FORMULA 1 - 2013

[MIKA27]

Rosberg: Race pace still a difficulty

Although Nico Rosberg topped both Thursday sessions in Monaco, the Mercedes driver admits over a long distance he could struggle.

Rosberg was the driver to beat in Thursday's practices, setting the pace on the soft tyres in the morning and later in the afternoon on the supersofts.

The German posted a 1:14.759 to edge his team-mate Lewis Hamilton by 0.315s while the Ferrari drivers were four- and five-tenths down.

But despite his flying pace, Rosberg, who claimed pole in Bahrain and Spain, concedes it's only Thursday and a lot can still change.

"I am feeling comfortable in the car. It has been going well today, but you really do not know what other people are doing with fuel," Rosberg told Sky Sports News.

"You just have to wait and see and I have to do my job and try to improve. For sure we are somewhere in the hunt at the front, but I don't know if it will be enough."

And even if Mercedes do get the front of Saturday, their long distance pace has let them down too often for them to feel comfortable.

Although the team achieved three successive pole positions leading up the Monaco GP, they have yet to win a grand prix and in fact only Hamilton managed to turn his pole into a podium result.

As such, Rosberg admits he has concerns.

"There is the problem of race pace, which is still going to be crucial here to have a great result.

"It is still our difficulty and that is what we have been working on today. We now understand a few things but there are still a couple of question marks which we need to solve as soon as possible.

"There will be very few stops in the race - two stop or one stop. So you really have to try and get the degradation as good as possible and that will really help to have a successful race."

[MIKA27]

Alonso taking nothing for granted

Fernando Alonso said the team was relieved to have emerged from Thursday's practice sessions virtually unscathed.

The track at Monaco is regarded by many as one of the more dangerous on the FIA schedule. Alonso admitted that anything could happen on this track, however, he embraced the challenge.

"It's always nice driving at Monaco, even if it's very demanding, because here more than anywhere, you need to do a lot of running to adapt to the track and, in more general terms, get used to a very special race," said Alonso on Thursday.

"I am pleased that we managed to get through all our planned programme today, which can't always be taken for granted here as anything can happen," added the Spaniard.

Alonso said it was still too early to determine how well he would do ahead of this weekend's race, as many of his opponents would have held back considerably on Thursday. He added that Saturday would probably be the most important litmus test for all the drivers.

"Even if the feelings are positive and we got through the day without any problems whatsoever, we still don't have a clear idea of the pecking order in the field," said Alonso.

"We will have to wait a bit to see where all our rivals really are, because here too, until Saturday, no one pushes a hundred percent: the barriers constitute too high a threat to take risks in the first free practice sessions," added the Ferrari driver.

Tyres have become a rather contentious issue during the 2013 season. Alonso explained that there had been nothing unexpected during Thursday's practice sessions.

"There's not much time to do a tyre comparison here, we did only one and the results didn't throw up any surprises: the Super Softs are a bit quicker and degrade more. All that remains now is to spend all the available time analysing the data we have gathered to try and find the best strategy for qualifying and the race."

[MIKA27]

'Long run pace surprising good'

Jenson Button is hoping for a good Sunday in Monaco as he reckons his McLaren was showing some "surprisingly good" long distance pace in practice.

Button posted a 1:15.959 in Thursday's second practice on the supersoft tyres, putting him 1.2s down on pace-setter Nico Rosberg.

And although he admits that wasn't anything great, the Brit was encouraged by the long distance pace of his MP4-28.

"We struggled in the morning when the circuit was still fairly 'green' - we couldn't get any temperatures into the tyres, but I think that affected everybody, not just us," said Button

"Our pace on a long run looks surprisingly good, although we're not quite there with our qualifying pace yet."

As such Button is confident that McLaren are heading in the right direction after a trying start to the Championship.

"Still, I feel happier with the car here than I have the past few weekends. There are some areas in which we've struggled before that now seem a little bit better, and that's obviously positive.

"We may not be setting amazing times out there, but I'm happy that we're heading in the right direction. And hopefully we can improve on Saturday from where we are today."

[MIKA27]

Vettel: Bulls not quick enough

Sebastian Vettel has a few concerns about Red Bull's qualifying pace in Monaco after failing to run at the front in practice.

While the Mercedes and Ferraris dominated Thursday's two practice sessions, Red Bull struggled throughout the day.

Vettel finished tenth in FP1, 1.185s down on the soft tyres, while later in the day, using the supersoft rubber, he was ninth. This time around he was 1.255s off the pace.

"All in all it was okay, but unfortunately we had to make a big change and we lost quite a lot of time in the afternoon," said the reigning World Champion.

"Not completely ideal but that's Friday - or in this case Thursday.

"We'd like to be more competitive in low-fuel configuration, so we need to try and find some lap time there."

He added: "My run on super-soft was very poor and we need to understand why.

"I wasn't able to improve and we should be able to quite easily so we need to have a look."

But while his single lap pace was lacking, the Championship leader believes his RB9 is showing good race pace.

"I did a long-run on supersofts and it seemed quite okay."

[MIKA27]

Hamilton: Pace is looking good

Lewis Hamilton reckons Mercedes could be in with a shout in Monaco after showing "good" pace in practice.

Hamilton's team-mate Nico Rosberg topped the timesheets in both Thursday's sessions, quickest on the soft tyres and again later in the day on the supersofts.

The afternoon's session also saw Hamilton come to the fore, finishing second 0.318 seconds down his Mercedes team-mate.

Mercedes' long distance pace later in the day also wasn't too lacking with Hamilton covering a total of 50 laps to Rosberg's 45.

It was a good way for the team to start their Monaco GP weekend.

The 28-year-old told Sky Sports News: "Some of the others are looking pretty quick, but we have good pace ourselves."

But while Merc's qualifying pace was top of the list, Hamilton concedes they still have to work on race-pace.

"We have been trying to improve our long run pace.

"I had a fairly decent long run so we'll have to wait and see. I had a bit of graining but otherwise it didn't look bad.

"I've got a bit of work to do this evening, then I can chill tomorrow and hit it hard on Saturday.

"We obviously have good pace and Nico is very quick this weekend, so it is looking good."

[MIKA27]

Force India oppose Pirelli changes

Force India have reportedly said no to any changes Pirelli want to make to their tyres, fearing they could hurt their chances.

Force India have proven to be one of the strong midfield teams this season and after five races are fifth in the Championship, three points ahead of McLaren.

One of Force India's strengths has been that their VJM06 works well with the Pirelli tyres despite Paul di Resta joining the list of those suffering a tyre delamination.

However, that could change in Canada as Pirelli are set to introduce tweaks to their tyres, billed as being in the name of safety.

But, according to Autosport, Force India are questioning whether safety really is an issue given that Pirelli motorsport boss Paul Hembery recently stated that "these delaminations, which occur when the tread comes off, do not compromise the safety of the tyres."

Hembery is reported set to chat with Force India's deputy team principal Bob Fernley in Monaco as he would like all the teams to be in agreement over the changes.

"We are trying to seek a solution that is supported by everyone, and is fair to all the teams," he said.

[MIKA27]

Webber: Monaco with small dogs and handbags is not really my thing

As a race, Mark Webber loves Monaco. As a place, he would much rather be somewhere else.

Red Bull’s gritty Australian racer has won the most glamorous event on the Formula One calendar twice in the last three years and counts doing so as one of the greatest thrills of his career.

The great outdoors remains his favourite surroundings, however, and unlike most other drivers he has shunned the Mediterranean millionaires’ and tax exiles’ playground for a more normal life with his dogs and partner in the English countryside.

“I think these guys if they had a choice they probably wouldn’t be living here,” he said of his rivals as he gestured out of the floating Red Bull hospitality centre, moored to the Monaco quayside.

“I think it’s a very dramatic backdrop, I love the ocean and I love the cliff faces. To have a race track here is quite exceptional. But for me, in terms of all the small dogs and the handbags and that sort of stuff, it’s not really my thing mate.”

Webber won from pole position in 2010 and 2012, with team mate and triple champion Sebastian Vettel – who lives in Switzerland – taking the victory for Red Bull in 2011.

The Australian leaped into the somewhat murky harbour after that first win and can be expected to perform backflips into the swimming pool on the deck of the team’s ‘energy centre’ if he gets to collect another trophy from Prince Albert on Sunday.

Webber has yet to win a race this season, thwarted in Malaysia when Vettel defied team orders and overtook him, but Monaco represents a real chance to take his career tally of wins into double figures.

“It’s been good to me, mate. Long may it continue,” he smiled. “We’ve got another chance this weekend, which is exciting. I grew up on street circuits in Australia; Adelaide with Formula Ford, Surfers’s Paradise. So from a young age I was used to having the barriers pretty close.”

Monaco, Brazil and Silverstone are all races Webber has won twice with his other victories achieved in Hungary, Spain and Germany.

The Mediterranean street circuit, with its metal fences and tight turns, can be treacherous and unforgiving but Webber would rather that to the modern purpose-built layouts with vast runoffs where drivers can make big errors and go unpunished.

“The margin is very small here…it’s different to Bahrain where it’s impossible to crash a car,” he said.

“But here you can, so you need to be very mentally aware of that and on top of it and be disciplined over the course of the weekend as best you can.”

[MIKA27]

Vettel rebuffs claims that Monaco too unsafe for F1

World champion Sebastian Vettel has hit back at claims Monaco holds only a dubious place on the Formula 1 calendar.

Earlier this week, former driver Ralf Schumacher reportedly criticised the fabled street circuit in the Principality, insisting it is not safe enough for modern Formula 1 standards.

“Well, I see it this way,” said Red Bull’s Vettel, when asked about Schumacher’s comments.

“There is always a certain risk that you can’t get away from,” he told Bild newspaper. ”But in recent years a tremendous amount has been done in the name of safety. I don’t feel unsafe at Monaco.”

Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg – a Monaco resident who was fastest in first practice on Thursday – added: “Sure, Monaco is one of the most dangerous tracks.

“But it’s so traditional that you have to make some compromises. It’s simply a must — there’s nothing to discuss.”

[MIKA27]

Pirelli threatens to pull out of Formula 1 over 2014 contract

Pirelli has warned teams that it will pull out of Formula 1 at the end of the year unless it gets an answer soon on whether they want a fresh contract from 2014.

Talks between the Italian tyre manufacturer and the teams about a new deal have stalled in recent weeks, and Pirelli says time is running out on it being able to produce tyres in time to be fully ready for the new 2014 regulations.

Paul Hembery, Pirelli's motorsport director, said in Monaco on Thursday that F1 was facing an 'extremely serious' situation, and that if the matter was not resolved very quickly then his company would find it impossible to make new tyres in time.

"Apparently on September 1, we are meant to tell them [the teams] everything that they need to know with the tyres for next season, but now we are in mid-May," he explained.

"You can imagine how ludicrous that is when we have not got contracts in place.

"Maybe we won't be here..."

Pirelli is already understood to have agreed a commercial deal with F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone about remaining in the sport, but there has still been no word from the FIA about its plans to put the tyre contract out to tender.

Furthermore, Pirelli's attempts to finalise individual contracts with the teams have been thwarted by a number of outfits being reluctant to accept the terms on offer.

Hembery said that his Pirelli bosses had already set an internal deadline for when they needed an answer.

And although he refused to divulge when that was, he said that teams had to wake up to the long lead time his company needed if it was going to be prepared to stay in F1.

"I have always said we will never declare an internal deadline but clearly time is already too late," he said.

"Things are getting, as far as we can, extremely serious because the changes next year are substantial.

"The sport has to take a rapid decision because aside from having the fixed resources in the business involved in F1, there is also a technical job. We need to do a technical job as well.

"It is not just a case of maybe putting a harder compound on to this year's tyres - the changes are so dramatic that we will need to do a thorough re-engineering of the tyre. That takes time, so the longer is goes on it makes our job impossible.

"There comes a time where we will not have time to do the job any more."

[MIKA27]

Monaco GP: Kimi Raikkonen sure Lotus can match Mercedes

Kimi Raikkonen believes Lotus has the pace to match the single-lap speed of rival Mercedes in Monaco following the first two practice sessions on Thursday.

The Finn finished the morning session over 1.3 seconds off pacesetter Nico Rosberg, but reduced the gap considerably in the afternoon, finishing seven tenths behind the Mercedes driver.

Rosberg, who has started from pole in the last two grands prix, was the only man to lap in the 1m14s in the second session.

Raikkonen, however, sees no reason why Lotus cannot match Mercedes' pace in qualifying, although the Finn is refusing to make predictions.

"I think yes, if we get all the things right," Raikkonen said when asked by AUTOSPORT if Mercedes' lap time was within reach.

"We will see. Why not? We see what happens on Saturday.

"You would think they will be very fast. Today they were very fast, but things can change. We have to wait and see. I have no interest to start guessing what can happen on Saturday."

He added: "We have to see how it is in the morning. If it's like this morning then it's going to be a disaster. But we improved a lot and it's getting better and better all the time.

The Lotus driver said starting from the two first rows of the grid will be crucial if he wants to have a shot at winning the race.

"If we want to win, probably yes," he said.

GROSJEAN CONFIDENT DESPITE CRASH

Team-mate Romain Grosjean finished his day early after crashing against the barriers at Sainte Devote in the second session.

The Frenchman managed just 10 laps, but is confident the accident will not affect his performance this weekend.

"It is not a big deal. It's a bit of a shame, as we lost some time, but the confidence is there," he said.

"I locked when I was already into the corner so unfortunately there was nothing I could really do.

"I think it's going to be tight. Fernando [Alonso] is quick, both Mercedes are, and I think we are, so it's going to be a good battle."

[Bartolomeo]

My fav race weekend of the year w Monaco and Indy 500

[MIKA27]

My fav race weekend of the year w Monaco and Indy 500

I hope you enjoy your weekend!

[MIKA27]

Michael and Nico at the Nordschleife:

[CanuckSARTech]

My fav race weekend of the year w Monaco and Indy 500

And the NASCAR Coca-Cola 600!

[BrotherBear]

And the NASCAR Coca-Cola 600!

What's wrong with NASCAR? >_>

Sent from my SGH-I896 using Tapatalk 2

[CanuckSARTech]

What's wrong with NASCAR? >_>

Sent from my SGH-I896 using Tapatalk 2

Nothing. Love it. Just a little love/hate racing-relationship joke that Mika and I have.

[Hypersomniac]

I never watched racing until I started reading this thread some time ago. Now I have been following F1 since the first race of the year. Thanks MIKA for getting me started on this.

[PaulP]

Nico on pole.

Times

01. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:13.876s

02. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:13.967s +0.091

03. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull 1:13.980s +0.104

04. Mark Webber Red Bull 1:14.181s +0.305

05. Kimi Raikkonen Lotus 1:14.822s +0.946

06. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:14.824s +0.948

07. Sergio Perez McLaren 1:15.138s +1.262

08. Adrian Sutil Force India 1:15.383s +1.507

09. Jenson Button McLaren 1:15.647s +1.771

10. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso 1:15.703s +1.827

11. Nico Hulkenberg Sauber 1:18.331s +2.343

12. Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso 1:18.344s +2.356

13. Romain Grosjean Lotus 1:18.603s +2.615

14. Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:19.077s +3.089

15. Giedo van der Garde Caterham 1:19.408s +3.420

16. Pastor Maldonado Williams 1:21.688s +5.700

17. Paul di Resta Force India 1:26.322s +2.870

18. Charles Pic Caterham 1:26.633s +3.181

19. Esteban Gutierrez Sauber 1:26.917s +3.465

20. Max Chilton Marussia 1:27.303s +3.851

21. Jules Bianchi Marussia

22. Felipe Massa Ferrari

[poorman]

In honor of Senna at Monaco weekend.

Production car and dress shoes. Love the footwork and wheel action.

[Bartolomeo]

I think it will be Vettel, Webber and Fernando tomorrow.....Mercs tires won't hold up and Alonso will find away to pass Kimi during the race sometime

Bart

[poorman]

What's wrong with NASCAR? >_>

It's like watching traffic.

Plus the ever exciting, after numerous hours of traffic gazing, Yellow, Green, Checker.

[PaulP]

My guess would be Kimi, Fernando, Vettel

[Buch0]

guys question from left field, anyone know of a good live stream for formula 1? I don't mind if they charge for it.. cheers!

[PaulP]

Surprising result

Times

01 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:18.432

02 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull +3.8

03 Mark Webber Red Bull +6.3

04 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes +13.8

05 Adrian Sutil Force India +21.4

06 Jenson Button McLaren +23.1

07 Fernando Alonso Ferrari +26.7

08 Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso +27.2

09 Paul di Resta Force India +27.6

10 Kimi Raikkonen Lotus +36.5

11 Nico Hulkenberg Sauber +42.5

12 Valtteri Bottas Williams +42.6

13 Esteban Gutierrez Sauber +43.2

14 Max Chilton Marussia +49.8

15 Giedo van der Garde Caterham +62.5

16 Sergio Perez McLaren +6 laps

Did Not Finish

R Romain Grosjean Lotus +15 laps

R Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso +17 laps

R Jules Bianchi Marussia +20 laps

R Pastor Maldonado Williams +34 laps

R Felipe Massa Ferrari +50 laps

R Charles Pic Caterham +71 lap

[Schumi5]

While I can appreciate the spectacle of racing along the streets of Monte Carlo, I got to be honest...I HATE this race. Nothing more than a two hour parade. Horrendously boring race and reckless driving by some makes me think it is only a matter of time before this race causes a serious injury or worse. Also dissapointing to see the cars run so far from their limit as Vettel proved late. I appreciate the tradition but certainly don't look forward to this race at all. Oh well, thankfully Montreal is up next which is one of the best races of the year!