1955 Monaco GP

## Track Facts

* Name – Monaco
* Location – Monte Carlo
* Corners – 12
* Laps – 100
* Base (Worst) Lap Time – 2:30.000
* Lap Record (Real Life) – 1:41.100 (Juan Manuel Fangio)
* Lap Record (F1R) – 1:50.250 (Luigi Fagioli)
* Pit Lane Length – 35 seconds
* Fuel Consumption – Very Low
* Tyre Wear – Low

## Qualifying

An astonishing session unfolded here at the track, which remains the jewel in F1R's crown despite not having raced here for around 4 seasons! In fact, though several drivers that raced in the 1950 Monaco GP are contracted to teams this season only 1 of them makes the grid - but more on him later.

At the front it was business as usual, as Farina seemed to play cat and mouse with those chasing him - before putting the hammer down near the end to take pole position by over a second! If he can get away at the start, this could be another lights to flag victory for the Ferrari.

Behind him it was far closer though; the Vanwalls of Collins and Bayol flanked Moss's Ferrari for places 2 through 4, with Salvadori a respectable 5th for Mercedes. You have to look quite far down the grid for the other cars in those teams however - Menditeguy is 9th for Vanwall, Kling is 11th for Mercedes and Iglesias in the 3rd Ferrari is a lowly 22nd after only managing to run 2 laps in qualifying!

Villoresi and Cooper will be delighted to have claimed 6th on the grid - if he can stay there, he is sure to be in for a big bonus! Meanwhile Maserati will be less pleased to only claim 7th and 8th for defending champion Herrmann and team-mate Perdisa respectively. Castellotti in the 3rd Maserati has another tough session, as he can only manage 17th overall.

The remaining Cooper drivers are much further back, with Fairman a passable 15th, Mieres 29th and Hawthorn 31st as accidents knock them out of the session. Another team not quite on the pace is Lancia, as Maglioli scrapes inside the top 10 by around 1 tenth of a second over Kling and Brabham only lines up in 14th place.

And the reason for Brabham being so far back is another giant-killing drive from HWM! Wharton and Lucas must be delighted to claim 12th and 13th on the grid, with a top 10 place looking like a genuine possibility for the tiny British marque! More normally the other HWMs of McAlpine and Fitch are down in 20th and 21st place respectively.

A solid drive from Tony Rolt sees him place his Connaught inside the top 20 in 16th place, with team-mates da Silva Ramos, Sparken and Claes in places 23, 24 and 30 some way further back. Arzani-Volpini manage to get 2 cars to the grid this time - Piotti lines up 25th and Whiteaway will start in 28th overall.

Gordini are back in force here - Ascari is the sole survivor of the 1950 Monaco GP to qualify here, in an impressive 19th place. He managed 5th the last time we raced here, though admittedly he was driving a Ferrari at the time! Possibly more impressive is the drive of débutante Pablo Birger, who pips his more experienced team-mate for 18th on the grid. Also starting for Gordini are Pollet and Simon in 26th and 27th.

And so 31 drivers line up for the race - with the surprising absences of several drivers who competed at the 1950 Monaco GP (Trintignant in the Mercedes, Taruffi in the Lancia, Rosier in the Connaught and Gonzalez in the Cooper), and several other high profile names, including Fangio's Connaught, Manzon's HWM, the Arzani's of Frere, Uria and Bucci and the Gordini's of Mantovani and Schell.

## Grid

The Ferrari vs Vanwall dynamic at the front is sure to be an exciting one, especially given how crucial the start of the race will be. With Salvadori, Villoresi and the Maserati drivers also near the pace it should be an exciting race to see who comes out on top.

Even further down the field there are still battles and scores to be settled - HWM will be looking to improve on their great form from last race with Gordini producing some good form to be inside the top 20 along with the Connaught of Rolt too! All in all, it should be a brilliant race in prospect.

## Race Commentary

*Lap 1* - And we are GO GO GO in Monaco!!! On the run down to the 1st corner Farina moves across and manages to keep Collins behind him, with Moss holding station in 3rd place. The action is further back, as Bayol and Salvadori both have a slow start, which causes Villoresi to have to take evasive action and as a result drop right back down to 10th place overall!

The chief beneficiary of this chaos is Maglioli, who goes up the inside of several drivers to inherit 5th ahead of Bayol, Salvadori and the 2 Maserati's who ultimately remain in 7th and 8th respectively.

Meanwhile Menditeguy gets it all wrong at Sainte Devote, and sails in to collide with the barriers at the side of the road - that causes several cars to out-brake themselves, and gives a big advantage to Ascari's Gordini. The Italian guns it up Beau Rivage and weaves past several drivers, including Villoresi, which puts him in 9th overall ahead of the Cooper.

Kling and Wharton are next up, whilst Brabham manages to slip past Lucas for 13th and Rolt takes advantage of Fairman stalling on the grid to claim 15th position. Meanwhile the Cooper does get going, but has slipped back to 20th overall behind the fast-starting McAlpine, Birger Castellotti and Fitch, who gets his HWM into 19th place - which means 4 HWMs are now inside the top 20!

Iglesias is 21st, ahead of Sparken, who gets the better of da Silva Ramos off the start. Simon has a great start in his Gordini, as he shifts up from 27th to 24th and gets the better of Piotti in the process.

Whilst a collision between Pollet and Mieres, who gets off the line far more quickly than the Gordini, causes both to retire at the start line and dramatically slows the progress of both Hawthorn and Claes who are now a long way off the back of the pack.

*Lap 2* - Maglioli is under pressure from Bayol, whilst Herrmann swarms all over the back of Salvadori and as the Mercedes shuts the door at Station Hairpin that allows Perdisa to progress past his team-mate and into 7th position.

A train is forming behind Villoresi, and that sees Lucas seize the opportunity coming out of Le Tunnel to re-take 13th from Brabham. Meanwhile the man really on the move is Castellotti, who moves his Maserati ahead of Birger and McAlpine, before inching his way past Rolt's Connaught too.

McAlpine is the one who really loses out, as he outbrakes himself when Castellotti moves past him, which lets Birger, Fitch and Fairman also make their way past him.

*Lap 3* - The top 3 are all inching their way further away from their pursuers, with Perdisa the man who seems to be holding up several drivers as it stands. Meanwhile though the HWM doubtless has pace, but it's handling is letting it down - Wharton gets it all locked up at Gazometre and cedes 12th to team-mate Lucas and 13th to Brabham.

Fitch opens up the tank on the run down to Chicane du Port, and guns his way past both Birger and Rolt to claim 16th place. Meanwhile near the back Simon is holding up both Arzani drivers, much to the dismay of the small Italian marque.

*Lap 4* - Ascari is massively out-performing the Gordini he's driving - this is the 1st real glimpse we've seen of the maestro's talent as he scythes his way past defending champion Herrmann's Maserati! Salvadori is the man holding this group up, and he could well fall victim to the pace of the Gordini if he doesn't get a move on!!!

*Lap 5* - In a quieter lap the only real action is Wharton using the HWM's new power upgrade to move his way past Brabham's Lancia. Up front there is now a 10 second gap between Moss and Maglioli, with Bayol keeping the Lancia honest as it stands.

*Lap 6* - The tight and twisty streets of Monaco continue to prevent most overtaking moves, with Salvadori really losing ground and holding up those behind him!

*Lap 7* - Ascari is not holding back here, as he gets a great exit from Gazometre, and slips up the inside of Perdisa - and he will now be able to challenge Salvadori for an incredible 6th place overall! What could the Gordini's secret be this race?!?

*Lap 8* - Ascari does lunge up the inside of Salvadori, but the Mercedes is able to close the door in time - and the train continues to follow them, though it does seem that Villoresi and Kling are losing touch a little now.

*Lap 9* - Villoresi closes the gap, as he uses the clean air in front of him to move quickly ahead. Meanwhile da Silva Ramos brushes the barriers at Massenet, and does some minor damage to his suspension.

*Lap 10* - Was it team orders, or was it just a brilliant bit of overtaking? Either way Perdisa gets a slow exit from Portier 2 and Herrmann seizes upon this to manoeuvre his Maserati past his team-mate and into 8th place.

*Lap 11* - Another lap where the tight Monaco streets prevent overtaking, though several drivers have a look, including Bayol having a go at Maglioli, Ascari pressuring Salvadori, Perdisa on Herrmann and Wharton on Lucas. No overtakes were made though.

*Lap 12* - Another quiet lap, with the main action being Whiteaway managing to get alongside Piotti as they scrap hard for 25th place.

*Lap 13* - Salvadori continues to slow down the drivers behind him, as the Mercedes struggles for traction in 6th place - much to the delight of the top 5 who are now around 18 seconds up the road!

*Lap 14* - Herrmann has a run at Ascari, but the Gordini shuts the door on him - which causes the defending champion to break hard…and Perdisa seizes the opportunity to go around the outside of him at Portier 2 and holds the place to move into 8th overall.

*Lap 15* - Several drivers try to emulate Perdisa, with a run around the outside of Portier 2, but though Bayol comes closest to managing it no positions change on this lap.

*Lap 16* - Iglesias hits the barriers at Tabac, and immediately cedes 21st place to Sparken, in what is an otherwise lacklustre lap on track…

*Lap 17* - …but next time around is far more exciting! First of all Bayol pits, and comes out in 11th place - though it would have been 12th were it not for the fact that Ascari pulls over to the side at Gazometre, where he is unfortunately out of fuel! The Gordini mechanics look absolutely gutted to have made that fundamental mistake!!!

Perdisa also pits, and comes out in 18th place just behind Fairman. All of the above means that Salvadori is now 5th, Herrmann 6th, Villoresi 7th, Kling 8th and then 2 HWMs inside the top 10 of Lucas and Wharton.

*Lap 18* - Collins pits on this lap, and much to the delight of the Vanwall mechanics he comes out in a solid 3rd place. Having said that, Ferrari look even happier as they now have a 1-2 on track!

*Lap 19* - Herrmann pits and comes out level with Perdisa, but he uses the inside line at Sainte Devote to remain ahead of his team-mate and claim 16th place. Fairman comes in after knocking off a wheel at Gazometre as he laps da Silva Ramos! He drops behind Sparken as a result, as does McAlpine who comes in for a scheduled stop this time around.

*Lap 20* - Both Farina and Moss pit this lap, which allows Collins back into 2nd place some 17 seconds down on the lead Ferrari, after the Ferrari mechanics don't seem to be performing as they should! Indeed Maglioli is now into 3rd thanks to Moss not being able to get out for a full 8 seconds longer than the Lancia team managed!!!

Salvadori, Lucas and Rolt all pit, along with Sparken and Whiteaway further back - which means that the order is now Farina - Collins - Maglioli - Moss - Villoresi inside the points in 5th - Kling - Wharton in an impressive 7th - Bayol up to 8th - Brabham 9th and Castelloti 10th.

Fitch moves up to 11th from Birger 12th for Gordini, the Maserati's of Herrmann and Perdisa in 13th and 14th, and Salvadori out in 15th after a very slow stop drops the Mercedes behind 2 of the drivers he was previously leading. Lucas is out in 16th after a more competitive stop, with Fairman 17th now his car is fixed, Rolt out in 18th, McAlpine 19th and Sparken in 20th, which is an impressive achievement given that he was previously outside the top 20.

*Lap 21* - Most of the drivers yet to pit come in on this lap, led by Maglioli who gives his 3rd place back to Stirling Moss. The Lancia is followed into the pits by Villoresi, Brabham, Fitch, Birger, Fairman and Simon.

All of that means that Farina leads Collins, Moss and Maglioli who remain in the top 4 - the interesting development is for 5th place, which is held by Kling in the Mercedes. However, as the German comes around Station Hairpin he clatters over the curve and damages his under-body! He retains 5th, by virtue of the fact that Wharton is too busy defending from Bayol to make a move…yet.

Maserati now occupy places 8 through 10, with Castellotti around 24 seconds ahead of his team-mates though yet to pit. Villoresi emerges in 11th ahead of Salvadori and Lucas, who at least have Brabham, Fitch and Birger behind them!

Fairman is out in 19th behind Rolt and McAlpine, but ahead of Sparken. Meanwhile Simon's pit-stop drops him behind Piotti.

*Lap 22* - Bayol reclaims 5th place, by virtue of the fact that Kling is really struggling badly with under-steer and Wharton comes into the pits. As such Kling is 6th, Hermann is 7th as Castellotti has his stop, Perdisa is 8th, Villoresi is 9th and Salvadori is now back inside the top 10.

Lucas and Brabham are both ahead of Wharton when he comes out, with Castellotti not too far behind the HWM. Meanwhile Piotti pits and is easily overhauled by Simon's Gordini, before he goes wheel to wheel with team-mate Whiteaway up to Massenet…but it is the Brit who comes out ahead and picks up what is now 24th position. Hawthorn also pits this time around, but loses no positions.

*Lap 23* - Bayol is hunting down Maglioli, by around 2-3 seconds per lap and has the gap down to just 6 seconds! Kling is bleeding time to the pursuing Maserati duo, but a 17 second deficit is enough to keep him ahead for the moment.

*Lap 24* - Bayol is now 4 seconds down, whilst on the outskirts of the top 20 John Fitch in the HWM has a big moment coming out of Le Tunnel - and though he saves his car from a huge collision with the harbour-front, he can not prevent his car from brushing against the walls and certainly doing some serious damage there.

*Lap 25* - Kling pits to promote Herrmann, Perdisa, Villoresi, Salvadori, Lucas, Brabham, Wharton and Castellotti. Indeed he also comes out right behind John Fitch's ailing HWM, who has just been passed by Pablo Birger in the Gordini!

Both Iglesias and da Silva Ramos pit on this lap, but this has no impact on the standings. Meanwhile, Whiteaway has been released from behind his team-mate and is really gaining on Simon up ahead at quite a rate of knots! Claes also pits on this lap.

*Lap 26* - Bayol roars up to the back of Maglioli for 4th, but catching at this circuit is one thing, passing very much another! Meanwhile Fitch is going backwards at the moment, as he cedes 15th place to the recovering Kling.

*Lap 27* - Fitch loses 16th to Rolt, as he is powerless to defend against him thanks to his damaged suspension. Meanwhile Lucas is really being held up by Salvadori and near the back Whiteaway, who is pushing hard, gets it totally wrong at Mirabeau and tags the barriers - he manages to block team-mate Piotti, but he's clearly struggling with his handling at the moment!

*Lap 28* - Salvadori is once again forming a train behind him, as both Brabham and Wharton pull up behind the Mercedes and Lucas! Meanwhile Whiteaway is powerless to prevent Piotti from moving past him, and dropping to 25th as a result.

*Lap 29* - Bayol continues to swarm all over the back of Maglioli, but he cannot find a way past the Italian - the only saving grace for the Vanwall is that he has 30+ seconds advantage to Hermann and Perdisa, though they are slowly but surely closing that gap…

*Lap 30* - Wharton has a go up the inside of Brabham at Station Hairpin, but the Lancia holds his line for Portier 1 and retains the position. 23 seconds is now Farina's lead up front, as the Ferrari driver continues to push ahead and looks likely to have a go at lapping the entire field again (although he didn't manage to lap Collins last time!).

*Lap 31* - Farina has now lapped everyone besides Collins and Moss at least once, as he continues to dominate this race, and indeed this season thus far. Meanwhile further back Simon's Gordini is sideways out of Chicane du Port, as he gets the power down far too early and manages to crash his car into the barriers. He gets it going again, but he'll certainly need to pit soon to fix that…

*Lap 32* - …and indeed he does come in this time around to promote Piotti into 23rd, who is certainly leading a somewhat charmed existence thus far! Lucas is still pressuring Salvadori, though Brabham hasn't managed to keep on their pace as it stands and has Wharton and Castellotti bearing down on him.

*Lap 33* - Bayol still cannot get past Maglioli, and he is signalling frantically to the pits to say that a strategic stop would be a good idea! Fairman is pressuing McAlpine for 18th place, and will be aiming to pass him over the next few laps.

*Lap 34* - Bayol does make his pit-stop, but despite a good stop from his mechanics the time he lost behind Maglioli means he comes out behind both Maseratis of Herrmann and Perdisa. Kling is now right on the back of Birger's Gordini, and will be looking to manoeuvre his way past.

*Lap 35* - Collins comes in, emerging in 3rd place - though Ferrari are looking nervous for Moss as Collins is only 4 seconds behind him after 1 stop more. Kling has a look down the inside of Birger, but the Gordini shuts the door in time to hold 14th place.

*Lap 36* - With over a minute advantage now Farina looks peerless, whilst Salvadori has a group chasing him down as he continues to act as a moveable chicane this race!

*Lap 37* - Moss has pegged the gap to Collins at around 5 seconds, and the heavier Vanwall is simply not able to do anything about it. Meanwhile McAlpine and Fairman are really gaining ground on Fitch, though you must commend the American for getting as much speed as he is out of that car!

*Lap 38* - Fairman is still pressuring McAlpine hard! And Fitch is now just 1.5 seconds ahead of the pair of them.

*Lap 39* - It's pit-stop time again for those planning a 4 stop strategy - both Hermann and Perdisa come in this lap, which elevates Bayol back into the points positions in 5th and Villoresi up to 6th. Herrmann comes out level with Salvadori, but the defending champion shows his desire as he holds the inside line firmly against the desperate Mercedes.

Lucas is now 9th, with Brabham 10th and Perdisa right behind them in 11th place JUST ahead of Wharton by the tiniest of advantages. McAlpine comes in, which promotes both Fairman and Sparken - and the Cooper uses his strong pace and grip to overhaul Fitch at Station Hairpin around the outside!

*Lap 40* - Both Farina and Moss come in, though such is the gap between the pair of them that the mechanics easily have time to conduct both pit-stops without any issues. Collins does re-claim 2nd from Moss, and is about 30 seconds down on the leader now.

Villoresi pits, which puts Herrmann into 6th and thanks to Salvadori and Lucas coming in we now see Brabham in 7th, Perdisa back up to 8th, Wharton 9th and Castellotti now inside the top 10. Villoresi emerges in 11th, crucially just ahead of the Birger vs Kling fight, whilst Lucas passes Salvadori in the pits thanks to some strong work from the HWM mechanics!

Rolt and Whiteaway both pit, which gives the latter the chance to fix his issues, though neither lose any places as a result of coming in.

*Lap 41* - Both Fitch and Sparken pit on this lap, which means the HWM can at last get his car fixed and go back on the attack on those ahead. He will have to get past McAlpine though, who is up to 18th as a result of those stops.

*Lap 42* - Another flurry of pit-stops on this lap, with the big news being that Bayol sets a fantastic 1:35 second lap-time to come round 2 seconds ahead of Maglioli's Lancia - much to the delight of the Vanwall support!

Brabham and Wharton both stop, meaning that Perdisa is now 7th, Castellotti 8th (meaning a 6-7-8 for Maserati), Villoresi 9th and Kling now 10th by virtue of the fact that Birger comes in as well.

Brabham emerges in 11th, with Lucas 12th, Wharton out in 13th, Salvadori 14th and Birger in 15th for Gordini. Fairman pits from 17th, but doesn't change position - though with the rate Fitch is bearing down on McAlpine the Cooper may want to get a move on to avoid being the American's next target! Simon also pits on this lap.

*Lap 43* - Kling is pressuring Villoresi for 9th place, but despite getting really close down to Chicane du Port he is unable to by-pass the resilient Cooper.

*Lap 44* - Castellotti comes in on this lap, which promotes Villoresi to 8th, Kling to 9th, Brabham to 10th, Lucas to 11th, Wharton to 12th and Salvadori to 13th ahead of the emerging Maserati. The only other action this lap is both Piotti and Hawthorn coming in to the pits, though neither changes places as a result.

*Lap 45* - Bayol is gaining on Moss, but not quickly enough to close him down for a long time given that he's some 47 seconds behind. Another doing likewise is Whiteaway, who is gaining on Simon by around 2 seconds per lap - but being an entire lap behind means that he'll take quite a while to catch him up!

*Lap 46* - Fitch is still being thwarted by McAlpine, whilst it's a surprise to see Claes have an off at Sainte Devote, which severely damages his bodywork - who knew he was going quickly enough to have an accident?!?

*Lap 47* - Lucas has a go at Brabham at Portier 1, but as the Lancia moves over to shut the door it allows Wharton and Salvadori to both close in by around 2-3 seconds!

*Lap 48* - A quieter lap, as Simon is slowly gaining on Piotti and is now under 10 seconds behind him.

*Lap 49* - Lucas and Wharton are still queued up behind Brabham, but they're are all losing ground to Kling ahead of them.

*Lap 50* - At least they were, until Kling comes into the pits! The Mercedes drops down to 14th place, meaning he is at least out ahead of Birger. Both Iglesias and da Silva Ramos pit on this lap, though no positions change as a result - likewise Claes comes in too.

Simon was gaining on Piotti, but another incident as a result of pushing too hard at Cassino causes him to collide with the barriers and damage his car.

*Lap 51* - Bayol pits here, coming out in 5th behind Maglioli but with a lot of clean air in front of him. Lucas and Wharton are being held up so much by Brabham that Salvadori has halved the gap to them from 4 seconds to just 2 seconds in total! Meanwhile Simon pits to mend his damage, and even manages to get back out in front of Whiteaway.

*Lap 52* - Fitch is still pushing McAlpine, much to the relief of Fairman who has managed to draw out a 28 second lead over the pair of them despite clearly not being as quick as the American! Near the back Whiteaway is gaining around 2 seconds per lap on Simon, and is only 26.3 second down at this stage.

Collins pit on this lap is almost non-news, given that he loses no places thanks to his advantage over Moss being so large! Indeed he still has 14 seconds in hand after pitting once more.

*Lap 53* - Fitch again has a look at McAlpine, but has no luck in getting past at Mirabeau. Hawthorn tags the barriers at Gazometre, severely damaging his Cooper - but he can at least come directly into the pits to fix it. Such is his advantage over Claes that he of course comes out several laps ahead.

*Lap 54* - Fitch could hardly be any closer to McAlpine, but again he can't make the pass. Worthy of a mention is Birger, who is maintaining a 3.5 second gap behind Kling in the Gordini, which is an outstanding achievement for the newcomer.

*Lap 55* - No overtakes on track, but both Lucas and Fitch are applying pressure as HWM continue to surprise here…meanwhile up front Farina laps Moss, which means he only has Collins left before he has managed to put a lap on the entire field!!!

*Lap 56* - Lucas is right on the back of Brabham as he challenges for 9th, whilst Fitch AGAIN has a go at McAlpine - clearly no team orders in place, but the American's race is being destroyed by his team-mate as it stands!

*Lap 57* - Another slow corner from Brabham gives Lucas, and then Wharton a chance - ultimately no pass transpires, and thus Salvadori closes in to under 2 seconds behind again! Fitch has his usual attempt on McAlpine, whilst Whiteaway is now less than 20 seconds behind Simon's Gordini.

*Lap 58* - Fastest lap from Farina!!! He is truly dominant right now! Another attempt from Fitch without success, whilst at least he wont be pressured from behind, as Sparken in 20th manages to collide with a barrier at Tabac and is now losing around 7 seconds per lap to Iglesias in the Ferrari.

*Lap 59* - Pit time again for many drivers, first in is Herrmann for Maserati, who only loses a place to Perdisa this time. Meanwhile much to the utter relief of Fitch, McAlpine pits to release his team-mate, who has a couple of laps before his own stop to gain enough time to come out ahead! In fact he actually comes out behind Sparken, though given the Connaught's damage he likely wont be behind for long.

*Lap 60* - Our leader stops, and comes out in the lead still. Moss also comes in, and retains 3rd. Further back the stops make more difference - Lucas comes in to promote Wharton into the top 10, and Salvadori comes in as well.

All of that means Castellotti is 11th, Kling 12th and Birger in a solid 13th place. Lucas and Salvadori are out in 14th and 15th respectively, whilst Rolt's pit gifts 16th to Fairman and McAlpine is slightly delayed by Sparken before reclaiming 19th place.

Finally Whiteaway comes in to the pits, to undo all of the gains that he made thanks to a very slow stop from the mechanics!

*Lap 61* - For the 1st lap this race someone is faster than Farina! Collins may only have gained 0.029 of a second on the Ferrari, but it's a step in the right direction for the Vanwall.

Meanwhile another flurry of stops change the order outside the points scoring positions; Hermann reclaims 6th after Perdisa pits and emerges in 7th place. Villoresi comes in to promote Brabham into 8th and Wharton up to 9th - it's looking good for Cooper though, as the Italian veteran comes out in 10th place ahead of Castellotti.

Rolt passes Fairman, as Cooper have a busy lap in the pits, and to the delight of Fitch he comes out in 18th place some 10 seconds up the road from McAlpine! Sparken also pits on this lap to fix his damage, and maintains 20th place.

*Lap 62* - Normal order resumes at the front, as Farina takes 0.5 seconds out of Collins - so much for a revival for the Vanwall! Wharton comes in on this lap, meaning Villoresi is up to 9th, Castellotti is inside the top 10, Kling is 11th, Birger 12th…and Wharton comes out level with Lucas, and it's a drag race up to Massenet! And the man who makes it into Cassino first is…Wharton as he makes a net pass on his team-mate for what could be 10th place!!!

*Lap 63* - Collins is again faster than Farina - as he has now seemingly pegged the gap, probably too little too late given the 44 second deficit, but that must give heart to Vanwall. Maglioli comes in, and gives 4th place back to Bayol.

More interestingly Brabham pits, and comes out behind Villoresi, Castellotti and Kling. Birger comes in for Gordini, who have a relatively slow stop to drop him back behind Wharton, Lucas (who are still dicing together for position) and Salvadori.

Simon pits on this lap as well, which means his advantage to Whiteaway shrinks to 37 seconds - with the Arzani-Volpini still gaining time on the Gordini.

*Lap 64* - Castellotti is right on the tail of Villoresi, whilst Kling is catching the pair of them by around 2 seconds per lap - though they are on rather different strategies it must be said. Lucas is not letting Wharton get away, as both must surely realise that a top 10 space is up for grabs.

*Lap 65* - Disaster strikes for Cooper!!! At Gazometre, Hawthorn does not seem to realise that he is being lapped by Villoresi, and swipes across the front of him - which causes both to come in and pit to repair the damage!

Villoresi loses ground to Castellotti, Kling, Brabham, Wharton, Lucas and Salvadori as a result of that - and that one incident could well have cost him a top 10 place!!!

*Lap 66* - Castellotti pits this time, dropping from 8th to 13th behind Salvadori. Villoresi is around 10 seconds behind him in 14th place. Meanwhile Piotti pits for the 3rd time, and it seems that in Hawthorn's pit-stop they forgot to refuel him - not that it really matters, given that he has around a 13 lap advantage over his nearest rival!

*Lap 67* - A quieter lap here, with Lucas pressuring Wharton and Villoresi taking a second out of Castellotti the only real points of interest.

*Lap 68* - Collins and Bayol both pit, but whilst the man in 2nd stays there the Frenchman is unable to come out ahead of Maglioli - though this is the closest he's come to managing it as he's only 3 seconds down on the Lancia!

*Lap 69* - Bayol is instantly quicker than the Lancia, and laying into his lead by taking about 0.5 seconds out of his 3 second advantage. Lucas is still pressuring Wharton, but to no avail, Villoresi is now just 6 seconds behind Castellotti and Whiteaway is now under 30 seconds down on Simon.

*Lap 70* - Another 0.5 seconds is what Bayol grabs from Maglioli here, whilst Villoresi is less than 5 seconds down on Castellotti now.

*Lap 71* - Bayol is now on the back of Maglioli, and he'll be able to have a go at the Lancia next time around. Meanwhile Collins needs to be worried about Farina lapping him - he's around 7 seconds up the road from an embarrassing moment!

*Lap 72* - Bayol is now being held up by the Lancia - can the Maserati duo chasing (about 35 seconds down) possibly capitalise?!?

*Lap 73* - Farina is pushing hard, and is now only 4 seconds off lapping 2nd place! Bayol is still being held up by Maglioli, and Brabham is another Lancia under pressure, as he has Wharton and Lucas for company in their HWMs.

*Lap 74* - It's about 2.3 seconds between the leading duo now, whilst Kling's tyres are beginning to lose grip as he sets a rather slow lap-time. Meanwhile near the back McAlpine comes round to lap Piotti at Chicane du Port, and the Arzani does not give him enough room, meaning they touch!!! Both are damaged, but can continue, though Sparken (38 seconds down) and Simon (40 seconds behind) respectively will be keen to take advantage.

*Lap 75* - Farina is right on the back of Collins now, and looking to complete the ultimate feat of lapping the entire field! Kling comes in to change his worn tyres, and comes out in 14th place behind Villoresi - who will be mightily relieved not to be behind the Mercedes again.

That now puts 2 HWMs inside the top 10, with both Wharton and Lucas exerting a lot of pressure on Brabham's Lancia as it stands. Villoresi is now just 1.4 seconds down on Castellotti too. Also on this lap Iglesias and da Silva Ramos pit for the 3rd time.

Whiteaway is also less than 20 seconds down on Simon as things stands, and Claes pits too - though many will be surprised he is still racing!

*Lap 76* - Villoresi is pushing hard to get past Castellotti, but is only on the back of him as it stands. Bayol is also pushing hard to catch Maglioli, and the big question at the back is; will Whiteaway catch Simon before the Gordini driver overhauls the ailing Piotti.

*Lap 77* - Farina laps Collins, and so despite some resistance the Ferrari has now lapped the entire field! Again Lucas and Wharton are pressuring the Lancia of Brabham, but to no avail.

*Lap 78* - Bayol is now right behind Maglioli, and pressuring the Lancia for 4th place - but right now the Lancia's are the widest cars on a particularly narrow track!

*Lap 79* - Hermann comes in to the pits, and emerges in 7th place behind Perdisa. Also pitting on this lap is McAlpine, who comes in to fix the damage on his HWM, which allows Sparken to claim 19th place.

*Lap 80* - Farina pits, and of course emerges in the lead - though now less than 1 minute ahead of Collins. Moss pits and comes out 3rd still, whilst on the outskirts of the top 10 Lucas and Salvadori both come in to gift 10th place to Castellotti and 11th to Kling.

Lucas emerges in 12th position, with Birger up to 13th and Salvadori out in 14th place. Villoresi also pits and despite a quicker stop than the Mercedes ahead of him he still comes out in 15th position.

Further back Rolt pits from 16th, which lets Fairman pass him - and Simon has now closed the gap to the damaged Piotti to around 7 seconds!

*Lap 81* - Fairman pits, which lets Rolt back through into 16th place. Both Fitch and Sparken come in, which allows McAlpine back past the Connaught into 19th position. Whiteaway's race is unfortunately over though, as he comes to a halt just past Le Tunnel clearly out of fuel.

*Lap 82* - Bayol gets neck-and-neck with Maglioli, but he still cannot get past as the Lancia holds the inside line as they go into Sainte Devote! Meanwhile Wharton pits, and lets both Castellotti and Kling through - although he does at least come out ahead of Lucas, which gives him a great shot at being top HWM and finishing inside the top 10.

Birger also comes in on this lap, which lets both Salvadori and Villoresi through comfortably. Simon also gets past Piotti on this lap, as the Arzani is clearly struggling with its damage.

*Lap 83* - Collins has managed 3 laps in a row faster than Farina - and though it might be less than 0.5 of a second that he has gained it's at least a start! Bayol is still hounding Maglioli, though ultimately with no success as yet.

*Lap 84* - Collins pits from 2nd place, and maintains his position, whilst Maglioli pits to give 4th back to Bayol - at least briefly! However there's disaster for Maserati, as Perdisa grinds to a halt at Portier 2, thankfully the marshals are able to pull the car away though. But that's going to give another driver a chance to be inside the top 10 - including possibly Castellotti, which is at least a small silver lining for the Italian marque!

Brabham pits for the final time, and that lets both Castellotti and Kling through. The HWMs weren't far behind, but they didn't do enough to close the gap while they were free. Further back Simon pits, and that lets Piotti back through despite his damage.

*Lap 85* - Bayol pits on this lap, but sadly hasn't done enough to get ahead - as Maglioli roars past with only a 0.5 second lead! As we near the final stages of the race, tyres are wearing out and fuel is beginning to run low, and it's just a matter of time before someone makes a mistake!

*Lap 86* - Castellotti makes what is expected to be the final stop for one of the top 10 here, and as he sits in the pits first Kling, then Brabham, then Wharton & finally Lucas all come pouring past the pit-exit, which demotes the Maserati to 11th place - meaning 2 HWMs now sit inside the top 10!!!

Villoresi is right on the back of Salvadori in the battle for 12th, and Bayol is still of course pressuring Maglioli, though those are now the main battles on track.

*Lap 87* - Farina has lapped Collins (again!), whilst it's a fairly quiet lap besides that…

*Lap 88* - Villoresi has a run at Salvadori, but is unable to make the move stick - meanwhile near the back Piotti comes in to FINALLY fix his car, which promotes Simon's Gordini to 23rd. Hawthorn also pits on this lap - which could dent his chances of passing the stricken Arzani-Volpini or Whiteaway.

*Lap 89* - In a much quieter lap, the focus is still on Bayol vs Maglioli and Villoresi vs Salvadori - though currently there's no movement on either front.

*Lap 90* - Disaster strikes for Vanwall!!! Collins collides with the barriers at Tabac, as he pushes hard to try and unlap himself from Farina!

He limps into the pits, and while the mechanics go to work on his car the seconds tick by as Moss gets closer and closer - through Le Tunnel, across Chicane du Port, around Tabac…down to Gazometre…and as the Vanwall finally gets going the Ferrari is making its way down the pit straight, but it's not going to be enough time for Moss, who is still some 6 seconds down on his adversary.

*Lap 91* - Salvadori is starting to pull away from Villoresi slightly, though the Bayol vs Maglioli fight is still on.

*Lap 92* - Villoresi is getting closer to Salvadori again, but he's still a few seconds away.

*Lap 93* - Maglioli pulls out a couple of seconds over Bayol, whilst it's 2.2 seconds between Villoresi and Salvadori now.

*Lap 94* - Farina sets another fastest lap! He has truly dominated this race.

*Lap 95* - Both Bayol and Villoresi draw back into the wake of their respective targets - but they are running out of time to make their moves!

*Lap 96* - Villoresi continues to push hard, but Salvadori is holding firm in 12th - meanwhile Simon is pushing hard to catch the stricken Perdisa and claim 22nd, but he's still some way off!

*Lap 97* - A STUNNING LAP-TIME FROM FARINA! The Ferrari driver sets a 1:32.5, which is utterly brilliant - and beyond compare today. Bayol is right on the back of Maglioli too, as it stands.

*Lap 98* - Brabham is really gaining on Kling, as the Mercedes' tyres seem to be giving up on him…meanwhile a brilliant lap from Villoresi applies more pressure to Salvadori.

*Lap 99* - Brabham is now right behind Kling, and in with a legitimate shot at taking 7th place from the Mercedes! Bayol is also STILL pursuing Maglioli too.

*Lap 100* - Final lap of the race, and of course it's Farina that claims the race victory - with no-one even on the same lap as him!!! Given that he also has Pole Position and Fastest Lap he becomes only the 5th driver to claim a hat-trick in an F1R race!

Collins will take 2nd place for the 2nd race in a row - but he wasn't even close to Farina this time! Moss claims 3rd for Ferrari, which is 1 better than last time - with Maglioli in a great 4th place to score the 1st points this season for Lancia. 5th is claimed by Bayol in the Vanwall, who rounds out the point-scorers today.

Hermann is a step closer to the points than last time, but 6th is still not worth anything for the defending champion. Brabham gets to Gazometre right on Kling's tail, and he dives up the inside of the Mercedes to dry and take the place - and he manages it! Stunning final corner overtake for the Lancia to claim 7th position.

Worse is to come for Kling though, as the overtake pushes him wide - and Wharton, ever the opportunist, follows the Lancia through to take an impressive 8th place for HWM. Kling finishes 9th, thanks to some seriously worn tyres, ahead of Lucas in 10th place.

Despite a last-lap brush with the barriers Castellotti finishes 11th, from Salvadori 12th, Villoresi 13th, Birger a strong 14th for Gordini, Rolt 15th for Connaught, Fairman 16th, Fitch 17th, McAlpine 18th, Sparken 19th and Iglesias in 20th for Ferrari.

Da Silva Ramos finishes 21st, with Simon 22nd for Gordini, Perdisa at the road-side in 23rd, with Piotti in 24th as he runs out of fuel at the last. Hawthorn finishes 25th a long way down, with Whiteaway out in 26th and Claes only just over half-distance in a lowly 27th place.

Finally Ascari was out in 28th, whilst former podium sitter Menditeguy, Pollet and Mieres all went out on lap 1 in what was a long, but action-packed Monaco Grand Prix!!!

## Race Setups

**How close setups were to perfect**

* 0.298120000000001 Ken Wharton
* 0.332720000000001 Jean Lucas
* 0.52992 Stirling Moss
* 0.593856 Jack Brabham
* 0.596000000000002 Pablo Birger
* 0.611456 Giuseppe Farina
* 0.6628 Tony Rolt
* 0.670784 Umberto Maglioli
* 0.689888000000001 Cesare Perdisa
* 0.692048 Hans Herrmann
* 0.736512000000004 Karl Kling
* 0.748608 Elie Bayol
* 0.783104 Jack Fairman
* 0.813456000000001 Eugenio Castellotti
* 0.857632 Peter Collins
* 1.133344 Alberto Ascari
* 1.229248 John Fitch
* 1.263392 Luigi Villoresi
* 1.59892 Mike Sparken
* 1.79792 Kenneth McAlpine
* 2.656672 Roy Salvadori
* 2.66772 Jesus Iglesias
* 3.87684 Hermano da Silva Ramos
* 6.829 Ted Whiteaway
* 7.32288 Luigi Piotti
* 7.791424 André Simon
* 15.64048 Mike Hawthorn
* 22.7984 Johnny Claes