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A fast lap with Giancarlo
Fisichella
The lap starts on the pit straight
where I will reach over 270 km/h in 6th gear, before braking to 2nd
gear and around 86 km/h for the Sainte Dévote corner. From
here I accelerate up the long hill reaching about 260 km/h before
going into the long left-hand 3rd gear corner which is taken in 3rd
and leads to the famous Casino corner. I remain in 3rd gear for this
and take it at around 120 km/h and as I crest the hill the car
becomes very light and slides towards the barrier. Then there's a
very bumpy, highly cambered straight on which the car reaches around
210 km/h and which leads down to the first of the 1st gear hairpins,
the Mirabeau hairpin, which is taken at under 70 km/h. There's a
very short period of acceleration which leads down to the tightest
of all the corners at Monaco, the Loews hairpin which again is taken
in 1st gear and the speed can be as low as 45 km/h. The downhill
stretch leads to the two corners that go into the tunnel, both of
which are taken in 2nd gear at under 80 km/h. As you enter the
tunnel its quite tricky because you not only have to get used to a
change in the ambient light, but there is also quite a difficult
corner in the tunnel which is taken at over 250 km/h in top gear. On
exiting the tunnel braking is very difficult for the chicane as you
are heading downhill and have to brake from the maximum speed on the
circuit of 280 km/h down to around 60 km/h and 1st gear for the
Harbour chicane. From here I will reach around 225 km/h before going
through the Tabac corner in 4th gear at around 160 km/h. I remain in
4th gear for the first, fast, part of the swimming pool area, before
braking to 2nd gear and 80 km/h for the second part of the swimming
pool. The approach to the final hairpin, the Rascasse, is very
difficult as you have to brake from around 185 km/h while still on a
curve, down to 50 km/h for this 1st gear corner. On exiting this
corner it is very difficult to control the wheelspin as you
accelerate up to the final corner which is taken at around 75 km/h
in 2nd gear. The lap then finishes on the pit straight.
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