It was twenty years ago that the Monaco Grand Prix saw perhaps the greatest duel between two drivers in the street race around the Mediterranean Principality. British driver Nigel Mansell had started from pole position in his Williams and led for 71 of the 77 laps.
Then Mansell dived into the pits. A punctured left rear tyre handed the lead to Monaco legend Ayrton Senna in his McLaren. Undaunted, Mansell drove over two seconds a lap faster than his rival and with four laps remaining, was on Senna's tail.
At every corner, Mansell attacked and Senna parried, blocking every move. The two cars took the chequered flag just 0.2 of a second apart and such had been the drivers' exertions, Senna was too exhausted to hold the trophy aloft during the victory celebrations, while Mansell collapsed on the track beneath the winner's podium!
One wonders whether we might just see a similar race develop this weekend.
Certainly, in what has become one of the most closely-fought and unpredictable seasons in Formula One history, nothing can be ruled out.
Heading into the 78-lap marathon around the city streets, two drivers could potentially provide similar fireworks. Lewis Hamilton has a proven record at Monaco, claiming second place on his Formula One debut in 2007 and victory the following year.
Despite consistently being one of the fastest drivers on the track, Hamilton has yet to win a race this season; mostly it has to be said, not due to him, but due to the team. While last season, Lewis's attitude and apparent lack of concentration made him the ‘clown prince' of Formula One, this year McLaren's pit stops and strategies might come under the Shakespearian title “Comedy of Errors”.
Perhaps Hamilton could have the last laugh this weekend. McLaren has a car which looks well suited to Monaco's twists and turns and a driver deeply determined to deliver. Except, Ferrari might do even better.
The Scuderia is another team which has had a bad start to the season, but could come good this weekend. The F2012 demonstrated that the team's pre-season design and development processes are deeply flawed, but some intense work behind the scenes and not least, the calm influence of former McLaren technical director Pat Fry are bearing fruit.
Alonso factor
Added to that, there is the Alonso factor. The Spaniard is a double Monaco winner, taking victory in 2006 and 2007 with McLaren and Renault respectively, and his ability to hustle even an uncompetitive car around a street circuit is unparalleled.
Remember Alonso at Singapore in 2010? The Spaniard flattered an ill-handling Ferrari with a spell-binding performance under the lights that saw him take his first pole position and then victory.
Or Monaco that same year? That time, Alonso's aggressive driving style got the better of him and he crashed in pre-qualifying practice, damaging his Ferrari so badly that it couldn't be repaired that day. Alonso, therefore, started from the back on Sunday, but fought his way from 24th and last to sixth place at the chequered flag.
While it would be nice to speculate on a one-on-one duel on the Monaco streets, this year's ultra-close season could make it more like a free-for-all street fight. It is impossible to rule out either last year's winner Sebastian Vettel or 2010 winner Mark Webber, whose Red Bulls clearly have a winning pedigree at the Principality.
Finally don't rule out Pastor Maldonado, who returned Williams to winning ways in Spain. Quite simply, this weekend's race is set to be one of the most unpredictable since Grand Prix racing arrived in the Principality in 1920. I can't wait!
Steve Slater is an F1 commentator on STAR Sports
