TRIBUTES, NOVELTIES,
CONTINUITY & VERSATILITY!
The 13th Edition of Grand Prix de
Monaco Historique will look a lot like its predecessors, although with a few exceptions, and priority will be given once again to Formula One
single-seaters which wrote the greatest pages of the legend of this mythical
event, in keeping with the guidelines set by the Organising and Selection
Committee of Automobile Club de Monaco (ACM). In 2022, around 200 cars will
fight in eight series and races set on an authentic and majestic stage, the famous
circuit of the Principality …
This
13th edition
will be marked by the first outing, at GP de Monaco Historique, of a more
recent generation of Formula 1 single-seaters (Race G) which, between 1981 and
1985, were powered by the very last versions of the iconic 1967 Ford Cosworth DFV V8
engine. In the history books, in 1982 and 1983, Italy's Michele Alboreto, in a
Tyrrell 011, won the last two Grands Prix of a long series
for Cosworth, the robust English engine faced with the growing challenge of
turbo engines, an era started by Renault in 1977.
This "1981-85" period was also when Alain Prost won the first two of his
four Monaco wins, and the first of his four world titles. And it was also the
moment when a young Brazilian by the name of Ayrton Senna burst on the Formula
1 scene, especially in 1984, driving a Toleman in the rain. This race made him
famous almost instantly and opened the doors of the Lotus-Renault Team to him,
leading to his first two F1 wins in 1985.
In addition to the
presence of 14 Formula 1 single-seaters having won at least one World
Championship Grand Prix, and 120 other F1 cars (including 90 powered by a
3-litre engine between 1966 and 1985), this 2022 edition will also be a great
opportunity to celebrate two anniversaries:
The 40th anniversary of the death of Colin
Chapman, the amazing founder and manager of Lotus, will be
the first thing to celebrate at the 13th edition
of Grand Prix de Monaco Historique, with over 35 Lotus cars despatched in
seven out of eight racing series:
- Race A2: 4 "Type 16"
- Race B: 17 cars, including 10 "Type 18", one of them victorious in Monaco when driven by Stirling Moss in 1961, as well as 2 "Type 21", one of them having won in Belgium driven by Innes Ireland also in 1961, and 5 "Type 24".
- Race C: 2 "Type 10"
- Race D: 2 "Type 72" identical to the cars driven by Jochen Rindt in 1970 and Emerson Fittipaldi in 1972 when they became World Champions.
- Race E: 1 "Type 72 E", 1 "Type 76" and 3 "Type 77" including the winning car at the Japanese Grand Prix 1976 in the hands of Mario Andretti.
- Race F: 1 "Type 81" and 1 of the famous "Type 78" which introduced ground effect in Formula 1, a very innovative feature that all teams and all single-seater categories adopted then.
- Race G: 2 "Type 87", 1 famous 88B with a double chassis which was ruled illegal and barred from racing at the time, 3 "Type 91" including the winning car driven by Elio de Angelis at Austrian Grand Prix 1982, 1 "Type 92" marking the end of the Cosworth DFV era for Lotus as well as being the last car of the Chapman era.
2022
also marks the 70th anniversary
of the one and only Grand Prix Automobile de Monaco organized
off-championship because it was entered by sportscars instead of
single-seaters. Among the cars entered in this 1952 edition, the Frazer Nash "Le Mans Replica Mk2" was driven by Tony Crook who took the 3rd place in this
unique “Prix de Monte-Carlo” among a field of sportscars powered by a 2-litre maximum engine.
As a whole, the
outstanding rarity of the field will have everything to please spectators
during three days, with eight very different starting grids. Competitors will
be able to share with the public their passion for competition at the highest
level of motor racing, in authentic racing situations. In addition to the smell
and noise characteristic of ancient racing cars, on a track which was set up in
the heart of the Principality of Monaco, in 1929, and of which 80% remains the
same, used every year at the end of May by the ultimate modern cars entered in
the Formula 1 FIA World Championship…

Find out more...