Monaco: Figures and Technical Data

Monaco hosts this weekend the sixth Grand Prix of the 2012 Formula 1 season. The circuit laid out in the streets of the Principality is one of the most appreciated by the drivers, but it is also a very difficult circuit where the slightest mistake can be costly with the rails so close.

With the circuit being in the city, drivers will need maximum grip on roads that are open to traffic the rest of the year, so Pirelli has decided to bring its two softest compounds, the Soft and Super-Soft – it will actually be the first time this year that drivers will use the latter specification. It should be noted that the Automobile Club of Monaco has decided, as in the past two years, to resurface part of the track in order to improve grip and driver safety.

As in Barcelona two weeks ago, the Monaco circuit is a track where overtaking is difficult, so the qualifying session will once again be crucial for the teams. During the race, the FIA has decided to keep the same DRS zone as last year, which will be located on the pit straight.

Monaco chassis side

Mark Smith, Technical Director of the Caterham F1 team:

The short lap length and the limited high-speed sections mean there’s less difference in lap time compared to other places, like Barcelona for example. We use maximum downforce settings, and we have a specific aero configuration that we will use in Monaco and probably in Hungary, but the era of seeing all sorts of specific wings for Monaco is now over. The cars may not look so different from what they were in Spain, but we need to find as much downforce as we can for the whole weekend in Monte Carlo.

The other challenges we face are brake cooling and tire wear. Even though it’s a lap of acceleration/braking, the brakes are not put under severe stress because the speeds are never as high as on a normal circuit, but there is a real need to ensure that the brakes are cooled as efficiently as possible, and it’s something we worked on during testing at Mugello, so we’re pleased to have found a good solution in this area.

For tire wear, we have done our best, but we have seen so far this season that before really being on track, it’s hard to know which teams will wear out their tires the fastest and which teams will be able to manage this wear rate better. We will have Softs and Super-Softs in Monaco, and if the wear of the Softs is as critical as in Spain, strategy will be crucial.

Monaco on the engine side

Rémi Taffin, Head of Track Operations at Renault Sport F1:

Monaco is a heck of a challenge for everything to work perfectly. It is certainly the race that requires the most preparation from the RSF1 engineers: two to four days for the men in the design office and the test bench, compared to just one day for a race like Spain.

On this incredibly slow circuit, all our efforts are focused on the engine’s flexibility, especially at low revs. It’s also important to work on the gear selection to allow good acceleration between the corners. It’s necessarily a compromise, as the right gear for one corner might not be ideal for the other corners.

It’s also important to be effective with cooling because the high number of turns doesn’t allow optimal fresh air supply to the engine. Dirt on the track can also block air intakes, but we cannot afford to enlarge them because we need a high level of downforce for tight turns. Every modification to a bodywork element affects aerodynamic performance.

Bumps also pose a problem for engine engineers. Drivers will be running over manhole covers, curbs, white lines, and bumps: the engine can thus hit the limiter more often than on a permanent circuit like Sepang or Monza. We are therefore attentive to how the gears are shifted and advise drivers to upshift early.

Delivering the perfect performance is complicated, but we feel capable of doing well. This year, our partners are showing a good level of performance, and we are proud to contribute to it. The teams powered by Renault have collectively scored more points than others, with two victories and six podiums. We wish to continue on this path in Monaco.

Monaco on the tire side

The opinion of Paul Hembery, director of Pirelli Motorsport:

« Monaco is one of the highlights of the season and a place where the super-soft and soft tires have provided a lot of action in the past. Last year, three drivers battled for a grand finale with three different strategies before the red flag intervened. The super-soft is the only compound that remains unchanged since last year, due to its effectiveness on tracks like Monaco. Of course, their profile has been revised to best fit the 2012 regulations.

The wear level being very low in Monaco, the drivers will be able to push hard from start to finish. Tire strategy will be very important in Monaco, where overtaking on the track is more difficult than elsewhere. That said, the Principality often holds a history full of surprises. With the cars being so close currently, any small advantage or mistake can have a big impact on the final race result, as we have seen so far this season.

Jaime Alguersuari’s opinion, Pirelli test driver:

Like many drivers, I live in Monaco, but working on the balance and race settings of the car requires such precision that even driving on these roads every day offers no advantage. Monaco is one of the few complex races of the year: you have to be extremely precise every lap. Most people don’t realize how bumpy the circuit is, and you have to take many factors into account to find the right setup and get the best out of the tires.

With the nominations made by Pirelli, there will be many opportunities for different strategies like last year. It has been a fantastic season so far, but I also think that some drivers who should have won haven’t yet. Anything can happen in Monaco. That’s why it’s a fascinating race.

Monaco in figures

6: This is the number of victories won by Ayrton Senna in Monaco, the Brazilian driver holds the record for the most wins in the streets of the Principality.

**7:** Seven of the 24 drivers on the grid have already won in Monaco, here is the list: Michael Schumacher (5 victories), Fernando Alonso (2), Lewis Hamilton (1), Jenson Button (1), Mark Webber (1), Sebastian Vettel (1), and Kimi Räikkönen (1).

8: This is in seconds, the longest duration on the circuit where drivers are at full throttle – much less than on other circuits, this duration was 16 seconds in Barcelona for comparison.

14: Olivier Panis won the 1996 Monaco Grand Prix starting from 14th place on the grid. He is the only driver to have won this race in the streets of the Principality starting further back than a top 3 position in the last 20 years.

**44:** It’s the speed in km/h when navigating the hairpin turn, the slowest of the season. Drivers are forced to shift back to first gear to negotiate it, and the steering radius of F1 cars is at its maximum in Monaco to pass this turn smoothly. This turn is also the only one of the season where drivers must move their hands on the steering wheel to take the turn properly.

260: Monaco is the only Grand Prix with a distance less than 300km – the minimum limit imposed by the FIA. Drivers will cover 260.520 km on Sunday during the Grand Prix. Nevertheless, it is one of the longest races of the season in terms of duration.

284: This is the maximum estimated top speed by McLaren – which is much less than on most of the other circuits on the calendar.

[From the press releases published by Caterham F1, the FIA, McLaren, Pirelli, and Renault Sport F1]