Ahead of the Monaco GP, the Royal Automobile Club hosted a reception in honour of Sir Stirling Moss OBE who won the race 50 years ago. The Lotus 18 in which Moss took the chequered flag half a century ago was displayed in the Pall Mall clubhouse, London.
This was arguably one of the best F1 races ever and one that Moss considers the greatest circuit race of his career. It was the first round of the 1961 World Championship of Drivers and was run under new 1.5-litre engine regulations. His Rob Walker Racing Lotus 18 was considerably underpowered compared to the trio of works 'shark nosed' Ferraris but having secured pole position, Moss went on to triumph in one of Grand Prix racing’s most epic battles.
Third into the first corner, Moss took the lead on lap 14 and stretched his advantage to 10 seconds. Later, he came under pressure from Richie Ginther in a Ferrari and his lead dropped to just three seconds. However, Moss matched Ginther's lap times and after 100 laps he took the chequered flag with a four-second advantage.
