FORMULA 1 CHAMPION, ONE OF THOSE TO HAVE CRASHED INTO THE MONACO HARBOUR.
It’s been going since 1929 and was first part of the world championship in 1950, but how many drivers have crashed into the Monaco harbour during the grand prix? Which world champion is among them?
Formula 1 drivers never want to crash.
The damage could scupper your entire weekend, cost you points and who knows, maybe even a world championship, not to mention the cost to the team and mechanics of putting it all back together again.
Normally a crash results in hitting a barrier, another car or ending up in the gravel, wondering what might have been.
However, the Monaco Grand Prix represents a different ending.
Crash in the right place here, and you’ll end up in the Monaco harbour, but has anyone ever done it?
How many F1 drivers have crashed into the Monaco harbour – and who is the world champion among them?
F1 WORLD CHAMPION CRASHES INTO MONACO HARBOUR
Alberto Ascari will forever remain as the first driver to be a two-time world champion, and the man who won Ferrari’s first.
In 1952 and 1953, he dominated the nascent world championship, run to F2 regulations after the withdrawal of Alfa Romeo at the end of 1951.
Ascari won seven races on the trot from the 1952 Belgian to 1953 Belgian GPs – not counting the Indianapolis 500.
However, for 1954, he moved to Lancia – although the D50 was a dreadfully unreliable.
Come the 1955 Monaco Grand Prix, Ascari was leading the race after the engine in Stirling Moss’s Mercedes had blown.
The Italian slightly misjudged the chicane on Lap 80 of 100 – and ended up in the drink.
Fortunately, after his crash into the Monaco harbour Ascari was able to swim to safety as the car hit the bottom.
Foru days later, he would not be so lucky.
Testing a Ferrari sportscar at Monza, he crashed at a fast-left hander at the back of the circuit – now known as the Ascari chicane.
He was killed, leaving behind a wife and two young children.
Spookily, Ascari’s own father Antonio was also killed in a race car at the 1925 French GP – four days after surviving an accident, leaving behind a wife and two young children.
Antonio and Alberto were both 36 years old, and died on the 26th of month. Alberto was four days older than his father when he died.
ONE OTHER HAS ACHIEVED THE FEAT
In the history of the Monaco Grand Prix, only one other driver has ever crashed into the Monaco harbour.
10 years after Ascari, Lotus driver Paul Hawkins achieved the feat.
On Lap 79, he misjudged the chicane and ended up in Davy Jones’ locker.
Hawkins also escaped major injury – except to perhaps his ego.
It was his second of three grand prix starts, in a career that also took in sportscar racing.
Like Ascari, Hawkins would also be killed in a race car at the RAC Trophy race at Oulton Park in the UK when his Lola machine crashed and caught fire in May 1969.
Hawkins died 14 years to the day since Ascari was killed at Monza.
