Safety modifications ahead of the 70th Monaco Grand Prix

With only two races before the running of the most prestigious race of all, the Monaco Grand Prix, the Automobile Club de Monaco have completed various modifications to the Monte-Carlo circuit. These come after the FIA requested these alterations, which aim at safety after Sergio Perez’s huge incident last year.

During qualifying for last season’s Monaco Grand Prix, the Sauber of Sergio Perez lost control of his car whilst exiting the tunnel. This resulted in the car snapping violently to the right, sending the Mexican whirling to disaster in the barriers. Sergio Perez, who was competing in his first season in Formula 1, was subsequently retained in hospital overnight suffering from concussion and bruising to his thigh.

All work requested by the FIA was completed, as follows:

— The Pit Lane exit, leading to the track, was widened from 10m to 20m, by removing a planter. Cars will now be able to return to the track at a much greater speed.

— A laser study of the road surface was undertaken by a specialist company, leading to a planing of the road from the tunnel to the chicane by up to 20 cm at certain points. This removed a bump and corrected some banking.

— The impact point of the chicane was pushed back by 14.6m.

— The track surface at the exit of the escape lane and the Mirabeau escape lane was replaced with an abrasive braking surface, as used on the Paul Ricard HTTT circuit.

— Pit lane protection was completely refurbished by removing windows and replacing them with metal safety gratings.

— Tyre barriers previously placed on the St. Devote corner and around the Swimming Pool S-bend have been replaced with the latest generation of TecPro barriers.

— As every year, a third of the circuit was resurfaced, between the tunnel exit and the Rascasse.

The Monaco Grand Prix will take place between the 24th - 27th May, and will be supported by the GP2 and GP3 Series’. This weekend the F1 fraternity gathers in Bahrain under controversial circumstances. It will be a breath of fresh air once the sport returns to Europe in May for the Spanish Grand Prix, before it then focuses on Monaco for the 70th race around the legendary and demanding street circuit.

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