Anyone with a passing interest in Formula 1 will know about the iconic status of the Monaco Grand Prix.

And almost all of those know that the Monte Carlo street circuit is the hardest place to overtake on the F1 calendar.

Ironically there have been complaints that overtaking has become too easy recently at other locations, whereas the opposite was true a few years ago before new introductions such as DRS and Kers helped counteract the negative effects of dirty air.

Either way, overtaking manoeuvres will not be the main draw at Monaco this weekend, with pole position being crucial.

That does not mean that overtaking is impossible. There are a few places where a driver can get a run on the car in front such as the first turn (St Devote) after the curved main straight or the exit to the tunnel – assuming the sudden shift from darkness to bright sunlight does not temporarily blind the driver.

More tricky areas where overtakes can just about be pulled off include the hairpin and up the hill at Beau Rivage.

Here are a few examples of overtakes at different points of the circuit with a map provided below:

Lewis Hamilton pulls a brave move on Schumacher at St Devote: 

An overtake at the hill of Beau Rivage, just after Sante Devote is rare, but Raikkonen managed an exhilarating pass on Mark Webber there in 2005. 

This overtake would have been perfectly legal back in the day. But if Olivier Panis had shunted Eddie Irvine into the barrier at the Grand Hotel hairpin like that today, he would face a penalty. 

As mentioned earlier making a move stick out of the tunnel is difficult due to the sudden change in light and the relatively short run to the left corner. Secondly there is a sizeable bump on the run down to the turn. But in 2005 Nick Heidfeld managed to get soon-to-be World Champion Fernando Alonso there.  

 The Monaco GP map