"Everything about this race is just spectacular," he notes, "You can't really put into words what it's like to drive a F1 race car through the streets. The ratio of narrowness to speed simply defies description, but it's something I really enjoy. Two years ago, I came second in Monaco and, last year, we had a fault during qualifying, which meant I started from 16th, but still managed to pick up two championship points. It goes to show that the key thing in Monaco is not to make any mistakes.
Motorsport director Mario Theissen promises that the problems that beset his fellow German last time out have been sorted, and insists that there can be no repeat this weekend.
"We managed to get to the bottom of the gearbox problem in Nick's
F1.07 in Barcelona even before the race day was over, and corrective measures were already being applied during the test in Paul Ricard," he reveals, "We have also worked through Nick's botched-up pit stop and learnt the lessons for any future incidents. For us, Monte Carlo is a case of notching up a fault-free weekend and further cementing our third place in the constructors' standings."
Although he was present with the team at last year's race, 2007 will be Kubica's first race at Monaco since contesting the World Series by
Renault there in 2005.
"In 2006, I drove on Friday at the GP, but not very much because of technical problems, so it will be an experience for me to appear there for the first time in a
Formula One race," the Pole admits, "From a driver's point of view, the Monaco Grand Prix is something really special - there's very little room for error and you're driving at the limit virtually the whole time. You can't afford to slip up. For the first time since the start of the season in Melbourne, high downforce is required again, and that's another reason why I'm looking forward to Monaco. It's going to be a real challenge but I can't wait to see how well we do."
Toyota – Ralf Schumacher (#11), Jarno Trulli (#12):
After a disappointing weekend in Spain, Toyota heads to the most glamorous weekend of the season determined to return to the point-scoring form it showed in the first three rounds of the year.
