Monaco: Monte-Carlo Track Guide

The street circuit is tight, twisty, bumpy, slow and totally unforgiving - an anachronism for today's Formula One cars that gasp and crawl around its 3.340 km lap. However, Monaco remains the race that every driver dreams of winning.

In terms of chassis set-up, there is one overriding concern at Monaco: downforce. Overall speeds are low - cars may reach a maximum of 290km/h through the famous tunnel, but the average speed for a lap is less than half that. The result is that engineers throw everything they can at their cars to generate downforce and optimise low-speed handling. Securing a good grid position is vital since overtaking is truly problematic, and fuel consumption and tyre wear are low. It's a weekend that requires maximum concentration and consistency from drivers and team members alike.

Last year's event saw Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello line up in 12th and 15th places on the grid, with Jenson rising just one place to finish 11th. An inspired driver from Rubens saw him take sixth place and, with it, a handful of points. The 2006 event saw Barrichello almost taking a podium, with only a drive through penalty for speeding in the pit lane keeping him behind third place David Coulthard.