Grand Prix 2011 Monaco Grand Prix Practice, Qualifying & Race Discussion

Well how about that then, in a similar case in 2010 the doom and gloom merchants have vanished with a cracking grand prix in Spain. With the champagne still flowing we move on to Monaco a week later.

Mclaren will be a lot happier after running Red Bull all the way to the finish at a circuit where Red Bull normally run out of sight and could be favourites going into the Monaco race. Red Bull, however, will be the team to beat after 4 wins out of 5 races with Vettel looking unbeatable at the front but Spain showed that he wouldn't have it all his own way with Hamilton chasing him all the way to the end, even if Vettel extended his ever growing lead at the top of the championship

Ferrari seemed to have dropped back again after a superb start in Spain and eventually Alonso wound up 5th. But no doubt the Scuderia will be challenging the Mclarens and Red Bulls come the Grand Prix on Sunday. Felipe Massa's early season promise has vanished and he's back to his 2010 level and his seat will be back under scrutiny if he continues this lack of speed

Michael Schumacher will have reason to be optimistic after a strong race, beating his team mate and finishing a strong 6th as he best of the rest behind the Ferraris,Mclarens and Red Bulls. Mercedes no doubt have become the 4th fastest team over Renault who are now fighting over the lower points with Sauber and Force India.

However the big question on everyones lips will be DRS which didnt help overtaking in Spain (which is better) but more importantly where it will be placed on a circuit where straight track is at a premium so safety is a concern.

HRT continue to improve and are taking the fight to Virgin which for them is a massive achievement and its not long before they overtake them while Team lotus's optimism on Saturday didn't replicate on Sunday with a DNF for Kovalainen. But on a track where they would be weak, to get into Q2 is a massive achievement.

Hope seems to have returned to F1 after a surprisingly exciting race in Spain and it seems as if the feared Red Bull domination has been alleviated by the charging Mclarens and while Monaco is never a classic due to the nature of the track, it's certainly a spectacle

For Galahad's superb write up see here http://cliptheapex.com/pages/circuit-de-monaco/

 

[johnnoble1990]

It is Qualification, despite popular belief, ferrari are not master schemers of devilish proportions. On the same token why didn't he get out 5 seconds earlier?

What Lewis you mean? Lewis was coming from his outlap...

 

[Slyboogy]

I wonder if tyres might play a bigger part than people think. They allow for a flexible strategy and it looks like a few teams might have got a bit complacent because of the lack of overtaking in Monaco.

I think so too, but I am sure we will see a lot of the bottom half of the top 10 get jumped at the stops.

 

[downforce]

I don't know, he could have pulled off the racing line and got out of the power like many other drivers did today

 

[Boyle]

It is Qualification, despite popular belief, ferrari are not master schemers of devilish proportions.

This quote probably deserves a thread of its own!

They must have known what they were doing, they released him at a moment where Lewis would catch him at an awkward moment and therefore Felipe had nowhere to go. Release him earlier and Felipe would have been able to move out of the way with ease; later and this problem doesn't arise.

 

[Brogan]

Sarinaide, you shouldn't really take everything so seriously.

There was a at the end of my post.

 

[johnnoble1990]

Sarinaide, you shouldn't really take everything so seriously.

There was a at the end of my post.

Smiley's are the saviours of the internet forum. It is the only way to understand the tone of something.

 

[Brogan]

This on Twitter just now:
"Lewis and Martin Whitmarsh admit McLaren took a gamble that didn't pay off, one run and no banker time"

So there was nothing wrong with the car, it was just terrible strategy...again.

 

[Brogan]

Monaco, May 28th - It has been confirmed that Sauber F1 Team driver Sergio Perez is stable, conscious and talking. He is still currently undergoing tests at Princesse Grace hospital. According to doctors he has suffered a concussion but has not sustained any fractures. His condition is currently reported as “encouraging”. He will remain in hospital overnight.

Matteo Bonciani
F1 Head of Communications and Press Delegate

http://www.fia.com/en-GB/mediacentre/f1_media/Documents/mco-perez-accident.pdf

 

[Slyboogy]

I have heard from another forum that Hamilton will start 9th as his laptime at the end did not count.

 

[Boyle]

And why not do the same to screw Vettel? Makes no sense, you guys are just trying to smudge Ferrari for absolutely nothing, and us Ferrari fans cannot defend it.

That said, it's not like it would have been a masterplan, just a piece of opportunism - if indeed they meant to hold up a competitor. Had the opportunity arisen with Vettel or another driver they would be racing on the Sunday then I don't think any team would have passed it up.

 

[Sarinaide]

I am content with Alonso, grid start, has a good shot, if he can perhaps pull a Catalunya start then adopt a thy shalt not pass philosophy maybe make Vettel do something extreme.

 

[Sarinaide]

That said, it's not like it would have been a masterplan, just a piece of opportunism - if indeed they meant to hold up a competitor. Had the opportunity arisen with Vettel or another driver they would be racing on the Sunday then I don't think any team would have passed it up.

I think if you had a pole on this, you would find that the popular consensus is that at monaco more than any other track, get out early, never bank on a bonzai lap.

 

[Slyboogy]

I am content with Alonso, grid start, has a good shot, if he can perhaps pull a Catalunya start then adopt a thy shalt not pass philosophy maybe make Vettel do something extreme.

Shorter run down to the first corner in Monaco....well much shorter, but have hope!

 

[Brogan]

I have heard from another forum that Hamilton will start 9th as his laptime at the end did not count.

I thought it was Button who cut the chicane, not Hamilton?

The results are showing as final, not provisional.
Not that that means much.

 

[johnnoble1990]

That said, it's not like it would have been a masterplan, just a piece of opportunism - if indeed they meant to hold up a competitor. Had the opportunity arisen with Vettel or another driver they would be racing on the Sunday then I don't think any team would have passed it up.

Personally i think we can draw a line under it saying it was probably a coincidence. I think we even got to see Massa's stop for tyres and it was literally stop-tyres on-go, so it is hard to read anything from it.

 

[johnnoble1990]

I wouldn't trust other forums for news. This one is the ultimate for that sort of stuff.

 

[Sarinaide]

Shorter run down to the first corner in Monaco....well much shorter, but have hope!

In Nando we trust, oh I just hope that Ferrari can get the downforce sorted, particularly for the future "hard" compound races.

As much as it pains me to say that Vettel is cantering on the yellow brick road to glory, I think Webber needs to get out of his funk, and a combination of Jensen, Lewis and Alonso need to find a way to slow him in his stride, or this will be the season of "who finishes second"

 

[Boyle]

Oh don't get me wrong, it was bordering on idiotic that Hamilton didn't go out earlier.

I'm just saying I think Ferrari knew exactly what they were doing with that stop for tyres

 

[Slyboogy]

I thought it was Button who cut the chicane, not Hamilton?

The results are showing as final, not provisional.
Not that that means much.

Apprently he took it too "aggressively", I know in the F1 2010 game if you take a lot of kerb into turn 1 you get a warning and your time gets discounted, possibly because the pitlane exit is so close.

But that is a game not real life.

As for it confirmed I don't know, but it's what Sea-man from Muzz606 put, and he is an avid Lewis Hamilton fan.

 

[johnnoble1990]

I would love to see Jenson jump Vettel at the start. That has been the key to slowing him so far. Hopefully Lewis can jump a few as well.