Monaco is the longest race in terms of time and if it is slowed by wet weather will go to the two hour limit. Overtaking is near impossible at and the only way to pass another car is to throw caution to the wind and hope. Most moves are unsuccessful as there simply is not enough space to race. The best strategy therefore is to stack the car with as much fuel as possible and wait for the pitstops. This often works because no-one can pass you if you’re slow and you won’t get held up by anyone in front of you either. The first driver who does not need to qualify on his fuel load will almost certainly have the tank filled to the brim. The fuel burn penalty at Monaco is minimal due to the low speeds and in 1997 Mika Salo finished fifth without making a single pitstop. This race has the highest attrition of the season because the cars are punished by the bumps as much as the drivers are punished by the barriers. F1 machinery is not built for slow corners so often struggle with the demands of the tight layout. This puts higher emphasis on driving talent than usual. For example, Rubens Barrichello was usually just a tiny bit slower than Michael Schumacher during their time together at Ferrari, but at Monaco he was way behind the German. This is the case with a lot of drivers and some are known as Monaco specialists, such as Jarno Trulli and David Coulthard. When it comes to driving talent at Monaco the statistics speak for themselves. Between 1984 and 2001, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher own every single Monaco Grand Prix except for three. It didn’t matter what car those guys were in because they has the skill at Monaco to overcome any handicap. Last year Adrian Sutil topped a practice session in a Spyker showing just how much difference the driver makes. Cars that are rubbish can also do well at Monaco and there have been a number of surprise winners. Engine power counts for nothing and neither does aerodynamics because the track is so slow and everyone has the same wing settings. The circuit is all about grip. You could be a slow but accurate driver, in a car with no engine power and awful aerodynamics, and still get a good result at Monaco
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