Fans of motor racing will be looking forward to the most prestigious race in the Formula One calendar this weekend. If you’re not a fan of motor racing then you could still get excited by the thought of plenty of scantily clad glamour models walking around yachts while Bernie Ecclestone sips champagne. Wonder what attracts him to the sport?
The Monaco Grand Prix weekend has arrived and it’s a playground for the rich and famous. But if you can keep your eyes off the girls and the billionaires for long enough to watch the race, it’s one of the biggest tests of bravery and skill in F1.
Monaco’s tight corners and narrow street circuit creates a dangerous driving environment and it is a track that’s seen its fair share of drama. Two drivers have actually managed to drive straight off the track and in to the harbour in spectacular fashion
Due to the narrow track overtaking at Monaco is rare and out of the last 10 years, seven winners have started from pole. Paddy Power are offering a brilliant Money-Back special for punters if their driver comes second to pole position.
This season has seen five different drivers from five different constructors win the opening races so it’s very wide open. In this race it’s all about qualifying which starts at one o’clock today. One man who has done better than most in qualifying is Lewis Hamilton.
Hamilton won this race from third in 2008 and this season has qualified on the front row four out of five times (including at Spain before the stewards clocked him cheating). Another strong qualifying lap puts the 3/1 favourite in with a great chance of winning the race — as long as he’s not hampered in the pits. The McLaren mechanics have been all over the place in recent weeks, although it’s no surprise with Jenson Button’s missus Jessica Michibata hanging around the garage.
Hamilton’s buddy Fernando Alonso heads the drivers championship this year along with reigning champ Sebastian Vettel. Alonso won this race from pole in both 2006 and 2007 while Vettel led from the front last year. Both have struggled in qualifying though, with Alonso yet to start from pole this season and Vettel only being on the front row once. Vettel is now 15/2 to win here with Alonso at 9/2 but how they qualify will prove a big factor in the outcome of the race.
Lotus are having a great season and Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean have been driving well. Grosjean retired in the opening two races but finished third and fourth in Bahrain and Spain. He qualified third on the grid in the last race and a similar drive puts him in with an outside chance at odds of 11/2.
. . . just rainy and blurred pictures (no bikinis) – hmmm, F1 disappoints, as usual. . .