Triple Crown of Motorsport Part 1: Monaco
This is a continuation of a post I did last year titled BEST RACE WEEKEND EVAR. Back then I highlighted all the epic races taking place in May. So far only the very average Spanish Grand Prix has passed, this weekend is Monaco, the race of races for F1. Don't believe my chatter, watch a highlight vid at the end of this post.
Now, every race series has a special race that every one wants to win. For NASCAR its the Daytona 500, In Jamaica's Rally scene its Rally Jamaica but in other races chances are its the track which is the closest to your birthplace. But there is an illusive group of races that everyone wants to win, each are unique and represent the pinnacle in its class of racing. The group is called the Triple Crown: the Monaco GP, Indy 500 and 24hrs of Le Mans. This entry will focus on Monaco [which takes place bright and early tomorrow morning]Monaco is a very tiny country attached to the south coast of France. It is the 2nd smallest country in the world [with only the vatican beating it] and the most densely populated country. One thing to note is that it is better to think of it as a tourist destination rather than an actual country. Despite it's size it still has 5 principalities. One of the principalities, Monte Carlo, is famous for its casinos, hotels and being the home for the Monaco Grand Prix.
The Monaco GP traditionally takes place on the weekend of Ascension Day [the 24hrs of Nurburgring also takes places on this weekend]. Monaco is the second longest running track on the F1 calendar [only the Italian GP at Monza is oldest] appearing in 57 of the 60 F1 world championship [compared to Monza's 58]. Monaco has traditionally been the track to win for numerous reasons, of which I shall list.
Its Hard: Apart from the still kinda new Singapore Grand Prix, Monaco is the only street circuit on the F1 calendar. Street circuits are particularly tricky they are usually bumpier than traditional race tracks, they're also dirtier with dirt and oil coming from vehicles that use the road daily. They also are bordered with walls rather than grass so they also tend to be more dangerous and narrower. Because its so narrow and dangerous, overtaking is a matter of luck rather than a challenge.
Its Home: Now because Monaco is a tax haven, F1 drivers tend to immediately migrate to Monaco once they start taking in the big sponsor money. Most F1 drivers either have a yacht or a small villa to them self in Monaco. Its common for drivers to just head home if they happen to crash during the race and watch the rest of the race from their balconies. The fact that these guys live here also doubles as a sorta home grand prix for some of them, making it even more desirable to win.
Its Home: Now because Monaco is a tax haven, F1 drivers tend to immediately migrate to Monaco once they start taking in the big sponsor money. Most F1 drivers either have a yacht or a small villa to them self in Monaco. Its common for drivers to just head home if they happen to crash during the race and watch the rest of the race from their balconies. The fact that these guys live here also doubles as a sorta home grand prix for some of them, making it even more desirable to win.
Its winners are Special: In Monaco's history, most of its winners went on to win world championships. Exceptions to this either won their only grand prix at Monaco or went on to win greater non-F1 events. Monaco greats include:
- Graham Hill: 5 wins [the only driver to win all three Triple Crown events, nicknamed Mr. Monaco]
- Ayrton Senna: 6 wins [most Monaco wins, 5 of which were back to back. Almost won the '84 Monaco in his debut season]
- Bruce McLaren: 1 win [founder of McLaren motorsport which as a team has won 15 times]
- Juan Manuel Fangio: 2 wins [5 times world champion and first winner]
- Michael Schumacher: 5 wins [7 times world champion and holder of nearly every single F1 record]
In the end, Monaco is the race everyone wants to win. There are currently 5 past winners of Monaco racing in tomorrow's race. Of those 5, 4 of them eventually went on to win the World Championship that year. [the only exception is Jarno Trulli who's only win ever was at the 04 Monaco GP]. Mark Webber leads the group from pole followed by Robert Kubica and Sebastian Vettel. Lewis Hamilton is first among past Monaco winners at 5th, Michael Schumacher in 7th, Jenson Button 8th, Jarno Trulli 19th and Fernando Alonso 24th [due to a crash]. So will there be a new name on the list of Monaco victors and will he go on to win the world championship, or will a previous victor step up and proove the unpredictability of Moncao, truth is no one will ever know until its finished.
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