Sunday May 26th, 2002
More Boat Parties
The Monaco Grand Prix is the perfect race for sponsors to get the most from their involvement in the sport. Most companies charter luxury yachts, not to sail them along the beautiful Mediterranean coastline but rather to moor them in the harbour, from where their guests can watch the on-track action. Evening parties provide the yachts with another use, and on Friday night two rival mobile phone companies threw separate bashes for members of the media.
On one side of the harbour, the Vodafone boat, clad with red signage displaying the company's distinctive apostrophe logo, put on a special dinner for distinguished guests while, in another area, the brightly lit Orange boat pumped with music as they put on a drinks do for other press personnel. Both events went on late into the night, but it seemed Orange had stolen the march on their rivals business-wise as Vodafone mobiles switched to their rivals' service throughout the harbour.
Tunnel Spectator
There was a lonely long-haired figure sauntering around inside the tunnel exit during Saturday morning practice, taking a look at the cars going by. It was not long ago that he was speeding through the dimly-lit section himself, and his mind must have been sinking back to the days when his father's name was on everyone's lips as the man to beat around Monaco. Now it is his old adversary Michael Schumacher who is Formula One's king of the principality. The person in question, of course, was none other than 1996 World Champion Damon Hill, taking a break from his TV work and on a stroll from his boat moored in that section of the harbour.
Mika's 100th
Mika Salo may seem like a Grand Prix newcomer having missed last season testing with Toyota and spending a year as a 'super-sub' in 1999. But the ageing Finn celebrated his 100th Grand Prix start at Monaco this year and invited a select group of international journalists to the Toyota boat in the Monaco harbour on Friday for champagne and cakes. As a special gesture the 35-year-old Finn gave out uniquely embroidered Toyota caps marking his 100th race and a cartoon t-shirt with him on the front. As a present to himself the following day, he set the ninth fastest time in qualifying.
Raikkonen's Debt
The Monaco Grand Prix has been a costly one for McLaren. Their young driver Kimi Raikkonen clashing with the barriers several times and even though team boss Ron Dennis admitted at the start of the year that Raikkonen would have "a few crashes" it seems two in two days has set high stakes for the 22-year-old Finn. "He ran his AMEX card out on Thursday and he has had to get his Barclay card out now," joked Dennis after Raikkonen's second crash. "He's eaten a few cars that's for sure - but he did keep cool and he used his head."
Monaco Changes
The Monaco track is set for some major changes in the next few years, and the Automobile Club de Monaco revealed their blueprint for a new pitlane that will contain the state-of-the-art garage complexes that the circuit is currently missing. From 2006, the pits will be situated between the racetrack and the new pitlane, which will wind its way behind the swimming pool to create a wider and safer environment for everyone to enjoy. The swimming pool section will also be modified, and new grandstands will be put in place to replace the ones where the pit lane will then be situated.
Trackside
A walk around the track in Monaco is something that every visitor has to do, to see the tight barrier-lined streets and the shocking lack of space that drivers have to keep their cars between. But to really understand the wild ride they have, a close-proximity wander during one of the sessions is quite incredible. The crowds at Monaco can get within metres of the action, but members of the press, with a tabard, can get even closer - and without the wire fences in the way. On some corners the cars come, literally, within 30 centimeters of your feet as they blast around the track with only the barrier to protect you. Rubber pieces, which roll off the tyres as they corner, fly sideways, hitting your face as you wander by, and the black scrapes on the barriers tell of drivers who got too close.
But there are three things that strike home the fact that all these drivers are astonishingly brave. One is the speed they come into the swimming pool complex, another is the reaction time they have to have to scythe through traffic, and the other is the vibration that shakes the entire tunnel as the cars roar through. The experience is quite sensational.
Published at 16:55:21 GMT
(03-11-2005): 
