Monaco: Friday weather update

[davewilson]

Welcome back to a quiet Monte Carlo after all the drama of practice yesterday. As is custom for the Monaco Grand Prix, Friday is a rest day, as the streets are re-opened to the public before being close again for Saturday and Sunday.

While the action is expected to be as good as ever, things are not looking as good on the weather-front. Although today and tomorrow, Saturday, are likely to be fully dry, with highs of 27 and 24°C respectively, Sunday's forecast has steadily worsened.

With Saturday having a 40% chance of rain, Sunday's original 60% has swelled to 80%, meaning most teams will be expecting a wet race in two days time. Temperatures will drop again, this time to 22°C, albeit much less important if the expected rain arrives.

The 3.340 km Circuit de Monaco remains unchanged from last year, when Fernando Alonso took the victory from McLaren's Juan Pablo Montoya, with Red Bull's David Coulthard completing the podium. This year's race will be run over 78 laps, bringing the race distance to 260.520 km. However, if the rain does make an appearance on race-day, it's unlikely that the 78 laps will be completed within the 2-hour time-limit.