| Grand Prix |
| To Main Page | Travel Page | Mediterranean | Monaco |
As part of our cruise on the Wind Surf in the Mediterranean we spent three days in Monaco during the Formula 1 Grand Prix. This was our first experience watching this exciting race on the streets of Monte Carlo. |
When we pulled into port it was obvious we were not the only once here to see the race. There must have been a billion dollars worth of yachts in Monaco those three days. The little harbor was crammed full of luxury.
|
 |
|
From more than a mile away we could hear the buzzing of thousands of mosquitoes. These were the cars running in the Porsche Michelin Supercup. The noise would increase with the formula Renault 3.5 and finally the Formula 1 cars the following two days. |
A walk up the hill to Monaco-Ville and the Palais Princier provided some great views of the harbor and parts of the race course. From the road leading down towards the harbor we could see some of the Porsches race around the track. This was their qualifying race on Friday. |
 |
 |
To get a better idea of the course I have copied part of the official program map below. The race course is shown in black. The start is to the far center left. The cars then follow clock-wise up and to the right where the road curves near the Casino towards the sharp hairpin turns to the far right. Then they enter a tunnel as they race back to the harbor. All of this at an lap speed of just under 100 miles per hour. |
| Friday afternoon the course was opened to the public and we walked part of the circuit to get a better idea what it would look like. Here Sharon (with a bag containing two ear mufflers) is seen near the area known as Chicane. The blue bleachers in the far background is where our seats will be. |  |
After the start of the race and the sharp right hand turn at Ste Devote, the cars follow this long up-hill straight away towards the Casino where they bypass the side entrance and the front of this famous building. |
 |
 |
 |
At these hairpin turns the cars will slow down to about 40 mph. However, inside the tunnel they will get close to 200 miles per hour after which they have to rapidly decelerate to go around the obstacles near the harbor. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
The event draws huge crowds. Prior to the time trials on Saturday and before the race on Sunday these stalls did big business selling shirts, souvenirs, flags, etc. The red Ferrari and blue/yellow Renault colors were everywhere. |
 |
 |
Our seats were opposite the harbor where we had a good view of the Tabac turn and the quick zig-zag known as L. Chiron. Besides ear plugs we also had headsets to drown the engine noise. A giant display screen showed the action throughout the race. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Qualification and time trials were held Saturday. The favorite to win was Michael Schumacher driving a Ferrari; however, after completing his required laps, Schumacher stopped his car on the course, bringing out a caution flag and slowing the rest of the cars to a slower finishing time. Because of this Schumacher was disqualified and was put in last starting position for the main race. Fernando Alonso, driving for Renault, had the second fastest time and thus took the pole position for the Sunday race. He also won the main event. |
 |
 |
Here are three action shots taken from the Automobile Club de Monaco website. http://www.acm.mc/gpm/gpm_main.php They are obviously not mine.
|
Our victory celebration that evening was a gala dinner with friends at the Prince Rainier auto exhibit. But that is another story. (click here to continue) |
 |
