Scriptwriters could not have done it better: this 2022 edition, marked by a tribute to the death of Colin Chapman, in 1982, ended with a victory for German poleman Marco Werner in a Lotus 87 produced in… 1982, and even by a hat-trick for the mythical brand founded by the most brilliant engineer in all of Formula 1 history. Since Friday, this G Series carried the label of Ayrton Senna, the Brazilian who offered Lotus a 7th and last triumph in Monaco, in 1987, before joining McLaren to win three world crowns despite fierce competition from Alain Prost. This final race of the weekend involved 3-liter engine F1 cars produced between 1981 and 1985, since turbo engines are too tricky to manage on such a track for an historic race weekend. A three-time winner of Le Mans 24 Hours of Le Mans, Werner finally beat Briton Michael Lyons, hands down winner of Race E an hour earlier, who had swapped his Hesketh for a 1983 Lotus 92. On the last step of the podium, another Brit, Nick Padmore, entered in the famous double-chassis Lotus 88B produced in 1981 but never allowed to race. A radical and innovative car, just like its designer. Honored all weekend, Colin Chapman would have been overjoyed by this one and only victory in the 13th Grand Prix de Monaco Historique, in the last race of the weekend. Perfect timing.

Michael Lyons has now won 7 times in a Grand Prix de Monaco Historique, including four times (2012, 2014, 2021 and 2022) in the beautiful Hesketh 308 E (ex-Rupert Keegan) carrying the livery of Penthouse magazine, which he drove to perfection again to win Race F on Sunday. His task was made easier by the last-minute withdrawal of poleman Miles Griffiths, who parked his Fittipaldi in the pits after the formation lap.

The podium was monopolized by British drivers since Michael Cantillon took 2^nd place, in his Tyrrell 010 (ex-Michele Alboreto), and a Lotus 78 completed the picture, thanks to Lee Mowle. Monaco’s Frédéric Lajoux finished at the foot of the podium, 4^th in his black and gold Arrows although he had started at the back of the grid after a collision in qualifications.

Coming down from the podium, Lyons was rewarded, like the other winners of the day, with a figurine of a legendary F1 driver. For him, one of Canadian Scuderia driver Gilles Villeneuve autographed by Yvon Amiel, creator of Antoine le Pilote, a popular cartoon series.

The demonstration was announced in the program of the 13th Grand Prix de Monaco Historique, but the content of the event had been kept secret.

Jacky Ickx‘s presence in the paddock throughout the weekend, as well as the visit of Charles Leclerc planned for this Sunday, should have served as clues for the spectators. To the delight of enthusiasts, both drivers, the Belgian with an XXL résumé, and the Monégasque from the Scuderia, offered a real journey through time, for a few minutes, at midday, as the sun shone again over the port of Monaco.

Leclerc took charge of the Ferrari 312B3 (ex-Niki Lauda) entered in the E Series for Claudia Hürtgen by the Methusalem team. In 1974, this single-seater triumphed in Spain and the Netherlands, allowing the Austrian to claim his first two F1 wins, then Clay Regazzoni won in Germany and the Scuderia finished second in the Constructors’ World Championship, behind McLaren.

“When I was four, we were playing with toy cars in a friend’s apartment, that’s my first memory of Monaco Grand Prix,” Charles Leclerc said after this very special parade lap. “I took these streets on a bus to go to school when I was a kid and I always dreamt of winning this race. It’s really exceptional to see all these old cars today, at Grand Prix de Monaco Historique, it’s fun and it’s beautiful to see“, the Scuderia driver added.

For his part, Ickx recalled some good memories at the wheel of his 312B2, registered in the D Series and entrusted this weekend to Jürgen Boden. With this car, the Belgian was on the second step of the podium in the Principality in 1971, before winning in the Netherlands and Germany later in the season.

The demonstration lasted about ten minutes, the Ferrari engines roared and many spectators were moved. Then Leclerc and Ickx posed for the official photo on the starting grid. A snapshot for history, with Charles and Jacky, worthy representatives of two generations of drivers, to the delight of many photographers.

It was the one and only race for Sports Cars of the type authorized to compete in the streets of the Principality in 1952, 70 years ago, a Monaco Grand Prix on Saturday (cars with more than 2 liters of displacement) or a Prix de Monte-Carlo on Sunday (less than 2 litres).

So it was a bit of a different race, with two-seaters with great lines, gleaming bodies wrapping their wheels. Some were in total slide mode when they arrived on Place du Casino, the noise of their engines was tremendous, the fight was fierce and the spectators were ecstatic. Eventually, a British driver won in the person of Frederic Wakeman, embarked in a 1955 Cooper Jaguar T38 Mk2. He started from pole position in this “Vittorio Marzotto” series and he managed to beat two Maserati 300S driven by Austria’s Lukas Halusa and Spain’s Guillermo Fierro-Eleta, who slightly rubbed the barrier in the closing laps. The leading quintet was completed by Niklas Halusa, Lukas’s brother, in a 1954 Jaguar D-Type, ahead of Germany’s Claudia Hürtgen, victorious of Race A2 in the morning. She had swapped her Ferrari Dino 246 for a Maserati 300S and again she did a superb job. Well done, Madam.

In Race D ‘Jackie Stewart’, Stuart Hall started from pole position in his white McLaren M19A sponsored at the time by cosmetics firm Yardley.

This superb single-seater had already won in the streets of the Principality in 2016, at the hands of the same Stuart Hall. It has not aged a bit and was only overtaken at the first corner by Jordan Grogor‘s Matra MS120C. But the South African based in Dubai was then penalized ten seconds for having anticipated the start, which did not prevent him from reaching the podium at the end. The main beneficiary of this penalty was Michael Lyons, 4^th on the grid, who finished 2^nd in his Surtees TS9. The young Briton also profited from the retirement of the BRM P153 (ex-Pedro Rodriguez) of Mexican Esteban Gutierrez, which brutally stalled at the tunnel exit chicane, for a purely mechanical reason.

Joe Colasacco had already won in Monaco, in 2004, at the 4^th GP de Monaco Historique.

The American did it again on Sunday morning, in Race B “Graham Hill” for single-seaters with 1500cc engines from year 1961 to 1965, starting from pole position.

In his 1964 Ferrari 1512 (ex-Surtees and Bandini), he initially got off to a very good start, running his business masterfully, but he then encountered some fierce resistance from Mark Shaw in a Lotus 21. The Briton only needed one attempt at the start of lap 8 to pass his rival, but the battle did not end there. Pressed by the Ferrari, Shaw delayed his braking too much at Sainte Dévote and his green single-seater crashed into the Tecpro barriers. End of the story. On the podium, Joe Colasacco was joined by Christopher Drake, never worried in his Cooper T71/73, and Andrew Beaumont, who saved Lotus’s honor in his Type 24.

The Formula 1 world champion, Max Verstappen, a Monaco resident, took a short walk in the pits of Grand Prix de Monaco Historique on Saturday afternoon, before the start of qualifying for the G Series, the last of the day . He spent a long time with his compatriot Frits van Eerd, entered in a 1983 Williams FW08C (ex-Keke Rosberg). He seemed perfectly rested from his triumphant weekend in Miami, concluded with his third victory of the season; He will be back in Monaco at the end of the month…

In order to pay tribute to Colin Chapman, the founder of Lotus, 40 years after his passing in 1982, the organizers of Grand Prix de Monaco Historique launched 34 cars of the legendary brand entered in this 13th edition, on Saturday, for a memorable lap of honour, after a photo shoot around Clive Chapman, Colin’s son, and several heirs of the most brilliant engineer in the history of F1.

It was a moment of grace, one more, on this circuit of Monaco where Lotus has so often triumphed: 7 wins in the most glamorous GP on the calendar, between the two initial successes of Stirling Moss (1960, 1961) and the ultimate triumph, achieved by the incomparable Ayrton Senna in 1987, with a Renault engine in his back. “It’s great to see how the Automobile Club of Monaco wishes to honor the memory of my father“, said Clive Chapman Friday in the paddock, in front of the tent sheltering his Lotus Classic Cars team.

There was no surprise and German Marco Werner, in his 1982 Lotus 87, took pole for Race G, in the “Ayrton Senna” series reserved for F1 cars produced between 1981 and 1985, but without turbo engines, too powerful and too complicated to manage on a weekend of historic races. A triple winner of Le Mans 24 Hours, Werner finally beat Briton Michael Lyons by one second, in his 1983 Lotus 92. Third place on the grid goes to David Shaw, in his 1982 Arrows A4 carrying the colors of Ragno Italian ceramics. American driver Ken Tyrrell, a namesake of famous “Uncle Ken” in the 70s, will start in the Top 10, at the wheel of his… Tyrrell 011 victorious in Detroit in 1983, with Michele Alboreto at the wheel.

He was the obvious favorite for pole in the F Series, but Michael Lyons was beaten on Saturday, at the last minute of qualifying, in his blue Hesketh 308 carrying the colors of Penthouse men’s magazine.

His best time, for most of the session, was eventually beaten by Miles Griffiths, in a yellow 1977 Fittipaldi: 1:30.653 (vs 1:30.820 for Lyons), on his last lap before the checkered flag for this high-flying session. The British drivers shone, as in Friday’s free practice. Behind Griffiths and Lyons, Michael Cantillon, 4th in his Tyrrell 010 ex-Alboreto, will be sandwiched on the grid, on Sunday, between two Williams cars, the FW06 of David Shaw (3rd) and the FW07 of Mark Hazel (5th).

Jamie Constable‘s American Shadow DN8 crashed into Frédéric Lajoux‘s Arrows at the start of the session, at La Rascasse. The Monégasque had to stop there and will start at the back on the grid on Sunday.