SPORT Grand Prix de Monaco Historique, Day 2, Qualifying - as it happens

8 different eras of motorsport. 3 glorious days of racing. 1 iconic track. This is the 13th Grand Prix de Monaco Historique. And as its official sponsor and timekeeper, we’re going to bring you all the action from qualifying and race day. It’s going to be a blistering ride, and a very nostalgic weekend of racing.

But before we start on today’s action, let’s take a pitstop, shall we? Here are the highlights from yesterday’s practice session. You can also head to our all-access Day 1 summary here.

On a sunny Friday morning, Prince Albert II of Monaco inaugurated the Grand Prix de Monaco Historique. He visited the paddock to see more than 180 exceptional cars and drivers raring to get on the track.

You would think that the new-age Formula One cars are far ahead of these vintage race cars. But the Series E cars from the seventies threw those assumptions out of the window. They set incredible lap times, just 10 to 15 seconds off the current lap records.

Everyone was expecting a friendly, relatively non-confrontational practice session. But you’ve got to remember that it’s in every racing driver’s DNA to push their car, whatever car they’re in, to the limit. And you could see that when you saw the 2 Tyrrells of Ian Simmonds and Ken Tyrrell tangle just before Rascasse. We hope they’re both OK.

We’ve seen mechanics working late into the night, getting these racing beasts ready for qualifying. We’ve seen the marshals watching over the drivers. We’ve seen doctors and medics walking around the track. We can’t forget that these people also play a big part in making this race happen. If it isn’t for them, the drivers and the fans wouldn’t be able to stage such a spectacle.

And now, let’s head over to qualifying…

Saturday, 14th of May

It’s qualifying! Each series, from the pre-war era cars to the 1980s F1 cars, will be battling it out to see who can seize pole position for the race on Sunday. Each qualifying session will last around 25 to 30 minutes. So sit tight, it’s time to race through time.

8:45am 

Graham Hill: Race B – Rear-engine, 1500, F1 Grand Prix cars (1961-1965) and F2 (1956-1960)

31 racing cars

And we’re off! The first set of qualifying results are in. American Joseph Colasacco steers his Ferrari to pole position. 1:47.631 is his time. Not bad at all for an old race car. The second and third places go to Mark Shaw driving the Lotus and Christopher Drake in the Cooper.

9:45am 

Louis Chiron: Race A1 – Pre-war Grand Prix cars

20 racing cars

Wow! Mark Gillies takes his No. 58 pre-war car to pole position with a scintillating lap. He’s beaten second place Nicholas Topliss by 1.115 seconds! The third starting position goes to Anthony Sinopoli in the Maserati.

10:30am 

Juan Manual Fangio: Race A2 – Front-engine Grand Prix cars built before 1961

20 racing cars

Red flag! The amazing marshals are called upon to clear cars 50 and 30 off the racetrack. 

10:59am 

Juan Manual Fangio: Race A2 – Front-engine Grand Prix cars built before 1961

20 racing cars

So quick, so good. German Alex Birkenstock takes the Ferrari 246 (Dino) to the top of the grid with a lap time of 1:52.421. (The fastest time of the day?)

11:55am 

Jackie Stewart: Race D – F1 Grand Prix cars 3L (1966 – 1972)

19 racing cars

The sky is overcast, but things are hotting up in Monaco. We’ve gone from the pre-war era all the way to the cars built before 1961. And now, with the Race D voitures, we’re seeing how car design took a giant leap. Stuart Hall has just put his white and orange McLaren M19A at the front of the grid. Look at that lap time. 1:30.096.

12:15pm 

Niki Lauda: Race E – F1 Grand Prix cars 3L (1973 – 1976)

27 racing cars

The pit lane is a thing of beauty. You can hear the mighty roar of seventies engines. Stuart Hall, the pilot who put the old McLaren M19A on pole in Race D, is back for Race E. This time he’s strapping into another classic: the McLaren M23.

12:55pm

You know what, Stuart Hall is having the time of his life. He’s just steered his way to another pole position! Brazilian Roberto Moreno takes his place behind Hall in the Lola T370, and Marco Werner completes the top 3 with his Lotus 76. An Italian commentator is treating this like a proper Grand Prix with his quick, energetic delivery. The crowd is loving every bit of it.

13:00pm

The views from the hospitality lounge are stunning. We’re surrounded by guests of TAG Heuer, watch aficionados who love motorsport and Circuit de Monaco. From this vantage point, you can see the pit lane, the cars zooming past and at least five buildings with the locals watching the action from their balconies. Racing is like oxygen over here.

14:30pm

Vittorio Marzotto: Race C – Sport Racing cars – front engine (1952 – 1957)

34 racing cars

The crowds are ambling back to their seats after lunch. Their stomachs may be full, but they’re still hungry for more racing. And so are we, to be honest. As seagulls start circling for leftovers, the Race C cars are getting out to fight for every scrap of this racetrack. 

14:55pm

Frederic Wakeman has shaken and stirred every inch out of his blue Cooper-Jaguar T38 (MK2). And that’s why he’s on pole position. Lukas Halusa completes the front row in a Maserati 300S. Sitting comfortably in third is Guillermo Fiero-Elleta, also in a Maserati 300S.

15:55pm

Gilles Villeneuve: Race F – F1 Grand Prix cars 3L (1977 – 1980)

19 racing cars

Oof, Race F suffers two red flags. The second one is the result of a little scuffle between cars 29 and 17. Car 29 tries to get on the inside of car 17. It was presumably on a flying lap. But car 17 was having none of it. Car 29 catches car 17 on the back wing, sending them both out. It’s safe to say neither of the drivers look happy with each other. 

16.15

Miles Griffiths takes pole position on the grid tomorrow. What a great session for the man piloting the yellow Fittipaldi F5A.

17:15pm

Ayrton Senna: Race G – F1 Grand Prix cars 3L from 1981 to 1985

22 racing cars

The final session ends aptly, with two Lotus cars locking out the front row. Marco Werner on pole with his Lotus 87B and Michael Lyons in second with his Lotus 92.

That’s it from qualifying!

There are going to be some cracking duels tomorrow. We hope you enjoyed following the race as much as we enjoyed sharing it with you. Join us again tomorrow for race day. 

Until then, you can read your all-access pass to Day 2 here.