Nestled in the shadow of the towering Alps that form a majestic and brooding backdrop, lies the most famous and instantly recognizable track in all of motorsport. The feature of this circuit, such as Casino Square, Mirabeau, Loews, Tabac and Rascasse, have become household names and lie within sight of the imposing Grimaldi Palace, home to the principality's rulers, which gazes down on the dramam of Formula One from its lofty perch, a rocky outcrop that juts into the Mediterranean Sea.
Monaco's circuit is redolent of the bygone days of the gentlemen racers, when motor-racing was a sport and not a high-tech, multi-million dollar business. In truth, it is totally unsuited to the demands and safety requirements of modern Formula One. Apart from the addition of extra-protective barriers, the track has changed little over the years, while the town that surrounds it has become ever more congested with high rise hotels and apartment buildings. But such is the allure of the Monaco Grand Prix that its glamour reaches beyond the realms of motorsport and has ensured that the race survives to this day.
The Monaco Grand Prix was the brainchild of Anthony Noghes, a local cigarette manufacturer who was president of Automobile Club de Monaco and a close friend of the ruler, Prince Louis II. The first race around the streets of the principality took place in 1929 and when the world championship began in 1950, Monaco featured in the seven-race inaugural series. Although it disappeared from the scene for four years, it made a comeback in 1955 and has formed a part of the championship every year since then.
Driving the circuit low to the ground in a Formula one car is uncannily like to playing a computer game: one's vision is limited to the fearsome Armco barriers that keep the vehicle within the tight confines of the track.
From the start-finish line, a short blast of accelaration and you are at Ste Devote which you reach in sixth gear, braking hard on the slippery, narrowing track and taking the tight right-handers in third gear, one at a time. Up the hill into the fast right-handed, fourth gear Massenate and you flash through Casino Square before another right-hander sends you shooting along a short straight to the slow, treacherous Mirabeau. The corners are now coming thick and fast, and there is barely time to accelarate before you tortuously slow Loews hairpin is upon you. This corner is taken in second, or even first gear. According to one expert, you enter it as if you were parking your car, and simply manoeuvre around it.
Another quick dab on the throttle, before the two right-hander of portier lead you back to the harbour side and the fastest stretch of the track, through the tunnel. As you emerge into the daylight once again, you are practically on the left-right chicane and then the amazingly quick Tabac corner, which leads to a series of corners round the swimming pool. Now for the final series of bends: the left-handed jink that is Rascasse before the double apexed, right handed Anthony Noghes leads you back to the start-finish line.
Monaco's roll of honour reads like a who's who of Formula One: Juan Manual Fangio won twice, Stirling Moss three times and Graham Hill five. Jackie Stewart and Nicki Lauda also both won twice. More recently, Alain Prost conquered the tight-twisty circuit four times, Michael Schumacher has triumphed on three occassions and David Coulthard twice in 2000 & 2002.
But one driver's star shone brighter than any other on this track, which - uniquley in modern Formula One - allows driver skill to surpass mechanical excellence. The supremo was the great Brazilian Ayrton Senna who led the field home no less than 6 times, once in a Lotus Honda Turbo, the other five in a Mclaren Honda. In 1988, when Senna was in his first season at Mclaren, he led everyone comfotrably, including his team-mate Alain Prost, before he made an uncharacteristic mistake at the tight right-hand corner on the approach to the tunnel and put himself out of the race. This so enraged Senna that he strode straight back to his Monaco Apartment and no one heard from him from several days.
Monaco, too, has witnessed its fair share of tragedy and horrific accidents. In modern times, two drivers lost their lives in the streets of the principality. The 54-yr old Luigi Fagioli died from injuries he sustained in a crash in the tunnel during practices for the race in 1952 and 15 years later, Lorenzo Bandini burned to death when his Ferrari crashed at the chicane. The same chicane nearly claimed Carl Wendlinger in Formula One's disastrous 1994 season. The Austrian's life hung in the balance for days after he suffered head injuries when his Sauber slid into the bariers but, he survived. Other near misses included Alberto Ascari in 1955 and Paul Hawkins, 10 years later. Both plunged into the harbour but, escaped from there submerged cars and swam to safety.
Probably the most dramatic incident occured in 1980 when Derek Daly became air-borne in his Tyrrell at Ste Devote and landed on top of tea-mate Jean Pierre Jarrier. By a miracle neither was hurt.
Monaco usually provides enthralling races but the lack of opportunities to over-take means that drivers frequently fail to live up to their pre-race billing. Races at Monaco often look more like high-speed traffic jams than Formula One contests. Qualify badly and there is not much you can do but hang around the back of the field waiting for the leaders to run into trouble. Since qualifying is such an important component of racing around the streets of the principality it is perhaps not surprising that the determined Senna dominated this circuit, although other drivers have had noteworthy races at Monaco.
In 1961, Stirling Moss stunned everyone when he out-paced the all conquering Ferraris in his old Lotus Climax. This victory was his third and final Monaco triumph (he had won in 1956 in a Maserati and 4 years later in the Lotus Climax).
Once drivers have mastered the deceptive circuit they seem to enjoy a clear advantage in future years. The history books are filled with back-to-back winners. Graham Hill won three in a row between 1963-65. Then, after a break, he claimed back-to-back wins in 1968-69. Prost won three in a row from 1984 and the great Senna claimed consecutive vicotries from 1989-93. Other races of note include an astonishing performance in the wet by Jean Pierre Beltoise in a BRM in 1972, for his only win in Formula One. Another maiden victory came from Riccardo Patrese in 1982 in a Brabham Ford. This driver's victory owed more to the misfortune of others than to the excellence of his own driving. He had spun while leading and after a push-start,went on to finsih the race completely unaware that he had won - in the eventful final laps Prost and Daly crashed out, De Cesaris ran out of fuel and Pironi suffered electrical problems.
And who can forget the excitememnt of the titanic struggle in wet conditions two years later between prost, senna and a young stefan bellof? Or Olivier Panis' maiden triumph in 1996, from 14th on the grid for Ligier's first victory in 15 years?
The Monaco Grand prix is as much about motor-sport and the race itself as it is about the tiny pit-lane stuffed with celebrities and a fleet of expensive yachts whose passengers are there "to be seen". With is combination of glamour and action, Monaco is truly unique-long may this venerable sporting instituion endure.
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