Monaco is an anomaly.
Were the circuit located on the south coast of England or the west coast of France it would have been dropped from the calendar long ago.
Once the playground of royalty and the super-rich, it is now mostly a hang-out for tax avoiders, ne'er do wells (to put it nicely) and wannabes. For bling read vulgarity, for glamour read sex.
Along the coast Cannes used to attract movie stars, now it plays host to pop singers and models whose talent appears to be inversely proportionate to the amount of clothes they wear.
The real glamour of Monaco is long gone, now it is mostly a sad fake living on its past... perhaps that is why F1 will never leave... they were born for one another.
Monaco encapsulates all that is wrong with F1, essentially the quest for style over substance, the total obsession with money. In the same way that rich men (and women) have stumbled out of its casino having lost everything, so F1 has sucked up the dreams (and fortunes) of many, bled them dry then spat them out. Next sucker please.
Don't get us wrong, the circuit remains a mighty challenge, one of the ultimate tests on the current calendar, but constant revisions, including moving the guardrail at the apex of Turn 15 (Swimming Pool exit) back to afford a better line of sight, will cause the likes of Graham Hill, Juan Manuel Fangio and Ayrton Senna to allow themselves a wry smile as they look down from that great paddock in the sky. Stirling Moss and Jackie Stewart, both three-time winners here, must also barely recognise the track.
In taking pole for the first time here, Lewis Hamilton said the job was only "half done". "There's still a long way to go...," he said. "It's going to be mentally and physically challenging."
He also talked of a rhythm echoing what many previous winners (and losers) have said here. However, before finding that rhythm he has to get through Ste Devote - named in honour of Saint Devota, patron saint of Monaco and, as from last Thursday, patron saint of the over enthusiastic.
Always a tricky corner, this year it, along with Mirabeau, has been catching out more and more drivers, and whatever the weather gods might have in store for us we expect Ste Devote to claim many more before the day is done.
Nico Rosberg admits that other than passing his teammate into Ste Devote, his best chance of overtaking him is during the pit stop... however, as that is likely to be one stop (as in 2014) this further diminishes his hopes. Of course, there is also the chance of a Safety Car (or two) during the race but catching a rival here is one thing, passing quite another. Go ask Nigel Mansell.
In terms of the weather, while rain is the great leveller, Sebastian Vettel will be hoping for the sun to come out and play, his Ferrari suffering in yesterday's cooler conditions. Teammate Kimi Raikkonen is sure to be on his radio complaining whatever the weather... his mood not helped by the traffic he is sure to encounter today.
Whilst the big shock this weekend has been Williams, the FW37 unable to generate sufficient heat into its tyres, the big surprise has been Red Bull, the Austrian team benefitting from the fact that engine grunt isn't a major factor here.
An excellent performance from Sergio Perez sees the Mexican starting from seventh, whilst teammate Nico Hulkenberg continues his descent into hell... or Formula E as it's known around here.
If he can keep out of trouble and hold off the opposition, Perez could leave Monaco with a decent points haul.
Another driver who deserves some credit is Pastor Maldonado, the Venezuelan having a chequered history here. Fact is, you cannot help but like the guy. He has talent - not as much as he thinks he has - but tends to let the red mist take control. Let's hope he can open his points account today.
Just when it was looking so good for Toro Rosso, Carlos Sainz made the mistake of not heading to the FIA weighbridge when requested, consequently he will start from the pitlane.
Watching the Spaniard's attempts to progress through the field should prove interesting however, let's hope we get to witness the efforts of his teammate Max Verstappen.
We know the Toro Rosso is good, we also know, from the Red Bulls, that the Renault's lack of grunt won't hamper the Faenza boys, so here's hoping they can leave here with some serious points.
Also, let's not forget, neither has driven here in any category before this weekend, though that didn't wash with team boss Franz Tost yesterday who is said to have been angry that the pair didn't achieve more.
Irony of ironies, Jenson Button, who was 'robbed' on the opportunity of making it to Q3 by Nico Rosberg's mistake at the close of Q2, will still start from tenth on the grid as a result of Romain Grosjean's gearbox penalty.
McLaren had been mighty confident coming into this weekend and perhaps, just perhaps, Button's wealth of experience can pay off. Teammate, Fernando Alonso, shouldn't be written off either, not on a track where engines are not the deciding factor.
Sauber faces another long afternoon, the Swiss team's mood not helped by the continued 'bigging up' of 'customer cars' being the solution to F1's ills, whilst Manor does its best on what is a highly poignant weekend for the team... memories of 2014's joy (and subsequent tragedy) still painfully fresh. If there are such things as fairy tales in F1...
sign in