Monaco Grand Prix: It's Still Unique!
8 May 1997
by Andrew Frankl European Bureau Chief As far as most people and certainly all the sponsors are concerned there is only one Grand Prix that really matters. The one in this tiny Principality, the one that has been running on and off since 1929. Between 1950 and 1997 the course grew a mere 187 metres, an indication of a reluctance to change things unless absolutely essential. For this year, the locals did make one major modification: they extended the road by the swimming pool complex making it wider, safer and a possible additional place for overtaking for the very brave. If there is one circuit where it is virtually impossible to overtake it is Monaco. Nonetheless, Mika Hakkinen, the Flying Finn, was relishing the task. Certainly like so many other Formula One drivers he had plenty of local knowledge--just about all of them live here! They claim it is the climate, the close proximity of Nice Airport, and so on. The truth? They pay no taxes! It really is that simple. Frentzen, Villeneuve, Coulthard, Herbert, the list is endless. Even former starts such as Italian Michele Alboreto stay here trying to hang on to their hard-earned cash. Thursday's first two sessions turned out to be pretty hard fought, as expected. The new tyres were providing extra grip so all the braking distances were changing, a lot of work, lots of adjustments had to be done. Not that it made things that different. Heinz-Harald Frentzen sounds, looks and drives like a totally different person! Amazing what that first victory did for his morale. He really is a changed man. On Thursday he was really flying. Before they stopped the session to remove a broken down car he was quickest, while his supposedly uncatchable team-mate was way back in 6th place! The double world champion was trying to catch his great rival but without success. The decline of Team Benetton has continued. Since their top designers left for Ferrari they have been rapidly downhill. This of course is relative, but after a year without a single victory, things to date are looking no better. One should remember that they have the very same Renault engines as the all-conquering Williams cars. The Brazilian Barrichello continued to shine, at least in practice--the Stewart team have yet to finish a race. There is one major change from previous years when drivers could blame more or less what they wanted. They would step out of the car by the side of the track and say something like "electrics" or "gearbox" as reasons for their demise. No more! Tell-tale computers know it all; they know when the drivers brake, when they accelerate, when they lift off . . . in other words, no more lies! In the meantime the offending car was removed, and Jacques started to demonstrate why Frank Williams and Bernie Ecclestone lured him away from Indy car racing. Villeneuve really got going, swapping places for top honours with his team-mate. The astonishing spectacle was not the sight of these two fighting it out, that was to be expected. Instead it was the amazing young Schumacher who at one point was quicker than either of them! If that was not enough surprise for one day minutes before the end of practice Johnny Herbert flew round the track with a time of 1.21.188! First place! His former team HH Frentzen obviously could not believe his eyes because he crashed his Williams seconds later! I cannot help feeling that during official timed practice someone will qualify under 1 minute 21 seconds, we might even see a 1 min 20! As always, readers of TACH--especially on the West Coast--will know before their morning papers are delivered!
