Monaco Grand Prix

I love the Monaco grand Prix, everything about it is just perfect. The Hotel in Nice, the train along the coast on race morning, even the American tourists marvelling at the size of the yachts. I love the crush of the crowd as you walk through the streets, the cigarette girls with the big smiles, the long walk up the hill to the cheap seats. Most of all, I love the noise. With the mountains and the high rise millionaire apartments, the sound of the engines has nowhere to go except right back at you. No wafting off through the desert, no disappearing into a countryside of Forest's, and nowhere to hide, just noise...Brilliant!

I hear people moaning about the race, "Its a procession" they say "No-one can overtake", "It's nothing more than a fashion show, a corporate day out". It's true about the fashion, not just the usual Ferrari hats and Hamilton tee-shirts, but the opportunity for some of the worlds greatest designers to show off their talents to the beautiful people. I heard that in practise even the steering wheels of Lewis and Jenson were diamond studded! To complain about this is like moaning that the restaurant you are in is too nice, or the waiter isn't ugly enough. Just let go and enjoy something different for a change, these are not the things that most of us see everyday.

A procession? My first Monaco Grand Prix was a long time ago but it seems like yesterday. Me and a couple of friends drove down from London in a 205gti, it was the Senna - Mansell showdown, one of the best races I've ever seen.

If you go into Monaco at the right time, you can drive round the track, how cool is that! you can actually get a taste of what it's like. When you see how close those barriers really are, and how tight those turns are, your heart misses a beat at the immense talent, concentration and guts it takes these drivers just to get around the circuit alive, let alone race or overtake.

OK, it's not Silverstone or Spa, It's not the speed or overtaking that's special about Monaco. It's skill, driving skill and courage - simples! There are only a handful of people on this planet that could race this circuit at these speeds, on race day, they all there showing the very pinnacle of their talent for our entertainment. So i say it again, I love Monaco, everything about it is just perfect!

The Race.

Two in a row for Webber, winning from pole. Webber and the Red Bull team were in a different class today, controlling the race from start to finish, with team mate Sebastian Vettel finishing second. Had it not been for the four satey car periods, Webber's winning margin would have been huge. Renault's Robert Kubica continues to impress and took a excellent third. Ferrari's Felipe Massa had a better day finishing fourth, but disappointment for McLaren as Lewis Hamilton could only manage fifth, and Jensen Button crashed out on the third lap. Massa's team mate Fernando Alonso wins the award for best strategy of the the day. After crashing in free practise and being forced to start from the pit lane, the Ferrari driver did one lap on soft tyres, pitted, and completed the rest of the race hard tyres. The result was to move from 24th to 6th, a brilliant call from the team.

Michael Schumacher in the Mercedes was penalised 20 seconds for an illegal overtaking move under the safety car, dropping him from a possible 6th to a 12th place finish (nice one Damon!!). Nico Rosberg  Schumacher's Mercedes team mate benefited by being promoted to seventh, a place down on his grid position.

Force India had another solid race, both cars finishing in the points withAdrian Sutil eighth, just ahead of team-mate Vitantonio Luizzi. The only other drivers to finish were Toro Rosso pair Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguesuari in 10th and 11th.

Red Bull, must be pleased by going a whole race with neither car exploding even a little bit. Webber now leads the title race (Vettel and Webber are equal on 78 points but Webber has two race victories to Vettel's one). Next is Alonso on 73, and Button on 70 Massa is on 61, with Hamilton and Kubica tied on 59 each. In the Constructor’s race Red Bull are on 156, with Ferrari on 134 and McLaren on 129.

The next race is in Turkey, enjoy, make sure you eat out and enjoy one of the worlds great cuisines! See ya there.