In Monaco,grid position more important than tyre wear

Monaco Grand Prix should be less about tyre degradation and more about pole position,

The Monaco Grand Prix should be less about tyre degradation and more about pole position,as Formula One returns for its showcase race on a street circuit that is notoriously difficult to overtake on. That will be good news for Red Bulls Sebastian Vettel,but less so for Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen.

Vettel,the three-time defending Formula One champion tops the championship standings by four points from Raikkonen,who closed the gap by finishing second at the Spanish GP with Vettel placing fourth. However,he has one major problem: qualifying speed. He has been on the front row only once in Bahrain last month compared to Vettels two poles. That could work against him in Monaco.

Its such a narrow,twisty track; you have to be extra sharp and focused. 8230; Overtaking is almost impossible, Raikkonen said. Well have to see how the tires perform and if there are any good strategies to be made,but the most important thing is to qualify well.

Mark Webber won from pole last year and in 2010,Vettel did likewise in 2011 giving Red Bull three straight victories. In the last 10 years,only Lewis Hamilton,five years ago,and Juan Pablo Montoya,10 years ago,have won not starting from pole.

Monaco,with its tube-like circuit,is unique because drivers are hemmed in on pencil-thin streets and have to concentrate for nearly two hours to avoid crashing into walls or getting spun off track by debris and gravel.

There will be less speed,so therefore less tyre wear and less pit stops and overtaking is always a gamble in the home of casinos. Red Bull will be especially looking forward to this weekend,after finishing behind both Ferraris in Barcelona two weeks ago.

Fernando Alonso won,Felipe Massa was third,and Webber rolled in behind Vettel in a hectic race with most drivers backed into a four-stop strategy due to tires shredding at an alarming rate.

Story continues below this ad

Red Bull has been one of the leading critics of the tyres and Pirelli have pledged to make changes from next months Canadian Grand Prix. The tyres will feature a revised construction including elements from last years tyres to combine durability with performance.

But the other argument in the tyre debate is that Red Bulls dominance has been countered,which has added a dose of uncertainty to race day. By winning the season opener in Australia and finishing second in Spain with three stops,Raikkonen has shown that smart strategy can compensate for tire wear.

However,for the first time in many weeks,the pressure should be off Pirelli at least for one race. Wed expect an average of two pit stops per car,because in complete contrast to the last race at Barcelona Monaco has very low tyre wear and degradation, Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery said. The last race in Spain was won from lower down on the grid than it has ever been won before,so it will be interesting to see if this pattern can repeat itself in Monaco.

The chances of Alonso repeating his Barcelona win,where he drove brilliantly to win from fifth on the grid,are slim and he will need a strong qualifying performance to have a chance of repeating his Monaco wins from 2006 and 2007.