Monaco GP Thread **SPOILERS**

"Kimi is probably now out of the championship and will have to help massa."

Since when 15 points gap when there's still 15(?) races to go has been considered as impossible to catch up? Especially as there seems to be now 4 drivers that are capable of taking points out of each other.


My photo gallery: [viltzu86.deviantart.com]

Simply, that is not team orders.

Ron didn't literally tell Alonso down the radio, 'right this race is yours'. With the prospect of a safety car, he changed Lewis' strategy so that he wouldn't be handicapped if the SC did come out. This meant he was likely to end up behind Alonso anyway.

If he had continued on a one stop, I think he would of won.

If kimi was driving well i would say yes he has a chance but massa is now far enough ahead of kimi for ferrari to say they will look after massa more.

Kimi needs to win the next 3 races or i think he is out of the championship totally.

Kimi was driving faster than many when he was in clear air. His mistake in qualifying ruined a potential race win or podium.

jbnd05 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> lol @ Covfan.
>
> I think Lewis did pretty good in the
> circumstances, having to drive second the whole
> race. Fernando was on the better strategy - just -
> and if lewis had been told to pit a lap or two
> later, he would have won.


Not really, look how slowly Fernando went during his second stop. Fernando had time and pace in hand.

marcl Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If kimi was driving well i would say yes he has a
> chance but massa is now far enough ahead of kimi
> for ferrari to say they will look after massa
> more.
>
> Kimi needs to win the next 3 races or i think he
> is out of the championship totally.


Yes, seeing how good the reliablilty is of all the cars this season and the stupid points system rewards only two more points for a win than second, Kimi has his work cut out to close the gap to the leaders now. He has to win in Canada and i think he'll do it.

Many people is complaining about McLaren strategy but I think Lewis didn't had the pace, he was a little slower than Alonso and he seemed to me quite at the limit many times so probably, in Dennis place, I would have decided the same, that is, save the 1-2. I am sure that if Lewis were closer to Alonso he would have been allowed to fight for the race. If it were Kimi or Lewis in 1st instead of Alonso, many of you would agree.

Who's saying Hamilton was on a 1-stop? Did you watch qualifying? He did a 1:15.9 on his very first lap of the fuel-burning period... the pole was only a 1:15.7, and Hamilton himself only improved by a few hundredths!

Is that from the article dolinseks posted? If so, let me know which site it's from so I can add it to my blocked list.

MarcA Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Kimi was driving faster than many when he was in
> clear air. His mistake in qualifying ruined a
> potential race win or podium.

1 1 Fernando Alonso McLaren-Mercedes 44 14:59:46 159.715 1:15.284

2 2 Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 28 14:39:12 159.528 1:15.372

3 10 Robert Kubica BMW 39 14:54:27 158.198 1:16.006

4 5 Felipe Massa Ferrari 47 15:04:13 157.830 1:16.183

5 3 Giancarlo Fisichella Renault 54 15:13:31 157.683 1:16.254

6 6 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 62 15:24:53 156.987 1:16.592

7 17 Alexander Wurz Williams-Toyota 40 14:55:50 156.852 1:16.658

8 14 David Coulthard Red Bull-Renault 75 15:42:28 156.591 1:16.786

9 7 Jenson Button Honda 40 14:55:52 156.558 1:16.802

10 19 Scott Speed STR-Ferrari 73 15:39:19 156.426 1:16.867

11 16 Nico Rosberg Williams-Toyota 70 15:35:35 156.174 1:16.991

12 9 Nick Heidfeld BMW 30 14:42:34 156.072 1:17.041

13 8 Rubens Barrichello Honda 69 15:34:12 155.993 1:17.080

14 4 Heikki Kovalainen Renault 72 15:38:19 155.953 1:17.100

15 22 Takuma Sato Super Aguri-Honda 74 15:41:36 155.785 1:17.183

16 23 Anthony Davidson Super Aguri-Honda 63 15:27:20 155.704 1:17.223

17 11 Ralf Schumacher Toyota 47 15:05:55 155.688 1:17.231

18 12 Jarno Trulli Toyota 53 15:14:03 155.158 1:17.495

19 20 Adrian Sutil Spyker-Ferrari 34 14:48:58 154.792 1:17.678

20 21 Christijan Albers Spyker-Ferrari 70 15:37:26 154.770 1:17.689

21 15 Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 17 14:25:53 152.206 1:18.998


Where???????????????

If it had been positions reversed, Alonso 2nd and Hamilton leading, do you think Dennis would have made the same decision?

I happen to think not.

_____________________________________________________________________________

What people need to understand is Ron saw a massive 18points for the team, and he knew for Lewis to get past on track it would be impossible... Look how Kimi struggled behind a much slower car, so would Lewis be able to do it in the same car against a driver who is just as agressive?

And to keep the 18points, he changed Lewis's strategy, and made the two kept it clean...

Those two drivers are probably the two most agressive, and around Monte Carlo it was a too big risk to loose 18points.

The radio is making this issue look so bad.

edit - the two teams that struggled more so than expected were Toyota and Ferrari, the two teams who have the longest wheelbase? You think it had something to do with the pace, or lack of? Brawn may have said it wouldnt matter, but could that be just ease peoples minds? And it was quite clear Massa at least was nowhere near the pace of the Mclarens at any stage during the race.

---

"Trulli was slowing down like he wanted to have a picnic" LOL



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/28/2007 02:28PM by chet.

FlyinFinn2 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Where???????????????

He was on the only one of the top 6 on a 1-stop strategy, and he was still only 0.4 off of Massa's best. He was keeping up with Massa too after he'd been lapped.

I think the strategy was to do one stop unless Ralf and Sato were still on track at the first stop, making a safety car more probable and so they changed to two stop,
pure speculation of course.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

F.I.A. are investigating a possible breach of the sporting code by McLaren.
Max and his boys wouldn't....would they?

They've got to gift Ferrari a championship challenge someway.

Alonso: Raikkonen almost out of championship fight
28 May 2007

McLaren driver Fernando Alonso is leading the Formula 1 world championship after Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix win. He is on equal points with his team-mate Lewis Hamilton at the moment and ahead of Ferrari drivers Massa (5 points) and Raikkonen (15 points). Alonso believes Raikkonen can't take any risks now or else he will be soon out of the championship fight.
Click here

Alonso believes the gap with Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen is big enough to let the Finn become worried about his position in the F1 championship. "He (Raikkonen) is fifteen points behind us in the championship," Alonso told Spanish newspaper AS. "He can not afford to make any mistakes now or he will be out of the championship."

Raikkonen was unable to qualify himself in the top on Saturday which is crucial for a race such as the one in Monaco where overtaking is nearly impossible. Due to a slight error in his first run Raikkonen damaged the car and his team was unable to repair it in time for Q2.

He should make sure that he beats his teammate first, without the help of their team. Who was 25 points behind in 2005 and nearly caught him right before the end of the season? He realy is an arrogant ass who is trying to be humble and nice at the press conferences, but shows his true face when there isnt anyone to monitor his statements.

dolinseks Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> He should make sure that he beats his teammate
> first, without the help of their team. Who was 25
> points behind in 2005 and nearly caught him right
> before the end of the season?


So i suppose Kimi should do the same then seeing as Massa is ahead of him?
Alonso didn't need the help of the team on Sunday, he showed he had enough pace to beat Lewis fair and square this time, something i believe you cannot disprove despite you're obvious dislike for Fernando.
Ron's statement to the press is going to give his team a bad image tbh, he didn't need to say that.

"FIA launches McLaren investigation:

McLaren are under investigation by Formula 1’s governing body, the FIA, over a possible breach of F1’s sporting code in Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix.

The Woking squad took a dominant 1-2 finish on the street circuit, with race-winner Fernando Alonso and team-mate Lewis Hamilton lapping all drivers up to third-placed man Felipe Massa.

Ron Dennis revealed to ITV Sport following the race that he had ordered his drivers to drive conservatively as soon as it became clear that McLaren was in command following the first round of pit-stops to ensure maximum points.

His decision was widely criticised in the British press on Monday morning, as it prevented Hamilton from challenging Alonso wheel-to-wheel on track for his first career victory.

“The FIA has launched an investigation into incidents involving the McLaren Mercedes team at the 2007 Monaco Grand Prix in light of a possible breach of the International Sporting Code," read a statement by the governing body on Monday.

“The relevant evidence is under review and a further announcement will be made in due course.”

Team orders were outlawed in F1 following the Austrian GP in 2002, when Ferrari caused outrage by ordering race-leader Rubens Barrichello to move over for Michael Schumacher on the final lap of the race.

Dennis's comments after the Monaco GP suggested that McLaren actively managed the race as the two drivers eased their pace after the first pit stops.

"Either of the drivers could have won,” he told ITV Sport.

"I don't know what the true pace was, but it was a lot quicker than we went.

"Really, from around the stops it was very apparent that either driver could push harder.

"It was frustrating for the drivers but we have to function as a team.

"Slowing them down was difficult, because you have to maintain concentration, but that's my job." " - ITV-F1.com

Well, no. The British press were complaining.. I wonder why that was.. possibly because Hamilton didn't win?? Had the roles been reversed, then nobody would have said anything. I am really @#$%& sick of this subliminal partriotism. The two guys raced hard against eachother the whole damn race until the final pitstop, like some well fought cold war mind game. It was a joy to watch. If the "British Media" were too thick to see that then that just proves my point about subliminal, ignorant and stupid patriotism.

What a complete load of tossers. He was beat fair and square, any team would do the same in those conditions, for that is F1. The FIA at present reminds me of the Imperial Galactic Empire from Star Wars, DOOOM DOOOM DOOOM DOM DOM DOM, DOM DOM DOM. Er, no.

=/

Whats to investigate?
Have not other teams done this in the past?

Im sure every member here can recall a moment where a team took it easy when they had a 1-2.

If any action is taken it will sum up Max and the FIA very well.

---

"Trulli was slowing down like he wanted to have a picnic" LOL

I hope they're going to investigate all the races back until Austria 2002 when racing until the final stop was normal, because this is no different.