The 1961 Formula One season did not officially start until May, 8 days after the BRDC race in England. Practice saw Clark crash his Lotus heavily at turn one and Lotus's woes continued when Innes Ireland crashed in the tunnel during the final session, destroying his car and breaking his leg. Moss took pole in his Rob Walker Lotus with Richie Ginther's Ferrari and Clark's Lotus sharing the front row. Graham and Phil Hill shared the second row. This particular Monaco Grand Prix turned out to be a classic, with one of the greatest driving performances in the history of Formula One by Stirling Moss in a privately entered Lotus against 3 Ferraris that had a lot more power but worse handling than the Lotus.