RE: Time for Tea? 1956 Monza Grand Prix

RE: Time for Tea? 1956 Monza Grand Prix

Friday 23rd November 2012

Time for Tea? 1956 Monza Grand Prix

As the 2012 F1 season reaches a climax this weekend, we recall a simpler, scarier time



So the 2012 F1 season reaches its conclusion this Sunday at Interlagos. Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel will be competing for the world championship, the overall winner securing their third title.

It's been a great season, mixing elements like the triumphant return of Kimi 'leave me alone' Raikkonen, the unpredictability of teams like Sauber, and the successful reintroduction of a United States Grand Prix.

But there's no harm in seeing where the sport has come from. Today's Time For Tea? is a highlights reel from the 1956 European Grand Prix at Monza. It's hard to describe without resorting to cliché just how much the spectacle of F1 has changed in 56 years.

Stalled at the start? We'll give you a push, old chap. Need new tyres or more fuel? Just pull over on the main straight, there's a few garages. Spectators? Anywhere and everywhere it would seem, as long as they don't venture onto the track. That would be dangerous (!).

Of course, making F1 a safer sport was completely appropriate, but the back-to-basics and honest nature of the sport shown in this video are refreshing. For instance, Fangio's teammate Peter Collins offers the championship contender his car when the former's suffers a breakdown. The cars and drivers are bereft of sponsorship; everything is focused on the skill of driving.

This isn't advocating a return, simply an admiration of what was achieved half a century ago. Stirling Moss wins this race, with a fastest lap at an average speed of over 135mph. Watching such rudimentary machinery do this sort of speed is terrifying, but the bravery on display is breathtaking. Let's hope Brazil is similarly dramatic this weekend.

 


Author
Discussion

JS100

Original Poster:

221 posts

156 months

Friday 23rd November 2012
quotequote all
Stunning clip - thks for posting.

fatboy18

18,930 posts

210 months

Friday 23rd November 2012
quotequote all
"the bravery on display is breathtaking. Let's hope Brazil is similarly dramatic this weekend."

You can hope! roflroflrofl




Ozzie Osmond

21,189 posts

245 months

Friday 23rd November 2012
quotequote all
Good one!

Like the idea of "twice past the pits" each lap. Must have been a great circuit in that original form.

robinessex

11,046 posts

180 months

Friday 23rd November 2012
quotequote all
So when are they going to bring the banking back into use ?

FourWheelDrift

88,383 posts

283 months

Friday 23rd November 2012
quotequote all
fatboy18 said:
"the bravery on display is breathtaking. Let's hope Brazil is similarly dramatic this weekend."

You can hope! roflroflrofl

That'll just be the drive to the circuit avoiding the armed muggers.

fatboy18

18,930 posts

210 months

Friday 23rd November 2012
quotequote all
FourWheelDrift said:
fatboy18 said:
"the bravery on display is breathtaking. Let's hope Brazil is similarly dramatic this weekend."

You can hope! roflroflrofl

That'll just be the drive to the circuit avoiding the armed muggers.
hehehehe

mikefacel

610 posts

187 months

Friday 23rd November 2012
quotequote all
What a fantastic clip!

KimZ

225 posts

213 months

Friday 23rd November 2012
quotequote all
Superb find, thanks!

Incredible bravery especially considering the primitive safety equipment of the time. Plus the fact that any prang would have (at best) serious consequences due to the runoff area being armaco...eekeek

The Leaper

4,939 posts

205 months

Friday 23rd November 2012
quotequote all
This is the reason I've been watching F1 for more than 50 years! Nostalgia is a wondereful thing, of course, but safety is paramount and necessary even though it has detracted from the human achievements in the past. Current F1 is still excellent...perhaps "professional" is the best word for it.

I find sportscar racing most enjoyable now, Le Mans especially so. Can't wait for June 2013 to make the annual trip.

R.

Ollieb7

365 posts

197 months

Friday 23rd November 2012
quotequote all
Its good but this is better, much better

Here is a future time for tea boys

http://m.youtube.com/index?desktop_uri=%2F&gl=...

Every elment of nostalga plus the kitchen sink

Gorbyrev

1,160 posts

153 months

Friday 23rd November 2012
quotequote all
Wonder if Massa is checking the rule book to see if he could offer his Fezza to Alonso in an act of gentlemanly team orders!

rtz62

3,340 posts

154 months

Friday 23rd November 2012
quotequote all
Funny how 'progress' can have just the opposite effect.
I gave up watching F1 after Senna died; too formulaic, too anaesthetised.
If I wanted to see a procession of cars following each other lap after lap I'd go and stand on the inner ring road at Mansfield and watch the boy racers circulating and driving like tts; and they have real crashes....!

Fantuzzi

3,297 posts

145 months

Friday 23rd November 2012
quotequote all
Great video, thank you for uploading.

Looking forward to this weekend, should be a good one!

Numeric

1,393 posts

150 months

Friday 23rd November 2012
quotequote all
That was awesome - was this the no seatbelt era so you could be thrown clear of the burning wreckage? We really do live in a very different world!!

fatboy18

18,930 posts

210 months

Friday 23rd November 2012
quotequote all
The Leaper said:
I find sportscar racing most enjoyable now, Le Mans especially so. Can't wait for June 2013 to make the annual trip.

R.
Yea, at Le mans we get stuff like this!


http://youtu.be/nwx5vDtNEpg

benim83n

64 posts

158 months

Friday 23rd November 2012
quotequote all
i love how pirelli is still yousing the same logo, it seems bizarre to see it in 1956

DodoRacing

539 posts

206 months

Saturday 24th November 2012
quotequote all
Loved how the no. 30 car was sneaking in before the start (the term "jump start" fails short to describe what he was doing). smile

chevronb37

6,471 posts

185 months

Saturday 24th November 2012
quotequote all
Monza became my favourite circuit after attending this year's GP. It has a magic you simply can't describe. And the spectacle of a modern Grand Prix car turning into Ascari is just awesome.



nicanary

9,753 posts

145 months

Saturday 24th November 2012
quotequote all
robinessex said:
So when are they going to bring the banking back into use ?
The pics posted show why. It was rough even when new, and not popular with the drivers. I have seen photos of the wooden trellis structures which hold up the banking, and believe me, if you'd known that, you wouldn't have driven on it.

But God knows I hope they don't pull it down - we must hold on to our history.

chevronb37

6,471 posts

185 months

Saturday 24th November 2012
quotequote all
nicanary said:
robinessex said:
So when are they going to bring the banking back into use ?
The pics posted show why. It was rough even when new, and not popular with the drivers. I have seen photos of the wooden trellis structures which hold up the banking, and believe me, if you'd known that, you wouldn't have driven on it.

But God knows I hope they don't pull it down - we must hold on to our history.
I didn't see any timber in the structure, other than some of the armco posts. At some point I think they did a hit n miss jobs with the posts - removed half of the timber posts and cast steel ones in their place. What I saw of the stucture itself was all concrete. The timber may all have deteriorated now. However, where today we have minimum standards governing rebar cover in concrete, these evidently didn't apply in the 1950s. There are large sections where the rebar has been exposed and is now oxidising. The sad truth is that the banking will simply crumble at some point.

I have quite a few more shots of the banking I'd various points I'd be happy to share if anyone is interested anyway.