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Supersoft tyres for superhard heroes

2011-05-03 16:36

What: Monaco Grand Prix
When: 26-29 May 2011

With its street-based circuit, tight chicanes and narrow course, the Monaco Grand Prix is an unconventional race in comparison to those that take place on purpose-built tracks; and trying to predict how any of the other current frontrunners will do on this notoriously difficult course is anyone's business. The great thrill of this race is not so much to do with overtaking - it's more the sheer guts of the drivers as they flirt with potential disaster at every turn.

This year there's another unknown quantity being thrown into the equation: the new Pirelli supersoft tyres, which will be used in Monaco for the first time. Whereas most circuits alternate between hard - for endurance - and soft, for speed, Monaco's tight and narrow corners suggest that the new compound supersoft tyre will provide the fastest lap times. But how they will affect drivers' performance we won't know until the day.



The difficulty of overtaking on this course also means that qualifying in pole position is far more important: nearly all winners of the last decade have started from pole. A notable exception was Lewis Hamilton in 2008, who started third on the grid and who, despite a puncture, managed to take the lead as his rivals successively pitted.

Over the course of the last ten years, British drivers have continued their excellent showing at Monaco, with two wins for David Coulthard and one apiece for 2008 and 2009 champions Hamilton and Jenson Button. Of course this is as nothing compared with Stirling Moss, Graham Hill and Jackie Stewart's almost unbroken string of Monaco victories from 1960 to 1971. But how good would it be, in the year of the British Royal Wedding, to see another Union Flag raised over the podium in 2011?

For current World Champion Sebastian Vettel, however, Monaco has proved something of a mixed bag. In 2009 he crashed out of the race on the fifteenth lap at Saint Devote, though he more than made up for the ignominy in 2010 by coming second to team-mate Mark Webber, bringing home a precious one-two victory for Red Bull Racing. Can Vettel pull out the stops this year?

Whatever the outcome. Monaco is looking set once more to be one of the most exciting and extraordinary races of the season.


^{Last year's winner Mark Webber (Photo First Stop/Creative Commons)}

Monaco Grand Prix winners in the last ten years

2010     Mark Webber (Australia, Red Bull-Renault) 1:50:13.355 over 78 laps
2009     Jenson Button (UK,  Brawn-Mercedes) 1:40:44.282 over 78 laps
2008     Lewis Hamilton (UK,  McLaren-Mercedes) 2:00:42.742 over 76 laps
2007     Fernando Alonso (Spain, McLaren-Mercedes) 1:40:29.329 over 78 laps
2006     Fernando Alonso (Spain, Renault) 1:43:43.116 over 78 laps
2005     Kimi Räikkönen (Finland, McLaren-Mercedes) 1:45:15.556 over 78 laps
2004     Jarno Trulli  (Italy, Renault) 1:45:46.601 over 77 laps
2003     Juan Pablo Montoya (Colombia,  Williams-BMW)  1:42:19.010 over 78 laps
2002     David Coulthard (UK, McLaren-Mercedes) 1:45:39.055 over 78 laps
2001     Michael Schumacher (Germany,  Ferrari) 1:47:22.561 over 78 laps
2000     David Coulthard (UK, McLaren-Mercedes)  1:49:28.213 over 78 laps

• monaco grand prix