Annual Grand Prix Zooms Into Glamorous Monaco

The speed, the glamour, the excitement – Monaco has it all as the one of the world’s smallest principalities embarks on another Grand Prix in Monte Carlo. The race, possibly the highlight of the Formula One Calendar, tests both the will and nerve of the drivers in a course which poses very little room for error. This year marks the 74^th Monaco Formula Grand Prix. It has run every year since 1955 testing the best drivers in the world through the years. The most successful drivers in Monte Carlo have been Ayrton Senna who won an impressive six races, with five of the back to back between 1989 and 1993. Hot on Senna’s tail are British driver, Graham Hill and German, Michael Schumacher, who both have five victories to their name in Monaco.

The circuit, which runs through the winding tight streets of Monte Carlo, was first devised in 1929 by Anthony Noghes and except for a few adjustments looks pretty much as it did in its earliest days. The 3.34 km stretch of road has seen the addition of a chicane at Ste Devote, a swimming pool section which was built as part of a land reclamation programme and a hairpin at La Rascasse.

The visual appearance of the track is part of the allure, it affords beautiful views of the harbour, the picturesque streets and the intense of excitement as cars try to stay within the lines. Monaco does not provide the run-off areas of some other tracks; one mistake and you’re gone. It is a track notorious for having a safety car period. Not only do the tight streets make for added safety issues, but they also seriously infringe on opportunities to overtake.

The practice sessions which are normally held on a Friday, are moved forward in Monaco to Thursday, and so 22 super-fast cars took to the streets yesterday to the thrill of onlookers. Michael Schumacher is the holder of the fastest lap time for the Monaco, a time he achieved in 2004, so how did the drivers fare yesterday? Lewis Hamilton, for Mercedes, came out on top at the end of the first session with a lap time of 1:15.537, but in the second session, he missed out to Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo with a time of 1:14.607, for whom this placing is a milestone in his career. Ricciardo is driving the new Renault engine and it seems to be working well for him so far. Although, Renault themselves believe that its true advantage won’t be noticeable until it is aired on one of the circuits later in the season.

Some adjustments will be in play for the Grand Prix this weekend. The FIA has introduced a new ban on drivers disposing of their visor tear-offs on the track. Jenson Button has commented that he feels it is a ‘bit silly’, that they have been doing this for years, but that the drivers will adapt to it like any other changes. Fernando Alonso, who has had some trouble with the visors interfering with the brakes in past years, says that it’s not a problem to keep them in the car.

All the teams tested Pirelli’s newest innovation, the purple-walled Ultra Soft tyres, in qualifying. They are as yet unsure how they will perform under race conditions. On a track such as Monaco, where overtaking is restricted, doing well can come down to timing pit stops as precisely as possible, so this may make or break victory this weekend.

The Grand Prix begins at 2pm (local time) on Sunday.