2006 MONACO GRAND PRIX FRIDAY PRACTICE JUAN PABLO MONTOYA
“A good start to the weekend for us. We seem to be quite competitive and have definitely made progress but its still early days and this is Monaco after all where anything can happen. I completed the planned programme, and the new parts we have introduced seem to have made a difference. The Michelin tyres are working well, so overall we are looking good. I love this track as it’s such a challenge and I’m definitely looking forward to the rest of the weekend.” KIMI RAIKKONEN
“A bit of excitement for me at the end of the first practice. I went out with less than one minute to go to complete an installation lap and a practice start. However there was a small fire which caused some damage – a bit more than necessary as the Fire Marshalls were hesitant until I took the fire extinguisher myself. The team did a great job in making the necessary repairs and I was able to get some running in half way through the second session. I’m pleased with what we have achieved so far and we look competitive, but there is still along way to go.”
TEAM McLAREN MERCEDES AND STEINMETZ ADD ICE TO SPARKLING 40TH ANNIVERSARY
Monte Carlo, Wednesday, 24th May 2006: Team McLaren Mercedes and Steinmetz unveiled their latest collaboration earlier today in the build-up to the 2006 Monaco Grand Prix.
Steinmetz has worked in conjunction with Team McLaren Mercedes’ engineers to manufacture a Diamond steering wheel. The Mercedes-Benz star on both Kimi Raikkonen’s and Juan Pablo Montoya’s steering wheels have been emblazoned with round, brilliant cut, white, natural diamonds, expertly cut by Steinmetz, creating a visual impact inside the cockpit never seen before.
To announce the creation of the Diamond steering wheels, Steinmetz commissioned the creation of an exact replica of this year’s Team McLaren Mercedes Formula 1 car, made from two tonnes of ice, into which Kimi Raikkonen, the ‘Iceman’, climbed. The ‘Iceman’, in his ice car, with his ‘iced’ steering wheel – a suitable way to announce to the world Steinmetz and Team McLaren Mercedes’ new Formula 1 creation.
2006 MONACO GRAND PRIX PREVIEW KIMI RAIKKONEN
“Monte Carlo is a completely different challenge to the Barcelona track we will be pushing hard for victory. To lay the foundation for a good result you have to perform well in qualifying. In Monaco overtaking is almost impossible as the track is so twisty and narrow. Because of this, I am sure we will see some interesting strategies from all the teams. Also Monaco is all about the car being responsive, particularly the front end. You are less aggressive under braking here into the corners because the barriers are so close and you need to be precise, and a responsive front end means the car is better in the mid corner and exit performance, allowing you to get on the throttle without having to wait for the car to turn the corner. At Monaco this is where you can find time, so the handling of the car and the mechanical grip are more important than other areas, such as aero efficiency.” JUAN PABLO MONTOYA
“Everything about the Monaco Grand Prix is great, it is such an historic track and this creates a fantastic atmosphere. It is a unique challenge to race at because of its short, tight layout and other factors such as the gutters and manhole covers, the camber as the road crowns and all the white lines. Despite all this, the ride height isn’t massively high, instead we run with suspension that has more compliance than normal. It isn’t very comfy for the drivers, as you really feel all the bumps, but you don’t notice it because you are there to race. Also the corner loadings and pressures on straights are much less so it is not too tough physically. Cooling is another issue at Monaco, because there are no real straights. As a result we run with the maximum cooling package of the season and we spent time at Paul Ricard last week focusing on the Monaco spec for cooling. We covered over 3,000km in total at the test and in addition to work for Monaco, we also looked at specific components and set-ups for the much faster Canadian Grand Prix.”
