The hat-trick for Red Bull in Monaco?

The two Red Bull Racing drivers use the same word to describe the Monaco circuit: special. The streets of the Monegasque Principality offer an unusual and unique playground for Formula 1 cars. But it’s not without risk and requires constant attention.

Sebastian Vettel knows that the proximity of the guardrails offers no margin for error, but that is also what makes the Monaco Grand Prix beautiful, and winning there is always an emotionally charged moment, as he realized last year: « It’s something special to race in Monaco: it’s narrow and there’s no room for mistakes. It’s difficult, and since it’s a city circuit, the road surface isn’t smooth so you’re shaken up in the car and there’s no room for errors. You have to surpass yourself and push the car to the limit to be fast, you have to attack as much as on other circuits, except there’s no space. You can almost feel when you’re brushing the guardrails and pass through smoothly—but it’s a nice feeling. You must be totally focused on the track, and winning in Monaco is something special. »

Like Vettel, Mark Webber has already won in Monaco; it was in 2010 with Red Bull. The Australian driver knows the Monaco circuit well as this will be his 11th participation. The most important thing for Webber is to be fully focused to avoid the slightest mistake and disastrous consequences: Monaco is a really special track; it’s an old circuit in terms of its design, and the layout itself hasn’t changed much since. It has become a bit easier than when I joined Formula 1 ten years ago, but it remains a true test between man and track and with the car. You race against other drivers, but you don’t always feel that because the track demands so much from you. If you push too hard and try to extract more, you crash, so it’s a very, very demanding circuit from a mental standpoint. Physically, it’s quite easy, but in the head, you have to be very disciplined, and that’s the challenge Monaco offers.