Traditionally the number of competitors permitted for the Monaco Grand Prix was lower than at all other races, due to the tight and twisty nature of the Monte Carlo circuit.

During the practice session, Michele Alboreto's Ferrari tangled with Christian Danner's slow-moving Zakspeed on the uphill section after the Ste-Devote corner.

FISA blamed Danner for the accident and decided to exclude him from the weekend, the first such event in the history of the Formula One World Championship.

Prost was running third when his engine failed with three laps to go, promoting Alboreto to the final podium position.

Numbers in brackets refer to positions of normally aspirated entrants competing for the Jim Clark Trophy.