AMAZING FACTS ABOUT THE MONACO GRAND PRIX

 THE VERY FIRST WINNER OF THE MONACO GRAND PRIX WAS ... A SPY

William Grover, who drove his Bugatti to victory during the very first Monaco Grand Prix, was a World War II spy for the British intelligence service in France. Sadly, arrested by the Nazis at the end of the war, he was executed in Sachsenhausen concentration camp in 1945.

 AS EASY AS RIDING A BICYCLE

Fancy a cycle race around your own living room. It requires utmost concentration, precision, control and skill. That’s how Brazilian racer Nelson Piquet describes his racing experience. By the end of the race, the competitors would have made almost 5,000 gear changes around countless bends!

 JUMPING INTO THE WATER

The Mediterranean Sea is not just a beautiful background for the Monaco Grand Prix. Racers would sometimes find themselves careering overboard. According to the MotorSport magazine of 1965, Paul Hawkins hit the wooden barrier at the port side chicane entrance, flew over bales of straw and the edge of the quay, ending up straight in the sea. His Lotus sank, but the hardy Australian luckily surfaced and swam ashore. The rescue boats finished the job.

They do say that lightning never strikes the same place twice. However, ten years earlier, in 1955, Alberto Askari did the same very thing. Fortunately, the Italian pilot escaped with some nose injuries and a slight concussion.

 "THE BIG PANDEMONIUM"

Did you know that the legendary Fangio miraculously escaped a dip in the sea on the day of his first win in 1950? The quirky winds from the Mediterranean were to blame. Italian Nino Farina, the winner of the very first World Championship in 1950, at the end of the first lap due to the humidity of the track, made a mistake and collided with the Argentinean Gonzalez, thereby provoking a blockage of more than half of the riders. Fangio carefully drove around without colliding and won the race without any fight. Call it lucky. Either way, having won the Monaco Grand Prix four more times, Fangio has dispelled any doubts as to his virtuoso driving skills.

 THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF VICTORIES AND THE SMALLEST WINNING MARGINS

A record for number of victories at the Monaco Grand Prix — six — belongs to the Brazilian Ayrton Senna called the "King of Monaco". Senna also had a major opportunity to win in 1984 at the famous rainy Grand Prix when the race was stopped and Alain Prost was declared the winner.

Another of Senna’s records is the smallest margin of victory recorded in 1992. Senna beat Nigel Mansell by just 0.215 seconds and won the Monaco Grand Prix for the fifth time, equalling Graham Hill, who was called "Mr. Monaco". The British pilot earned this nickname for five victories on the streets of Monaco between 1963 and 1969. In 1965, an interesting incident happened to Hill: in order to avoid a collision with Bob Anderson, Graham Hill had to abruptly change the trajectory and drive into a pocket on the track. He jumped out of the car, pushed it back onto the track, jumped back into his driving seat and continued the competition. Even such a serious loss of time did not prevent Graham Hill from finishing the race first.

The second five-time winner of the Monaco Grand Prix is Michael Schumacher. Alain Prost has got four victories.

 POLE POSITION

Does an advantageous pole position actually guarantee victory? In a race through the narrow streets as in Monaco its role is major indeed. 12 out of the last 18 races in Monaco were actually won from the pole position. Whichever way it is, you can't really bet everything on it. Overall, out of 79 Monaco Grand Prix, the pole position has been a winning one in just over 50 % of the time.

Do you think it's possible to become a Grand Prix champion if you're not even in the top-10? In 1996 Olivier Panis, the winner of the race, was a mere 14th on the starting grid. Only three cars even managed to cross the finish line after that mechanicallychallenged race. Panis’ ranking is the lowest ever recorded for a Formula-1 winner.

 FROM CHIRON TO LECLERC

In 1931, Louis Chiron was the first ever man from the Principality to win the Monaco Grand Prix. Sadly, his victory wasn't welcomed with the chequered flag that year, and he didn't become the symbol of the race until 1933. Let's hope Monegasque Charles Leclerc, one of Formula-1's youngest drivers, will have the joy and privilege to be saluted under the chequered flag for his first home victory.

As for the title of the oldest competitor, it also belongs to Louis Chiron, having raced in the 1955 Monaco Grand Prix at the age of 55 years, 9 months and 10 days.