The Monaco Grand Prix is the sixth round of the 2009 FIA Formula 1 World Championship. Jenson Button heads the points standings for Brawn GP. The Englishman has never won in Monte Carlo, however, the most famous race on the Formula 1 calendar.
Monaco Grand Prix History
Eighty years have passed since the inaugural Monaco Grand Prix, staged in 1929. Since then the circuit has changed little, and the race has provided plenty of memorable moments.
The Monaco Grand Prix has been on the calendar since the very first Formula 1 World Championship season in 1950. The record for the most wins around the principality is held by the late Brazilian Ayrton Senna, who triumphed six times between 1987 and 1993.
Monaco has produced some surprise winners over the years. In 1972 Jean-Pierre Beltoise scored the only win of his Formula 1 career in atrocious conditions. 1996 saw Olivier Panis win in an unfancied Ligier after starting well down the field. Monaco’s darkest day came in 1967, when Ferrari driver Lorenzo Bandini lay trapped in his burning car, suffering injuries from which he would die.
The Monaco Grand Prix has twice seen drivers crash into the harbour. Alberto Ascari managed it in 1955, as did Paul Hawkins 10 years later. Remarkably, both drivers escaped unscathed.
Monaco GP Statistics and Weather Forecast
Race date: Sunday, May 24th, 2009
Race distance: 78 laps
Circuit length: 2.075 miles (3.340 km)
Lap record: 1 minute, 14.439 seconds (Michael Schumacher, 2004 – Ferrari)
2009 Monaco GP weather forecast: sunny on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday
2009 Monaco GP Form Guide
Brawn GP head to Monaco as clear favourites, with Button having won four of the five Grands Prix so far. His team-mate Rubens Barrichello will be desperate to taste victory again. The veteran Brazilian stated after the Spanish Grand Prix that he will leave Formula 1 if he discovers team orders are being applied to favour Button.
Red Bull once again showed good pace in Spain, but Sebastian Vettel’s race was compromised after the German found himself stuck behind Felipe Massa’s Ferrari for most of the afternoon. Mark Webber drove intelligently in the other Red Bull to eventually finish third.
2008 Monaco winner Lewis Hamilton will not be confident of a repeat performance this year, in what is proving to be a character building year for the defending World Champion and his McLaren team. Toyota’s Jarno Trulli usually goes well at Monaco, and scored the only win of his Formula 1 career there in 2004.
Sebastien Bourdais, Nelson Piquet and Kazuki Nakajima have so far failed to shine in 2009, and will be hoping for an improvement. Nakajima excelled at Monaco last year, finishing in the points for Williams. Accuracy and consistency are vital around the tight street circuit, which should suit Renault’s Fernando Alonso, a two time winner of the race. Qualifying will be crucial, with hardly any opportunity for overtaking.
 |
