17th GrandPrix - 1959

Practice: 1958 was a dire year for drivers with the death's of Luigi Musso (ACF), Peter Collins (Germany), World Champion Mike Hawthorn (road) and Stuart Lewis Evans (Morocco).
16 cars at the start: 6 Cooper, 3 Ferrari Dino 246, 1 Ferrari 156 F2, 3 BRM, 2 Lotus, 1 Porsche. Stirling Moss in Cooper in pole position. The mid engine Coopers are the ideal machinery on this circuit. Vanwall had retired from racing. Stirling Moss signed up with Walker and Tony Brooks went to Ferrari. Jean Behra had developed on the basis of a Porsche RSK a single seater F2, designed by Colotti and build in Modena by Tec-Mec. Maria Theresa de Filippi (one of the very few female gp drivers) did not manage to qualify this trans european effort. This year Monaco opens the season. Jean Behra starts by breaking the previous lap record, then it is Brabham's turn and then a unleashed Moss beats them all. Under the watchfull eye of Juan Manuel Fangio, who is a much honoured spectator.

Race
Right from the start Jean Behra in Ferrari commands the field and holds this position.
Already in lap 2, Von Trips in the F2 Porsche spins on some oil in the Ste-Devote and Allison and Halford turn it into a major pile up, while dispensing liberate quantities of oil on the track.
The top group during 20 laps consists of Behra, Moss and Brabham. until Behra slows down, then Stirling Moss takes over in the 25th lap and does not just stay up front, he breaks the lap record with 1’40”4 at 112,950 km/h.

Accident on Beau Rivage

Next it was Graham Hill to burst into flames in the Mirabeau. According to Graham: "When I come down to the station, I see in my mirror a cloud of smoke...My god someone caught fire!" I turn right into Mirabeau and suddenly a flame jumps out from under my arm pit. It was me who was on fire!
"First thing is to stop and jump out. But that was not so easy. "I put my hands on the rear wheels to push myself out, but letting go off the break pedal, the car started rolling down hill again and I fell back in my seat. A second try, I did not manage either. I let the car roll and steer against the curb till it stopped, then I got out as fast as I could, because the flames got mighty high. I quickly got away, but then thought if the car burns, I have no car for the GP of Zandvoort. I quickly get my arm in the cockpit to grab the fire extinguisher. A mechanic had it fixed down with metal wire and it took me a while to undo the mesh. In the end this baby extinguisher did nothing. Then a fireman arrives with a huge fire extinguisher, but instead of using it, he started reading the instructions! I tore the cannister away from him, hit the red button and stopped my car from consuming away.

Allisin and Halford in station hairpin

Tony Brooks, in Ferrari tries to catch up but to no avail. Then the engine of Behra explodes in the Gasworks corner.
Maurice Trintignant, last years winner  manages to pass Phil Hill and keeps his third place even though having half a gearbox and holding off Phil Hill in his Ferrari, who ends up in fourth position.
At the Casino square the race loses Schell and then Bonnier.
In lap 82 the gearbox of Moss's Cooper gives up and he abandons. Phil Hill in his fury to try to keep up, re-designs with each lap his Ferrari using the barriers, to the great dismay of the Ferrari engineer. The poor Tony Brooks, because of a broken exhaust pipe and thus receiving the gasses in the cockpit, became so sick that he could not stop vomiting, however he managed to keep the second spot occupied. Jack Brabaham won his first Grand Prix.
The Coopers started their invasion.