That time of year has cycled around again and we have one of the greatest weekends on the motorsport calendar featuring two of the 'big three' races - The Monaco GP and the Indy 500 - with the Le Mans 24hrs not too far away as well coinciding with the Canadian race. But that is a post for another day, now I am here to introduce a race which really needs no introduction but I'm going to do it anyway.
Nestled on the Mediterranean coastline Monaco offers 2.1 miles of steel lined processional mayhem, but then there is the other element - the posh people. Every year the race is plagued by all sorts of pseudo celebrities turning up just to flog whatever multi-Oscar nominated abomination at any available opportunity. The location epitomises excess and overspending - stupid fashion and jewellery exploit the race to get their crap on television even to the point where they are glueing pointless shiny rocks to the driver's helmets.
Somewhere underneath all the layers of shameless marketing and everyone who appeared in a film at some point creeping out from their gold encrusted rocks of self importance it is hard to notice that there is a race going on. Well several races but the support package will just be a series of accidents broken up by the safetycar. But looking at the second practice session the sheer spectacle of if all does make you forget they're racing through a city of people you'd just love to slap.
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| source: FIA Trackmap |
Something completely different from anything they've faced this season and until Singapore will not face again, and aside from the other things going on at the track is one of the greatest spectacular sights of the season. Winding through the streets of the principality in a layout that has remained roughly unchanged since it's inception - sure a few corners have been re-profiled some for the better others less so.
This year sees no modifications with the exception of the first turn being re-surfaced but the corners remain the same since the last update which took away some barriers and corrupted La Rascasse at the end of the lap. And after seeing FP2 earlier looks as fantastic as ever, as the cars flashed between the barriers at speeds exacerbated by the close confines of the armco.
It is a track where a driver can overcome a car's weaknesses as unlike in Spain last week speed is not limited by the car's performance as much placing it more into the hands of the biological mass behind the wheel. And for the first time in a few races qualifying will actually mean something because no amount of fresher tyres is getting you through the field where passing is harder than getting out of jail after punching a 'celebrity'. Getting in front of another driver does require a quantity of luck and co-operation with a little bit of contact to pry open the door.
But all this writing doesn't really help picture it, but this week I do apologise for the video quality as the model of Monaco I have is a little outdated. On top of that my computer is not exactly that grand at rendering street layouts with all those buildings and the like so the quality is visually a little down but never the less here is this weeks Alternative Track Guide from the streets of Monte Carlo - which now is available in HD not that it'll make a difference.
What to expect
In a word pretty much anything especially on race day, where Monaco grands prix tend to fall into two categories either processional and dull or completely mad with carnage and safety cars and all sorts of probabilities. It is a circuit where having the best car is not necessarily a key to a sure fire victory as Red Bull have shown so far this year.
Monaco represents one of the best opportunities for cars from lower down the grid to score a good result by out-driving the car and because they can't be passed in the race holding position. Drivers on the fringe of the top ten - the likes of Sauber and Williams could pull something out of the bag as maximum aero efficiency doesn't pay as well as as faster tracks - mechanical grip is more important.
Up at the sharp end Red Bull will likely be still very strong but will be more vulnerable to the chasing pack this weekend - drivers like Hamilton and Alonso could make significant advances on the leading pair with the Ferrari looking good in the second session earlier on. Mercedes are showing good low fuel pace again with Rosberg high up the leaderboard but Michael lost time after testing the St Devote barrier in first practice.
It's a weekend that could be quite profitable for the small teams at the far end of the grid especially for Lotus who showed they can escape Q3 last time and there is a chance of repeating it. Given the importance of qualifying here a decent grid position could well lead to their best finish of the year.
KERs and DRS
Well both facilities are available to the drivers but will likely be completely useless outside of qualifying for some extra speed. Their function as overtaking devices will be almost totally neutered by the nature of the circuit where passing is an event so rare it should be photographed and framed for posterity. KERs will be used on the three vaguely straight segments of the track - the pit straight, the run to Massinet and from the Tunnel into Nouvelle Chicane.
DRS however is open to the drivers in the qualifying session on the length of the track with the exception of the tunnel where DRS is banned - it does make sense really, the curve in there may be possible with DRS open but should anything go wrong the magnitude of accident which could occur is monumental. Being one of the fastest parts of the track - it is the last place you'd want to be hurtling backwards into a concrete wall, not there are any good times to hit a concrete wall. Before cascading in whatever mess you've ended up down the hill into Nouvelle Chicane where more barriers await - ones that eliminated Button from the 2006 event through injury.
What is going to be more important than any of those devices this weekend are the tyres, the two softest compounds have been brought to the track which being set on regular street tarmac, combined with the lower speeds has lower wear. Early data shows that we will be seeing lower amounts of pit stops than we have seen all season with the opportunity for a one stop race - one-stop Perez will not doubt be rubbing his hands with glee at the thought. As Sauber have proven that their car is much easier on those rubber circles which could make their strategy interesting but depends on traffic and relative car-speed.
Monaco is one of those races of the season that is a must see, the chance of madness is too high to give it a miss the combination of extremely fast cars on a tiny narrow track is always a recipe of all sorts of mayhem and entertainment. Throw in some strategy into the mix and drape a blanket of opportunism over those challengers looking to steal a good result out of the uncertainty of a street race and we're in for some fun, a whole lot of fun indeed. We may even see the first safety car of the year and as the Americans always say "cautions breed cautions" so Bernd Maylander may have something to do aside from chaperoning the GP2 drivers who like a good accident
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