- 7 hours ago
The Pre Race for Round 6 of the 2004 F1 season at Monaco.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:0075 years before Columbus sailed for the New World, the Grimaldi family assumed the throne
00:27in the tiny Mediterranean enclave of Monaco. In 1929 the first auto race was staged around the
00:34streets at the Harborside. In 1950 that race became an indispensable part of the Formula One
00:39World Championship. Welcome to the Acura pre-race show for the 60 second running of the Formula One
00:46Grand Prix of Monaco. Hello everyone I'm Bob Varsha you see celebrities along the waterfront
00:51this the grandest Grand Prix of all coming up shortly here on Speed Channel. Now very few
00:57Grand Prix circuits stir up memories like the Monte Carlo street circuit. Memorable finishes,
01:02historic victories and frightening crashes instantly come to mind. We sent our Peter
01:06Windsor to find out exactly what comes to the drivers minds when they think of Monaco.
01:13In terms of your own personal memory watching on TV or even hearing a result or indeed in your own
01:19experience here what when I say the word Monaco to you what do you think of most of all? My former
01:253000 victory here in 2001 was special to me and because the year before I crashed with four laps
01:31to go and I thought I just said I took me 12 I just knew I was going to come back and be the boss of
01:36the circuit instead of the circuit being the boss of me. Yeah worst memory is having the pole and the
01:40electronics cutting the car out before the start in 2001 and obviously the victories were great moments.
01:46Well I have sure special memory in Monaco is the winning in 1996 this is one of the fantastic
01:54room I have but it's long time ago you know I need to meditate something like this. I remember my first
02:00race here was was really mentally so tiring but then you know there were there were other races like
02:08the wet race that we had in 97 when I finished second with the steward that was phenomenal that was
02:13really really nice. My own experience comes when I was on the first grid with Dino engineering me the
02:22first year in Jordan it was great because for the first time I had a very strong car and the first
02:27first time I was in first row so great feeling. I think the worst must be 2002 wasn't very good I was
02:37quite many times the worst but I guess you learn on those and last year was good for us. Oh definitely
02:43the Mansell and Senna duel when when one of them had a puncture and had to hold the other one off was
02:47it Senna holding off Mansell that's what it was yeah yeah yeah that was that always stand out to me
02:52just how close they they went round together for you know lap after lap towards the end it's mega now
02:58I always think of that here just how impossible it is to overtake. That's memory crossing the line
03:03last year when I won worst memory when I crushed the first year probably. Monaco memories for you?
03:09A lot of disappointments a lot of leads disappearing in the lead and car stops for some reason but on
03:14the positive side our best win in my opinion was in 1983 in the wet when Keke set off on dry tyres
03:22and by lap 12 he had a 73 second lead over all the turbo cars and he held it they whittled it down
03:27in the end as it tracked right out. Well I mean it's something just a bit special isn't it Monaco
03:32for everybody it's special it's a nightmare for us anybody working here is a nightmare but it's great
03:37couldn't do without it. Well Bernie Ecclestone just about sized it all up it's a nightmare to work on
03:44it's not much of an auto race but it is one of the greatest spectacles in sports anywhere
03:51Well of course I always remember when I was a young lad when Sterling Moss won here in the Lotus in 1961
03:57had he beat the two factory Ferraris of VOD trips to Phil Hill I mean what a win that was because
04:01they were clearly quicker faster just much much better cars and that was a case where a driver
04:07really came to grips with the circuit and he just cleaned up big time a terrific race
04:11the cars are making their way around from the brand new because that's what David Richards wants
04:14to see what his young man Jensen Bunton with BAR Honda the cars are making their way to their grid
04:19positions that 1992 Ayrton sent a Nigel Mansell battle you just heard about was an epic and it did not
04:27air in the United States but we're going to have a closer look at that race a little bit later on
04:31in our accurate pre-race show as you see the clock ticking away the moments to the start of the race
04:36probably the most pressure-packed start of the year time for a quick commercial but when we come back
04:44Peter Windsor will take us on a tour of the new pit complex garages and team communication centers stick
04:50around welcome back to the Acura pre-race show for the Grand Prix of Monaco as surprise pole sitter
04:59Yarno Trulli tries to work his way to his weaving his way to coveted position now the harbor front scene
05:06has changed here at the Monaco Grand Prix now the harbor is still crammed with yachts that'll never
05:11change but we have a brand new pit complex so let's not waste any more time Peter Windsor take us around
05:19yes still lots of boats at Monaco what they're all talking about is the new pit complex well sort of
05:24what they're really talking about is this new lift that takes you to the new bridge that takes you to
05:29the new pit complex let's go up let's see if we can get up and take a look at this entirely new
05:35development at the Monaco Grand Prix
05:42well here we are in the pit lane and on face value it does look a bit like a normal standard
05:47Formula One pit lane but this is a pit lane with a difference believe me we have a normal looking
05:52garage here and above that we've got a space that can be used well for a multitude of sins you'll note
05:58in the garage there's not enough depth to have the engineers where they would normally be at the
06:02back of the garage behind those screens so all the teams have got engineers now above the cars the
06:08big question though is because there's no pit wall if you look over here there's no pit wall as such
06:13now there's no race track there apart from the back of the circuit we can see a great view of the
06:17back of the circuit but it's not the finishing straight that we would normally have so there's no
06:21signalling here there's no pit wall here so what do the teams do about that team principal stand that
06:27we see the Ron Dennis is on and the John Todd's where do you put that well some teams have got it over
06:32where it used to be which means that they've got some sort of closed circuit tv link to see what's
06:38going on in the pit stops with the cars in the garage other teams have decided to put what used to be
06:45their team principal thrown above the garage now that includes BAR Renault and McLaren whereas Ferrari
06:55Williams and Sauber here have chosen still to have their signalling and their team principles
07:00on the other side so we have these two approaches let's have a look first of all at Sauber let's
07:04see what it looks like in that area in the Sauber garage above the cars well thanks to our good
07:10friends at Red Bull Sauber we can have a look at what their top section looks like now first of all
07:16Jimbo let's just have a look over this side now this is the pit straight what well is it the pit
07:21straight this is the start finish line straight and you can see there that's where Sauber's key
07:25people are going to be that's where they normally are that's where they've been for at least 20 years
07:29in the Monaco Grand Prix history but if we look a little bit to the left BAR there of course they've
07:34got nobody on the pit wall on this side all their people are where Sauber have got stuff like their
07:40body work so a lot of difference of opinion on how to use this new space we have at Monaco all of it of
07:46course is very temporary very well done they made very good use of space it has to be said but
07:51basically in the case of teams like Williams and Ferrari and Sauber here this whole area is being
07:58used as a storage area and over here we see the engineers that would normally be at the back of
08:03the garage up above the cars now well that's the Red Bull Sauber system let's have a look now at how
08:09Lucky Strike Honda have tackled this problem well as we get to the top of the stairs here at Lucky Strike BAR Honda
08:16not a lot of difference bit of noise going on still but let's just have a look over here Jimbo
08:20nothing out the back here at all except classic Formula One storage area no signaling at all going
08:26to be done from here just the boys they'll be on a radio link all the main pit wall is now effectively
08:33inside this front room here so they've taken what you would normally see on a pit wall at a Grand Prix
08:39and put it inside the office this is also the case at Renault and McLaren it's an interesting choice there
08:46and again just got to look at this view they're going to have and I think the engineers are just
08:49going to love being able to see cars going through the corners going into Rascasse there and of course
08:57from here they can see the all-important pit stops in the race and they can keep a general feel for
09:04what's going on with the cars during the operational period on Thursday and Saturday this is Monaco this
09:09is Monaco 2004 spec and there are more changes coming in five and six we look forward to them
09:15with great interest well I must say those changes to the pit lane complex absolutely night and day
09:22difference I would have loved to have had that sort of facilities when I was racing back with Benetton in
09:26the 90s it was so cramped here's a shot we had from 94 some video from the 94 race this is how the pit lane
09:33used to be very narrow and tight when the guys are changing the wheels and tires and refueling the car
09:39you can see they're actually kneeling into the fast lane where the cars exit down the pit lane so
09:44they've got a space of about six inches very very dangerous I must say it's made an absolute nine day
09:50difference I don't think that the engineers really need to see the track um so the engineers can be
09:57up above or they can be back behind what is now the pit complex they don't really need to see the
10:01track because all the while they're just stood in the telemetry and the computer screens but
10:05the guys that are putting the pit signal boards out to the drivers I think are all back in their
10:09original spot as they would have been last year in the old pit lane complex because the new pit lane
10:14complex is the the pit lane is not raised up above where the racing line is so it would be
10:19unable to sight the drivers with the pit board so a very different approach and I have to say I'm all
10:25for it tonight I've spoken to several guys in the pit lane over the weekend they've all said it's
10:30absolutely fantastic what Monaco have done because it's just a small holiday town and the French
10:34Riviera is not a racetrack you can walk around the entire principality in about an hour and what
10:39they've done here around this tiny two-mile circuit is fabulous and of course the racetrack itself is very
10:46very much like it's always been except for the pit the swimming pool complex so it's amazing how it
10:52stayed the same over the years now it's faster lapping at over a hundred miles an hour average
10:58our pole sitter Jarno Trulli the first man to break one minute 14 seconds when we come back we'll look
11:04at that 92 monaco grand prix where nigel mansell streak of five straight wins to open a season
11:09came to an end sit with us only in formula one that is a diamond set into the nose piece
11:18of the jaguar r5 part of a commercial sponsorship for this weekend with a prominent jeweler
11:24also on hand george clooney brad pitt and matt damon stars of the soon to be released sequel to
11:30oceans 11 known as oceans 12. you rarely get an opportunity like monaco to grab some headlines
11:39there's olivier panis 1996 winner of this race and one of the wildest monaco grand prix ever held
11:45now 12 years ago nigel mansell and the williams team started the 92 season with five consecutive
11:54victories that's a record that michael schumacher and ferrari hope to break today by winning their
11:59sixth peter windsor was the team manager for williams renault in 92 and he was more than willing
12:04to share his thoughts on that event peter yeah that's right guys in 92 i was very lucky to be team
12:12manager at williams renault and indeed we won the first five races from the pole with nigel mansell
12:16we had a great car but the team in general was doing a very very good job sixth race was monaco
12:23and inevitably we went to monaco thinking can this last can we win monaco as well as as those first
12:28five can we make it six in a row it was almost impossible to stop those thoughts creeping into the
12:33mind so i put it to ross braun that it's inevitable that you start thinking that way and asked him how
12:39ferrari are coping with that problem what are the thoughts that creep into the mind how do you keep
12:46them out of the mind what's the atmosphere like amongst the boys how does it work well so far it's
12:52really not any different i might get a bit more tense on race day and i'm sure we don't do it we'll
12:57be very frustrated on sunday evening but it would be great to to win six races or seven races however
13:03many we could do but i think winning five was pretty special and uh we want to win more but we it
13:11wouldn't be a disaster if we didn't in 92 nigel won five and then in the sixth he was on the pole he
13:16was leading came in to change the tire vibration went out nearly won the race didn't win that sixth
13:23i believe he won the world championship didn't he yes we did go on to win the world championship but
13:28we didn't win at monaco it was a close run thing we were on the pole nigel led from the start looked
13:33like the race was in the bag but then he felt a vibration from the rear came in we changed all four
13:37wheels turns out there was some problem with the left rear we don't really know what maybe it was a
13:43wheel weight that moved maybe it was on you do the wheel nut and we were having a few problems with
13:46wheel nuts at that point nigel rejoined and drove beautifully through the field in the closing phases
13:53of the race ended right up behind out in the center tried to create gaps on every corner filled the
13:57mirrors of etten but etten stuck to his line shut the gate and nigel finished a great second can
14:03ferrari win six in a row can he beat the record set in 92 we'll see right now indeed we will peter we
14:11should also point out that back in 1965 jim clark won the season opener leading every lap skipped
14:16monaco to go win the indianapolis 500 came back and won the next four races on the trot so he won
14:23his first five grand prix of the year though it took him six races to do it and led every lap of
14:29each of those five of course he won the indy 500 by leading 190 of the 200 laps there as well that
14:34was a pretty good start to the season i'd say the drivers are getting ready and so shall we we've got
14:39another break coming up stand by for live coverage of round six of the 2004 formula one world championship
14:46nick heifeld is taking his time
14:52welcome back jensen button prepares for a front row start here at the monaco grand prix alongside
14:58pole sitter yarno truly welcome back to speed channel's live coverage of the grand prix of
15:03monaco right now it's time to take a look at our porsche track map with steve matchit thank you bob
15:08the streets of monte carlo in monaco very tight very winding indeed 78 laps around this street layout of what i
15:15said earlier on is really just a small holiday town right on the south coast of france to get
15:22the car to work well around here you need to get it to work very soft and compliant suspension a lot of
15:26downforce on the car it is almost impossible to overtake look out for the speed of the cars going
15:32through the tunnel and down to that nouvelle chicane that's the fastest part of the track but it is a
15:36very exciting track to drive it's all about getting the driver to work for his money there's very little
15:41the engineers can do for the car around
15:47johnny bruni getting ready well we saw how difficult it was there for nigel mansell to get
15:51around ayat and senna and i think that the fifth race or sixth race in a row for michael schumacher is
15:56probably going to end in the same way it's going to be very very difficult for him to get around the
16:00three car the four cars in front of him extremely difficult around here unless their tactics work
16:04miraculously but around here those tactics aren't quite as easy to make work up on the royal box there's prince albert who i believe is
16:11also president of the automobile club of monaco the sanctioning body and host organization for
16:17this race along with his sister caroline in the royal box on what is now the start finish straight
16:22away not the pit straight away anymore at the reconfigured monaco grand prix circuit we'll be back
Comments