Grand Prix 2010 Monaco Grand Prix Practice, Qualifying & Race Discussion

Typical F1. You wait three weeks for a race and then two come along at once.
So it's on to one of F1's 'Marmite' tracks since drivers, teams and fans alike either love it or hate it. One thing's for sure though, Monaco provides a unique challenge and is one of the few tracks left on the calendar where mistakes aren't rewarded with a three mile wide run off area. Instead, drivers who over-cook it at Monaco are met with the sound of cracking carbon fibre and the end of their afternoon.

As we all know, qualification on Saturday is the key to race performance on Sunday. The debate has raged this year as to whether the first session of qualification should be split but this now looks unlikely to happen. The back markers however, will have to be even more vigilant of their surroundings.

Several areas of the track have been re-surfaced but the road is always going to be bumpy and some of the kerbs around the Swimming Pool and Nouvelle Chicanes have been raised to prevent them being cut by drivers.

To win in Monaco you need a perfectly balanced car instead of massive straight line speed. Expect McLaren and Red Bull to be right on the pace all weekend. Ferrari and Mercedes have pace but whether their cars are subtle enough for Monaco remains to be seen. Because there is less requirement for top end speed this is a good chance for Renault and Force India to push the big four and they may cause an upset.

Williams and Toro Rosso seem a bit out of sorts at the moment and if Williams' aero package problems at Spain were anything to go by, don't expect a great deal of improvement this weekend.

At the back of the grid the 6 mobile chicanes will once again be raising the blood pressure of those towards the front of the grid. Expect plenty more "Charlie, Charlie......" radio calls this weekend. Virgin look set to continue with only one updated car. The battle between the three could be a lot closer here because again it's not all about speed.
 
Re: 2010 Monaco GP Practice, Qualifying & Race Discussion

I have now revised my position :D

40.13 If the race ends whilst the safety car is deployed it will enter the pit lane at the end of the last lap and the cars will take the chequered flag as normal without overtaking

However...

40.11 When the clerk of the course decides it is safe to call in the safety car the message "SAFETY CAR IN THIS LAP" will be displayed on the timing monitors and the car's orange lights will be extinguished This will be the signal to the teams and drivers that it will be entering the pit lane at the end of that lap (with overtaking allowed after the first Safety Car line).

I suspect as race control signalled the SC was "in this lap" that 40.11 will take precedence over 40.13.
 
Re: 2010 Monaco GP Practice, Qualifying & Race Discussion

the rules said:
If the race ends whilst the safety car is deployed"

This is the key phrase, because the Safety Car was not deployed when the race reached its conclusion. The race finished under SC in Monza last year, not here.
 
Re: 2010 Monaco GP Practice, Qualifying & Race Discussion

Its an interesting one but i'm coming down on the Ross Brawn side having seen the evidence of which most compelling were the green lights and flags seen as soon as the saftey car peeled off into the pits.
 
Re: 2010 Monaco GP Practice, Qualifying & Race Discussion

Does anyone know when the race becomes available on iplayer? As i've been stuck in the office all day, and the company chairman was in so I couldn't hook up the projector :(
 
Re: 2010 Monaco GP Practice, Qualifying & Race Discussion

The classification file has been available for some time.
That doesn't mean they can't be changed after the event though.

The results are still showing as provisional on F1.com

Edit: I notice that FIA file also states the results are preliminary.
 
Re: 2010 Monaco GP Practice, Qualifying & Race Discussion

Michael Schumacher has been penalised 20 seconds.

If the rules are so clear, why did it take the stewards 4 hours to reach a decision?

Farcical.
 
Re: 2010 Monaco GP Practice, Qualifying & Race Discussion

Brogan said:
Michael Schumacher has been penalised 20 seconds.

If the rules are so clear, why did it take the stewards 4 hours to reach a decision?

Farcical.

And down goes the fia.com LOL
 
Re: 2010 Monaco GP Practice, Qualifying & Race Discussion

Cancer Cowboy said:
And down goes the fia.com LOL
It's been down pretty much since the race ended :D

Here's a video of Australia 2009 which finished under the SC similar to Monaco.
Note how the SC boards are still out and the yellow flags are waving, despite the SC having entered the pits on the last lap - 1:08 into the video.

 
Re: 2010 Monaco GP Practice, Qualifying & Race Discussion

:givemestrength: I never thought I would ever feel sorry for Michael Schumacher. This is a travesty and perhaps having Damon Hill as a steward whilst his nemesis was still racing wasn't such a good idea. :bored:
 
Re: 2010 Monaco GP Practice, Qualifying & Race Discussion

Comment on the BBC news during their review of the GP that Hamilton was stuck in 5th gear during the race but I can't find anywhere else on the web to confirm or deny it. If it's true it may change my driver of the weekend vote...
 
Re: 2010 Monaco GP Practice, Qualifying & Race Discussion

I can't imagine he'd be able to finish a lap stuck in 5th gear, there are a few 1st gear corners at Monaco.
Unless of course the engine has enough torque, which is debatable as they don't put out much more than the average sports car do they?

I haven't seen it mentioned anywhere else though, time for some scouting around.
 
Re: 2010 Monaco GP Practice, Qualifying & Race Discussion

Brogan said:
Unless of course the engine has enough torque, which is debatable as they don't put out much more than the average sports car do they?

On one of the Free Practice sessions (I think at the Spanish GP last weekend?), Anthony Davidson remarked on how little torque the F1 engine has. Something like: 'there is no turbo and little amount of torque... the rev's need to be kept up, because as soon as they're allowed to drop there is little oomph without dropping down a gear'...

Or something along those lines. :unsure:
 
Re: 2010 Monaco GP Practice, Qualifying & Race Discussion

Just realised, the numpty on the news said Lewis was "stuck in 5th" which I took to mean 5th gear but he meant 5th position - oh the joys of the English language :doh:
 
Re: 2010 Monaco GP Practice, Qualifying & Race Discussion

Mercedes have decided not to appeal the penalty decision.

Apparently rule 40.13 and post race penalties will be discussed at the next OWG.

"The FIA has agreed to include article 40.13 on the agenda of the next Sporting Working Group for discussion and to consider the scale of post race penalties," the team added.

Obviously the rule is open to interpretation otherwise it wouldn't be up for discussion and review.
It's at times like this that the over-complicated rule book and rigid penalty structure does F1 no favours.
 
Re: 2010 Monaco GP Practice, Qualifying & Race Discussion

Tell him to keep it out of the wall in FP3 if he wants to take part in qualifying - it happened to Red Bull at Suzuka last year, and its happened to you here. Grow up!
 
Re: 2010 Monaco GP Practice, Qualifying & Race Discussion

No Ferrari are right, after all they only got rid of the spare car to cut costs and the teams have abjectly failed to reduce expenditure, so why not increase it?

Now that the banks have been bailed out and everyone's forgotten why we gave them billions, they have loads of money to lend but can't find anyone rich and stupid enough to lend it to. F1 is an ideal candidate for ludicrous loans and speculation.
 
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