Monterey car week: Reunion set to be a feast of F1

When stars of the day such as Juan Manuel Fangio, Raymond Mays and Giuseppe Farina lined up on the Silverstone grid before the flag dropped on the first Formula 1 World Championship race, the last thing they were probably thinking about was whether or not F1 had a future.

Three-quarters of a century has passed since then and, as Motor Sport readers know, Formula 1 has survived decades of ups and downs to emerge stronger and more popular than ever – and its 75th anniversary has been chosen as the theme for this year’s Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion happening at Laguna Seca during Monterey Car Week.

The Reunion has celebrated Formula 1 for several years with the Mario Andretti Trophy race for cars built between 1966 and 1985 but, for 2025, a new class will be added to spotlight pre-1966 grand prix cars.

The additional races will enable spectators to see – and hear – some of the greatest cars from the first 16 years of F1, including the Maserati 250F, Ferrari 156 and Brabham BT7. And, since Monterey Car Week falls between the Hungarian and Dutch GPs, there’s talk that Lewis Hamilton, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri may make guest appearances at Laguna Seca to enhance the anniversary celebrations.

McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown is also highly tipped to be seen in the cockpit of one of the celebrated British marque’s heritage cars, while an anniversary display promises to line-up the most famous cars in F1 history, and the Phil Hill Cup will see cars from every era of the sport take to the track in a parade.

While it will be centre of the event, the F1 machinery will only represent a small fraction of the 400 cars that, due to their ownership provenance, race records, originality and history, have been selected to join the 13 different groups that include 1922–1955 Grand Prix Legends, 1955–1969 Saloon Cars and 1961–1975 FIA Manufacturers’ Championship.

What’s likely to excite the predominantly American audience is the appearance of an impressive turn out of cars from the much-loved International Race of Champions (IROC) series that ran from 1973–2006. The series, in which a dozen ‘all star’ drivers competed in identically prepared cars, will be re-lived at Laguna Seca for the first time with four races featuring several NASCAR champions taking to the track, including Mark Martin, Ron Schrader and four-time NASCAR winner Jeff Gordon – with the pace car driver being none other than Al Unser Jr.

Zak Brown is also expected to join in with his recently acquired 1977 IROC Camaro which was variously driven in period by Hollywood stars Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman and Paul Newman during a so-called ‘play day’ alongside other actors and pro drivers.

The legendary Scott Pruett – five-times Daytona 24 Hours winner and victor at the 2014 Sebring 12 Hours – will also delight spectators, who will be able to see all the IROC cars assembled together within the Laguna Seca paddock.

The Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion is at Laguna Seca, August 13–16, with the Pre-Reunion & Corkcrew Hillclimb on August 9-10. Tickets for the Reunion from £50; Pre-reunion from £54. weathertechraceway.com