Salo poised to reach his century

Salo already has four top-six finishes to his name in the Principality, and is looking forward to this weekend's race.

"One hundred races - that must make me very old!" he quipped. "To be honest with you, it feels more like 10. It's nice that I celebrate my 100th in Monaco because this is a race that I really enjoy.

"The track is very challenging and the driver can still make a real difference, even with all the electronics that we have on the cars these days. Our TF102 isn't ideally suited to Monaco but, if we can get to the end of the race, then we should be in with a chance of a points finish."

Salo - who has also driven for Lotus, Tyrrell, Arrows, BAR and Ferrari - knows all about the challenge of the Monaco street circuit.

"The most important thing about Monaco is not to hit anything - not even on the first day," he said. "If you hit something early on in the weekend, it's hard to get the momentum back.

"There are lots of tricky places on the lap, where you have to be careful: the entry and exit of Casino Square, the chicane, and the Swimming Pool is very quick. The thing about Monaco is that every corner counts and, for a driver, there is no time to rest. That makes for a long 78 laps on race day."