Monaco in the rain

The 1972 Monaco Grand Prix was held on May 14, 1972. The track was substantially modified from 1971, in the interest of safety. Indeed, the pits were moved to the harbour front, between the chicane and Tabac, and a new chicane was placed near this sector.

Picture above: Rain was pouring on race day, and François Cevert, starting 12th on the grid in his Tyrrell 003, leads here Tim Schenken in his Surtees, who had started just behind him. Both driver had to retire.

French driver Jean-Pierre Beltoise drove the race of his life. He passed Fittipaldi (Lotus) and Ickx (Ferrari) at the start, and was never seen again. Beltoise’s victory was the only one of his Formula One career, and the last for BRM.

Picture below: When so many drivers made mistakes and slid off the track, Jean-Pierre Beltoise controlled every slide of his BRM and even dominated “Rainmaster” Jacky Ickx in his Ferrari, who finished 38 seconds behind.