Sunday May 23rd, 2004
Security Gone Crazy
Hollywood stars Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and George Clooney made their appearance in Monaco on Saturday for a photoshoot with Jaguar to promote the new movie 'Ocean's 12' and, as expected, the clamour of photographers left the pitlane packed. The celebrities were free to roam around the cars before the start of the qualifying session, but after the photoshoot they were taken for a stroll through the paddock. Despite the fact that all entrances to the inner sanctum of Formula One are patrolled by a gaggle of security people and every visitor requires an electronically coded pass to get in, the megastars were not allowed to stray and their visit to the paddock lasted just a few seconds. They were whisked through it before being fired out again after seeing little else than the heads of the foot-shuffling, black-suited bodyguards that surrounded them in a tight protective ring.
Harley Headache
World Champion Michael Schumacher has a unique way of getting around Monaco unnoticed - he dons a full set of black leathers and black helmet and roars through the principality on a Harley Davidson. The Ferrari star, easily recognised when in his normal scarlet Ferrari gear, becomes stealthy to roam the streets but despite his belief that he cannot be seen he was still spotted almost running over the wife of an Atlas F1 contributor as he sped towards his Ferrari pit. Brushing past her with the same precision he uses to drive within millimeters of the barriers around the Monaco track, he was lucky to avoid the repercussions of any collision - because the woman he ran into was a World Champion in karate...
Football Fanatic
Manchester United fan Ross Brawn was determined not to let work get in the way of his football team's only possible chance of redeeming glory this year when the FA Cup final clashed with the Formula One qualifying day. The Ferrari technical director, who has always supported the 'Mighty Reds' - that's Manchester United, not Ferrari - was fully concentrated on Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello's hot laps on Saturday afternoon, but he soon switched over to his other sport and admitted: "We're having an early debrief so that I can get to watch the final."
Low-Grade Grid
The Monaco grid was its usual hustle and bustle this weekend but it lacked a certain chic as it appeared that fewer than normal celebrities had turned up for the race. Former drivers, from 1950s great Sir Stirling Moss to Belgian Thierry Boutsen, turned up to enjoy the atmosphere but the top celebrities - Jaguar's Ocean's 12 crowd - had been and gone on qualifying day. Last year, team boss Eddie Jordan wandered U2 rock star Bono around the grid before the race but he had little time for jobs like that this weekend and it was left to Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone to save the day as he took this year's number one visitor Roman Abramovich, the Russian oil magnate and owner of Premiership giants Chelsea, around for a wander. In a unique experience for Ecclestone, he was, for once, the man with the smaller fortune.
Samba at La Rascasse
While the grid was disappointing for top quality posing, those in the expensive La Rascasse bar for the race were given a real treat. Just ten minutes before the race began, as the teams and drivers formed up and prepared on the grid, the champagne-supping diners at the end of the pitlane were concentrating on a show of samba dancing women, clad in gold bikinis and wiggling around on top of the tables. Now that is the way to watch a race!
Published at 19:01:28 GMT
(03-11-2005): 
