The Spaniard could at a pinch be considered to be in the mix to add to those laurels this weekend, though a shot at the podium is more likely, especially should he replicate his stunning qualifying form from Barcelona last month. His rookie team-mate
Nelsinho Piquet, by contrast, is coming under increasing pressure to deliver the goods following a desultory start to his grand prix career that has seen him fail to even come close to troubling the scorers and drop out in the opening phase of qualifying on more than one occasion. A similar result in Monte Carlo would leave the young Brazilian with an almost insurmountable hill to climb come race day.
The other points and possible podium challengers are likely to be
Red Bull Racing,
Williams and
Toyota. RBR appear to have taken a step forward in this midfield battle if recent outings are anything to go by, and Coulthard has twice prevailed in Monaco, on both occasions for McLaren-Mercedes in 2000 and 2002.
The Scot knows he needs to open his points-scoring account for the year this weekend, as rumours intensify that he will be replaced at the Milton Keynes-based outfit by
Scuderia Toro Rosso's
Sebastian Vettel in 2009 – if not sooner – whilst team-mate
Mark Webber seems to have finally put his typically bad luck behind him this season and is coming off the back of a four-race unbroken run of points-scoring performances. The Aussie previously finished up on the rostrum for Williams in Monte Carlo back in 2005.
Toyota's Trulli is the final man to have mastered Monaco's intricacies, superbly converting pole position into victory for
Renault in 2004. The Italian – a near-mainstay in Q3 this season – seems to be enjoying something of an Indian summer to his twelve-year career in the top flight, with a series of strong runs, and the 33-year-old looks odds-on for another impressive showing in the Principality this time around should his equipment permit it.
