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2004
Formula 1 Monaco
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In Spain Ferrari dominated with only Renault being able to remotely stay in touch with them. BAR proved that they still have some work to do and that their words are still bigger than their actions. Williams had a bad race and suffered brake problems on the track that they test most while McLaren managed to finish both cars but in 10th and 11th. At Monaco it will be impossible to overtake which puts all the emphasis on
Qualifying and how good a start the driver makes. Then it will be all up to
strategy and so expect the usual drivers to make up places. Here is a team by team review: Ferrari: Proved to strong in Spain and delivered a 1-2
finish. Another 1-2 finish isn't expected here but they will be strong. Drivers: Michael Schumacher is going for his 6th win in a row this season and while he is a master at this track, this may the best chance for his competition to break his winning streak. A podium is nearly guaranteed, a win likely!. Rubens Barrichello drove a good race in Spain after opting for a different strategy. It is questionable though how he drove at an enough pace to get ahead of the other drivers but not fast enough to get ahead of Michael. Podium likely. Renault: Strengthened their second place in the championship
following Spain and while their result is impressive, they are still
behind Ferrari. The nature of the Monaco track should reduce that gap and
their superior traction control may enable them to match Ferrari. Drivers: Fernando Alonso continues to impress in race conditions but needs to further improve his qualifying. If he qualifies well he could be in it for a win. Jarno Trulli did well in Spain in both Qualifying and the race and managed to finish ahead of his team-mate. He must be very motivated and should produce a good result here. BAR: In 3rd place in the championship and on equal points
with Williams. Button struggled in Qualifying while Sato lost 2 places in
the race. Both their drivers still need experience when at the front and
that will take some time. Drivers: Jenson Button struggled to make up places in Spain after a mistake in Qualifying. He'll want to make up for that. If he has a good day he could finish on the podium however winning will be very difficult despite what BAR may tell you!. Takuma Sato finished in 5th place in Spain and one may think it was a good performance. In reality it wasn't and Sato gave away a podium finish by having a poorly executed strategy. Points finish likely. Williams: It can't get any worse!. A team such as Williams
that uses the Barcelona track for testing all year get it so wrong with
their brakes. How could that happen ? Drivers: Juan Pablo Montoya had a major brake failure in Spain but should bounce back here. He could challenge for the win. Ralf Schumacher also struggled with his brakes so we won't knock him this time. Still don't expect too much from him even if he starts from Pole. Points likely. McLaren: Scored no points in Spain and were mixing it with
Sauber, Jaguar and Toyota. Don't expect much from them until the B version
of their car is raced and that will be a while yet! Drivers: David Coulthard will try his best to get the car to the finish but he won't push hard so points possible but could be tough!. Kimi Raikkonen could surprise us with a great performance but the odds are against him. If his engine blows he'll start from the back and that will be the end of his chances. . Sauber: Did well at Barcelona with a 7th and 9th. That is a good
sign and it means that their aero changes are heading in the right
direction. Drivers: Giancarlo Fisichella can do well here if he has a decent car. He could mix it with one or more of the front runners. Felipe Massa continues to make mistakes that cost him dearly. In Spain he lost a valuable points finish. In Monaco he'll have to be too careful or he'll end up crashing into a barrier!. Jaguar: Were disappointing at Barcelona and don't expect them
to do much better here. Webber is good but he needs a car. Klien is also
proving his worth. Drivers: Mark Webber can certainly do well here but he needs a decent car and he doesn't have that. A points finish is possible if a few cars ahead struggle. Christian Klien will find it tough on this track. He'll be happy to finish the race. Toyota: Will struggle in Monaco as they don't seem to have a
good chassis and this isn't a power track. Drivers: Cristiano da Matta finished last in Spain and while he could do better at Monaco he'll struggle. . Olivier Panis may have won his only race in Monaco but he'll only repeat that this year if there are unforeseen circumstances. Jordan: Yet again both their cars retired in Barcelona. It
will be a race between them and Minardi again. Drivers: Nick Heidfeld is having a really tough time at Jordan and his results won't help him in his quest to go to a better time. He'll be happy to finish. Giorgio Pantano like the other rookies this year, this will be the toughest race of his career. Minardi: Will be hoping for reliability as they have the
best chance on this track to mix it with the other teams. Drivers: Gianmaria Bruni will impress in qualifying and may beat more experienced drivers from other teams. If his car lasts he could get a good result but points will be near impossible. Zsolt Baumgartner will find it difficult to finish the race!. Bridgestone Preview - Michelin Preview Join
8 'n'
Pole and see how your predictions stack up against the others. Note: Official team preview links when available
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