Monaco Grand Prix - preview
PREVIEW Monaco Grand Prix, 24 - 27 May 2001 Honda power arrives in the spectacular setting of Monaco with a very different brief to other circuits on the F1 calendar. All teams will be making special preparations for one of Formula One's most famous Grands Prix and Honda, as engine partner to Benson and Hedges Jordan Honda and Lucky Strike BAR Honda, is no exception. Driveability, fuel economy and the role of traction control are the three foremost factors for an engine manufacturer in its approach to the race around the narrow streets of the principality, which Nelson Piquet, a former world champion with Honda, best described as akin to 'riding a bicycle around your front room'. The intricate nature of the 3.3 kilometre course with speeds from 25mph to 180mph places familiar demands on a Formula One powerplant but in terms of engine performance around Monaco, driveability and fuel efficiency reign supreme. 'Driveability' is the common reference for an engine's tendency (or not) to provide useful power throughout a wide rev range and is a key performance characteristic. The outright power of an engine does not affect its driveability and vice-versa as maximum power is always constant at high revs. The reason Monaco tends to be a leveller in engine terms is that, with an effective engine speed range from approximately 5000rpm to over 17000rpm, the driveability characteristics of an engine will be at their most useful as the engine rarely stays at the top of its power curve for very long. Every engine manufacturer strives for a fuel-efficient product. The natural result of fuel efficiency is fuel economy, a factor that delivers crucial advantages, thrown into even sharper focus at Monaco. The longer a car can run on a set amount of fuel, the more flexibility exists in the initial fuel load and as a result the pitstop strategy. At Monaco, with the restrictive nature of the circuit layout, the ability to run competitively on a very high initial fuel load provides a driver and team with a much wider pitstop 'window', enabling them to pick and choose when to pit during the race. This is a real advantage when caught up behind back-markers or running in heavy traffic, as is often the case in Monaco. Clearly the benefits of a fuel-efficient engine will be found in qualifying too, as success in the race at Monaco largely depends on grid position, overtaking being virtually impossible on the tight and twisting track. Traction control, now in its third race, will have a greater say in Monaco as drivers attempt to find optimum grip and acceleration out of the slower corners. Honda continues to refine its technology in this area like most, to provide minimal loss of power when the system is in operation. As the fuel load reduces and tyre degradation increases in the latter stages of the race, traction control will feature more heavily. Last year Jordan Honda's Jarno Trulli, currently the highest placed driver of the Honda-powered quartet in the 2001 Formula One World Championship, started the race from the front row after qualifying second in his Mugen Honda-powered Jordan, an achievement that will no doubt buoy his hopes for a successful weekend in Monaco this year after his disappointment at the Austrian Grand Prix. Olivier Panis, who scored two points with his fifth place finish at the A1-Ring*, is a past Monaco Grand Prix winner and will be feeling at home at the scene of his former victory in 1996, when he was also powered by a Mugen Honda unit. *provisional subject to intent to appeal Monaco Grand Prix, 24 - 27 May 2001 Circuit Details Circuit Name Circuit de Monaco Circuit Address 23 Boulevard Albert 1er, 98012 Monaco Circuit Length 3.370 km / 2.094 miles Timetable (all times are CET - BST is 1 hour behind) Thursday Free Practice: 11.00-12.00 & 13.00-14.00 Saturday Free Practice: 09.00-09.45 & 10.15-11.00 Qualifying: 13.00-14.00 Sunday Warm-up: 09.30-10.00 Race (78 laps): 14.00 2000 Results Winner D Coulthard (McLaren) 1h49m28.213s Fastest race lap M Hakkinen (McLaren) 1m21.571s Pole position M Schumacher (Ferrari) 1m19.475s Lap record M Schumacher (Ferrari) 1m21.076s Honda in Monaco 2000 Villeneuve 7th / Zonta DNF Honda in Monaco 12 Grands Prix; 6 wins (Senna '87/'89-'92, Prost '88); 9 podiums Honda F1 winners Senna 32, Mansell 13, Prost 11, Piquet 7, Berger & Rosberg 3, Ginther & Surtees 1 Team wins powered by Honda McLaren-Honda 44, Williams-Honda 23, Honda 2, Lotus-Honda 2 -------------------------------------------------------------- Honda Formula 1 Press Office, 19 Heathmans Road, London, SW6 4TJ, UK Tel: +44 (0)20 7384 2133 Fax: +44 (0)20 7384 1238