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/

 

[Slyboogy]

The Mercedes did use up it's tyres rather quickly, but I think one contributing factor to that was, yes they degrade tyres a little more than other teams, but Schumacher set I think at least 2 flying laps on his set of super softs, he used all his super softs, and used them in every session doing around 2-4 laps in them.

Just a thought.

 

[Brogan]

Did I see more than one change of direction there from Maldonado?

 

[Slyboogy]

Just found this Sea-man posted it on Muzz606...very interesting, not surprised Massa crashed then....

I have watched this a few times now, it looks as if Hamilton pressed KERS there, as there is no way he could have got that much speed, Massa did lose aero due to his broken front wing, but it seems Hamilton found some extra speed, that was dangerous

 

[Brogan]

Hamilton did use KERS to pass Massa in the tunnel.

Why is it dangerous?

 

[Fenderman]

To Sly;: On the contrary Massa was already having problems and was slow. Hamilton just cruised right on by and Massa had his accident all on his own. just my opinion, mind. KERSed or not.

 

[ecclestoned]

Huge congrats to Vettel though; didn't put a foot wrong all day and even managed to turn his own team's calamity in the pits into a winning strategy. Awesome.

Agreed Chad,though we start to see some chinks in the RB pit strategy armour(10th lap stop in Spain) and execution (on that unforgiving bitch of a race Monaco is),he just corrects them on track and starts calling the shots himself for the strategy.
I think he desperately wanted a win here,where a real good racer stands out and makes the difference.
I'm actually a bit disappointed with that SC ,would have loved to see him battle it out those last laps on old rubber with Alonso and Button breathing down his neck.
Anyway,I think if anyone says he was lucky,I would say he fought for it ,earned it and used it.

 

[Slyboogy]

Hamilton did use KERS to pass Massa in the tunnel.

Why is it dangerous?

Why I think it is dangerous, first of all, it's in the tunnel, second of all looks as if Massa has lost some aero as he is trying to turn in, then lifts off, then as he is trying to turn Hamilton uses the KERS to get passed, which then Massa has to take avoiding action, and we all know it's one car line through the tunnel.

To Sly;: On the contrary Massa was already having problems and was slow. Hamilton just cruised right on by and Massa had his accident all on his own. just my opinion, mind. KERSed or not.

I think my comment above will explain what I mean Might not be right...

 

[Brogan]

Hang on, so Hamilton is also to blame for Massa's crash?
Tunnel or not, going off the racing line will have the same effect at any race with all the marbles this year.

Massa was in front entering the tunnel, Hamilton just drove past him on his right.

Not sure I follow the logic really and I think it's stretching it a bit to apportion blame to Hamilton for that one too.

Next Hamilton will get blamed for being hit in the rear by Schumacher and Alguersuari

 

[RevMaxPower]

Excuse me but forgive me for thinking I was supposed to be watching a race, where competitors usually pass each other now and again. If they don't, or don't even TRY, then it's hardly a race, is it?

 

[Slyboogy]

Hang on, so Hamilton is also to blame for Massa's crash?
Tunnel or not, going off the racing line will have the same effect at any race with all the marbles this year.

Massa was in front entering the tunnel, Hamilton just drove past him on his right.

Not sure I follow the logic really and I think it's stretching it a bit to apportion blame to Hamilton for that one too.

I didn't say Hamilton was to blame, I just said the overall incident is dangerous, and then there's something that I forgot to mention since I am doing a few things at once here, is that KERS once again proves to catch out drivers and that extra 80bhp is a bit dangerous and is surprising everyone.

And, it brings me to another point I forgot to mention, the incident at the hairping where Lewis's tyre hit Felipe's sidepod causing him to veer a bit into Webber causing the damage to the front wing, is to blame for the accident.

Hope that makes a few things clear, reading back on it still sounds a bit confusing as I find it hard to word things

 

[Fenderman]

I see what you're saying but I've just got to disagree on that one. Now had there been some sort of car to car missile fired by The Ham I might think otherwise, but no. I've watched a rerun of the race looked at stills, slo-mo's and read the posts.

Edit: This was a reply to Sly'. Seem to have lost the quote I was pasting in!

 

[Slyboogy]

I see what you're saying but I've just got to disagree on that one. Now had there been some sort of car to car missile fired by The Ham I might think otherwise, but no. I've watched a rerun of the race looked at stills, slo-mo's and read the posts.

Fair enough...I am kind of lost myself and don't know where I am going here...I need to stop trying to multi-task, because...I just can not!

 

[Fenderman]

Next Hamilton will get blamed for being hit in the rear by Schumacher and Alguersuari

Folk's would be forgiven for thinking that since the Brundle and Coulthard double act implied that Lewis crashed into everybody in the race!

 

[Slyboogy]

Folk's would be forgiven for thinking that since the Brundle and Coulthard double act implied that Lewis crashed into everybody in the race!

I just noticed your shades in that afro avatar

 

[Fenderman]

Fair enough...I am kind of lost myself and don't know where I am going here...I need to stop trying to multi-task, because...I just can not!

Hey, don't beat yourself up. You've been doing okay so far. Just don't think about it too much, okay?

Sly: "I just noticed your shades in that afro avatar "
Fenderman "Yeh, cool huh?"

 

[Slyboogy]

Hey, don't beat yourself up. You've been doing okay so far. Just don't think about it too much, okay?

I think it's time I hit that lunacy thread...

 

[Jen]

Funny how some threads end up like circuits - you just go round and round and round.

 

[Fenderman]

Funny how some threads end up like circuits - you just go round and round and round.

That's odd. We were just leaving!

 

[EvilWhippet]

My take on it is that I've been saying for years that stewards need to be tied to a post or told to be more lenient or drowned or something...

Far too many results are decided by these people who I don't know. I've rarely heard of them or recognise why they should be able to affect the outcome of a grand prix and they are far too trigger happy and have been for years. Usually in these kinds of incidents the agressor is at least as set back as the "victim." These are usually situations where the incident punishes itself. When Di Resta hit whoever it was he hit I thought "I hope he doesn't get penalised." I'm not a fan of the man I just don't like seeing this precedent set, that everytime something happens some guys I don't know will suddenly be trusted to judge what should be done. It's only recent that they're getting babysat by someone who's actually raced cars. What I do like seeing is cars racing each other, risks being taken, paying off, not paying off...that's what I love about it.

Remember when Hamilton overtook Button in China? The reason I loved that move and others like throughout F1 is because it wasn't a done deal. A mistake from either guy would've ended both their races. This is racing and that will happen sometimes. So shall we throw a poorly written book at them every time or watch some great, great racing? I'm also dead against grid drops as they're a punishment for one grand prix being handed out at another, so they should only be used for, say, quali infringements.

PS If anything needs tightening up on it's the way people defend, I think if Massa had been replaced by Button or Alonso at the point Hamilton dedicated himself to the move that wouldn't have happened because they're better drivers than to just turn in when there's somebody there. People can be all too quick to blame the man who initiates the move when in fact it's usually at least 50/50.

 

[TN23]

I'm glad I've not got the Hamilton fansquad from 606 on here tonight- could you imagine!

I'm not a huge fan of the penalty culture myself- but I can acknowledge why Hamilton got one against Massa, because he just wasn't up the inside. However, the Maldonado one was different. Hamilton was genuinely alongside, but Maldonado seemed as though he tried to keep his foot in it to try and beat Hamilton to the apex- which of course he couldn't do. I wasn't surprised by the penalties doled out, but a little dismayed- especially at Hamilton's second one of the race (third of the weekend)