In the land of glitz and glamour, the rich and the famous and the strikingly outrageous, it’s up to Ferrari to build on their promising Spanish display with a move back to the top step of the podium.

To put it simply, Monaco is the one race everyone wants to win. With it’s illustrious racing past and overdrive of interested sponsors, the tight street circuit spits out mistakes and rewards true brilliance. Yet Ferrari’s recent record is poorer than any other track, with Michael Schumacher’s win in 2001 the last time a driver has managed to take the pretigious win. Even when Schumi took an unprecedented 12 wins from 13 races in 2004, it was only Monaco that he couldn’t win, after a bizarre knock with Juan Pablo Montoya in the tunnel, while the safety car was seemlingly keeping order. Even the smallest mistake here can lead to heartbreak.

That said, early signs look promising. The team had failed to top a practice session since Bahrain, but Fernando Alonso managed to stick his car fastest in both of Thursday’s runnings – given the sublime one-two that followed in Sakhir, it’s safe to say that will give the team massive confidence. One lap pace here is crucial with overtaking almost impossible, and with the Red Bull’s not looking as sharp as usual, there is definitely scope for the first Ferrari pole position since 2008′s  Brazilian finale. Even last year’s uncompetitive F9 managed second on the grid – if the F10 takes to the track like it’s predecessor then expect points galore.

The team’s stunning early performance is a little suprising, with the car carrying no extra upgrades from Spain, and the big improvement, the new F-duct system, being temporarily ditched. But out of somewhere, the team have jump started the competition at the Principality, and unlike Alonso’s lead at China, it seems pretty genuine.

For the drivers, Monaco is a challenge they know well. Felipe Massa has never won the grand prix, but took pole in 2008 before a mistake in the wet meant he had to settle for third, matching his 2007 performance. Alonso romped to pole position, fastest lap and the win in that race, and having also dominated in 2006 in the middle of a four-race winning spree, it’s hard to look past the Spaniard leading Ferrari’s charge. However, Felipe needs a win to boost a flagging championship race that he previously led, and with drivers expecting qualifying choas, never rule him out.

The early verdict? All signs are pointing to another Alonso master class.

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