1929 Monaco Grand Prix
43°44′4.74″N 7°25′16.8″E / 43.7346500°N 7.421333°E
| 1929 Monaco Grand Prix | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Race details | |||
| Date | 14 April 1929 | ||
| Official name | Grand Prix Automobile de Monaco | ||
| Location |
Circuit de Monaco Monte Carlo | ||
| Course | Street circuit | ||
| Course length | 3.180 km (1.976 miles) | ||
| Distance | 100 laps, 318.0 km (197.6 miles) | ||
| Weather | Dry | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Bugatti | ||
| Grid positions set by ballot | |||
| Fastest lap | |||
| Driver |
 William Grover-Williams | Bugatti | |
| Time | 2:15.0 | ||
| Podium | |||
| First | Bugatti | ||
| Second | Bugatti | ||
| Third | Mercedes-Benz | ||
The 1929 Monaco Grand Prix was the first Grand Prix to be run in the principality. It was set up by wealthy cigarette manufacturer Antony Noghès, who had set up the Automobile Club de Monaco with some of his friends. This offer of a Grand Prix was supported by Prince Louis II and the Monégasque driver of that time, Louis Chiron. On 14 April 1929, their plan became reality when 16 invited participants turned out to race for a prize of 100,000 French francs.[1]
The event was won by William Grover-Williams (listed on timing sheets as W. Williams), who drove a Bugatti T35B.[2]
Race report
[edit]Twenty drivers were invited to participate in the contest, although only sixteen started the race due to incidents both on the way to the event and in practice. Local driver Louis Chiron also did not participate, choosing to compete in the 1929 Indianapolis 500 instead. Therefore, Rudolf Caracciola, a Mercedes-Benz factory driver, was the favourite to win the event.[1]
The starting grid was determined by ballot, with Philippe Étancelin starting on pole position and Caracciola starting fifteenth.[3] William Grover-Williams took the lead at the start of the 100-lap race, with Caracciola close behind him. Caracciola took the lead on lap 36, but Grover-Williams was able to take back his position six laps later. Both drivers made a pitstop midway through the race, but Caracciola's stop was much slower, allowing Grover-Williams to build a one lap lead. Georges Bouriano and Philippe de Rothschild (listed as Georges Philippe) also emerged between the pair, although Caracciola soon overtook the latter to finish third.[4]
Classification
[edit]
Starting grid
[edit]Grid positions were determined by a ballot. Philippe Étancelin drew pole position.
| Inside | Middle | Outside | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Row 1 |  Étancelin Bugatti |
Dauvergne Bugatti |
Lehoux Bugatti |
| Row 2 |  Sandri Maserati |
"Williams" Bugatti |
Philippe Bugatti |
| Row 3 | Zehender Alfa Romeo |
 Bouriano Bugatti |
de Rovin Delage |
| Row 4 | Rigal Alfa Romeo |
de Sterlich Maserati |
Dreyfus Bugatti |
| Row 5 |  Lepori Bugatti |
Doré Corre La Licorne |
 Caracciola Mercedes-Benz |
| Row 6 | Perrot Alfa Romeo |
× | × |
| Source:[1] | |||
Race
[edit]| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Laps | Time/Retired | Grid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | "W Williams"
|
Bugatti T35B | 100 | 3:56:11.0 | 5 |
| 2 | 18 | Georges Bouriano
|
Bugatti T35C | 100 | + 1:17.8 | 8 |
| 3 | 34 | Rudolf Caracciola
|
Mercedes-Benz SSK | 100 | + 2:22.6 | 15 |
| 4 | 14 | "Georges Philippe"
|
Bugatti T35C | 99 | + 1 lap | 6 |
| 5 | 28 | René Dreyfus
|
Bugatti T37A | 97 | + 3 laps | 12 |
| 6 | 4 | Philippe Étancelin
|
Bugatti T35C | 96 | + 4 laps | 1 |
| 7 | 30 | Mario Lepori
|
Bugatti T35C | 94 | + 6 laps | 13 |
| 8 | 32 | Michel Doré
|
Corre La Licorne | 89 | + 11 laps | 14 |
| 9 | 24 | Louis Rigal
|
Alfa Romeo 6C | 87 | + 13 laps | 10 |
| Ret | 22 | Raoul de Rovin
|
Delage 15S8 | 80 | Accident | 9 |
| Ret | 16 | Goffredo Zehender
|
Alfa Romeo 6C | 55 | Mechanical | 7 |
| Ret | 6 | Christian Dauvergne
|
Bugatti T35C | 46 | Mechanical | 2 |
| Ret | 10 | Guglielmo Sandri
|
Maserati T26 | 41 | Mechanical | 4 |
| Ret | 36 | Albert Perrot
|
Alfa Romeo 6C | 18 | Wheel detached | 16 |
| Ret | 26 | Diego de Sterlich
|
Maserati T26B | 16 | Mechanical | 11 |
| Ret | 8 | Marcel Lehoux
|
Bugatti T35C | 7 | Transmission | 3 |
| Source:[5] | ||||||
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "1929 GRAND PRIX SEASON -". www.goldenera.fi. Retrieved 2025-07-30.
- ^ "Monaco Grand Prix 1929". www.classicargarage.com. Retrieved 2025-07-30.
- ^ "First victory at the First Grand Prix in Monaco in 1929 – Bugatti Newsroom". newsroom.bugatti.com. 2019-04-15. Retrieved 2025-07-30.
- ^ "The first Grand Prix of Monaco, 1929". Motor Sport Magazine. 2014-07-07. Retrieved 2025-07-30.
- ^ "1929 Grands Prix". www.dlg.speedfreaks.org. Retrieved 2025-02-23.
External links
[edit]
- 1929 and the first Monaco Grand Prix – footage of the event