Posted on 25th May 2016
As we head to Monte Carlo for the Grand Prix this weekend for the fifth race of the 2016 season, the eagerly-anticipated P Zero Purple ultrasoft makes its debut in Monaco, alongside the P Zero Red supersoft and P Zero Yellow soft: the three softest tyres in the range.
Pirelli expect that the choice of tyres they have brought to this weekend will work well in the low-grip and low-speed conditions of the Monte Carlo street circuit, where the accent is always on mechanical grip from the tyres.
Monte Carlo is such a legendary venue that there is little left to say about it that hasn't been said already. It remains the most prestigious race on the calendar, and also one of the most unpredictable.
The street circuit offers very little grip and a high degree of track evolution over the weekend. All of the teams use a high-downforce set-up to 'push' the car onto the track as much as possible. With tyre wear and degradation being the lowest that we see all year, this allows one-stop strategies possible even on soft compound tyres.
But the drivers and teams need to remember that in their tactics for the weekend ahead, they need to consider a high probability of the safety car and the difficulty of overtaking. However, with little representative running of the ultrasoft tyres up to now, free practice (on Thursday) is vital. With the Monaco circuit having the lowest average speed of the year so tyre warm-up is a key skill for maximum performance.
Here's my facts and figures as well as my predictions heading into the Monaco Grand Prix this weekend.
Facts and Figures
• Monte Carlo has hosted the Grand Prix in Spain since 1929, even though the first Formula One race was in 1950.
• Ayrton Senna is the most successful driver to win the Grand Prix with six wins.
• Nico Rosberg is the most successful driver currently to win the Grand Prix with three wins.
• McLaren are the most successful constructor to win the Grand Prix with fifteen wins
• Race distance: 260.5km (161.87 miles)
• Number of turns:19
• Top speed: 284kph
• Lap record: Michael Schumacher- Ferrari (2004)- 1.14.439
Winners from last 5 Monaco Grand Prix
• 2011-Sebastian Vettel
• 2012-Mark Webber
• 2013- Nico Rosberg
• 2014-Nico Rosberg
• 2015- Nico Rosberg
My five things to look out for this weekend:-
1. Tyre performance-With Pirelli bringing their ultra-soft tyres for this weekend where they will be making their debut, all eyes will be upon Pirelli to see if the tyres live up to expectations. But it will be interesting to see how that affects tyre usage this year. Will this impact anyone's race on Sunday as a result?
2. Safety Cars- With the unique and challenging demands of the Monaco circuit, there is no room for mistakes or errors. And if that does happen, the Safety Car will be brought out onto the circuit. But will we see the return of the Safety Car in Monaco this year?
3. Performance of Ferrari- With Ferrari at the moment being Mercedes' closest competitor at the moment, all eyes will be upon Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen this weekend to see if they can translate their form they have shown so far this season. Question is; can they win this weekend and take the fight to Mercedes.
4. Performance of the Mercedes team- With Mercedes being the firm favourites heading into the race this weekend, all eyes will be upon them to see if they will still be as competitive as they were last season. But with Ferrari showing good performance and pace in the first few races, has their advantage and stranglehold on the sport been broken?
5. Remembering Jules Bianchi- With Romain Grosjean unveiling a new helmet especially for this weekend that remembers the great drive that Bianchi made in 2014 to score his first points for himself and the Marussia team, we should take some time to ourselves to remember the great drive Jules did that weekend. He will always be missed and remembered by the F1 community and it is fitting that his greatest performance was at his home race in Monaco.
Sky Sports F1 are showing uninterrupted coverage of every Practice session, Qualifying and race for the Grand Prix (and every race of the season) and the BBC also are showing coverage, details for both are below:-
• Sky Sports F1:- Thursday (Practice 1 and 2) 8.45am and 12.45am [Replays throughout Thursday], Saturday (Practice 3 and Qualifying) 9.45am and 12.00pm [Replays throughout Saturday], Sunday (Race) 11.30am
Channel Four- Saturday (Qualifying highlights) 5.45pm, Sunday (Race highlights) 5.45pm
Sarah Jones- @jonesy_laaa
