1958 Monaco GP

## Track Facts

* Name – Monaco
* Location – Monte Carlo
* Corners – 12
* Laps – 100
* Base (Worst) Lap Time – 2:30.000
* Lap Record (Real Life) – 1:39.800 (Tony Brooks)
* Lap Record (F1R) – 1:32.585 (Giuseppe Farina – W Hoeksta)
* Pit Lane Length – 35 seconds
* Fuel Consumption – Very Low
* Tyre Wear – Low

## Qualifying

Brabham takes his 1st career Pole, and in the process becomes the 1st Australian in F1R history to do so - along with only the 20th Driver in F1R history to be on Pole as well! Ferrari have really improved since their dismal showing at the Argentine Grand Prix qualifying, since they line up with Brabham 1st, von Trips 2nd, Salvadori 4th and Gould 9th - and the team looks odds on to feature heavily in the points paying positions here in Monaco (particularly given how tough overtaking is around here!).

Vanwall have also recovered from a poor showing in Argentina (though unlike Ferrari, they weren't able to recover in the race to score points) and sit 3rd on the grid with the young Dutchman de Beaufort after his career best qualifying, along with a solid 5th for Collins, who looks to have recovered his pace from last season. 10th for Fairman and 17th for the less experienced Brooks is a decent return on their efforts - so could things be looking up for the British marque this season?

Maserati also are getting back towards the sharp end, though 6th place is hardly what multiple champion Bob Gerard is used to! Bonnier conversely will likely be much happier with 7th on the grid, while Piotti's late charge fails to materialise as he starts a lowly 15th by comparison.

The T45 doesn't look as adept in these conditions for Cooper as it did in Argentina, as they are only 8th (Behra), 11th (Herrmann), 13th (Flockhart) and 29th (Godia - who cannot seem to get to grips with his car's handling at all!). Meanwhile BRM will not be pleased with their positions, as Hill goes from Pole in Argentina to 12th in Monaco - and he is best placed of the BRM squadron, given that Gibson and Musso can only manage 18th and 19th respectively! Gregory fails to qualify again, and if he fails to show in qualifying next time out at Zandvoort then his position in the team will surely be under threat…

OSCA will be relatively pleased with their qualifying efforts here, as the tiny Italian outfit manage 14th (Fangio), 16th (Hawthorn) and 21st (Chiron - with his best qualifying of the season at his home race!), which gives them real hope of what they can achieve in the race! Speaking of teams that weren't involved in 1957 brings us to Lotus, where that sinking feel that Team Principal Jun Ho must have had when the rain began in Buenos Aires will surely have returned when he looks at the grid for Sunday's race - as his team line up in 20th (Menditeguy), 24th, 25th and 26th (Bridger, McLaren and Scarlatti respectively) overall.

Porsche may be similarly disappointed with 22nd (Trintignant) and 23rd (Schell), and - just like Gregory at BRM - another DNQ for Alan Stacey in Zandvoort next time out will almost certainly lead to a contract termination! That only leaves Connaught, who will start 27th (Moss), 28th (Emery) and 30th (Marsh) on a track that really doesn't seem to suit their car at all!

## Grid

Ferrari's resurgence here will be worrying for the rest of the field to behold, as Brabham becomes the 2nd debut Pole Sitter in 2 races this season (after Hill last time out). With von Trips as rear gunner in 2nd, plus Salvadori in 4th there are high hopes amonst the Tifosi that this race will be much less frantic than last time out in Argentina!

Vanwall will also be hoping for as little action as possible, given that they start with 2 cars in points paying positions…and de Beaufort in particular will be looking to capitalise on this opportunity and score his 1st ever F1R points from 3rd on the grid. Further back Gerard and Bonnier are 6th and 7th for Maserati and will be eager for a strong start to try and overtake those ahead.

With overtaking at a premium here, expect some late dives and risky last-minute efforts as frustration builds within the driver ranks with each passing lap…!

## Race Commentary

*Lap 1* – Brabham and von Trips both get off the line with ease and finish the lap 1-2 completely oblivious to the frenetic action behind them! De Beaufort looks to be the cork in the bottle meanwhile, as he defends vigorously from Salvadori (occasionally looking out of control in the process!) to hold 3rd, while a slow getaway from Collins – who looks very heavy and ponderous at this stage – and his subsequent frantic blocking actions wreak havoc on the order!

As they come through Sainte Devote and up to Beau Rivage it is now Bonnier in 5th for Maserati (despite having to go the long way around his team-mate Gerard!) and incredibly it is Brooks up to 6th (!) after he dived up the inside of the 1st corner to find a very cheeky shortcut while most of the others were slowed to a crawl behind his team-mate Collins!!! Brooks’ progress was also aided by the fact that many drivers ahead were forced to swerve to get out of the way of the entangled OSCA duo of Hawthorn and Fangio, who are both unable to navigate the 1st corner thanks to having their wheels interlocked – and that causes both to retire on the spot with broken suspension!

Gould makes it into 7th place, with Gerard down to 8th, Musso up to 9th after he took the same shortcut Brooks did (albeit a couple of moments after the Vanwall took it), Behra down to 10th and last time’s surprise package Hill now into 11th overall. Herrmann is 12th after he was incredibly cautious to avoid incident at the start, with Piotti up to 13th, Fairman now down to 14th, Flockhart slipping to 15th, Gibson very happy to already be into 16th and Collins – who had hardly any drive out of the first corner, and who was swallowed by the pack as a result – down in 17th position as it stands.

Meanwhile Chiron is up to 18th after a fine start at his home race. Following him is Trintignant in 19th, while Menditeguy continues to hold station in 20th overall. Scarlatti gets a strong start for Lotus and is already up to 21st thanks to the slipstream he got behind his team-mates, with Schell 22nd, McLaren up to 23rd, Moss and Emery into 24th and 25th respectively for Connaught, Bridger down to 26th, Godia 27th and Marsh bringing up the rear in 28th overall…

*Lap 2* – Brabham is the fastest man on track, though he is one of the few with clean air in front of him – as he sets a benchmark of 1:38 dead for everyone else to aim at.

De Beaufort is again forced to defend, and he has an incredible train of cars behind him stretching all the way down to the Lotus and Connaughts in the mid-20th places! Within that train there are some opportunist moves though, first of all Hill manages to sneak up the inside of Behra at Station Hairpin for 10th, then Piotti out-brakes himself at the same corner and that allows Fairman, Flockhart and Gibson to all go through. The BRM isn’t done there however, as he gets an amazing run out of Le Tunnel to slipstream past both Fairman and Flockhart to claim 13th overall!

Further back Menditeguy is having no luck making an impression on Trintignant in 19th, and so he pulls over to let Scarlatti have an attempt – while behind them Schell brakes hard at Gazométre to block McLaren, which sends them both far too deep into the corner, brushing the straw bales at the roadside…and that allows the Connaught duo of Moss and Emery through into 22nd and 23rd respectively, with Bridger also capitalising to claim 24th too!

*Lap 3* – Brabham again is fastest with a 1:37.9 this time, though this lap it is not de Beaufort holding people up…this time it is Brooks in 6th who is starting to feel the weight of his lofty position, as he defends heavily from Gould and causes the obligatory chain reaction back through the pack – and that allows Hill to gain a slipstream behind Musso, which allows him to draft past both Gerard and Gould to move up into 7th place at Sainte Devote.

However, the lap is not yet over…and having seen what BRM achieved the Cooper duo of Behra and Herrmann adopt the same approach on the run to Gazométre, which sees the German pass Musso, Gerard and Gould – and then the previously advanced Hill too! Ultimately that means Herrmann is now 7th, with Gibson up to 8th, Hill now 9th and Fairman up to 10th as they follow the Cooper through the pack!!! Gould is now 11th from Gerard 12th, Musso in 13th overall and Behra in 14th.

Flockhart is unable to join in the drafting, as he is heavily blocked by Fairman earlier in the lap, which means he is still 15th and blocking Piotti in 16th, and now Chiron in 17th as the heavily laden Collins drops behind the local hero to 18th overall. Menditeguy’s decision to drop behind Scarlatti transpires not to be a selfless act to further his team-mates cause, but rather a pre-meditated effort to use the Italian to gain a better slipstream – which he executes with precision this time to pass Trintignant for 19th before they reach Chicane du Port.

Scarlatti’s selfless endeavour means that he slips back to 24th allowing Moss into 21st, Emery 22nd and Bridger up to 23rd as well!

*Lap 4* – Another Fastest Lap for Brabham of a 1:37.8 this lap, while De Beaufort blocks Salvadori for 3rd position, which triggers the usual chain reaction – and this time the BRM duo of Gibson and Hill are again ready to pounce…which sees Hill use the momentum built up behind his team-mate to pass Herrmann (who Gibson also manages to overtake before he runs out of steam), Brooks and Bonnier to move into 5th place overall.

Fairman and Gould move into 6th and 7th on Hill’s coattails at the expense of Bonnier 8th and Brooks 9th, while Gerard moves back into the Top 10 from Gibson 11th and Herrmann 12th overall. Meanwhile further back Menditeguy defends with vigour from Trintignant, which allows the Connaught duo to perform a slipstream manoeuvre to propel Emery into 19th ahead of the Lotus in 20th and the Porsche in 21st overall. Moss’ sacrifice costs him 22nd to Bridger and 23rd to Scarlatti, who subsequently swap positions to potentially perform their own slipstream effort next time around…

Schell also blocks McLaren for 25th this time around, though Godia is starting to become a little detached with a small gap back to Marsh at the back of the field as well.

*Lap 5* – Fairman is the man holding up the line this time, as he keeps Gould in check…and as the predictable concertina occurs it is Cooper who hook up the slipstream to the benefit of Flockhart, who slingshots past team-mate Behra, Musso (who passes the Cooper of Herrmann this lap too), Herrmann, Gibson, Gerard (who passes Brooks on this lap) and Bonnier too. All of which means Flockhart is now 8th from Bonnier 9th, Gerard still 10th, Brooks down to 11th after his lofty earlier position gradually sees him fall back to earth, Gibson 12th, Musso still 13th and Herrmann down to 14th – while Behra is lucky that Piotti is too far back to capitalise on his selfless support of Flockhart!

Further back Menditeguy blocks Trintignant for 20th place, as those two had managed to pull a bit of a gap on those behind, which means neither is at risk of being passed on this lap.

*Lap 6* – Brabham takes the first 1:37.7 on this lap, as he extends his lead to von Trips to 1.4 seconds as the leading duo are starting to stretch away. Brooks is the man blocking in 11th place, and Musso uses Gibson to slipstream past…but as the Vanwall is wise to the move that means Musso only moves up to 12th, and worse for BRM Gibson’s sacrifice drops him behind Herrmann and Behra, who are now 13th and 14th respectively.

Trintignant in 21st is clearly much faster than Menditeguy, but the experienced Argentine is using every trick in the book to hold on to his Top 20 place…indeed he is the only Lotus in the Top 20 as it stands!

*Lap 7* – De Beaufort continues to have to look behind him, as Salvadori is keen to make it 3 Ferrari’s on the podium…but another attempt (this time at Massenet) goes begging. Further back Menditeguy blocks Trintignant again, while Scarlatti allows Bridger through into 22nd, which promotes Moss into 23rd for Connaught and drops the Italian down to 24th for Lotus.

*Lap 8* – As Salvadori has fallen a little behind de Beaufort he takes the opportunity to set a new Fastest Lap of 1:37.6 in order to close back in on the Dutchman ahead!

Brooks takes a break from defending to try a lunge on Gerard, which turns out to be mistake! The concertina effect at Gazométre is capitalised on by the Cooper duo of Herrmann and Behra, as the former slips up the inside of Musso, while the latter goes around the outside of both of them and Brooks in the Vanwall too!

Chiron’s efforts to advance continue, but this time Piotti in the Maserati prevents him from passing by shutting the door at the Station Hairpin. And again, Trintignant is blocked by Menditeguy, in what has been a relatively respectful race between the drivers has been thus far…

*Lap 9* – De Beaufort is back to blocking again, and he veers somewhat wildly across the track to ensure Salvadori can do nothing other than brake and remain in 4th position. Gould is another Ferrari being thwarted by a Vanwall, as he is forced to cause a concertina effect behind him, which is surprisingly not jumped on by the Maserati duo of Bonnier and Gerard, who seem to be watching each other as closely as they are watching their competition!

Instead those jumping on the opportunity to pass are the BRM’s of Gibson (who passes Behra for 11th) and Musso (who passes Herrmann for 14th), who demote their respective Cooper opponents at the Gazométre corner. Again, Trintignant is unable to pass Menditeguy, as a 6 second gap has now opened up between Collins and Emery in 18th and 19th respectively – though the Connaught is barely pulling away from the Lotus of Menditeguy behind.

*Lap 10* – Musso blocks Herrmann for 14th, as the Cooper is unable to reclaim the position immediately. Menditeguy meanwhile is again on defensive duties, as Trintignant will be desperate for his team-mate Schell to join him – but the American is some 1.2 seconds behind Scarlatti’s Lotus in 24th and seemingly unable to make a positive impression on that gap…

*Lap 11* – De Beaufort is in defensive mode, as he blocks everyone down to Gould in 7th – with no-one able to capitalise at this point. Up front von Trips trims Brabham’s lead by setting a new Fastest Lap of a slightly faster 1:37.6, while towards the lower reaches of the Top 10 the Maserati battle is fierce as Gerard looks to overtake Bonnier, but the Swede is loathe to give up his position as Top Maserati and closes the door firmly at the Station Hairpin!

That battle holds up everyone down to Musso in 14th, though again no-one manages to make an overtake as a result – and even Trintignant’s usual overtaking attempt on Menditeguy is a little more lacklustre than usual as the race seems to be settling into something of a rhythm now.

*Lap 12* – As if to prove that anything von Trips can do, he can do better, Brabham sets a 1:37.5 to take Fastest Lap…but moments later it is beaten by another Ferrari! Though not the German in 2nd place, but the Brit in 4th is the one who reclaims the Fastest Lap this time around with a slightly faster 1:37.5 than Brabham managed.

Bonnier moves from defence to attack, but a half-hearted attempt on Flockhart for 8th at Mirabeau sees him start off the concertina effect that ripples all the way down to Collins in 18th place! The one man alert enough to make something of it is Herrmann, who nips past Musso on the run up to Beau Rivage to claim 14th overall.

*Lap 13* – De Beaufort blocks Salvadori again, though this time Hill is too far behind to do anything other than watch. Fairman is another Vanwall focusing on those behind, as he thwarts a strong attempt by Gould at Gazométre, which causes ripples back down to Bonnier in 9th position. Trintignant has his best passing attempt on Menditeguy thus far, as he does a switch-back at the station hairpin to get up the inside…but as that becomes the outside at Portier he is unable to keep the place and is forced to slot back behind the Lotus. Scarlatti is also held up by Moss for 23rd overall this lap.

*Lap 14* – Aside from the obligatory failed passing attempt by Trintignant there is not much action on track this lap, as focus begins to move towards the first round of pit-stops on the distant horizon…

*Lap 15* – A 1:37.4 by Brabham sees him extend his advantage over von Trips to 1.8 seconds – but the important gap from Tim Wagner’s point of view (Ferrari Team Principal) is the 9.3 seconds that de Beaufort is now behind his leading duo! Herrmann is blocked by Brooks for 13th, and is forced to defend from Musso behind as a result, while Trintignant’s inability to pass Menditeguy is starting to bring Bridger and Moss back into their orbit…

*Lap 16* – De Beaufort again holds Salvadori up, but the pressure is slowly building and the Vanwall is getting more and more erratic as time goes on! Trintignant is again held up by Menditeguy, though these two somehow seem less likely to collide than the aforementioned duo – though that may just be because they aren’t travelling quite as quickly!!!

*Lap 17* – Salvadori again goes on the warpath to close the gap to de Beaufort, and the result is a new Fastest Lap of a 1:37.3, while his team-mate Gould might be doing a similar pace if it wasn’t for the Vanwall of Fairman preventing him from going any more quickly! And for the 4th lap in a row Trintignant is held up by Menditeguy, though it is to the Porsche’s credit that he is able to so quickly close the gap to his adversary lap after lap…

*Lap 18* – Another lap of de Beaufort preventing Salvadori from fulfilling his potential, though it is at least riveting for the fans at trackside, who are also enjoying Chiron being more competitive than in previous races as the sole OSCA hunts down Piotti’s Maserati for 16th position. And now 5 laps in a row for Menditeguy blocking Trintignant…

*Lap 19* – Salvadori uses the opportunity of more clear air to set another new Fastest Lap of a 1:37.2, but it will all be for naught if he can’t navigate past the Dutchman in front. Who knows what the Maserati duo of Bonnier and Gerard could have achieved by now if they only worked together, but a swipe across the nose is all the defending champion gets for his troubles after a failed passing move at Sainte Devote sees Gibson’s BRM close up to the back of the squabbling pair.

Brooks is blocked by Behra over 12th, while Chiron does have a crack at passing Piotti – but the more experienced Italian calmly shuts the door on the eager Monegasque’s attempt at Cassino, which is repeated by Menditeguy after a similar try by the frustrated Porsche of Trintignant.

*Lap 20* – Fairman again resists Gould’s attempts to pass, which concertinas back to Bonnier in 9th – who for now at least seems to have put Gerard far enough behind him for a little breathing space. No overtaking attempt for Trintignant this time, but he is right behind Menditeguy heading over the start/finish line…!

*Lap 21* – …but despite being right behind Menditeguy, Trintignant is unable to make a pass around the outside of Sainte Devote work. Meanwhile in the other regular fight on track the inevitable has been coming for some time…as Salvadori lines up a pass into the Chicane du Port he looks to have finally got the move completed around the outside, but in trying to defend de Beaufort locks his brakes and slams into the side of the Ferrari causing both damage! Though certainly the Vanwall is worse off of the pair…

The one bit of good news for Salvadori is that he does finish the lap in 3rd, though his pace deficit to those behind means that Hill in 4th is right on the heels of the Ferrari already. Fairman is now into the points paying positions at his team-mates’ expense, with Gould in 6th and de Beaufort 7th electing to stay out despite his fairly severe damage…

With all that going on hardly anyone notices that Brabham reclaimed Fastest Lap with a 1:37.1 this time around – as his hopes of a hat-trick are certainly well intact at this early stage!

*Lap 22* – Salvadori may be limping round with a damaged car, but he can still put up a fight to defend the Ferrari 1-2-3 that exists! He manages to defend expertly from Hill despite three passing attempts this lap alone!!! Meanwhile de Beaufort is not having anywhere near as much luck, though he does slow Flockhart down for a corner or two before the Cooper claims 7th with Bonnier 8th and Gibson now 9th after an enterprising dive up the inside at the 2nd Portier corner earns him an unlikely pass on the defending champion Gerard!

Behra is also past de Beaufort into 11th, as the Vanwall drops to 12th overall. Further back no change in Menditeguy v Trintignant, as another passing move goes awry – while Moss is forced to defend slightly from Scarlatti to keep hold of 23rd this time around. Godia at the back has now been lapped by the leading duo.

*Lap 23* – A 1:37 flat for Brabham means the gap to von Trips is now up to 2.8 seconds, while the reason for Salvadori’s tigerish defence against Hill becomes apparent – as the BRM is forced to then defend from Fairman, who in turn finds himself out-gunned by Gould, as the Ferrari moves into 5th place as a result (with a likely 4th place at least up for grabs here!).

Gibson is unable to make it two Maserati’s in two laps, as Bonnier is wise to his tricks at Portier this time around, though that in turn does hold up both Gerard and Behra. De Beaufort is so annoyed at his circumstances that he even tries to prevent team-mate Brooks from passing – albeit unsuccessfully as the Brit bags 12th place this lap, followed by Herrmann 13th, Musso 14th and the ailing de Beaufort in 15th overall. Meanwhile Menditeguy holds up Trintignant for what has been another 3 laps in a row…

*Lap 24* – An ever faster 1:37 flat for Brabham extends his lead to 2.9 seconds over von Trips and a whopping 23.9 seconds ahead of Salvadori in 3rd place, who is all but guaranteeing a Ferrari 1-2 here, as Hill is again unable to find a way through – which in turns holds up everyone from Gould in 5th down to Musso in 14th place! Those able to make the best of the situation are Bonnier, who out-brakes Flockhart at the Station Hairpin to claim 7th and Brooks, who gets a run out of Le Tunnel to pass Behra for 11th overall.

De Beaufort meanwhile has finally found a driver he can defend against, as Piotti finds himself unable to pass the struggling Dutchman – with Chiron now in very close attendance! Lucky for this group that only Collins behind is close enough to consider an attack, given the 19 second gap back to Emery in 19th place!

*Lap 25* – Salvadori may have damage, but he is grimly sticking to his task as he thwarts Hill’s every attempt to move into a podium position! The queue of cars is just as long as before, though on this lap the Coopers of Behra and Herrmann conspire to take advantage, as the latter manages to slipstream past his French team-mate to move up to 10th at the expense of Gerard and Brooks! Musso also follows him past Brooks into 12th, with the Vanwall now 13th and Behra back in 14th overall.

De Beaufort’s defence against Piotti is short-lived, but you do feel that Chiron may have missed his opportunity as the OSCA follows the Maserati through and has closed up significantly – but crucially didn’t manage to make a move while the Italian in front was being delayed. That has moved Piotti into 15th and Chiron into 16th now…while further back the obligatory Trintignant attempt on Menditeguy is stopped, Moss is blocked by Bridger and Lotus actually make the 1st stop of the race, with Scarlatti coming in from 24th to drop down to 28th and last after his pit.

And it’s possible he timed that stop to perfection, as Emery in 19th had attempted to do one more lap with this tank of fuel – but it’s one lap too many, and he is forced to pull to the side of the road with no fuel remaining in that car!

*Lap 26* – Salvadori continues to hold up everyone down to Flockhart in 8th, while Gibson in 9th pits to drop down to 24th position overall. Herrmann uses that opportunity to switch places with Flockhart, which may be the precursor to a slingshot move in the coming laps…

That means Gerard is now in 10th place, from Musso, Brooks, Behra, Piotti and Chiron – while de Beaufort and Collins swap places for what is now 16th place, although the Dutchman does make his team-mate go the long way around at Gazométre! Menditeguy again blocks Trintignant, who must be hoping and praying for a pit-stop soon…!

*Lap 27* – Salvadori continues to block Hill and manages to force the BRM to the outside at the Station Hairpin…an opportunity which Gould immediately jumps on to move into 4th position, which is likely to become 3rd if Salvadori lets his team-mate through! In the ensuing train of cars, it is Herrmann who capitalises to pass Bonnier for 7th, and Gerard who shows a glimpse of what he is capable of with a well-taken pass at Chicane du Port on Flockhart for 9th overall!

And as usual Trintignant is completely blocked by Menditeguy – but with de Beaufort quickly coming into sight that could be the opportunity the Frenchman is looking for to finally make his way past the Lotus!!!

*Lap 28* – As suspected Salvadori lets Gould past to make a Ferrari 1-2-3 that might have a chance of remaining together, considering the former’s damage! That said, Salvadori is still ahead of Hill at this stage and shows no signs of giving in yet…

Fairman meanwhile is having to defend heavily from Herrmann, who pulls out to try and go around the outside at Chicane du Port, only to find himself having to deal with the on-rushing Bonnier, who takes the inside line and claims 7th position as a result. Everyone down to Musso is held up, while Brooks in 12th comes into the pits this lap and emerges in 24th behind Gibson as he was previously.

Chiron meanwhile is now 14th thanks to that stop but is unable to improve his position as he gets blocked by Piotti (now 13th for Maserati), with Trintignant still stuck but they should be with de Beaufort in the next 6 laps or so!!!

*Lap 29* – Salvadori continues to bely the damage to his car, as he stops Hill at every possible turn! Again, Herrmann and Bonnier swap places, but the men gaining most ground on this lap are Flockhart and Musso, as the former uses Behra to slipstream behind on the run down to Gazométre and manages to take Gerard, Bonnier and Herrmann – with Musso following him through! All of that means Flockhart is now 7th, Musso 8th, Herrmann 9th, Bonnier 10th, Gerard 11th and Behra now 12th overall. And of course, Trintignant is blocked by Menditeguy for the 5th lap in a row too!

Meanwhile Gould is using his new-found space in front to great effect, as he sets a new Fastest Lap of a 1:36.8 to become the 1st man under the 1:37 barrier, which will take some beating!

*Lap 30* – Salvadori again blocks Hill for 4th position, which is allowing Gould to escape up the road at a rate of over 2 seconds per lap! Herrmann meanwhile is defending robustly from Bonnier, who in turn is loathe to give up his position to team-mate Gerard, with Behra also held up as a result – all of which is starting to bring Piotti back into contention!

Further back the pits are busy, as Bridger, Godia and Marsh all pit, which moves Moss into 19th, Schell into 20th, McLaren into 21st and Gibson into 22nd ahead of Brooks as the highest placed men that have already pitted. Bridger is out in 24th, with Scarlatti back up to 25th and then Godia and Marsh out in 26th and 27th respectively.

*Lap 31* – Salvadori’s damaged car means his arrears to Gould are already at around 8 seconds! And he is keeping a whole host of drivers down to Behra in 12th busy trying to defend from one another as a result. Piotti pits from 13th this lap, while Trintignant is briefly level with Menditeguy but a pass around the outside at Massenet is simply not likely, and the Porsche is forced to settle for what has become 17th place after Piotti’s stop (which brings the Italian out in 23rd behind both Gibson and Brooks).

*Lap 32* – Salvadori brakes hard, as his tyres look to be suffering too, which causes Hill and Fairman both to brake with real force as well and – thanks to Flockhart peeling off to come into the pits – both Musso and Herrmann manage to force their way up the order and into 5th and 6th respectively, which they gain from Hill (now 7th) and Fairman (now 8th) on their way down to Sainte Devote.

In the battle for the final Top 20 spot McLaren starts the lap there for Lotus, but as he chooses to come in that means it is between Gibson and Flockhart, who is exiting his pit-box…and though it’s tight the greater momentum of the BRM takes him past, and he is even joined by Brooks in the Vanwall in 21st, with Flockhart out in 22nd overall. McLaren’s stop meanwhile drops him down to 24th between his team-mates Bridger and Scarlatti, which is a net gain for the New Zealander.

*Lap 33* – The pits are abuzz with activity, as no fewer than 5 cars from 5 different teams are in this time around…earlier stops are usually blighted by heavy fuel, cold tyres and potential traffic – so the group of Herrmann for Cooper, Bonnier for Maserati, Menditeguy for Lotus and the duo of Salvadori and de Beaufort may have drawn the short straw here! At least the latter pair can mend their respective damage in the pits and come out with a patched-up car!!!

All of that means Musso is now 4th, with Hill 5th, Fairman 6th, Gerard 7th, Behra 8th, Chiron an impressive 9th for OSCA, Collins 10th, Trintignant now released in 11th for Porsche with Moss and Schell in 12th and 13th the last of those yet to stop. Gibson comes around in 14th, which is a significant change as Salvadori is out in 15th behind the BRM! Brooks is now 16th from Flockhart 17th, the other Cooper of Herrmann 18th, Bonnier 19th and Piotti 20th overall. De Beaufort is out in 21st, but has clean air to exploit, with Menditeguy in 22nd still the leading Lotus as it stands…

*Lap 34* – The majority of those yet to pit are in this lap, though confusion reigns in the Vanwall pits as Collins enters the pits to find his team-mate Fairman’s car still being worked on! Despite that it’s not a complete loss for the “boys in blue” as they manage to get Fairman out ahead of Hill in the BRM!!!

Those not pitting are Brabham (1st), von Trips (2nd), Musso (3rd), Behra (4th), Trintignant (5th) and Schell in 7th, who is dismayed to see Gould emerge from the pits in 6th position ahead of him! Gibson is back up to 8th, with Salvadori 9th, Brooks 10th, Herrmann swapping places with Flockhart to claim 11th and then it’s Fairman in 13th and Hill in 14th after those in-laps on ageing rubber cause a dramatic shift in the overall placings towards the bottom end of the points and the Top 10!

Bonnier is 15th, with Gerard 16th, Chiron out in 17th ahead of Piotti 18th, Collins in 19th (despite his hardships in the pits that cost him only time), de Beaufort marginally behind him in 20th and Menditeguy up to 21st ahead of Moss 22nd, Bridger 23rd and Scarlatti back up to 24th after McLaren moves over to let him through.

*Lap 35* – A comfortable stop for Brabham sees him back out in 2nd behind von Trips (the last man bar Schell to stop!), with stops for Musso, Behra and Trintignant allowing Gould back up to 3rd, Schell now into an incredible 4th for Porsche, with Gibson right on his tail in 5th, Salvadori 6th, Brooks 7th, Herrmann 8th and Musso out in 9th splitting the Cooper duo to consign Flockhart to 10th.

Fairman in 11th is defending stoutly from Hill in 12th, with Bonnier a close 13th and then (thanks to Gerard losing time behind that train!) Behra out in 14th from Gerard 15th overall. Chiron is 16th with Piotti 17th, Collins 18th, de Beaufort 19th and Trintignant out in 20th some 4 seconds ahead of Menditeguy in 21st at last!!!

*Lap 36* – Von Trips pits from the race lead this time around, and thanks to his extra lap he manages to trim Brabham’s lead to 2.4 seconds – but it still looks like the Australian’s race to lose! Gould is some 25 seconds down on von Trips in 3rd, while such is the degradation on Schell’s tyres that he is struggling to defend from Gibson’s advances…

…and that empowers the BRM to try a pass round the outside at the Station Hairpin! Schell’s tyres don’t have the grip though, so he slides wide to end up colliding with the Brit!!! That moves Salvadori back up to 4th place in what is now a Ferrari 1-2-3-4 with Brooks now in the 5th and final points paying position ahead of Herrmann (6th), Musso (7th), Flockhart (8th), Fairman (9th), Hill (10th) and then the damaged Schell staying out in 11th place – presumably with a scheduled stop shortly around the corner!

Bonnier is 12th, with Behra 13th, Gerard 14th and Chiron still gaining ground in 15th; now a mere 3.1 seconds behind this huge train of cars!!! Further back Collins wisely elects to jump out of his team-mate de Beaufort’s way for 17th, as he is showing a vastly superior pace right now. Gibson meanwhile has elected to pit to mend his damage, which sees him emerge in 21st place behind Menditeguy, which may not be a comfortable place to be – if you ask Trintignant!

*Lap 37* – Musso blocks Flockhart and Fairman this lap, but there is enough respect being shown between these drivers that it looks like good clean racing thus far at least! Schell meanwhile is in freefall, losing 11th to Bonnier, 12th to Behra, 13th to Gerard, 14th to Chiron (who is now 1.5 seconds back) and 15th to Piotti.

Gibson now looks desperate to overtake Menditeguy, and you have to wonder how long he can go before he either a) makes the pass or b) takes them both out of the race!!! Bridger meanwhile allows Scarlatti to move past him into 23rd…presumably to have a go at Moss just ahead of them…

*Lap 38* – Fairman and Hill are locked in their own private battle this lap, but neither can find an effective upper-hand at this juncture. And it seems somewhat inevitable, but Gibson dives for a gap at Tabac that was never there and manages to send both him and Menditeguy into the walls at the trackside…and though both are still going they must pit immediately for damage. And there in the pits Gibson does at last make the pass on the Lotus stick…but given that he emerges in 24th with Menditeguy 25th it’s clear he hasn’t gained much at all from that move!!!

All of that means Moss is now inside the Top 20, from Scarlatti, Bridger and McLaren in the Lotuses.

*Lap 39* – Gerard gets blocked by Bonnier, and now has Chiron less than a second behind him – and keen to challenge the defending champion in the ensuing laps! Scarlatti meanwhile has a go at passing Moss for 20th but thinks better of the move at Massenet to drop back behind his team-mate Bridger instead.

*Lap 40* – The Ferrari 1-2-3-4 looks secure right now, though Salvadori in 4th is only marginally extending his lead over those behind right now. Hill is the one to start the concertina effect this lap, after a pass through Le Tunnel that was never on with Fairman ripples back to Chiron in 14th, who now has Piotti right on his tail as well!

Schell pits this lap, moving de Beaufort into 16th, Collins into 17th, Trintignant into 18th, Moss 19th, Bridger 20th, Scarlatti 21st, McLaren 22nd and then comes the Porsche in 23rd, having fixed the damage he sustained in the earlier collision with Gibson.

*Lap 41* – A rare quiet lap here…

*Lap 42* – The Lotus drivers continue to swap places, as Scarlatti reclaims 20th from Bridger – but seemingly with little purpose to the move!

*Lap 43* – Another quite lap, though the gap from Salvadori to Brooks has gone from 2 to 4 seconds in the last few laps alone…

*Lap 44* – Brooks is on a very different strategy to the others here, as he pits from 5th to emerge in 18th with some clean air to attack in front of him! That means Herrmann is now into the points, ahead of Musso, Flockhart, Fairman (who is denied by the Cooper ahead of him on this lap), Hill and Bonnier now rounding out the Top 10. Behra is 11th, ahead of Gerard, Chiron, Piotti, de Beaufort, Collins and Trintignant for Porsche in 17th place overall.

Meanwhile another switch between Bridger and Scarlatti seems to have had little to no impact on Moss’s pace ahead!

*Lap 45* – Von Trips has the lead gap down to 2.1 seconds at the moment, with Gould in 3rd occasionally spectacular on lap-times, but unable to deliver the consistency to close down the leading duo…

*Lap 46* – Scarlatti and Bridger again switch positions, but they are making very little impression on Moss ahead…

*Lap 47* – Finally Scarlatti has a run at Moss…and after all of that positioning, Moss simply shuts the door at the entrance to the Station Hairpin. As if to enforce the idea that multiple position changes is still the best way for them to work, Scarlatti then elects to allow Bridger through immediately thereafter!

*Lap 48* – Salvadori is gradually gaining on Gould, with Herrmann now nearly 8 seconds behind and struggling to match the pace of those Ferrari’s out in front…

*Lap 49* – Gibson challenges Schell for 23rd, and they avoid a collision this time around – but given that they have previous between each other not that long ago there’s no doubt another crash is a real possibility here!

*Lap 50* – Scarlatti pits from 21st to emerge in 25th and around 7 seconds behind Menditeguy, which means Gibson and Schell are now fighting over 22nd place – without incident thus far!

*Lap 51* – Hill is under pressure from Bonnier but is yet to give 9th place up – while Gibson v Schell is starting to get a little more fractious with both drivers looking on the edge of control right now!

*Lap 52* – Gibson continues to be thwarted by Schell’s defensive driving, and cannot find a way through…

*Lap 53* – …and the same happens again this lap, as Gibson’s corner of choice (Gazométre) proves to be a fruitless hunting ground for the 5th lap in a row!

*Lap 54* – Gibson again fails to make the pass on Schell stick, but at least there hasn’t been another collision between the pair as yet…

*Lap 55* – Collins is now holding up both Trintignant and Brooks, which is a spanner in the works for the latter Vanwall, as he endeavours to make as much progress as possible after his out-of-sync pit-stop. No Gibson v Schell pass this lap, as the former lines up a pass instead…

*Lap 56* – Unseen by the TV cameras both Godia and Marsh pitted last lap and emerged in identical positions – though now a little further behind! Meanwhile Salvadori is setting a lightning quick pace and takes Fastest Lap with a 1:36.7, which begs the question as to whether these Ferrari drivers will be allowed to race if they do reach each other!

Meanwhile Gibson’s latest passing move on Schell is as unsuccessful as the others, despite some good traction out of Massenet to put him level by the time they reached Mirabeau…but the inside there becomes the outside at the Station Hairpin – and thus the BRM was forced to cede the place to the Porsche.

*Lap 57* – Salvadori sets an even quicker 1:36.7 and now has the gap down to just 7 seconds to Gould ahead! Another Gibson move goes begging – and he is now diving at any gap he can see!

*Lap 58* – Fairman is called into action to block an opportunistic passing attempt by Hill, which in turn has now brought Bonnier, Behra and Gerard right into the thick of the action! Brooks meanwhile challenges Trintignant for 17th place at Gazométre without any success.

Up front Salvadori becomes the first man to set a 1:36.6, which will take some beating by the remainder of the field!!!

*Lap 59* – Hill is busy defending from Bonnier, while Collins now has to deal with both Trintignant and Brooks on his tail – and both look heavily invested in making these passes! By contrast Gibson’s attempts to pass Schell are un-original and tired…and therefore very unlikely to bear fruit…

*Lap 60* – We are now entering what may be the calm before the storm…

*Lap 61* – …though if it is a storm it only affects 1 driver! From having been so invested in passing Trintignant and Collins it looks as though Brooks in the Vanwall has missed his pit-signal being shown for a couple of laps…and it only dawns on him at Portier 2 when he tries to accelerate into the corner and grinds to an agonising halt, having run short of fuel at this point.

That means Moss is now 18th, from Bridger 19th, McLaren 20th, Schell and Gibson now battling over 21st, Menditeguy 23rd, Scarlatti 24th, Godia 25th and Marsh 26th overall.

*Lap 62* – Gould responds to the pressure from Salvadori by being fastest man on track this lap, while further back Bridger pits from 19th to emerge in 23rd between Menditeguy and Scarlatti, which in turn promotes Schell into the Top 20 again.

*Lap 63* – Trintignant pressures Collins for 16th, while Gibson’s tyres have finally had enough as he pits from 21st to emerge in 24th behind a whole group of worried Lotus drivers!

*Lap 64* – The mid-pack have come back together, as Flockhart holds up everyone from Fairman in 8th down to Gerard in 12th place overall…but it’s all rather amicable at this stage…

*Lap 65* – Bonnier has his hands full blocking Behra for the final Top 10 spot right now, which is all starting to allow Chiron back into the picture for this fight – though he is some 8 seconds behind this group. Meanwhile Piotti pits from 14th to emerge 17th in the race, which promotes the Vanwall’s of de Beaufort and Collins, along with the Porsche of Trintignant too.

Up front von Trips has been narrowing the gap to Brabham, which now sits at just under a second…

*Lap 66* – We now move into what is the final round of stops for most of the drivers – with the likes of Salvadori (which may demonstrate why his pace was so good recently!), Herrmann, Flockhart (who gets badly queued up behind his team-mate!), de Beaufort and McLaren all coming in. That promotes Musso to 4th, Fairman to 5th, Hill to 6th, Bonnier to 7th, Behra to 8th, Gerard to 9th and Chiron into the Top 10 for OSCA!

Salvadori is out in 11th place and now a lap down on the leading duo (who are now separated by just half a second!!!), with Herrmann out in clear air in 12th, Collins up to 13th, Trintignant up to 14th (though being blocked by Collins) and Flockhart out in 15th after having to wait for his team-mate during the stops. Piotti is up 16th and de Beaufort emerges in 17th, while further back McLaren drops from 19th to 23rd…and has the charging Gibson now just 6 seconds behind him! Schell is now 19th, Menditeguy 20th, Bridger 21st and Scarlatti 22nd as a result.

*Lap 67* – Several more stops this lap…and another driver who wasn’t able to reach his pit-box in time!!! The leading duo come through, with von Trips now just 0.3 seconds behind his team-mate, as the question remains as to whether Ferrari will let them race! Gould elects to come into the pits this lap, which means Musso crosses the line in 3rd from Fairman in 4th place.

Next over the line are Behra in 5th and Gerard in 6th, as Bonnier comes in for what will surely be his final stop…but no Hill?!? The Pole Sitter and points scorer from last race bows out, having run out of fuel exiting Le Tunnel!!! That means Chiron is now 7th with Gould out of the pits in 8th just 8 seconds ahead of his team-mate Salvadori. Herrmann re-enters the Top 10 with Trintignant 11th (thanks to Collins pulling into the pit-lane) and Bonnier out of the pits in 12th overall.

Flockhart is back up to 13th ahead of Piotti 14th, de Beaufort 15th, Moss 16th and then comes Collins after his stop in 17th position. Schell is now 18th from Menditeguy 19th, Bridger 20th, Scarlatti 21st, McLaren 22nd, Gibson gaining ground in 23rd, Godia in 24th and Marsh the last man in 25th on track.

*Lap 68* – Almost all the remaining drivers come into the pits, which means that only Brabham, Musso, Trintignant, Schell, Menditeguy and Scarlatti are yet to stop in this round of pits! Of course, that means that Brabham now leads the race from Musso in 2nd, while von Trips comes out of the pits in 3rd and will look to use his fresh tyres and the clear air in front to jump his team-mate for the race victory!

Gould is back into 4th from Salvadori 5th, Herrmann 6th, Trintignant 7th narrowly ahead of Fairman, whose heart must be sinking at having to pass the by-now lightly fuelled Porsche! Bonnier is up to 9th, from Behra 10th, Gerard 11th (after both having stopped this lap), Flockhart up to 12th and narrowly ahead of Chiron, who emerges from the pits in 13th place – with an outside shot at the Top 10 still intact!

Moss pits from 15th to advance Collins and Schell but come out in 17th position a fraction of a second in front of Menditeguy (though the latter is yet to stop).

*Lap 69* – Brabham comes into the pits, and he has a nervous wait as his crew get to work on his car…with the stop finished he accelerates out of his pit-box and comes out onto the track at Sainte-Devote to see another car ahead of him…but it is only Musso, who is yet to stop – but does take the race lead for a lap at least!

As such Brabham is now 2nd, with von Trips in 3rd with fresher tyres and just 0.3 seconds down on his team-mate! Gould is a further 30 seconds back in 4th place, though if he can hold off his team-mate (Salvadori now just 7.7 seconds behind) a podium is still likely once Musso makes his final stop!

As predicted Fairman tries to find a way past Trintignant, but the experienced Frenchman is wise to the challenge and holds 7th place to give hope to Bonnier, Behra and Gerard behind that are all in hot pursuit!!!

Further back Scarlatti and Bridger swap places, while Gibson gets blocked (safely!) by McLaren…but one man doesn’t make it to the end of the lap, as another fuel calculation error gets made, which this time sees Harry Schell in the Porsche retire to leave only 24 cars on track!!!

*Lap 70* – Musso’s brief stint at the front of the race comes to an end with his pit-stop, which resumes the Ferrari 1-2-3-4 (without any of those inter-team gaps altering much) and sees Herrmann move back into 5th position with Musso out in 6th place some 3.4 seconds behind. Trintignant stops this time, which promotes a relieved Fairman to 7th, Bonnier to 8th, Behra to 9th, Gerard back into the Top 10, Flockhart to 11th, Chiron to 12th, Piotti to 13th, de Beaufort to 14th and then comes Trintignant, with a disgruntled Collins stuck narrowly behind him in 16th overall!

Menditeguy also comes in this lap, which moves Scarlatti up to 18th, Bridger up to 19th, McLaren up to 20th (though still defending determinedly from the frustrated BRM behind) and Gibson up to 21st position. Menditeguy himself is out in 22nd place as the final phase of the race begins…

*Lap 71* – Bonnier challenges Fairman for 7th position, but the Vanwall holds firm against the attack – which means that Behra is now less than a second behind this pair. Gibson also stages his latest attack against McLaren, which comes close to bearing fruit…but not close enough to claim a spot inside the Top 20!

*Lap 72* – It has been coming for some time – von Trips pulls out from behind Brabham’s slipstream on the run down to Gazométre and the Australian doesn’t defend from his quicker team-mate, which sees the German inherit the race lead. Meanwhile further back Gibson finally times his attack to perfection and manages to pass McLaren on pace alone on the run down to Chicane du Port!

*Lap 73* – Brabham is the fastest man on track this time around and is now right on von Trips’ tail – will the Aussie elect to challenge his team-mate back for the lead!?!

*Lap 74* – Scarlatti challenges Moss for 17th position, but he cannot quite find the space to make the move stick at Massenet.

*Lap 75* – The closest battles on track are between Brabham and von Trips for the race lead, Salvadori gaining on Gould for the final podium position, Bonnier, Behra and Gerard all closing in on Fairman for 7th, de Beaufort catching Piotti for 13th and finally Bridger and Gibson catching Moss for 17th (now that Scarlatti has taken his 3rd stop and come out just ahead of team-mate Menditeguy).

*Lap 76* – Gibson has a look up the inside of Bridger at Cassino, but he will never make a move stick into that corner!

*Lap 77* – Gibson tries again, this time at Station Hairpin, but Bridger JUST manages to shut the door in time and keep the BRM behind for another lap!

*Lap 78* – Brabham is haranguing von Trips still, but he is yet to try a move for the race lead in his pursuit of his team-mate, whilst further back another opportunity for Gibson goes begging thanks to some smart defensive driving by the rookie Bridger to keep the BRM behind – and impressively they are both still gaining ground on Moss, who doesn’t seem to be enjoying this set of tyres!

*Lap 79* – A big lap in the context of the race, as Brabham manages to slip past von Trips on the run down to Chicane du Port, and Gibson achieves the same feat to claim 18th and start his own campaign to overhaul Moss!

*Lap 80* – However, no sooner have they swapped places for the lead they swap back – as von Trips gets the upper hand with a well-timed dive at Mirabeau, which Brabham simply does not defend. It looks like pure pace will win the day, rather than any defensive driving that might risk the integrity of their 1-2!

Bonnier, Behra and Gerard are all slowed down by Fairman weaving across the road to ensure he holds on to 7th position. That is starting to bring Flockhart into the fight, as he is now only 7 seconds behind them! Godia and Marsh both pit and emerge in the same places, albeit a lap further down on the leaders.

*Lap 81* – De Beaufort has been gaining ground on Piotti for several laps, and the Dutchman finally reaches the Italian driver…but in his eagerness to pass the Maserati he goes for a move that was never really on at Portier, which causes serious damage to both cars – meaning both are forced to come into the pits to fix said damage!

That promotes Trintignant to 13th and Collins to 14th, with de Beaufort out in 15th place and Piotti out in 16th position after all of that mayhem on track!!! Meanwhile Gibson times his move with far more precision, as he scampers past Moss for 17th with a well-executed pass at Station Hairpin.

*Lap 82* – A quieter lap here, as Brabham still sits just behind von Trips and waits for any mistakes on the German’s part…but none come this time around. The Gould-Salvadori gap is holding steady at around 6 seconds right now, while Fairman also seems to have the measure of Bonnier, who in turn looks to have given himself enough space to fend off both Behra and Gerard.

De Beaufort is gaining on Collins for 14th, but 22 seconds is a significant gap to try and close, while Gibson is in a similar position travelling much faster than Piotti ahead of him – but with 49 seconds to try and gain in the time remaining. Bridger is catching Moss for 18th, but only by small increments each lap and that is all the on-track battles at this point in proceedings…

*Lap 83* – Not much to report this lap…

*Lap 84* – Chiron looks like he will soon go a lap down on the leaders, as Menditeguy gets lapped for the 3rd time…

*Lap 85* – Von Trips looks to have broken Brabham’s challenge and is now about 1 second ahead of his team-mate and inching out the gap lap after lap. Bridger is now less than a second behind Moss in their own personal fight!

*Lap 86* – Scarlatti is now also 3 laps down, as Chiron looks like he will go a lap down next time around…

*Lap 87* – Brabham cuts his arrears to just half a second, but von Trips looks comfortable up front, as they do now consign Chiron to losing his place on the lead lap – with Flockhart now the next car for the leaders to lap…

*Lap 88* – Brabham is now 0.2 seconds behind, and there is renewed hope in the crowds that we may see more of a battle for the race lead in the closing stages! Meanwhile Musso is starting to close the gap to Herrmann for the final points position, with just 3.7 seconds separating them now…

*Lap 89* – Make that 3.3 seconds for Musso to Herrmann, while the gap at the front holds steady at 0.2 seconds. De Beaufort is 15 seconds behind Collins, but it looks as if time will defeat him in his pursuit of 14th position.

*Lap 90* – Von Trips takes the gap out to 0.3 seconds as the Ferrari duo continue to hurtle round at break-neck pace! Musso meanwhile is now just 3 seconds away from the points and Bonnier has closes his arrears to Fairman to under a second in his pursuit of 7th position.

*Lap 91* – Herrmann looks to have stabilised the gap to Musso at 3 seconds, as he endeavours to be the only non-Ferrari to score points today! Bonnier is right on Fairman’s tail as the Vanwall looks to be running out of steam in the latter stages, but Behra looks unable to capitalise as he is now some 4 seconds behind that pair.

*Lap 92* – Brabham is just a tenth down on von Trips at the front now, as this victory may not be as secure as it previously looked! Bridger enters the pits on this lap, emerging in 20th position behind team-mate McLaren, which should ensure Moss keeps hold of 18th place until the end.

*Lap 93* – 1 tenth is still the gap at the front, while it is more like 1 hundredth between Fairman and Bonnier in their fight for 7th place!

*Lap 94* – Bonnier makes a desperate lunge at Gazométre, but though he is briefly ahead it is Fairman who has the better traction out of the corner to hold the place – was that the Swede’s last chance to overtake?

*Lap 95* – Brabham pounces! A lacklustre lap for von Trips, whose tyres are a lap older, sees the Australian claim the race lead back at Station Hairpin…while near the back Menditeguy is gaining ground on his team-mate Scarlatti for 21st position…

*Lap 96* – Brabham pulls out a tenth on von Trips, as he looks to cement his position as race leader…

*Lap 97* – …and that gap is now 2 tenths of a second, as Brabham is the fastest man on track right now! Musso meanwhile has the gap to Herrmann down to 2.5 seconds, but has he left it too late!?!

*Lap 98* – Von Trips holds the gap at 2 tenths this lap – could we see a final charge from the German here?!? Musso is just 1.4 seconds behind 5th place now!!!

*Lap 99* – Brabham answers that question by outpacing his team-mate by a full 0.5 seconds that lap, which means he now looks odds-on to take the race victory here…and Musso is just 0.2 seconds behind the Cooper of Herrmann in 5th as their fight will go down to the wire!

*Lap 100* – As we enter the final lap all eyes are on Musso and Herrmann, as the BRM gains ground on the run up to Massenet, before slotting in all the way to Station Hairpin, then tracking his prey through both parts of Portier and into Le Tunnel…he pulls out of the slipstream to make an attempt down to Chicane du Port…and he manages to get alongside the Cooper, whose tyres are screaming “enough” at this point…but Herrmann is wise to the attack and places his car to ensure that Musso has to go the long way round, and thus keeps the position!

In all that action Brabham crossing the line to take victory by less than a second from von Trips is hardly noticed!!! That is the Australian’s 1st ever race victory and only his 2nd ever podium to date! Gould taking the final step on the podium (a career 1st for him – though he does have an Indy 500 win to his name of course…) and Salvadori trailing in 4th position (after that damage cost him 3rd at very least – but he can comfort himself with the knowledge that he did manage the Fastest Lap of the race) also go unnoticed. A 1-2-3-4 for Ferrari is the 1st time a manufacturer has achieved this since the 1954 British Grand Prix, which the now defunct Mercedes team dominated – much to the delight of Team Principal Tim Wagner!

Musso is unable to do anything further about Herrmann, which gives the Cooper 5th from the BRM in 6th. Fairman does well to hold 7th after a drive that belied the Vanwall’s lack of pace around this track, with Bonnier a solid 8th from Behra 9th and Gerard in 10th place – a far cry from the success of the last few seasons for the defending champion…

*1 LAP DOWN* – Flockhart crosses the line in 11th place, a lap down, ahead of Chiron in a very respectable 12th, ahead of Trintignant, Collins and de Beaufort in 15th position.

*2 LAPS DOWN* – Piotti finishes in 16th place, and next over the line should be Gibson…but there is no sign of the BRM!!! Instead it is Moss who finishes 17th and McLaren that comes across the line in 18th, as it appears that Gibson has run out of fuel on track somewhere! He will still be classified in 19th, as the others are a full lap further back…

*3 LAPS DOWN* – Bridger finishes 20th for Lotus after their car really didn’t suit this track, with Scarlatti 21st and Menditeguy 22nd overall.

*5 LAPS DOWN* – Godia and Marsh trail home in 23rd and 24th respectively, but they can at least claim to have finished – though in Marsh’s case 5 laps is the closest he has been to the leaders at the end of a race during the whole season! The retirees were predominantly caused by fuel errors, as the temperature looks to have surprised a few people – including Schell, Hill, Brooks and Emery, while Fangio and Hawthorn committed the cardinal sin of running into a team-mate at the opening corner.

Watch this space for the next race, which will be the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort…

## Milestones

* 50th race entry for Bob Gerard
* 40th race entry for Juan Manuel Fangio, which moves up to 5th most entries ever at the expense of countryman José Froilán González
* 30th race entry for Jean Behra & Hans Herrmann
* Trintignant up to 10th most entries ever (35 total), at the expense of Umberto Maglioli
* Moss up to 3rd in Most Races without a Win, at the expense of Umberto Maglioli
* Trintignant up to 5th in Most Races without a Win, at the expense of Alberto Ascari
* Menditeguy up to 9th in Most Races without a Win, at the expense of Johnny Claes
* Schell and Flockhart now up to 1st and 2nd in Most Races without Points, both at the expense of Alberto Ascari
* Bonnier up to 8th in Most Races without Points, at the expense of both Robert Manzon and Andre Pilette
* Brooks up 10th in Most Races without Points, at the expense of Pilette as well
* 50th race start for Bob Gerard
* Collins moves into 2nd for Most Starts ever at the expense of Toulo de Graffenried
* Gerard won the last 2 Monaco GPs (but couldn’t make it 3 in a row); other past winners are Farina (’55 - retired) and de Graffenried (’50 - retired).
* Von Trips moves up to 8th most points ever at the expense of Herrmann and Moss
* Points finish for Salvadori moves him up to 6th Most Points Finishes ever, at the expense of Toulo de Graffenried
* Points finish for von Trips is his 4th points finish in a row (one more to move into the Top 10 of all time)
* Points finish for Brabham and Herrmann is their 2nd points finish in a row
* FL for Salvadori moves him into top 10 for Most Fastest Laps (up to 7th) at the expense of Chico Landi
* FL at Monaco in ’57 was Collins, ’56 was Gerard, ’55 was Farina (retired) and ’50 was Fagioli (retired) – but it was Salvadori who took the Fastest Lap this time
* Pole at Monaco in ’56 and ‘57 was Gerard (but couldn’t make it 3 in a row), ’55 was Farina (retired) and ’50 was Pietsch (retired)
* Podium for von Trips moves him into 8th most podiums at the expense of Herrmann
* Podium for Salvadori moves him into top 10 most podiums of all time
* Podium for von Trips or Brabham would be their 2nd Consecutive Podiums