2012 Monaco Grand Prix

Championship standings

Vettel and Alonso are level at the top of the championship on 61 points each after Spain. Hamilton is third on 53, Räikkönen fourth on 49, Webber fifth on 48. Five different drivers have won the opening five races — Button, Alonso, Rosberg, Vettel, and Maldonado. A sixth different winner at Monaco would be unprecedented.

Previous race

Maldonado won in Spain for Williams’ first victory since 2004, with Alonso second and Räikkönen third. The result was Maldonado’s debut win and the first for a Venezuelan driver in Formula One. A fire broke out in the Williams garage immediately after the finish.

Penalties

Schumacher carries a five-place grid penalty for an avoidable collision with Bruno Senna at the Spanish Grand Prix. Maldonado has a cumulative 15-place penalty — ten places for a collision with Pérez during Friday practice and a further five for an unscheduled gearbox change.

Tyre choices

This is the first appearance of Pirelli’s red-banded super-soft compound in 2012. The super-soft is the option tyre; the yellow-banded soft is the prime.

Circuit

Following Pérez’s serious qualifying accident at the Nouvelle Chicane in 2011 — which left him with concussion and a sprained thigh — the circuit has been significantly modified. The tarmac approach has been lowered by 20 centimetres, barriers moved back 15 metres, the pit exit widened, nearby trees removed to improve visibility, and TecPro barriers installed at Sainte Dévote and Piscine.

Weather

Fine and dry conditions are expected, with showers possible later in the day. Air temperature around 21°C, track temperature 38°C.