Rain forecast for this weekend could turn the glamourous Grand Prix into a game of chance.
With traction control systems banned and drivers needing to be inch-perfect as they thread their cars around the tight and twisty circuit hemmed in by metal barriers, there is plenty of scope for mayhem in the wet.
"Without traction control, it will be a lottery," said Ferrari's Felipe Massa, winner of two of the past three races this season, but no fan of Monaco GP.
Honda's Jenson Button agreed conditions could be difficult, with the painted road markings becoming an additional danger when wet and slippery.
"If you are driving around a normal circuit and you lock up a front in the wet, you can run wide. But here, there is no run-off area, so you are going to hit a wall," said the Briton.
McLaren's Lewis Hamilton, runner-up here last year, was fastest in Thursday's practice and a clear favourite to emulate his idol Ayrton Senna with a Monaco victory.
The 23-year-old said he was ready for whatever the elements threw at him on Sunday.
"If it does rain, it's going to be very tricky out on the track for sure, but that's part of the game," Hamilton said. (Reuters)
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