A lap of monaco with Jason Button
Posted: 01 Jun 2003, 12:22
F1Live
Jason Button explains:
The lap starts with the entry into Sainte Devote corner where I brake from 270km/h in top gear to bring the speed down to less than 90km/h in 2nd gear. This corner is one of the few that has some run-off area so therefore I can push a little bit harder into it. Exiting the corner there is a long climb up the hill, by the end of it I reach 260 km/h in top gear before entering the long left-hand corner, which I take at around 125km/h in 3 rd gear.
This immediately leads into the tricky Casino corner where I continue to hold 3rd gear turning right and going over the crest of the hill at around 120km/h. At this point the car goes very light and it's very easy to loose control. On exiting the corner I go downhill towards the Mirabeau hairpin where I reach around 250km/h in 4th gear before braking for the hairpin itself. Braking here is very difficult as the road has a lot of camber and it is very easy to lock a wheel. I take the corner in 2nd gear at just under 70km/h and then hold 2nd gear reaching 150km/h before braking hard again for the Loews hairpin, which is the lowest part of the circuit.
At this point I drop right down to around 45km/h for this very tight left-hand corner and remain in 2nd gear all the way down the hill taking the first right-hand corner at 70km/h and then the second corner into the tunnel at 75km/h. In through the tunnel it can be quite difficult to control the car, particularly on a heavy fuel load, as there are some significant bumps and fast corners. Coming out into the daylight, again I touch the maximum speed of just under 290km/h before braking hard for the chicane at the bottom of the hill. I enter this chicane in 2nd gear at around 60km/h before tackling the short straight where I reach 230km/h.
Entering the Tabac corner, which for Monaco is judged as a fast corner, in 4th gear at 140km/h. Immediately after this there is a fast chicane which forms the first part of the swimming pool complex where I again use 4th gear and take the chicane at around 170km/h. The second part of the complex is much slower and is taken in 2nd gear, the first part being at 70km/h then accelerating and taking the second apex at 90km/h.
The next corner is La Rascasse, the second slowest corner on the circuit, which has a very difficult entry as I have to brake hard whilst negotiating the left-hand turn which proceeds it, also getting my speed all the way down to 50km/h and selecting 1st gear. The exit of the corner is just as difficult as the entry, as it is very hard to find traction on this part of the circuit. A very short straight then leads into the final corner which I take in 2nd gear at around 70km/h and, as with most of the corners at the circuit, I will be getting extremely close to the barriers on the exit.
Jason Button explains:
The lap starts with the entry into Sainte Devote corner where I brake from 270km/h in top gear to bring the speed down to less than 90km/h in 2nd gear. This corner is one of the few that has some run-off area so therefore I can push a little bit harder into it. Exiting the corner there is a long climb up the hill, by the end of it I reach 260 km/h in top gear before entering the long left-hand corner, which I take at around 125km/h in 3 rd gear.
This immediately leads into the tricky Casino corner where I continue to hold 3rd gear turning right and going over the crest of the hill at around 120km/h. At this point the car goes very light and it's very easy to loose control. On exiting the corner I go downhill towards the Mirabeau hairpin where I reach around 250km/h in 4th gear before braking for the hairpin itself. Braking here is very difficult as the road has a lot of camber and it is very easy to lock a wheel. I take the corner in 2nd gear at just under 70km/h and then hold 2nd gear reaching 150km/h before braking hard again for the Loews hairpin, which is the lowest part of the circuit.
At this point I drop right down to around 45km/h for this very tight left-hand corner and remain in 2nd gear all the way down the hill taking the first right-hand corner at 70km/h and then the second corner into the tunnel at 75km/h. In through the tunnel it can be quite difficult to control the car, particularly on a heavy fuel load, as there are some significant bumps and fast corners. Coming out into the daylight, again I touch the maximum speed of just under 290km/h before braking hard for the chicane at the bottom of the hill. I enter this chicane in 2nd gear at around 60km/h before tackling the short straight where I reach 230km/h.
Entering the Tabac corner, which for Monaco is judged as a fast corner, in 4th gear at 140km/h. Immediately after this there is a fast chicane which forms the first part of the swimming pool complex where I again use 4th gear and take the chicane at around 170km/h. The second part of the complex is much slower and is taken in 2nd gear, the first part being at 70km/h then accelerating and taking the second apex at 90km/h.
The next corner is La Rascasse, the second slowest corner on the circuit, which has a very difficult entry as I have to brake hard whilst negotiating the left-hand turn which proceeds it, also getting my speed all the way down to 50km/h and selecting 1st gear. The exit of the corner is just as difficult as the entry, as it is very hard to find traction on this part of the circuit. A very short straight then leads into the final corner which I take in 2nd gear at around 70km/h and, as with most of the corners at the circuit, I will be getting extremely close to the barriers on the exit.