1950 Monaco Grand Prix

Report

After two qualifying sessions, on Thursday and Saturday, Charles Pozzi, Yves Giraud-Cabantous, Pierre Levegh and Clemente Biondetti did not start. The starting grid consisted of alternating rows of three and two, beginning with three on the front row and continuing up to two on the 8th row.

The first two rows (positions 1 to 5) were filled by the five fastest drivers from Thursday's session, with the remaining positions based on the other 16 drivers' times from Saturday. This format placed Luigi Villoresi 6th despite his time being fast enough for 2nd. Alfredo Pián did not start due to a practice accident, and Peter Whitehead was another non-starter.

The race was dominated from start to finish by Juan Manuel Fangio, who scored his first ever World Championship victory driving an Alfa Romeo. A large pile-up occurred on the first lap when a wave from the harbour flooded the track at Tabac Corner. Nino Farina, running 2nd, spun and crashed, while Fangio escaped the chaos. Eight more drivers from the 19-car field crashed and retired; none were injured.

José Froilán González, who damaged his Maserati in the pile-up but was running second, crashed on the second lap; his car caught fire and he suffered burns. Many cars went off at Tabac Corner, nearly causing other accidents. Ferrari driver Luigi Villoresi charged from the back after being delayed by the pile-up but did not finish. Harry Schell's Cooper was the first rear-engined car to start in a championship race.

Chiron's 3rd-place finish made him the only Monegasque driver to score points in Formula One until Charles Leclerc finished 6th in the 2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.