PREVIEW FOR THE 2022 REAL MONACO GP.
I know it isnt later this year.... it just seems like it. Race 7 of the year. Usually its 5 or 6. But it has been #7 many times before, although usually on this weekend in May or thereabouts.
In a word YES. Lots of times. In fact Monaco has even been the season opener before (1967). Its was #2 #3 many times.
I know a lot of people dont like Monaco and dont think it should be on the calendar. I just love it. Without doubt one of the most popular and unique GP's on the calendar, and one that is steeped in history. For most without doubt it is the most prestigious motor race in the world. Whatever Miami might think. At least the water is real and the boats float in the stuff.
Monaco goes quite crazy during Grand Prix weekend. The town and the harbour are all packed to bursting point. Of all the GP races, this is definitely the one that has the most to offer spectators. For one thing, there's nowhere else you can get so close to the action. The engine noise is stupendous and the razzmatazz is simply unique. It is of course by nature the in place to be this weekend, and its importance within the A set is is up there with the Oscars. (And it seems Miami as well) The glitterati of Hollywood, the Music industry and of course Motor Racing legends, anyone of note GP regulars or not, will always try to get to Monaco.
In fact Monaco GP weekend is also in World Championship terms, the first track to ever use a circuit made up of public roads. Monaco has changed a lot in terms of profile.... we now have hi-rise hotels and flats there, not to mention a huge increase in population. But the track remains to all intents and purposes unchanged other than the odd chicane round the new for 1973 Swimming Pool and the Rascasse bit replace the Gasworks hairpin. Of course the start finish line isnt where it used to be (it used to be down by the harbour.)
Anyway lets get back to this year.
He says posting of pic of Leclerc end to qualy last year and a quick historical quiz..
Leclerc became just the fifth-ever Formula 1 driver to fail to start a Grand Prix after clinching pole position
Bonus points time: Who are the other 4??
Lots of questions to ask....
Will Leclerc manage to finish a Monaco GP?
Never managed it yet. Didnt really get to start last year. Of course after last weeks DNF people will be questioning the Ferrari reliability. Worryingly, Zhou Guanyu’s similarly-engined Alfa Romeo also suffered some sort of power unit malfunction. Do they have an issu. Have they stretched things too far in their off season engine power chase?
Sainz it is said had his moment due to the anti stall kicking in of its own volition.
With the rapid turnaround from last week have they got it all covered? Ferrari in a panic is not pretty, and im sure caution is the name of the game.
Actually last week was a shame because the race lost a lot of its sting once Lecerc stopped. Yes George and Max played games, but from the moment Leclerc retired there was only one winner, and his name wasnt Sergio. He got pawned again. From one stop to 3 stops. Pit for softs now. We need you to get FL off the Mercs. I hate Team orders. Fact is is any of us were TP's we would do the same.
Are Mercedes really back, or did last week flatter them more than they deserved?
Undoubtedly it flattered them as a result. George was still 35 seconds behind Max. Dont forget Max went to the beach and tried his best to not win it, all costing him valuable time. In reality George, despite having a faster fastest lap than Max, was over the race half a second per lap off the pace. 66 laps 35 seconds. Easy Maths. Oh and Max suffered from a dud DRS which cost him time as well.
Dont get me wrong, the car was transformed over what it was and the porpoises rarely came out to play, but it is not a race winning car without something freakish happening.
I will have a quick look at last year in a while , but Monaco was not kind to Mercedes cars last year. Their best was Lewis in 7th, metres short of a lap behind. He qualified also 7th, nearly a second slower than Leclerc. Bottas was faster in qualy but Merc bust his nuts in the race. (Remember.... the cross threaded wheel nut took until the Wednesday night to remove back at the factory).
I cant see them doing anything to trouble the leaders this weekend. They were slow last weekend in the tighter last sector. Even transformed, it does not like the twisty bits. And Monaco is all twisty bits I dont have to remind you.
Of course Monaco is a place where anything can happen and does, and look, the weather might favour George or Lewis in a right place right time Q3 happens and the threatened rain happens. If either or both qualify well and get a demon start.....
In fact doing some reading last night and who was fast in the slow bits last week.... watch out for Bottas in the Alfa. If the Ferrari bits hang together. I dont mean in race winning pace, but I do think best of the 16 cars I consider the rest.
Who is quicker out of Ferrari and Red Bull?
Ferrari looked better last race and had the race under control. At Monaco the alleged top speed advantage of the Red Bulls wont be such a factor this week. We only have one DRS zone this week, on the start finish straight. Monaco it is about drive off the corners. Ferrari seem better at that.
THE TRACK
First Grand Prix
1950
Number of Laps
78
Circuit Length
3.337km
Race Distance
260.286 km
Lap Record
1:12.909 Lewis Hamilton (2021)
Monaco
When was the track built?
In 1215, sort of – that’s when Monaco was first established as a colony of Genoa.
When was its first Grand Prix?
It was 1929 when racing engines first reverberated around the Principality, after cigarette manufacturer Antony Noghes decided to organise a race with his pals from the Automobile Club de Monaco. The race was part of the calendar in the first year of the Formula 1 World Championship in 1950, and hasn’t been off it since 1955 other than 'the Covid Year' of 2020.
What’s the circuit like?
Incredibly narrow and totally iconic. Nelson Piquet memorably described driving around Monaco as “like riding a bicycle around your living room”… which is fair. Despite that, it’s a challenge that nearly all drivers love, forcing them to put their skills on the line and rewarding millimetric accuracy. Overtaking on the tight streets is harder, however, with the 2003 Grand Prix witnessing a grand total of zero passing moves!
HISTORY
Covering an area of 1.95 square kilometres, Monaco is the smallest independent state in the world after Vatican City. It comprises the districts of Monte Carlo, La Condamine, Fontvieille, Le Larvotto, Les Moneghetti and Monaco Ville. This gambler's paradise and tax haven has a population of 32,400, of whom just 5,070 are true Monegasques. With around 17,000 people per square kilometre, Monaco is the most densely populated state in the world.
The idea for a Formula One race around the streets of Monaco came from Anthony Noghes, the president of the Monegasque car club and close friend of the ruling Grimaldi family.Always held on the weekend following Ascension Day, the Monaco Grand Prix remains the most famous race on the F1 calendar.
Only since 2004 have there been garages for the cars along the pit lane in Monaco. Prior to that, teams had to push the cars back and forth between makeshift garages in the paddock or an underground garage for each practice and qualifying session and the race.
The Monaco circuit is the shortest GP course in the calendar at 3.340 kilometres. Nowhere else does a race cover more laps (78). The race distance of 260.520 kilometres is the shortest of the season.
Prior to Charles Leclerc only one grand prix racer was born in the Principality and he is better remembered for his flamboyant chequered flag waving antics at the end of the grand prix than for his performance at the wheel.
Louis Chiron was in at the beginning of the F1 World Championship in 1950, (aged 50 then) retiring in the very first race at Silverstone and stepping up to the Royal Box after a dashing drive to third place in Round 2 in Monaco at the wheel of a Maserati. He won several pre-war grands prix, including Monaco where he took victory in the 1931 race driving a Bugatti. . After the war, Chiron was racing again, winning the French GP on two occasions prior to the WDC years. In 1954, at the wheel of a Lancia, he won the Monte Carlo Rally, becoming the only person in History to win both the Monte-Carlo Rally and the Monte-Carlo Monaco GP. Louis Chiron later became race director of the Monaco Grand Prix and the Monte Carlo Rally.
The race provided future five-time world champion Juan Manuel Fangio with his first win in a World Championship race, when he won the 1950 GP. He also became the first double winner when he won again in 1957
The 10 races between 1984 to 1993 were all won by only two drivers – Prost and Senna. Senna was arrested on the Monday following one race win, for riding a motorcycle without wearing a helmet.... he was released by Police after they realised who he was. I can say I have officially matched Ayrton on that having had the same treatment when I went to Monaco on my 750 back in the 70's. However I got the full treatment as I was also arrested for not wearing a top in public. (Illegal for males, but it seems not females)
Apologies but photobucket have frozen my acount and some of the images will only show as thumbnails
The annual dash through the Principality's tortuous streets is a unique test of man and machine performed in front of the glamorous backdrop of the Monaco harbour. Monaco is Formula One up close and personal. Nowhere else do spectators get quite so close to the action as in the streets of the Principality. And no other Grand Prix is as famous or as glamorous as this one. The yachts, the parties, the show business - nowhere are they such an integral part of the Formula One experience as here.
in fact there is only one F1 team that was at the first GP (Alfa Romeo, and they have only just reappeared) that is still around from that first race, which featured 25 starters from Maserati, Alfa Romeo, ERA, Talbot Lago, and Alta in the manufacturers list.
The second race of the series was at Monaco, and saw those cars joined by Cooper, Simca Gordini, and 4 cars from a mob under the name of Ferrari.... a total of 26 cars. Only 19 started in a 3x2x3 grid formation! (Yes 3 wide on the front row, with two on the second 3 on the third....).
Havent we progressed since then......
Anyway, moving back to the present we head to Monaco for the GP that says more about F1 than any other.
The 3.340km (2.075mile) street track requires the cars to run with maximum aerodynamic downforce and the proximity of the barriers makes the 78-lap race one of the most mentally demanding for the drivers, despite the average lap speed of 160kph (100mph) being one of the slowest of the year. The right strategy, and sometimes also luck during the race, play a more important role at the street circuit in Monaco than at any other race track. Of course this year we are limited somewhat in the strategy implications with no refuelling, but timing of tyre changes will be critical once more.
There is a common belief that overtaking improves the spectacle, but over the years Monaco produces exciting races because the field is often very close together in a train, usually behind a much slower car. The quicker guys trying to force their way through every overtaking manoeuvre, which entails a degree of risk no matter who you are passing.
Safety Cars are a very likely occurence.
Monaco is the only grand prix where frogmen join the usual team of track marshals.
With much of the circuit running along the harbour they bob up and down on their boats throughout the weekend. They have only been called on twice to pull men out of the Med, on both occasions at the chicane. In 1955, Alberto Ascari decided to see if his Lancia would float, and ten years later Paul Hawkins decided the best place for a Lotus was at the bottom of the harbour. One of the most spectacular crashes came at Mirabeau corner in 1986, when Patrick Tambay somersaulted his Lola. Luckily the car landed on its wheels and the driver emerged shaken, stirred but unhurt.
The shortest and slowest circuit on the calendar. Ironically it is the race with the most number of laps (78) but also is , at 260 klms in total length, the shortest race on the calendar in distance.
Monaco is really hard on the cars, particularly on transmissions: 50+ gear changes per lap (one every two seconds) and near enough 4,000 gear changes during the race.
The secret of the Monte Carlo racing circuit is to have a good chassis. It is about having the right amount of downforce so that the rear tyres do not get ruined in a race. It is not about engines. There is a certain amount of extra input from the driver, of course, and precision is the key which can make time, but the dominant factor is the car.
It is likely that the Monte-Carlo street circuit will continue with clear tendency to throw up some of the most unexpected results of the season. The race on the Côte d'Azur holds varied memories for Button, after being unable to race following ban for his B.A.R team in 2005 preceded by missing out on his first Grand Prix victory by less than half a second the previous year. JB was also deprived of race action in 2003 following a heavy crash in practice. Of course he joined the illustrious winners list with a win in the at the time dominant Brawn, blessed with its downforce generating diffuser. It is very different and it is 'chuck all the downforce on', don't worry about the drag and see what happens track..
THE TRACK
The circuit winds its way through the streets, from Ste devote, it goes uphill to Casino square, then plunges back down to Mirabeau before heading into the Loews hairpin.
The tunnel that leads to the harbour-side chicane echoes with the roar of the engines.
This is one track however where overtaking is virtually impossible.
Full throttle: 55%
Brake wear: Medium-Hard
Downforce level: High - 10/10
Top speed: 286 km/h
Longest stretch at full throttle: 8 sec / 510 m
“Unpredictable is the word that sums up Monaco from a performance perspective. At Monaco literally anything can happen.”
The whole lap at Monaco is just a non-stop challenge and you have to maintain absolute focus and concentration over every single one of the 78 laps of the race. The absolute key to a really quick lap is to not let the barriers intimidate you as this is a circuit that rewards precision. Having a good qualifying session and getting the best grid position possible is so important to a successful weekend. Passing is very difficult during the race, so you need to make a good start and do your overtaking off the line where possible.
Monaco Lap description
The 77-lap Monaco Grand Prix begins with a short burst of acceleration before the perilous right hand of Virage St Devote. It then accelerates again up through the gears from St Devote before slowing for the sharp left turn into Casino Square. Thereafter the race opens up once again for the downhill section past the Hotel Metropole.
Keeping to the right in the approach to the Hotel Mirabeau corner, the Monaco Grand Prix gathers speed before dramatically slowing down for the hairpin at the Monte Carlo Grande Hotel and the sharp right turn of the Virage du Portier.
Going down into the cool darkness of the tunnel, where the sweeping curve facilitates the Monaco circuit's fastest section, the cars accelerate up through the gears. The cars then emerge into the sunlight at 280 kilometres per hour (174 miles per hour).
The cars reduce speed for the tight left and right of the chicane, then there's a brief surge of speed just before the swimming pool. The hairpin of Virage Rascasse leads on to the uphill section, before the treacherous Virage Anthony Noghes and a burst of acceleration towards the end of the first lap, to face again the challenge of Virage St Devote.
Repeat winners (drivers)
Ayrton Senna won the race a record six times. 16 drivers have won the race more than once in the modern era.
Wins Driver Years won
6 Ayrton Senna 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993
5 Graham Hill 1963, 1964, 1965, 1968, 1969
Michael Schumacher 1994, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001
4 Alain Prost 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988
3 Stirling Moss 1956, 1960, 1961
Jackie Stewart 1966, 1971, 1973
Nico Rosberg 2013, 2014, 2015
2 Juan Manuel Fangio 1950, 1957
Maurice Trintignant 1955, 1958
Niki Lauda 1975, 1976
Jody Scheckter 1977, 1979
David Coulthard 2000, 2002
Fernando Alonso 2006, 2007
Lewis Hamilton 2008, 2016,2019
Mark Webber 2010, 2012
Sebastian Vettel 2011, 2017
Current drivers who have won other than thse mentioned above,
Danny Ricciardo 2018.
Max Verstappen 2020
Stirling Moss won in 1956, but in '57, he was involved in an accident at the chicane, and handed victory to Fangio. Moss was the main pace setter in this era, and his most memorable victory was in 1961 when he expertly held off both Ferraris. Forward to the modern era and it was the first race following Ayrton Senna's tragic death in 1994, and it saw Michael Schumacher dominate, as he did again in 1995. Olivier Panis scored a surprise win - the only win of his long career - for Prost in 1996, and Schumacher dominated once again in wet conditions in 1997.
The McLaren of Mika Hakkinen took the honours in 1998, with Schumacher and the Ferrari returning to claim the Germans fourth win the following season. 2000 was David Coulthard's time to shine, the Scot winning ahead of Ferrari driver, Rubens Barrichello and Benetton's Giancarlo Fisichella. In 2001 Coulthard was sent to the back of the grid for stalling and spent most of the event stuck behind the Arrows of Enrique Bernoldi as Michael Schumacher romped home for another Monaco win. However, the Scot got his own back in 2002 with a well-deserved victory, his one and only win of the season.
Prince Rainier and other members of Monaco's ruling Grimaldi family have always watched "their" race and presented the prizes in the Royal Box opposite the pits. Until quite recently, this event always started later than other grands prix, so that the Royal lunch break would not be interrupted. The old three thirty start made one wonder if perhaps they were also doing the washing-up before the race could begin. Nowadays it seems Bernies TV demands have led to them taking an early lunch, as the race now starts at 2.00pm
In terms of the track history, there have been some changes over the years, although refinements would be a better way of putting it, as the layout has barely changed other than reprofiling.
On the 14th of April 1929, the 1st Monaco Grand Prix started, with a lap of honour in a 'Torpedo Voisin' driven by Charles Faroux, course director. There were 16 cars on the starting grid, positions drawn by lots: 8 Bugattis, 3 Alfa Romeos, 2 Maseratis, 1 Licorne and 1 Mercedes SSK.
An Englishman by the name of Williams, (ironically a chauffeur by trade) who arrived too late to take part in the official trial sessions, got up at dawn on the Saturday and stunned all onlookers with an unofficial practice run. Williams went on to win the Grand Prix in a green 35B Bugatti in 3 hours, 56 minutes and 11 seconds, with an average speed over 100 laps of 80.194 km/h. The race was a phenomenal success. It was one of the first rounds included in the pre-War European Championship (a precursor to the current World Championship).
On the 19th of April 1932, Sir Malcolm Campbell opened the 2nd Monaco Grand Prix at the wheel of a superb black aluminium Rolls Royce Torpedo. Campbell had recently beaten the world land speed record at 408.621 km/h in his now famous Bluebird, so was a well known person in the area of Motor Sports.
From 1938 to 1947, the Grand Prix could not be held due to both financial difficulties and a shortage of competitors as well as a deteriorating international climate with WWII in full swing in 1939.
Finally on the 16th of May 1948, the almost forgotten sound of racing engines was once more heard on the streets of the Principality. However on the 9th of May 1949, Prince Louis II died and the Grand Prix was not held that year.
On the 21st of May 1950 the Monte Carlo GP was incorporated as Round 2 of the new WDC championship (Silverstone was the first ever round).
Juan Manuel Fangio won the 1950 GP which in fact although the first Monaco of the modern era (1950. with the introduction of the WDC is regarded as the start of the mofern era) was the Monaco GP. The following year the race was once again cancelled due to budgetary concerns and because rules for newer faster cars had not yet been drafted. The 12th Grand Prix was held on request of HSH the Sovereign Prince. However, it was run with sports cars as the international regulations had still not yet been finalized. In 1953 and 1954 the Grand Prix were not held for the same reason.
Fangio on his way to victory in 1950.
On the 21st May 1955, the 13th Monaco Grand Prix took place on the same old course and has been held every year since.(Other than the Covid cancelled 2020 race)
Since then the course has undergone numerous minor transformations, most in fact done for the reason of maximising pit space. In the 1950's cars when not racing were located at various car parks around the town, proximity to the race course by championship position, the best teams getting the best or closest spots. I have many pictiures of the cars being wheeled through the streets on their way to the pit area for scrutineering or in preparation to use the track.The biggest change to date was in 1973, when the new 'Swimming Pool section was built detouring the cars a little to allow for the pits that allowed most of the cars to be kept near the pits when not racing.
* 1973, the swimming pool section, providing an area for pits on the quay,
* 1976, two new chicanes were added at Sainte Dévote and the exit of the Rascasse hairpin,
* 1986, the widening of the Quai des Etats-Unis with the addition of a new chicane,
* 1997, the original S-bend around the swimming pool was redesigned and called the "Louis Chiron" bend,
* 2003, the first phase of works only affected the southern side of the port. 5000 square metres of land were reclaimed from the sea. The circuit between the 2nd S-bend of the swimming pool and the Rascasse was moved 10 metres and completely redesigned.
A chicane was added to the exit from the second swimming-pool bend,
* 2004, works doubled the width of the promenade where the pits on the boulevard Albert 1er are located, by building over the old track between the swimming pool and the Rascasse.
250 square metres of new pits provided for the teams.
Here are simple images of the circuit layout changes.
Click for larger image.
@Star apologies to post this one of your beloved hanging from a crane, but it just kept saying pick me pick me when looking through my pic files.
I have separated the following pics from the above, as to me this shows the original spirit of Monaco[/b], here showing Bandini having to push his Ferrari to the track, and Hill sit in traffic, mixing it in with non race traffic, in the days when the cars were all housed in a paddock seperate from the track and had to make their way to the track every session..
THE TECHNICAL CHALLENGE
From a technical point of view, Monaco is not as much of an enigma as many people think.
The track has been re-surfaced several times in recent years, which means the asphalt is similar to many permanent racetracks around the world, and from a set-up point of view, it is simply at one extreme of the aero and mechanical scale.
The cars run with maximum aerodynamic downforce throughout the weekend, so set-up choices are mechanical. the engineers and drivers to focus on maximising the mechanical grip generated by the cars. Teams will use any method at their disposal to gain more downforce at Monaco. In the 2006 race, Williams went for a simple but effective triple mid wing on the FW28's engine cover. This not only adds downforce in the centre of the car, it also helps to manage airflow passing to the rear wing, hence increasing its efficiency.
Aero is purely get all the downforce you can and then trim to get an optimum balance.
Drivers have to find a set-up that allows them to steer a very precise line between the barriers.
Being a well used street circuit needs to be F1'd lets call it. It needs to get rubbered up.
It is generally best not to change the car's set-up too much during first practice on Thursday as the circuit only becomes representative in session two, once the surface has started to collect rubber.
Being a town centre type road circuit though this does throw other curve-balls which in itself provides a number of challenges, such as the unusual camber with the track peaking in the middle and dropping down to the gutters on either side of the road, manhole covers and the white lines. This does see the team use a slightly higher ride height than normal, as well as a more compliant suspension set-up will be fitted to the cars. The tight, twisty nature of the track means that the highest downforce of the season can be used, to allow for greater performance through all the corners without compromising speed on the straights, as there is no section of the track that needs this capability. The constant cornering also demands good front end grip for exact positioning.
STRATEGY
Strategy at Monaco is one of those things that has to be flexible, given the likleyhood of Safety Cars, and the importance of track position and steering clear of traffic, a drivers worst enemy at the principality.
THE TIMETABLE.
Practice this year starts on a Friday not the traditional Thursday.
SUNDAY 29 MAY
Race
15:00 - 17:00
SAT28 MAY
Qualifying
16:00 - 17:00
SAT 28MAY
Practice 3
13:00 - 14:00
FRIDAY 27MAY
Practice 2
17:00 - 18:00
FRIDAY 27MAY
Practice 1
14:00 - 15:00
WEATHER FORECAST
The weather forecast shows that it will be mostly sunny in Monaco but there is a chance of rain, especially for the race on Sunday.
FRIDAY, MAY 27 – FP1 AND FP2 WEATHER
Conditions: Mainly sunny but with a chance of rain in the late afternoon. FP1: 27°C // FP2: 26°C
Maximum temperature expected: 27 Celsius
Minimum temperature expected: 18 Celsius
Chance of rain: 20%
SATURDAY, MAY 28 – FP3 AND QUALIFYING WEATHER
Conditions: Mostly sunny at first but clouds begin to build up in the afternoon. FP3: 27°C // Q: 26°C
Maximum temperature expected: 27 Celsius
Minimum temperature expected: 18 Celsius
Chance of rain: 0%
SUNDAY, MAY 29 – RACE WEATHER
Conditions: Unsettled weather with rain showers possible. Race air temp: 22°C Maximum temperature expected: 22 Celsius
Minimum temperature expected: 18 Celsius
Chance of rain: 60%
TYRES
I will add the Pirelli preview notes later, but for now just to tell you we have gone all soft. As usual we have the softest posible options, and the hard tyre here we have used as soft or medium before.
Yes C5 soft C4 Medium and C3 hard. Not discounting the potential for wets and inters.
I know many of you will be waiting to read this part.....
No news to report on a Mongol invasion..... the only invasions have been that of Grand Prix drivers and millionaires attracted to the tax laws, and multiple poseurs and wannabee glitterati.
