Postcard From Monaco

After 75 years the Monaco GP is built on layers of tradition, but to their credit the organisers are never afraid to move with the times. Having the full support of the government means that anything is possible, and money will always be found to make improvements. The big novelty this year is the revised pit lane, the result of a major building project by the Monegasques.

For years the F1 teams had to contend with a narrow and impossibly cramped strip of road. The mechanics had to work on the cars in the open, alongside little 'rabbit hutches' that were only big enough to store spare bodywork and equipment.

At the end of the day's activities the cars would be pushed or towed back to the paddock. The leading teams had spots alongside the harbour, where they worked under awnings, while those outside the top four had to trek to a far flung multi storey car park known affectionately as Alcatraz. Who said Monaco was about glamour?

It was a logistical nightmare, but it was great for the media and the public. We could get closer to the cars than at any other time in the season, and really see the teams at work. There was literally nowhere for them to hide. Punters walking on the track at Rascasse at the end of the day would risk being bowled over by an F1 car being hustled past their ankles - not something that would happen very readily at Silverstone.

Now it's all changed, and for the first time all the teams have got garages. They're tiny compared with the likes of Bahrain and Malaysia, but they're big enough to keep the cars in for the whole weekend. There's also an upper floor for the telemetry and other gizmos.

Just to confuse everyone these new garages have been flipped around by 180 degrees. Thus they now face the sea, or to be more accurate, a huge new grandstand at the edge of the harbour, which will no doubt generate a lot of valuable revenue. A happy co-incidence? Perhaps not. In the past the only people with a view of the pit action were the folk stationed on apartment balconies opposite, and the organisers didn't see much money from them...

The new garages effectively sit on what was the old pit lane, with the back doors facing on to the start/finish straight. The signalling stands are still where they used to be, except instead of being the focus of attention, they are now lost amid piles of tyres and other bits and pieces, and almost inaccessible to TV and press cameras.

It's been interesting to see how teams have reacted to this new situation. Some have carried on as normal and left all the management and engineers in their usual spots, facing the start straight, but with no view of the stops. Others have taken advantage of the upper floors of the new garages and given their guys a nice overview of the pit lane. The fact that nobody is yet fully used to the newb arrangements could make for some confusion on race day.

To create the impressive new pit lane the government has built out onto what was previously a bit of a no-man's land, and in doing so they've created an unprecedented viewing opportunity. A 'secondary' pit wall now overlooks the second part of the Swimming Pool, from a height of around four or five metres. There are no signallers and no TV or timing monitors there, just a railing to lean on, and a spectacular view as the cars bounce over the kerbs.

Team members who've been in the sport for years - and yet literally never seen a car going around a corner - can now finally see the fruits of their labours in action. There are also no excuses for anybody who messes it up...

It's rare for any team folk to venture away from the pits, but McLaren team mates Alex Wurz and Pedro de la Rosa wandered down the Swimming Pool for a closer look. I suggested they try the rear view at the entry of the first right/left, and after seeing a few cars twitch their way through, they seemed quite impressed. When Minardi's Gianmaria Bruni did an inadvertent rally driver act, swinging one way and then the other and leaving two huge sets of black marks, they looked even more impressed.

However, they were also pretty hacked off to be consigned to the role of spectator at the track all drivers relish so much. It's not much fun being a test driver at Monaco. 'It's tough,' Pedro confirmed. 'It's tough just hearing the engines starting...'

I've always enjoyed the Swimming Pool, but for me the great unheralded corner is Massenet. It's not as famous as Ste Devote or Tabac, but the lefthander that leads into Casino Square is an awesome place to watch, and TV does not do it justice.

The cars are really on the ragged edge, and the variety of lines is an indication of the challenge it presents as drivers struggle with oversteer or understeer. When it goes wrong things happen quickly. While I was watching Chistian Klien got sideways, and in instant was bouncing down the barrier on the outside, shredding bits of bodywork. He earned his rookie stripes.

Earlier in the day team mate Mark Webber had stopped with a fire, and third driver Bjorn Wirdheim had also thumped the barrier. With half an hour of priceless running to go, there were no Jags left to take advantage. Monaco takes no prisoners...