Collins would have no problems going the distance in the Ferrari. Completing the race distance in a little more than one hour and 26 minutes, Collins would ease his way to victory defeating Salvadori by a margin of 23 seconds. Masten Gregory would follow along behind Salvadori another 13 seconds further back.
The sole Ferrari in the field would end up dominating the British presence, but there would be one Italian that would be supremely disappointed as he packed up his broken car and prepared to head back across to the continent.
Scarlatti needed to finish a race. At least he needed to finish one in Formula One that was for sure. He wouldn’t be having too many difficulties in sportscars, except for going fast enough. Just a week removed from his disappointing end at Silverstone, Scarlatti would be partnered with Jean Behra in a Porsche 718 RSK in the arduous Targa Florio.
Behra was certainly known for his speed and was looking strong to repeat his victory in the International Trophy race just a week prior until the incident with a rock striking his goggles. But now that French speed would be partnered with Italian temperance in the Targa Florio.
It would be an incredible performance by the two men in the Porsche. Events would unfold that would leave them 2nd place overall though they were at the wheel of a 1.5-liter Porsche. The two men would charge on and would end up finishing first in their class and 2nd overall. This would be a tremendous result for any driver. It would be great for Scarlatti no doubt. However, Behra wouldn’t be all that enthused about the whole thing. Though he would relate it privately, it was clear the Frenchman believed he could have won overall had Scarlatti been a little faster. It would be hard to believe that a French would have liked an Italian to drive faster, but then again, Scarlatti was known for his steady hand behind the wheel, not his willingness to flirt with the edge of the envelope.
While Behra would leave the Targa Florio somewhat deflated, the result would be very important for Scarlatti and would certainly build up his confidence. This was good because the month of May would turn into a very busy month of racing for the Italian.
Following the race at Silverstone, and then back on the island of Sicily, Scarlatti would travel the short distance west down the southern coast of Europe into the heart of the French Riviera. Ultimately he would cross over into the tiny principality known the world-over as Monaco. It would be here, amidst the tight and windy streets, the Monaco Grand Prix would be held on the 18th of May.
The Monaco Grand Prix would be one of the most important races in all of Europe prior to the Second World War. The race would then make a very brief appearance on the new Formula One World Championship before it disappeared from view for a couple of years. Then, in 1955, the race would return in memorable fashion with the Mercedes-Benz falling out and Alberto Ascari falling in the harbor. Ultimately, a surprise winner, that of Maurice Trintignant, would come through all the chaos to earn his first Formula One victory, a win in Monaco no less.
Following that surprise victory, Trintignant would achieve relatively little. As far as Scarlatti was concerned, if a victory in the Monaco Grand Prix was all he earned it would be good enough. Of course Scarlatti, along with many others, would have to be concerned with just making into the race first. That, in and of itself, was no small victory.
The Monaco Grand Prix only allowed 16 cars to start the race, so the competition for those few places would be fierce. The battle would take place around a circuit known to be just as fierce.
Measuring 1.95 miles, the Monte Carlo would be quickly becoming an oxymoron in the world of grand prix racing. While many circuits were becoming purpose-built or would take place on public roads and streets in relatively wide-open areas where average speeds would be quite high, the Monaco circuit would stay within a couple hundred yards of the harbor front at all times. It would feature a number of elevation changes, but given the surroundings, it meant a circuit that twisted back and forth upon itself making for slow speeds and a number of gear changes per lap.
Inspite of the opulent surroundings, the circuit itself would be relatively ‘low-budget’ for the teams and competitors. The pits would be nothing more than an area of boulevard sectioned off for use during the race. There would be no run-off areas and plenty of places to end up with an abandoned high-priced piece of machinery. The tight nature of the circuit also made it difficult for passing and getting around slower traffic. Therefore, grid position would be very important for those intent on battling for a win. Even those merely thinking about finishing the race would have to take care throughout as there would be plenty of opportunity to make a mistake or get caught up in someone else’s mistakes.
While most every other race on the calendar would be shortened a good deal, the Monaco Grand Prix would remain one of the longer races of the season. At 100 laps, it was more than likely the race would three hours and this provided ample opportunities for car and driver to suffer a problem over the course of the race.
Scarlatti would be a lone entry. Most of the other factory teams, with the exception of Scuderia Ferrari, would come with three cars. This meant very spots remaining on the grid for the privately-entered cars.
The fight for grid positions would be tight throughout the whole of the grid. Tony Brooks would end up the fastest around the circuit and would take pole beating out Jean Behra by one second. Jack Brabham would play to the strengths of the mid-engined Cooper and would take the 3rd spot on the grid, the final spot on the front row.
In total, there would be no less than 12 cars that would fail to qualify for the race. Giorgio Scarlatti’s best effort around the circuit would be a lap time of 1:44.7. This time was nearly five seconds slower than Brooks’ pole-winning effort and did not bode well for the Italian. However, the time would prove to be better than Graham Hill and Jo Bonnier by about three-tenths of a second. As a result, Scarlatti would make it onto the sixth row of the grid in the 14th position overall. He was at the back of the grid but at least he was in the race.
