[Gallery] F1 cars flying at Laguna Seca | GRR
The Formula 1 World Championship has never visited Laguna Seca. It almost did, when F1 dropped Detroit at the end of 1988, but in the end it was Phoenix that got the gig from 1989 onwards. At the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, though, F1 machines were flying at this, one of the USA’s most famous tracks.
Officially the cars spanned 20 seasons of F1, from 1966 to 1985, but in reality the oldest car was from 1972. Regardless, 14 years worth of Formula 1 cars battling in the Californian sunshine was a fantastic spectacle. There were cars from Williams, Arrows, Tyrrell, Lotus, Brabham and March. There was even a lone Ferrari 312 T2 3, a Wolf WR6 and, representing the USA, a Parnelli VPJ-4.
Sadly we’ll never see F1 race at Laguna seca. Quite apart from the fact there will be three Grands Prix in the USA from 2023, Laguna is known as a ‘Type 2’ track, and Formula 1, with its strict safety regulations, requires ‘Type 1’. But seeing these pristine single-seat beauties on track gave us a flavour of just how good F1 at Laguna could be.
Photography by Pete Summers.