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Monaco Grand Prix 2010: the Greatest Prize of All

2010-06-23 10:34

With the 2010 Grand Prix season already well underway, the excitement in Monaco is palpable, not least because the principality has been home to so many great drivers, past and present. One of those who won’t be watching from his balcony, however, will be reigning World Champion Jenson Button. Instead he’ll be at the wheel of his McLaren MP4-25, powered by the same Mercedes-Benz FO 108X V8 engine which brought fellow driver Lewis Hamilton the ultimate victory in 2008.

The new car is greatly more aerodynamic than previous versions, and has a significantly larger fuel tank - a necessity since in-race refuelling was banned at the start of the current season. Button and McLaren team-mate Hamilton both stand to benefit from their relationship with McLaren, the British car company who themselves debuted at the Monaco Grand Prix in 1966.

The Monaco Grand Prix was first organized by the Automobile Club de Monaco in 1929. Last year, on the 80th anniversary of that first race, it was Button who cruised to victory on what is effectively his home circuit (he has lived in Monaco for several years). This year, Button leads the drivers’ table with victories in Australia and China, with the Spanish GP still to come in the week before the race hits the Principality.

Of all Formula One events, the Monaco Grand Prix is acknowledged to provide the greatest thrills, not least because its course takes it literally around the town on roads normally turned over to tourist traffic. Of course there’s a slight compromise in speed, and little overtaking, since the circuit is so perilously narrow – but the proximity of real life to the supercharged world of F1 is simply too inviting. For newcomers and veteran spectators alike, watching Monaco can be the closest thing to driving.

Jenson Button says of this year's race

"I am really looking forward to it. I am excited about the challenge. I would prefer if it was dry this weekend. It is an exciting race in the dry and is exciting enough. If it is wet it is going to be pretty crazy for us out there especially with so many cars. In qualifying with 24 cars out there it will be pretty mad in the dry, but in the wet pretty impossible to get a clear lap. But I am excited about the weekend. It's a fun weekend and for Formula One it is the most glamorous weekend we have on the calendar. For us we are heads down and doing our work but for the people and the fans of Formula One it is a lot of fun and we will hopefully put on a good show."

Photo © Jilly Bennett/Monte Carlo Daily Photo