Montoya Sees Cash Savings in Monaco Changes

Formula One teams could save a small fortune in Monaco this year thanks to changes to the Grand Prix layout, according to Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya.

The glamorous street circuit, little changed since the first race in 1929, has undergone a facelift with a new chicane installed at the exit to the swimming pool complex before the tricky Rascasse corner.

Around 5,000 square metres of ground have been reclaimed from the harbour with the layout into Rascasse, downfall of many a driver with its tight entry and unforgiving barriers, substantially redrawn.

"I think the last corner in a way is probably going to save a lot of money for the teams, that's the place where everybody crashes normally," said Montoya, who put his Williams on pole position in Monaco last year.

McLaren's David Coulthard, winner last year and in 2000, also felt that the smoother and more sweeping entry into Rascasse was less demanding than in the past.

"It looks a lot more open," he said at a news conference before Sunday's race. "I'm conscious of not saying it looks easier just in case I go and drop the ball there, but the entry to Rascasse does look like it's less challenging than it was in the past.

"In some respects that's a shame because that was one of the difficult spots on the track. But it may give us more opportunity for overtaking and if not overtaking then it should make it easier to lap slower cars during the race," said the Scot, who was held up for half the race in 2001 by Brazilian Enrique Bernoldi.

"So all in all I'd say it was an improvement."

Monaco, a millionaires' playground where nothing comes cheap, can be a costly occasion for any team whose drivers push their cars to the limit on a thin ribbon of road between the metal barriers. Any crash on the bumpy and twisty track is likely to be expensive.

"You can't make any mistakes because you are surrounded by guardrails instead of kerbs and grass and there are no run-off areas," said Canadian Jacques Villeneuve, who was World Champion in 1997 but has yet to experience a Monaco podium.