The Monaco Grand Prix is one of the classics on the Formula 1 calendar and this year it reaches am impressive milestones as its the 70th edition of the race!
As usual, Pirelli choice of slick tyre compounds falls to the three softest available this year, which means the C3 (Hard), C4 (Medium) and C5 (Soft),
As is generally the case on street circuits the track has a particularly smooth surface, given it is in daily use for road cars so the tyres must provide as much grip as possible.
In Monaco, the tyres are subjected to some of the lowest forces of the whole season as the average speed over the 3.337 kilometre-long track is very slow with some corners taken at less than 50 km/h, while the cars are only at full throttle for 30% of the lap.
On a track where the margin for error is pretty much non-existent, one factor which affects how quickly a driver’s lap times come down is the confidence they gradually gain, regardless of how well they know the track, as they tackle its 19 corners and all the other hazards it harbours.
The driver must work towards finding the best lines, getting ever close to the barriers, often brushing them with the shoulder of the tyres. The skill is in doing this without breaking anything on the car and it is the key to securing a good grid position. Which is essential in a race where overtaking is pretty much impossible, even when there is a performance gap between cars that can run into seconds.
On a track like this, an appearance from the Safety Car is almost inevitable with past experience rating it at 77% probable, on average almost twice per races. Although curiously, last year’s race ran smoothly with no neutralisation periods.
Jordan's Track Talk 
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