1

There's just no where on that track where anyone can do any passing, is there? The only reasonably straight stretch is the one involving the tunnel, which wrecks the driver's vision so he can't really control closely enough for a safe pass.

For a lot of the track it's just too damned narrow. And none of those curves look like passing curves.

I get the impression the only real way to "pass" someone is by having a faster pitstop, or fewer of them.

2 That about covers it, Steven.  The front "straight" and Sainte Devote is about the only place you can pass, and that with difficulty.  Really really gutsy drivers could also try something through Portier and the tunnel, but as you point out, your vision sort of stinks there.

Unless you're driving a Force India and you dodge around six cars under a yellow flag at Loews Hairpin, of course.  Then there's PLENTY of places to pass!

But, yes, the pitstops hold sway on this one.  Unless it's wet, like last year.

3

By the way, it looks like turns 10 and 11 are synthetic, created just by building a hump of asphalt and painting stripes on it. In that run he cuts a bit off both corners, I think, and that chicane looks like a great place to cheat.

How do they enforce it? Or is it the case that the humps are high enough to represent a serious hazard to the car? because if not you could pass someone there by straightening out the corners. Presumably that would be a foul.

4

It is.  It's not uncommon to see a car blow the chicane, but any advantage earned by doing so MUST be relinquished immediately.  That's what happened to Lewis Hamilton at Spa last year, essentially.

Sometimes cars HAVE to straightline the chicane, particularly the one you're asking about, just because the driver completely blows the braking point.  It happens to everybody, eventually.

Also, if you hit the curb at speed, you stand a fine chance of breaking something when you land. 

5 When they model that 10-11 chicane in games like Gran Turismo, they always make sure to build in a solid wall there rather than allow players to blow over the top. Otherwise it becomes an easy cheat-cut. (I wonder if there's some legal reason they couldn't call the track "Monaco" in the game?)

Going over that curb (intentional or not) has got to do wonders for the aero package on the bottom of the car.