The home of the über-rich, the glamorous, the beautiful. And of course, the home of the world´s most famous Grand Prix race. The jewel of the F1 crown, the place where the bling sparkles more than the flashes from the cameras, when movie stars and royalty mix in this otherworldly city. Welcome to Monaco!
The circuit is ridiculously out-dated. Racing on the streets of the small principality, which are narrow and bumpy, is not the most sensible thing to do and if Monaco were to apply for a GP today, Bernie Ecclestone wouldn´t even reply back to them. Of course the historic value is huge, the first GP took place in 1929 and with a few exceptions, 1939-1947, 1949, 1951, 1953 and 1954, have been held ever since. The circuit predates the current F1 championship, which had it´s first race at Silverstone in 1950. And it´s something that happened all over Europe. Racing cars were the way that men could show off their muscles, or wallets, and the danger and excitement involved was of course also a thrilling side-effect.
Bugatti was one of the car makers well represented at the first Grand Prix Automobile de Monaco, as it was named. The race was won by William Charles Frederick Grover-Williams, who drove a Bugatti Type 35B to victory. The car was painted a dark green, and this was the start of the famous British Racing Green. And did you know that Louis Chiron, who wasn´t able to compete in the first Grand Prix of 1929 because he was racing at the Indianpolis 500, won the Monaco race in 1931 and became the only Monegasque to ever win the race?
The circuit was dangerous back in 1929 as well. In fact, La Vie Automobile Magazine stated that “any respectable traffic system would have covered the track with <<Danger>> sign posts left, right and centre.”
But today we focus on the battle between the top-runners. Sebastian Vettel shares the lead with Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton is third with 53 points, Kimi Raikkonen 49 and Mark Webber 48. So who will it be? With five different race winners in the first five races, no one can safely say, that this race belongs to Vettel, who won here last year after a controversial final few laps.
At the front, Button was battling Alonso for second place, when Hamilton, Sutil, Alguersuari and Petrov got involved in a crash. Sutil lost control after hitting a barrier and punctured, Hamilton was about to pass Sutil, but had to suddenly brake. Alguersuari ran into the back of Hamilton, damaging the rear wing of the McLaren. Alguersuari and Petrov both hit the barrier, boxing in Petrov. A safety car came out, but on lap 72 the race was red-flagged. Unfortunately, the teams were allowed to change the tyres on the cars and work on them as well, so Hamilton´s rear wing could be fixed free, he didn´t have to pit, and Vettel and Alonso, who were on very used tyres, suddenly had fresh tyres.
On lap 74, Hamilton and Maldonado hit each other, sending Maldonado out and Hamilton received two penalties. One for smashing into Massa, drive.through, and one for the Maldonado incident, 20 second penalty. The race was eventually won by Vettel, who extended his lead by a massive 58 points. The young German went on to take another six victories, a total of eleven wins and a record 15 pole positions.
We also thought that the dog of a car that Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa are driving, would be lucky to finish in the points this year, but some extraordinary driving from Alonso in Malaysia, 1st, and Spain, 2nd, he cannot be counted out as well. Also, Alonso has won here twice, in 2006 and 2007.
What we do know is, that the tyres will once again play a big role. In one of the best races in modern history, Bahrain, Pirelli supplied the tyres and left it up to the drivers to supply the action. And we got what we asked for. For Monaco, Pirelli are bringing their supersoft for the first time this season, as well as the soft tyres. Last year Vettel stopped only once, but this year the strategy for the tyres, has been thrown out the window.
Because of the many twisting corners and tight bends, downforce is set to max. The drivers need to get every little inch out of the car´s traction and mechanical grip is essential. Because of the surface, teams tend to go for a softer spring than on other circuits, it´s one thing to ride the kerbs well and close, but if the driver isn´t sitting comfortably during the grueling 78 laps, he is in for a nightmare race. Also, instead of flooring the throttle, which is impossible, torque is key.
So, the drivers are off towards the first turn, St Devote. A brilliant, fantastic and dangerous turn, because there are so many ways to negotiate your way through. On the left is a run-off area, mind you this is the size of two parking spaces, and on the right is a bumpy kerb. if you miss the start and fall back a bit, then get ready to crawl through the corner. Sure you can take it wide on the left side, but then ten cars will fly past you. And you will probably be forced out by the drivers using the space you had hoped to use, meaning you´ll end up in the Armco barrier.Also braking at the right time, is crucial, as the surface here is very bumpy.
Now it´s towards the Casino on the hill, but first Beau Rivage and Massenet, the point where you hit the op of the hill and immediately have to know where and when to turn, as it is blind. Going around Casino is no big deal, but the Grand Hotel Hairpin is, of course. Many newbies lock up their brakes and a gentle approach to the throttle is recommended. Careful coming out of hairpin into Turn 7, Mirabeau Bas. Too fast and you end up in the barriers on the left, too slow and you miss four places and the apex of Turn 8, Portier.
The Tunnel is next and it is so famous I have to spell it with a capital T. It´s a long sweeping right hander, the fastest spot on the circuit, but also a dangerous place. You go from bright sunny skies to artificial lighting and exiting Tunnel is also very confusing for the eyes. Imagine being out in the sunlight all day with no sunglasses and then enter a closet….
Towards Nouvelle Chicane, the place Sergio Perez crashed his Sauber in qualifying, as well as Nico Rosberg during a practice session. For this edition of the race, the wall separating the track and the exit road, has been pushed back a further 14 metres. Coming down to Tabac, position is everything. You need to hit the apex just right and then Swimming Pool, where you almost fly across the kerbs. A short and slightly bendy left hander towards Rascasse, which quickly turns far left, then immediately right. The final corner, or final two corners 18 and 19, are all about placing the car the right spot and then hitting the throttle to cross the line.
As said, there have been five race winners so far, so might we see a 6th? Perhaps Mark Webber, who won the race in 2010? Kimi Raikkonen, who looks to be enormously confident and super fast this season, won in 2005. Maybe a repeat winner. Maybe Vettel again, or Button who won here in 2009.
No matter what happens and who will win, you can be certain of thing: Nothing is certain in Monaco!