As I look out of Channel 4’s mobile office, I see a view that could only be found in Monaco; in the foreground the technicians of Pirelli are fitting tyres beneath an awning to shade them from the Cote D’Azur sunshine while just over to the right is the stern of a super-yacht called Madame Gu, with 3 bright white, chrome-railed  decks climbing to a pair of huge bell-shaped radar domes that guide passengers around the world in opulent luxury. Above and beyond, the sheer cliff face climbs into low cloud and as I pan back to the left, the sandstone coloured apartment blocks peer over the harbour and help to provide an utterly unique yet instantly recognisable F1 backdrop. 


Last weekend, a friend of mine said he never bothers watching the Monaco Grand Prix because it’s all decided in qualifying and nothing ever happens after that. I had to take issue with him; how can we forget the drama of last year when Lewis Hamilton looked a certainty for the win, only to be tripped up by the late Safety Car when Max Verstappen crashed at St Devote. Or the much-missed Jules Bianchi scoring Manor (Marussia) points in 2014 from 21st on the grid. Casting further back, Lewis Hamilton’s remarkable win in 2008 despite hitting the barrier, and Mansell’s epic battle with Senna in 1992. The stories go all the way back to 1929 when the track was first used, and even then it was an anachronism, vastly different to the open-country road courses that dominated the calendar in those days. 


This time we arrive after one of the most dramatic results in a Grand Prix in recent history, and with the simmering rivalry at Mercedes having boiled over into wheel to wheel contact. New winner Verstappen may have crashed out of this race last year, but until that point he had been mightily impressive. He set the 2nd fastest time in first practice and was driving a canny race before misjudging the closing speed with Grosjean. Both he and team mate Ricciardo will be optimistic, hoping that the Red Bull chassis can make up for any lack of horsepower to give Mercedes a proper challenge, but we must remember that the Silver Arrows have been fastest in qualifying here for the last 4 years, even if Michael Schumacher ended up 6th on the grid in 2012 due to a penalty. Their reign will be tough to break, but perhaps the pressure on both Hamilton and Rosberg to deliver a result after the faux pas of Spain will lead to other errors on these unforgiving streets. 


Ferrari’s record has not been good in Monaco in recent years, despite an enterprising 2nd place for Vettel last year. What they need is some of the magic they found in Singapore 8 months ago when he went on to trounce the opposition, and perhaps the allocation of Ultra Soft tyres for the first time will assist them in doing so. Kimi Raikkonen now sits 2nd in the points, but the promise shown in winter testing has not been realised on race weekends, and people are beginning to wonder if it will ever come good. Indeed, McLaren reckon they could give Ferrari a problem here, and I would not discount Alonso and Button from delivering a surprise result on the 50th anniversary of a McLaren appearing in F1. Fairy tales happen in F1 as we discovered last time out. Let’s see if there’s still some magic dust hanging in the air in this wonderland location.

 All eyes will be on Max Verstappen in Spain this weekend. The teenage sensation moves into a top flight team in F1, Red Bull Racing, with less than a year and a half’s experience of Grand Prix under his belt, and only one full year of single seater racing prior to that. It has been a remarkable climb, but let’s not forget that talent and ability will always shine through. Lewis Hamilton almost won the world championship in his first year of F1 with McLaren and both he and Jackie Stewart were able to win races in their very first year. Max isn’t able to claim that on his cv, but he still has the chance of setting a number of records for being the youngest achiever of certain milestones in the sport.


The question is, can the Red Bull car be competitive enough to give him a real chance of becoming the youngest ever pole sitter, or race leader or indeed race winner? Probably not in Spain, but look further ahead; just over the horizon is that jewel in the crown, the Monaco GP. Given the comparative power outputs of Mercedes, Ferrari, Honda and Renault, it is unlikely that a Renault powered car will win in Catalunya, but in Monaco the power unit plays a less crucial role, and the chassis performance comes into its own. Red Bull are very proud of the RB12, while rival teams are mightily impressed with what they can see it achieve in terms of trading downforce for drag and for its performance in slow corners. So this weekend in Spain provides a dress rehearsal for both Verstappen and Ricciardo, and in particular through the final section of the lap. Altered for the 2007 race, the last sector contains the tight corners and change of direction at Turns 14 and 15, as well as the need to put power down quickly and efficiently. Mercedes have been brilliant through this sector for the last few years and Rosberg has gone on to win the Monaco GP each time. We need to keep our eyes on those sector times to see if Red Bull can upset the applecart in the Principality.


While the flying Dutchman will be on everyone’s radar, there’s still the matter of Lewis Hamilton trying to win for the first time in 2016. Surely it must come sooner rather than later but Rosberg beat him fair and square here last year, ending an 11 month period containing only one win. Now he arrives on the crest of a wave of seven consecutive wins and the chance to match Nigel Mansell and Michael Schumacher for the record of successive wins at the start of a season; in addition, Mercedes can match the amazing 1988 tally of McLaren that saw the team win 11 races in a row. Hamilton has only won here on a single occasion, in 2014 with Mercedes, and his poor luck in Barcelona extends back to his GP2 days when he was knocked out of a potential race win by his then team mate Alex Premat. Ferrari are also due a more competitive showing; despite the pace advantage that Mercedes have shown in qualifying all year, I still feel the red cars can be a threat on raceday, as Vettel was in Melbourne. Lewis lost valuable time behind Vettel here last year after a poor getaway, and cannot afford a repeat showing.


So, it is an intriguing weekend in prospect. The first of the European events, the first where tyre selection is based on testing rather than guesswork, the first for many updated parts on cars throughout the pitlane, and the first time that an 18 year old has raced for a quadruple world championship winning team. Records are made to be broken, and there could be several shattered in Spain.