1931 Monaco Grand Prix

The 1931 Monaco Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at the Circuit de Monaco on 19 April 1931.

With 16 Bugattis in a field of 23 cars, the event was close to being a single-make race. Among the 16 were four factory-team Type 51s driven by the Monegasque Louis Chiron, the Italian Achille Varzi and the French Albert Divo and Guy Bouriat. The real challenge came from the Maserati 8C 2500's driven by René Dreyfus, the Italian Luigi Fagioli and Clemente Bondietti. Rudolf Caracciola with his huge Mercedes SSKL (Super Sport Short Light-Weight) was uncompetitive as his larger car performed poorly around the tight Monaco track.

The race was between the blue cars from Molsheim and the red ones from Modena. When the start flag dropped it was Rene Dreyfus in his red Maserati who led into St. Devote, only to be passed by 'Williams' on the hill to the Casino, but his lead was short-lived as the Brit was sidelined by a broken valve spring, and his race was over. Achille Varzi and Caracciola started closing on Dreyfus and Varzi managed to overtake the Frenchman on the 7th lap. Caracciola struggled with a slipping clutch that gave in on lap 53.

Starting slowly, Louis Chiron eventually displayed his talents; gaining back ground with a new lap record time. He caught up with all his opponents and left them behind. Chiron, a native of Monaco, finished the race some 5 minutes ahead of Luigi Fagioli.

Jean Bugatti could not control his joy and jumped over the parapet of the bleachers and fell into Louis Chiron's arms. For the Monegasque, this Monaco Grand Prix victory really confirmed his reputation.

Louis Chiron's victory at Monaco would be the last for a Monegasque for 93 years until Charles Leclerc won the 81st edition of the event.

Entries

No	Driver	Entrant	Constructor	Chassis	Engine
2	Template:Flagicon Ernst-Günther Burggaller	German Bugatti Team	Bugatti	Bugatti T35B	2.3 L8
4	Template:Flagicon Hermann zu Leiningen	German Bugatti Team	Bugatti	Bugatti T35C	2.0 L8
6	Template:Flagicon Heinrich-Joachim von Morgen	German Bugatti Team	Bugatti	Bugatti T35B	2.3 L8
8	Template:Flagicon Rudolf Caracciola	Private entry	Mercedes-Benz	Mercedes-Benz SSKL	7.1 L6
10	Template:Flagicon Earl Howe	Private entry	Bugatti	Bugatti T51	2.3 L8
12	Template:Flagicon Clifton Penn-Hughes	Private entry	Bugatti	Bugatti T35	2.0 L8
14	Template:Flagicon Henry Birkin	Private entry	Maserati	Maserati 26M	2.5 L8
16	Template:Flagicon Bernhard Ackerl	Private entry	Bugatti	Bugatti T37	1.5 L4
18	Template:Flagicon Juan Zanelli	Private entry	Bugatti	Bugatti T35B	2.3 L8
20	Template:Flagicon Guy Bouriat	Automobiles Ettore Bugatti	Bugatti	Bugatti T51	2.3 L8
22	Template:Flagicon Louis Chiron	Automobiles Ettore Bugatti	Bugatti	Bugatti T51	2.3 L8
24	Template:Flagicon Albert Divo	Automobiles Ettore Bugatti	Bugatti	Bugatti T51	2.3 L8
26	Template:Flagicon Achille Varzi	Automobiles Ettore Bugatti	Bugatti	Bugatti T51	2.3 L8
28	Template:Flagicon Philippe Étancelin	Private entry	Bugatti	Bugatti T35C	2.0 L8
30	Template:Flagicon Stanisław Czaykowski	Private entry	Bugatti	Bugatti T35B	2.3 L8
32	Template:Flagicon Marcel Lehoux	Private entry	Bugatti	Bugatti T35B	2.3 L8
34	Template:Flagicon William Grover-Williams	Private entry	Bugatti	Bugatti T35C	2.0 L8
36	Template:Flagicon Boris Ivanowski	Private entry	Mercedes-Benz	Mercedes-Benz SSK	7.1 L6
38	Template:Flagicon André Boillot	Private entry	Peugeot	Peugeot 174S	4.0 L4
40	Template:Flagicon Luigi Arcangeli	SA Alfa Romeo	Alfa Romeo	Alfa Romeo 6C-1750	1.8 L6
42	Template:Flagicon Baconin Borzacchini	SA Alfa Romeo	Alfa Romeo	Alfa Romeo 6C-1750	1.8 L6
44	Template:Flagicon Tazio Nuvolari	SA Alfa Romeo	Alfa Romeo	Alfa Romeo 8C-2300	2.3 L8
46	Template:Flagicon Goffredo Zehender	Scuderia Ferrari	Alfa Romeo	Alfa Romeo 6C-1750 GS	1.8 L6
48	Template:Flagicon Clemente Biondetti	Officine A. Maserati	Maserati	Maserati 26M	2.5 L8
50	Template:Flagicon René Dreyfus	Officine A. Maserati	Maserati	Maserati 26M	2.5 L8
52	Template:Flagicon Luigi Fagioli	Officine A. Maserati	Maserati	Maserati 26M	2.5 L8
54	Template:Flagicon Carlo Pedrazzini	Private entry	Maserati	Maserati 26B	2.0 L8
56	Template:Flagicon Hans Stuber	Private entry	Bugatti	Bugatti T35C	2.0 L8

Starting grid

Starting grid — 1931 Monaco Grand Prix
		Template:Flagicon Dreyfus Maserati
	Template:Flagicon Stuber Bugatti
Template:Flagicon Ackerl Bugatti
		Template:Flagicon Grover-Williams Bugatti
	Template:Flagicon Caracciola Mercedes-Benz
Template:Flagicon Divo Bugatti
		Template:Flagicon Lehoux Bugatti
	Template:Flagicon Boillot Peugeot
Template:Flagicon Biondetti Maserati
		Template:Flagicon Varzi Bugatti
	Template:Flagicon Chiron Bugatti
Template:Flagicon von Morgen Bugatti
		Template:Flagicon Zehender Alfa Romeo
	Template:Flagicon Fagioli Maserati
Template:Flagicon Penn-Hughes Bugatti
		Template:Flagicon Étancelin Bugatti
	Template:Flagicon Howe Bugatti
Template:Flagicon Burggaller Bugatti
		Template:Flagicon Zanelli Bugatti
	Template:Flagicon Bouriat Bugatti
Template:Flagicon Czaykowski Bugatti
		Template:Flagicon zu Leiningen Bugatti
	Template:Flagicon Pedrazzini Maserati

Note: grid slots were determined by drawing lots (Birkin and Ivanowski had provisionally been due to start on the first and seventh row, respectively).

Classification

File:After the start of the 1931 Monaco Grand Prix.jpg

Soon after the start

File:Louis Chiron winning the 1931 Monaco Grand Prix.jpg

Louis Chiron winning

Race

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/Retired	Grid
1	22	Template:Flagicon Louis Chiron	Bugatti T51	100	3:39:09.2	11
2	52	Template:Flagicon Luigi Fagioli	Maserati 26M	100	+3:55.4	14
3	26	Template:Flagicon Achille Varzi	Bugatti T51	100	+4:04.0	10
4	20	Template:Flagicon Guy Bouriat	Bugatti T51	98	+2 laps	20
5	46	Template:Flagicon Goffredo Zehender	Alfa Romeo 6C-1750 GS	97	+3 laps	13
6	38	Template:Flagicon André Boillot	Peugeot 174S	96	+4 laps	8
Ret	50	Template:Flagicon René Dreyfus	Maserati 26M	91	Magneto	1
7	48	Template:Flagicon Clemente Biondetti	Maserati 26M	91	+9 laps	9
8	12	Template:Flagicon Clifton Penn-Hughes	Bugatti T35	89	+11 laps	15
9	30	Template:Flagicon Stanislas Czaykowski	Bugatti T35B	85	+15 laps	21
Ret	24	Template:Flagicon Albert Divo	Bugatti T51	66	Engine	6
Ret	10	Template:Flagicon Earl Howe	Bugatti T51	62	Oil pipe/engine	17
Ret	56	Template:Flagicon Hans Stuber	Bugatti T35C	59	Drive shaft	2
Ret	16	Template:Flagicon Bernhard Ackerl	Bugatti T37A	55	Transmission	3
Ret	8	Template:Flagicon Rudolf Caracciola	Mercedes-Benz SSKL	53	Clutch/engine	5
Ret	18	Template:Flagicon Juan Zanelli	Bugatti T35B	47	Piston	19
Ret	4	Template:Flagicon Hermann zu Leiningen	Bugatti T35C	31	Gearbox	22
Ret	6	Template:Flagicon Heinrich-Joachim von Morgen	Bugatti T35B	28	Transmission	12
Ret	2	Template:Flagicon Ernst-Günther Burggaller	Bugatti T35B	26	Engine	18
Ret	32	Template:Flagicon Marcel Lehoux	Bugatti T35B	15	Transmission	7
Ret	54	Template:Flagicon Carlo Pedrazzini	Maserati 26B	13	Ignition	23
Ret	28	Template:Flagicon Philippe Étancelin	Bugatti T35C	6	Piston	16
Ret	34	Template:Flagicon William Grover-Williams	Bugatti T35C	5	Valve	4
DNS	14	Template:Flagicon Henry Birkin	Maserati 26M
DNS	36	Template:Flagicon Boris Ivanowski	Mercedes-Benz SSK
DNA	40	Template:Flagicon Luigi Arcangeli	Alfa Romeo 6C-1750
DNA	42	Template:Flagicon Baconin Borzacchini	Alfa Romeo 6C-1750
DNA	44	Template:Flagicon Tazio Nuvolari	Alfa Romeo 8C-2300
Sources: