Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco 2014 ***SPOILERS***

73rd FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX DE MONACO 2014

The track


Glorious onboard lap commented by Martin Brundle (V10 FTW)
video: [www.youtube.com]

Previous Winners
2013: Nico Rosberg (Mercedes)
2012: Mark Webber (Red Bull Renault)
2011: Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Renault)
2010: Mark Webber (Red Bull Renault)
2009: Jenson Button (Brawn Mercedes)
2008: Lewis Hamilton (McLaren Mercedes)
2007: Fernando Alonso (McLaren Mercedes)
2006: Fernando Alonso (Renault)
2005: Kimi Räikkönen (McLaren Mercedes)
2004: Jarno Trulli (Renault)
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So within hours to friday thursday practice, I'm expecting Nico to punch back, and other Merc-powered cars to close up the gap to the works team. Turbos in the street should be fun to watch, but unless something exceptional happens, bring a pillow.



Stats: 139 Starts / 7 Wins / 9 Poles / 5 Fastest laps

I agree, this could be a pretty dull affair on track, but it might be an intriguing tactical battle. You'd expect passing only due to under-cuts or running long, mixing up the compounds etc.

Nico needs to nail pole I think to put himself in with a chance, and I think championship-wise he needs the win to snatch some momentum back.

Maldonado's spare parts package has arrived for Monaco

I'm just wondering are they sure that's enough spare parts for him?

Did anyone catch the GP2 feature race this morning?

It was bloody marvellous. I was on report duty for the session and it was mad, had a bit of everything. Definitely worth a re-watch if you have Sky.

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Races: 163 - Wins: 23 - Pole Positions: 24 - Fastest Laps: 22
Season 9: Constructors' Champions

I heard about it. Unfortunately the race was held at 6 am local time, and having gone to bed at 2 am... well, there really wasn't much hope. Damn you uni.

I'll see if I can download it or something. So many good comments, they compel me to see it.



Stats: 139 Starts / 7 Wins / 9 Poles / 5 Fastest laps

What did people make of final practice?

Rosberg looked to have the advantage over Hamilton but fluffed the final sector on his last lap on the SS.

I'm predicting a great fight for pole between the Mercedes boys and Ricciardo, Daniel certainly looks close, he was about five hundredths shy of Lewis' best time in FP3.

I suspect Vettel will find something extra as well and be in the mix, he would have been right up with HAM, ROS and RIC if not for being baulked by one of the Williams cars.

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Races: 163 - Wins: 23 - Pole Positions: 24 - Fastest Laps: 22
Season 9: Constructors' Champions

Monaco 1989 was the first Grand Prix I watched. 25 years then. Jeez!

Enjoying quali so far, looks very close with all the unknowns and drivers pushing like crazy

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LOL Nico. Accidental or deliberate, that's brilliant. :D

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Hamilton is in a proper sulk. We said the only guy who'd beat Hamilton this year is Hamilton, and once again he shows his ability to chuck his toys. He needs to beat Rosberg tomorrow or beat him in Canada (where he's clearly favourite) to get his head clear, because we know his got a phenomenal ability to let things drag on and on.

yeah, what a loser. he didnt even congratulate nico

I really want Nico to win tomorrow more than ever now. He's the more mature Merc driver by a mile.
Lewis is a stroppy whiny little bitch.

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Kravitz reckons Hamilton hasn't even turned up for the team debrief. He really is the master of the sulk.

Hehe that's Rosberg's and Hamilton's friendship over then, the gloves are off and the traditional mid-season hissy fit can now commence.

As to the deliberateness (or not) of Nico's 'mistake' and the readiness of some in the paddock to immediately jump to the guilty '1000%' conclusion I'm going to do a Mika and monosyablically sit on the fence.

However I'd point out the following;

Considering the precedent of Monaco qualify malarkey, Schumacher La Racasse 2006 and the way that backfired, you'd have to be monumentally stupid to risk anything similar and as much as I loath to agree with the ant Davidson he's spot on in commenting that if you really wanted to prevent anyone else behind going quicker then he'd have either crashed, or stalled and parked at Mirabeau and not park it safely away in the escape road where he was more in danger of not creating a yellow at all.

So, yeah the actual mistake looked iffy, but the way he drove into the escape road suggests hat he actually went out of his way not to impede anyone else.

So, the hissy fit... Either he's going to simply drive around Rosberg at some point tomorrow and off into the distance or he's going to have another scrappy race and another one of those scrappy 2011 style races, but luckily for him.. It doesn't look likely that ol Felipe Baby will be any where near him tomorrow.

that's the old saying coming back again

"History Tends To Repeat Itself", wasn't in Monaco where the whole Alonso-Hamilton saga Started?.

Anyways i'm really really, i mean i'm extremely worried about rare things happening in F1, i've seen pictures of new exhausts, the Ecclestone case, and all, but was Maldonado able to complete the qualy without incidents, or i'm dreaming?, i know tomorrow he'll be the first one to switch wings, in fact there's reports of the team rehearsing emergency pit stops as i'm writing this, but i'm really in shock that he had an incident free session today.

oh yeah and, is Ricciardo the new driving force in Red Bull?, the guy's on a roll, i really tought Vettel was going to had him here at least, but no.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/24/2014 04:19PM by Slash.

Slash Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> that's the old saying coming back again
>
> "History Tends To Repeat Itself", wasn't in Monaco
> where the whole Alonso-Hamilton saga Started?.
>
> Anyways i'm really really, i mean i'm extremely
> worried about rare things happening in F1, i've
> seen pictures of new exhausts, the Ecclestone
> case, and all, but was Maldonado able to complete
> the qualy without incidents, or i'm dreaming?, i
> know tomorrow he'll be the first one to switch
> wings, in fact there's reports of the team
> rehearsing emergency pit stops as i'm writing
> this, but i'm really in shock that he had an
> incident free session today.
>
> oh yeah and, is Ricciardo the new driving force in
> Red Bull?, the guy's on a roll, i really tought
> Vettel was going to had him here at least, but no.

Thought that was Hungary when Alonso stopped in the pitbox so Hamilton couldn't do another lap - which eventually led to the whole Spygate malarkey back in 07.

In terms of this session, the one main question for me is why did Rosberg feel the need to reverse back onto the track when there was so little time left in the session? Also, looking at the steering wheel, I'm not entirely convinced that Rosberg made any attempt to take the corner properly, considering the way he was moving his steering wheel before going into Mirabeau.

Do think Hamilton should have been a little more sporting in shaking Rosberg's hand after the session if only to save public face - but I can completely understand why he didn't, particularly if he feels he's been cheated out of an opportunity to take pole a la Schumacher 2006.

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@ Diax,

no doubt you are a hamiltonfan. only a fanboy would point the finger at nico and defend lewis' actions.

what he could should would have thought does not matter. his behavior is annoying

mitadumapaga Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> @ Diax,
>
> no doubt you are a hamiltonfan. only a fanboy
> would point the finger at nico and defend lewis'
> actions.
>
> what he could should would have thought does not
> matter. his behavior is annoying

Well considering Rosberg has been summoned to the stewards there must be a lot of Hamilton fanboys in the F1 paddock...

I said I can understand Lewis's actions but I don't condone them one bit. If you feel that you've been unjustly done to, gloss over it and then do your talking on the track.

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/24/2014 04:45PM by Diax F1.

Gotta love a good bit of controversy

For me even if Rosberg did it deliberately (Which I highly doubt he did, if he wanted to guarantee Lewis didn't get another lap he should have parked it in front of the tyre wall) for Lewis just to blank him completely seemed like a very poor move.

All we ever hear about is how they've been friends for years and grew up racing together and then Rosberg makes one mistake and Lewis blanks him and, allegedly, doesn't bother showing for team briefing? I've seen more class than that on a night out.

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i see.

well, his actions were understandable, but unjustified. what dissapoints me though is that rosberg blew it all again at the point when it most mattered. he wazs just lucky that:

1. yellows flags got out

2. hamilton was behind him