► From 1962 GP
► 70mm footage from Flying Clipper doc
► Incredibly high-quality
In 2018, the Monaco Grand Prix offers one of the toughest challenges in motorsport. Alongside Le Mans, the N24h and perhaps the Indy 500, it’s a race that’s always been considered a true test of man and machine. But it’s very different now from how it used to be.
New high-quality footage of the 1962 Monaco Grand Prix has surfaced on the internet, and it shows exactly how much the Monte Carlo circuit has changed in the past 55 years. As you’d expect, there’s very little in the way of safety measures, and you’ll occasionally see rogue pedestrians and other cars on the track, too.
The 70mm footage comes from a German documentary called the Flying Clipper aka Mediterranean Holiday, and it looks as good as any 4K footage you’ll see of modern racing today. And although it features parts of the 1962 GP itself, a lot of the onboard footage you’ll see is probably taken from slower, more relaxed practice sessions. Either way, it’s fascinating to watch.
Of course, many people will say the Monaco GP has been sanitised in the years since, but it’s probably more accurate to say it represents a different sort of challenge. Modern F1 drivers must use considerably wider, more powerful and grippier cars, and finishing the Monte Carlo GP involves threading a 900bhp car through Armco barriers for just under two hours. Not the easiest task.
Below are highlights of the 2017 race for comparison.