By Will Gray, England
Atlas F1 Technical Writer

The Monaco circuit is tough on drivers, but even tougher on cars and reliability above all else will be the crucial factor in the seventh round of the Championship. Atlas F1 Technical Writer Will Gray previews the challenges the engineers will face at the tight street circuit.

Monaco is unique. It is tough on drivers but even tougher on cars, and reliability above all else will be the crucial factor in this weekend's race. It is a circuit different to any other on the calendar, and the mechanical toils on the cars often lead to few finishers.

On the one minute and twenty one second lap the drivers will make, on average, one gear change every two seconds, and that fact alone explains the real challenge of the Monaco circuit. Life will be easier for the drivers this year because with automatic gear shifting they do not have to think about a single change, but that means life could be even harder for the cars around the Monaco streets.

The new electronics will have their biggest test so far with so many constant demands put on the systems, in fact some teams have been running without automatic changing and may continue to avoid it in the coming race.

But with increased strain on transmission systems comes relief for engines as Monaco is most definitely not a power circuit. It is the slowest circuit on the calendar and puts big demands on high downforce solutions which the teams have been heavily testing prior to the weekend, but at least for the engine manufacturers it provides a brief bit of welcome relief.

After the high-revving Austrian circuit, Monaco is a very different style with the throttle open much less - on average only 50 per cent of the time - and an average of 12,800 rpm, almost 3,000 less than the average around the A1-Ring in the last race.

But perhaps the most important reliability concern is that of the newly introduced electronic systems. The failure of many teams' launch control systems over the past two races have created very big and very real concerns over the possibility of a startline pile-up in the tight confines of the Monaco streets, and although technical directors are playing down the worries, the risk is clearly there.

The FIA have not stepped in, however, so it will be up to the teams once again to decide whether their systems are fit to race. Both Jordan drivers stopped on the grid at the Austrian Grand Prix, one down to an engineer setting the wrong parameters in the programme for the automatic starting procedure which led to a lack of revs and a stall. That simply cannot happen in Monaco.

The streets in the principality are so narrow, with Armco barriers either side, that any static cars at the start could cause havoc as the field weaves to avoid the obstacles, and it could make teams think twice about using the systems once again.

The start will be important, but the grid position is even more so, because it is so difficult to overtake in the principality. Teams will concentrate even harder on set-up for qualifying during the practice sessions, which take place on the Thursday and Saturday, and it is another circuit where the term 'green' will be used as, being standard roads for most of the year, the circuit will have little rubber laid down early on and will improve in grip levels as the event proceeds.

A wash-out in Monaco, however, can cause major problems because of the nature of the circuit, and the white lines can send an unaware driver into the barriers in a second. The painted roadmarkings such as zebra crossings and lane lines litter the circuit and when water sits on top there is a lack of traction and the wheels will spin.

This could, however, be another area where traction control comes into its own, as any improved grip around the Monaco circuit will be greatly appreciated. One way of achieving this grip is by bringing in all manner of ingenious downforce-producing gizmos such as wings in all manner of different places. Minardi have already been exploring a loophole in the rear wing regulations which allow an extra wing in front of the rear wheel centreline, while other teams have been experimenting in wind tunnels and on the race track before bringing their solutions into the competition arena.

The need for extra grip, particularly at low speeds, will bring out the super soft rubber and provide another challenge in the ongoing tyre war. Michelin and Bridgestone were both testing their super-sticky tyres in Valencia last week and although Bridgestone look to have the upper hand in performance, degradation of the tyres will be as important if the temperatures rise.

So once again the challenges are there for the engineers, perhaps this year more so than for the drivers with the new electronics a key element in the tight and twisty streets. Low speed traction and high downforce requirements will make traction control important but the level of importance placed on aerodynamics could play into the hands of Ferrari. They seemed to have that area on a higher level than McLaren at the start of the season, and they could be the ones with the technical advantage when the teams hit the harbour.