Grand Prix 2012 Monaco Grand Prix Practice, Qualifying & Race Discussion

For the first time in 3 decades there have been 5 different winners in 5 races and it's not exactly been the status quo winning races as not many people would have had Rosberg and Maldanado winning this early in the season and after Australia not many people would have bet on Alonso winning before the start of the European season. This is also when drivers like Hamilton, Webber, Raikkonnen and Schumacher havent won this season and the way things are going there could be 8 winners after 8 races which could almost be unprecedented.

Indeed, one thing that 2012 has shown is that no one team has been consistently fighting for the win at all five 5 races, while Lotus have possibly had the most consistent pace of the top teams, problems in the first two races meant they were unable to be competing for the win while Kimi might have been unlucky to not come away with at least one win in Bahrain and Barcelona where strategy troubles robbed him the top step but two podiums have shown that he still has the pace despite being away from the sport for 2 years.

The big surprise of the weekend was a first victory for Maldonado and a first victory for Williams since the 2004 Brazilian Grand Prix, a win which was merited with no outside help apart from the disqualification of Hamilton from qualifying and the effect of this is unknown as to how the race would have been different but in the race Pastor drove the wheels off the car and did extremely well to keep a rejuvenated Fernando Alonso behind in an updated Ferrari on home soil. Considering Ferrari's early season struggles, for Alonso to be joint leading the Championship with Vettel is no mean feat at all.

The field is very tightly packed as well with the top 7 drivers being separated by 20 points, this time last year it was nearly 100 with Vettel claiming 4 of the first 5 races. This year that is not the case and for once Barcelona served up a classic which in my opinion was the best race of the season, finally there was close racing from 1st down to last with the outcome not being decided until the last few laps.

Going into Monaco there is no point prediction what the running order will be as the likelihood is it'll change again, for all we know the Force India's could suddenly be at the front and Lotus might only be fighting for points, it certainly makes for extremely fascinating viewing as no-one is dominating the Championship, in the city of the high rollers and casinos, it remains who will strike lucky in Monte Carlo and claim the big win, it will certainly not be boring, after all, if even Barcelona can provide an entertaining race, surely most places can (with the exception of Valencia!)
 
Mephistopheles

Well irony we are going back to the place where all the conspiracy punishment against Lewis started last year

I am sure it is in the rule book about fuel irregularity - this is a technical irregularity which is set in stone that the team understands full well hence they deserved to be dumped to the back of the grid

AS for crashing into another driver that has always been 5 or 10 place grid drop under " Causing avoidable incidents!" - I've never seen a driver dumped to the back of the grid because of it

- this is a driver conduct failure in which the team played no part in influencing it
 
I am really looking forward to tomorrow's race. I don't get those who class Monaco as a bore? It may not be the overtaking frenzy we see elsewhere, but Monaco brings many unique challenges with it. It is going to be one of the hardest races to get strategy right. I reckon a 1 stop will be tough tomorrow, but can see some teams trying it. We also have the near certainty of safety cars, which will mix the field up in terms of strategy between those who try to stay out for track position and those who pit.
 
I like watching Monaco but I don't count as a race, I see it more as a postcard for F1 in the form of a promotional exorcise.

Seeing those machine going round the streets of Monaco and having inches and less between them and the barriers is very much motor racing, even without a huge amount of overtakes.
 
AS for crashing into another driver that has always been 5 or 10 place grid drop under " Causing avoidable incidents!" - I've never seen a driver dumped to the back of the grid because of it

Monaco 2005, JPM sent to the back of the grid for brake testing Ralf... the stewards like to flex their muscles with those who don't tug their forelock appropriately...
 
Interesting that only 2 of the top 8 have won so far this year. 6th winner looks likely tomorrow with Webber and Lewis on front 2 rows.
 
It is not the lack of overtaking at Monaco that I have an issue with, it is the lack of the thought of the possibility that there might me a chance of a hint that there could be the merest smidge of an insight as to an overtake potentially being instigated that rankles.

As a spectacle, and a lesson in concentration in extremis it is second to none, and whoever wins is a worthy winner indeed, however, more than any other race, there is a sense of inevitability that if driver A is chasing down driver B it does not really matter, as they will not be able to get past without incident.

I shall watch, and I shall enjoy, but I shall not hold it in the reverance that it somehow seems to hold for some others.
 
The start will be very important tomorrow, does Webber make a hash of it? Does Rosberg rocket away like in China? Will Hamilton get the jump on both? If Schumi manages to get into the Top 3 or 4 at the start, he has a great chance of a win
 
Getting through 70 odd consecutive laps on the pace without touching a single barrier must be immensely difficult. Espacially the last turn before the tunnel, exiting the chicane after the tunnel and the final corner where there front wheel has to be like a millimetre of the barrier to get good speed.
 
johnnoble1990, I absolutely agree, I believe I said as much in my post, my point was that I cannot think of another race where the order is lesslikely to change after the first lap.

I have said before that for me, seeing the cars and drivers doing what they do is what it is all about, regardless of the overtaking, however, it is the feeling of almost inevitability that gets me. It's not that I do not like the race, more that I do not hold it in as high regard as some seem to.
 
Maldonado to get a 5 place penalty for a gearbox change so last the winner of the last race will start last.
 
Will he have to starting the tyres he qualified on?
Maldonado might go for a crazy strategy.
 
Nah that made sense. Might as well get a fresh one anyway. I assume they were forced to do it though, as it would've made more sense to not run quali and take it otherwise.
 
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