Monaco is the second of three street circuits on this year’s F. I. A. Formula 1 calendar, the first being Albert Park in Melbourne (Australia) and the third being Valencia (Spain).
The first Grand Prix style race at Monaco was organised by the “Automobile Club de Monaco” and held in 1929. It was an invitation only race. After that there were various Grand Prix held at this auspicious street circuit, with a break during the war years (World War II 1939 – 1945). The next big race at Monaco was held in 1948. The first official F. I. A. Formula 1 race, more or less under the F1 system that is used nowadays, was held at Monaco in 1950.
The Grand Prix de Monaco is the jewel in the crown of F1 racing; the pinnacle of the sport’s illustrious history. Every driver wants to win here. If you never win a world championship or another grand prix, yet can say you’ve won the Grand Prix de Monaco – you’ve achieved legendary status.
Monaco has its own very special character: there is the mountain backdrop, the harbour filled with luxury super yachts, the glitz and glamour of a place that is the playground of the rich and famous. It has world renowned hotels and casinos, and many a famous resident. It is a heady mix of celebrities, glamour, fashion and sport (many of the driver’s will be sporting new helmet designs just for this race).
All of this governed by a Prince and the royal family. It is nestled on the Mediterranean, in the heart of the French Riviera. Formula 1 is in town this weekend – and the sound of engines straining at their revolution-limiters – is about to set the streets alight with non-stop action and excitement.
TRACK STATS:
Length: 3,340 km’s
Turns: 19
Race Distance: 260.520 km’s
Current Lap Record: Michael Schumacher (Ferrari) (2004)
2010 Winner: Mark Webber (RBR-Renault)
RACE TIME
Qualifying: 14h00 (SA time – Saturday 28th May 2011)
Race: 14h00 (SA time – Sunday 29th May 2011)
WEATHER:
Saturday: 17/25
Sunday: 17/24
At this stage it looks as though we’re in for a dry sunny race. Due to its geographical location, Monaco even has its own “micro-climate”; a factor which could influence racing this weekend.
TECHNICAL
Monaco is a very demanding street circuit – make a mistake here and there are little or no “run-off” areas. A number of drivers have kissed the steel Armco barriers during free practice already. It is fair to say that virtually every corner at Monaco has a famous name, from “Saint Devote” (Turn 1), “Massenet” (Turn 3), “Casino” (Turn 4 – alongside the famous “Casino Square”), “Mirabeau Haute” and “Mirabeau Bas”(Turns 5 & 7), “Loews Hairpin” (the slowest corner in F1 – a mere +- 50km/h), “Portier” (Turn 8), the Tunnel (who will ever forget the sight of Michael Schumacher spinning backwards out of the tunnel?), “Nouvelle Chicane” (Turns 10 & 11 – a very tricky left right combination that has caught out many drivers in the past), “Tabac” (Turn 12), “Louis Chiron” (Turn 13), and “La Rascasse” (Turn 17); from there it is the “Antony Noghes” (Turn 19) leading back onto the start/finish straight. The pit lane area is small by F1 standards, teams and drivers alike will have to work with great precision to ensure no mishaps.
For the drivers, Monaco has the most gearshifts of any race on the F1 calendar, hard work indeed. The down force created by a modern F1 car is such that the steel drain covers on the road have to be welded into place: otherwise they will fly up when an F1 car screams over them. The surface of the road makes for a bumpy ride in places. The cars will be carrying a fair amount of “wing”, here there are no long straights where less “wing” is needed for sheer top-end speed. Tyres will once again place a crucial role in proceedings; judging by free practice there will be a lot of “marbles” (bits and pieces of tyres that have “grained”), not just at the side of the track – but on the racing line also.
Qualifying will be critical, unless you qualify on the front 2 rows of the grid, you can generally forget about winning the race. It has been said in the past that Monaco is a “procession” of a race, but I disagree: with all the new variables thrown onto the mix this year (like new tyres, no refuelling, KERS etc) we could have a very exciting race on our hands where strategy will naturally be the key to unlocking a win.
Ayrton Senna has the most wins here of any driver – with 6 victories.
From a team perspective, McLaren Mercedes has 15 wins and Ferrari has 9 wins.
The driver steward for the weekend’s racing will be Alan McNish.
2011 – F1 CHAMPIONSHIP DRIVER STANDINGS:
- Sebastian Vettel RBR-Renault 118
- Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 77
- Mark Webber RBR-Renault 67
- Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 61
- Fernando Alonso Ferrari 51
- Nico Rosberg Mercedes 26
- Nick Heidfeld Renault 25
- Felipe Massa Ferrari 24
- Vitaly Petrov Renault 21
10. Michael Schumacher Mercedes 14
2011 – F1 CONSTRUCTOR STANDINGS:
- RBR-Renault 185
- McLaren-Mercedes 138
- Ferrari 75
- Renault 46
- Mercedes 40
- Sauber-Ferrari 11
- STR-Ferrari 6
- Force India-Mercedes 4
- Williams-Cosworth 0
10. Lotus-Renault 0
11. Virgin-Cosworth 0
12. HRT-Cosworth 0
SUMMARY
Catalunya delivered an awesome race. Yes, RBR-Renault and Sebastian Vettel won again, but they were pushed hard to the line by Lewis Hamilton and the McLaren-Mercedes team; Ferrari also put in a much improved performance and Fernando Alonso led for a number of laps after a brilliant start.
Ferrari, RBR-Renault and McLaren-Mercedes have been the fastest teams in Free Practice, with the Mercedes-GP team not far off the pace. Who will set the time sheets on fire on Saturday and claim pole? Time will tell.
From a spectator point of view, the Grand Prix de Monaco is a good opportunity to get really close to the action, whether you watch from one of the grandstands, the balcony of your luxurious hotel suite, or sip a cocktail from the deck of your super yacht as the F1 cars go roaring past – this is racing – Formula 1 style!
All that remains are 5 lights, and when the lights go out…
We are racing in Monaco!
Written by Mark Batchelder, Road and Race’s F1 Connoisseur
As always, the premier GP of the year is a big one and always exciting!
A few days ago I saw something about this in the TV, but it wasn’t so interesting as your article!
Your summary was very well done and quite usefull.