Fernando Alonso has broken Graham Hill’s 55 year-old record for most laps raced at the Monaco Grand Prix. Hill held the record since 1967.
On Lap 14 of the 2022 Monaco Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso set a new record for most laps raced at the Monaco Grand Prix. The Spaniard broke Graham Hill’s 55-year-old Monaco record. Completing all 64 laps of the rain-shortened race, Alonso’s tally of laps raced in Monaco now stands at 1,262.
Alonso has taken two wins and two pole positions at the Monaco Grand Prix during his illustrious career. He won from pole in both 2006 and 2007 and is the only driver to win the Monaco Grand Prix in successive years with two different teams.
HILL’S 55 YEAR OLD RECORD FINALLY BROKEN
Graham Hill has held the record for most laps raced at the Monaco Grand Prix since overtaking Jo Bonnier’s tally during the 1967 Monaco Grand Prix. Alonso becomes only the sixth driver to hold the record for most laps raced in Monaco.
Juan Manuel Fangio was the original record holder, being the only driver to complete all 100 laps in the first Monaco Grand Prix to count towards the World Championship in 1950. Fangio retired from the next Monaco race to be run to F1 regulations, in 1955, which saw Louis Chiron briefly secure the record. At 55 years of age, Chiron became the oldest driver to start a Formula 1 race in that Grand Prix.
Fangio took back the record for most Monaco laps raced in 1956 and his tally of 411 laps raced here was unbeaten until 1960, when Maurice Trintignant overtook Fangio’s count, taking the new record to 415. Trintignant went on to race a further 182 laps in the principality, with his final total standing at 597.
Tritignant’s record was overtaken by Jo Bonnier, who became the first driver to break the 600 laps raced milestone in 1965. Bonnier was the record holder for only two years, with Graham Hill setting a new record on Lap 53 of the 1967 race.
MR MONACO
By the end of his career, Hill had earned the “Mr Monaco” nickname with five victories in the principality. He’s the only driver to take back-to-back wins at the track on multiple occasions. Hill’s win tally in Monaco has been surpassed since by only Ayrton Senna, who recorded a record sixth Monaco win in 1993.
Hill’s total of laps raced at the Monaco Grand Prix stands at 1,211. He made 18 appearances in total at Monaco, a figure which has been passed since by only Rubens Barrichello. Alonso equalled Hill’s tally of Monaco appearances in 2022. Hill’s total of laps raced in Monaco is bolstered by the fact that the Monaco Grand Prix used to be run to 100 laps until 1967. Hill completed all 100 laps on three occasions: in 1963, 1964 and 1965.
Since Hill, only a handful of drivers have completed over 1,000 laps in Monaco. Before Alonso, Kimi Raikkonen came closest to surpassing Hill’s tally, getting to within two laps of Hill’s total on his final Monaco Grand Prix appearance in 2021.