Preview - Monaco Grand Prix 2005.

And so the paddock heads to Monaco, the jewel in Formula One's crown and the one race each of the 18 drivers on the grid this weekend will admit they want to win more than any other.

Spain two weeks ago saw the Renault monopoly of the 2005 season finally come to an end as Kimi Raikkonen secured a stunning win for the McLaren team, and with Michael Schumacher something of a wounded animal after another disappointing weekend for Ferrari, it promises to be an exciting weekend of racing in the principality.

Fernando Alonso may have missed out making it four wins in a row in his home race, but the Spanish championship leader insists he isn't worried by the pace of Raikkonens McLaren heading into this weekend. The Renault man maintains a comfortable lead at the top of the standings following his second place finish and with aerodynamic improvements on the R25 for this weekend, Alonso is confident that Renault will be fighting for the podium from the off. While it isn't possible to make a mistake on any circuit while behind the wheel of a Formula One car, Monaco is much less forgiving with its tight layout and total lack of run-off meaning both car and driver have to be running perfectly if a win is to be achieved. Alonso certainly feels that is a possibility - especially considering that Renault are the defending race winners in the principality.

Team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella returned to the points in Spain with a fifth place finish having to failed to get to the end of a race following his win in the opening round of the year. That fifth place means the Italian will now not have to run at the start of qualifying, something that could prove crucial on a circuit where a good grid position is vital. Like Alonso, Fisichella is confident of a good result on a circuit where Renault is expected to be strong, stating that he is 'with the right team for the race.' Having previously finished third and second in the principality could this be the weekend when Fisi takes P1?

Renault also admit that the Monaco circuit will be hard on engines, being both bumpy and having the slowest corner on the F1 calendar. The fact that the circuit is very much 'closed in' also won't help engines this weekend, but the regie remain confident of a strong showing again this weekend.

Despite Raikkonen's win last time out, Toyota remain in second place in the standings going to Monte Carlo, and have the defending race winner determined to retain his title. Twelve months ago, Jarno Trulli claimed his maiden Grand Prix win after fighting off the challenge of Jenson Button but at the start of the season few would have given him a chance of repeating the feat at any race in 2005. However, Toyota have emerged as one of the surprise packages of the season so far, with Trulli already on the podium a number of times in the opening five races of the year. Having been tipped as a race winner in Barcelona by Crash.net columnist Mark Blundell, Trulli will have to see if he can pick up his win this time around instead and certainly has the potential to so, if maybe not the car. The Italian admits he is unsure on how the Toyota package will cope with the unique challenge of racing around the Monte Carlo streets, but will be trying his hardest to keep the impressive run going for both himself and his team.

Team-mate Ralf Schumacher is also confident of a good result in Monaco, although like Trulli he is keen to wait and see how the car performs once the teams take the track for the first practice sessions on Thursday before he gets too carried away. The German driver will be desperate to be on the pace from the start of the weekend on the most difficult circuit on the calendar on which to overtake and admits that making the right tyre choice will be crucial on how successful the weekend goes - especially with the rules for 2005 stating that tyres have to last for an entire race.

After the obvious disappointment of his retirement in San Marino, Kimi Raikkonen arrives in the millionaires playground on a high after his dominant victory last time out in Barcelona. The Finn lies third in the drivers standings following his first win of the year, and over the course of the FIA GT championship meeting at Silverstone was tipped as the man most likely to challenge Alonso for the title by both Martin Brundle and Sir Jackie Stewart. If that is going to happen then Raikkonen has to keep on performing as he did in Spain and keep closing the gap to the current series leader.

Team-mate Juan Pablo Montoya starts his second race since his comeback from injury and will be out to repeat his victory of 2003. A strong test at Paul Ricard means the Columbian heads into the weekend confident of picking up his first win for the team, although Mercedes Benz boss Norbert Haug feels as many as six drivers could realistically be in the hunt for victory around the Monte Carlo streets. As long as both drivers qualify well, it is likely that McLaren will be the main challengers to Renault this weekend.

Williams go to Monaco in fourth place in the standings for the race which Mark Webber describes as 'one of the greatest challenges of the season'. While the speeds may be low, at least by the standards of Formula One racing, the Aussie is quick to point out that the only street race on the calendar is one of, if not the, most challenging race of the year, with no room for error. Webber and team-mate Nick Heidfeld head to the principality with more aerodynamic improvements which should help improve the car still further, and that could be key with both drivers making a point of how difficult it is to overtake around the Monte Carlo streets in the run-up to the event. A productive test at Vallelunga, when the team also worked on its practice starts, means Williams are confident heading into the weekend and will be aiming to secure at least a podium finish from the showcase race of the season.

Life hasn't been easy so far for Ferrari with the F2005 and no-one expected the team to be in the position it is in after five races of the season. Retirement in Spain means world champion Michael Schumacher in on the back foot from the start this weekend as he will be forced to go out early in qualifying as a result. However Schumacher refuses to give up although he admits that it could be tough with the starting grid in Monaco so crucial to the outcome of the race itself. While it may not look like it to an outsider, Schumacher insists that Ferrari are improving and will come good again. Whether that happens this weekend will very much depend on how strongly Schumacher can perform when the chips are down in qualifying. One thing he won't want is a repeat of his accident twelve months ago as another retirement would surely end his title hopes.

Rubens Barrichello finds himself even worse off than Schumacher heading into the weekend and like his team-mate needs to start scoring fast if the team is to challenge for honours. Then again, with the eyes of the motorsport world on Monte Carlo this weekend could there be a better stage on which for Ferrari to finally show that it is still a force to be reckoned with?

Having made such an impression on the F1 paddock so far, Red Bull Racing will hope to 'feel the force' this weekend in Monte Carlo. The team has a promotional tie-up with the makers of the Star Wars movies in Monaco and both David Coulthard and Vitantonio Liuzzi will be aiming for a good result in front of the assembled guests from the film world.

Liuzzi has won around the streets of Monte Carlo is F3000 so knows what it takes to perform on what is arguably the most challenging circuit in Formula One and is also confident that the Red Bull car will be strong around the tight and twisty venue. The only downside for the Italian rookie is that he will be out early in qualifying and will need to push as hard as he can so as not to be too far down the grid in what is due to be the last of his three race stint behind the wheel. His result this weekend could decide whether he stays on in the role or whether Christian Klein comes back into a race seat for the next round at the Nurburgring. DC is also a winner around the Monaco streets and is confident that his strong season so far will be continued. With the team having focused on an improved aero package and on the traction control system in the tests following Barcelona, it's possible that Red Bull could spring a surprise, especially given how tough it would be for people to get past Coulthard if he was able to get out front.

Sauber are another team who will have an improved aerodynamic package in use this weekend to cope with the tight and twisty nature of the Monaco circuit. The team hopes that the new package will enable Jacques Villeneuve and Felipe Massa to get maximum down force and the duo will also have revised front suspension to improve the steering lock and improved power steering to help cope with the tightest and slowest corners in the calendar.

Spain may not have gone to plan for Villeneuve, but on the plus side for the former world champion, his tyres were strong and that is something which could be key this weekend. With the pressure on his shoulders lifted somewhat by his points in San Marino, the Canadian driver can look forward to the weekend on a circuit he admits he enjoys and hope to add to his current tally of five points. Massa will hope to repeat his points finish of twelve months ago, although he had encountered bad luck in Monte Carlo on more than one occasion. Points for either driver this weekend are a possibility and would be much appreciated by the team.

The weekend promises to be a tough one for both Jordan and Minardi, with the four drivers all making their Monaco F1 debuts in cars that aren't yet up to speed. However in the Jordan camp, both Tiago Monteiro and Narain Karthikeyan are confident of a good result. While neither has the experience in Monte Carlo, both have been working hard on their mental and physical fitness ahead of the weekend and have at least one thing working in their favour. The Jordan package has been reliable this season, if not the quickest on the grid, and that could help in the quest to score those elusive points this weekend. Team boss Trevor Carlin says he hopes that will be the case this weekend although it could well prove to be just a step too far.

Christijan Albers and Patrick Friesacher will continue to work on the new Minardi PS05, which was closer to the pace in Spain before the problems that hit at the start of the race and ultimately saw both cars retire. It will be a tough weekend for the team, and both drivers will do well to avoid trouble and bring their cars home in one piece.

The small Italian outfit will hope that the work Bridgestone had been doing with its more illustrious country men will assist them this weekend, with the tyre manufacturer eager to outscore rivals Michelin in the main event of the year. Bridgestone will provide a new compound of tyre to cope with the new rules this season and is confident that is has made the right choices after testing with Ferrari at Fiorano. Michelin meanwhile have won the last three races in Monaco so know what to do to win, and they hope that the softer compound tyres used in the principality will be up to the job.

And so to the race which, if Haugs prediction is correct, could be one of the most exciting of the year. Its just a shame that one of the people who could have challenged for a win after his strong performance in 2004, a certain Mr Button, is likely to be watching on from one of the many boats moored in the Monaco harbour...