Monaco harbour

Chris Amon in attack mode, at the wheel of his pretty Ferrari 312 in the Monaco harbour, during qualifying for the 1969 Monaco Grand Prix. He qualified second in the sole Ferrari entered, just 0.4 seconds slower than poleman Jackie Stewart in his Matra MS80-Ford.

The 80-lap race was won by Graham Hill, driving a works Lotus 49-Ford, after he started from fourth position. It was Hill’s 14th and final Grand Prix victory, and his fifth Monaco win, a record that would stand for 24 years. Chris Amon (Ferrari) was brilliant, but was forced to retire, with a broken differential.

1969 was the most disastrous year in Ferrari’s Formula 1 history with just seven points scored. Fiat had bought a stake in the company, but allowed Ferrari free reign when it came to its racing activities. In fact, the Scuderia’s participation in the championship events was often limited to just a single driver.

Its drivers, Amon and Rodriguez, only managed three points-scoring placings in all, with Amon’s third position at Zandvoort as best result (picture-below).