Monaco

A change at the front

The third round of the Championship at Monaco belonged to Simone Porcu, whose Eagle T1G emerged from a changing race at the front to take his first victory of the campaign. Porcu had not led throughout. FMG's BRM P83 was ahead at the end of lap 25, but Porcu moved in front on the following circuit and turned that opportunity into the winning position.

There was no need for embellishment in the result. Porcu completed all 44 laps to win, with Florian Masse second in the Honda RA300 and gilvil77 third in the Ferrari 312. It was a varied podium in machinery as well as drivers, and a useful indication that the Championship's early order has not settled into any single pattern.

Masse's valuable second

Masse's second place was more than a supporting result. It moved the Frenchman into the Championship lead, displacing Aaron Puettmann, and left him level with Porcu on 40 points after three rounds. Porcu therefore leaves Monaco as joint leader with the man who followed him home.

That made the afternoon especially worthwhile for both men, though in rather different ways. Porcu had the immediate satisfaction of a first Championship victory; Masse had the compensation of a result strong enough to place him at the summit of the table. With four rounds still to run, the pair have established an early reference point without giving either man the comfort of an advantage.

A close company behind the leaders

Behind the leading pair, gilvil77 secured third after completing the full distance, while Elia Porcu's Eagle took fourth and Willphaizer's McLaren M5A fifth, both also on the 44th lap. Their places were earned through a race in which the order behind the leaders remained far from fixed.

For much of the opening third, Flashor, Elia Porcu, Alex Senna and Willphaizer ran as a compact group, rarely separated by much more than a few seconds. The composition of that contest altered as the race progressed, but Elia Porcu and Willphaizer remained prominent within it. Willphaizer moved ahead before half-distance; Elia reclaimed the advantage in the closing phase, and the two ultimately occupied fourth and fifth.

It was the sort of contest which gave the middle of the race its substance without distracting from the changing lead. Flashor was classified 16th after 27 laps and Senna 13th after 39, but their earlier presence in that close-running group had helped keep the pressure on the cars around them.

Rossier recovers

Richard Rossier supplied one of the more purposeful recoveries. Having been as low as 13th after the second lap, the Swiss driver worked his Ferrari 312 back through the order and was classified sixth after completing 43 laps. It was a notable climb in a field whose front runners gave little away.

FMG, whose BRM had led until Porcu's move on lap 26, was classified 10th after 42 laps. The fastest lap nevertheless went to the British driver, a 1:21.304, and that small distinction underlined the pace which had placed the BRM at the centre of the race before Porcu took command.