Countdown to the Monaco Grand Prix

Rudolf Caracciola at the 1929 Monaco Grand Prix

There's been a Grand Prix at Monaco since 1929 and this Sunday sees the 70th running of this great race.  For most F1 fans Monaco is a favourite - the highlight of a race calendar that is sadly littered with seemingly identical tracks that only differ from each other in their geographical location. 

Perhaps it's because so many drivers have chosen to make the tax haven their home or perhaps it's the glamorous spectators, the yachts and the casinos but Monaco always seems to encapsulate the finesse and the joie-de-vivre of the bygone era of motor racing.  There's been some classic moments - last year's race with its late restart was exciting stuff but I'm sadly not old enough to remember 1982 when a heavy downpour near the end of the race caused total chaos and the 2nd and 3rd places had to be awarded to cars that ran out of fuel on the last lap.

If you want to while away an afternoon indulging in some Grand Prix nostalgia then immerse yourself in the fabulous Cahier Archive.  This fascinating collection of Formula 1 photographs is the life's work of father and son Bernard and Paul-Henri Cahier.  The pictures of 1950s and 1960s cars and their drivers are particularly beautiful and yet rather poignant as so many of the great drivers of that era perished behind the wheel. 

One of the most famous Monaco Grand Prix stories involves the great Alberto Ascari.  During the 1955 Grand Prix, Ascari crashed his Ferarri into the harbour (a scene later recreated in the excellent 1963 film Grand Prix); he escaped uninjured but his lucky blue helmet was damaged and had to be sent away for repairs.  Sadly driver and helmet were never reunited.  Ascari, wearing a borrowed helmet, was killed while testing at Monza just a few days later.