Could you imagine a Formula One season sans its touch of gluttonous glamour? The mantra of Monte Carlo? If you've got it, flaunt it. Steeped in history and rich in storyline, the Circuit de Monaco does just that every year in May.
One of the finest ways to view the principality is peeping over the top of the bulkhead of the world's finest racers, threading yourself through the worryingly close barriers; past glistening bodies of water, elite casinos, expensive yachts, apartments and hotels.
There truly is nothing like it. Overtaking at an absolute premium, three times World Champion Nelson Piquet remarked that a lap round here was like "riding a bicycle around your living room".
Over the years, the track has changed relatively little, given the fact it's been on the calendar in nearly every year of the World Championship. Revisions have been made here and there, but the heart of it remains the same. You still go round Saint-Devote, pay a visit to the Fairmont Hotel and roar through the tunnel.
A whole host of bumps and elevation changes on what is in essence, public roads for 51 weeks of the year - plus very little in the way of space to manoeuvre - makes Monaco the most demanding race of the year.
78 laps betwixt an armco jungle for the race everybody wants to win. Teams even take wedges out of their suspension upright and use one-off steering racks in order to maximise turning circles.
Many of the grid call it home, you'll have to ask the straight talking Gerhard Berger why, that is if you didn't have an inkling already...
Tight and sapping, let's go through an exhilarating 80 odd seconds.
Track guide
Due to its shortness, you'll be building speed all the way down the pit straight, before picking your braking point for Saint-Devote. Now that there's no barrier on the inside, it's not the challenge it once was, but it's still easy to look a fool if you get it wrong. Third gear, shift the car right, clip the kerb and climb up the hill, slinking flat out through Beau Rivage.
At the top of the hill, fall down to fifth gear for the entrance of Massenet, there's more grip than you think on the outside; drop down another gear for the second part of the corner before quickly turning to the right for Casino Square. Down the hill we go, swerving to the right in order to miss the large bump on the left hand side, before dragging ourselves back over to brake for Mirabeau. Second gear, hook the front wheels into the inside rain gully and use that to pull you round this enjoyable corner.
A quick burst of throttle and we arrive at the famous hairpin, the slowest corner in F1. Just 27 miles per hour at the apex - you can't even get a speeding ticket for that on most UK roads! Rotate the car on its axis and negotiate the next right of Turn 7, take a big slice of kerb, it helps you. Don't relax just yet, Portier comes a second later. This corner caught Monaco master Ayrton Senna out in 1988 when he was 55 seconds clear of Alain Prost, so don't you dare underestimate it.
We're just over a third of the way through a lap as we enter the iconic, death defying tunnel section. Due to the meek whine of the V6 Turbos in comparison to the rich scream of the naturally aspirated V10 and V12 engines, it's not the audible delight it once was; still exciting though, sweep round the right hander before bursting out into harsh sunlight, having to find your braking point for the Nouvelle Chicane whilst your eyes still adjust.
Clip the kerb on the left, then the right, right again and open up your steering wheel for the corner ending left, bumping all the way to the fear inducing Tabac. Touch of brake, down to fifth, throw the car in using all your bravery and pray that you don't hit anything. The next chicane - named after vintage Monegasque racer Louis Chiron - is a nigh on flat out hop over the kerbs that leads to a big braking zone for a much slower chicane.
Out of the swimming pool section and into the final part of the lap. La Rascasse has been opened up and straightened since the start of the millennium, but it's still easy to make a mistake. Second gear round to the right, under the iconic bridge and into the gasworks corner of Anthony Noghes - the founding father of this track. Spot your turn in point, get as close to the wall as you dare and put your foot down, open the DRS and head for the line.
Statistics
Most wins for a driver: Ayrton Senna - 6
Most wins for a constructor: McLaren - 15
Lap Record (current variation): 1:17.939 - Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 2016
Did you know?
The 1996 race - won by Ligier's Olivier Panis from fourteenth on the grid - only saw 4 cars finish the race, due to poor reliabilty and a wet track. It remains a World Championship record.