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

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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/
 
It has been confirmed his lap time has been deleted for cutting the chicane so he's been relegated to 10th (9th).
 
Also, I didn't see Lewis jump a chicane, that was Jenson. If Lewis did have a bad off-track moment during his flying lap, then surely it would have only cost him time anyway. The only way he would get the lap discounted is if he gained an advantage.

If the lap is discounted, then surely it will be the same as not having set a timed lap. It isn't that he is getting a grid penalty, he is simply having that lap discarded and the rules when not setting a lap in Q3 is that the driver gets to choose which tyres to start on?
 
Also, I didn't see Lewis jump a chicane, that was Jenson. If Lewis did have a bad off-track moment during his flying lap, then surely it would have only cost him time anyway. The only way he would get the lap discounted is if he gained an advantage.

If the lap is discounted, then surely it will be the same as not having set a timed lap. It isn't that he is getting a grid penalty, he is simply having that lap discarded and the rules when not setting a lap in Q3 is that the driver gets to choose which tyres to start on?

Hm....good point the last paragraph...Can someone find out if he can choose his tyres at the start?
 
McLaren screwed up, they can protest but it'll come to nothing - and rightly so. They put their car on the circuit knowing where all the other cars were, their computer timing will tell them where Massa will be when Hamilton is on a flyer. He and or they made the wrong choice so it's hard cheese. Get over it and enjoy racing for 6th tomorrow Lewis (well that's my prediction!).
 
*sigh* - I just give up on this. When you think things cannot get any worse huh? I really honestly feel sorry for the guy - I know he comes across a bit moody sometimes or a bit over-emotional, because he clearly wears his heart on his sleeve and speaks his mind, but I respect that. You could tell he wanted pole here so much, his idle Senna was a master on this track and it would obviously give him a lot of joy to join him as a fellow pole sitter at Monaco. I think he'd of rather have been in a slow car and had no chance of pole than almost had 1 hand on pole position and then had all of this crap happen to him. Q3 onwards has just been a disaster.
 
Nico Rosberg said:
"Monaco is generally a dangerous track. It's because you have a very high speed and you jump. As you start braking you jump in the braking zone, and that's a bit of a concern obviously."
The German admitted he had not see Perez's crash.
"I didn't see it and I think it's better if I don't see it," he said.
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McLaren are their own worst enemy sometimes as far as strategy are concerned.

They should have sent him out early for a banker lap, just as everyone else did, including his team mate, who's sitting 2nd on the grid.

Probab;y wanted to save a set of options
 
You can guarantee if the cars had been reversed Massa losing time behind Hamilton, ferrari would have got their FIA pals to influence the stewards.
 
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