The Monaco GP is the 7th race of the 2001 season (out of 17) and like every year, this race gives us results that we cannot possibly predict. This is mainly due to the high rate of attrition with cars failing and drivers spinning as there is no margin of error on this street circuit and one mistake almost guarantees retirement. It is a track that is very slow run with maximum downforce so maximum power is not as important here and cars with good mechanical grip usually do well here and produce a few surprises. The weather plays a big role here as well. If it rains, it gets even even easier to make a mistake!.

In the last race in Austria, 4 cars failed to get off their mark due to launch control failure. At Monaco, the track is tight and there is not much room for cars to avoid stalled cars so lets hope that the teams get their systems working (or perhaps not use launch control) to avoid carnage at the start.

Last year it was David Coulthard who won the race from Rubens Barrichello and Giancarlo Fisichella. Michael Schumacher retired with suspension failure due to a broken exhaust pipe overheating it. Jarno Trulli who was running second early in the race retired with gearbox problems. Mika Hakkinen finished 6th after struggling with gearbox problems on his car.

Ferrari: Neither of their cars had reliability problems in Austria as they managed to finish both their cars even though they were pushing all the way till the end. Michael had a problem with his launch control system and lost 2 places due to that. Ferrari usually do well in Monaco.

Reliability 8/10 - Speed 9.0/10

Drivers: Michael Schumacher has won more Monaco GP's than any of the current drivers (4 times compared to once for Hakkinen, Coulthard and Panis). He recently indicated that he is very confident for the race. He must be the favourite on this track. 

Rubens Barrichello will show us how the team order situation affected him. He finished second here last year but was never a match to Michael. Following what happened in Austria it is not expect that he will motivated enough to fight for a win, a top 6 finish though is likely.

McLaren: They appear to be back in form although this track may not suite them. Having said that, they were very fast during testing at Valencia last week which is a slow and tight track that is similar to the street circuit here. They have improved their reliability but their launch control system appears have problems or just difficult to operate.

Reliability 8.5/10 - Speed 9.0/10

Drivers: Mika Hakkinen has lost any real chance of chasing his team-mate and Michael Schumacher for the title. He was so demotivated in Austria that he decided not to continue on racing after he got his car going at Austria 3 laps down. However he needs to start scoring points for McLaren if they want to catch Ferrari in the Constructors' Championship. A podium finish is likely.

David Coulthard is on a high after winning in Austria. He will be the main threat to Michael Schumacher here. Coulthard is the only driver to finish in the points in every race so far this season and there is no reason why that shouldn't continue here. A win is possible but 2nd or 3rd is more likely.

Williams: They appear to have their traction control systems sorted out and their launch control systems appear superior. Their Michelin tyres in Austria cost them a lot in Austria but their reliability is bad having both cars fail in Austria. Power is not very important here so they won't have a huge advantage.

Reliability 7.0/10 - Speed 9.5/10

Drivers: Ralf Schumacher ran second in Austria before retiring. This is a different track and might not suite the Williams. A top 6 finish is possible depending on how the Honda powered teams and Sauber do.

Juan Pablo Montoya led the Austrian GP before his tyres started to go off and went off the track when Michael attempted to pass him. It will be very interesting to watch Montoya on this track as it is known to be almost impossible to pass. He could do well but he also could retire due to an overtaking attempt that goes wrong.

Jordan: Have done well here in the past and their chassis might be suited to this kind of track. Trulli qualified in second last year but was holding up those behind him in the race. Their launch control system has given them bad results in the last 2 races and probably won't use it here.

Reliability 6.5/10 - Speed 8.0/10

Drivers: Heinz Harald Frentzen had another very short race in Austria being stuck on the grid. He only finished once here in the last 4 years so his record is not very good. A points finish is possible if he doesn't make a mistake and his car lasts.

Jarno Trulli qualified second here last year and will probably do well here and beat his team-mate. Where he finishes though will depend on the reliability of his car. A top 6 finish is likely.

Sauber: They could be the surprise of the race as this race will not disadvantage them being underpowered. They could do better than the Honda powered teams and Williams. Their launch control system is a worry though having failed in Austria with Heidfeld.

Reliability 8.0/10 - Speed 7.5/10

Drivers: Nick Heidfeld qualified a superb 6th in Austria but the launch control system failed him. He still managed a top 10 finish. He could finish in the points here given that the Sauber is suited to this type of track. 

Kimi Raikkonen will have a real test when he drives on this street circuit. His performance so far tells us that he could do well. A top 10 finish is possible if he doesn't make a mistake.

BAR: Didn't really shape in Austria compared to Jordan in qualifying and only beat Jordan due to their launch control failures. BAR have yet to use launch control in a race and are not expected to use it here. At Valencia last week, they were competitive behind the McLaren's but I still expect Jordan to beat them on this track. Last year BAR qualified 17th and 20th here!  

Reliability 8.5/10 - Speed 8.0/10

Drivers: Jacques Villeneuve had a bad qualifying session and didn't do well in the race in Austria but did well in testing. This is not one of Villeneuve's tracks (he qualified 17th here last year) and expect Panis to beat him again here. A top 10 finish is possible.

Olivier Panis usually does well here and has won the race in '96. He got the number 9 on his current car because of the fact he won Monaco with a number 9 car (Ligier). Don't expect that to happen again this year unless the top runners have problems. He could do well and a top 6 finish is likely. 

Arrows: Having scored their first point of the season in Austria, they will be on a high. However, this track doesn't appear to suite them and they will struggle here.   

Reliability 6.5/10 - Speed 5.0/10

Drivers: Jos Verstappen finished 6th in Austria but will be lucky to finish in the top 10 here.

Enrique Bernoldi has only managed to finish 1 out of the 6 races so far. He will find it hard to finish here and if he does it will be at the back. 

Benetton: They have the best chance of scoring some points here. Their car should not be at a huge disadvantage here and they have always done well in the past. They had 2 car failures in Austria though and that is a worry.

Reliability 6.0/10 - Speed 4/10 

Drivers: Giancarlo Fisichella has always done well here in the past finishing in the points in every race in the last 4 years with a best result of 2nd place in '99. A podium finish will be unlikely but given the high rate of attrition he could finish in the points. 

Jenson Button will struggle to keep up with Fisichella here. Last year he qualified 14th and retired with a mechanical failure. If the car lasts he could finish in the top 10. 

Prost: Have not been doing well on medium to high speed tracks so this track being a slow one could suite them. The car is reliable but does not perform!  

Reliability 8.0/10 - Speed 6.0/10

Drivers: Jean Alesi continues to be the only other driver beside David Coulthard to have finished every race this season. He has done it inside the top 10 as well but without scoring a single point!. He could finish in the points but another top 10 finish is more likely.

Luciano Burti has outqualifed Alesi in the last 2 races but won't be able to repeat that here. I'll be surprised if he gets even close to Alesi. A finish is possible at the back.

Jaguar: They have tested a new aerodynamic package and hope to use it here. In testing last week they didn't appear to improve a lot so I don't expect a major improvement. They need to improve on their reliability.

Reliability 5.5/10 - Speed 6.5/10

Drivers: Eddie Irvine made it to the finish in Austria just outside the points. A finish is possible here in the top 10. Points will be very difficult.

Pedro de la Rosa has yet to finish a race since he returned to Formula 1 2 races ago. This might not be the place where he does that. He has failed to finish in the 2 appearances he made here so far.

Minardi: They won't out-qualify Benetton here but they could beat Arrows! They had 2 cars failures in Austria so reliability is an issue. 

Reliability 5.0/10 - Speed 5.0/10

Drivers: Fernando Alonso is a sensational driver and it will be interesting to see how he does here. The car won't help him though. If he finishes he'll be at the back.

Tarso Marques continues to be the most consistent qualifier having qualified in 22nd and last in 5 out of the 6 races so far this year. He'll continue to do the same.