It just didn ’ t fall our way and in the Surtees I was behind Stuart and second on the grid .
“ Then in the McLaren it was quite frustrating and I struggled a lot with traffic . And then likewise , in the Hesketh , I just didn ’ t get the lap . The gap to the Arrows A3 of Jordon Grogor was tiny but , in my mind , there was more potential there . So I went to bed on Saturday night with a bit of work to do .
“ On Sunday , the 1966-1972 race in the Surtees was just before lunch . I got a good start and I was level pegging with Stuart into turn one and then he just went in a little bit hot and I was able to cut under him .
“ There were some areas where I was stronger and there were some areas where he was stronger . What was good for me was into the passing points I was strong . He had a good run at me into Rascasse and we were side by side a couple of times there which is very exciting . I ’ ve raced wheel to wheel with him around there a few times now and we ’ ve never touched or had any dramas . We just we get on with it with racing respect : it ’ s hard and it ’ s fair . That ’ s what we need in historic racing and racing in general .
“ Then there was all the drama everyone ’ s seen about the 1973-1976 race when Marco Werner and Jean Alesi tangled late in the race and Alesi hit the wall . I was running third in the McLaren M26 at the time . I could see the pressure Werner had Alesi under and Marco ’ s done quite a bit with that Lotus 77 . So I was watching them thinking something ’ s got to give .
“ There was definitely a lack of drive from the car in the front and then they had the contact and Alesi hit the wall . I felt really bad for Marco because that could easily have been me if he had not been there . I probably would have been in the same place . So I felt for him .
“ Sometimes you ’ ve got to be lucky . We ’ ve been there and lost races when we ’ ve been at the front and we ’ ve had things break and sometimes you get a lucky win and that was the lucky one because Marco picked up a time penalty for the incident .
“ I was in the Hesketh for the 1977-1980 race and that one was quite satisfying . I was second on the grid , but obviously by then I ’ d done two standing starts . So I had my eye in and I just got a mega launch . I didn ’ t even need to stay on the outside , I went straight to the apex and I knew before I hit the brake pedal that I was going to be the first man to that apex . And there was no doubt in my mind that we could win from that point on , even though it ’ s the oldest car in the race , a 1977 car against the 1980 ground effect cars .
“ Then I was driving around the streets of Monaco in the F1 car I ’ ve done the most miles in so I was sitting there very happy enjoying the little run round and doing the slowest gear changes I could , listening to all the noises and thinking I hope this thing just hangs together . It was then just a cruise home to the flag .
The Hesketh in P1 after the race
The M26 with a tiny margin of error
On the grid in the Surtees
“ I ’ m so thankful for the opportunity because the chance to drive three F1 cars in a day , anywhere in the world , is pretty special . But to get to do it around that track , in Monaco , it ’ s such an amazing track and I was just lost for words .
“ To get the chance to do it and for it all to just work out with so many variables was amazing . To do it while we run the cars ourselves from a little family team was very special . Before we go to Monaco , I say : ‘ look guys , the weekend is going to be a nightmare ’. But we do it once every two years normally and it ’ s going to be the best weekend of the year and the worst weekend of the year all tied into one . The three wins are a testament to those guys .”
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