Palmer: Monaco 'the best feeling you can get in racing'

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Renault's Jolyon Palmer makes no secret of being a big fan of the Monaco Grand Prix. And small wonder - the 26-year-old British driver can claim to be a Monaco race winner, having been victorious in two GP2 races here in 2012 and 2014.

However his maiden Grand Prix experience last year wasn't such a success, after he crashed out on lap 7. That clearly hasn't dampened his enthusiasm for the race, however.

"It is really fun, there is nothing quite like it," he said this week. "There are a lot of yachts and parties going on.

"A unique event with all the glitz and glamour, all the yachts, all the rich and famous. It all adds to make a really fun place and a great event to be involved in.

"It is a special weekend, and one I always love," he continued. "Monaco is a cool place and so different behind the wheel where you have adrenaline pumping from the first lap.

"It is difficult to catch your breath as it is 75 seconds of chaos.

"From the moment you hit the brakes at Sainte Devote and up the hill, it is one corner after another, super quick and very bumpy. There are walls on the outside, you literally brush them and get as close as you can.

"It is pinpoint accuracy required and commitment for all of it, that is the challenge.

Abiteboul in no doubt that Palmer will bounce back

Palmer admitted that he'd never achieved the 'perfect lap' around the 3.337km circuit, but insisted that he had been "pretty close" on occasion.

"It is probably the best feeling you get in racing," he insisted. "It is about commitment and chucking the car in and hoping it comes out the corner. When you do that for 19 corners, it is pretty special.

"I remember setting my GP2 pole position lap in 2014 knowing that nobody would beat it.

"You need to build up to it steadily," he replied when asked what the secret was to getting a good lap in Monaco. "It is a normal road so the track changes as it evolves.

"You build up your confidence which is important to do piece by piece.

"This year will be tough with the new cars," he suggested. "It is pretty much a two-hour race, even qualifying will be hard.

"You have no chance to gather your thoughts or take a breath on the lap. Mentally it is the hardest race of the year."

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.