Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco 2012 preview

With the 2012 Formula 1 season now fully renowned for its unpredictability after the first five races, all eyes and attention now turns to what is undeniably the crown-jewel of not only Formula 1, but also motor sport in general...the Monaco Grand Prix. Famous for its glamour and prestige, the Monte-Carlo street circuit has seen some of the most iconic moments in F1’s history.

First held in 1929, the Monaco Grand Prix has been held every year since 1955. The race is one of only four to have been on the inaugural calendar in 1950, and to still be on the 2012 calendar alongside Silverstone, Spa-Francorchamps and Monza. In the track’s long and colorful history, some of the sports most legendary figures have been victorious on the street circuit, including the likes of Fangio, Moss, Hill, Stewart, Villeneuve, Prost, Senna and Schumacher.

The most successful driver around the Monte-Carlo street circuit was the legendary Ayrton Senna, who won the Monaco Grand Prix an unbelievable six times (’87, ’89, ’90, ’91, ’92 and ’93). The Brazilian driver won five of those races with McLaren, who are the most successful Constructor around the Monte-Carlo street circuit, having won the race 15 times (’84, ’85, ’86, ’88, ’89, ’90, ’91, ’92, ’93, ’98, ’00, ’02, ’05, ’07 and ’08). As much as this stat will give confidence to their two drivers’ Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button, McLaren haven’t won the race in three years, with rivals Red Bull having done so for the last two consecutive seasons.

The first two practice sessions for the Formula 1 weekend will take place on the Thursday, instead of traditionally taking place on the Friday throughout the rest of the season at other venues. On the Friday, a frenetic morning of support races is planned, with GP3 Qualifying and Race 1 alongside the GP2 feature race.

There has been several minor alterations to the circuit since the 2011 race, most notably where the track has been resurfaced in several areas to try and remove bumps in the track. The TecPro barriers which proved highly effective when Sergio Perez crashed in qualifying last year have been implemented at turns 1 and 14, replacing tyre walls. And also, stemming from Perez’s incident last year, a crane has been removed from the end of the barrier at the turn 10 and 11 chicane. This has subsequently created nearly 15 meters more run-off space.

The DRS zone has remained the same from 2011, with the overtaking device also banned from use in the tunnel. This ban was in use last year, after drivers campaigned against DRS as they believed it would be unsafe if deployed within the tunnel. This therefore means that DRS can only be deployed down the start/finish straight during the race. Former British Formula 1 World Champion Nigel Mansell will be the drivers’ steward for this weekend, a role which has been carried out by Johnny Herbert, Emanuele Pirro and Tom Kristensen throughout 2012.

With five different winners in five races throughout 2012 so far, the unpredictability is expected to continue when the cars finally take to the Monte-Carlo street circuit this weekend. With drivers’ such as Mark Webber, Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen yet to win in 2012, the possibility of a sixth different winner is exceedingly high!

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