Juan Pablo Montoya:
No doubt the Monaco Grand Prix is both very special and very difficult at the same time. The track punishes you for any mistakes because if you lose the car you end up in the wall. It is an art to learn how to push there! It's a unique race because it's the only real street circuit we race at and this is the main reason why it has so much charm.

I was on pole two years ago and I won last year. I remain very proud of this particular victory as it has long been one of my main Formula One ambitions to win at Monaco. This year will really down to the car if we'll be able to catch up with our competitors. Naturally I'll be giving my all to repeat last year's success.

Ralf Schumacher:
I am looking forward to next weekend in Monaco as I lived there for many years. That said, the track is not up-to-date, but nevertheless, last year it was the highlight of the season as on Saturday I was on pole and on Sunday Juan won the race! It was the turning point of what had been a disappointing start of the season and in the end we nearly claimed a World Championship.

At the moment we are far away from that possibility, but I would like to believe in a little miracle in the Principality. But looking at it realistically, we are not going to be fighting for the victory unless other teams do not perform at their best. At present the Team is working round the clock, but it will take some time before we can be at the front again.

Sam Michael (Chief Operations Engineer WilliamsF1):
We have been at the Paul Ricard circuit in France testing tyres for the Monaco GP and progressing setup items. Monaco is a tight street circuit that rewards the best chassis and drivers so it was good for us to win this GP last year. The grip level of the circuit increases a lot during the weekend because the tyres are so soft and therefore a lot of rubber is laid down. Strategy will be interesting here because there has been a trend to go shorter and shorter for the 1st pitstop but at Monaco overtaking is virtually impossible so it may go another way.

Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director):
We are now embarking on a new phase in the ongoing development of the BMW P84 engine. At the beginning of the season we had achieved our first target, namely to develop an engine that would survive a virtual doubling of its lifespan, as stipulated by the regulations, without any significant weight increase or sacrifice in performance compared to the P83. The second target was to provide maximum engine speed and with it peak power all the way up to seventh gear for the entire race distance. We have now also implemented that. Our drivers should thus be ideally equipped for the race. The third target is to ensure it remains that way by continuing our development work through the season to enhance performance even further.

In Monaco, you can't win anything through sheer power alone, of course. But good engine driveability pays off in the tight turns. The Rascasse hairpin at the harbour is the only corner in the whole Formula One season where engine speed drops down to around 5000 rpm, even in first gear.

Stats and facts

- In logistical terms, the consecutive Grands Prix in Monaco and at the Nürburgring are hard work. As soon as the Monte Carlo race is over, the cars are dismantled on site. Only the FW26 chassis are taken by truck to the Nürburgring. The majority of car components, including the steering, chassis and suspension parts, as well as the gearboxes, are flown back to the WilliamsF1 factory in Grove where they are subjected to the usual meticulous diagnostic checks or replaced according to schedule. Body panels are also air-freighted to Grove to be freshly painted for the European GP. The BMW P84 engines are demounted in Monte Carlo on Sunday evening and taken to Munich by truck. New racing engines for the Nürburgring are dispatched from Munich by road.

- The WilliamsF1 and BMW trucks, along with the motorhomes, drive straight to the Nürburgring. The first truck will already set off from Monaco late on Sunday evening. By midnight on Monday, the entire WilliamsF1 manifest has been moved from Monaco to the Eifel region. The final new components from Grove and Munich reach the team at the Nürburgring on Wednesday.

- The current modifications to the pit complex in Monaco, on the other hand, are easing the teams' workload. For the first time they will have the use of garages in which they can carry out work on the cars. Previously, the cars were ferried back and forth between the work tents in the paddock and the pit lane. The old buildings largely served as a shelter for the fuel rig, spare parts and computer networks.

- To allow for the extension of the pit area, part of Monaco's harbour has been reclaimed. The track section between the Swimming Pool and the Rascasse corner has been shifted towards the sea, freeing up enough space for a new pit lane, which now runs along the ocean-side of the hill. The pit lane entrance has remained in situ. The new pit building is a two-storey structure. The garages are downstairs and open to the waterside, and above them are offices. The trees were not sacrificed during the construction project, and some branches run unimpeded through the new building. The timing stands for the teams have remained in place along the start/finish straight, but there is no longer any line of sight from the pit box.

- The circuit covers a distance of 3.340 kilometres. The Monaco course is the shortest GP circuit of all and has more race laps than anywhere else (78). Even so, at 260.520 kilometres, it has the shortest race distance of the season..

- The Monaco Grand Prix kicks off at the usual European start time of 14.00 hrs on Sunday, 23rd May 2004. Qualifying also takes place at the customary time on Saturday. On Friday, however, the Formula One engines will remain silent as the first two free practice sessions have been brought forward to Thursday.

- Since the official launch of Formula One in 1950, Monaco has played host to 50 Grands Prix. The first was won by Juan Manuel Fangio on Alfa Romeo. The race distance at the time was 100 laps, amounting to 318 kilometres.

- WilliamsF1 has celebrated three wins in the Principality to date. In 1980, Carlos Reutemann was first to cross the finish line, in 1983 it was Keke Rosberg, and in 2003 the winner was Juan Pablo Montoya for the BMW WilliamsF1 Team. Pole position in 2003 was taken by his team-mate Ralf Schumacher with a lap time of 1:15.259 minutes. Kimi Raikkonen driving for McLaren-Mercedes posted the fastest race lap at 1:14.545 minutes.

- Covering an area of 1.95 square kilometres, Monaco is the world's second smallest independent state after the Vatican. It comprises the districts of Fontvieille, La Condamine, Monaco Ville and Monte Carlo. The state is famous as a gambling paradise and tax haven, and has a total population of 32,000, just 16 percent of whom are true Monegasques.

- Monaco is a hereditary monarchy as set down in the 1962 constitution. Its head of state is Prince Rainier III. In 1419, Monaco became an independent state when the Grimaldi dynasty secured power.