Monaco, 25 years since a Frenchman last won there
We all remember Olivier Panis's superb victory in Monaco in 1996. 25 years later, no French driver has managed to win in the Principality. Motors Inside looks back on the successes of our compatriots on Monegasque soil.
Six French drivers have registered their names on the list of this prestigious race, including five in the Formula 1 Grand Prix: Maurice Trintignant, Jean-Pierre Beltoise, Patrick Depailler, Alain Prost, and Olivier Panis.
René Dreyfus, first French winner
We told you the amazing story of the first edition of the Monaco Grand Prix in 1929 .
The following year, in 1930, the winner is still behind the wheel of a Bugatti, but this time it is the Frenchman René Dreyfus. Born on May 6, 1905 in Nice, he has been passionate about cars since a young age. Between 1924 and 1929, he won five amateur championships in France, catching the eye of Ernest Friedrich. Friedrich, an official Bugatti dealer in the southeast, managed to convince him to participate in the Monaco Grand Prix in 1929 driving the type 37A model. Dreyfus finished fifth overall and won his category in his first race as a professional driver.
For the 1930 edition, he is considered an outsider behind the wheel of his Bugatti type 35B. In fact, Automobiles Ettore Bugatti officially entered two type 35Cs, but entrusted them to Louis Chiron the Monegasque and Guy Bouriat another French representative.
Nevertheless, René Dreyfus knows he has a chance for the final victory. He developed a different strategy from his opponents by installing an additional tank on the passenger seat. Thus, he did not need to go through the pits to refuel and at the end of the one hundred laps, he won with a 23-second lead over Louis Chiron.
This victory does not convince Ettore Bugatti to hire him and the Frenchman continues his career in Italy in Bologna, at Maserati.
The five victorious French pilots
In 1950, the race became an official round of the Formula 1 World Championship. It was not until the 1955 edition that a Frenchman shone there. This was Maurice Trintignant at the wheel of his Ferrari. This vintage became famous after Alberto Ascari plunged into the Mediterranean Sea following the loss of control of his Lancia. The Italian driver escaped unharmed and Louis Trintignant subsequently became the first French driver to win in Formula 1.
Trintignant doubled down in 1958, this time behind the wheel of a less powerful Cooper T45 and after a perfect race. 1958, the year in which F1 adopted more conventional fuels, closer to those sold in stores.
It was not translatable, so I kept the same text: Il faut attendre 1972 pour que de nouveau un Français gagne la classique monégasque. Il s’agit de Jean-Pierre Beltoise au volant d’une BRM. Ils ne sont que deux à finir dans le même tour. Jacky Ickx sur Ferrari et Emerson Fittipaldi l’accompagnent sur le podium. Beltoise signe là sa seule victoire en F1 en menant le Grand Prix de bout en bout et en y signant le meilleur tour en course.
The French victories in the Principality are few and spaced out in time. It was in 1978 that a third French driver distinguished himself there: Patrick Depailler. At the wheel of his Tyrrell, he started fifth and took the lead on the 38th lap and never let go. He thus outpaced Niki Lauda and Jody Scheckter to achieve his first victory in F1. He would win a second time in Spain in 1979.
Alain Prost is the fourth Frenchman to win in the Principality. He achieved four victories there, including three in a row between 1984 and 1986 and then in 1988. He won them all driving a McLaren. In fact, for the 10 editions that took place between 1984 and 1993, there were only two winners: Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna.
His first success in Monaco may have left a bitter taste in Alain Prost’s mouth. He qualifies in pole position and Senna in 13th. Rain joins the program and in these conditions, the Brazilian driver is unbeatable. He indeed ensures a crazy comeback when, on the 31st lap, the race is interrupted. The rain makes the track too dangerous.
This red flag, correlated to the checkered flag, thus confirms Prost’s first success on Monegasque soil. But in the end, it may have cost him the world championship title.
Indeed, the race was not completed over 75% of its initial distance, so only half of the points are awarded to the drivers. Alain Prost fails in 1984 by half a point against Niki Lauda, who wins his third and final world title.
Looking back on the last French victory in Monaco, 25 years ago…
The fifth French winner is Olivier Panis, on May 19, 1996, 8 years after Alain Prost’s last success. In 1996, the victory is 100% French, with Panis driving a Ligier. This 54th edition was full of twists and turns. Qualified only 14th, he achieved an excellent first place in the Sunday morning warm-up. This raised regrets regarding the qualifying session but gave hope for the race. Everyone remembers the eventful 1982 edition, and rain is once again expected on Sunday afternoon.
On a track where overtaking seems complicated, a daring strategy must be established and Panis has clearly decided to take inspiration from René Dreyfus. Admittedly, in 1996, it is not possible to carry an additional tank, but engineers have calculated that if a certain number of laps are covered on a wet track (where fuel consumption is lower), then it will not be necessary to refuel.
The start of the race is incisive but thoughtful. Panis notably overtakes Johnny Herbert. Then, when the track is dry enough, the Ligier driver only needs to make a quick stop for a tire change. This allows him to come out fourth. In front of him remain only Damon Hill, Jean Alesi, and Eddie Irvine.
Very quickly he gets rid of the Irishman with a strong move at Loews where the Ferrari will have to retire. Panis is at that moment on the podium.
At that time, single-seaters are not as reliable as today and Damon Hill has to give up following an engine failure. Engine failure that also causes Panis to spin twice in the next lap, but without any consequences.
A French one-two is shaping up until the moment Jean Alesi’s Benetton also experiences a suspension issue. Unfortunately, Alesi adds his name to the long list of retirements and leaves the path to victory wide open for his compatriot.
Olivier Panis signs here his first and only success, ahead of David Coulthard’s McLaren.
Johnny Herbert’s Sauber.
