The latest auto news, reviews, prices, product and vehicle releases. May
22nd
Stay connected Subscribe to our RSS feed
Love it or hate it, Monaco is the jewel in the Formula 1 calendar's crown; if it wasn't, it wouldn't have been around for what will be 71 years.
The great, the good and the glamorous take to the various yachts, apartments and bars which surround the 3.3 kilometre street circuit to see Formula 1 drivers doing what they do best; race on an absolute knife edge on a track that has no margin for error.
Whilst the undulations and narrow nature of the Monaco circuit at times lead to processional races, when the circuit delivers a good race, it does so in style.
As a result, Auto123.com has delved into the archives and found top five of the most iconic Grands Prix of the last three decades held around the streets of the principality.
1
1992: Senna makes it four in a row
Following his disappointment of 1988, Ayrton Senna went on an offensive in Monaco between 1989 and 1993 to reign supreme and take five consecutive victories to add to his first there, which he scored behind the wheel of a Lotus Honda in 1987. Of all the Brazilian's victories around the principality however, 1992 would arguably rank as his finest. After inheriting the lead in a relatively average McLaren Honda on lap 70 when the first placed Nigel Mansell was forced to pit due to a loose wheel nut, Senna managed to keep Mansell at bay to take the win by 0.215s, despite the significantly quicker Williams managing to close the gap from 5.2 to 1.9 seconds in just two laps. After the race, Senna described the race as like “driving on ice” after having completed the entire 78 lap race distance on the same set of tires.
2
1988: Senna sees god and shunts
Although 1988 was marked by McLaren's inter-team battle, its on-track domination in which it won 15 of 16 races and to top it off, Ayrton Senna's first title, it was also the year that saw the Brazilian throw away victory whilst it was in his grasp. As expected, the Marlboro liveried cars dominated qualifying with Senna taking pole from teammate Prost by 1.4 seconds. Following the session, Senna claimed “suddenly, I realised that I was no longer driving consciously and I was kind of driving by instinct only, [...] I was well beyond my conscious understanding.” Come the race, Senna's form was such that by lap 67, he had a 40 second advantage over Prost with 12 laps to go, until he slammed his McLaren Honda into the barrier which separates the entrance of the tunnel from the Mediterranean sea. The incident saw the Brazilian immediately storm back to his apartment without debriefing with the team. Much like another McLaren driver, Kimi Raikkonen, did after suffering an engine failure in the 2006 race...
3
1982: Running on empty; Patrese wins amidst leader chaos
In a race that was largely uneventful until the final four laps, the race win looked set to go to Renault's Alain Prost, who inherited the lead from teammate Rene Arnoux after the latter crashed. However, with an uncharacteristic mistake, Prost crashed his Renault coming out of the chicane and gifted the lead to Ricardo Patrese, who in turn spun and stalled his car at the Loew's hairpin. The lead changed once again, with Didier Pironi assuming the lead in the sole Ferrari, after the team elected to race one car following the death of Gilles Villeneuve at the previous race in Zolder. When Pironi's car slowed in the tunnel due to a lack of fuel, Andrea de Cesaris assumed what should have been first position, but the Italian's car suffered the same fate before it could pass the stricken Ferrari. Derek Daly, at the time driving a Williams-Ford, then took the lead, but suffered a gearbox failure as he crossed the line to start his final lap. Meanwhile amidst the chaos, Patrese had managed the bump-start his Brabham-Ford and crossed the line to take the win ahead of Pironi and De Cesaris.
4
2004: Trulli wins race he ‘shouldn't have won''
If you ask Jarno Trulli what his favourite Formula 1 memory was, Monaco 2004 will be the answer. However, he'll also tell you he wasn't supposed to win it, due to the Italian's wish to be released from his management contract with team principal Flavio Briatore, as well as seeking a pay-rise from Renault. However, Trulli put the politics behind him and turned up in Monaco nine years ago looking like a man who was destined to win his first and only Grand Prix after having solidly outpaced teammate Fernando Alonso in the previous races. He stamped his authority on the weekend by taking pole ahead of Ralf Schumacher, and then went on win ahead of Button and Barrichello on a weekend which saw drivers such as Michael Schumacher and Juan-Pablo Montoya lose their cool; the pair were caught up in a bizarre incident in the tunnel, which saw Montoya - who was a lap down - plough into the back of the Ferrari under a safety car period caused by the Ralf/Alonso incident, whilst Schumacher was warming his F2004's brakes.
5
1996: Panis wins Ligier's last Monaco race
Much like Jarno Trulli, Olivier Panis' sole Grand Prix win came at Monaco in 1996. The Frenchman qualified 14th in the Mugen powered Ligier, some two seconds off of Schumacher's pole lap. The early stages of the race seemed to signify that the win would come down to a battle between the dominant Williams of Damon Hill, Schumacher's Ferrari and Jean Alesi's Benetton. However, in a race that bucked the form guide, none of the three favourites finished, with Schumacher opening proceedings after he slid off halfway around the first lap, a mistake that gave Hill the lead. However, the Williams' engine gave way in the tunnel, which promoted Alesi to top-spot. The French/Sicilian's hopes of a second career victory were halted however, when his suspension failed on lap 60 with 15 to go. This gave Panis the lead after the Frenchman had made a well-timed stop for slick tires earlier in the race; a move which saw him move steadily through the field, to take his only, and Ligier's first win in 15 years by 4.8 seconds from David Coulthard's McLaren.
The great, the good and the glamorous take to the various yachts, apartments and bars which surround the 3.3 kilometre street circuit to see Formula 1 drivers doing what they do best; race on an absolute knife edge on a track that has no margin for error.
Whilst the undulations and narrow nature of the Monaco circuit at times lead to processional races, when the circuit delivers a good race, it does so in style.
As a result, Auto123.com has delved into the archives and found top five of the most iconic Grands Prix of the last three decades held around the streets of the principality.
1
1992: Senna makes it four in a row
Following his disappointment of 1988, Ayrton Senna went on an offensive in Monaco between 1989 and 1993 to reign supreme and take five consecutive victories to add to his first there, which he scored behind the wheel of a Lotus Honda in 1987. Of all the Brazilian's victories around the principality however, 1992 would arguably rank as his finest. After inheriting the lead in a relatively average McLaren Honda on lap 70 when the first placed Nigel Mansell was forced to pit due to a loose wheel nut, Senna managed to keep Mansell at bay to take the win by 0.215s, despite the significantly quicker Williams managing to close the gap from 5.2 to 1.9 seconds in just two laps. After the race, Senna described the race as like “driving on ice” after having completed the entire 78 lap race distance on the same set of tires.
2
1988: Senna sees god and shunts
Although 1988 was marked by McLaren's inter-team battle, its on-track domination in which it won 15 of 16 races and to top it off, Ayrton Senna's first title, it was also the year that saw the Brazilian throw away victory whilst it was in his grasp. As expected, the Marlboro liveried cars dominated qualifying with Senna taking pole from teammate Prost by 1.4 seconds. Following the session, Senna claimed “suddenly, I realised that I was no longer driving consciously and I was kind of driving by instinct only, [...] I was well beyond my conscious understanding.” Come the race, Senna's form was such that by lap 67, he had a 40 second advantage over Prost with 12 laps to go, until he slammed his McLaren Honda into the barrier which separates the entrance of the tunnel from the Mediterranean sea. The incident saw the Brazilian immediately storm back to his apartment without debriefing with the team. Much like another McLaren driver, Kimi Raikkonen, did after suffering an engine failure in the 2006 race...
 |
| Ayrton Senna, McLaren-Honda. (Photo: WRi2) |
3
1982: Running on empty; Patrese wins amidst leader chaos
In a race that was largely uneventful until the final four laps, the race win looked set to go to Renault's Alain Prost, who inherited the lead from teammate Rene Arnoux after the latter crashed. However, with an uncharacteristic mistake, Prost crashed his Renault coming out of the chicane and gifted the lead to Ricardo Patrese, who in turn spun and stalled his car at the Loew's hairpin. The lead changed once again, with Didier Pironi assuming the lead in the sole Ferrari, after the team elected to race one car following the death of Gilles Villeneuve at the previous race in Zolder. When Pironi's car slowed in the tunnel due to a lack of fuel, Andrea de Cesaris assumed what should have been first position, but the Italian's car suffered the same fate before it could pass the stricken Ferrari. Derek Daly, at the time driving a Williams-Ford, then took the lead, but suffered a gearbox failure as he crossed the line to start his final lap. Meanwhile amidst the chaos, Patrese had managed the bump-start his Brabham-Ford and crossed the line to take the win ahead of Pironi and De Cesaris.
4
2004: Trulli wins race he ‘shouldn't have won''
If you ask Jarno Trulli what his favourite Formula 1 memory was, Monaco 2004 will be the answer. However, he'll also tell you he wasn't supposed to win it, due to the Italian's wish to be released from his management contract with team principal Flavio Briatore, as well as seeking a pay-rise from Renault. However, Trulli put the politics behind him and turned up in Monaco nine years ago looking like a man who was destined to win his first and only Grand Prix after having solidly outpaced teammate Fernando Alonso in the previous races. He stamped his authority on the weekend by taking pole ahead of Ralf Schumacher, and then went on win ahead of Button and Barrichello on a weekend which saw drivers such as Michael Schumacher and Juan-Pablo Montoya lose their cool; the pair were caught up in a bizarre incident in the tunnel, which saw Montoya - who was a lap down - plough into the back of the Ferrari under a safety car period caused by the Ralf/Alonso incident, whilst Schumacher was warming his F2004's brakes.
 |
| Jarno Trulli, Renault. (Photo: WRi2) |
5
1996: Panis wins Ligier's last Monaco race
Much like Jarno Trulli, Olivier Panis' sole Grand Prix win came at Monaco in 1996. The Frenchman qualified 14th in the Mugen powered Ligier, some two seconds off of Schumacher's pole lap. The early stages of the race seemed to signify that the win would come down to a battle between the dominant Williams of Damon Hill, Schumacher's Ferrari and Jean Alesi's Benetton. However, in a race that bucked the form guide, none of the three favourites finished, with Schumacher opening proceedings after he slid off halfway around the first lap, a mistake that gave Hill the lead. However, the Williams' engine gave way in the tunnel, which promoted Alesi to top-spot. The French/Sicilian's hopes of a second career victory were halted however, when his suspension failed on lap 60 with 15 to go. This gave Panis the lead after the Frenchman had made a well-timed stop for slick tires earlier in the race; a move which saw him move steadily through the field, to take his only, and Ligier's first win in 15 years by 4.8 seconds from David Coulthard's McLaren.
 |
| Olivier Panis, Ligier-Mugen. (Photo: WRi2) |