The Driver's Eye: Monaco

Sky Sports F1's Anthony Davidson takes us into the cockpit of an F1 car to reveal what it's really like to drive around Monaco's legendary circuit...

With the exception of Macau, Monaco is the most challenging circuit I have ever driven around. It's a special track for Formula 1 and a special place. Part of the challenge is everything that goes with Monaco - from watching the race on the television as a kid to the whole history of the place. Going there as a rookie, knowing you are about to drive Monaco for the first time, really is a special occasion. On the other hand, arriving at Monaco with previous knowledge of the circuit is very much an advantage and if there's any venue on this year's calendar where it's good to have experience then it's definitely here. In general, we often see a lot of cars run wide in the Practice sessions, and especially in the afternoon during Practice Two when the drivers start trying to push the limit and chase a lap time. But the thing with Monaco which makes it so difficult is the knowledge that if you do make a mistake you will be punished. So it's a circuit which naturally deters you from pushing and, as a driver, you are always aware of the close proximity of the barriers, the bumps in the road and the lack of grip from the track being a street circuit - all things which mean that mistakes can happen easier than you might think. There's just no room for error - apart from at Turn One where, if you're thinking fast, you can sometimes find an escape route. But the thing which makes Monaco really challenging - especially when driving the circuit in a F1 car that has such rapid acceleration - is that it feels faster than it really is. Because of the close proximity of the barriers, and all the little twitches to the car from the bumps and the lack of grip, everything feels like it is being fast-forwarded. You have to live by your reactions here so much more than at most other circuits. It's also very strange to go from a wide-open track like Barcelona and then start driving around Monaco on a Thursday morning. It immediately strikes you just how narrow and tight the track is and how limited your vision is. There are lots of rises and dips on the circuit which mean you are constantly trying to look out of the cockpit to check what's coming next. I'll never forget my first Thursday session at Monaco in 2004 and the experience of trying to pick my way around the circuit and find the confidence to build up speed. That's Monaco through-and-through: rolling up your sleeves, getting stuck in, throwing caution to the wind and losing respect for the barriers. That's the only way you can improve a lap time around here. And it's only after that, once you really feel like you're getting away with it lap after lap, when driving around Monaco becomes fun. But it's not easy to find that mind-set. Although you need to have the car dancing around underneath you, it needs to be done in a controlled manner and in a way that also puts aside the risk of crashing. If you think about crashing around Monaco, you'll never be quick here. Physically, it's not a particularly demanding circuit because of its slow-speed nature and the narrowness of the corners. But in the car you are up and down on the gears all the time, and always busy on the wheel, constantly turning left and right on a circuit which doesn't have a proper straight. It's also very stop-start, meaning you are constantly working the brakes. Another feature which really jumps out to you in the cockpit is the sound of the cars bouncing off the barriers. It's a brilliant experience and something you don't even think about before going there, but the echo of the engine is immediately apparent and really strikes you on the run up the hill through Beau Rivage. On top of that, there's the strange heat and lack of air - in addition to the lack of vision - because it's so static between the buildings and barriers, meaning you never feel like you are getting much air coming into the car. Then there's the need for total concentration throughout - a demand which I would put on a par with what most circuits demand when it is raining and the car can slip away from you in the wet conditions at any moment. It's not difficult physically, but it is an extremely demanding mental challenge. Overtaking? You don't even think about it when you come here. The only thing that should be on your mind is survival, getting up to speed as quickly as possible and enjoying the rhythm once you've found it. That's the only thing you're looking for from the moment you arrive. AD Corner by corner, detail by detail: Anthony's guide to a lap on Monaco