Formula 2 qualifying, late Friday morning, was very lively, as expected, and it is finally Felipe Drugovich (MP Motorsport), the championship leader, who will start on pole position for the Feature Race, Sunday morning at 9:50 a.m.

New Zealander Liam Lawson (Carlin Motorsport), son of Eddie, an ex-motorcycle world champion, had stolen pole position, from the Brazilian driver, in the last minutes of the first half-session, that of Group A: Drugovich had just set his best lap when he made a mistake at the Antony-Noghès corner, his car having to park at the start of the finishing straight, on the right, against the safety barriers. By the time the yellow flags were waved, Liam Lawson had gone through, setting a better time than him, with in his wake Ayumu Iwasa, the surprising Japanese from the DAMS team, 2nd in this session.

An investigation was then ordered and the conclusions fell at the end of the afternoon, the race marshals having listened to all parties involved. Lawson (5 places) and Iwasa (10 places) were penalized for not having slowed down enough under the yellow flags, and Drugovich therefore retained the benefit of his best lap (1:21.348), before hitting the safety barriers at the Antony-Noghes turn. Nothing changed for Théo Pourchaire (ART Grand Prix), best time in Group B (1:21.535), during a session definitively interrupted by a red flag, two minutes from the end, following a huge crash by Jake Hughes at the Swimming Pool. The Frenchman, who won here last year, will start alongside Drugovich on Sunday, with a good chance of winning twice in a row in Monaco.

The Feature Race (42 laps or 60 minutes), with Drugovich and Pourchaire on the front row, will start Sunday at 9:50 am. For the Sprint Race on Saturday at 5:40 pm (30 laps or 45 minutes), Hughes who will be in pole position, thanks to his 10th time in qualifying and the fact that the grid will be reversed for the Top 10. A lucky guy, after all.

Both pole positions for the Formula Regional by Alpine races are known: for Race 1, Saturday morning, Frenchman Hadrien David will have this honor after setting a time of 1:29.802 on Friday morning, in his last flying lap, just before the Group A checkered flag fell. A great performance for him, less than ten seconds behind the best times in Formula 2, at the wheel of a lighter but also much less powerful single-seater than a F2.

For Race 2, Sunday morning, this privilege will go to Swede Dino Beganovic, detached leader of the championship after two victories and two second places in the first four rounds of the year. He posted the best absolute time in qualifying on Friday: 1:29.429 , in Group B, four tenths better than David, with therefore a small option on a prestigious victory in the Principality on Sunday.

A member of the Ferrari Driver Academy, Beganovic, 18, was eagerly awaited, as was the Italian Gabriele Mini, who had set the fastest time in Thursday’s free practice. He achieved his best flying lap in the last five minutes of the session, after a red flag caused by a Chinese rookie going off the track.

Among the main favorites, Italian Gabriele Mini, 2nd in Group B, will start on the second row on Saturday and Sunday. However, these qualifications have dealt a big blow to the hopes of Estonian Paul Aron, a promising member of the Mercedes Junior Team. His front left suspension collapsed before he had time to set a decent time, at the very start of the Group A session. He will therefore start at the back of the grid with a huge challenge on his hands, in both races this weekend.

It was the last free practice session of a busy afternoon, for Formula 2, and it was very lively, the main agitators being the top drivers who scored big points in the first eight rounds of 2022: Brazilian Felipe Drugovich (MP Motorsport ), winner in Jeddah and Barcelona, Frenchman Théo Pourchaire (ART Grand Prix), victorious in Sakhir and Imola, in the long races on Sunday morning, and Indian Jehan Daruvala (Prema Racing). The first three in the standings on their arrival in Monaco.

Drugovich finished at the top of the time sheet, thanks to a best lap of 1:21.589, ahead of two unexpected drivers at this level, at the start of the weekend: Switzerland’s Ralph Boschung (Campos) and Norway’s Dennis Hauger ( Prema), followed by Briton Jake Hughes (Van Amersfoort) and two sons of former motorcycle world champions, Liam Lawson (5th) and Jack Doohan (6th). Something to make their glorious dads, Eddie and Mick, very proud tonight.

Pourchaire entered the Top 10 of this session, a year after his first victory, in Monaco, in the same category. The second Frenchman entered, Clément Novalak, Drugovich’s teammate at MP Motorsport, had never driven in Monaco in an F2 before. He had to find his bearings and settled for 21st in order to prepare well, without damaging his car, for qualifying on Friday morning.

As with the Formula Regional Alpine, there will be two qualifying groups on Friday morning, with only 11 single-seaters at the same time on the track. For 16 minutes only, so no time to waste.

A container like no other arrived this week in Monaco harbour. It was   developed by the Monaco Fire Brigade, in partnership with the SULITEC Group, based in Isère. This Alternative Energy Vehicle Treatment Unit, designed on the basis of a maritime container, can allow firefighters to intervene in the event of fire on hybrid or electric vehicles, such as the F1s and Formula Es which liven up the streets of the Principality every year, but also electric scooters and all sorts of hybrid or electric vehicles which are more numerous than ever in our streets !

“Once the fire is out, we can cover the vehicle with a special blanket, then bring it back into the container by pulling it using a winch, and constantly monitor the temperature of the batteries, while preventing fumes of toxic gas from spreading into the atmosphere”, Lieutenant-Colonel Maxime Yvrard, of the Monaco Fire Department, explained to Monaco Info, emphasizing the interior equipment of this container, capable of withstanding temperatures of up to 1,100°C.

French group SULITEC is specialized in manufacturing high temperature insulation, mechanical construction and training, with the main objective of protecting people, from product design to on-site assembly. Its SULITEC Insulating Composites branch specializes in the development of thermal insulation intended for niche markets, to compensate for the gradual disappearance of ceramics and asbestos, and to generate energy savings in industrial processes. SULITEC exclusively uses bio-soluble and unclassified fibres. It transforms fibers and technical fabrics into textile complexes and composites. More than 20% of its turnover is devoted to Research & Development.

Reigning Porsche Supercup champion Larry ten Voorde won last year on the streets of Monaco. He thought for a long time that he was going to set the best time in free practice on Thursday afternoon. He finally had to admit defeat by one of his favorite rivals, the German Michael Ammermüller, who won here in 2019: 1:34.998 on his last flying lap, driving his Porsche entered by SSR Huber Racing. This is only 5/100th better than the time of 1:35.051 set by ten Voorde, who finished just ahead of another German from SSR Huber Racing, Laurin Heinrich.

Behind this trio of potential contenders for the win on Sunday, 23-year-old Frenchman Dorian Boccolacci (1:35.452), who stood on the podium here last year as a Porsche Supercup rookie, took 4th place in his car entered by the Martinet/Alméras team, in front of another serious customer, Luxemburg’s Dylan Pereira, entered by Walter Lechner Racing.

Qualifying is scheduled for Friday in the middle of the afternoon, between two free practice sessions for Formula 1. And the race for Sunday at noon. It will be the most anticipated round of this 30th anniversary season of the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup.

Italian Gabriele Mini, one of the main contenders in Formula Regional Europe by Alpine, opened the ball in style Thursday afternoon by posting the best time in the one and only free practice session for the small and very agile single-seaters in the streets of the Principality : 1:30.585 for the young Art Grand Prix driver (17), currently 3rd in the championship, so slightly better than two Dutchmen, Kas Haverkort (Van Amersfoort Racing) and rookie Laurens van Hoepen, also entered by ART GP.

The best Frenchman in this session could have been Hadrien David, who took 3rd and 4th last year on the same Circuit de Monaco, in the same category. But he damaged his car by hitting the back of a slower car at la Piscine, on his last flying lap, and had to leave the honor of best Frenchman to Victor Bernier, one of the two French drivers of FA Racing, the team sponsored by Fernando Alonso. Bernier, a Formula Alpine rookie, took 6th place in this session behind Mini, Haverkort, van Hoepen, Estonian Paul Aron and Swede Dino Beganovic, the detached leader of the championship after two wins and two second places in the first four races. of the year.

Over 35 single-seaters took to the track, approximately one every 100 meters, and half were driven by beginners in the Principality, so some made mistakes and hit the rail, at the Portier turn or the Swimming pool S, or pulled straight at Sainte-Dévote. Fortunately, the Automobile Club de Monaco (ACM) marshals were vigilant, as usual, and very little time was lost in this session due to the excessive enthusiasm of the young guns, some not yet old enough to pass their driving licence.

The field will be divided into two groups on Friday morning for the one and only qualifying session on the weekend menu, which will inevitably be very intense. There will be two races this weekend, one Saturday morning and one Sunday morning, 30 minutes each.

It’s a battle royale that promises to take place in the streets of the Principality for the 79th edition of Monaco F1 Grand Prix, with four ace drivers spread in three top teams: Max Verstappen, the reigning world champion and new leader of the 2022 World Championship, at Red Bull Racing, Charles Leclerc, the local hero, in his Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell for Mercedes.

One cannot expect any other driver to bother these top drivers who have accumulated 131 wins in F1, including 103 alone for the seven-time British world champion, 24 for the Flying Dutchman and 4 for the Monégasque. This 79th edition is more enticing than ever, between Sir Lewis and three spearheads of the new generation. Only Russell has never won in F1 but he has just finished in the Top 5 six times in a row this year, although he did not drive, by some length, the best single-seater on the grid.

To decide between the stars of modern F1, a little more eco-responsible and much less expensive for the teams, with a capped budget, a new format has been set up this year in Monaco: three days of F1, all inclusive, counting Friday morning for media duties and Friday afternoon for two free practice sessions, crucial to prepare for qualifying on Saturday afternoon.

It is indeed an extraordinary 79th Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco that is scheduled, in front of fully booked grandstands and VIP boxes, after two years of coronavirus, masks and sanitary constraints. It is also the beginning of a new era for Formula 1, in Monaco and elsewhere, around Verstappen, Leclerc and Russell, but also Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo in their McLarens, and two former world champions who could reconnect any time with their past glory, Fernando Alonso (Alpine) and Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin), thanks to their huge experience: 340 Grands Prix contested (32 wins) for the popular Spaniard, crowned in 2005 and 2006, 283 GPs (and 53 wins) for the German four-time world champion.

On the French side, Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri) and Esteban Ocon (Alpine) will again be on the lookout if an opportunity arises, as in Monza or Hungary during their one and only success in F1, to date. The first two wins for a French driver in F1 since Olivier Panis in 1996… in Monaco!

On Sunday, talent, strategy and a bit of luck, an essential ingredient in the Principality, will determine the name of the winner. It will be much the same recipe for the supporting races, with a particularly exciting menu: the future champions of Formula 2, the young wolves of the Formula Regional Europe by Alpine and the overpowered coupes of the Porsche Supercup, ready to delight, one more time, lovers of old-fashioned thrills.

In this new-format Monaco Grand Prix, support races will be the only stars on track on Thursday. With a handful of famous surnames for young drivers who want to make a name for themselves: Enzo Fittipaldi, Eduardo Barrichello, Sebastian Montoya, Jack Doohan, Liam Lawson, Marino Sato. One thing is certain, even if the format has changed, it will still be very hot on track, all along this very special weekend, in the streets of the Principality!

Long before Jacky Ickx became the great motorbike and car champion we all know, his father, Jacques, wrote sports columns for the Belgian daily newspaper “Les Sports” under the title “Tout autour de nous”.

His sharp style, his pen dipped in vitriol and even curare earned him the title of journalist-writer in France.

He was also one of the five European automobile journalists of the post-war period.

And he knows motor sport rather well!

The first Belgian Motocross Champion, Jacques Ickx also distinguished himself by winning the toughest car endurance event in 1951: the Liège-Rome-Liège Road Marathon.

“Our father’s past as a competitor allowed him to know all the movements of the soul that motivate a sportsman and the emotions that could sweep his heart”, remembers Jacky’s elder brother Pascal.

These sports chronicles written between 1948 and 1951, full of information but also rich in adventures, exploits, human feelings and unexpected moments, Jacky only discovered them recently: “I was blown away by their actuality, more than 70 years after they were written! And this is not a son admiring his father talking to you, but a reader seduced by a writer.

Compiled in a book entitled “Tout autour de nous, hymne au sport et aux valeurs humaines” (All around us, a hymn to sport and human values), the chronicles of Jacques Ickx are naturally prefaced by his two sons Pascal and Jacky.

In the name of the Father.

Tout autour de nous, by Jacques Ickx, Éd. MOLS is available in paper version
– 29,90 €, ISBN 978-2-87402-272-2 – and in digital version – 20,99 € – ISBN 978-2-87402-282-1
The royalties will be donated to the SOLIMEDA Foundation for Olympic medallists in financial need.

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.