Monaco madness requires a very cool head

22 May 2015 - 02:08 By Julia Beffon

Ah, Monaco! Jewel in the Formula 1 crown and the race most drivers want to win. Or is it? The tight, twisting circuit makes this weekend's dash through the streets of the principality a slow-speed obstacle course rather than a sprint.It is a huge challenge to a driver's skills: high concrete walls along much of the track, the infamous hairpin that usually results in a very expensive traffic jam, the change from dark to blinding light at the exit of the tunnel and an awkward pit entrance.While all of these ensure that only the best drivers can put together a quick lap, it also makes tomorrow's qualifying session almost as important as Sunday's race in determining the winner.Get on pole, get off the line quickly, avoid the walls and pray for mechanical reliability and for no mistakes from your pit crew. That's pretty much the recipe for success in Monte Carlo.For just as there is no room for error, there's equally almost no room for overtaking. A lunge down the inside at the hairpin, or trying to outbrake a rival on the tunnel exit are the two most popular spots, but the track is so narrow and the odds so high that the chances of being able to execute the manoeuvre without it ending in tears are low.Last year, Nico Rosberg's careless reversing from a side road onto the track put paid to Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton's flying lap in qualifying. Rosberg remained on pole and won the race. It spiced up the title race and was a nail in the coffin of the "bromance" between the two drivers. It also put a big dent in Rosberg's Mr Nice Guy image.Hamilton was out-qualified for the first time this season in Spain last time out - by Rosberg. If he is to retain his comfortable lead in the drivers' championship, he will probably need to be first off the grid on Sunday.But the principality owes much of its current status to the casino that dominates the tiny state. Gambling is the name of the game. The Monaco Grand Prix has thrown up some very unlikely winners down the years. The race often goes to the quickest in qualifying. If not, it goes to the one who can best avoid trouble.The Monaco GP airs on Sunday from 1.30pm on Supersport 2..

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