F1 Grand Prix Of Monaco
Final
for this game
Grand Prix of Monaco Preview
May 23, 2008 - 10:25 AMMay 25, 2008
Automobile Club de Monaco
Monte Carlo, Monaco
Race 5 of 17 in Grand Prix Series
Laps: 78
Track length: 2.087 miles
Race length: 162.786 miles
Lap record: Michael Schumacher - 1:14.439 (2004)
DRIVERS TO WATCH
----------------
Fernando Alonso (Spain)
Team: Renault
2008 Points: 9 (9th)
Began his season with a fourth at Australia and eighth at
Malaysia, then slipped to 10th in Bahrain; finished sixth in
Turkey; two-time champion had a tumultuous 2007 season with
McLaren, but still managed to finish third overall; had the same
points as teammate Lewis Hamilton, but lost the tiebreaker for
second place; won four times last season, but relationship with
team and Hamilton deteriorated after Ferrari spy scandal affair
and returned to Renault for 2008 season; won consecutive titles
in 2005-06 with Renault; won six races in 2006 and seven in 2005;
won this race last year.
Lewis Hamilton (Britain)
Team: McLaren
2008 Points: 28 (3rd)
Opened the season with a dominant win at Australia then ran
fifth at Malaysia and 13th in Bahrain; bounced back to finish
second at Turkey; had a stunning rookie season, scoring podiums
in his first nine races; won four times and captured six poles
to outperform more heralded former teammate Alonso; was the
favorite to win the championship last year until errors in final
two rounds dropped him to second place behind Kimi Raikkonen;
needed to only finish immediately behind Alonso to claim the
championship; retired from the race at China to give his
teammate and Raikkonen the chance to steal the crown in the final
race; won at Japan to open a 12-point lead over Alonso with two
races left; made history at Canada where he became the first
black driver to win a Formula One race; followed that victory in
Canada by winning the United States Grand Prix; placed second in
four consecutive races prior to his back-to-back wins; was the
first rookie since 1964 to capture podium finishes in his first
three races; finished second to Alonso here last year.
Nick Heidfeld (Germany)
Team: BMW Sauber
2008 Points: 20 (5th)
Finished 5.4 seconds behind Hamilton to claim second at
Australia; followed up with a sixth at Malaysia, fourth in
Bahrain and fifth in Turkey; was the best of the rest behind the
Ferrari and McLaren drivers last year after an impressively
consistent season for BMW, finishing fifth overall; did not win
last season as best race of the season was at Canada where he
finished second; had consecutive fourth-place finishes at Italy
and Turkey and was third in Hungary; opened the year with three
consecutive fourth place finishes at Australia, Malaysia and
Bahrain; forced to retire at Spain and the United States Grand
Prix; has nine top-five finishes in 17 starts last year; ran
sixth here last year.
Felipe Massa (Brazil)
Team: Ferrari
2008 Points: 28 (2nd)
Rebounded from an awful start to the season by winning at
Bahrain and Turkey; completed only 29 laps before retiring at
Australia with engine issues; also retired at Malaysia by
spinning out early; posted three wins and six poles last season,
but reliability issues and a disqualification in Canada put him
out of title contention and he wound up fourth; contract with
Ferrari runs until 2010; retired from the Italian Grand Prix
with suspension problems, dropping to fourth place in the
standings; bounced back from a 13th-place finish at Hungary by
winning in Turkey; posted a runner-up finish at the Grand Prix
of Europe after slipping to fourth place following a fifth place
finish at the British Grand Prix; was runner-up to Raikkonen at
Magny-Cours and season finale at Brazil; ran third at
Indianapolis and Monaco after capturing two straight checkered
flags at Bahrain and Spain; had 11 top five finishes in 17
starts last season.
Kimi Raikkonen (Finland)
Team: Ferrari
2008 Points: 35 (1st)
Opened defense of his title by running eighth at Australia,
completing just 53 laps before having engine problems; bounced
back to win at Malaysia, ran second at Bahrain and third in
Turkey; won first appearance for Ferrari in Australia last
season then went on to win five more times; biggest win came at
the season-ending event at Brazil, which gave him his first
drivers title by a single point over Hamilton; trailed Hamilton
by seven points entering final race; retired from the Grand Prix
of Europe after consecutive checkered flag wins at the British
Grand Prix and Magny-Cours; had six wins and 14 top-five
finishes in 17 starts last season; struggled to eighth place at
Monaco and retired due to electrical problems at Spain, dropping
him from first to fourth in the standings; joined Ferrari after
spending five years with McLaren where he went winless in 2006.
2007 Top 10
-----------
1. Fernando Alonso, Spain, McLaren-Mercedes
2. Lewis Hamilton, Great Britain, McLaren-Mercedes
3. Felipe Massa, Brazil, Ferrari
4. Giancarlo Fisichella, Italy, Renault
5. Robert Kubica, Poland, Sauber-BMW
6. Nick Heidfeld, Germany, Sauber-BMW
7. Alexander Wurz, Austria, Williams-Toyota
8. Kimi Raikkonen, FInland, Ferrari
9. Scott Speed, United States, STR-Ferrari
10. Rubens Barrichello, Brazil, Honda
Past Champions
--------------
2007 Fernando Alonso, McLaren-Mercedes
2006 Fernando Alonso, Renault
2005 Kimi Raikkonen, McLaren-Mercedes
2004 Jarno Trulli, Renault
2003 Juan Pablo Montoya, Williams BMW
2002 David Coulthard, McLaren-Mercedes
2001 Michael Schumacher, Ferrari
2000 David Coulthard, McLaren-Mercedes
1999 Michael Schumacher, Ferrari
1998 Mika Hakkinen, McLaren-Mercedes
1997 Michael Schumacher, Ferrari
1996 Olivier Panis, Ligier
1995 Michael Schumacher, Benetton
1994 Michael Schumacher, Benetton
1993 Ayrton Senna, McLaren
1992 Ayrton Senna, McLaren
1991 Ayrton Senna, McLaren
1990 Ayrton Senna, McLaren
1989 Ayrton Senna, McLaren
1988 Alain Prost, McLaren
1987 Ayrton Senna, Lotus
1986 Alain Prost, McLaren
1985 Alain Prost, McLaren
1984 Alain Prost, McLaren
1983 Keke Rosberg, Williams
1982 Ricardo Patrese, Brabham
1981 Gilles Villeneuve, Ferrari
1980 Carlos Reutemann, Williams
1979 Jody Schekter, Ferrari
1978 Patrick DePailler, Tyrrell
1977 Jody Sheckter, Wolf
1976 Niki Lauda, Ferrari
1975 Niki Lauda, Ferrari
1974 Ronnie Peterson, Lotus
1973 Jackie Stewart, Tyrrell
1972 Jean Pierre Beltoise, BRM
1971 Jackie Stewart, Tyrrell
1970 Jochen Rindt, Lotus
1969 Graham Hill, Lotus
1968 Graham Hill, Lotus
1967 Dennis Hulme, Brabham
1966 Jackie Stewart, BRM
1965 Graham Hill, BRM
1964 Graham Hill, BRM
1963 Graham Hill, BRM
1962 Bruce McLaren, Cooper Climax
1961 Stirling Moss, Lotus Climax
1960 Stirling Moss, Lotus Climax
1959 Jack Brabham, Cooper Climax
1958 Maurice Trintignant, Cooper Climax
1957 Juan Manuel Fangio, Maserati
1956 Stirling Moss, Maserati
1955 Maurice Trintignant, Ferrari
1952 Vittorio Marzotto, Ferrari
1950 Juan Manuel Fangio, Alfa Romeo
