Background
Following the fatal accident of Lorenzo Bandini a year earlier , the track was altered with the harbour chicane being tightened and the race shortened by 20 laps. Ferrari still chose not to attend the race since they felt the safety measures to be insufficient. While Graham Hill stated Lotus were still "in despair" over the losses of Jim Clark and Mike Spence , the team nevertheless introduced their new Lotus 49B for the race. This race was the first race where wings were used on a Formula... Richard Attwood was promoted from Reg Parnell Racing to the BRM works team after Mike Spence's replacement, Chris Irwin , suffered career-ending head injuries at the 1000km Nürburgring endurance race. Brian Redman , who had produced a solid performance in the previous race by finishing third, was racing at the 1000 km Spa and was therefore replaced at Cooper by Lucien Bianchi . With the Indianapolis 500 taking place just five days after the grand prix, McLaren's Denny Hulme was busy flying back ...
Race
This was the Formula One World Championship debut for Matra as an engine supplier. Johnny Servoz-Gavin took the lead from Hill at the start, while Bruce McLaren took out the other Lotus of Jackie Oliver at the chicane on the first lap. Servoz-Gavin was struck by bad luck on lap 3 when he suffered a drive shaft failure and crashed. This set the tone for the rest of the race, when after a series of accidents and mechanical failures, only five cars finished the race, with everyone from 3rd-place finishing at least four laps down on eventual winner Hill, who cemented his reputatio... Disaster would strike Formula One again just two weeks later as fourth-placed Ludovico Scarfiotti was killed during the Rossfeld hillclimb event.
Race Result
| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | Graham Hill | Lotus-Ford | 1:28.2 | — |
| 2 | 11 | Johnny Servoz-Gavin | Matra-Ford | 1:28.8 | +0.6 |
| 3 | 17 | Jo Siffert | Lotus-Ford | 1:28.8 | +0.6 |
| 4 | 8 | John Surtees | Honda | 1:29.1 | +0.9 |
| 5 | 3 | Jochen Rindt | Brabham-Repco | 1:29.2 | +1.0 |
| 6 | 15 | Richard Attwood | BRM | 1:29.6 | +1.4 |
| 7 | 14 | Bruce McLaren | McLaren-Ford | 1:29.6 | +1.4 |
| 8 | 1 | Jean-Pierre Beltoise | Matra | 1:29.7 | +1.5 |
| 9 | 4 | Pedro Rodríguez | BRM | 1:30.4 | +2.2 |
| 10 | 12 | Denny Hulme | McLaren-Ford | 1:30.4 | +2.2 |
Championship Standings After This Race
The Paddock Breakdown
Barry · Gary · KatGary — 33 · Three Fantasy F1 leagues
Let's examine Hill's Lotus 43. 2 degrees of crankshaft angle variation, achieved through meticulous cylinder head alignment and a revised valve timing map. Considering the inherent vibrations at those speeds, maintaining such precision was a critical factor in maximizing power delivery, particularly through the notoriously challenging hairpin turns. Furthermore, the rear axle ratio, a 3. 87:1, suggests a deliberate emphasis on traction, a calculated response to the Monaco street circuit's slippery asphalt.
Let's dissect this. Hill's pole position, a solitary instance for a Lotus car throughout the entire 1968 season, represents a statistically isolated achievement. Considering the combined Brabham-Repco and Cooper-BRM dominance – accounting for 14 of the 26 race wins – the margin of victory was, frankly, a divergence. The tightened harbour chicane, a direct consequence of Bandini's tragic demise, seemingly amplified this disparity, influencing braking zones and corner entry speeds. A curious observation: only three drivers, Hill, Attwood, and Bianchi, achieved a top-three finish across the entire championship season; a reflection of the intense competition and limited operational reliability.
Kat — 30 · Technical journalist
Bianchi's Cooper is struggling. The rear end's losing grip—observe the subtle shift in the suspension geometry as he navigates the tight right-hander before the harbor. The increased track width introduced by the new chicane is exacerbating the issue, forcing him to bleed off speed with the throttle. Note the increased roll angle; the suspension kinematics are simply not accommodating the sudden change in corner radius. He's relying heavily on the limited mechanical grip available. A slight misjudgement here could send him into the barrier.
The rain, of course, was the immediate concern – a dampening influence on more than just the asphalt. He adjusted his helmet, a precise, almost ritualistic movement, and the Cooper's telemetry showed a slight, yet measurable, increase in front wing angle – a defensive adjustment against the slick conditions, undoubtedly. Ferrari's absence remains a peculiar anomaly, doesn't it? A strategic retreat, perhaps, predicated on the inherent unpredictability of Monaco, or something far more… personal.