Paul Henman formula1 Grand Prix of Monaco – Race

Grand Prix of Monaco – Race

It looks wet in Monaco. Flashback to an eventful 1996 Monaco GP; Damon Hill had won 4 races (like ROS); Michael Schumacher went off in lap 1 then Hill retired his usually reliable Williams with an engine failure. Spins, failures and other retirements meant Olivier Panis won having started 14th on the grid – in fact only Panis, Coulthard and Herbert crossed the finish line!

Nine of the past eleven Monaco GP have been won from pole. However it’s also worth remembering that the last time Hamilton won in Monaco was in 2008, in the wet.

Provisional grid: RIC, ROS, HAM, VET, HUL, SAI, PER, KVY, ALO, BOT, RAI*, GUT, BUT, MAS, GRO, MAG*, ERI, PAL, HAR, WEH, VES, NAS
Penalties: RAI (5 spots for a gearbox change)

“Monaco stewards have decided to take no further action after Daniil Kvyat’s Toro Rosso failed a front floor deflection test following qualifying.” [FIA]

FIA report “Both Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Sauber’s Felipe Nasr will have to start Sunday’s Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco from the pit lane after changes were made to their cars overnight.”

Race Control: the race will start behind the Safety Car. Everyone will start on Wets.

01/78[SC]: Bernd Mayländer leads everyone away on the first lap; how many laps will they be behind the SC?
Radio from KVY – stuck in constant speed
KVY dropping to P16

02[SC]: Marshals only just getting behind the pit wall! Did someone have trouble getting away?
KVY pits; change of steering wheel; looks like he’s still stuck in gear

03[SC]: KVY finally gets away from his box as everyone is on the main straight, so he’ll be held out pit exit
Radio from KVY – still stuck in constant speed
It’s not raining and a dry line is visible, so hopefully SC in soon
Radio from HAM – Visibility is as good as it’s going to get. We should just start the race already

04[SC]: KVY still limping back to the pits
KVY into the pit lane… but drove straight through!

05/78[SC]: RIC, ROS, HAM, VET, HUL, SAI, PER, ALO, BOT, RAI, GUT, BUT, MAS, GRO, MAG, ERI, PAL, HAR, WEH, VES, NAS, KVY
Looks like KVY’s problem has cleared
Radio from MAG – Come on!

06[SC]: Radio from HAM – spray’s better now, let’s get going

07[SC]: SC lights are off – in at the end of this lap
RIC starting to back everyone up, leaving a gap behind the SC
Green flags

08: MAG into the pits for intermediate tyres
PAL into the barriers – Virtual Safety Car deployed

09[VSC]: Marshals still on track cleaning debris from PAL’s car

10[VSC]: Replay shows PAL losing traction on white lines across the main straight, threw him into the side wall and then straight across Ste Devote into the escape road
VSC ended
HAM all over the tail of ROS

11: RIC fastest lap 1:44.658
HAM desperate to find a way round ROS
BUT f/lap 1:43.673 on inters
NAS f/lap 1:42.322 also on inters
GRO and RAI have come together in the hairpin
RAI has broken his front wing – it’s trapped under the car, but RAI drags it through the tunnel 🙁
RAI takes to the escape road at the chicane – finally gets off the racing line

12: RIC f/lap 1:38.140
Replay shows RAI ran wide and hit the barriers in the hairpin all on his own
As RAI gets going, MAS nudges him and RAI hits GRO
Radio from GRO – what’s Kimi doing?
HAM still stuck behind ROS; RIC is 8secs ahead of ROS

13: RIC f/lap 1:37.896
Incident involving car 7 (RAI) will be investigated after the race

14: RIC f/lap 1:37.561
VET pits for inters; rejoins P11 behind MAS
ROS holding HAM up; when will the pit tell him to let HAM through?
SAI reacts quickly and keeps his car out of the wall

15/78: ALO pits from P7; inters; rejoins P11

16: RIC f/lap 1:35.946 – over 11sec ahead of ROS
HUL pits, as does BUT
HAM has finally passed ROS and is rapidly pulling away – looks like ROS was told to let HAM pass

17: RIC f/lap 1:35.784
HAM f/lap 1:35.194 – he’s already 3sec ahead of ROS in less than a lap
VET belts past MAS coming out of the tunnel; never going to stop for the chicane, so has to let MAS back in front

21: ROS pits for inters
MAS pits too
MAG and KVY in the tyre wall at Rascasse
MAG reversing towards oncoming traffic – that’s dangerous
Replay shows KVY trying to force his way inside MAG where there clearly wasn’t space

22/78: RIC, HAM, ROS, PER, VET, HUL, SAI, ALO, GUT, BUT, VES, MAS, WEH, BOT, ERI, NAS, HAR, GRO, MAG, KVY
Race control: Turn 18 incident involving car 26 (KVY) under investigation – causing a collision

23: Only RIC, HAM and WEH on full wets; everyone else on intermediates

24: RIC pits for inters but HAM stays out
DRS enabled
VES takes P10 from BUT

25/78: VES f/lap 1:30.853

26: HAM continues to stay out on full wets; presumably he’s waiting to jump straight to dry tyres
RIC f/lap 1:30.181
Looks like Mercedes getting inters ready

27: RIC f/lap 1:29.962
RIC under 2sec behind HAM … under 1.5sec … under 1sec

28: RIC right on HAM’s tail
ERI taps BOT in Rascasse but both continue

30/78: HAM, RIC, ROS, PER, VET, HUL GUT, VES, BUT, MAS, WEH, BOT, ERI, NAS, GRO, HAR, MAG
MAS f/lap 1:29.462

31: ERI pits; ultrasoft slicks
PER, BUT, MAG all pit for dry tyres too
PER and BUT go to softs

32: HAM pits; ultrasofts
ROS pits too; ultras
VET pits; gets out ahead of ROS
VES pits too

33: RIC pits; tyres weren’t ready; absolutely terrible stop! 13 seconds instead of 2-3 secs
RIC exits alongside HAM but HAM takes the lead through turn 1
MAG into the tyre wall; lost his front wing but he’s running again

35/78: VES into the barriers in Massenet
Virtual Safety Car deployed

36[VSC]: Replay shows VES locked up going into the turn; smacked his rear right into the barrier
A real mix of tyre choices: HAM (ultra), RIC (supersoft); PER (soft), VET (s), ALO (ss), ROS (u), HUL (s), SAI (ss), BUT (ss), GUT (u), MAS (ss), BOT (ss), HAR (u)
VSC removed

37: RIC looks at passing HAM into the tunnel … even in the tunnel
RIC has another look out of the chicane
HAM cuts the chicane
HAM cuts across RIC – will HAM get a penalty?

38: PER closing on RIC

39: HAM f/lap 1:23.979
Radio for RIC – “get your head together; you’re quicker than him”

Half distance

40/78: HAM, RIC, PER, VET, ALO, ROS, HUL, SAI, BUT, GUT, MAS, BOT, WEH, GRO, NAS, ERI, HAR
HAM f/lap 1:22.446
Incident involving HAM and RIC under investigation

41: VET f/lap 1:21.726

42: HAM f/lap 1:20.521
MAS takes P10 from GUT

43: RIC starting to close on HAM again
WEH under investigation for speeding while VSC was deployed

44: RIC under 1sec so he’ll have DRS as HAM laps

45: No further action warranted in HAM/RIC incident

46: HAM f/lap 1:19.778
10sec time penalty for WEH for speeding under VSC

47: Incident involving car 94 (WEH) under investigation – ignoring blue flags

48: PER f/lap 1:19.645 (on soft tyres)

49: PER f/lap 1:19.417
Radio for NAS telling him to switch position with ERI

50: ERI tries to pass his teammate in Rascasse; contact; NAS spins, hitting ERI again
VSC deployed
Marshals try to clear all the debris under yellow flags

51[VSC]: VSC ends

52: Radio from NAS – smoke inside the car
HAM has to go off-line to pass HAR
RIC attacks HAM into the chicane; HAM defends

53: HAM opens the gap a little
Incident involving cars 9 (ERI) and 12 (NAS) under investigation – causing a collision

54: HAM f/lap 1:18.806
NAS retires in the garage

55/78: HAM, RIC, PER, VET, ALO, ROS, HUL, SAI, BUT, MAS, GUT, BOT, WEH, GRO, ERI, HAR
ERI pits; retires – car problem or punishing the driver?

56: VET f/lap 1:18.670
HAM laps WEH but has nowhere to go when RIC is on his tail

58: GUT didn’t manage to turn into Rascasse; had to back up and try again

59: Will the supersoft and ultrasoft tyres go all the way to the end?
RIC locks up into Rascasse

60/78: ROS attacked ALO into the chicane; ROS cut the corner so had to let ALO retake the position

61: Radio for BUT – small shower on radar, could be about 8 laps from end

62: VET f/lap 1:18.385

63: VET f/lap 1:18.005
VET ~1.6sec behind PER

64: RIC closing to ~1.1sec behind HAM

65/78: HAM, RIC, PER, VET, ALO, ROS, HUL, SAI, BUT, MAS, GUT, BOT, WEH, GRO, HAR
VET pushing hard; small lock up into Massanet

66: ALO, ROS and HUL almost nose to tail
Asked if supersofts will last to the end, Pirelli guy said they didn’t expect them to last this long!

68: Looks like a large piece of rubbish just fell onto the end of the main “straight”
VSC deployed
Marshal picks up what looks like a large tarp

69[VSC]: VSC ending

70/78: Are McLaren right about a small shower?
RIC almost 2sec back from HAM

71: Water drops on onboard cameras

72: HAM f/lap 1:17.939
RIC struggling for grip in Masanet
HAM coming up to lap BUT

73: HAM laps BUT who’s in P9

75/78: HAM, RIC, PER, VET, ALO, ROS, HUL, SAI, BUT, MAS, GUT, BOT, WEH, GRO, HAR; retirements: ERI NAS, VES, MAG, KVY, RAI, PAL

76: RIC has dropped to 3.5sec behind HAM

77: Radio from SAI – “it’s starting to rain; get ready”
Blue flags for SAI as HAM closes on him

78 = final lap: HAM takes the chequered flag, his first win this season
That’s also win #44 for car #44
HUL takes P6 from ROS!

Provisional result: HAM, RIC, PER, VET, ALO, HUL, ROS, SAI, BUT, MAS, BOT, GUT, GRO, WEH, HAR
DNF: ERI NAS, VES, MAG, KVY, RAI, PAL

Radio from RIC – It’s over, nothing you can can make it better, save it
HAM clearly very happy with the victory

Post-race:
HAM – thanked ROS ‘for being a gentleman’ and letting him through on lap 16
RIC – “I guess from the outside we put on a show but it shouldn’t have been exciting. Two races in a row I’ve been screwed. I got called in to box, I didn’t make the call. They should have been ready.”

3 thoughts on “Grand Prix of Monaco – Race”

  1. “Daniil Kvyat and Marcus Ericsson will both take grid penalties in the forthcoming Grand Prix in Canada after being found culpable for causing separate accidents at Turn 18 in Monaco.” [FIA]
    “The Russian was also given two penalty points on his licence, taking him up to seven – of a permitted 12 before a one-race ban – over the last 12 months.”
    “The Swede was issued the same penalty: a three-place grid demotion and two penalty points on his licence, taking his 12-month tally to six.”

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