23/05/2011
NEWS STORY
The jewel in Formula One's crown. The dash through the Principality's tortuous streets is the most prestigious on the calendar; it stands on a pedestal, almost distinct from the sport from which it was born.
The 78-lap race is one of the most intense and mentally draining of the year for the drivers. The proximity of the barriers leaves no room for error and there are no straights along which they can relax. Overtaking is virtually impossible, which places extra importance on Saturday afternoon's qualifying session. Grid position is crucial.
Add the glamour of the Monaco harbour and a handful of A-list celebrities into the mix and you have one of the biggest sporting events in the world.
Sam Michael, Technical Director: The Spain - Monaco back-to-back presents clear logistical challenges for the operational group and engineering team. Any modifications to the cars based on information gained in Barcelona must be turned around quickly so it will be a busy week.
Monaco is a low grip street circuit, requiring the softest springs and highest ride heights that we operate over the whole season. Normally reducing understeer and improving traction are the keys to a good laptime.
Rubens Barrichello: Monaco is a second home for me so I really enjoy this race weekend, especially qualifying. We need to wait and see how we can use DRS. While the FIA is conscious of that fact that it is notoriously difficult to overtake around Monaco, they want to try and make it possible without making it dangerous. I am open-minded to whatever they decide. We are keen to keep on fighting as we want to score some points as soon as possible.
Pastor Maldonado: I feel good heading to Monaco and it is definitely my favourite track and a place where I've had great results over the last five years (including one win in World Series and two wins and two podium finishes in GP2). For me it has a magical atmosphere and to be there racing in Formula One has always been a dream of mine. I would love to score my first points of the year there. I think it will be difficult for us as we don't have much time between these two races and we've never tried the supersoft tyres before. Once we see how they perform, we can then see how we can improve our performance within the car.