21/05/2006
NEWS STORY
The Grand Prix of Monaco, round seven of the FIA Formula One World Championship, is considered to be the jewel in the Formula One crown. The race ranks among the top sporting and social events in the world, attracting an abundance of celebrities and top marques to the Principality.
The 3.34 kilometres long Circuit de Monaco comprises the city streets of Monte Carlo and La Condamine. It is perhaps the most demanding track in Formula One and the heavily Armco-lined, narrow streets make it near-impossible for overtaking manoeuvres. The circuit provides an invigorating challenge for even the most experienced F1 drivers as it offers a low-grip surface, several elevation changes, extremely tight corners and very little in the way of run-off areas.
Takuma Sato: This is a very special and unique race as it is driven on the streets of Monaco. The cars require high mechanical grip as the average speed around the circuit is very low and the road surface is undulating. The whole circuit itself features a lot of elevations which can be seen clearly when you watch the race on television. After turn one you climb up the very steep, blind hill and onto the challenging Casino Corner. A steep drive down to Mirabeau then leads to the Loews Hairpin, which is probably the tightest turn in F1. You exit the tunnel at 285 km/h, which is an amazing speed considering I normally drive through there at 50 km/h in my road car! The rest of the circuit is flat but still with the high speed corners of Tabac and the Swimming Pool complex. As I missed the race last year, I am very excited and looking forward to returning to the Grand Prix in an F1 car.
Franck Montagny: It has been good to have a ten-day break after the Spanish Grand Prix. I have been able to relax, visit the factory to see the guys and prepare for the race next week. I am very pleased to be going to my first Monaco Grand Prix with the Super Aguri team and I would like to thank Aguri for having the confidence in me to do it. It will be a hard race for sure, but I am very much looking forward to the most famous race of the season and I am very glad to be taking part.
Aguri Suzuki, Team Principal: Mechanical problems have hindered our progress and prevented Franck from finishing the last race in Barcelona. I had hoped that we would have a two-car finish in Spain, however if both Super Aguri team cars cross the line at the end of the Monaco Grand Prix I will be happy. We need to keep learning from the problems we experience and never give up on the challenges that we face. I am looking forward to returning to Monaco next week as it is one of my favorite races on the F1 calendar.