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

Status
Not open for further replies.
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/
 
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"

Webber looks like a "broken" man...
 
Hmmm, this just posted on Twitter:

Hamilton says plan was 1 run in Q3. Also hopes he'll start 6th as "hopefully another driver will lose his position"

I presume that may be related to Massa?
 
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.

Would he get to chose his tyres, because in that case i'll take it. Using the softs from the start could payoff later.
 
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. :p

Last week was actually a good indication of how badly in traffic and on similar/new tyres just how even it was, despite how bad Ferrari were percieved to be, there was no way even in the last turn Vettel was going to get close, as it transpired the strategy was wrong by Ferrari, but it shows and Monaco in particular, RBR are human behind other cars, that said they haven't been behind for much this season.
 
Would he get to chose his tyres, because in that case i'll take it. Using the softs from the start could payoff later.

No, because he gets penalised, so they do this so that the driver can't have an advantage even if he has been penalised.

As for massa getting a penalty, I find that very harsh... (the Hamilton penalty isn't confirmed so I am not judging it right now)
 
In Lewis' own words.

"Engineers advise that we should do one [run] at the end of Q3 and I didn't contest it. You always have to take a balanced view with the engineers.
"I definitely didn't take into account - and I know they didn't either – that in Monaco you can't take risks in leaving it [your lap] right to the end.
"You have to get out and get in a banker, like everyone else did. With racing experience you'd assume that most people would have that, but I guess other things were going on and we didn't have that. It's my worst Q3 for a long time."

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/91813

I can't quite believe what I'm reading there.
So no-one in McLaren thought that doing a banker lap was important?
Or just those on Lewis's side of the garage? Jenson didn't have any issues with getting a banker lap in.
 
Look, I'm a big Hamilton fan and as disappointed over his Q3 as anyone. But it's only qualifying, the race isn't begun yet let alone finished and, more than anything, I am relieved to hear that the news about Perez seems positive.
Here's wishing him a speedy recovery and hoping that he can return to racing at Montreal.
 
I think there will be more than enough drama to keep it interesting and throw up a few surprises. I think everyone is assuming it will be impossible to pass, but there is one spot on the track where a good overtaker could have a go, i.e Lewis Hamilton. I also think strategy could prove key for the reason that i keep go on about, but practice and quali should prove that the Safety car is going to dominate the race.
 
Psychological warfare, Alonso trying to get under the skin of the likes Vettel and Button there, he's not stupid.
 
It seems as if Lewis will be dropped to 9th.

Adam Cooper has just Tweeted it.

Bad to worse.
 
Are we certain he won't get to pick his tyres? :(

Yes, he wont, otherwise what would be the point in penalising a driver if he gets an advantage to choose fresher tyres?

It was a rule brought in, in 2010, and I remember Martin Brundle (not Legard :snigger:) mentioning it back then
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top Bottom