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Features Behind the Scene at the Monaco Grand Prix
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Monaco Thursday Report

24.05.2007

Thursday

“Driving a Formula 1 car at Monte Carlo is like trying to ride a bicycle in your living room,” three times world champion Nelson Piquet famously said.

Grand Prix drivers often have bigger living rooms than most, but it was still a good analogy. Space is at a premium for everyone – drivers and teams. Ralf Schumacher proved it just before the end of Thursday’s second practice session when he clipped the tyre barrier coming out of the Swimming Pool section. Thankfully, it was late in the day and did not affect Panasonic Toyota Racing’s preparations for F1’s blue riband event. Monaco specialist Jarno Trulli, the winner at Monte Carlo in 2004, upheld honour with fourth quickest time.

“It’s a slow corner and so there wasn’t much damage,” team manager Richard Cregan explained. “We were basically setting up to do the practice start at the end of the session. It was strange but on this track oversteer develops as the weekend goes on and that was maybe part of it. Ralf was braking and lost it a little bit, then just hit the kerb and was launched. It’s like the accidents we saw in Turn 1 - that’s the way things happen here! The drivers were all pushing a bit to see where the limits are.”

Modern day Monte Carlo has a roomier pit lane after expensive harbour modifications but space is still limited. The most glamorous F1 paddock of the year is crammed between Monaco’s harbour and cliff, at the top of which stands the Rainier’s palace and the old town. The team trucks lodge in a multi-storey park cut into the very same cliff and the race is always a test for the logistics men.

The only thing not compressed is the schedule, which begins a day early on Thursday and includes a ‘free’ Friday for the F1 drivers. The explanation is that Monaco always used to be on the same weekend as the Ascension Day public holiday, hence the extra day. That does not actually apply this year, but it seems as if nobody has noticed. Monte Carlo has always been four days and nobody is complaining about an extra day in the millionaire’s playground! On second thoughts, make that billionaire’s playground if the ever-grander yachts are an accurate reflection! 

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It is often said that the secret of winning Monte Carlo is to get through the race weekend without putting a scratch on the car or doing anything which interrupts developing the car or driver’s rhythm. That rhythm is gradually refined as the circuit picks up speed when more tyre rubber goes down and it comes to a climax with the all-important qualifying hour on Saturday. Around the tight streets it is almost impossible to pass cleanly and grid position is all important.

Ralf was not the only driver to have a Thursday incident. Super Aguri’s Anthony Davidson crashed at St Devote, and in a replica accident world championship leader Lewis Hamilton damaged the left front corner of his McLaren as he began his first lap on Bridgestone’s softer compound tyre. Quick all day, Hamilton had to be satisfied with third fastest overall Thursday time, behind team mate Fernando Alonso and Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen. Spyker driver Adrian Sutil also fell foul of the crash barriers at Sainte Devote, while Renault’s Giancarlo Fisichella crashed his Renault in the morning session.

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