Monaco Grand Prix

The race is probably going to be a procession, as it usually is in Monaco, so the focus is on qualifying. At least it’s going to be drier than Imola 🙂

Lots of upgrades for all the teams, most of which would have been unveiled last weekend if that race hadn’t been cancelled
The most noticeable change is the re-introduction of side pods on the Mercedes

Free Practice:

1. FP1: SAI (1:13.372), ALO, HAM, PER, LEC
   ALB lost the rear going into Turn 1 (Sainte Devote) and smacked the wall, destroying his rear-left suspension and bringing out the red flags
   SAR had problems with his Williams’ drive
   SAI kissed the barrier at Turn 15 but continued without issue
   HUL wasn’t so lucky when he tagged the armco barrier going into T10 (Nouvelle Chicane) and punctured his rear-left tyre; debris from his Haas caused red flags briefly
   MAG had to use the escape road at T1; spun his car around and rejoined
   ALO was held up by PER but traffic is just unavoidable at this track
2. FP2: VER (1:12.462), LEC, SAI, ALO, NOR
   It was PER’s turn to complain about traffic, but it was SAI who nearly ran into his teammate
   SAI kissed the barrier at Turn 15, same as he did in FP1, his Ferrari’s front-right suspension and he slammed into the wall, bringing out red flags
   TSU tagged the barrier at T13 but made it back to the pits
3. FP3: VER (1:12.776), PER, STR, SAI, NOR
   HAM ran wide into Turn 5 (Mirabeau) and broke his front-left suspension on the wall
   RUS tagged the wall at T17 (Rascasse) but continued ok
   OCO’s Alpine lost power in the tunnel but got it into “safe mode” and limped back to the pits
   MAG had to use the escape road at T1, same as he did in FP1
   Shortly after that MAG’s Haas lost power and he had to park it

Qualifying session 1 (Q1)
There’s a queue at the pit exit, waiting for the lights to turn green
Haas have fixed the hydraulic failure that caused MAG problems in FP3
Those first on track are on their fast lap but there are some still backing off to make space towards the end of their out lap
Everyone running on the soft compound tyres, as expected
OCO 1:14.083
VER 1:13.784
(LEC P2)
(PER P2)
ZHO 1:13.776
PER has stopped in the middle of the track – he’s hit the wall at Turn 1
NOR 1:13.485
(PIA P2)
Red flags; 11:12 on the clock
PER’s car is removed; there still appears to be some debris on the track but I think it’s polystyrene from a sign
ALB 1:13.327
(HAM only P7)
VER 1:13.038
(RUS P2)
(DEV P2!)
ALO 1:12.886
(PER drops to P16… P17)
(HAM only P12)
5mins left; bottom 5 are ZHO, SAR, PER, MAG, HUL
VER 1:12.644
HAM and RUS both pit for new tyres
PIA has tapped a wall but carried on
TSU 1:12.642 – wow
VER kisses the wall in the final turn
HAM cuts the Nouvelle Chicane so he’ll need to do another fast lap – he’s only P15
Chequered flag; bottom 5 are BOT, SAI, ZHO, SAR, PER
VER 1:12.386
BOT P10, relegating HAM to P16
SAR P12, ALB to P16
ALB P3; PIA P16
SAI P4; HUL P16
HAM P7; MAG P16
PIA P12; SAR P16
Back of the grid: SAR, MAG, HUL, ZHO, PER

Qualifying session 2
VER heads the queue at pit exit followed by RUS, HAM, and then the Ferrari duo
VER 1:12.038
Some cars running on used softs, some on new softs
(GAS P2)
(ALO P2)
TSU locks up and cuts across the Nouvelle Chicane
VER 1:11.908
STR missed the weigh bridge; he stops in his box and is pushed back to be weighed
(ALO P2)
OCO taps the armco coming out of Turn 1
5mins left; bottom 5 are RUS, ALB, STR, DEV, TSU
(RUS P3)
(HAM only P10)
Radio from HAM, “feels like something wrong with the right-rear suspension”
(LEC P2)
NOR hits the barrier in P12 (Tabac) but he limps back to the pits
Replay shows NOR broke his front-left suspension on the previous corner
Chequered flag; bottom 5 are HAM, STR, BOT, ALB, DEV
ALB P13
DEV P11
HAM P5; PIA to P11
Middle of the grid: PIA, DEV, ALB, STR, BOT

Qualifying session 3
Top 10 shootout is between VER, LEC, ALO, RUS, HAM, GAS, SAI, OCO, TSU, NOR … but can the McLaren mechanics fix NOR’s car in time?
VER on new softs; HAM on used softs
VER 1:12.102
OCO P2
ALO 1:11.706
TSU P4
GAS P4
LEC P2
SAI P2
HAM P7
RUS P9 but that looked like a second warm-up lap
Order after the first run: ALO, SAI, LEC, VER, OCO, GAS, HAM, TSU, RUS, NOR
RUS P4
Looks like work on NOR’s car is done; McLaren send him out with almost 6mins left of Q3
VER 1:11.654
HAM P3
OCO 1:11.553
NOR P9
GAS P7
OCO and HAM pit
2 mins left; OCO, VER, ALO, HAM, SAI, LEC, GAS, RUS, NOR, TSU
LEC 1:11.471
SAI P3
ALO 1:11.449
Chequered flag; ALO, LEC, OCO, SAI, VER, HAM, GAS, RUS, TSU, NOR
VER 1:11.365
Front of the grid: VER, ALO, LEC, OCO, SAI, HAM, GAS, RUS, TSU, NOR
Radio from VER saying he hit the wall

Provisional grid: VER, ALO, LEC, OCO, SAI, HAM, GAS, RUS, TSU, NOR, PIA, DEV, ALB, STR, BOT, SAR, MAG, HUL, ZHO, PER

Post-quali update:

• “Leclerc hit with three-place grid penalty for impeding Norris in Monaco qualifying” [F1]

Pre-race build up
Feeling sorry for Martin having to deal with people crammed onto the grid just to be seen with no clue of what’s going on
Nice to hear a proper rendition of a national anthem without the “look at me” warbling

Grid: VER, ALO, OCO, SAI, HAM, LEC*, GAS, RUS, TSU, NOR, PIA, DEV, ALB, STR, BOT, SAR, MAG, HUL, ZHO, PER
*LEC’s 3-place penalty for impeding NOR in Quali drops him to P6

Air temperature 25°C; track 43°C; humidity 45%; forecast says 20% chance of rain

VER leads everyone away on the formation lap
VER, OCO, HAM, TSU, NOR, DEV, ALB, SAR, HUL and PER starting on medium compound tyres; only ZHO on softs (starting P19); everyone else on hard tyres
VER has reached Portier (Turn 8) and PER has yet to leave his grid spot, so VER needs to slow it down

01/78: ALO gets a good start
HUL inside STR at the hairpin; steals P14
Was there contact? STR dropping down the order
Radio from STR, “I’ve got damage and a puncture”

02: VER, ALO, OCO, SAI, HAM, LEC, GAS, RUS, TSU, NOR
PER, ZHO, HUL all pit; all take on hard tyres

03: VER fastest lap 1:19.367
DRS enabled
Race control: incident involving RUS notes, incorrect starting position

04: PER f/lap 1:16.387

05/78: VER, ALO, OCO, SAI, HAM, LEC, GAS, RUS, TSU, NOR, PIA, DEV, ALB, BOT, SAR, MAG, STR, PER, ZHO, HUL
HUL given 5sec penalty for causing a collision

06: PER f/lap 1:16.269
LEC has DRS behind HAM

07: No further investigation into RUS’s starting position

10/78: VER, ALO, OCO, SAI, HAM, LEC, GAS, RUS, TSU, NOR, PIA, DEV, ALB, BOT, SAR, MAG, STR, PER, ZHO, HUL

11: SAI brakes too late, tags the rear of OCO, damages the Ferrari’s front wing – the left end plate is hanging on by a thread

12: SAI’s end plate falls off; yellow flag for the debris in sector 1

13: Yellow flag ended; presumably someone’s removed the debris
Ferrari mechanics return to their seats, so no new nose cone for SAI
Radio from ALO suspecting a puncture; he’s told it’s all ok

14: Brief yellow flag – didn’t see why

15/78: order is unchanged

17: Black and white flag for SAI for causing a collision
MAG squeezes inside SAR into Turn 5 to steal P15

18: STR and PER both pass SAR, and now ZHO is looking to get past the Williams

19: BOT inside ALB at the hairpin
ALB pits from P14; hards go on

20/78: VER, ALO, OCO, SAI, HAM, LEC, GAS, RUS, TSU, NOR
HUL takes P17 from SAR

21: Radio for SAI telling him “box to overtake OCO” … but he didn’t stop so presumably that was a dummy to try to get Alpine to pit

23: ALO is 11sec behind VER but over 16.5sec clear of OCO

24: STR all over MAG’s rear wing but the Haas is filling the track
SAR pits; softs go on – seems an odd choice given that means he’ll have to pit again

25/78: VER, ALO, OCO, SAI, HAM, LEC, GAS, RUS, TSU, NOR, PIA, DEV, BOT, MAG, STR, PER, HUL, ZHO, ALB, SAR

26: Radio for SAI saying there might be rain in about 45 minutes

28: Ferrari try to sell OCO a dummy again, telling SAI to pit but then he stays out

29: VER is catching the tail-enders and getting frustrated

30/78: VER, ALO, OCO, SAI, HAM, LEC, GAS, RUS, TSU, NOR, PIA, DEV, BOT, MAG, STR, PER, HUL, ZHO, ALB, SAR

32: HAM pits from P5; hards go on; rejoins P8
Radio for LEC telling him to push now, “everything you have”

33: OCO pits from P3; swaps to hards; slow stop; rejoins P6
PER cuts the chicane, pulls across in front of STR, and then whines that STR pushed him off – wow, typical Red Bull

34: SAI pits; mediums; rejoins P7
HAM f/lap 1:15.650
Incident involving PER and STR noted

35/78: VER, ALO, LEC,
PER hits the rear of MAG, breaks his front wing, complains that MAG brake-tested him – Red Bull exist in a different reality to the rest of us!

36: PER pits; new front wing; mediums go on; rejoins P19
Stewards say PER gave the position back to STR, so no penalty … except he didn’t, he hit MAG and STR passed him – PER still deserves a penalty (if not two)

37: STR looks to pass MAG but tags the Haas’ rear wheel
Radio from STR, he thinks he has damage

40/78: VER, ALO, LEC, GAS, RUS, OCO, SAI, HAM, TSU, NOR, PIA, DEV, BOT, MAG, STR, HUL, ZHO, ALB, PER, SAR
Incident involving MAG and STR noted – if they don’t penalise PER then there’s no way STR deserves a penalty

41: STR shown black and white flag … so where’s PER’s penalty?

43: ALO has picked up his pace to open the gap over LEC so when he pits the Aston Martin will not be behind the Ferrari
Radio from RUS claiming GAS is backing him up

44: ALO now almost 24sec clear of LEC so he’ll probably pit soon… but it’s about now that they’re expecting rain

45/78: LEC pits from P3; mediums go on; rejoins P8

46: VER, ALO, GAS, RUS, OCO, SAI, HAM, LEC, TSU, NOR, PIA, DEV, BOT, MAG, STR, HUL, ZHO, ALB, PER, SAR
Radio for ALO telling him there might be rain in about 15 laps
Track temp has dropped from 43°C at the start to 36°C

47: PIA skims along the armco but doesn’t appear to sustain any damage

48: GAS pits from P3; mediums go on; rejoins P8

49: MAG taps the armco at Turn 1 with his rear left

50/78: VER, ALO, RUS, OCO, SAI, HAM, LEC, GAS, TSU, NOR
PER on RUS’ tail, trying to unlap himself

51: Radio from RUS reporting spots of rain in Turn 3
Radio for VER telling him there’s spots of rain in Turns 6 to 8

52: NOR pits from P10; mediums; rejoins P11
RUS reports “it’s raining more and more”
Track is looking slippery in places; there are red and yellow flags (slippery surface)

53: SAI cuts the Nouvelle Chicane, passes OCO but immediately gives the place back

54: BOT and STR pit for intermediate tyres
SAI harrying OCO for P4
ZHO and ALB pit
Radio from SAI complaining OCO isn’t leaving him space; has he forgotten where they’re racing?

55/78: ALO pits from P2; mediums go on, not inters – that’s brave; rejoins still P2
RUS, OCO, HAM, GAS all pit – they’ve all gone for inters
VER clips the barrier at Portier (T5)
SAI spins at Mirabeau (T8); rejoins

56: VER pits; inters go on
ALO pits again; inters this time
LEC and SAI pit; SAI has to wait; inters for both
Yellow flag – STR has hit the wall and got his front wing stuck under the wheels

57: VER, ALO, OCO, HAM, RUS, LEC, GAS, SAI, TSU, PIA, NOR, BOT, DEV, ZHO, ALB, PER, MAG, HUL, SAR; out: STR
Everyone on inters except MAG who is slowly heading back to the pits on hard tyres
Radio for MAG saying they’re going to try full wet tyres

58: RUS and PER under investigation for unsafe rejoin
MAG’s in the barrier at Rascasse (P17) – brief yellow flags while MAG gets going again
MAG pits; mechanics didn’t know he needs a new nose so it’ll be a long stop

59: Black and white flag for track limits
SAR slides into the barrier but recovers
PER pits; full wets
SAR under investigation for speeding in the pit lane
5sec penalty for RUS for unsafe rejoin

60/78: VER, ALO, OCO, HAM, RUS, LEC, GAS, SAI, TSU, NOR, PIA, BOT, DEV, ZHO, ALB, HUL, PER, SAR, MAG
MAG uses the escape road at Turn 1; reverses and rejoins
PER slaps the armco barrier
SAR slides wide again
HUL pits again; full wets

61: Radio from HAM saying it’s “getting pretty dangerous out here”

62: Hang on – the official F1 timing chart says PIA is on SOFT tyres!?

63: 10sec penalty for HUL for serving penalty incorrectly
Radio from RUS suggesting they let him pass HAM but he won’t go more than 5sec ahead of HAM

64: Timing chart back to inters for PIA

65/78: VER, ALO, OCO, HAM, RUS, LEC, GAS, SAI, TSU, NOR, PIA, BOT, DEV, ZHO, ALB, PER, HUL, SAR, MAG; out: STR
There’s a dry line appearing in places

66: TSU really needs to control his emotions; asks his engineer “Are you trying to crash me or what?”
TSU was being asked to pick up his pace because NOR is now within DRS range

68: Black and white flag for GAS for exceeding track limits

69: NOR takes P9, and PIA follows his teammate for P10
TSU in the escape road at Turn 5

70/78: VER, ALO, OCO, HAM, RUS, LEC, GAS, SAI, NOR, PIA, BOT, DEV, TSU, ZHO, ALB, PER, HUL, SAR, MAG

71: VER clips the wall; he’s 25sec clear of ALO so he could back off a fraction

72: HUL harrying PER for P16
VER laps PER and HUL for a second time
PER pits; inters go on

74: Radio from HAM, “I’m struggling for grip, mate”

75/78: VER, ALO, OCO, HAM, RUS, LEC, GAS, SAI, NOR, PIA, BOT, DEV, ZHO, ALB, TSU, HUL, PER, SAR, MAG; out: STR
MAG pits; retires

77: HAM has DRS behind OCO but surely he won’t risk it with just a couple of laps left?

78/78: GAS has DRS behind LEC

VER takes the chequered flag

Provisional result: VER, ALO, OCO, HAM, RUS*, LEC, GAS, SAI, NOR, PIA; BOT, DEV, ZHO, ALB, TSU, HUL, PER, SAR
*RUS’ 5-sec penalty does not affect his position (he was 11sec clear of LEC)
DNF: MAG, STR
Fastest lap: HAM (1:15.650)

OCO is voted Driver of the Day

[2023 calendar and driver line-up]