491 replies to this topic

[TomNokoe]

I am already excited

The banner says 1400 UTC which is 1500 UK and 1600 Europe.

 

Edited by TomNokoe, 03 April 2020 - 19:36.

[jonpollak]

General Question...
Where were you when this race took place. ?

Jp

[thequadge]

At home watching it on the BBC, I was in Y9! 

[TomNokoe]

General Question...
Where were you when this race took place. ?

Jp

Diapers

[fridge46]

General Question...
Where were you when this race took place. ?

Jp

 

I was 9, at my grandparents. I didnt watch the race because I didnt know, or even heard of, F1 at the time (Australia 97 is where it all started for me!) so I was probably playing with wooden soldiers or a toy farm we kept there.

 

Spoiler

I do however remember seeing one thing - the Irvine-Salo-Hakkinen crash. This is actually my earliest F1 memory. I recall my Granpa afterwards saying something along the lines of "That wasnt a race, it was a...."

 

 

[Risil]

General Question...
Where were you when this race took place. ?

Jp

 

I clearly recall watching qualifying and the race for this one, although for some reason we also had a VHS tape of the broadcast which 6-year-old me refused to relinquish. Plus ca bloody change.

[jonpollak]

At home watching it on the BBC, I was in Y9! 

I don't know what Y9 is but.....

You can expound on your answers if you like.

Like for instance.

I was on tour with Shirley Bassey in Beirut playing a show for the President of Lebanon. The venue was his private estate located up in the hills above the harbor. We had a 30 piece orchestra joining us that evening (flown in from the UK just so Shirl could hell at them in a language they understood.)

 

Many of them were talking about the race and how much they'd like to see it.

Soundcheck was at 1 pm local time and Her Chassisness was not in a mood to drag that out after a night of heavy revelry in a private club she once played back in the 60's (yes, it was still there after being rebuilt about 4 times after these wars they have every few years.)

 

Anyway, I asked the local production assistant if they had a satellite dish we could watch the race on.

She scoffed and said 'What the hell for?..Some football match?'

 

No, I said, "It's the Monaco Grand Prix and the band want to watch"

 

Hold on..I'll check was her answer.

10 mins later she said it was not possible as President Hrawi wanted to watch the T.V at that time.

 

With 20 mins to go before the off I heard the dulcet tones of Murray Walker coming from the back patio.

Guess who was watching the GP...yep, it's Mr. President and he invited us to join him so I rounded up the brass section and the percussionist and we sat on the patio while drinks were served.

That lasted until Lap 1 when Schumacher went off and the Brits exploded with laughter.

 

Drinks were removed and the shutters on the patio door closed.

 

The lead sax played mumbled..."It appears the Prez is a Schumi fan"

Jp

 

EDIT :  oh schitt..should I have wrapped this in a spoiler?

Edited by jonpollak, 03 April 2020 - 18:09.

[midgrid]

This was the first race I remember watching live, presumably at my childhood home. My memory is hazy as I was only seven years old at the time.

[PayasYouRace]

That lasted until Lap 1 when Schumacher went off and the Brits exploded with laughter.

 

 

I wonder how many people "remember" Schumacher crashing out of the lead in this race?

[Jellyfishcake]

I wonder how many people "remember" Schumacher crashing out of the lead in this race?

 

I'm sure that is a clip in one of Murray Walkers old VHS tapes, can't remember which one

[PayasYouRace]

I'm sure that is a clip in one of Murray Walkers old VHS tapes, can't remember which one

 

Murray's Magic Moments? Loved that one.

[TomNokoe]

F1 broadcasting Dave noted Murray Walker's relaxed comms style back in Aus 1986 when working for the BBC.

I'm not sure if it was then somebody on here who mentioned how he became very shouty after the move to ITV.

1996 was the last of the BBC Murray years, so I'm interested to find out where he's at.

[Jellyfishcake]

Murray's Magic Moments? Loved that one.

 

Ah yes that's the one, loved watching that so much.

[PayasYouRace]

Ah yes that's the one, loved watching that so much.

 

Anyway, I'm sure the clip is in there, but it's not what I was getting at.

[Risil]

I wonder how many people "remember" Schumacher crashing out of the lead in this race?

 

Anyway no spoilers.

 

Jacques Villeneuve's street circuit expertise from Indycar will surely translate to Monaco.

[PayasYouRace]

Anyway no spoilers.

 

Jacques Villeneuve's street circuit expertise from Indycar will surely translate to Monaco.

 

Shall we say qualifying has happened? If the race is 1500 tomorrow then the grid would have been set today.

[Risil]

Well shut my mouth, he's down in tenth!

[messy]

Why on earth has this one been chosen? It’s going to be an absolute Williams cakewalk.

Seriously, people.

[PayasYouRace]

Grid:

 

[PayasYouRace]

I reckon this is Damon's best chance to emulate his dad and win this race, but he's been struggling a bit with starts this year. I fear if Schumacher gets to St. Devote first he could control it and get his first Ferrari win.

 

Especially as weather reports suggest rain.

[Risil]

Bloody hell Ricardo Rosset was slow. This guy won two F3000 races!

[PayasYouRace]

The Fortis made the cut though.

[Risil]

A team on its last legs:

 

[ANF]

Grand prix preview from silhouet.com:
 

14.05.96 - F1: THE MONACO GP

Damon Hill's early dominance comes under scrutiny when the Formula One circus moves to the streets of Monte Carlo this weekend. Hill has won four out of five races this season but he will need to break his duck at Monaco if he is to extend his 21-point championship advantage. The Williams-Renault driver has made no secret of his desire to win on the tight, twisting circuit - and he has a special reason for wanting to do well. His father Graham has won here five times - only Ayrton Senna has bettered that. Hill has some catching up to do.

Damon Hill said he was geared up to claim victory for the first time on the famous street circuit. "If you are not impressed by Formula One cars in Monaco then you can't be impressed by them anywhere," he said. "It has a different atmosphere which is down to the venue on the sea with the boats in the harbour, the sunshine and the twisty corners. All in all, it is unlike any other track we go to. I would like to win here because my father won five times here in the sixties."

Michael Schumacher bids for a hat-trick of victories at Monaco buoyed by an impressive display at San Marino. The Ferrari driver's pre-season claims that he had no chance of figuring in the title race had a hollow ring about them after the last race. Schumacher was clearly the fastest man in qualifying and second place was a big improvement on his early season. Qualifying positions at Monaco, with its narrow streets, is more important than anyone else and if he can keep out of trouble he has a chance of winning.

Benetton have looked an ordinary force this season and failure this weekend will virtually ensure they will spend the rest of the year as also-rans. Michael Schumacher's departure has left the team severely weakened, although Gerhard Berger's third place at San Marino was a much-needed boost. Jean Alesi has disappointed and the team management is said to be privately unhappy as a number of foolish mistakes have left him with just one point. Berger can at least be cheered by podium appearances here in the last two years after third-place finishes.

[ANF]

And some Thursday news:
 

16.05.96

F1:- Nigel Mansell and Alain Prost could be set for a dramatic Formula One return - in a $1m head-to-head confrontation. The two former world champions are being lined up to meet in a winner-take -all clash, possibly in a Ferrari. Grand Prix supremo Bernie Ecclestone is behind the move to bring two of motor racing's greatest names back onto the track, according to the Daily Mirror. The race, which would be billed as a grudge-match as the pair fell out when Ferrari team-mates, could be staged as a support event or as a season finale.


THE MONACO GP

Mika Hakkinen confirmed his return to form and fitness - six months after his near-fatal accident in practice for the Australian Grand Prix. McLaren driver Hakkinen clocked the fastest lap in opening free practice,posting his time in the final minutes of the second hour of practice. It left Damon Hill with virtually no time to respond in his Williams after being fastest throughout the day. Hakkinen's effort on the street circuit also confirmed that his team are recovering their best form after a long spell in the doldrums.


Thursday's free practice times:mins secs
 1 M Hakkinen    Fin McLaren  1:23.762
 2 D Hill        GB  Williams 1:23.801
 3 D Coulthard   GB  McLaren  1:23.850
 4 R Barrichello Brz Jordan   1:23.976
 5 J Alesi       Fr  Benetton 1:24.160
 6 O Panis       Fr  Ligier   1:24.167
 7 J Villeneuve  Can Williams 1:24.257
 8 M Brundle     GB  Jordan   1:24.270
 9 G Berger      Aut Benetton 1:24.285
10 H Frentzen    Ger Sauber   1:24.585
11 M Schumacher  Ger Ferrari  1:24.757
12 J Verstappen  Hol Footwork 1:25.118
13 U Katayama    Jpn Tyrrell  1:25.322
14 G Fisichella  It  Minardi  1:25.326
15 P Lamy        Por Minardi  1:25.441
16 M Salo        Fin Tyrrell  1:25.615
17 E Irvine      GB  Ferrari  1:25.688
18 P Diniz       Brz Ligier   1:25.936
19 J Herbert     GB  Sauber   1:26.143
20 A Montermini  It  Forti    1:27.843
21 L Badoer      It  Forti    1:28.451
22 R Rosset      Brz Footwork 1:28.512

Edited by ANF, 03 April 2020 - 19:03.

[Risil]

"A number of foolish mistakes" !

[PayasYouRace]

I feel like something is missing from that, because Jean has scored a lot more than one point.

 

Championship positions going into this race.

 

[Dutchrudder]

I don't know what Y9 is but.....
You can expound on your answers if you like.

Like for instance.

It means Year 9 at school, which is around age 14/15. I was also at home watching, was around 8 at the time and this was the first season I really understood what was happening. I knew Schumi was the best and was hoping for him to win.

We’d invited Shirley Bassey round for tea after the race, but she said she was otherwise engaged 🤷🏼‍♂️

[Dutchrudder]

F1 broadcasting Dave noted Murray Walker's relaxed comms style back in Aus 1986 when working for the BBC.

I'm not sure if it was then somebody on here who mentioned how he became very shouty after the move to ITV.

1996 was the last of the BBC Murray years, so I'm interested to find out where he's at.

I’ve just mentioned that 96 is the first year where I really knew what was going on, my memory of Murray was of Martin Brundle always seeming to need to correct him and it never quite going right. There was one year at Monaco where he just couldn’t understand that one of the usual back markers was on the lead lap and wasn’t bound to move out of the way (I hope it isn’t this race btw, pretty sure it was later).

[PayasYouRace]

I’ve just mentioned that 96 is the first year where I really knew what was going on, my memory of Murray was of Martin Brundle always seeming to need to correct him and it never quite going right. There was one year at Monaco where he just couldn’t understand that one of the usual back markers was on the lead lap and wasn’t bound to move out of the way (I hope it isn’t this race btw, pretty sure it was later).

 

Quite a good effort from Martin considering he was driving for Jordan that year.

[Jellyfishcake]

I’ve just mentioned that 96 is the first year where I really knew what was going on, my memory of Murray was of Martin Brundle always seeming to need to correct him and it never quite going right. There was one year at Monaco where he just couldn’t understand that one of the usual back markers was on the lead lap and wasn’t bound to move out of the way (I hope it isn’t this race btw, pretty sure it was later).

 

Won't be this one as Martin was still racing in 1996

[TomNokoe]

I'm also yet to listen to Mark Blundell's Beyond The Grid podcast - link - so I think I'll dedicate my Saturday to a proper 90s F1 throwback ... albeit no relevancy to Monaco 96

[thequadge]

It means Year 9 at school, which is around age 14/15. I was also at home watching, was around 8 at the time and this was the first season I really understood what was happening. I knew Schumi was the best and was hoping for him to win.

We’d invited Shirley Bassey round for tea after the race, but she said she was otherwise engaged ‍♂

 

 

I was wrong I was still Year 8 so as was still 13. Still nearly was at my 5 year F1 watching anniversary. My answer is significantly less exciting than @jonpollaks!  

[messy]

I forgot what a nice livery the 1996 Jordan had. I always liked the 1997 version better at the time because it fit the team - two bright young things in a bright yellow car - better, but Rubens and Brundle in that gold car in ‘96 is one of those things that I dunno, looks much better in hindsight. Even though the nine year old me didn’t realise that the livery was basically just a fag packet on wheels.

[midgrid]

Spotter's guide:

 

[FortiFord]

At home watching it on the BBC, I was in Y9! 

 

same, but i was in Y3!

[messy]

Minardi
Williams
Jordan
Sauber
Tyrrell
Ferrari
Ligier
McLaren
Forti
Benetton
Footwork

Some nice liveries, and the Footwork.

[PayasYouRace]

That's a fine spotter's guide. A couple of changes since last time out at Imola. The most obvious being the new gold on the Jordans, which were more of a mustard yellow up until now. A minor but welcome change is Williams painting their car numbers on the tip of the nosecone, rather than half-way up where nobody can see them. Minardi and Footwork should take note, as painting the number on the front wing main plane is pointless.

[Bleu]

At least the Footwork was better than the first livery that season.

 

[PayasYouRace]

Agreed, that red and blue is really smart.

[Spillage]

I'm really looking forward to this

Edited by Spillage, 03 April 2020 - 20:49.

[Risil]

Did anyone here ever drink a can of Power Horse?

[FortiFord]

I reckon this is Damon's best chance to emulate his dad and win this race, but he's been struggling a bit with starts this year. I fear if Schumacher gets to St. Devote first he could control it and get his first Ferrari win.

 

Especially as weather reports suggest rain.

 

Damon's starts have been decent this year - only Nurburgring was bad. Michael has been struggling with the Ferrari clutch and his starts have been worse. 

[Risil]

Some nice liveries, and the Footwork.

My little brother, who was 3 going on 4 at the time, insists that the 1996 Minardi had the most beautiful paint job he's ever seen on a racing car.

[FortiFord]

Did anyone here ever drink a can of Power Horse?

 

I honestly never knew it was a drink. 

 

I always assumed it was some sort of slogan for Hart engines!

[messy]

Agreed, that red and blue is really smart.

I’ve always thought it was one ugly, cheap looking load of tat that car, but at least it was interesting.

[FortiFord]

Grand prix preview from silhouet.com:
 

 

And a preview from what i think is Autosport:

 

 

 

If you are a race fan and you haven't been to Monaco, or do not have an ambition to go to the fairytale Principality - a tiny independent dot on the international map, close to the Franco-Italian border - you should be ashamed of yourself. Of course it is expensive to go there and more expensive when you get there, but it is what everyone in Grand Prix racing refers to as "the jewel in the crown" of the Formula 1 World Championship. Jewels do not come in the singular in Monaco. This is a town for seriously wealthy people only. They come for the tax breaks and to be able to say that they live in Monte Carlo.

It is a bit like a schoolyard for billionaires, where one can hear silent taunts: "My boat is bigger than your boat"; "my car is faster than your car"; "my girlfriend is prettier than your girlfriend" and so on.

Having obscene amounts of money and spending it is what Monaco is all about. In kindergarden the first words children are probably taught - in three languages - are: "Charge it to Daddy".

And why not? Being rich must be quite fun and Monaco was once a really beautiful spot. You can still get some idea of what it was like in its heyday by looking at some of the villas and grand houses in the bays between Nice and Monaco. Set beneath a vast towering corniche of rock, Monaco is still very pleasant but too many apartment buildings have sprouted up. In order to cram in the world's filthy rich, a sizable chunk of land - although sizable in Monaco is a relative term, as the Principality is less than a square mile in size - has been reclaimed from the sea and has been turned into a weird new town of pre-fabricated modern apartment buildings, dotted with palm trees and vague attempts to create a village atmosphere: Peoria-sur-Mer. One can go on about it - there is a supermarket and a McDonalds in the rock underneath the palace - but the fact is that we visitors are simply jealous that we are not sitting on the yachts and spending our days with dizzy blondes who walk like race horses.

There is no denying that Monaco has romance and glamour. This is partly due to the famous Casino which first drew the international smart set to winter in Monaco, but mainly to the fairytale story of Grace Kelly, the Hollywood star who married Prince Rainier.

F1 with its dizzy hangers-on, overt wealth and rampant ambition, perfectly fits the image of Monaco. If you are a sponsorship hunter and you cannot sell a deal at this race you should go back to selling secondhand cars because you will never make it in F1.

This is where teams fight for the best place in the paddock, for the best hotel rooms and for the most glamorous tables in the flashiest restaurants overlooking the track. The Grand Prix is Monaco's Christmas bonus - and Christmas always comes early for those with the power to dictate positioning. The bribe industry flourishes... Position is everything.

And when the off-track fighting is done and the billionaire arms dealers have better tables than the Saudi princes, minor Euro-royals and Chinese shipping magnates, everyone sits down - with a film star or two to decorate the table - to watch F1 cars doing what F1 cars should not have to do, scuttling through streets which were intended to take racing cars in 1929.

But forget all the cynicism, because this is the race which matters, and anyone who visits and does not get excited should really be put out of their misery.

"Monaco represents all the things that F1 is famous for," says Damon Hill. "It is a bit of an anachronism from what we might require for safety. There is nowhere to go if you have a problem. But we accept that. I don't think you will find a driver out there who is not looking forward to facing the challenges."

For a driver Monaco is the ultimate challenge, different from all the other events and special because of the cudos that a victory here carries. A win at Monaco on your resume says: "This guy is big league". And because the track is such an anachronism, the emphasis has been shifted away from the cars. Performance is largely dictated by the ability and courage of the man behind the wheel - and therein lies the magic of Monaco. This is where the men and the boys get sorted. It is always close.

As in all things, however, there are ways to make things happen if you are wealthy enough and so some F1 engine manufacturers, aware that Monaco gets more coverage than all the other races, resort to building Monaco Specials, engines and chassis which have all the right characteristics for this particular track. It is the only F1 race which is worth such madness.

Sheer power is no good at all. What you need at Monaco is low-speed punch and good swervability. No-one admits openly to having all the special gear - some actually deny it - but the big teams certainly make a big effort.

Thursday's practice - Monaco always begins a day early so that the shopkeepers and hotel-owners can make more money - was as pointless as a Friday at the normal races, with McLaren being the only team to run Goodyear's new construction D compound tires, and so we had Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard first and third and - as usual - a lot of headlines in the newspapers about how the team could win the race and how Williams's reign was about to end. It was also the 30th anniversary of McLaren being in F1. A special spec engine came down from Mercedes-Benz; the cars had a shorter wheelbase...

 

https://www.grandpri...co-gp-1996.html (SPOILER ALERT: link contains result)

Edited by FortiFord, 04 April 2020 - 10:05.

[jonpollak]

We’d invited Shirley Bassey round for tea after the race, but she said she was otherwise engaged 🤷🏼‍♂️

Shirley HATES tea so no surprise there.
VSOP is her ‘tea’
Jp

[FortiFord]

37 minutes worth of Eurosport (!) qualifying

 

 

Full session here

 

Go to 31:40 

 

Schumacher is on his in lap after getting pole position. He doesn't realise that the session isn't over and causes Berger to spin at the chicane. 

Edited by FortiFord, 03 April 2020 - 21:39.

[Izzyeviel]

Reckon this is going to be a cracker lads. I'm betting its going to be attritional esp with the rain around. I've put a tenner on Pedro Diniz. I wouldn't be surprised if we had less than 15 cars at the finish.