Virtual Monaco: where constructors test before the race weekend

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London, ENGLAND (CNN) -- As the only street-circuit in the Formula 1 calendar, Monaco is a unique proposition (though two new street circuits may be joining the calendar for 2008 -- Singapore and Valencia). And it creates a unique problem: how to prepare for a race weekend held on a track formed from urban streets that are usually humming with taxis, scooters and flamboyant automobiles?

The answer is found 193 km (120 miles) away in the outskirts of Le Castellet, in southern France. This is home to the Circuit Paul Ricard, which last week was the test track for the Formula 1 constructors.

If you can't practise at Monaco, you have to practise elsewhere. But where else could replicate Monaco's unique set of twists and turns? This is achieved at Circuit Paul Ricard because it has a track with a modifiable circuit, allowing for 180 different permutations. At its longest, Circuit Paul Ricard is 6.1 km (3.8 miles), at its shortest 0.8 km (0.5 miles).

This allows the teams to carry out testing on tracks with similar layouts to those of forthcoming races. Last week the Formula 1 teams tested their cars on tracks simulating the upcoming Monaco and Canadian Grand Prix layouts.

The track was the brainchild of Paul Ricard, who made his fortune in the drinks business. His family firm, Ricard, produced pastis -- the aniseed liqeur that turns opaque when water is added.

A private airfield was built on the site in 1962, with the motor racing circuit opening nine years later. And it soon became a regular fixture on the F1 calendar, hosting 14 Formula 1 Grands Prix between 1971 and 1990.

In 1975 Ricard merged with rival Pernod to form what is now the world's second largest spirits company, Pernod-Ricard, headed by Paul's son Patrick Ricard (Fortune magazine's European Businessman of the Year' for 2006). Ricard senior, meanwhile, kept an interest in the circuit until his death in 1999.

After Ricard's death, the circuit was bought by F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone and French company Excelsis, leading to speculation that it might eventually become a home for future Grands Prix. To date French Grands Prix have continued to be held at Magny-Cours but interest in the Paul Ricard gives Ecclestone a strong bargaining position when negotiating contracts with Magny-Cours' owners.

Originally the circuit had three possible layouts. But in recent years it has been extensively modified by Excelsis (under the management of former advertising executive, and motor racing fanatic, Philippe Gurdjian) and renamed Paul Ricard High Tech Test Track. Gurdjian was behind the circuit's distinctive blue-striped edges, which won him an award from the Grand Prix du Festival Automobile in 2003 for its "aesthetics linked to safety".

You can approximate a circuit, but some aspects of Monaco will remain unique. With its position on a plateau, the Paul Ricard is almost entirely flat, while the streets of Monte Carlo are notably hilly. And no track in the world can simulate Monaco's infamous low-visibility tunnel. Free practice seesions at the REAL Monaco begin today.

It may offer little in the way of overtaking and seem hopelessly outdated but the Grand Prix of Monaco continues to be the fans' favourite.

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