I missed Monaco last season and watched events unfold from the office, so I was really looking forward to it this year.
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Tuesday, 31 May 2016
Rachel's diary: Monaco magic
I missed Monaco last season and watched events unfold from the office, so I was really looking forward to it this year.
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Hamilton's Monaco GP win a relief - Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff
Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff has declared Lewis Hamilton's Monaco Grand Prix victory as a relief following the misfortune he has endured so far in the 2016 Formula 1 season
Read the full story at Formula 1 news - Autosport
Ricciardo feeling left out
Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo has spoken of his frustration at not having "anything close to a world title" in Formula 1, after losing a second likely race victory in a row at the Monaco GP.
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Lewis's best win? Have your say
Lewis Hamilton claims the 2016 Monaco GP was his "best race ever", while Sky F1's Damon Hill ranks it among his greatest wins. But out of this selection from the Brit's 44 career victories, which has been your favourite? Press the 'upvote' button on the left to have your say...
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Sauber F1 pair Nasr and Ericsson at odds over Monaco GP clash
Sauber team-mates Felipe Nasr and Marcus Ericsson have opposing views on their collision and the Formula 1 squad's use of team orders in the Monaco Grand Prix
Read the full story at Formula 1 news - Autosport
Hamilton: Title race 'alive'
Lewis Hamilton says his Monaco GP victory means the world championship fight is "alive", after he cut Nico Rosberg's advantage to 24 points.
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Ferrari crisis trumpet Italian media
Ferrari has gone from targeting Formula 1 title glory to drowning itself in a growing crisis, according to the Italian press.
Having aimed to chase and unseat dominant Mercedes this year, the Maranello outfit was in fact beaten to the win in Barcelona by Red Bull, and then to the Monaco podium by Force India’s Sergio Perez.
“Force India did a better job than us,” Sebastian Vettel, taking the blame for missing the podium on Sunday, said.
But La Gazzetta dello Sport insists: “Vettel took a responsibility that is not his. He fights with a car that has no leadership ability and a Maranello that is on the wrong track.”
Corriere della Sera, however, suggested German Vettel might be right to take some of the blame.
“Vettel appears a sad relative of the driver who took hold of the Scuderia last year,” the newspaper exclaimed.
And La Stampa added: “In Monaco, Hamilton laughs again after a seven-month losing streak, while Maranello must deal with its crisis still.”
Tuttosport noted after Monaco: “For Ferrari, this time it was the pilots who flopped.”
Indeed, the Italian media was particularly scathing of Kimi Raikkonen, after a notably poor Monaco for the 2007 world champion.
La Gazzetta dello Sport gave the Finn just five out of ten for his weekend, which ended with a lazy slide into the barrier. They reported: “A disaster. With his experience, he should not be in the rails after just ten laps. It is not acceptable.”
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Haas and Renault make radical tyre choices for Canadian Grand Prix
Haas and Renault have opted for extraordinary tyre choices for the next Formula 1 grand prix in Canada
Read the full story at Formula 1 news - Autosport
F1 popularity on the rise again in Germany
The popularity of Formula 1 might be back on the rise, after the German broadcaster RTL last weekend recorded its best TV ratings in three years.
Bild newspaper said 5.81 million Germans watched the free-to-air coverage of Lewis Hamilton and Daniel Ricciardo dicing for the Monaco win.
“Formula one is offering something again,” German-language F1 pundit Christian Danner said. “The Mercedes crash, Verstappen winning a race at 18, now the spectators are rewarding tha.”
Not only that, after two consecutive years of easy dominance, Mercedes is being pushed harder by Red Bull and Ferrari in 2016, resulting in signs of reliability weakness from the reigning world champions.
“We are pushing all the systems to the limit,” confirmed team boss Toto Wolff.
“As frustrating as it is for us to have repeated problems, it is good for formula one that the competition is pushing us harder now,” he added.
Another German-language pundit, Marc Surer, agreed: “The audience recognises that Mercedes now has some competition.”
It is also good news for German grand prix promoter Georg Seiler, whose Hockenheim race has suffered in recent years with dwindling audiences.
“May the chaos at the top continue,” he declared. “Now we need a win for Sebastian Vettel and we can look forward to a mega-exciting race in July.”
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Monza appear to have a deal with Ecclestone
Monza officials may finally have shaken hands with Bernie Ecclestone on a new deal to secure the future of the Italian Grand Prix.
The negotiations have been public, fraught and protracted but Italian automobile club chief Angelo Sticchi Damiani agreed terms last weekend in Monaco, according to Sky Italia.
“After the drafting of the contracts, the announcement regarding the years 2017-2020 will be made,” the report added.
Sky said the latest meeting in Monaco, also attended by Ecclestone’s long-time friend and business partner Flavio Briatore, resulted in a deal regarding the until-now disputed financial value of the new contract beyond 2016.
The report continued: “Ecclestone has always said that his handshake is worth more than a written contract. Now the formal part will follow and, if everything goes well, Monza will announce the renewal shortly.”
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Ferrari at a loss to explain Formula 1 qualifying problems
Ferrari still does not understand why it is struggling to get the most out of its SF16-H in Formula 1 qualifying, according to team principal Maurizio Arrivabene
Read the full story at Formula 1 news - Autosport
Perez: I'm ready for top team
Sergio Perez has urged top teams to forget about his time at McLaren and recognise a "more complete" driver after another impressive podium finish.
Read the full story at SkySports | News
Monday, 30 May 2016
Verstappen: I’m disappointed but I learned a lot
Max Verstappen has yet to have fond memories of racing in Monaco, where in the two races he has contested on the tight and twisty streets have ended in crashes, but the teenager insists he has learned some valuable lessons.
Last year, his rookie appearance at the legendary venue as a Toro Rosso driver, ended when he collided spectacularly with Romain Grosjean’s Lotus.
In this year’s edition of the iconic Monte Carlo race he had a narrow escape in FP3, then planted his Red Bull in the barriers during Q1.
Finally, after a strong showing in the race which saw him carve his way through the field after a pit lane start, he went from hero-to-zero when he overdid it at the top of the hill and the barrier at Massenet brought his day to a premature end.
Speaking after the weekend, Verstappen said, “I’m disappointed in myself and disappointed for the team, because they worked very hard to get the car ready and I didn’t give them the result they deserved.”
“We were in the points and to start from the pit lane and end in the points would have been very good, but I learned from this and hopefully we can come back stronger.”
“It was pretty tricky, especially in the beginning of the race. It got better, the track was drying, and I think from then on we had great pace. I was overtaking cars, charging through the field.”
“Then we put the Soft tyres on and I locked up. Unfortunately I went a bit off-line and of course then you arrive in the wet area and I was a passenger from there on.”
“That’s racing in the end, it can go up and down very quickly, but you shouldn’t back off because of this – you should keep positive and keep pushing. I learn a lot from those moments as well,” mused the 18 year old.
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Kaltenborn: It was unacceptable behaviour by both drivers
Sauber drivers Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr have apologised to their furious team manager for their silly and avoidable collisions as they fought it out for minor plaings during the Monaco Grand Prix.
Sauber had been asking Nasr to allow Ericsson through, but the Brazilian was playing deaf, which prompted Ericsson to dive bomb his teammate as they entered La Rascasse which resulted in DNFs for both drivers
Sauber team boss Monisha Kaltenborn was furious after the race, “It was unacceptable behaviour by both drivers. Today the work of the whole team ended in a collusion. Marcus and Felipe both know how much work is put into every race weekend. They have the responsibility to make it to the end of the race.”
“After evaluating the overall situation, it was important to bring the fastest car as far as possible to the front, so that we were able to used any chances. Our decision was based on the data from both cars. After this, we have clarified the situation internally and both drivers are aware of their responsibilities. Such an incident will not happen again,” vowed Kaltenborn.
Ericsson explained, “When the tyres started to work, I caught Felipe, but got stuck behind him. I was told that Felipe received a call (to move aside for Ericsson) via the radio. Then I saw a gap and tried to overtake him, but we all saw what then happened.”
“It is a difficult situation for us, and it is even more important to stick together as a team in these times. I apologise, and I am sure that this will not happen again in the future,” he added.
Nasr gave his side of the story, “It is a shame that neither of us finished. It is the worst scenario that can happen for us. Marcus and I were on different strategies, so his second pit-stop was earlier. My tyres started to get up to temperature, and I was catching the cars in front. For me, it was not the right timing to swap positions.”
“Suddenly, in La Rascasse, I felt my car being hit. It is disappointing as the whole team works very hard. I apologise for what happened; we need to make sure that this will never happen again,” concluded the Brazilian.
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Wolff: The last two weeks have made our team stronger
Mercedes team chief Toto Wolff praised Lewis Hamilton’s “superb drive” for exploiting an aggressive strategy and Nico Rosberg’s co-operation during the Monaco Grand Prix and making their team relationship stronger than ever.
Wolff said Hamilton’s flawless driving in the wet-and-dry conditions throughout 78 laps of the unforgiving barrier-lined Mediterranean street circuit was “just what the doctor ordered.”
Hamilton, who demonstrated supreme tyre-management and race-craft, said it was his “best ever” win and the one that made him feel “in my heart, that I earned.”
The win ended a run of eight races without a win, littered with accidents and mechanical and technical failures, over seven months since he clinched his third world title in Texas last October. That barren spell had culminated in a fractious first lap collision with championship-leading team-mate Nico Rosberg at the Spanish Grand Prix.
“These last couple of weeks have strengthened him and strengthened our relationship,” said Wolff. “That’s how I perceive it. If you go through really bad times together, it can build the relationship and give it even more strength.
“We had many discussions, and difficult moments, but in the end, this is just what the doctor ordered. We needed that win and that’s why we put Nathan [Divey] on the podium, his number one mechanic.”
Hamilton’s win, together with championship-leading team-mate Nico Rosberg’s disappointing drive to seventh, enabled him to cut the German’s lead from 43 points to 24 after six races.
The team asked Rosberg, struggling while running second in the early stages, to let Hamilton pass him, a request that he complied with. “I said ‘thanks for being a gentleman,’” said Hamilton.
“Although I feel, with Nico, it wasn’t going well for him, it is a big relief that we were able to score that win with Lewis after such a terrible streak of bad luck,” said Wolff.
The Austrian also praised Hamilton’s skill in support of their decision to keep him out on full wet tyres until lap 31 when he pitted for ultra-softs, without stopping for intermediates.
“We had a really aggressive strategy, which we discussed for a long time,” he said. “We had time to eat up – we gambled. The gamble worked and then the mishap of the Red Bull boys — and Lewis’ superb drive — gave us the win. It’s just what we needed.”
He said the decision not to go for intermediates was a joint decision involving Hamilton and his engineers, “There was a discussion on the pit wall. And it was also great team play from Nico because he knew he was lacking pace, more than usual. He was holding Lewis up very badly, so he let him by.”
Two weeks on from their dismal day at the Circuit de Catalunya, Rosberg’s unselfish move released Hamilton and restored team unity. It may also have reignited Hamilton’s title challenge.
Read the full story at GRAND PRIX 247
Horner: The pit wall is upstairs and the garage is downstairs
Red Bull team chief Christian Horner has blamed the team’s calamitous pit-stop for Daniel Ricciardo in the Monaco Grand Prix on the cramped conditions in the team’s pits garage.
He said the bungled stop – that Ricciardo claimed cost him victory in the race, won by world champion Lewis Hamilton — was caused by a delay to find the desired tyres trapped at the back of the garage.
Speaking to reporters after the race, Horner said they were simply unable to be ready for the Australian before he arrived in the pits. He apologised on behalf of the team, to the driver, for the blunder.
“Here in Monaco, the pit wall is upstairs and the garage is downstairs,” he said. “The tyres are on heat both in the garage and behind the garage – and, unfortunately, the set of tyres that were called for were not readily to hand. They were at the back of the garage.
“There was a scramble as the mechanics originally had the soft tyres ready – then, when a change to supersoft was requested, those tyres were actually right at the back of the garage. They couldn’t be got to the car in time, which cost probably about 10 seconds in the stop.”
“Despite that delay, they came out alongside each other. That showed how quick Daniel’s in-lap had been and how slow Lewis’ out-lap had been. So it was gutting for the whole team to lose a victory like that.”
Ricciardo dominated the opening laps of the race and was on course to win until the pit-stop muddle.
“As a team, we win together and we lose together,” said Horner. “All we can do is apologise to Daniel and say that we haven’t given him a good enough service, having done a great job with him to get the pole.”
“He had done everything right in the race. Even going to the intermediates, it was the right way of going about things to get to the slicks.
“But, unfortunately, a communication error between the pit-wall upstairs and the tyre management (downstairs) let us down. Despite this, he had a really good go at attacking Lewis.”
“He got pretty close, on the exit of the chicane, on one occasion, but just didn’t quite have the opportunity to get past.” “We know how hard it is, in Monaco, to overtake and, effectively, the race was lost at that pit-stop.”
Read the full story at GRAND PRIX 247
Perez: I will be ready when a top team comes calling
McLaren reject Sergio Perez hopes his impressive third place for Force India at the Monaco Grand Prix will remind Formula One’s top teams of his talent.
The Mexican hailed Sunday’s race as one of the best of his career, while dedicating the British-based team’s fourth ever podium appearance to absent co-owner and principal Vijay Mallya.
“I had a really tough time at McLaren and it seems that this is what everyone remembers… but no one remembers my time at Sauber, my time at Force India,” he said after enjoying the podium celebrations.
“All I can do is keep doing my job, keep doing as well as I can, keep improving as a driver. I think in the last years I have improved a lot. I’m a more complete driver in all aspects, qualifying, race pace, better experience,” he added.
“So if the opportunity ever comes with a top team, I will be ready for it and I’m up for it. If not, all I can keep doing is my job.”
Perez was a member of Ferrari’s academy and started out with Swiss-based Sauber in 2011, with two second places and a third in 2012 showing he was much more than just a driver bringing important sponsorship dollars to the team.
He moved to McLaren for 2013 with high hopes as replacement for Britain’s Lewis Hamilton, who had joined Mercedes, but his arrival coincided with the former world champions’ dramatic decline.
McLaren, who have not won a race since 2012, replaced the Mexican with Denmark’s Kevin Magnussen for 2014 and Perez’s future in the sport looked in doubt until Force India threw him a lifeline.
The Mexican has amply rewarded that faith, with Sunday’s podium his third for the team as well as their best ever result in Monaco.
With Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen out of contract at the end of the season, when he will be 37, there could be a vacancy at the Italian team and Perez is a former member of the ‘family’.
Sunday’s podium, making no mistakes and managing the tyres to beat Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel after starting seventh, did him no harm.
“Under normal conditions we wouldn’t make it to the podium in normal pace. We don’t have the pace to do it,” the 26-year-old added.
“I felt I had Vettel under control, and it is a fantastic result. Everyone at my team deserves this one… for us it means a win.”
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Hamilton: A boost for my nervous mechanics
Winning the Monaco Grand Prix transformed Lewis Hamilton’s Formula One season and also provided a timely boost for those working on the triple world champion’s side of the Mercedes garage.
The reigning champions switched the group of engineers and mechanics around at the end of last year, with most of those who had worked with the Briton now assisting his German team mate Nico Rosberg.
With Rosberg winning the first four races of the season to build a substantial lead in the championship, Mercedes have already had to deny conspiracy theories and the pressure was building.
Sunday’s race, with Hamilton making the right strategy call and clearly faster than Rosberg, who was asked to move aside after struggling to get the tyres up to temperature, was the Briton’s first success of the season.
“Hopefully it will be a boost for my mechanics who have been nervous all year,” Hamilton told reporters. “It’s not easy coming from one side of the garage [Rosberg’s] to the world champion’s car. Because of the issues we’ve had, they probably felt like ‘we’re not delivering’ but they have been delivering.”
“[This] must be a great relief for them and I am grateful for them for sticking through it, sticking with me. Hopefully [the win] will give them the confidence to know that I am just as strong as I’ve always been and I will be for the rest of the year.”
Hamilton had been 43 points behind Rosberg before Monaco, the showcase race that every driver wants to win, but ended the weekend only 24 adrift and with everything to play for.
With 25 points for a win, and 15 rounds remaining, the Briton now heads to one of his favourite races in Canada with high hopes of reducing the deficit further.
Despite Sunday’s unexpected bonus, Hamilton said Mercedes were under more pressure than ever.
Red Bull triumphed in Spain, 18-year-old Dutch driver Max Verstappen becoming the sport’s youngest winner, and were favourites to win again in Monaco before a calamitous pitstop cost Australian Daniel Ricciardo first place.
Ferrari, off the podium in Monaco, are also hoping to come back much stronger in Montreal in what is shaping up as a three-way battle despite Mercedes winning five of six races.
“There are still issues, mistakes are being made,” Hamilton added. “You are starting to see some more buckles here and there. What is really important is that we pull together… we need to refine a few areas.”
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Monaco marshals hailed as best in the world
Perhaps nowhere in the world is the vital role played by motor sport marshals and safety officials more apparent than at the Monaco Grand Prix. The narrow city streets are steeped in history and glamour, but the speed and intensity of modern Formula 1 puts the spotlight on safety at every visit.
Undoubtedly the key to the safe running of the event is thorough, timely marshalling – something that we see year in, year out at Monaco. Following the 2016 race, which saw seven cars fail to finish, the podium trio were quick to give praise to the ever-professional marshals at the circuit.
“I’ve been racing for such a long time and seen thousands and thousands of marshals that turn up every year to look out for our safety and for sure it’s not mentioned anywhere near enough,” said race winner Lewis Hamilton. “So I would like to absolutely thank them. They do it for the love of the sport and I’m massively appreciative of them.
“Also being able to go on the track knowing that if something was to happen to me in the car, I’m confident that these guys could get me out to safety in the best way possible.”
Hamilton’s sentiments were echoed by pole-sitter and eventual runner-up Daniel Ricciardo, who added, “The marshals here are by far the best in the world. We obviously travel around the world and not taking anything away from wherever else we go, but the efficiency and the way they are able to clean up and keep the race going, basically keeping it exciting for the fans, letting us race but still doing it safety, it’s impressive, it’s impressive how they work here.”
Indeed, Ricciardo’s team-mate and winner of the Spanish Grand Prix last time out, Max Verstappen, ended both qualifying and the race in the barriers, but thanks to the hard work of the marshal teams there was minimal impact on the sessions. Ricciardo concluded, “There’s always crashes, there’s always incidents and yeah, they’re able to be very efficient and honestly keep us safe, as Lewis said. So I 100 per cent appreciate everything they do.”
In addition to it being the first ever race start at Monaco under safety car conditions, there were four virtual safety car periods to deal with the more serious instances of debris and damaged cars. The unforgiving barriers and tricky conditions meant there was a regular need to clear pieces of carbon fibre from the circuit, and that this was done in a safe and timely manner is testament to the professionalism of all involved.
Finally third-placed driver Sergio Perez, who knows better than most how unforgiving the streets of Monaco are having had a major accident in 2011, added his thanks to the team of marshals and safety officials. He said, “What I can say is that I remember my crash in 2011 and they did a fantastic job to get me out of the car in very difficult situations and in the end I just want to thank them because they do an extremely good job. I think it’s the most difficult track for that and they show how good they are, so I really want to thank them a lot for the job they do and their love of the sport. I think they are simply the best marshals in the world.”
Report by FIA
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Max Verstappen apologised to Red Bull F1 team for Monaco GP crash
Max Verstappen has apologised to the Red Bull Formula 1 team for the two accidents that wrecked his Monaco Grand Prix weekend
Read the full story at Formula 1 news - Autosport
Fails of the Week - May 30
A collection of the biggest blunders and strangest moments from the past week of sport.
Read the full story at SkySports | News
Hill: One of Lewis's best wins
Sky F1's Damon Hill has hailed Lewis Hamilton's 44th career victory in Sunday's Monaco GP as one of the best of his career.
Read the full story at SkySports | News
Brundle: Drivers star in Monaco
Despite the magnificent setting, the high tech cars, and the numerous celebs populating the grid, the drivers were far and away the stars of the show in Monaco.
Read the full story at SkySports | News
Wolff: 'Had to gamble to win'
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has credited Lewis Hamilton's Monaco GP victory to an inspired tactical 'gamble' - and the team play of Nico Rosberg.
Read the full story at SkySports | News
Renault F1's Vasseur slates Kvyat after Magnussen Monaco GP clash
Renault racing director Frederic Vasseur has slated Toro Rosso Formula 1 driver Daniil Kvyat for being overly-aggressive and ruining Kevin Magnussen's Monaco Grand Prix
Read the full story at Formula 1 news - Autosport
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