THE LEGEND OF THE GRAND PRIX OF MONACOBY ROY HULSBERGEN
13th GP - 1955
GP de l’Europe 21st May 3.145 km - 100 laps - 314.5 km
Practice: The first real Formula 1 race since 1951 and Monaco is again the European GP. For security reasons the starting grid is limited to twenty cars. The starting line is moved away from the 'Gasworks' hairpin. Vanwall make their first appearance at Monaco. By taking short cuts over the curbs, Fangio beats Caracciola's record by a massive 5.3 seconds; in panic, the other drivers follow suit. Hans Hermann, Fangio's team mate, over doing it a little, drives his car into the concrete ramp at the Casino. Moss, driving Fangio's car, gets within 1/10 of a second of his time and in the last lap of practice. Then Ascari equals this. Before the start fifteen drivers have beaten Caracciola's record.
Fastest lap: Fangio, Mercedes 1’42”4 - 110.568 km/h
Retired:
Musso
lap 8
transmission
Rosier
lap 9
oil
Hawthorn
lap 23
accelerator
Simon
lap 25
oil leak
Fangio
lap 50
gearbox
Bayol
lap 64
suspension
Mieres
lap 65
suspension
Schell
lap 69
engine
Moss
lap 81
gearbox
Ascari
lap 81
accident
Behra/Perdisa
lap 87
clutch
World Driver Championship
1955
date
winner
Champion
Buenos Aires
01-16
Juan Manuel Fangio
Monte Carlo
05-22
Maurice Trintignant
Indianapolis
05-30
Bob Sweikert
Spa Francorchamps
06-05
Juan Manuel Fangio
Zandvoort
06-19
Juan Manuel Fangio
Aintree
07-16
Stirling Moss
Juan Manuel Fangio
Monza
09-11
Juan Manuel Fangio
World Constructor Championship
1955
RA
MC
IN
BE
NL
GB
IT
total
Mercedes
12
1
15
14
22
15
79
Ferrari
10
11
7
2
4
34
Maserati
2
4
2
8
2
5
23
John Zink
8
8
Scud Lancia
8
8
H A Chapman
6
6
Pat Clancy
4
4
Peter Schmidt
3
3
Merz Eng.
2
2
L. Hopkins
1
1
J. Massaglia
0
Equipe Gordini
0
Race The Mercedes W196 short of 1955 denominated “Monaco” had as opposed to the previous year moved the brakes back into the wheels.
Moss is first off but Fangio over takes him in the Gasworks hairpin, leaving his team mate under the attack of Castellotti. Ascari closes up, but Behra wants a piece of the action and overtakes the two Lancia’s,
But Behra has to visit the pits and so does Castellotti for hitting a curb. Meanwhile “Petoulet” Trintignant was driving a careful race and eats himself to 4th place.
Then Fangio has stopped at the station gearbox 'kaput' and Moss is the leader with 50 laps to go and Maurice in third place. Lap 75 shows Moss with 1’28” advance on Ascari and Trintignant all pleased in third.
Then in lap 81 in the chicane thick fumes escape from the bonnet of Moss’s Mercedes, barely holding his car with one hand, trying to keep the oil fumes out of his face with the other hand he enters the pits.
Ascari takes the lead with Trintignant 20 seconds behind.
Immediately after in lap 82, Ascari with fading brakes, slips on an oil puddle, misses the chicane, spins, the rear heads into the crash barrier, then plunges with a tremendous splash right into the port. Ascari was quickly saved from the freezing port water.
Thus the pertinent Trintignant in the lead with wavering oil pressure. Castellotti on the contrary pushes up the pressure. But Trintignant is driving with a cotton foot and the “old” Ferrari produces a second life, taking another couple of seconds off Castellotti. It is the first time a Frenchman wins a Monaco Grand Prix and the first time Monaco is run under 3 hours. At the Mercedes stand the faces were grim.
THE LEGEND OF THE GRAND PRIX OF MONACO BY ROY HULSBERGEN
Then in lap 81 in the chicane thick fumes escape from the bonnet of Moss’s Mercedes, barely holding his car with one hand, trying to keep the oil fumes out of his face with the other hand he enters the pits.