FORMULA 1
MR . MONACO : GRAHAM HILL
One of the greatest drivers of his generation , Graham Hill is the first and only driver in history to win the Triple Crown of Motorsport . He won the 24 Hours of Le Mans , the Indianapolis 500 , and the Formula One World Drivers ’ Championship . He became known as Mr . Monaco after winning Monaco ’ s Grand Prix an astounding five times in the 1960s .
mentally and physically , but the victory had really put a glow in me . I don ’ t think I have ever felt quite like it before ,’ Hill said in 1965 .
Off the track , Hill was involved with four films between 1966 and 1974 , including appearances in Grand Prix and Caravan to Vaccarès . A staunch campaigner for road safety , Hill appeared in a television series entitled Advanced Driving with Graham Hill .
Today , the average age of F1 drivers is 26 , so it ’ s surprising to know that Mr . Monaco himself did not pass his driving test until he was 24 years old .
In the year 1965 , while the Beach Boys and the Rolling Stones were topping the charts , Graham Hill was preparing for the Monaco Grand Prix , soon to be regarded as the best race he ever competed in . Graham Hill always said that Monaco is one of the trickiest circuits in the world , because it is so easy to hit a curb with a wheel , break the suspension or cause yourself to spin off .
‘ There is just nowhere to spin at Monte-Carlo ; you bounce off hotels , nightclubs , brick walls , telegraph poles , and street lamps ,’ he said in 1965 .
During lap 25 of the race , Hill went up an escape road to avoid hitting a slow backmarker . Rejoining in fifth place , Hill set several new lap records on the way to finally winning the race .
‘ I spent the next day on the beach at Cap Ferrat and I really felt completely relaxed … I knew that I had taken a lot out of myself
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Graham Hill at the 1962 German Grand Prix
Graham Hill in 1969 https :// fr . wikipedia . org /
After a crash at the end of the 1970 Formula One season , he retired to run the Embassy Hill team . Tragedy struck Hill while he piloted a light aircraft , which crashed while attempting to land in a thick fog . On board with him were five other members of the
Alain Prost at the 1984 Monaco Grand Prix
Embassy Hill team . No one survived . He left behind a legacy of achievements and records that still stand today .
KING OF MONACO : AYRTON SENNA
Taking place since 1929 , the mythical Monaco Grand Prix race has seen the patronage of three generations of Monaco ’ s royal family : Prince Louis II , Prince Rainier III and Prince Albert II . But there has only been one King of Monaco , and that ’ s Ayrton Senna .
Senna holds the record for the most Monaco Grands Prix wins ever , with six victories and five consecutive wins between 1989 and 1993 . Although Monaco ’ s sharp twists and turns are motorsport ’ s toughest challenges , Senna relished the challenge and excelled at pushing himself and his vehicle to the absolute limit . He began his love affair with Monaco ’ s difficult circuit in 1984 , with a brilliant display of his talent during his rookie season .
Sadly , as with so many other drivers in this dangerous sport , he was taken away too
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