Maurice Trintignant gave Rob Walker a second consecutive championship victory at the 1958 Monaco Grand Prix. As the leading Vanwalls, BRMs and Ferraris ran into trouble, the experienced Frenchman kept his Cooper clear of the chaos and repeated his Monaco success of 1955.
Race Guide
Season: 1958 F1 World Championship
Race date: 18 May 1958
Race start time: Start time unconfirmed local time (UTC+01:00)
Circuit: Circuit de Monaco
Laps: 100 laps
Circuit length: 3.145 km
1957 winner: Juan Manuel Fangio
| Result | Driver / Time | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Pole position | Tony Brooks | Vanwall |
| Pole time | 1:39.800 | |
| Fastest lap | Mike Hawthorn | Ferrari |
| Fastest-lap time | 1:40.600 on lap 36 | |
| First | Maurice Trintignant | Cooper |
| Second | Luigi Musso | Ferrari |
| Third | Peter Collins | Ferrari |
Weekend Schedule
| Date | Session | Local Time |
|---|---|---|
| 15 May 1958 | Thursday timed practice | 15:00; end unconfirmed |
| 16 May 1958 | Friday timed practice | 05:45; end unconfirmed |
| 17 May 1958 | Saturday final qualifying | Start time unconfirmed |
| 18 May 1958 | Race | Start time unconfirmed |
All times are local. The race time is the scheduled start; weather delays and interruptions are described below.
Championship background
Stirling Moss arrived at round 2 leading the 1958 F1 World Championship on 8 points, with Luigi Musso on 6.
Race entries
Vanwall and BRM returned, with Moss, Behra and Schell back in their regular seats. Trintignant took Walker’s newer Cooper, while Lotus made its championship debut with Graham Hill and Cliff Allison. Maria Teresa de Filippis entered a Maserati, and local veteran Louis Chiron attempted another Monaco start, but the sixteen-car limit made qualification a formidable task.
Thursday timed practice
Behra put BRM at the centre of attention with a series of rapid laps, eventually matched by Brooks in the Vanwall. Ferrari searched for better gearing and suspension settings, while Moss disliked his car’s steering and brakes and tried Brooks’s machine. Lotus had a tougher introduction: Allison suffered a head-gasket problem and Graham Hill was still learning how its brakes behaved on the slippery streets.
Friday timed practice
The early session brought cool conditions and a decisive improvement from Brooks, whose 1:39.8 would stand as pole. Cooper‘s cars also impressed, with Brabham and Salvadori close together. Moss remained frustrated by his Vanwall and briefly tried Walker’s older Cooper. Graham Hill struck a kerb hard enough to damage the Lotus‘s suspension and chassis, leaving the mechanics facing substantial repairs.
Saturday final qualifying
Overnight rain and the warmer afternoon reduced the prospect of better times. Vanwall assembled a different car for Moss, who finally found more confidence, but oil from a failed Maserati interrupted the running. Ferrari fitted a larger engine to von Trips’s car, while BRM continued comparing its cars. Brooks retained pole, and the tight qualification contest left de Filippis and Chiron among those unable to start.
Qualifying Classification
Each driver’s best eligible lap determined the sixteen-car grid. The Thursday afternoon, Friday morning and Saturday afternoon sessions are kept in their historical order.
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Best Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 30 | Tony Brooks | Vanwall | 1:39.800 |
| 2 | 6 | Jean Behra | BRM | 1:40.8 |
| 3 | 16 | Jack Brabham | Cooper | 1:41.0 |
| 4 | 18 | Roy Salvadori | Cooper | 1:41.0 |
| 5 | 20 | Maurice Trintignant | Cooper | 1:41.1 |
| 6 | 38 | Mike Hawthorn | Ferrari | 1:41.5 |
| 7 | 32 | Stuart Lewis-Evans | Vanwall | 1:41.8 |
| 8 | 28 | Stirling Moss | Vanwall | 1:42.3 |
| 9 | 36 | Peter Collins | Ferrari | 1:42.4 |
| 10 | 34 | Luigi Musso | Ferrari | 1:42.6 |
| 11 | 8 | Harry Schell | BRM | 1:43.8 |
| 12 | 40 | Wolfgang von Trips | Ferrari | 1:44.3 |
| 13 | 24 | Cliff Allison | Lotus | 1:44.6 |
| 14 | 46 | Giorgio Scarlatti | Maserati | 1:44.7 |
| 15 | 26 | Graham Hill | Lotus | 1:45.0 |
| 16 | 58 | Jo Bonnier | Maserati | 1:45.0 |
| 17 | 22 | Ron Flockhart | Cooper | 1:45.9 |
| 18 | 50 | Ken Kavanagh | Maserati | 1:49.0 |
| 19 | 48 | Gerino Gerini | Maserati | 1:49.8 |
| 20 | 12 | Bruce Kessler | Connaught | 1:50.5 |
| 21 | 14 | Paul Emery | Connaught | 1:50.8 |
| 22 | 44 | Maria Teresa de Filippis | Maserati | 1:50.8 |
| 23 | 56 | André Testut | Maserati | 1:51.4 |
| 24 | 52 | Giulio Cabianca | O.S.C.A. | 1:52.0 |
| 25 | 54 | Luigi Piotti | O.S.C.A. | 1:52.4 |
| 26 | 42 | Horace Gould | Maserati | 1:54.0 |
| DNQ | 12 | Bernie Ecclestone | Connaught | 2:43.3 |
| DNQ | 50 | Luigi Taramazzo | Maserati | No time |
| DNQ | 56 | Louis Chiron | Maserati | No time |
| DNQ | 4 | Paco Godia | Maserati | No time |
What happened in the 1958 Monaco Grand Prix?
Behra beat pole-sitter Brooks away and led until brake trouble intervened. Hawthorn then became Ferrari‘s strongest contender, with Moss also in the fight before his Vanwall retired. The circuit kept exposing weaknesses: Hawthorn’s fuel pump failed, and the other Vanwalls also fell out.
Trintignant made the most of a reliable Cooper and moved into command. Lotus‘s promising debut ended in mixed fortunes, with Graham Hill retiring after showing well and Allison persevering to the finish. Ferrari‘s remaining challenge could not close the gap to the leader.
Trintignant won by twenty seconds from Musso, with Collins third. Brabham finished fourth and Schell collected the final points place. Musso’s second successive runner-up result put him ahead in the drivers’ championship, while Walker’s second win made Cooper‘s Argentine breakthrough look rather more significant.
After the race, Luigi Musso headed the drivers’ standings with 12 points, followed by Stirling Moss on 8.
1958 Monaco Grand Prix race results
The 1958 Monaco Grand Prix was held on 18 May 1958.
1 point for fastest lap
1958 Monaco Grand Prix Fastest Laps
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Lap | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 38 | Mike Hawthorn | Ferrari | 36 | 1:40.600 |
Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear. One championship point was awarded for fastest lap, divided equally when shared.
1958 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings
Championship standings after the 1958 Monaco Grand Prix.
1958 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings
| POS | Driver | Nationality | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luigi Musso | Italian | Ferrari | 12 |
| 2 | Stirling Moss | British | Cooper / Vanwall | 8 |
| 3 | Maurice Trintignant | French | Cooper | 8 |
| 4 | Mike Hawthorn | British | Ferrari | 5 |
| 5 | Peter Collins | British | Ferrari | 4 |
| 6 | Juan Manuel Fangio | Argentine | Maserati | 4 |
| 7 | Jack Brabham | Australian | Cooper | 3 |
| 8 | Harry Schell | American | Maserati / BRM | 2 |
| 9 | Jean Behra | French | Maserati / BRM | 2 |
| — | Cliff Allison | British | Team Lotus | 0 |
| — | Carlos Menditeguy | Argentine | Maserati | 0 |
| — | Paco Godia | Spanish | Maserati | 0 |
| — | Horace Gould | British | Maserati | 0 |
| — | Wolfgang von Trips | German | Ferrari | 0 |
| — | Jo Bonnier | Swedish | Maserati | 0 |
| — | Graham Hill | British | Team Lotus | 0 |
| — | Roy Salvadori | British | Cooper | 0 |
| — | Giorgio Scarlatti | Italian | Maserati | 0 |
| — | Tony Brooks | British | Vanwall | 0 |
| — | Stuart Lewis-Evans | British | Vanwall | 0 |
1958 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings
Drivers counted their best 6 results. The first five places earned 8–6–4–3–2 points, with one further point for fastest lap, shared equally when necessary. Shared drives earned no championship points. Constructors also retained their best 6 results, scoring through only their highest-placed eligible car, without fastest-lap points. Indianapolis counted for drivers only.
1958 Formula 1 Race Calendar
Seen in:
