Round 6: Monaco - Shades of Senna vs Mansell in 1992

Justin:

Don't you just hate that. I wrote a fairly long blog and it somehow all got deleted. Urgh. Here we go again.

The Monaco Grand Prix was fairly good fun in places. Lewis being chased very closely by Max in the latter stages had shades of Senna keeping Mansell behind him in 1992.

It all started with Charles LeClerc. I was a huge fan of his "I'm going to overtake and race hard or crash trying" attitude, after his awful qualifying session. He was clearly pumped up and driving angry and made a couple of balls out overtakes before he pranged.

Talk about the spirit of Gilles Villeneuve, driving back to the pits with the back tyre falling off all over the place.

This in turn was the event that kicked off a safety car period. All the leading cars came in and Max jumped to second with a clearly unsafe pitstop release, hence his 5 second penalty.

It was quite a dramatic race late on, especially when Max made a lunge on Lewis and they touched.

A tip of the cap to Lewis Hamilton for a truly stunning win, it has to be said. And, have a look at a 360 camera on the front of his car during his qualifying lap here - quite terrifying actually and reminds you just how bloody talented he, and indeed the entire grid, are - to go through these tight streets, at those speeds, so close to the walls. Unbelievable.

Big shout outs to Carlos Sainz finishing 6th in the McLaren and the Torro Rosso pair in 7th and 8th.

Niki Lauda

Many people have said many touchingly eloquent things about this absolute legend of F1.

I was desperately sad to hear the news last week, and instantly texted my esteemed F1 colleague (the guy I started this blog with).

I watched Rush again a couple of days ago. What a film, what a rivalry, what a friendship and what a portrayal of Niki.

I just love the bit where he and his future wife flag down the two Italian chaps in the countryside somewhere in Italy. They completely ignore her and walk up to him with a huge hug..."NIKI LAUUADDAAA!!!". Brilliant.

To me and many, he was the hardest, bravest and most courageous chap in F1 history. After his crash in Germany in 1976, he was near death and yet returned just over a month later to race to 4th place in Monza. Absolutely astonishing.

Perhaps, arguably, equally as brave was him parking his car after the first lap in a rain soaked Japan that same year. He knew the risks of driving in F1 and wasn't prepared to go a certain percentage beyond that. So for the title showdown, he was his own man and simply parked because the risk of crashing fatally in that horrid downpour was too great to him.

To be a champion, you have to really believe it. You did Niki, and we all know you are and always will be an F1 icon.

The title race and Ferrari

Ferrari aren't in the title race I hear you ask? You're right. They are nowhere near it.

Aside from the certain victory that mechanical failure snatched away from LeClerc, they just haven't been anywhere near Mercedes all year so far. Not good enough.

The car isn't good enough and I have no idea why they are making team orders an actual thing. The whole "how will Seb cope with LeClerc?" isn't really a thing for me now, as they are both faffing about for 4th and 5th usually.

I kind of agree with Eddie Jordan, in that when something goes wrong they immediately chop and change and there is no real consistency at the top of the organisation (where there is at Red Bull and Mercedes).

Bottas is hanging onto Hamilton's coattails still in the title race, but I fear Lewis will start to pull away a bit now - he is nearly one race win clear, with Canada coming up where Lewis is always strong.

To Canada we go next - good memories :-).

Round 6: Monaco, plus Round 7 Preview

Justin:

Headline. Ricciardo fails to smile after race.

You can't blame him at all. Red Bull fucked up big time and cost him what was looking like his first win at Monaco.


He said he didn't like being the miserable guy in interviews, but he just wanted to get out of there and skip the team de-brief. He just didn't want to hear what they had to say. I read somewhere that he told them on the radio not to say anything, as nothing they had to say would help. Crikey.

Driver of the day

Goes to either one of the first three frankly. Hamilton was on fire, plain and simple.

After being released by Rosberg, Lewis dropped him like a dead weight and began reeling in Ricciardo bit by bit. Hamilton was at one with his machine and the elements. The cream rises to the top in the wet at Monaco. Case in point, Perez storming to third. Fantastic.

What of Rosberg? He clearly had a bad day at the office. He was due one. He struggled with break temperatures, tyre temperatures...you name it. He also said he just didn't have confidence in the car to push hard, otherwise he would have been in the barriers.

It's not like he is shit around here, having won the last three Monaco races. However, in one swoop Hamilton has nearly halved his deficit in the points standings.

Fifty and still going

Well done McLaren. Alonso and Button and both got points finishes. Alonso probably quite enjoyed keeping Rosberg behind him in the closing stages.



News (9 June)

The driver merry-go-round has started for 2017, or as we all call it, silly season.

The facts are this:

1. Nico Rosberg and Kimi are the only guys out of contract for 2017 at one of the top 3 teams (Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari). I'm calling Red Bull the second fastest now, as frankly they are on top of Ferrari right now.

2. Rosberg is highly likely to sign again for Mercedes. He has said as much, and Mercedes have said they wish to keep him. Why would he leave? Nowhere else would give him a car as dominating as the Merc. There was a brief rumour that Ferrari were sniffing around him, to replace Kimi. I really don't see that happening. It does make more sense for Ferrari than Nico though.

3. Kimi holds the key to the top line driver market. He wants to stay, Ferrari feel his relationship with Vettel works well. So, signing him for 2017 should be going ahead right? We'll see. He is still quick that is for sure.

4. There are a whole host of potentially better drivers wanting that Ferrari seat. Perez has done his top team hopes no harm at all recently. The 2013 McLaren was a bag of shit and I feel that perhaps a top drive came at the wrong time for him - He was on the way up, McLaren were well on their way down! Nico Hulkenberg, Romain Grosjean and Valtteri Bottas are all waiting for that top drive.

Though, Kimi is ahead of Vettel in the standings right now.

5. Ferrari need to decide - Do they maintain the status quo for the sake of the team, or do they draft in a hungry, younger racer to come and shake things up? Who knows?

6. Button is out of contract at McLaren. What he does not deserve at all is being treated like shit yet again in a "will they, won't they?" sign him for another year...

He is a champion and deserves only the best treatment frankly.

Rumour is that Williams will let Massa go and draft in Button when Vandoorne takes his seat.

7. Will Kvyat be at Torro Rosso in 2017? He has been slagging Red Bull off here and there non-stop since being sacked by the big team. We shall see.


Round 7: Canada predictions 

Monaco was the place where a powerful engine matters least.

I cannot see Red Bull ruffling the feathers of Mercedes as much in Canada.

Hamilton knows how to win there, that is for sure.

You heard it here first! Top two will be Mercedes (I cannot predict which way around), then Ricciardo in third.

Murray Walker....the voice of reason amongst all this tyre bashing.

Justin:

I've had a couple of thoughts.

1. I need to blog more regularly as Spain and Monaco have now been and gone since my last blog.
2. Why do I need to record my name now my esteemed (former?) colleague now only guest blogs on the rare moment it takes his fancy?

For the record, of course he is always welcome.


Tyres...

Everyone has an opinion on whether tyre degredation has gone too far in creating a show for the fans. Former drivers, current drivers, team bosses, commentators...hell, even Bernie himself!

Bernie is on record as saying it's good bringing tyre strategy into it as it makes the drivers think about strategy for the first time in years. Fair enough.

In Monaco we had the Mercedes pair managing their pace early on, going around two seconds slower than cars further back. This was of course to help tyre management, pacing themselves for a one stop strategy. It created a snake of cars all bunched up, where of course it's tricky to pass at Monaco, and this caused plenty of racing mishaps.

Vettel was whinging big time yet again about tyres - witness him putting in the fastest lap of the race near the end, by a second and a half. His engineer told him he won't get any points for that. Vettel replied with a "no, but the satisfaction". Child. Toys. Pram.

I'm leaning towards the school of thought that says Pirelli are doing what was asked of them, to make tyres that do not last half a race distance. Tyre management has featured many times in F1 previously. Races where huge amounts of pitstops just for tyres have featured previously.

Kimi himself said that this is F1 as it stands now, so you either like it or simply stop driving.

I have stumbled across perhaps one of the most knowledgeable opinions in all of F1 whilst reading my new F1 Racing magazine this month.

Murray Walker speaks a lot of sense and reason - I highly recommend people seek it out and have a good read.

"Having tyres that 'unnecessarily' wear out is no dafter than having 'unnecessary' fuel stops, which used to happen because the rules specified fuel tank capacities insufficient for race distances." 


Spain

Great win for Alonso. Also fantastic seeing him stop to greet his fans on the drivers parade. The crowd noise was insane and reminded me of Silverstone during the Nige days.

Monaco

Utterly commanding win for Nico. Lewis has started with the excuses now Rosberg has beaten him to pole three times on the spin and generally had better races in the last couple of outings too.

He looked rather befuddled when he stated "yeah, qualifying is usually where I am really strong". Oh dear.

Surely Grosjean is on thin ice after ramming the back of some poor bugger and punting them both out.

Speaking of which. Kimi thinks someone should punch Perez in the face. Form a queue..starting with the world champions currently on the grid me thinks!

To Canada we go on the 8th/9th June weekend. Live on the BBC! Yeah!

On a birthday note - the picture below is now hanging on my wall, blown up rather large and printed on canvas - a great birthday present from my folks. Hangs next to framed paintings of Jacques and Gilles.

Senna - win at Donnington 93. His best race? Certainly the best first lap in F1 history - just ask Murray.

 

Monaco Magic

Justin:

On a track which offers the ultimate test of a driver, Mark Webber has re-written the history books with his Monaco GP win. He becomes the only Aussie to win the flagship event twice in the history of the sport. He has also won the race in two of the last three years.

He also becomes the sixth winner in six races this year, which has never before happened in F1. Though he didn't seem to care for this particular stat afterwards, saying that the Monaco win would be special regardless of this record.

(image above is from BBC website - we ain't breaching no copyrights here)


And did he do it in some style or what!

His first win of the year catapaults him to joint second in the title race - he is firmly in it ala 2010. Welcome back mate.

At the end of the race he finished just half a second ahead of Rosberg, followed in a train of cars by Alonso, Vettel, Hamilton and Massa. For most of the last twenty laps these guys were seperated by no more than 6 seconds. Fantastic stuff! At one point when the rain started falling, each was all over the back of the guy in front. At one point, they were all well under a second from each other.

Webber got a flyer (for once) at the start whilst Grosjean got in all sorts of bother, punting into Schumi and spinning himself off.

Maldonado had a horror weekend frankly. He used his car as an angry weapon on Perez in quali then crashed out in the race.

Webber, Rosberg, Hamilton and Alonso (all on the softer compound) all stopped for harder styres around laps 29 and 30. By way of a mega in lap Alonso managed to jump Hamilton in the stops, and of course whilst all these guys pitted Vettel cruised by on his harder tyres that he had started on.

Good strategy by Red Bull saw Vettel eventually move from 9th on the grid to 4th at the end which represents a good day for Vettel really.

When Vettel pitted around lap 46 for the softer compound tyres when he was around 17 seconds ahead of Webber, but crucially 20-21 ahead of Hamilton. So, he re-emerged from the pits in 4th.

From lap 47 to the finish on lap 78 we were given Formula 1 racing of the highest order by guys who did not put a foot wrong all day.

It made my neck hairs stand on end watching the train of cars...Webber, Rosberg, Alonso, Vettel, Hamilton...Massa (sort of hanging on just about at the back), covered by so little time for so many laps.

Beautiful!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/18228584

Just watch from 5 minutes onwards on this BBC highlights clip!

To race this hard, fast and close is absolutely magnificent. At Monaco you do not get away with mistakes as you would on other tracks - you hit a wall and thats that.

It was a pleasure watching these guys fight.

We truly are in a golden era for F1 - I don't care what negative remarks people have about tyres. F1 drivers adapt - thats a specific skill all the best guys have.

Time for a quick sub-heading feature!

Webber - Driver of the day, on a day when there were a fair few contenders. Faultless race and from pole too.

Schumi - Life in the old dog yet as proved by his blistering quali lap, only to be scuppered by yet again more mechanical issues in the race.

Vettel - Keeps picking up points - great drive from 9th to 4th.

Rosberg - Beautiful drive too - kept Webber honest throughout.

Hamilton - Picked up points again, but are Mclaren going backwards? He seemed to point the finger firmly at their door again, seemingly annoying Whitmarsh a little in the process.

Button - One to forget - now 31 points of the championship lead after 3 rubbish races.

Di Resta - Fantastic drive through to 7th. I doubt he will be at Force India next year.

Alonso - This is where my objectivity may take a battering from my co-blogger, but I have seen various reports from differing sources all saying that Alonso is essentially driving as well as he ever has, doing extraordinary things in an ordinary car (it was a dog at the start of the year, but Ferrari do seem to be turning it into something better. In the meantime Alono's driving ability alone is keeping him in the hunt. He is utterly relentless and never gives up and is always lurking in the points. DC himself called Alonso unbelievable and the BBC's Gary Anderson stated in his blog:

 "In Alonso's case, his position is simply down to the quality of the driver. He has done astounding things with that car. He's always good off the start, always gets stuck in, and then fights the battle from then on." 

 The more I read about people complaining about tyres (fans?) saying they want to know who the fastest guys in the fastest cars are, not have this apparent lottery we are having with six different winners in six races......I say to you, look at the title standings....and shut the fuck up!!!!!

The cream always rises to the top, no matter the conditions, rules etc.....

Alonso leads Webber and Vettel followed by Hamilton, Rosberg, Kimi and Button....

Five of those seven have been contesting the title for the past two years and keeping race wins amongst themselves exclusively (Webber, Vettel, Alonso, Button and Hamilton) and one of the others is a former world champion.

What we have is near enough to a level playing field for the golden generation of Formula One drivers.

Let them get on with it!

Senna, Schumacher and Vettel

Phil: As usual an excellent summary of the last race from my co-blogger, although a detailed account would take more space than we can spare. So much was happening each lap at Istanbul that even a seasoned commentator like Martin Brundle could barely keep up, and commented at one point I believe how the leader pitting doesn't even merit air time, there's so much else happening on the track.

One thing is beyond doubt, though, as my co-blogger admirably explained: Vettel is in a class of his own. I half expected he might be: he certainly had the pace last season but lacked the maturity, as his collision with Webber at Istanbul a year ago showed. A year on, however, and the confidence that being reigning world champion gives, he is in a different class. I confidently expect him to be the first driver in five years to successfully defend his world title.

The funny thing is, last year we had an enthralling, season-long battle for the title that we couldn't really call until about half way through the last race, but of the races themselves, none of them really stick in the mind. This year, although the championship will probably have been wrapped up by Hungary, you can't look away from the races for a minute.

I've said before that I don't really know why Schumi came out of retirement, and still think he'll regret it in the long run. There are two reasons why he probably un-retired: firstly, because he thought he could be genuinely competitive again, and secondly, because he simply enjoys driving a F1 car. I don't think anyone seriously expects him to win a race again, let along a championship, and as he said after Turkey: the joy isn't there. It's hardly surprising. This is a driver who broke all the records, who barring a few years in the late 1990s when he was building Ferrari into the force it is today was accustomed to being virtually unchallenged and unchallengeable. Why would he now enjoy not winning, and being outraced by men half his age? Johnny Herbert, his team mate at Benetton in 1995, thinks he'll retire permanently at the end of this season, and I think he may be right.

Speaking of great F1 drivers of the past, there's a great interview with the man some call the Gavin Winston of F1 in the Guardian (which may even be linked to this blog, or maybe not). Newey, who designed the car in which Ayrton Senna was killed, talks about how his death affected him and how he won't be watching the new film about Senna.

Finally, I think my co-blogger will agree that the only date that needs to be in anyone's diary in the next few weeks is the I Was Having a Blog live event of the year at Monaco. Well, actually in High Wycombe, which is like Monaco. Well, they're both hilly...anyway I digress.

You can overtake at Monaco after all

Phil: Well, Monaco was certainly a unique venue for our 'live blog' experience. Apologies to anyone out there in the blogosphere who wasn't there, you missed some great banter, and I still maintain that Button should have braked really hard to get that thing out his sidepod, cartoon-style, before it cooked his engine. My esteemed colleague took the role of Murray Walker in our panto, and I was James Hunt. That's not rhyming slang, by the way.

Anyway, congratulations once again to Mark Webber for what but for his performance last week in Barcelona would have been the drive of his career: to pull out a lead, only to see it evaporate when the safety car came out, not once but four times, was the drive of a champion. He has seemed utterly invincible for two weeks and his confidence must be sky-high going to Turkey. Vettel has some thinking to do, but Red Bull are edging ahead at the moment. And I agree with my co-blogger that one of Webber, Vettel, Alonso and Button - the four men who have won races so far this year - will be champion.

Alonso proved in more ways than one that you can overtake at Monaco after all (even if it is a bit like the Hungaroring with houses). He scythed his way through the Virgins and Lotuses early on, but it's Schumacher's last-corner overtaking move that everyone is talking about. At last, the Schumacher of old is back, courting controversy as ever. Whether it was legal or illegal, it was certainly an audacious move, and one which really only Schumacher would ever have done. Something that appeals to me about F1 is the history, and there was so many historical ironies here - Schumacher and Ferrari, Schumacher and Alonso, at the same corner as in 2006 when he parked his Ferrari in quali and buggered up Alonso's flying lap, and most of all, a little wry smile that it was Damon Hill as race steward who had the pleasure of reducing his old rival to twelfth place, with a hint of retribution for the 1994 world championship. As for the rules, I haven't a clue, although a learned friend of ours who has been known to read this blog (eh? what?) thinks Schumacher is clearly right. I think the rules are likely to be self-contradictory, and weren't tidied up properly when the new rule about safety cars was brought in at the beginning of this season. As Eddie Jordan pointed out, and it's not often that he's right, the fact that it took Damon several hours to reach a decision indicates he wasn't sure either. The latest as of lunchtime today is that Ross Brawn is still sure he's right and Mercedes intend to appeal. Having said that, how many times do Formula 1 teams announce they're appealing a steward's decision, and then quietly forget about it?

It's well past my bedtime, so I ought to wrap up and nominate my skiver of the day, which my co-blogger has already alluded to. There are several candidates this weekend. My first thought was the nameless bloke at McLaren who left the wotsit in Jenson's car which made his engine brew up after three laps. My second was double world champion Fernando Alonso, who was clearly having forty winks on the way into the Rascasse on the last lap, thinking it was all over, when an elderly German snuck past him. However, I am going to nominate Eddie Jordan, who is fast becoming favourite for skiver of the year, for failing to take a dive into the BBC micro-pool, in the Red Bull post-race fashion, in aid of Children in Need. To be fair, it was a very small pool, and he'd probably have banged his not inconsiderable ego on the bottom, which wouldn't have been a pretty sight at all.