Grand Prix 2016 Monaco Grand Prix Practice, Qualifying & Race Discussion

After the excitement of Spain, with a new Grand Prix winner added to the list, we now move to the French Riviera for the jewel in F1's crown. It would appear that Ferrari's place as the next best team after Mercedes has been taken by Red Bull. I suspect we will see a reaction from the red team but do they have the capacity move back ahead?

Monaco hasn't been a happy hunting ground for Lewis Hamilton with only a single win back in his McLaren days. Nico Rosberg has won the last three races at what is, in truth, his home race. Sebastian Vettel has only won here once as well which shows what a lottery this race can sometimes be. Kimi Raikkonen hasn't won since 2005, also in a McLaren.

Mercedes will continue to be the class of the field but Monaco can be a great leveler where fractions of an inch can be the difference between winning and sitting in a pile of carbon fibre wondering what happened.

Max Verstappen must be on cloud nine, can he take this confidence in to the race around the principality? Daniel Ricciardo will have something to prove after his teenage teammate's achievement in Spain. The Toro Rosso boys will also have something to prove; Carlos Sainz that he deserves a drive in the senior team and Daniil Kvyat to show he should have kept in place at Red Bull.

I'm sure Force India will be hoping for some serious points, Williams will continue to be poor and will probably be even worse round the twists on Monaco. Haas will have their first experience of French sunshine, Renault will have something to prove at the closest thing to a home race for the French team. They could well be battling it out for the minor points places.

At the back Manor and Sauber will battle for the wooden spoon. Sauber look to be working hard to ensure they get this as they continue struggle financially. Manor, at least in Wehrlein's hands, hasn't look too bad given their budget. I wonder if Haryanto will have to ask for a special dispensation as he hasn't got within the 107% time.

Fun in the sun? Monaco is always more exciting in the wet, I wonder if we will see a sprinkling of rain just to spice things up?

 

[Greenlantern101]

A massive number of empty grandstand seats around the track

Maybe the penny has dropped that the track and race are a bit shit.

 

[Greenlantern101]

At this moment in time, if I had the chance to be passenger in a car around Monaco with anybody driving...I would choose Danny Ricciardo to be at the wheel. He is starting to show again the clear class he had over Vettel and with his current redbull he has shown his real and present danger for the Merc boys.

I am hoping this could turn into an all time classic year as the merc are beset with reliablity issues the renualts have figured out how to make a powerful engine without it blowing up and ferrari are the spanner in the works. This is turning into an intriguing season, that looks like it is already out of Hammies grasp barring huge swing in luck/sabotage. cue conspiracy thread.

Now all we need is a monsoon at 12.45 on Sunday.

 

[landogeorgelewis1]

Hats off to Daniel Ricaradio great lap.

 

[FB]

BBC weather forecast from yesterday - F1 Grand Prix Weather

Mixed weather conditions. Button win?

 

[Greenlantern101]

A couple of lucky wins in the wet and now Jenson is a weather god. I don't get it.

 

[Greenlantern101]

Odds on moist have improved.

 

[cider_and_toast]

Increased unreliability, more choice over tyre compounds and less information being give to drivers resulting in more mistakes especially during starts. Who would have thought all of that would have lead to an unpredictable and intriguing season?

 

[RasputinLives]

A couple of lucky wins in the wet and now Jenson is a weather god. I don't get it.

Button has won a massive chunk percentage wise of all wet races this decade!

 

[RasputinLives]

Absolute stonker of a lap from Riccardo. Wow.

 

[F1Brits_90]

I might be wrong but for me that has to be 1 of the greatest qualifying laps in Monaco history. Because he was hooked up & extracted 100% from that car. Good fact it is the 2nd quickest qualifying lap in monaco history. Only a tenth off vettel in 2011 vettel had a V8 & 75kg less weight. I like the idea that swimming pool because some say its easier, I think its got tougher because its goads the driver into taking too much speed into corners & youce got to know when to show restraint

I love Monaco you can never get rid, as its greatest test of driver skill in motorsport & the scenery is amazing. The grandstands may not have been full but thats only 50% of crowd don't forgot that there are many fans in many vantage points

A couple of lucky wins in the wet and now Jenson is a weather god. I don't get it.

Someone might be banking on his well achieved reputation tomorrow but button reputation is well deserved because he always does well & just take Hungary Australia Brazil who else couldve won that amazing canadian gp

 

[RasputinLives]

I predict multiple virtual safety cars during the race tomorrow with resulting debate when the gaps Don't hold exactly how people expect them too.

 

[Dartman]

As I understand it Button is not a great wet weather driver, but as a driver on drys in marginal conditions he is rather good and has that feeling or knowledge of the time to change, however it also depends on the car, if it has problems generating heat in its tyres he can't produce that advantage every time, when it works it works well, reputations are built on the confidence the car will stick, if it sticks the tyres stay hot, if they don't you are off the road and they cool more and your reputation is shot

 

[Titch]

How will the supersofts behave in the wet. If it rains part way through they will be caught out on track, getting back to the pits could be interesting.

 

[Incubus]

Well at last it's such a sort track they wouldn't have very far to go before reaching the pits...

 

[Titch]

Mind it's wet now, so maybe they will all start on slicks.

 

[F1Blag]

Whatever happens, let's hope the title picture closes up today.

 

[RasputinLives]

Safety car start! Boo!

 

[F1Blag]

Bernie wonders why the sport isn't growing as they would like. "F1 - best drivers in the best cars on the planet...unless it's a bit wet"

 

[snowy]

Charlie Whiting is such and idiot, ok, so start the race behind the safety car for a lap then let them race and clear the water. Whiting has been a senile old fart in the for the last 40 years.

By the time he lets them race they'll have to dive in for slicks.

 

[Incubus]

If Rosberg goes on to lose the title by one point he'll be looking back at that last lap in Monaco and he'll be reaching for the prozac...