1957 Monaco GP

## Track Facts

* Name – Monaco
* Location – Monte Carlo
* Corners – 12
* Laps – 105
* Base (Worst) Lap Time – 2:30.000
* Lap Record (Real Life) – 1:41.100 (Juan Manuel Fangio)
* Lap Record (F1R) – 1:32.585 (Giuseppe Farina)
* Pit Lane Length – 35 seconds
* Fuel Consumption – Very Low
* Tyre Wear – Low

## Qualifying

Gerard hangs onto Pole Position, meaning he has back-to-back Poles in Argentina and now has the 2nd best Race:Pole Position ratio of any driver (1st of course is held by the talented Ken Wharton, who only raced for 1 season but took A thrilling finale to qualifying sees Gerard take his 2nd Pole Position of the season, as he edges out Hawthorn, who has the rare distinction of being Top Ferrari in Qualifying for the 1st time in his career. Collins completed his laps to end up 3rd, with team-mate Salvadori right behind him - as Vanwall look rejuvenated here!

Von Trips is an admirable 5th position, with Behra a strong 6th for Cooper, Brabham 7th and Moss in 8th - though the Brit left it late to make it into the race, never mind into the Top 10!!! Speaking of the Top 10, Fairman and Gonzalez both squeeze in, while Menditeguy, Castellotti and Maglioli are all edged out of it.

Flockhart, Simon, Perdisa, Piotti, Musso and de Beaufort occupy places 14 to 19, while Bonnier and Trintignant fail to use all their allotted time on track and so will line up in 20th and 21st respectively. Watch for them flying through the pack, if they can find anywhere to overtake here!!!

Gibson, Schell, Gregory, Herrmann, England and Leston all complete their runs - while Gould struggled to avoid the barriers and so spent most of his time in the wall, but still managed to be quicker than Brooks who is clearly out of practice and will line-up in 29th and last position on the grid. Failing to make said grid are one of the championship favourites Fangio in the Ferrari, the ever interesting Godia in the Connaught and the usually reliable Volonterio in the Maserati.

## Grid

The 2nd race of the season is coming soon, and it looks like another hot one in Monaco - but with Championship Leader Fangio not on the grid the opportunity for the likes of Collins and Gerard and the Ferrari of Hawthorn, who secured his best ever qualifying position of 2nd place here, to capitalise is almost tangible!!!

## Race Commentary

*Lap 1* – Off the start Gerard does enough to keep Hawthorn behind him, and he compromises the Ferrari enough that he is forced to defend from Collins and create a concertina effect down the grid! And the man who takes advantage is Fairman, who goes around the outside of both Brabham and Moss at Sainte-Dévote to move from 9th up to 7th place!

Menditeguy is another man compromised by the concertina, and he finds himself losing places to both Castellotti and Maglioli – as the latter passes his aforementioned Italian counterpart too, to move up to 11th overall! In the battle of the Luigi’s over 17th place it’s Musso who takes Piotti at the start by reacting more quickly – and in fact the Maserati not only loses that place, but also drops behind the fast-starting Bonnier, who is already up from 20th to 18th!

Bonnier’s gain is partly down to de Beaufort’s horror start, as far too much wheelspin drops the Dutchman behind Bonnier, Trintignant, Gibson, Schell and England – the last of which also passed Gregory off the start too! Finally, Gould makes a strong start for Ferrari, as he goes from 28th up to 24th after passing Leston off the start and surprising de Beaufort at Chicane du Port too!

Though those with a bad start can at least take solace from the fact they are not Hans Herrmann or Tony Brooks – the former of which ends his race in the wall before even making 1 corner (the same as happened to him last time out in Argentina!), the latter of which is already some 9 seconds behind his nearest rival as he really looks out of sorts!

*Lap 2* – Collins sets the Fastest Lap here with a 1:38.681 – thanks to having a bit of free air to drive into! Meanwhile Fairman tries to improve his position even more, but can’t make it past Behra and so holds up a whole group behind him – and this time it’s Moss who capitalises to take 8th place off Brabham, along with Menditeguy who narrowly edges ahead of Castellotti for 12th, Simon who moves ahead of Flockhart for 14th, Musso who is up to 16th ahead of Perdisa, Trintignant who becomes the latest man to overtake Piotti, Schell who advances past Gibson for 21st and Gregory, who makes de Beaufort’s terrible start just that little bit worse by relegating him down to 26th overall.

*Lap 3* – Collins has a look up the inside of Hawthorn at Le Tunnel, but finds the door slammed in his face – and that brings Salvadori and von Trips back into podium contention. Behra meanwhile out-brakes himself at Gazométre, swerves back onto the racing line and causes a ripple effect back down the running order, which mainly catches out Menditeguy and Castellotti who slow right down on the inside of the final corner – and find themselves both losing out to Simon (who is now 12th), while Flockhart passes his team-mate Castellotti in the chaos too!!!

Bonnier is gradually picking up places and moves up to 17th ahead of Perdisa at the final corner, though one Maserati’s loss is another gain as the outside route pays dividends for Piotti, who passes Trintignant and his team-mate Perdisa too! Finally, Schell tries the outside route too – but goes too wide and finds himself losing places to Gibson and England as a result.

*Lap 4* – At the front it’s all very civil – with the only real action Salvadori claiming a new FL of a 1:38.4, but down in the battle for 13th an aggressive attempt by Flockhart to move ahead of Menditeguy at Chicane du Port is unsuccessful and creates another concertina behind him – but the first man that is able to take advantage is Maurice Trintignant, as the Frenchman takes a contrary line to Bonnier and the Maserati duo of Piotti and Perdisa to go from 20th to 17th in one corner!!! England also gets back past Gibson in the fight for 21st on this lap too.

*Lap 5* – A 1:38.3 for Salvadori shows there is real pace in that Vanwall, as both he and his team-mate Collins in 3rd are faster than the leading duo – though yet to be close enough to challenge. Further back Maglioli shuts the door on team-mate Simon, which backs up a whole line of cars – but the only person able to capitalise is Gould, who overtakes Schell for 23rd overall.

*Lap 6* – Hawthorn is now definitely holding up both Collins and Salvadori, but the gap back to von Trips in 5th is enough that they aren’t holding up a whole train of drivers…yet! Brabham holds up Gonzalez and Maglioli in the fight for 9th place, but they have enough of a gap behind them so that no-one else is able to get the better of them.

Perdisa is blocked by Piotti, and Gould is the man proving a real opportunist here as he slices past Gibson to claim 22nd overall!

*Lap 7* – Collins sets a stunning 1:38.0 here to move back within touching distance of Hawthorn, while this lap it’s a tale of team-mate vs team-mate…Behra blocks Moss in the Cooper fight over 6th place, and in the all-BRM fight for 11th Simon continues his great start to the race as he makes an opportunistic move at Station Hairpin! Meanwhile Musso being blocked by Castellotti is to Piotti’s advantage, as he passes Bonnier for 18th overall.

*Lap 8* – Collins is the 1st man to break the 1:38 barrier as he sets a 1:37.9, while Menditeguy blocks the 3 cars behind him as they compete over 12th place to allow Simon to escape up the road! And on this lap Gould is unable to keep his streak going, as he finds England a tough customer to pass despite several attempts.

*Lap 9* – Hawthorn challenges Gerard for the lead, but the Maserati shuts the door and sends the Ferrari back into the clutches of Collins and Salvadori again. And the race seems to have settled down a little behind them…

*Lap 10* – Collins and Salvadori are again thwarted by Hawthorn, who is blocking heavily to maintain 2nd position in the race! Behra defends from Moss and Fairman in the battle for 6th position in an otherwise uneventful lap.

*Lap 11* – A 1:37.7 for Collins sets the new standard for pace on the track, and he is moving into range of Hawthorn to have another go at the Ferrari. The only action on track is Gibson blocking Schell over 23rd position as most drivers seem to have now found their respective grooves…

*Lap 12* – Nothing to report this lap, other than the Top 4 being covered by less than 4 seconds at this stage!

*Lap 13* – Castellotti blocks Musso and Trintignant over 15th place, but neither is able to capitalise this time around…

*Lap 14* – Hawthorn is forced to defend down the inside at Gazométre, but Collins can’t quite get close enough, so the Ferrari holds the place. Meanwhile everyone down to Simon in 11th find themselves backed up behind the Behra v Moss fight over 6th place, which looks to be making Team Principal Kyle Morris very nervous indeed!

*Lap 15* – Maglioli’s attempt to overtake Menditeguy for 12th now means Simon et al ahead of this pack are starting to pull away, and also that everyone down to Bonnier in 19th feels the pain of the slower car at the front of the train!

England pits on this lap from 21st and comes out in 27th place – but with absolutely tons of free air! He will be hoping for squabbles within the pack that can allow him to gain time on those ahead as a result…

*Lap 16* – Another new Fastest Lap for Collins (1:37.5) sees him move right on to the back of Hawthorn this time around – will he attempt the pass next time?!? Meanwhile Moss and Behra have Fairman crawling all over the back of them – but the Vanwall can’t force an opening this lap.

Gould and Gibson are fighting over 21st position, but neither is willing to give any ground away – and so the status quo is preserved for another lap.

*Lap 17* – Hawthorn cruelly swerves over at the last moment to block Collins’ adventurous dive up the inside at Station Hairpin – and that undoes all the good work from the Vanwall driver over the previous few laps…he even is forced to block Salvadori at the Portier corners to maintain 3rd place.

Brabham finds himself under pressure from Gonzalez and Simon in the fight for 9th, while the lack of fighting in the pack must be a concern for England – as his higher fuel load is not paying dividends in terms of lap time right now.

*Lap 18* – Collins is the man setting the pace, as he winds up for another attack on Hawthorn…but elsewhere it’s ‘as you were’ for all drivers.

*Lap 19* – 1:37.4 is the new FL as Collins continues to keep the leading duo honest! Meanwhile Brabham blocks Gonzalez over 9th, as it looks like the BRM mechanics are preparing for a pit-stop for one of their drivers…but which one!?!

*Lap 20* – Hawthorn and Collins continue to duel over 2nd position, while another Vanwall finds himself equally frustrated – as Fairman is unable to work an opening against Moss for 7th. And we now see at least part of the reason for Simon’s stellar beginning to the race as he pits this time around…and a decent stop sees him out in 26th place with only England and Brooks behind him.

Menditeguy manages to keep Maglioli behind him, as they fight over what is now 11th position thanks to Simon’s early stop.

*Lap 21* – Still the Top 4 circulate within 3 seconds of one another – and von Trips looks steady in 5th places, but there is a significant amount of racing remaining, and we are yet to see what pit strategies these drivers are adopting…

*Lap 22* – Behra is the man with a train of cars accumulating behind him, as he blocks everyone from Moss in 7th down to Gonzalez in 10th! Gibson and Schell are still scrapping over 21st place, but predictably are finding it tough to pass one another round these tight and twisty streets.

*Lap 23* – Collins was on for another FL but gets completely baulked by Hawthorn at the final turn and so must settle back into his rhythm to attack again in future. Meanwhile Brabham is forced into defensive action against Gonzalez over 9th place – the Connaught was flying until that moment! Musso and Trintignant are another duo taking each on, 15th place is what’s on offer for the victor there…

*Lap 24* – From hunter to hunted for Collins, as he has to move across to prevent Salvadori from passing him at Sainte-Dévote, in an otherwise quiet lap. Von Trips will be hoping for more of that in-fighting to bring him back into contention!

*Lap 25* – Menditeguy blocks Maglioli and the Cooper pair of Flockhart & Castellotti – but all attention is on the pit-lane, where Maserati and Ferrari mechanics are both out and waiting…is it for the leading duo?!? No – it’s for Piotti in 17th and Gould in 20th, who emerge in 25th and 26th respectively, which is a relief for Simon, who is now up to 24th as a result, but not for England, who is still 27th overall.

*Lap 26* – Collins is running at a superb pace, and looks to be on for another Fastest Lap…and then AGAIN he gets blocked at the final corner as Hawthorn was busy attacking Gerard for the lead, though all to no avail. Behra is busy defending from Moss and Fairman over 6th position – and one wonders whether von Trips would be under threat in 5th if it wasn’t for his inadvertent rear-gunner in place!

*Lap 27* – Collins may be the unluckiest man on the circuit, as another FL attempt is ended at Bureau de Tabac by a recalcitrant Hawthorn, who blocks the Vanwall from bettering his own fastest time! Meanwhile the pits are teeming with activity, as Fairman (8th), Gonzalez (10th) and Flockhart (13th) all come in on the same lap and emerge in 20th, 21st and 23rd respectively – much to the dismay of the likes of Simon et al that are behind them after also stopping earlier.

*Lap 28* – Disaster for Vanwall in the pits, as both Collins and Salvadori come in at the same time – it causes no issues for the former Brit as he has a normal pit-stop, but the double-stacking has a massively detrimental impact on the latter Brit! Roy Salvadori loses an age waiting for his team-mate’s car to be serviced before he finally gets a look in…as a result Collins is out in 15th and Salvadori in 18th – though both have avoided being overtaken by the group that had already pitted (for Salvadori he was only 4 seconds away from coming out behind Fairman though!).

Gibson also comes in this time around and drops down to 25th overall. All of which now means at the front von Trips is up to 3rd, Behra 4th and Moss 5th. Brabham is 6th, Menditeguy 7th, Maglioli 8th, Castellotti 9th and Musso 10th – and of those who have pitted Collins is best-placed down in 15th.

*Lap 29* – Moss is fastest man on track, though some half a second down on Collins’ Fastest Lap right now. Salvadori is starting to count the cost of that mistake in the pits, as he now finds himself coming up to the back of de Beaufort in the fight for 17th on track…he needs to make quick work of passing that Maserati if he is to compete for a podium position!

*Lap 30* – The reason for Moss’ pace becomes evident as he peels into the pits, to promote Brabham up to 5th, and Trintignant into the Top 10 too. Meanwhile de Beaufort is badly holding up Salvadori, and the Vanwall driver is dismayed to see Moss emerge from the pits JUST ahead of the pair of them! That trio are now 16th, 17th and 18th respectively – with Salvadori at the rear.

*Lap 31* – Menditeguy blocks Maglioli over what is now 6th position, while Collins strategy looks to be faltering, held up by Schell as he currently is in their fight over 13th. Better news for Moss, who is now up to 15th (albeit some 12 seconds behind Collins in 14th) by virtue of Gregory peeling off into the pits on this lap. The BRM emerges in 26th narrowly behind Gould’s Ferrari.

*Lap 32* – Musso is in from 9th overall and comes out in 21st just 3 seconds ahead of team-mate Simon – and that means Trintignant is now 9th and Bonnier sits within the Top 10 at last! Salvadori meanwhile is being horribly blocked by de Beaufort, as he tries to force an opening wherever possible…

*Lap 33* – His time in the Top 10 is short-lived for Bonnier, as he comes into the pits on this lap along with Schell from 12th (much to Collins’ relief and Moss’ dismay). Salvadori is blocked by de Beaufort again, over what is now 13th position. Leston, who is yet to pit, now sits at a race-high 17th – and is grimly holding onto that place despite pressure from Flockhart and Musso behind him.

Bonnier comes out into 21st behind Simon’s BRM, and Schell is out in 23rd ahead of Gibson’s BRM.

*Lap 34* – Hawthorn comes in from 2nd position, and there are anxious moments on the Ferrari pit-wall as the stop takes a while longer than usual…but Hawthorn emerges from the pits and manages to JUST maintain position ahead of Collins as they now sit 10th and 11th respectively. Those laps being blocked by Schell really hurt Collins’ hopes of overtaking the Ferrari…

Better news for the Vanwall team, as de Beaufort pits on this lap (and comes out in 27th behind England) to free up Salvadori back in 13th position. Leston now has a 3rd driver being held up by him, as Simon joins Flockhart and Musso in losing time to the Porsche.

*Lap 35* – All eyes are on the pits this lap, as no fewer than 6 cars are in (though Brooks pitting is hardly news-worthy given that he is already 3 laps down), including the leader Gerard (1st), Behra (3rd), Brabham (4th), Menditeguy (5th) and Maglioli (6th). They exit the pits in the order they arrived – but where they slot back in is the key thing here…

Von Trips now leads the race, from Castellotti and Trintignant (though none have stopped), and out in 4th place is Gerard with Perdisa up to 5th (though not stopped). In fact, the Maserati is grittily defending his new-found points paying position and really slows Hawthorn’s momentum behind him at Tabac…in fact he slows him down so much that Collins is able to pull alongside into Gazométre and take 6th away from Hawthorn (which looks like it will be a net 2nd position once all stops are completed)!

At this stage, Hawthorn is now 7th, Moss 8th, Behra out in 9th, Salvadori 10th, Fairman 11th, Brabham out in 12th, Gonzalez 13th, Menditeguy out in 14th and Maglioli out in 15th. On this lap too, Leston again blocks the group behind him (all the way back to Bonnier now!) – but this time Musso anticipates the block at Chicane du Port and deliberately takes the outside line to slingshot past Flockhart and up into 17th position.

*Lap 36* – 4 of the top 5 pit on this lap, meaning Gerard reclaims the race lead and now has a 3 second gap back to Collins with Hawthorn a further 1.5 seconds behind. Von Trips emerges in 4th with Moss now 5th, Behra 6th, Salvadori 7th, Fairman 8th, Brabham 9th, Gonzalez 10th, Menditeguy 11th, Maglioli 12th and then come Castellotti and Trintignant in 13th and 14th respectively.

Leston finally pits on this lap (much to several drivers’ relief), and so it’s now Musso’s turn to block those behind as he holds up everyone from Flockhart in 16th down to Piotti in 20th (with Perdisa emerging from the pits into 19th place and in the midst of this group!).

*Lap 37* – Collins is again the pace-setter as he reduces his arrears to just 2.2 seconds behind Gerard. There are close battles on track in the Top 10 over 4th (von Trips v Moss), 6th (Behra v the recovering Salvadori) and 9th (Brabham v Gonzalez). Not to mention a whole host of scraps further down the field…though on this lap no-one has made a move.

*Lap 38* – 3 moves are attempted on this lap into Chicane du Port, and 3 moves are blocked at that same corner in the 3 battles that were highlighted on Lap 37! Further back Menditeguy holds up Maglioli in their fight over 11th, Perdisa and Piotti argue over 19th and Gibson almost takes advantage of that all-Maserati squabble to edge ahead of Schell, but finds the door shut in his face at the last possible moment!

*Lap 39* – Collins goes for the lead…but can’t quite do enough to overtake the experienced Gerard. As a result, the man setting the pace this lap is Moss down in 5th place, while further back England is held up by a determined Gregory in the BRM.

*Lap 40* – Salvadori makes a gallant attempt to pass Behra for 6th, but Massenet is not really an overtaking spot! That also holds up team-mate Fairman in the process…and Perdisa v Piotti continues to rage on and hold up Schell and Gibson in the process – with Gould gaining ground on them all as a result.

*Lap 41* – Collins continues to harry Gerard for the race lead, but the Maserati has been able to stave off any threat to his dominance thus far…Von Trips blocks Moss and Behra does likewise to Salvadori, as they hold on to 4th and 6th respectively.

Gonzalez is really struggling to find a way past Brabham, but the two of them are coming up to the back of the Behra-Salvadori-Fairman struggle over 6th position, which might play to the Connaught’s advantage down the line. Schell blocks Gibson again this time around.

*Lap 42* – A much quieter lap on track, with most drivers choosing to hang back and look for a more effective pass rather than simply dive up the inside when there isn’t really a move on!

*Lap 43* – Another attempt from Moss to pass von Trips comes to naught, as the Ferrari is starting to look like the cork in the bottle – with everyone from 4th down to 10th now within 10 seconds of one another! Meanwhile Menditeguy holds up Maglioli and Castellotti, while Trintignant frustrates Musso, Perdisa continues to hold up Piotti, Schell and Gibson continue their struggle (with Gould now just 2.5 seconds back) and England tries a pass on Gregory that doesn’t come off down at the Station Hairpin.

*Lap 44* – Collins has another go at Gerard but finds himself thwarted at every turn – and this is allowing Hawthorn to stay in touch, as the Ferrari is now just 5 seconds off the lead! Some respite for Moss, as Behra is the one defending from the Vanwall pair of Salvadori and Fairman, while Brabham and Gonzalez are still fighting over 9th.

*Lap 45* – Fairman in 8th is setting the pace right now, but Salvadori ahead is only marginally slower so there is no way for him to capitalise. Further back England pits for the 2nd time, meaning he goes from 25th to 27th and is now a lap down.

*Lap 46* – Collins is seemingly stuck in a never-ending cycle of passing attempt, close up, passing attempt, close up…and on this lap another passing attempt ends fruitlessly for the Vanwall, who must be looking forward to the next round of stops to see if he can use his superior pace to jump the Maserati!

Behra has struggled to stay with von Trips and Moss in 4th and 5th and is now some 4 seconds down on the pair – and holding up Salvadori and Fairman in the process. One wonders if he his trying to maximise his team-mate Moss’s chances of staying in the Top 5?!?

*Lap 47* – Moss has been lining up von Trips for several laps…but he manages to out-brake himself at Chicane du Port and fails to hold the place for longer than a few moments. Still, a warning for the young Ferrari driver there! Brabham holds back Gonzalez for another lap and the Perdisa v Piotti and Gibson v Schell battles continue to rage…

*Lap 48* – Behra again frustrates those behind him and is certainly allowing those behind the Vanwall’s of Salvadori and Fairman to close up! Menditeguy and Maglioli continue their squabble over 11th, whilst Musso (along with Flockhart’s Cooper) is another BRM unable to pass an opponent as he fights Trintignant for 14th place.

*Lap 49* – Collins held back for a couple of laps before trying again to pass Gerard…but the result is ultimately the same despite a daring attempt at Portier 1 to get by! Behra is again preventing the Vanwall pair from overtaking, and that has now brought Brabham and Gonzalez right up behind that trio!!!

Gibson pits this lap from 22nd and comes out in 25th ahead of both Leston and England, in what looks to be another tough race for the Porsche squadron.

*Lap 50* – Collins improves his own Fastest Lap with a 1:37.3 this time around – but he’s still 0.5 seconds behind Gerard and unable to get past him! Von Trips moves at the last possible moment to deny Moss 4th place, but the Ferrari looks nervous about the next round of stops – as he doesn’t seem to have the pace to compete with the Cooper right now.

Simon comes in from 17th, to promote Bonnier, Perdisa, Piotti, Schell, Gould, Gregory and – by the narrowest of margins, and much to the BRM’s dismay – de Beaufort!

*Lap 51* – Collins is again waylaid by Gerard’s pace – or rather lack thereof (he’s the 9th fastest car on track right now!). Behra blocks Salvadori and Fairman again, and Brabham blocks Gonzalez once more. De Beaufort holds up Simon for what is now 22nd place, after Piotti stops and emerges in 24th overall.

*Lap 52* – Trintignant blocks Musso and Flockhart, as they fight for 14th position. Meanwhile Gibson is the latest man to be lapped by the leaders.

*Lap 53* – Another block by Gerard on Collins, another forceful defence from von Trips on Moss and another strong defensive move by Behra on Salvadori to retain 6th place…and Fairman pits from 8th (promoting Brabham to 8th, Gonzalez to 9th and Menditeguy to 10th) to drop down to 20th overall behind Gould.

*Lap 54* – Collins breaks the 1:37 barrier to set another new Fastest Lap, and Maserati Team Principal John Ibbotson looks nervous about his man remaining ahead of the relentless Vanwall!

Trintignant blocks Musso for what is now 12th place, thanks to Gonzalez coming in to the pits and promoting both of them, along with Menditeguy into 9th and Maglioli into 10th. Flockhart is also into the pits from 15th and drops down to 21st as a result, while Gonzalez emerges in 19th overall.

*Lap 55* – Collins is blocked by Gerard yet again, and Moss pits to propel Behra into 5th (who is likely too busy defending from the charging Salvadori to even notice!), Brabham into 7th, Menditeguy into 8th, Maglioli into 9th and Castellotti into the Top 10. Moss comes out in 15th JUST ahead of Schell’s Porsche, albeit behind Perdisa’s Maserati, which may yet cause him some difficulties.

Gould is in from a race high 17th, and drops down to 24th now a lap down on the leaders…

*Lap 56* – Yet another FL for Collins with a slightly better 1:36.9, as he pushes to be as close to Gerard as possible with the 2nd set of stops under-way. Salvadori is into the pits this time around (without compromise by a team-mate!) and comes out in 15th place with only Schell between him and Moss now. Musso is also in to the pits on this lap and drops from 12th to 19th overall.

*Lap 57* – Collins times his stop to perfection on this lap, as he goes from 2nd to 6th and comes out with 11 seconds of clear air in front of him (and with Menditeguy just 1.6 seconds behind him!). That puts Hawthorn 2nd, von Trips 3rd, Behra 4th and Brabham 5th overall. Meanwhile Menditeguy in 7th is holding up Maglioli, Castellotti and Trintignant, and Gould is stopping Gibson from inheriting 24th place.

*Lap 58* – Collins has cold tyres and a heavy fuel load and is actually going slower than Gerard in this gamble…

*Lap 59* – …but he is marginally faster on this lap and certainly is in with a chance of overhauling the Maserati in these stops! Gould again finds himself being forced to defend from Gibson as they continue to struggle over 24th position.

*Lap 60* – Gerard is 4 tenths faster than Collins on this lap, and the Maserati looks to be taking advantage of not having the Vanwall hounding him lap after lap! Perdisa blocks Moss and Schell, which is allowing Salvadori to close right up to the back of this fight…

*Lap 61* – Another 3 tenths for Gerard as he now has a 39.9 second lead – with a pit stop typically taking around 38-40 seconds, so it will be incredibly close as it stands! Musso blocks Flockhart on this lap, as the race has settled into a rhythm that only another set of stops looks likely to shake up.

*Lap 62* – Similar lap-times for Gerard and Collins this time around, as it looks like the Vanwall is starting to ramp up his pace to match the leader. Gregory pits on this lap and drops from 18th to 25th overall behind team-mate Gibson.

*Lap 63* – Maglioli is caught between Menditeguy and Castellotti and is seemingly unable to overtake the former – but is just holding the latter up! Meanwhile Gibson has another crack at Gould, though finds himself unable to force his way past the Ferrari.

*Lap 64* – 40.2 seconds is the gap between Gerard and Collins, with there now seeming to be a difference in their respective strategies…but it’s von Trips setting the pace at the moment in 3rd place.

*Lap 65* – A strong lap for Collins takes 8 tenths out of Gerard’s lead, meaning the Vanwall has a real shot at a victory here.

*Lap 66* – 1.1 seconds for Collins this time around as he is finally picking up the pace properly, whilst Salvadori has a crack at Schell for 14th place with Fairman also tailing them round the Monaco streets.

*Lap 67* – Maglioli continues to slow down both Castellotti and Trintignant in the fight for 8th place. Simon is blocked by de Beaufort, and the biggest surprise may be that it’s the 1st time he has been blocked by the Maserati! Gibson is still grappling with Gould but is unable to move past him.

*Lap 68* – Collins is now consistently over 0.8 seconds per lap quicker than Gerard, and it’s looking good for the Vanwall IF they are on the same strategy. Bonnier pits this lap and drops from 11th to 19th as a result, while Perdisa blocks Moss for what is now the same 11th place that Bonnier just vacated.

Salvadori and Fairman are again stone-walled by Schell as they battle over 13th place, while Simon is held up by de Beaufort again in their fight for 20th overall.

*Lap 69* – Hawthorn is into the pits for what is likely to be his final stop, meaning von Trips is now 2nd, Behra 3rd, Brabham 4th, Collins 5th (and still moving faster than Gerard), Menditeguy 6th, Maglioli 7th and Castellotti 8th overall with Hawthorn out in 9th place JUST behind the Cooper, which may cause him some issues in the latter stages of the race…

Meanwhile 2 blockers come into the pits, as Schell goes from 13th to 20th and de Beaufort drops from 20th to 27th overall, much to the relief of the likes of Salvadori, Fairman and Simon.

*Lap 70* – It’s the moment of truth for Gerard, as he comes into the pits for what is surely his final stop…and despite some good work from the mechanics they are unable to reverse the trend of Collins being faster – and so the Maserati is out 4.3 seconds behind the Vanwall, but there is a still question over whether Collins will need to stop once more or not!

As such von Trips inherits the lead – though will surely stop again – with Collins now 2nd thanks to both Behra and Brabham pitting this lap. Gerard is out in 3rd place, with Menditeguy now up to 4th (but still to stop for a final time), Castellotti 5th (and predictably holding up Hawthorn behind him!), Trintignant 7th (and yet to stop), Perdisa 8th (and yet to stop), Moss 9th (with a likely additional stop to come – though he is on a very different strategy from those around him) and Behra out in 10th overall.

Salvadori is now 11th and crucially has Brabham out behind him in 12th place, with Fairman 13th, Gonzalez 14th and Maglioli out in 15th position after he also stops. Brooks also pits this lap and continues to circulate – albeit at best tentatively!

*Lap 71* – Von Trips pits and so for the 1st time this race it is Peter Collins, who leads the way – but with a big question mark over whether he will need to pit again or not! Gerard is up to 2nd and still losing about 1 second per lap to Collins, and with Menditeguy, Castellotti and Perdisa all making stops this lap that puts Hawthorn up to 3rd (6 seconds behind Gerard and closing in), Trintignant 4th (but yet to stop for the final time), and von Trips out in 5th position. Moss is now 6th, Behra 7th, Salvadori 8th, Brabham 9th and currently holding up Fairman in 10th position.

Gonzalez is now 11th, with Menditeguy out in 12th and Castellotti out in 13th with Maglioli now 14th, Musso 15th (with Flockhart pressuring him hard to overtake him), Bonnier 17th and Simon 18th, with Perdisa out in 19th position. Further back England and Leston are competing over 25th place as it stands…though the latter holds firm at this point.

*Lap 72* – Trintignant comes in for the final time, moving von Trips up to 4th, Moss 5th (who is setting the pace right now!), Behra 6th and slowing down those behind him – which gifts an opportunity to Fairman, who seizes it to leap ahead of Brabham and claim 8th position at Gazométre while Gonzalez now moves inside the Top 10.

Musso and Maglioli are competing over what is now 14th place, as Trintignant emerges in 16th overall – while Simon is being blocked by Bonnier over 17th position and Gould continues to prevent Gibson from claiming 22nd place.

Leston also stops this time around, and drops from 25th position to 27th overall, promoting both his team-mate England and de Beaufort’s Maserati.

*Lap 73* – Gonzalez is blocked by Brabham over 9th position, while Musso is holding up Flockhart and Trintignant – but astonishingly the man setting the pace this lap is Dick Gibson for BRM in 23rd overall!

*Lap 74* – Menditeguy is struggling with a lack of pace since his stop, and now has a queue of 5 cars stacked up behind him! Piotti is blocked by Schell over 20th and Gibson is still frustrated by Gould in the Ferrari.

*Lap 75* – Behra is still being harassed by the Vanwall’s of Salvadori and Fairman, but his resistance might be the only thing ensuring Moss stays in the points! Maglioli is being pressed by Musso, Flockhart and Trintignant while England stops from 25th place and comes out in 26th behind de Beaufort but narrowly ahead of team-mate Leston.

*Lap 76* – Of the top runners Gerard, Hawthorn, von Trips, Behra and Brabham are the only ones that seem certain to have completed all their stops – and so it’s a tense game for the others as to whether they will stop again or not! Bonnier blocks Simon in the fight for 17th, but it’s a half-hearted attempt at best by the BRM.

*Lap 77* – Behra holds up Salvadori and Fairman again, and if both are stopping again then this will be a crushing blow to their strategy unless they can find a way through! Maglioli blocks Musso and Flockhart, while Gibson pits from 23rd and drops to 25th behind Gregory and de Beaufort.

*Lap 78* – Brabham continues to hold firm in 9th despite increasing pressure from Gonzalez, and Piotti pits from 21st and drops to 24th behind Gould, Gregory and de Beaufort.

*Lap 79* – Fairman comes into the pits this time around and emerges in 18th place, meaning Brabham is now 8th, Gonzalez 9th and Menditeguy back into the Top 10 despite his lack of pace. Maglioli blocks Musso and Flockhart, while Bonnier continues to prevent Simon from making progress.

*Lap 80* – Moss pits on this lap, and that stop looks to have ended his hopes of points as he goes from 5th to 14th place while Gonzalez falls from 9th to 18th and Simon pits to go from 17th to 22nd in one fell swoop. That puts Behra into the points in 5th, Salvadori into 6th, Brabham 7th, Menditeguy 8th, Castellotti 9th and Maglioli 10th, as he continues to hold up both Musso and Flockhart…and it’s starting to look like anyone on a 3 stop strategy is really going to struggle to hold down a strong finishing position.

*Lap 81* – Collins is setting the pace (as he has done throughout this race), and with a 19 second lead it looks likely that he will have to stop again – or pushing this hard is an unusual move! Salvadori is pushing even harder to pass Behra, now that the Cooper is in 5th place and holding on to the final points paying position – but the Vanwall is unable to pass him at this point.

Flockhart is in from 12th position and comes out in 21st place, while Schell is pressuring Gonzalez, and both are falling into the clutches of Gould in 19th position.

*Lap 82* – What may be a final failed attempt by Salvadori to pass Behra, as it looks like the Vanwall team are preparing for at least one stop imminently. Maglioli blocks Musso again for 10th position, and Gould has an attempt to pass Schell for 18th overall.

*Lap 83* – Collins’ lead is up to 22 seconds, but he will surely be coming in soon – whilst Salvadori does come in this lap and drops from 6th to 16th overall. Meanwhile Brabham is up to 6th, Menditeguy 7th, Castellotti 8th, Maglioli 9th and Musso 10th in what is a strong showing by the BRM team here to get 2 cars into the Top 10.

*Lap 84* – Collins finally comes into the pits and that moves Gerard back into the lead, with Hawthorn in 2nd place now just 1 second off the lead and von Trips now into the podium places. Collins is out in 4th and with an 8 second mountain to climb in order to reclaim a spot on said podium…

Castellotti is blocked by Menditeguy in the fight for 7th, and the internal BRM battle between Maglioli and Musso over 9th position continues to rage on! Further back Salvadori is blocked by Perdisa for 15th

*Lap 85* – Gerard in the lead is the slowest driver of all the Top 5 – and with 17 seconds between him and 5th place there is still time for anyone to gain that ground back! Gould makes his final stop on this lap, dropping from 19th to 24th narrowly behind Piotti.

*Lap 86* – Hawthorn is now just 0.6 seconds down on Gerard, while Musso enters the pits from 10th and emerges in 19th position allowing Trintignant to reclaim his Top 10 place.

*Lap 87* – Gerard doesn’t get the best exit from Gazométre and that allows Hawthorn to cross the line side-by-side with the leader…but who will break latest into the 1st corner?!?

*Lap 88* – Gerard is the man who holds his nerve and brakes latest to maintain the race lead – but the warning signs are there that the Maserati is vulnerable in the lead! Salvadori is blocked by Perdisa for 14th position, as time is running out for many drivers to make their move for a Top 10 spot…

*Lap 89* – Von Trips is now less than 3 seconds behind the leader and with Hawthorn in between them, it’s an open race for the victory – and any in-fighting would surely offer the chance for Collins, Behra and even Brabham to close the gap to the leading trio. Bonnier blocks Fairman in the fight for 12th place, as it looks like all significant pit-stops have been made.

*Lap 90* – Collins is now the fastest man on track again, but still has 12 seconds to catch up to Gerard in the lead and of course now 10 seconds on von Trips!

*Lap 91* – Von Trips is the fastest man on track this time around, and with only 1.4 seconds separating the Top 3 this could still be anyone’s race!

*Lap 92* – Von Trips gets blocked by Hawthorn, while both Gould and Gibson get blocked by Piotti for 23rd position.

*Lap 93* – Menditeguy blocks Castellotti in their fight over 7th place – but points look like a forlorn hope for both of them as they are over 20 seconds behind. Gregory pits from 18th place and emerges JUST behind Gould in 24th position, while Brooks cautious approach comes to an end – as does some of the bodywork on his Vanwall, as he collides with the wall at Chicane du Port.

*Lap 94* – Behra blocks Brabham, while von Trips again is the fastest man on track and the Top 3 are now separated by only 1.5 seconds with Collins a further 10 seconds back!

*Lap 95* – Perdisa continues to hold up Salvadori in their squabble over 14th place, while Gonzalez is under pressure from Schell over 16th as his race rapidly deteriorates.

*Lap 96* – Hawthorn makes a lunge up the inside at Station Hairpin, but Gerard holds his line – and his nerve – to maintain 1st position…all of which also compromises von Trips in 3rd. And that means Collins is just 8 seconds back…

Fairman gets blocked by Bonnier over 12th place, but the Swede is starting to build up a reputation for his defensive driving. Meanwhile Gould looks up the inside of Piotti at Gazométre but is forced back across to defend from Gregory, who subsequently slams on his brakes and thus lets his team-mate Gibson through into 24th position.

*Lap 97* – Perdisa blocks Salvadori for 14th position, while up at the front von Trips is harassing Hawthorn over 2nd position and following him line astern!

*Lap 98* – Hawthorn is starting to lose pace and is compromising von Trips in the process…and that means Collins is just 6 seconds behind them! Trintignant and Moss are both being held up by Maglioli over 9th place, as we are nearing the end of the race…

*Lap 99* – Bonnier is again forced into defensive action by Fairman, as the Vanwall team’s hopes of multiple cars within the Top 10 are rapidly disintegrating.

*Lap 100* – Hawthorn again has to sweep across at the last minute to prevent team-mate von Trips from passing him, which means Collins is now just 3.9 seconds down on them with 5 laps remaining. Menditeguy continues to hold up Castellotti, while Maglioli is still spending his time looking behind at the pressure from Trintignant and Moss to take 9th place off him.

*Lap 101* – Von Trips is the pace-setter at the front still and is now 2.1 seconds down on the leader but 0.6 seconds down on Hawthorn. Fairman is still unable to overtake Bonnier in their fight over 12th.

*Lap 102* – Von Trips is blocked by Hawthorn and that leaves Collins just 1.7 seconds down on the leading trio, whilst another attempt by Fairman to pass Bonnier is unsuccessful. Gould has an effort to pass Piotti swatted away by the Maserati, whilst Gould, Gibson and Gregory are all blocked by that action.

*Lap 103* – Behra fends off Brabham’s attentions over 5th place, while the Top 4 are separated by just 4 seconds now! Salvadori is again unable to overtake Perdisa for 14th position this time around.

*Lap 104* – Von Trips is blocked by Hawthorn, meaning Collins is now just 0.4 seconds behind von Trips as the fight for the podium goes down to the very final lap of the race! Maglioli fends off what looks to be a final attempt for Trintignant, with Moss also compromised in the process. Fairman likewise seems to be out of luck with Bonnier and Gould looks to have similarly frustrated Gibson and Gregory.

*Lap 105* – Gerard crosses the line to win by 2 seconds after a consummately cool, calm and collected performance that sees him take victory and move to the top of the Championship standings. Hawthorn is 2nd and von Trips is 3rd after a strong race for Ferrari, while Collins had the pace to win the race – but not the strategy as he finishes in 4th position and Behra finishes in 5th for Cooper.

Brabham finishes 6th, Menditeguy 7th, Castellotti 8th, Maglioli 9th, Trintignant 10th, Moss 11th, Bonnier 12th after some stoic defending including a last lap block of Fairman in 13th. Perdisa finishes 14th, Salvadori a lowly 15th after his excellent start, Gonzalez is 16th, Schell 17th, Musso 18th, Flockhart 19th and Simon a creditable 20th for BRM despite his strategy not paying dividends.

*1 LAP DOWN* – De Beaufort finishes 21st, holding up Piotti in 22nd and Gould in 23rd with Gibson 24th, Gregory 25th, England 26th and Leston 27th overall.

*9 LAPS DOWN* – Brooks finally limps home after one very difficult afternoon.

## Milestones

* 30th race entry for Umberto Maglioli
* Gerard now most experienced driver in F1R history, at the expense of Toulo de Graffenried
* Fangio up to 8th most entries ever (at the expense of Piero Taruffi)
* Gonzalez now up to 2nd for Most Races without a win (ahead of Alberto Ascari) – Moss up to 7th in the same list (ahead of Johnny Claes)
* Castellotti and Simon up to 7th and 8th for Most Races without points, both at the expense of André Pilette
* 10th race start for Ron Flockhart
* 30th race start for both Umberto Maglioli and Roy Salvadori, and they move to 6th and 7th for Most Starts ever at the expense of Ascari
* Hawthorn moves up to 4th in Most Starts ever, ahead of Giuseppe Farina
* Gerard also moves ahead of de Graffenried for Most Starts ever
* Because Hawthorn and Behra raced and scored points Godia moves into the Top 10 for Most Races without points
* Win for Gerard is his 20th victory ever
* Gerard won at Monaco last season to make it 2 wins here in a row (only the 9th time any driver has won more than once at a track), while other past winners are Farina (’55 - retired) and de Graffenried (’50 - retired)
* Points finish for Gerard sets a new PB of 9 consecutive Top 5 finishes
* FL for Collins moves him from 10th to 6th in the overall list with 2 Fastest Laps in total
* Pole at Monaco in ’56 was Gerard (making it 2 Poles in a row for him here!), meanwhile Pole in ’55 was Farina (retired) and in ’50 it was Pietsch (retired)
* Pole for Gerard makes it only the 11th time a driver has recorded back-to-back Poles in F1R history