Monaco Grand Prix 2018
The Monaco Grand Prix is the one race of the year that every driver dreams of winning. Like the Indy 500 or Le Mans, it stands alone, almost distinct from the sport from which it was born. A combination of precision driving, technical excellence and sheer bravery is required to win in Monte Carlo, facets which highlight the differences between the great and the good in Formula 1.
The Armco barrier-lined circuit leaves no margin for error, demanding more concentration that any other Formula One track. Cars run with maximum downforce and brakes are worked hard. Overtaking is next to impossible so qualifying in Monaco is more critical than at any other Grand Prix.
The Portier corner is key to achieving a good lap time around Monaco. It is preceded by the Loews hairpin, the slowest corner in Formula 1, and followed by the tunnel, one of the few flat-out sections of the track. Some great names have ended their races in the barriers here, most notably Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher.
To win in Monaco places a driver's name on a list that includes many of history's all-time greats.
Both Graham Hill, the man nicknamed 'Mr Monaco', and Schumacher won it five times, Alain Prost took four victories, whilst Stirling Moss and Jackie Stewart each won here three times. But the record of wins in the Principality resides with the Senna, who won in Monte Carlo six times.
The race has been a regular fixture of the world championship since 1955, but in that time the circuit has changed remarkably little. Slight alterations were made for the 2003 event, in particular a new, gentler entry to the Rascasse corner, with even bigger changes in 2004, with a new pit complex and increased spectator capacity.
Sailing yacht A spotted during Monaco Grand Prix 2018
Andrey Melnichenko's sailing yacht A drifted along the coast of Monaco on Sunday as Daniel Ricciardo won the crown jewel race on the Formula One schedule. It is the largest sailing yacht in the world, worth of $500 million. The vessel boasts eight floors, a pool and a helipad. It is powered by a 'hybrid diesel-electric package with controllable pitch propellers' and is designed to accommodate 20 guests as well as a crew of 54.
Sailing yacht A was built in Kiel, Germany, by Nobiskrug in 2017 for Melnichenko, who controls the Russian fertiliser producer Eurochem. Melnichenko also owns the $300 million motor yacht A, a custom Boeing 737 private jet as well as properties around the world, including a penthouse in New York City and a villa in the French Riviera. He lives a jet-setting lifestyle with his wife Aleksandra, former model and pop star from Serbia. The pair married in an opulent wedding in the south of France in 2005, which featured performances by Whitney Houston and Christina Aguilera.
Celebrities & yachts
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