 the race was won by only two drivers, French driver Alain Prost and Brazilian Ayrton Senna. Senna has the most victories in Monaco with six, including five between 1989 to 1993, as well as eight podium finishes in ten starts. His 1987 win was the first time a car with an active suspension had won a grand prix. His win was very popular with the people of Monaco, and when he was arrested on the Monday following the race, for riding a motorcycle without wearing a helmet, he was released by the officers after they realized who he was.
At the 1992 event, Nigel Mansell took pole and dominated the race in his Williams FW14B Renault in which he had won all five races held to that point in the season. However, with seven laps remaining, Mansell suffered a loose wheel nut and was forced into the pits, emerging behind Senna's McLaren Honda. Mansell, on fresh tires, set a lap record almost two seconds quicker than Senna's and closed from 5.2 to 1.9 seconds in only two laps. The pair duelled around Monaco for the final four laps but Mansell could find no way past, finishing just two tenths of a second behind the driver from Brazil.
In awarding its first Gold medal for motor sport to Prince Rainier III, the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) characterized the Monaco Grand Prix as contributing "an exceptional location of glamour and prestige" to motor sport. It has been run under the patronage of three generations of Monaco's royal family, Louis II, Rainier III and Albert II all of whom have taken a close interest in the race. A large part of the principality's income comes from tourists attracted by the warm climate and the famous casino, but it is also a tax haven and is home to many millionaires, including several Formula One drivers.
For all its splendour, excitement, history and prestige, the Grand Prix de Monaco is truly a Great Race.
The Indy requires drivers to go fast and know how to turn left. Once in high gear, there is little gear changing going on. Granted, the drivers do get uncomfortable in the high heat of cars interior, but except for some spectacular crashes both today and in years gone by, there really isn't too much to this race save its party atmosphere. Monaco combines atmosphere, parties, way more prestige and the requirement that the drivers actually get to down shift a couple of thousand times while turn right every now and then.
The first race in 1929, organized by Antony Noghes through the "Automobile Club de Monaco", was won by William Grover-Williams driving a Bugatti. This race, because of the spectacle and glamour associated with it, is considered "the jewel of the Formula One crown". It was part of the pre-Second World War European Championship and was included in the first Formula One World Championship in 1950. The course itself is narrow, being laid out through the streets of Monaco, whose many elevation changes and tight corners make it one of the most demanding tracks in Formula One. While Brazil's Ayrton Senna won the race more times than any other driver, with six victories, five of them consecutively from 1989 to 1993, it is Graham Hill, a 5- time winner of the race in the 1960's, who is known as "Mr Monaco".
The race consists of 78 laps run over a circuit length of 3.34 km (2.08 miles) for a total race length of 260.52 km (161.88 miles). As mentioned, Ayrton Senna holds the record for most wins by single driver (6), while the most wins by single constructor goes to McLaren (13). The Circuit de Monaco consists of the city streets of Monte Carlo and La Condamine, which includes the famous harbour. It is unique in having been held on the same circuit every time it has been run over such a long period, with only the Italian Grand Prix, which has been held at Monza every year except 1980 and 1921, having a similarly lengthy and close relationship with a single circuit. The erecting of the circuit takes six weeks, the removal after the race takes three. The race circuit has many elevation changes, tight corners, and a narrow course that make it perhaps the most demanding track in Formula One racing, but as of 2006, only two drivers have crashed and ended up in the harbour, the most famous being Alberto Ascari in 1955. The course has had minor changes several times during its history but is still is considered the ultimate test of driving skills in Formula One. It is of interest to note that if it were not already an existing Grand Prix, it would not be permitted to be added to the schedule, for safety reasons. Even way back in 1929, 'La Vie Automobile' magazine offered the opinion that "Any respectable traffic system would have covered the track with ‘DANGER' sign posts left, right and centre". Triple Formula One champion Nelson Piquet was fond of saying that racing at Monaco was "like trying to cycle round your living room," but added that "a win here was worth two anywhere else".
Like many European races, the Monaco Grand Prix predates the organized World Championships. The Principality's first Grand Prix was organized in 1929 by Antony Noghes, under the auspices of Prince Louis II, through the Automobile Club de Monaco (A.C.M.). In 1928 the club applied to the Association Internationale des Automobiles Clubs Reconnus (AIACR), the international governing body of motorsports, to be upgraded from a regional French club, to full national status. They found that this was not easy as their application was refused. The governing body cited the lack of a major motorsport event held wholly within the principality boundaries as a prime reason for the failure of the application. The rally could not be considered as it mostly used the roads of other European countries. Noghes, in an attempt to attain full national status, proposed the creation of an automobile Grand Prix in the streets of Monte Carlo. He obtained the official support of Prince Louis II along with that of Monagasque Louis Chiron, a Bugatti driver in European Grands Prix.
The first Grand Prix Automobile de Monaco was an invitation only event, but not everyone invited attended. The leading Maserati and Alfa Romeo drivers decided not to compete but Bugatti was well represented. Mercedes sent their leading driver, Rudolf Caracciola, to drive a Mercedes SSK. And he drove a good race, bringing his SSK up to second position at the end despite starting in fifteenth spot. The race was won by "Williams" (pseudonym of expatriot Briton William Grover-Williams) driving a Bugatti Type 35B painted in what would later become the famous British racing green, while another driver to obscure their true identity was "Georges Philippe" who was actually the Baron Philippe de Rothschild. Chiron, unfortunately was unable to compete, having a prior commitment to the Indianapolis 500 on the same day.
Chiron did compete the following year, finishing second, and took victory in the 1931 race, again driving a Bugatti. As of 2006, he remains the only native of Monaco to have won the event. The race grew in importance and because of the large number of races which were being termed ‘Grands Prix', the AIACR formally recognized the most important race of each of its affiliated national automobile clubs as International Grands Prix, or ‘Grandes Épreuves'. In 1933 Monaco was ranked as such alongside the French, Belgian, Italian and Spanish Grands Prix. That year's race was the first Grand Prix where grid positions were decided as they are now, by practice time rather than the established method of balloting. This race saw Achille Varzi and Tazio Nuvolari exchange the lead many times before being settled in Varzi's favour on the final lap when Nuvolari's car caught fire. The race became a round of the new European Championship in 1936 and 1937, both races won by Mercedes-Benz before the Second World War ended organized racing in Europe until 1945.
Racing in Europe started again on September 9, 1945 at the Bois de Boulogne in the city of Paris four months and one day after the end of the war in Europe. In 1946, a new racing formula, Formula One, was defined by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile which had succeeded the AIACR, based on the pre-war voiturette class and was intended to act as the premier racing category. A Monaco Grand Prix was run to this formula in 1948, won by the future world champion Nino Farina in a pre-war Maserati 4CLT. The 1949 event was cancelled due to the death of Prince Louis II, but for 1950 the Monaco Grand Prix was included. That race provided future five-time world champion Juan Manuel Fangio with his first win in a World Championship race, as well as Louis Chiron's best result in the World Championship era, as he took third place at the age of 51. There was no race in 1951, but since 1955, when Chiron again scored points and became the oldest driver to compete in a Formula One Grand Prix, the Monaco Grand Prix has taken place each year and has been part of the Formula One World Championship.
When Fangio won again in 1957, the Grand Prix had its first multiple winner. Between 1954 and 1961, his former Mercedes colleague, Stirling Moss, went one better. The 1961 race saw Moss fend off three works Ferrari 156's in a year-old privateer Rob Walker Lotus 18 to take his third Monaco victory. Britain's Graham Hill won the prestigious race five times in the 1960's and became known as "King of Monaco" and "Mr. Monaco". The 1965 race has been considered his best. The race was also notable for the debut of Honda in the World Championship, and for Paul Hawkins' Lotus ending up in the harbour. In the early 1970's, as Brabham team owner Bernie Ecclestone started to marshall the collective bargaining power of the Formula One Constructors Association Monaco was prestigious enough to become an early bone of contention.
Historically, the number of cars permitted in a race was decided by the race organizer, in this case the ACM, which had always set a low number, 16. In 1972, Ecclestone was starting to negotiate deals which relied on FOCA guaranteeing at least 18 entrants for every race. A stand off over this issue left the 1972 race in jeopardy until the ACM gave in and agreed that 26 cars could participate, the same number permitted at most other circuits. Two years later, in 1974, the ACM managed to get the numbers back down to 18.
Because of its tight confines and punishing nature, Monaco has often thrown up unexpected results. In the 1982 race, René Arnoux led the first 15 laps, before retiring. Alain Prost then led until four laps from the end, when he spun off on the wet track, hit the barriers and lost a wheel, giving Riccardo Patrese the lead. Patrese himself spun with only a lap and a half to go, letting Didier Pironi through to the front, followed by Andrea de Cesaris. On the last lap, Pironi ran out of fuel in the tunnel, letting de Cesaris past, who also then ran out of fuel. In the meantime Patrese had bump-started his car and went through to score his first Grand Prix win. Truth is sometimes stranger than fiction. Even Hollywood would have a hard time re-enacting this finish. For a decade from 1984 to 1993 the race was won by only two drivers, French driver Alain Prost and Brazilian Ayrton Senna. Senna has the most victories in Monaco with six, including five between 1989 to 1993, as well as eight podium finishes in ten starts. His 1987 win was the first time a car with an active suspension had won a grand prix. His win was very popular with the people of Monaco, and when he was arrested on the Monday following the race, for riding a motorcycle without wearing a helmet, he was released by the officers after they realized who he was.
At the 1992 event, Nigel Mansell took pole and dominated the race in his Williams FW14B Renault in which he had won all five races held to that point in the season. However, with seven laps remaining, Mansell suffered a loose wheel nut and was forced into the pits, emerging behind Senna's McLaren Honda. Mansell, on fresh tires, set a lap record almost two seconds quicker than Senna's and closed from 5.2 to 1.9 seconds in only two laps. The pair duelled around Monaco for the final four laps but Mansell could find no way past, finishing just two tenths of a second behind the driver from Brazil.
In awarding its first Gold medal for motor sport to Prince Rainier III, the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) characterized the Monaco Grand Prix as contributing "an exceptional location of glamour and prestige" to motor sport. It has been run under the patronage of three generations of Monaco's royal family, Louis II, Rainier III and Albert II all of whom have taken a close interest in the race. A large part of the principality's income comes from tourists attracted by the warm climate and the famous casino, but it is also a tax haven and is home to many millionaires, including several Formula One drivers.
For all its splendour, excitement, history and prestige, the Grand Prix de Monaco is truly a Great Race.
Formula 1
The Social Centre
youranter
Opinions
opinionatedranter
Tales From The Green Lantern