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In the “Gilles Villeneuve” F-Series, contested by F1 cars from 1977 to 1981, Michael Lyons once again put his Hesketh 308E through its paces, as he had done in free practice on Friday. With a time of 1:32.079, he got the better of his compatriots Miles Griffiths, in a yellow Fittipaldi, and Stephen Shanly, in a 1980 Tyrrell 010 entered by the French AGS Racing team. It was a 1-2-3 for British drivers, ahead of an excellent Jonathan Cochet in another Fittipaldi “100% made in Brazil”. That means two pole position starts on Sunday for Michael Lyons, as well as Stuart Hall, who also doubled up in the G-Series.
This G-Series carries the “Ayrton Senna” label throughout the weekend, with single-seaters built between 1981 and 1985, all powered by naturally-aspirated 3-litre engines. As a supreme privilege, these 28 cars can stay permanently in the F1 pits all weekend long. And just like Saturday morning, Stuart Hall made his presence felt in a March 821. With a time of 1:30.762, he pushed Marco Werner (Lotus 87B) one second and a half back, and Michael Lyons (Lotus 92) almost two seconds back. He too will start from pole position twice on Sunday.
Saturday also saw a number of F1 stars visit the paddock, starting with Charles Leclerc, the driver from Monaco, and Lando Norris, who won his first F1 Grand Prix in Miami last Sunday in a McLaren. On Friday, Fernando Alonso was spotted on Quai Antoine 1er, visiting his former boss at McLaren, Zak Brown, entered in a Williams FW07 of the F-Series. Other famous Monegasque residents may be there on Sunday, as F1 takes a break this weekend. One thing is for sure: there will be 8 top-class races between 8am and 6pm, in glorious sunshine.
The C-Series of the 14th Grand Prix de Monaco Historique is the only one devoted to two-seater sports cars, provided they have a front engine and were built between 1952 and 1957.
There were 38 competitors at the start on Friday, and it was hard to make any predictions about pole position or the race, given the strength of the field: a dozen Maseratis, several Ferraris, Jaguars, Aston Martins and Lotuses, as well as Listers, Frazer-Nashes and Connaughts, a Kieft, an Osca and an Allard. Brands that have now disappeared, but that are still very much alive in the Principality, every two years. They are all in a perfect state of preservation, because their owners, mostly gentlemen drivers, are deeply in love with them, and ready to make any sacrifice to give them eternal youth.
There was a short break in the session, after 7 minutes, then the dance resumed and the match between Italy and Great Britain was won by the British Belles: Fréderic Wakeman’s Cooper-Jaguar T38, who broke the 2-minute per lap barrier (1:59.770), will be on pole position on Sunday, same as in 2022, with the superb Jaguar D-Type of Austrian Niklas Halusa on his side. Behind them, in the hunt for a podium or more, will be the Maserati 250S of Richard Wilson and the Lotus MKX of Max Smith-Hilliard.
The end of Saturday morning was rather noisy in the streets of the Principality, with the “Jackie Stewart” D-Series and the “Niki Lauda” E-Series, contested by F1 cars from the 1966 to 1972, then 1973 to 1976 seasons. These are perfectly preserved single-seaters, equipped with 3-litre engines that are particularly pleasing to nostalgic fans, because they make a lot of noise. One of the favourites was the insatiable Michael Lyons, entered in all four series of the most recent cars. In the D-Series, the Englishman posted a very fast lap (1:34.006) in a 1971 Surtees TS9. This was enough to relegate his main rival, Japan’s Katsuaki Kubota (Lotus 72), to one and a half second, just ahead of another Briton, Matthew Wrigley (March 721), in 3rd place. In a slightly older Lotus, a 49B in superb red livery, dating back to 1968, Adrian Newey, Red Bull Racing’s star engineer, took an excellent 8th place.
At the end of this session, interrupted by a red flag with a minute to go, Lyons jumped into the seat of a McLaren M26 (ex-James Hunt) in famous red and white livery. But another car from Woking, a 1973 M23 driven by Stuart Hall in the colours of Yardley cosmetics, dominated this E-Series qualifier. In the end, it topped the Automobile Club de Monaco (ACM) results sheet with a time of 1:31.629. Enough to start from pole position on Sunday, with Nicholas Padmore’s Lotus 77 alongside him. On the second row, there will be another Lotus, the 76 from the 1974 season (ex-Ronnie Peterson), driven by Marco Werner, and the M26 of Lyons, who then took the time to rest a little. He will be back in the afternoon for qualifying in Series F and G. As for local hero Frédéric Lajoux (Surtees TS19), an excellent driver turned honourable family man, he took an excellent 8th place on the grid.
The first three qualifying sessions (25 minutes each) for the 14th Grand Prix de Monaco Historique, on Saturday morning, began with a woman driver, last year’s winner Claudia Hürtgen from Germany, securing a fine pole position. It was in the A2-Series, labelled ‘Juan Manuel Fangio’ and reserved to front-engined Grand Prix cars built before 1961. In her superb 1960 Ferrari 246 Dino, entered by Methusalem Racing, experts in beautiful red vintage cars, Claudia, the former F3 and GT driver, set a time of 1:54.429. That was three tenths quicker than Marino Franchitti, brother of three-time Indy 500 winner Dario, in a Maserati 250F. As for Max Smith-Hilliard (Lotus 16), he will start from the second row on Sunday on a very full grid: 26 competitors including just one woman… in pole position!
A little later, in the ‘Louis Chiron’ A1 Series, which includes pre-war Grand Prix cars and voiturettes, the battle for pole position pitted Irishman Paddins Dowling, who had set the fastest time in free practice on Friday in a 1936 ERA R5B, against two British drivers, Michael Birch (Maserati 4CM) and Jonathan Bailey (Bugatti 35C). Except that Canadian Brad Baker (ERA R10B) came out to spoil the party and eventually took 2nd place in this very lively session. So there will be two ERAs on the front row on Sunday, driven by Dowling and Baker.
In the trio of oldest cars at this 14th Historic Monaco Grand Prix, there is also the ‘Graham Hill’ B-Series, exclusive to single-seaters with 1500cc engines from 1961 to 1965. This session was interrupted twice by a red flag, for a couple of non-serious incidents. And eventually, in honour of the late Graham who won five times on the streets of Monaco, including twice in a Lotus (1968, 1969), there will be two British drivers in Lotuses on the front row on Sunday: Andy Middlehurst in a 1962 Type-25, and Mark Shaw in a 1961 Type-21. Behind them, in search of a treble, will be American ‘Joe’ Colasacco, winner in 2004 and 2022, in a formidable 1964 Ferrari 1512 (ex-John Surtees and Lorenzo Bandini). That’s a promise!
After a short one-hour break, action was back on track to life at 2:30pm with the D-Series, featuring Grand Prix cars from 1966 to 1972. In this class, the public couldn’t miss the Lotus 49B driven by Adrian Newey! The 65-year-old British engineer, who will be leaving the Red Bull Racing team at the end of the year, put in a good showing in the middle of this wild field, finishing in 8th place. Building on his success of two years ago, Michael Lyons set a blistering pace at the wheel of a 1971 Surtees TS9, completing the 3.337km-track 2 seconds faster than his closest rival, Katsuaki Kubota driving Lotus 72. A decent warm-up for the Briton, who won three times in the Principality in 2021, as he will also be lining up in the E-, F- and G-Series!
This first day of the 14th Grand Prix de Monaco Historique also trapped drivers in the E-Series, which brings together Grand Prix cars from 1973 to 1976. On the winding Avenue d’Ostende, just a few minutes after the start of this unique free practice session, the Tyrrell 007 of Roald Goethe and the Shadow DN5 of Marco Bianchini collided, causing the 3rd red flag of the day to allow the intervention of the Automobile Club de Monaco’s track Marshals, who are always very efficient! Extended by 3 minutes, the session was finally dominated by the event’s regulars, who put their experience to good use. Marco Werner and his Lotus 76 were the fastest, ahead of Michael Lyons (McLaren M26) and Nicholas Padmore (Lotus 77). Among the 24 entries in the series, Monaco was proudly represented by Frédéric Lajoux (Surtees TS19) in 10th place!
There were plenty of people in the grandstands and on the track for the 6th session of the day! And with good reason, the C-Series is the most crowded, with 38 competitors authorised to race at the Grand Prix de Monaco Historique. They all made the most of free practice to get to grips with the Principality’s legendary track without making any unforgivable mistakes. Even among the front-engined sports cars from 1952 to 1957, Lotus shone, thanks to Max Smith-Hilliard! The Briton drove his beautiful MK X to the top of the timesheets, overtaking Gregor Fisken’s Jaguar HWM and Richard Wilson’s Maserati 250S.
In the F-Series, named after Gilles Villeneuve and featuring F1 cars from 1977 to 1981, Michael Lyons again dominated proceedings! This time at the wheel of a Hesketh 308E bearing the number 24, the defending champion of the category displayed all his talent to get his weekend off to a perfect start. Several drivers were caught out, including Sam Hancock (Fittipaldi F6A) and Monegasque Nicolas Matile (March 771), who faulted at Sainte-Dévote and in the S de la Piscine. Interrupted by a red flag, the session resumed to give the competitors the opportunity to make one last attempt before tomorrow’s qualifying session.
Day one came to a close with the G-Series, whose name Ayrton Senna will echo throughout the weekend. 28 drivers took to the track shortly after 6pm for 30-minute free practice session. Overexcited by the idea of shining in the Principality, some of them were carried away by their enthusiasm and brought back to reality: the Circuit de Monaco is not a playground to be taken carelessly. Race HQ decided to wave the red flag twice to interrupt the session. The superb Ligier JS21, driven by Soheil Ayari who is a rookie in this event, was the last to go off at La Rascasse. Fortunately, no damage was done, much to the delight of the spectators who will see this fantastic car again on Saturday!
Lotus made its mark on the first morning of free practice for the 14th Grand Prix de Monaco Historique, taking the first two spots in the “Graham Hill” B-Series reserved to single-seaters with 1500cc engines from 1961 to 1965. A B-Series packed with front-runners, in fact, with 33 very well-equipped competitors. Notably American Joseph Colasacco, the winner in 2004 and, more recently, in 2022, in his extremely rare 1964 Ferrari 1512 (ex-John Surtees and Lorenzo Bandini). But the excellent ‘Joe’ had to be content with 3rd place in this first session, behind two wild Lotus drivers: Andy Middlehurst in a 1962 Type-25, ahead of Mark Shaw in a 1961 Type-21. These two Climax-powered Racing Green cars, sliding on all four-wheels at La Piscine and elsewhere, delighted the fans, who were already out in force for a Friday (free admission).
A little earlier, in the ‘Louis Chiron’ A1-Series, which includes pre-war Grand Prix cars and pre-war voiturettes, the battle raged for 30 minutes between several drivers from across the Channel. And it was Ireland’s Paddins Dowling, in a 1936 ERA R5B, who laid the foundations for an eventual pole position on Saturday, ahead of two Britons, Jonathan Bailey (Bugatti 35C) and Michael Birch (Maserati 4CM), thanks to a very respectable time of 2:15.184 for such old cars. The top five in this first session, contested by 16 competitors, also included a German, Mark Winter (Maserati 6CM), and a Canadian, Brad Baker (ERA R10B).
The ‘Juan Manuel Fangio’ A2-Series also featured a strong field: 25 front-engined Grand Prix cars built before 1961, including a dozen Maseratis, the blue Gordini of Jean-Jacques Bally, a regular at the Monegasque event, and of course the superb Ferrari 246 Dino of Claudia Hürtgen, the former German GT racing star and Monegasque resident. There was also a Franco-Belgian actor, Stéphane de Groodt, in a 1958 Maserati 250F, delighted to reconnect with his old passion, as when he raced in Formula 3 before becoming an actor. And Marino Franchitti, the brother of the three-time Indycar winner at Indianapolis, in a Maserati too. The two best times were posted by a couple of Lotus Type-16 dating back to 1958, ahead of three Maseratis.
Thierry Boutsen was very close to Ayrton Senna, who should have been his son’s godfather. The Belgian driver (163 GPs, 3 wins, 15 podiums) will have the honour and privilege, on Saturday during the Senna’s Career Parade, of driving through the streets of Monaco in the Lotus-Renault that enabled his Brazilian friend to win his first F1 race, at the 1985 Portuguese Grand Prix on the Estoril circuit. A first followed by many others: 41 victories in total, as well as 80 podiums and 65 pole positions!
The 14th Grand Prix de Monaco Historique promises, like all of previous editions since 1997, to delight fans of racing cars from another era throughout the weekend. We had to wait two years, since 2022, to witness, once again, a superb retrospective of motor racing in the 20th century. The wait is about to be rewarded, with the added bonus of a special parade illustrating the late Ayrton Senna’s ascent to the pinnacle of motor sport, 30 years ago…
Since 1997, when the Grimaldi family decided to celebrate 700 years of reign by creating a unique event, it has been a must for motorsport enthusiasts and lovers of a certain art of living. It’s all about the beautiful machines that have written the legend of motor sport. So once again, from Friday to Sunday, thousands of spectators of all ages will be able to admire myriads of Ferraris, Maseratis and Lotuses, among other prestigious makes, driven in race conditions by men who, for some, have actively participated in the writing of several chapters of a never-ending book.
Over 200 racing cars of all engine sizes, including a majority of F1s, divided into 8 series corresponding to their period of existence in competition, will take to the track of the Monegasque circuit. They will be taking corners on a narrow track right in the middle of the city, roaring their engines to full power, in a popular fervour facilitated by direct access to the paddock and the actors of this breathtaking spectacle.
From the pre-war years to the 80s, dozens of makes will be represented, some of which have now disappeared, and there will be something for everyone. As Géry Mestre, President of the Automobile Club de Monaco’s (ACM) Collector Car Commission, explains so well, the Grand Prix de Monaco Historique is attracting more and more people, and the public is both younger and more feminine. At the wheel are semi-professional drivers and well-informed collectors with a staff of engineers and mechanics.
Previous editions have included Mika Häkkinen, Jean Alesi and René Arnoux, among others. The line-up for this 14th edition is particularly impressive: Adrian Newey, the famous engineer from Red Bull Racing, will be driving a 1968 Lotus, and Zak Brown, the head of McLaren F1, who has just triumphed in Miami, will be competing in a 1980 Williams FW07, alongside Wayne Taylor, the excellent American driver, in a 1977 Wolf. There will also be Soheil Ayari, in a Ligier, and a certain Ken Tyrrell, the perfect namesake of Uncle Ken, who has given many French drivers their first chance in Formula 1.
Once again, it’s going to be a festival of beautiful machines in perfect condition, to the delight of both eyes and ears. Enjoy it in the sunshine, armed with a fully-charged smartphone, so that you don’t miss a thing and you can take home some great memories…
At the wheel of this go-kart, 17-year-old Ayrton Senna became South American Champion in 1977, during a race organised in Uruguay, in the town of San José. He could not carry race number 42, his favourite at the time, because of the rules of the race, and so he carried number 7. Young Senna also finished 2nd at the Brazilian Championship, on the Interlagos track. This go-kart now belongs to McLaren F1 Team Principal Zak Brown. It will be driven in Monaco by Gabriel Bortoleto, a young Brazilian of the McLaren Drivers Academy, who was crowned FIA Formula 3 Champion last year.
After a very successful 1981 season (12 wins in 20 Formula Ford 1600 races, British Champion), Senna discovered the Van Diemen RF82 equipped with a much more powerful 2-litre engine. At just 22 years of age, he went on to win a record number of races (22) and the European Championship title. This 1982 Van Diemen will be driven in Monaco by Spain’s Cristina Gutiérrez, another member of the McLaren Drivers Academy.
The 1983 Formula 3 season was dominated by an insatiable Ayrton Senna, despite the formidable competition from a young Englishman, Martin Brundle, who gave him a hard time. The Brazilian came even closer to F1 by finishing British Champion with 12 victories. On November 20, 1983, Senna rounded off his masterclass with a prestigious victory at the Macau Grand Prix, at the wheel of this Toyota-powered Ralt RT3 entered by West Surrey Racing team and local billionaire Teddy Yip. The driver of this F3 Ralt in the Parade will be Irishman Eddie Irvine, who raced against Senna and won 4 times in F1, finishing on the podium 26 times.
This was the first F1 car driven by Ayrton Senna in the World Championship. Designed by Rory Byrne, it was very heavy, without power steering and powered by a British turbo engine, a Hart with around 600bhp. He scored three podiums in this car, including his famous 2nd place in Monaco, behind Alain Prost, in torrential rain that prompted Jacky Ickx to wave the red flag. They remain the only three podium finishes in the history of the British team founded by Ted Toleman, a road haulier who died in April 2024. This Toleman will be driven in Monaco by Swede Stefan Johansson, Senna’s team-mate in 1984.
Powered by a 1.5-litre Renault V6 turbo engine developing 760bhp, the Lotus 97T (T for turbo) was the F1 car in which the future “Magic Senna” won his first two Grands Prix, at Estoril and Spa-Francorchamps. It was equipped with several liquid crystal displays in the cockpit, a novelty at the time. It was a delight for Senna, who was very data-hungry. This now legendary single-seater also enabled the Brazilian to take his first seven pole positions, all in 1985. In Monaco, this Lotus 97T will be driven by Belgian Thierry Boutsen, who has won three times in F1 and who finished on the podium 15 times.
This McLaren MP4/5B was driven in 1990 by Ayrton Senna and his new team-mate Gerhard Berger, following Alain Prost’s departure to Ferrari. It was an evolution of the previous season’s MP4/5, as the British team did not want to create a new car, believing that the 1989 chassis was a good base on which to continue. It was fitted with a new Honda V10 engine, the RA100E, which developed an average of 700 bhp, depending on its configuration. This model took 6 victories and 12 pole positions that year, which concluded with two new world titles, drivers’ and constructors’, for Senna and McLaren. With a spectacular finale at Suzuka, when the Brazilian deliberately eliminated his great French rival. In the streets of Monaco, this amazing single-seater will be driven by Bruno Senna, the nephew of the three-time world champion, who competed in 46 F1 Grands Prix.
The 7th edition of the Monaco E-Prix was a great success for Mitch Evans and Jaguar TCS Racing! The British team scored a one-two finish at the Monaco round and extend their lead in the Manufacturers’ World Championship in the Season 10 of Formula E. Stoffel Vandoorne (DS Penske) finishes in 3rdposition.
He wanted it so he did it! Mitch Evans had come many times so close to victory in the Principality without ever achieving it. After three podium finishes in a row in 2021, 2022 and 2023, the Kiwi driving the number 9 car can finally stand on the winner’s top step of the Monaco E-Prix. An impressive win, achieved with style ahead of his team-mate Nick Cassidy.
Teamwork made Evans’ dream work
The victory of Mitch Evans, who started from 4th position on the grid, was the fruit of teamwork by Jaguar TCS Racing. “Everyone did a remarkable job. To be honest, I’d been waiting for this for so long, long before I started racing in Formula E. It was a great team effort with Nick [Cassidy],” said the New Zealander after the race, before adding that he was dedicating his Monaco win to Sir Colin Giltrap, a New Zealand automotive industrialist who died on 17 April 2024.
Thanks to a perfect blend of strategy and performance, the Coventry-based team has secured a superb one-two finish, their first of Season 10 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. In addition to this brilliant result, Nick Cassidy, the other Kiwi in the Jaguar team, takes 2nd place in the drivers’ standings, behind Pascal Wehrlein.
Classified in 3rd position today, Stoffel Vandoorne (DS Penske) also claimed his first podium with the Versailles-based team. His team-mate Jean-Éric Vergne, winner of the 2019 Monaco E-Prix, follows in 4th place.
Behind this quartet, poleman Pascal Wehrlein (Porsche TAG Heuer Formule E Team) was unable to convert his starting position into victory. Despite a good start, the German dropped to 5th place after firing up Attack Mode. However, he stays in the lead in the Drivers’ World Championship by taking advantage of the poor performance of Jake Dennis (Andretti Formula E), who finished 20th because of a broken front wing.
A tricky race
The Monegasque circuit played tricks on other drivers. On lap 5, the safety car appeared on track. Edoardo Mortara’s car (Mahindra Racing) ended up in the wall in the swimming pool sector after a braking error. The race resumed on lap 9 with the trio made of Stoffel Vandoorne (DS Penske), Mitch Evans and Nick Cassidy leading. Later, with just a few laps to go, Nico Müller (ABT Cupra Team) ended his race in La Rascasse corner, necessitating the intervention of a new safety car.
DS Penske eventually tried its best to disrupt the Jaguar TCS Racing Team in their hope of winning. But the feline team was definitely too strong on Saturday in the Principality.
As Monaco prepares to host the Grand Prix de Monaco Historique (10-12 May 2024) and the Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco (23-26 May 2024), Formula E will make its return to the Principality on Saturday 3 May 2025*.
*Subject to validation by the FIA World Council on June 10, 2024.
