This weekend sees the Formula 1 road show descend on the glamour drenched principality of Monaco for the flagship race on the F1 calendar. The annual showcase attracts the world’s wealthy elite with Bollinger and Beluga the order of the day. You’ll also be sure to catch a glimpse of some media hungry Hollywood types on the grid walk (eyes in Sly Stallone’s direction) come Sunday with the race coinciding with the climax of the Cannes Film Festival.
Ask a 100 people to name any F1 race/circuit and most, I suspect, will say Monaco. Although not the only street circuit, it’s one that’s instantly recognisable with nearly half the track bordering the Marina and the world famous tunnel section amongst its highlights.
This week will give the teams a welcome rest bite from the tyre woes that have dogged them since the season began. Pirelli, the tyre manufacturer, have been roundly criticised after the last race in Spain which saw some cars having to pit up to 4 times due to the fact that the tyres were disintegrating after just a few laps. Monaco, however, is historically low on tyre wear with only one high speed corner (the tunnel) during the lap.
Red Bulls’ Sebastian Vettel currently leads the Drivers World Championship by 4 points from Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen. Love him or loathe him, Vettel is still the man to beat. Aussie Mark Webber, Vettels team mate at Red Bull and last season’s Monaco winner, would firmly be in the loathing camp. The pair have always had a fractious relationship but it turned toxic after Vettels decision to ignore team orders and overtake Webber to win the Malaysia Grand Prix in March. With Ferrari, Mercedes and Lotus all having potentially race winning cars, this weekend could turn out to be a classic.
Ever wondered what it’s like to race around Monaco? Check this out!
