The Monaco Grand Prix is arguably the most glamorous race on the Formula One calendar, and a home to many of the drivers. But despite the glitter and glow, Monaco is also a challenging, often unforgiving circuit. Atlas F1's technical writer Craig Scarborough analyses the upcoming weekend

The Monaco Grand Prix rates as one of the top motorsport events of the year and rates alongside Le Mans and the Indy 500 as one of the blue ribbon events every driver wants to win.

The small principality in the south of France is home to most of the F1 drivers, who enjoy the weather, the 5-star lifestyle and the relaxed tax laws. Team owners love it, as amongst the yachts in the harbour and the hotels surrounding the track are the sponsors wanting to be associated with the glamour of the event.

The drivers and mechanics are more mixed about their feelings. The paddock and pit areas are separate, as the pits are tents in a cramped pitlane and the rest of the equipment has to be kept in underground car parks. Parts have to be ferried along the public road between the two locations. But, as the teams work in tents instead of a garage, this is a great chance for the media and photographers to get a close look at the cars.

While the circuit presents a unique challenge to the drivers, some feel it is not the ultimate challenge to their skills, calling it a Mickey Mouse race. Jenson Button, who lives in Monaco, doesn't agree with common view of the race: "I think it's probably the worst of all... We're always very busy, and it's hard to work properly, even just to get around, because of the distance between the paddock and the pits."

Heinz-Harald Frentzen, on the other hand, has the opposite opinion: "Monaco is a great venue for a race and, in my opinion, is the best race on the calendar. It's my home, so I have extra opportunities to prepare myself for the race as I drive the streets most days so I really know them like the back of my hand. It's very tight with some really good hairpins making it a very enjoyable track to drive. The circuit demands your full concentration at all times and you cannot afford to make any mistakes."

Set up and Layout

Michael Schumacher sums up the track, staying: "the Monaco Grand Prix is a challenge. Racing between the guardrails at high speed is tiring, but at the same time, extremely motivating because it is so narrow. I really like driving here. There are so many blind corners which make it unique."

Monaco has appeared on the calendar every year since 1955 and remains the only true street race on the calendar. Few changes were made to the track, but the old straight down to the Gasworks hairpin is now replaced by the 'Swimming Pool' complex. There is unanimous agreement that Monaco is not safe, but some smaller changes have been made to the chicane on the exit to the tunnel, and the barrier on the inside of the first Swimming Pool corner was moved back.

"Every year we ask ourselves why we continue to race here and every year we decide to come back," Schumacher said last week. "In many ways, it's a strange thing. Probably, we think it is only one of 17 races on the calendar and that once a year we can take this sort of risk with all the necessary precautions. You really have to avoid making any risky moves because the consequences can be serious."

Despite most of the corners of the circuit being landmarks within motorsport, the actual way they are arranged is disguised by the surrounding buildings. There is a greater mix of corners than expected, and some of the curves - such as through the tunnel - are treated more as straights. Some of the corners, like Casino, challenge the bravery of the driver to carry enough speed without running into a barrier.

Lastly, the tight bends - whether the 90 degree corners around the swimming pool or the famous hairpin - leave the driver's foot off the throttle and the engine waiting impatiently for the driver to get his foot down towards the exit. The Hairpin also provides a rare sight in F1, of the driver removing one hand from the wheel in order to crank enough steering lock on to negotiate the corner.

The track winds around just over two miles of narrow roads, which are famously used the rest of the year for normal traffic. This brings the first of several problems for the drivers: the road surface is cambered with a crown in the road (that is, higher in the middle and lower towards the kerbside) and is made of common tarmac rather than the special mixes used on permanent tracks. Manholes, kerbstones and dirt also blight this surface, but the track does clean up as F1 rubber is laid throughout the weekend.

Being a public road, there aren't any gravel beds or run off areas and instead triple layer armco barriers and short escape roads provide the drivers with the only chance of protection in an accident. These barriers also present their own problems, what with being so close to the track, and most accidents are caused by a small error and a wheel hitting the barrier deranging the suspension and leaving the car stranded.

Overtaking is quite impossible, although there are some corners where a brave move can be tried, such as Sainte Devote and the entry into the two hairpins, but the move needs to be quick and neat and with some cooperation from the other driver, or otherwise the cars would come together.

Monaco is a chassis circuit, and the engine is the least important factor in performance. Moreover, according to Michelin, drivers need three things in particular for Monaco: the ability to keep their engine within its optimum rev band, excellent traction... and pole position.

The car's set up is all about grip, both for braking and traction. This grip is provided mechanically by the compliance in the suspension, aerodynamically by the downforce from the wings, and chemically by the super soft tyres allowed here. Additionally, the electronics will make the most of the traction available from the cars.

"It's very important to find the right set-up there, as the track is so unique," Arrows designer Mike Coughlan explains. "Good braking stability and traction, as well as high downforce and flexible engine response are all requirements around the bumpy circuit." Jordan's Gary Anderson adds: "Monaco is a very bumpy track, with a lot of camber change on the road, so you have to run the car high and soft to get a quick lap time."

There are normal changes to the aerodynamic set up, but now that the front and rear wings are limited to three and four elements respectively, the teams wind as much camber on to the wings as they can. Other wings sprout on the cars, and last year most teams had already run mid wings and shelf wings. Arrows and Jordan came to the race with outrageous add-on wings in front of the cockpit, but these were banned after one session despite initial approval of the FIA's technical delegate, Charlie Whiting.

This year, with the extra experience of the current aero regulations, fewer of these devices are expected, but still some teams - notably Arrows, BAR, Minardi and Jordan - may resort to extra aerofoils around the car to aid grip.

The dependence on grid positions to get a good finish means that the teams' approach to the weekend will be different. "The crucial area of performance in Monaco is qualifying, because it is the most difficult circuit of the year to overtake on," Renault's Pat Symonds states. "That means we tend to set the car up for qualifying over most of the weekend and then concentrate on race set-up on Sunday."

Losing track time is all too easy if a barrier is brushed while lapping, and Jordan's Gary Anderson explains that "any lost time will be a blow, so if we have any problems or damage to the car, it's more trouble than usual."

With over 3,000 gear changes and the bumps on the road, reliability problems are expected particularly with the transmission and electronics. The teams will have paid attention to the installation of these parts during testing before the weekend. Also tested before the race were revised suspension components, with alterations made to allow full steering lock.

Owing to its unique layout, Monaco is not a circuit where the most powerful engine represents a significant advantage. A light, compact engine design represents a much more significant help. "It's a very slow circuit, with an extremely small amount of the lap - about 35% - spent at full throttle," Renault's Remi Taffin said. "Engine revs can drop as low as 5,000 rpm on the circuit, yet comfortably exceed 17,000 rpm at the exit of the tunnel."

With the race being slow and over 78 short laps, strategy is usually the same for everybody with just the one stop, especially as the pitlane entrance is much slower than usual.

Tyres

Bridgestone

According to Bridgestone, Monaco is an extreme track for tyres. "The compounds for Monaco are always the softest of those we take to any race because of the nature of the track," the company said. "The adjustments one can make to the car to find grip and improve its handling around the twisty street circuit are limited but the right tyre choice can make a significant difference."

To meet these demands Bridgestone have two new tyres for the race, incorporating two new compounds and a new construction. "Both our new compounds are from the softer end of our range. We have also developed a new construction especially for this race. In addition, we have developed a new intermediate tyre especially for Monaco."

Michelin

Pierre Dupasquier from Michelin warns of Monaco's effect on tyres: "It takes its toll on rear tyres. That's because the cars are constantly accelerating at full throttle from slow corners and we have to evolve a compound suitable for such particular conditions. You also need a traction control system that is finely honed, because that governs both wheel spin and the rate of tyre wear."

During recent tests Michelin found one new tyre that will be taken to the race, along with a compound they have raced with previously.

Team by Team

Ferrari

Statistically, a Ferrari and then a McLaren have won the race alternately since 1997 and superstitions like that often hold true at one of Formula One's oldest circuits. Ferrari's dominance will probably continue, but they will be chased much closer by the rest of the field. Any upsets to the weekend's running, such as rain-interrupted sessions, will play into the hands of the following teams, but should the red cars be on the front row of a dry race, it will be a major task for anyone to beat them to the chequered flag.

While there has been a lot of comment on the rights and wrongs of team orders, Ferrari are adamant that they would be enforced again if a similar position is presented by their drivers in this race. Schumacher's recent inability to find the correct set up quickly in qualifying is perplexing; for Monaco and its emphasis on pole position, he had better carefully prepare for this crucial session, because, should Rubens beat him to pole and maintain the lead in the race, then Schumacher might be powerless to out "drive" Rubens for the win yet again.

Williams

This year's car is shorter and has been developed for improved performance on the tighter circuits, however Williams are not expected to turn in a great performance in Monaco, and will be more closely matched by the following teams. Neither Juan Pablo Montoya nor Ralf Schumacher likes driving the circuit, but both have the ability to turn in a podium performance. The choice of tyre compound for the weekend will affect them, if they aim for the best race tyre or a tyre that will improve their qualifying form, to gain themselves track advantage at the start of the race.

McLaren

Monaco offers McLaren the best chance, perhaps, of a top result on merit. The current car does not like fast corners or fast straights, and the Monaco layout should reward the effective front-end grip the McLaren is believed to have. The robustness of the car's twin keels may be challenged if there is any contact with the walls and equally the Mercedes engine needs to stay together for the race and in the five practice sessions if the team are to make progress.

This is a circuit David Coulthard loves and excels at. He may well challenge for pole and feature strongly in the race, whereas Kimi Raikkonen's tail out sliding driving style could get punished in the tight confines of the circuit. However, if his aggressiveness can be contained he should be pushing hard in the front end.

Renault

Renault's strengths are all met by the tight Monegasque circuit. The car's low drivable engine and matching rear end provide superb traction, while the front of the car turns in well, and the two drivers have near error-free driving styles. Michelin tyres may well provide the durability to last the full race distance, and so the drivers might be featuring at the end of the 78 laps.

Sauber

As with Renault, Sauber should feature well this weekend. The car is not as suited to Monaco as the Renault, but the car's grip and poise should allow the drivers to display their differing skills.

While Felipe Massa has yet to race an F1 car here, his exuberant driving style may handicap him and he needs to curb his driving, especially in the early sessions, to preserve his car and maximise track time to learn the intricacies of the circuit.

Nick Heidfeld's increasingly neat and mature style should keep him between the walls for most of the weekend and he has proven that he can challenge drivers placed ahead of him. He does however make some errors - as seen in Austria and Australia - when cars ahead of him are out of rhythm and spinning around the track. He should concentrate very carefully at the first corner after the start, should an incident occur.

Jordan

Monaco is traditionally the circuit where Jordan's season turns around. The team have often put in a good performance here despite the track not suiting their cars on paper. But, as with most years, the car seems to lack downforce and needs to run with the mid wing behind the roll bar - the complex winglets in front of the rear wheels - to gain grip. The new curved front wing, which debuted in Austria, should be seen in Monaco as well, although the older stepped version may have more overall downforce.

Although Giancarlo Fisichella failed to get a points' finish last year, he has a strong record here, as his smooth and precise style keeps him on the track when others have failed to complete the course. Takuma Sato has raced here before, but Monaco is a very different proposition in an F1 car than in an F3 car. Like many of the new drivers, Sato also needs to tame his driving and keep the car on the road. He crashed the classic Lotus he drove last weekend at the historic race, so he has hopefully learnt a lesson form it.

BAR

Whereas Jordan work well in Monaco despite their form, BAR have always struggled here. Their car lacks downforce, and although this year the car has sprouted less aerodynamic aids, there are new aero parts for the car this weekend.

The low down Honda engine and rear end should provide better traction from the car's lower centre of gravity, but it's the engine and gearbox that provide the majority of the unreliability for the team. Major blow ups in Monaco are a greater hazard than at most circuits, as there is less space to drive around any spilt oil, and many corners are entered blindly. This could cause unexpected problems in the race for all the drivers.

While Jacques Villenueve does not particularly like or go well at this track, Olivier Panis won his only Grand Prix here in 1996, before the alternating victories of Ferrari and McLaren started.

Jaguar

It would be hard to predict Jaguar's performance for this weekend, as the car lacks any downforce and has had rear suspension problems. The engine is taller and hence contributes to a higher centre of gravity for the rear end of the car, and subsequently should provide less grip. But Monaco often ignores these setbacks, and Eddie Irvine likes the circuit and brought Jaguar's best result here last year, against slightly better odds than this year. Pedro de la Rosa has a chequered record here, with too many crashes.

Arrows

Going to Monaco, Arrows are displaying a suspicious confidence. They held secretive straight-line testing in the UK last week, so whether they have a secret weapon to add grip as with last year is not yet known, but the short and pointy car should tackle Monaco's tight corners with ease and confidence.

Heinz Harald Frentzen has not gone particularly well at Monaco recently, but his positive form so far this year should allow him to turn in a points performance this weekend. Enrique Bernoldi had the famous fighting drive last year holding David Coulthard at bay as he fought to come back through the field.

Toyota

Toyota have been busy attempting to replicate the tight layout of Monaco in testing, as aside from their days in the World Rally Championship and the Monte Carlo Rally, they have never run here nor have they been able to test their F1 car here last year.

Toyota have yet to introduce the aero updates that have been in the pipeline for some time, and this will be a track where they will need to add to the car's light downforce set up. The car also lacks mechanical grip and most of the team are expecting a tough weekend.

Having said that, Mika Salo has traditionally gone very well here - including a pitstop-free run into the points for Tyrrell in the rain back in the 1990s. On the other hand, Allan McNish has never raced here and has not really experienced anything similar in his Sportscar racing days, so he will nead to learn the track quickly.

Minardi

While Monaco equalises the teams, it would be unrealistic to expect anyone but Minardi trailing the rest of the field throughout the weekend. The Asiatech engine has power deficit to the rest of the teams, and while some of the deficit is balanced by improved drivability at Monaco, the big engine manufacturers will be detuning their engines for more drivability and keeping a clear step ahead of the Asiatech.

However, the compact Minardi chassis should allow the best of the engine to be exploited here and Mark Webber at least should be hoping for rain in the race to allow him and the team to demonstrate their capabilities to the sponsors lining the track. Alex Yoong raced in the historic Grand Prix last weekend, but despite a top finish in that race, he cannot be expected to turn in a stunning performance this coming weekend.