FORMULA 1 - 2013

[MIKA27]

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!

I hate to say this, I love F1 but I fell asleep last night watching Monacco.

Thinking it would be great to be there watching it, being amongst the atmosphere, but on TV, quite boring.

I watched most of it but fell asleep after the red flags were lifted.

Guys, thanks alot for posting over the weekend and apologies I couldn't post news but I moved home last weekend and am still waiting for the internet to be reconnected.

[MIKA27]

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!

Maaate! Where have YOU been hiding, havent seen you around for ages.

There are a few places to check out live streaming but I'd give this one a go first:

http://tensport.com.au/motorsport-live-streaming.htm

Let me know how you find it.

[MIKA27]

Rosberg wins incident packed Monaco Grand Prix

Hometown hero Nico Rosberg conquered the mean streets of Monte Carlo to win the Monaco Grand Prix and made history by becoming the first son of a former winner – Keke Rosberg – to take victory at the principality.

From day one, back on Thursday, Rosberg was unbeatable around a circuit which traverses the neighbourhood where he grew up and went to school. He topped all three free practice sessions, scored a brilliant pole position and controlled every moment of a race packed with incidents, including two lengthy safety car sessions and a red flag stoppage shortly after midway.

It was a big victory for Mercedes, the first of the Toto Wolff – Niki Lauda era, it was also the team’s first triumph this season where they have had strong single lap pace but in race mode failed dismally.

Rosberg doubled his F1 career victory tally to two and on the day comprehensively out-performed teammate Lewis Hamilton who started second but ended fourth.

As mayhem and hardcore battles ensued behind him, Rosberg never lost control or the lead of the race. he was impeccable in all the paced restarts, instantly pulling a gap from the chasing field. He delivered one of the most memorable and polished performances seen at the principality, since Ayrton Senna’s dominant days at the venue over two decades ago.

And of course matching his father’s achievement before he was born 30 years ago - Keke won the 1983 Monaco GP for Williams – gave the achievement a priceless feel about it.

Rosberg reveled in the his moment of glory and said afterwards, “It’s amazing. This is my home, I’ve grown up here all my life and it’s really special. The whole weekend went perfectly. I had a terrible start and I was close with Sebastian and Lewis but after that I controlled the pace. The car was really good, the tyres held on OK and that was really the key, so a massive thanks to the team. I’m ecstatic.”

Sebastian Vettel finished second and Red Bull teammate Mark Webber third. Vettel thus extended his championship points lead as did Red Bull in the constructors’ table.

The pair capitalised by pitting just as the first safetycar period ensued, the timely move allowed them to catapult past Lewis Hamilton and very nearly getting ahead of Rosberg. Thereafter they spent the day, nose to tail and chasing Rosberg in vain. Nevertheless a good points haul for the energy drinks outfit.

Vettel reflected, ”Overall I’m happy and pleased with the result, we know it’s difficult to overtake here. Congratulations to Nico, he had the pace and the tyres. We had a fantastic start but there was no room to overtake and I had to life. I was surprised by the slow pace of the opening laps. you expect two silver arrows in front of you and we had two buses in front going for a cruise. They had a strategy but we did well to get past Lewis. I think we can be happy with the result. It was a good job by the team.”

Webber summed his afternoon, ”Congratulations to Nico, it’s a special place to win it. It was a seamless weekend. For us we knew it was a bit against us but we got a good start. It was sod’s law that it was a short first corner. After that it was saving the tyres. It was completely predictable. It was nice to get Lewis but we will take that position. It was difficult to get the restart. But in general it was just driving around and saving the tyres.”

Hamilton crossed the line fourth, but can also take some credit for his teammate’s triumph. He helped block off the Red Bull duo at the start and going into Turn 1 as Rosberg endured a sluggish start and then he played the team game by holding the blue cars up during the early stages of the race, giving Rosberg the breathing space to look after his tyres and control the pace.

Scraping away the gloss and the glamour, and not to detract from Rosberg’s fine win, the fact that the front runners were all in tyre conservation mode throughout the race bordered on a farce. It took a cheeky last ditch fastest lap by Vettel - which was two seconds better than anyone had gone all day – for the point to be made and the harsh reality of what modern F1 has turned into.

Of course Vettel’s engineer mumbled without conviction that fastest laps do not count for anything, to which the world champion replied: ”Just satisfaction.”

In fact prior to Felipe Massa’s big shunt which caused the first safety car period the headlines being prepared were the likes of: ‘Bore on the Cote D’Azur’ or ‘Yawn through the streets’ because nothing of note was going on out on track as the field snaked around a couple of seconds off the pace, in tyre economy run of sorts.

Massa’s crash no doubt woke up the half billion or so viewers, as it was a carbon copy of the fate he suffered in FP3. Slamming the barriers just after the start/finish line then flying out of control and slamming the TechPro barriers at Sainte Devote. It was another big one and Massa, who looked dazed and confused, received treatment at the side of the track.

When the safety car ducked into the pits, the top four were gone almost instantly, but the fun and games began with the field bunched up.

First there was a no-harm-done tap as Jenson Button chased Fernando Alonso out of Loews hairpin. Then a kilometre down the road Sergio Perez – who had in the first chapter of the race tangled with his teammate and had to relinquish the position he took by cutting the Nouvelle Chicane – darted down the outside of Button (again) as he exited the tunnel and made an audacious overtake stick.

He did the same again to Alonso a couple of laps later. The Ferrari driver was wise to it and cut the chicane and what appeared to be a move to avoid contact. Later on, after the restart, the Spaniard was told to cede the position to Perez who at this stage was first in line for ‘man of the match’ award – more of that later.

On lap 46 Pastor Maldonado came upon Max Chilton as the pair went into Tabac, the Williams driver was up against the barrier when the Marussia edged into him causing the blue and white car to get airborne and crash heavily into Tabac at the foot of the grandstand. The TechPro barrier engulfed the Williams and blocked the track which resulted in Jules Bianchi slamming into it and destroying the front end of his Marussia.

With the track perilously blocked the red flags came out and they all lined up on the grid, awaiting the restart as piles of debris were collected and the barriers strapped up again. Chilton got a drive through penalty for his role in the accident.

About half an hour later the field started up for the second formation lap of the afternoon. At this point lap Alonso had to allow Perez through as the stewards deemed Alonso’s chicane cut had given him an advantage.

The restart was a carbon copy of the first one as the leading quartet bounded away into the distance and behind them a train of cars battled it out. Perez the hero (thus far) went to zero with his next move, this time on Kimi Raikkonen for fifth place, again going into the chicane after the tunnel. This time the McLaren was too far back and it was an overly ambitious move.

Unlike Button and Alonso, Raikkonen drifted towards the harbour-side and squeezed Perez into the barrier, the cars made contact and a shower of McLaren and Lotus bits were testament to the damage.

Raikkonen suffered a puncture and pitted immediately for new tyres. His day ended with a solitary point – disappointing since he was good for at least fifth – but nevertheless extended his consecutive points scoring run to 23 races.

Damage on Perez’s car was more severe and although he tried gamely to hang in there, he eventually had to park it just before Anthony Nogues, his race run and almost scooping the ‘bad boy’ prize.

A few laps later Romain Grosjean stole the ‘bad boy’ prize from Perez with a bizarre misjudgement which saw his Lotus climb up the back of Daniel Ricciardo’s Toro Rosso as they exited the tunnel at high speed. Debris scattered all over the track, both drivers escaped down the slip road without injury but with damage to both cars. Grosjean tried to resume but the front suspension on his E21 was bent. It was his fourth crash during the three days in Monaco.

This brought out the safety car again, as debris was cleared from the chicane area.

Capitalising impressively on both the restarts was Adrian Sutil in the Force India who made a couple of classy moves on Button first and a few laps later on Alonso going into the Loews hairpin. Fifth place was his and Force India’s best ever finish at Monaco.

At the end of the afternoon, Button and Alonso had survived the wars around them for what seemed most of the race, to finish sixth and seventh respectively.

Best of the Frenchmen was Jean Eric Vergne who delivered what must be a career best drive to eighth place in the Toro Rosso. The youngster showing maturity and race craft beyond his years on a trying day at a venue which is as close as he will be to a home race.

Paul di Resta put behind him a disappointing qualifying session, and delivered a solid performance which saw him start 17th and end up ninth in the Force India.

Final word to race winner Rosberg, ”I’m extremely happy to win this race. We’ve had such a difficult time the last couple races and droppig back so much. That was a little bit in back of mind but it was OK. I hope this is going to last. Today, the team gave me a great car. It’s really fantastic to see how much they have been able to improve in a short space of time. This track suited us anyway.”

[MIKA27]

Protest looms over Rosberg’s Monaco victory after secret tyre test

Red Bull made a formal protest at the Monaco Grand Prix on Sunday after it emerged that Mercedes, who swept the front row in qualifying for the race , carried out a secret tyre test with Pirelli last week in Barcelona.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, who found out ‘second hand’ only on Saturday night, suggested Mercedes had gained an unfair advantage and said his team had sought a clarification of the rules.

“We feel it’s not in line with the rules, so that’s why we’ve protested before the race here. We just want clarity,” he told Sky Sports television. ”I think it’s important (that it) be brought to a head. I don’t think we’re the only team that feels that way.”

The Formula One regulations ban in-season testing but Pirelli said their contract stipulated that they could do 1,000-km private tests with a ‘representative’ car and the three days in Spain were legal.

The clash between the regulations and the clause in Pirelli’s contract appeared to create a grey area.

“What’s disappointing is it has been done in not a transparent manner that a three-day test has taken place with a current car running on tyres that are going to be used at the next grand prix,” an unhappy Horner told reporters earlier. Irrespective of what you call it, that’s testing.”

Mercedes GP non-executive chairman Niki Lauda said, however, that the team had obtained permission from the governing International Automobile Federation (FIA).

“It is very simple. We were asked by Pirelli, we asked the FIA: ‘Are we allowed to do the test?’ The FIA confirmed it and said ‘yes’ and so therefore we did the test. We think other teams have been asked too,” he said.

“Mercedes did nothing wrong – they asked the right people for permission. We asked the FIA, the FIA checked it legally and advised us we could do it so we can’t do any better.”

Pirelli motorsport head Paul Hembery, already under fire from Red Bull over the quick-wearing current tyres, said the test in Barcelona after the Spanish Grand Prix had not been the first of its kind.

“We’ve done it before with another team and we’ve asked another team to do some work as well,” he said.

Hembery denied that Mercedes, who have struggled with tyre wear during races despite having now racked up four pole positions in a row, could have gained any competitive advantage.

“Absolutely not, no. Because it’s no relevance to what’s happening here,” he told Reuters.

Horner, whose cars qualified on the second row behind the Mercedes duo of Nico Rosberg on pole and Lewis Hamilton alongside, was more sceptical about that.

“Well, they’ve both cars on the front row of the grid so it’s not hurt,” he said.

“There is confusion between what is contractually permissible, and what a team is allowed to do in the sporting regs,” he said. “It’s a situation we need clarification on.”

Hembery said he did not know whether Mercedes had tested with this year’s car and the rain-affected test in Barcelona had been 90 percent aimed at the 2014 tyres.

“We were looking at next year’s solutions and trying a variety of different (things)… Mercedes haven’t got a clue what on earth we were testing in reality,” said Hembery.

Asked why the other teams had not been told in advance, Hembery suggested that would have been counter-productive.

“You know in Formula One that when you start talking about something six months could pass before you found a solution,” he said.

“There’s also another point of looking at it… that things take far too long. In reality sometimes you just have to get on and do it.”

[MIKA27]

Hamilton: How the hell can a dog be distracting?

Lewis Hamilton and Niki Lauda have slammed those blaming a bulldog called Roscoe for the 2008 world champion’s competitive dip.

Briton Hamilton has been outqualified by his teammate and 2013 pole master Nico Rosberg three times on the trot, and many are pointing fingers at the former McLaren driver’s new freedom at Mercedes and a dog he walks in the paddock.

“How the hell can a dog be distracting?” Hamilton said in Monaco after qualifying second behind Rosberg. ”I don’t really know how I could live my life any differently, so if people have a got a problem with that then that’s their problem.”

Mercedes chairman Lauda also defended Hamilton.

“He should be allowed his freedom to do what the f— he likes,” the plain-talking Austrian told the Mirror. ”If it makes him happy, he will be a better sportsman.”

Hamilton said his slight deficit to German Rosberg in the sister silver car at present is just part of his acclimatising to life at Mercedes, following an entire career with McLaren.

“I can’t say I’m doing anything different in the car,” he insisted. ”I think it’s just because I’m still learning a new car.”

And Hamilton said going through a slight dip of performance is not new to him.

“It doesn’t hurt,” he said. “I’ve been very fortunate to have lots of experiences like this in the past — with Fernando Alonso, with Heikki Kovalainen and with Jenson Button.

“It doesn’t make me doubt my abilities. It just makes me want to work harder.”

Team boss Ross Brawn also expects Hamilton to bounce back soon, but he also thinks Rosberg will never be a pushover.

“What I think is that it will be pretty even spread between the two of them — at least I hope that is the case, as we don’t want one driver dominating the other,” he told Formula 1′s official website.

Brawn told Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport that it’s obvious Rosberg has the upper hand at the moment.

“At this high level, little things play a big role,” he explained.

“Nico knows every button in the car and could drive it almost asleep. Lewis is still working on it and we’re also learning about him; what he needs from the car.

“He will also get the maximum from the car, but Lewis also knows that he is fighting against an extremely talented teammate,” added Brawn.

[MIKA27]

Grosjean gets grid penalty for causing crash

Romain Grosjean has been given a ten place grid penalty to be served at the Canadian GP, Round 7 of the 2013 F1 world championship, following his coming together with Toro Rosso’s Daniel Ricciardo during the Monaco GP.

The Lotus driver ran into the back of Ricciardo’s car exiting the tunnel at high speed on lap 62 while the pair battled for 13th place.

Ricciardo had to retire immediately with damage, but Grosjean limped on for a lap before parking his Lotus.

Grosjean’s team mate Kimi Raikkonen was also summoned to the stewards after the race after he was deemed to have exceeded the prescribed maximum speed during one of the safety car period. Raikkonen received a reprimand but got to keep the single point he earned for finishing tenth.

[MIKA27]

Alonso: Only McLaren can be happy with Perez

Sergio Perez has come under come under fire from Fernando Alonso and Lotus boss Eric Boullier after an action-packed Monaco GP.

Perez was involved in incidents with his McLaren team-mate Jenson Button, Ferrari's Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen on Sunday. Button once again complained during the race about his team-mate's driving while Alonso and Raikkonen's Lotus team were also not pleased.

The Mexican ducked on the inside of Alonso at the chicane, which forced the Spaniard to cut the corner and he was later told to give the place to the McLaren man. Perez tried to pull off the same daring move on Raikkonen in the closing stage of the race, but they made contact and the Finn had to make a late pit stop.

Perez's car was also damaged in the incident and he was forced to park his MP4-28 on lap 74.

His antics, though, didn't escape any criticism from Alonso.

"Really I don't want to make too much attention on this because the most important thing is that Felipe [Massa]'s good [after a heavy crash] and the second most important thing is [Nico] Rosberg that won the race," Alonso was quoted as saying by Sky Sports F1.

"Then with Perez he has the car parked in the Rascasse - that is the only point that you can say.

"He was lucky this year in two or three incidents. In Bahrain nearly contact with Jenson, with me I was off the track avoiding contact.

Here at the chicane I avoided contact again, but Kimi was not lucky because he didn't avoid the contact. But only McLaren has to be happy with him."

Raikkonen somehow managed to finish P10 after making a late stop, but his team principal Boullier was not pleased with Perez's driving.

"He tried once and if you look at the video he was attempting very, very late braking misunderstanding the braking line of Kimi. I think that was a little bit too much," Boullier told reporters.

"He nearly crashed with his team-mate in Bahrain, here there was also a little bit of action. It looks like he's trying to often to be too aggressive and attempt something which is most of the time impossible to do."

[MIKA27]

Alonso: Ferrari lacked pace

Fernando Alonso says he just didn't have the pace to challenge in Monaco, even before his F138 was compromised by a piece of Sergio Perez's bodywork.

The Ferrari started Sunday's 78-lap grand prix in sixth place and was unable to make up positions at the start.

Added to that, Alonso soon lost ground to the frontrunners, falling further and further back.

His efforts to fightback where undone when a piece of Perez's bodywork became lodged in Alonso's front wing, hampering his car's aerodynamic performance.

As the race progressed, Alonso lost a position first to Perez and then to Jenson Button and Adrian Sutil. He finished P8.

"With a bit of Perez's car in our front-wing we lost a bit of aerodynamic performance in the last part of the race," the Spaniard told Sky Sports F1.

"But even in the first part of the race, when everything was normal, we just didn't have the pace.

"We know to understand why it happened and when we are back to Canada then I hope that everything will be back to normal."

[MIKA27]

Massa 'alright' after second crash

Ferrari have revealed that Felipe Massa is "alright" while the Brazilian has been released from hospital.

The Ferrari driver suffered two big accidents during the Monaco GP weekend starting with Saturday's final practice.

The Brazilian lost control of his F138 at the approach to St Devote, hitting the barriers with the left side.

From there he went nose first into the tyre wall and was later seen rubbing his shoulder.

Massa announced that he was "okay" but had sore muscles with some reports claiming he couldn't move his neck completely on Sunday morning.

The 11-time grand prix winner still took his place on the Monaco grid, P21, and was attempting to make up places when he suffered another off.

In a near repeat of Saturday's crash, Massa again hit the barriers at St Devote, this time though he appeared a bit more uncomfortable.

The F1 doctor saw to Massa on the side of the track, who was fitted with a neck brace.

"Massa is alright, currently undergoing some checkups," the team Tweeted.

The Brazilian has now been released, according to the latest reports, and is heading home.

[MIKA27]

Maldonado 'OK' after Monaco crash

Pastor Maldonado says he is "OK" but does have a few bruises having suffered a massive crash which stopped the Monaco GP.

Battling with Max Chilton for position, the Venezuelan driver, who was near the back of the field after an early nose change, came up alongside the Marussia.

However, instead of Chilton holding his own line, the Brit cut across Maldonado, hitting the Williams' front wing.

The wing gave way under Maldonado's car which resulted in him getting airborne and hitting the air-fence barrier at Tabac.

The barrier broke away and landed across the track forcing the race to be red-flagged while repairs were made.

Maldonado, thankfully, escaped without serious injury.

"I'm OK, just some contusions, it was a big impact," he said.

"I'm disappointed as the race is still going.

"I was surprised that Max Chilton crossed me, he crossed my way."

Chilton was handed a drive-through penalty for causing the collision.

[MIKA27]

'Williams talking to Merc about engines'

Williams could switch to Mercedes power next season as Merc executive director Toto Wolff has revealed that talks are taking place.

Just hours after Toro Rosso confirmed they were dropping Ferrari in favour of Renault, Wolff announced that Williams too could change engine suppliers for next season.

With F1 swapping to smaller 1.6-litre turbocharged V6 engines next season, the price of the units is set to soar with Renault reportedly the most expensive of the manufacturers.

As such Williams are looking at other sources and have entered talks with Mercedes whose engines are believed to cost a few million less.

The German outfit is also set to lose a team in 2015 as McLaren have already confirmed that they will use Honda power when the Japanese manufacturer returns to the sport.

"It's clear we are losing an engine customer in 2015 and for Mercedes it is important to have a regular business case and it is important to have at least three customers from 2015 onwards," ESPNF1 quoted Wolff as saying.

"This is why we are having certain discussions and Williams is one of them.

"It would be for 2014, because nobody would sign a one-year deal with anyone."

[MIKA27]

Sauber: We are disappointed with the result

The Monaco Grand Prix did not produce the result the Sauber F1 Team hoped for. During a race that saw quite a few accidents, two Safety Cars and one red flag, Sauber F1 Team drivers Nico Hülkenberg and Esteban Gutiérrez finished 11th and 13th respectively. The reason for a result like that was the difficulty in making the tyres work on this challenging street circuit.

Nico Hülkenberg

We couldn’t expect any miracles today, and yesterday we weren’t in the top ten either. Today we just lacked speed throughout the race. Unlike most of the other drivers, I started on soft tyres at the re-start, which was ok in the beginning. But, after another Safety Car, the tyres never came back to life again. The rears especially degraded a lot. When I got out of the car I could see the steel belt, so it’s no wonder the pace wasn’t good enough anymore. It’s a shame, as that point would have been ours.

Esteban Gutiérrez

It was very challenging to bring the car back home without any scratches or a crash. The first Safety Car compromised our strategy and in the end we just had to make the best out of that situation. We couldn’t expect to score points, but I did my best to use every opportunity I had to gain positions. Nevertheless, it was also important to not go over the limit and finish the race. I had a good re-start and was able to fight, but one of the points where we have to improve is the top speed in order to be able to fight for positions. It was tough with Williams in front and Lotus behind. On the other hand, I need to work so I can cope better with changing conditions in qualifying.

Monisha Kaltenborn, Team Principal

We are disappointed with the result today, because we were in a position to score points. The first safety car period compromised our strategy. But the most surprising thing for us was that we couldn’t gain an advantage with our choice of tyres for the re-start. Although Nico was on soft tyres – the harder compound – the degradation was higher than that of our competitors, who were on super softs. Both drivers drove well, but the car simply wasn’t good enough on this track. We still believe, however, the measures we took will show an improvement again in the next race.

Tom McCullough, Head of Track Engineering

It was a typical eventful Monaco race with several Safety Car periods and a red flag. Both drivers drove well today, but ultimately the car was quite hard on its tyres. The degradation was too high, and the overall pace was not quick enough to score points. So we need to regroup and prepare for Montreal in two week’s time.

[MIKA27]

Caterham: That was a pretty crazy race!

Team and drivers report on the Monaco Grand Prix, Round 6 of the 2013 Formula 1 world championship, in Monte Carlo.

Charles Pic

It’s obviously disappointing for my race to end that early, especially as I’d made a really good start and was running in 15th ahead of Gutierrez and just behind Di Resta on the same pace as him when I had to stop. It looks like the cause of the retirement was a gearbox problem and the fire was from the exhausts which had overheated. It looked a lot more dramatic than it felt in the car – I could feel there was a problem and started pulling over and as soon as the car stopped there was a lot of smoke, but it was all out quickly and the marshals did a good job to clear it away without bringing out the safety car. As I say, it’s a shame as we’d had a good weekend until that point. The car felt great in the race and as our deg levels were good on the long runs we were looking at stopping only once which could have put us right in the middle of the action. However, we’re in Canada next, at another circuit where I think we’ll be able to show how the car’s pace keeps improving, and with a bit more luck we’ll be in a position to have a better weekend.

Giedo van der Garde

That was a pretty crazy race! I made a good start from 15th but then Maldonado hit me, damaging the floor and meaning I had to come straight in for a new nose on lap one. I rejoined in 22nd and at that point, even though I had good pace and was catching the pack up again, it looked like my race was over, especially after losing KERS on lap 10. We were able to reset KERS and then Monaco did what it always does, and when the safety car came out for Massa’s crash I was able to unlap myself and get back into the action. In the car it felt like I couldn’t have any less luck, but then on lap 45 I was with Chilton, Bianchi and Maldonado when they had their incident. I didn’t really see what happened between them, but obviously the red flag gave me a chance to start again, this time from 18th. From the restart, on soft tyres and with 28 laps to go, I was holding position in 17th after Chilton’s drive-through and then the second safety car came out and I moved up to 14th when a couple of cars ahead pitted. I was right behind Bottas, in front of Gutierrez, but unfortunately after 13 laps the tyres were destroyed. I had Chilton right behind me and with the tyres in the state they were I couldn’t hold him off so I finished 15th. After the way the race started, just to be there at the end was pretty good, but it’s obviously not how we wanted it to go after such a good Saturday. However, it’s another race done, more lessons learned and, overall, a pretty good weekend.

[MIKA27]

Force India: Our best result in Monaco and very well deserved

Sahara Force India secured 12 points today as Adrian Sutil and Paul Di Resta raced to fifth and ninth places respectively on the streets of Monaco.

Adrian Sutil

Fifth place feels fantastic. It’s just the result we needed and I’m very happy right now. The car felt very good and we made the most of the chances that came our way. It was difficult to move forward in the first half of the race when I was stuck in the train of cars, but the red flag opened up some more opportunities. It meant that everybody was on the same sprint strategy until the end of the race. I noticed that the hairpin was an area where there was a chance to overtake so I tried it with Jenson and it worked. Then I did the same with Fernando and it worked once again. So I think I showed that overtaking is possible in Monaco. The team did an excellent job all weekend and we definitely deserved this result today.

Paul Di Resta

Given where we started we went with an aggressive strategy and it probably would have paid off without the safety cars. The pace was strong, but I was stuck behind lots of traffic in the early part of the race. I managed to pass a few cars going into turn one, but towards the end of the race the cars were more bunched up and it was not so easy. I was stuck behind Vergne after the restart and I had one good chance to overtake, but he defended very well. Fortunately with the cars ahead battling and making contact I made up some positions and scored a couple of points. So after the disappointment of yesterday, the boys did a great job and it’s good to continue my run of finishes in the points.

Dr Vijay Mallya, Team Principal & Managing Director

A very eventful Monaco Grand Prix and I am delighted to see both Sahara Force Indias come home safely in the points. With Adrian’s fifth place and ninth place for Paul, we have added 12 points to our tally and strengthened our hold on fifth position in the championship. Adrian’s drive was superb as he showed great speed and patience all afternoon. He waited for the right opportunities and made the most of them. I think everybody enjoyed his two overtaking moves at the hairpin on two former world champions. It’s our best result in Monaco and very well deserved by the entire team. Paul was also superb, showing his overtaking skills into turn one, and recovering from P17 on the grid to score two points. I congratulate the whole team on another strong weekend and hope that we can deliver more of the same in Canada in a couple of weeks’ time.

[MIKA27]

Webber not ruling out Ferrari switch after Red Bull

Red Bull’s Mark Webber has ruled out continuing his Formula 1 career with a small team – but he’s leaving the door open to Ferrari.

In the wake of the ‘Multi-21′ team orders saga, in which his relationship with Sebastian Vettel hit an all-time low, the 36-year-old Australian was photographed out for dinner with his friend Fernando Alonso.

“Well, Fernando and I have often had dinner together since 2001, but Twitter wasn’t invented then,” Webber told the Spanish newspaper El Pais.

“I’ve also posted pictures with Jenson and with others, but when it was Fernando, everyone said ‘Oh my god!’ That’s what the press does.”

But, with Red Bull not ruling out pairing Vettel with his friend Kimi Raikkonen next year, does Webber rule out joining his friend, Spaniard Alonso, at Ferrari in 2014?

“In Formula 1 you can never say never,” Webber answered, “but right now my commitment to Red Bull is solid — we’ve been through some very good moments together.

“I’ve always said I would not go back to a small team,” he insisted.

[MIKA27]

Monaco GP: Kimi Raikkonen says Sergio Perez has no idea after clash

Kimi Raikkonen has slammed Sergio Perez for blaming him for their collision during the Monaco Grand Prix, claiming the McLaren driver "has no idea what he's talking about".

Raikkonen was in fifth position when the Mexican tried to pass him on the entry to the chicane and the pair made contact, resulting in a left-rear puncture for the Lotus and dropping him down the field.

Perez, who later retired, claimed after the race that the Finn should have left him more room, but Raikkonen left no doubt as to where he felt the blame lie.

"He hit me from behind and that's about all there is to it," said Raikkonen, who recovered from the incident to claim a solitary point, having passed Nico Hulkenburg's Sauber for 10th on the final lap.

"If he thinks it's my fault that he came into the corner too fast then he obviously has no idea what he's talking about.

"It's not the first time he's hit someone in the race. He seems to expect people to be always looking at what he might do, then move over or go straight on if he comes into the corner too quick and isn't going to make it without running into someone."

With championship rival Sebastian Vettel finishing second to Nico Rosberg's Mercedes, Raikkonen concedes he has lost valuable ground to the German in the title fight - although 10th did extend his run of consecutive points finishes to 23.

"It was a really disappointing day," Raikkonen said. "Because of one stupid move from Sergio we've lost a lot of points to Sebastian in the championship and you can't afford to lose ground like that.

"Not the ideal weekend but there's nothing we can do about it. At least we got one point back at the end."

[MIKA27]

Max Chilton apologises for causing Pastor Maldonado crash

Max Chilton has apologised to Pastor Maldonado for his part in the collision that led to the Williams driver crashing heavily during the Monaco Grand Prix.

Maldonado's car plunged headfirst into the barrier at Tabac, registering an impact believed to be of around 9g, after Chilton drifted into the Williams on the approach to the corner.

This led to the Venezuelan describing Chilton's driving as "dangerous".

Chilton said he believed he was driving in a straight line, but accepted the decision of the stewards to blame him for the incident and give him a drive-through penalty.

"I've been to see Pastor because I wanted to see that he was OK and he was really nice about it," said Chilton when asked by AUTOSPORT about the incident.

"He said I was coming across on him and I did say if I did, I'm sorry, it wasn't intentional.

"The stewards thought it was my fault and when you are in the car you can't see as much as you can with a camera view.

"That was the incident, we've got to apologise and move on."

Chilton explained that he was slow on the run from the chicane to Tabac after having to cut the corner to avoid the Sauber of Esteban Gutierrez.

"The incident started when Esteban did a lunge into the chicane," said Chilton.

"If you turn in, it's going to end badly and he was locked up so the best thing to do was to let him go round the corner and then join in behind him.

"I knew there was other cars near and I could see another car to the right and behind, with probably a 10 metre gap [to it] so I stayed in the middle of the road.

"Turn 12 comes up pretty fast so I was fixated on that apex."

Chilton, who finished a career-best 14th in the race, was pleased with his performance despite the incident.

"That was the best race of the year, we had good pace all race compared to the cars around us," said Chilton.

[MIKA27]

Raikkonen makes up three places in final two laps:

[MIKA27]

Could 'tyre-gate' see Hankook replace Pirelli?

The latest controversy to hit Formula 1 is that of Mercedes and Pirelli conducting a private tyre test in which they completed 1,000km of running, using a 2013 car (the W04) and it’s two drivers, Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton.

With the test coming to light a week later in Monaco, upset rivals Red Bull and Ferrari lodged official protests. It seemed as though nothing would come of it, Mercedes and Pirelli were adamant the test was completely above board and had the FIA’s approval. If that was the case, the protests would simply fall flat on their face.

However a statement issued by the governing body casts doubts on whether the German team and tyre supplier actually had explicit permission to conduct the test.

“There is provision for them to carry out up to 1000km of testing with any team – provided every team is offered the opportunity to do so,” read an FIA statement.

“Such a development test could be possible if carried out by Pirelli, as opposed to the team that would provide the car and driver.”

It then went on to add: “The FIA received no further information about a possible test from Pirelli or Mercedes-AMG. Furthermore, the FIA received no confirmation that all teams had been given an opportunity to take part in this test."

In essence, the FIA is claiming they didn’t follow the correct procedures and later added it would take action - in what form is yet unclear, but it sounds as though one, or both, could face serious sanctions.

The FIA cannot fine nor penalise Pirelli because they are an external supplier, unlike Mercedes who are a competitor entered under the championship rules. Therefore the only true punishment they could issue against the Italian company, is to not agree a contract extension.

Pirelli have been making a lot of noise about the current contract which is due to expire at the end of the year. They expected a decision by April at the very latest. We’re almost in June. That prompted motorsport director Paul Hembery to slam the FIA - which they won’t have taken to too kindly - and he even suggested they might quit the sport.

"Apparently on September 1st, 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 said.

"You can imagine how ludicrous that is when we have not got contracts in place. Maybe we won't be here [next year].”

Maybe Pirelli haven’t been offered a new contract, because the FIA have a new supplier lined up?

In 2010, the tender was opened to find a new tyre supplier following the withdrawal of Bridgestone. Pirelli won that tender, but Bernie Ecclestone - who is keen to see more Asian suppliers in the sport (think LG and TATA) - is known to have approached Hankook - a Korean tyre manufacturer - about supplying F1.

Hankook, with just a few months to develop an F1 tyre and no experience in motorsport declined, but they were keen on the idea as they look to expand globally.

Their CEO’s latest message to shareholders included the line: "We will not be content to rest as Korea’s No. 1 tire manufacturer, but strive to set global trends and lead the market through bold marketing activities."

That last bit, 'bold marketing activities' saw them become the official tyre supplier for the DTM series - a contract they just extended until 2016. In fact, the DTM move was a "stepping stone" according to Hankook CEO Cho Hyun-Bum to give them a development platform to eventually supply F1.

"We are keen to do it [supply F1] and DTM is a logical stepping stone," he said back in 2011 with a view to making the jump to F1 in the future.

Hankook also supply the FIA F3 Championship and FIA Junior WRC.

The FIA had nothing against Pirelli prior to Spain, other than the criticism their tyres have caused this season, but maybe this latest saga has given them the ammo to finally part ways?

[samreddevilz]

My prediction is Sebastian Vettel this time around. I think he is a special talent. I suspect whether he breaks Schumi's Record !!

[MIKA27]

My prediction is Sebastian Vettel this time around. I think he is a special talent. I suspect whether he breaks Schumi's Record !!

Hi Sam.

Thanks for posting and welcome.

In regard to your post, 'Which record' do you feel Seb can break?? There are way too many. I don't think some of Schumachers records will ever be beaten and most still stand. Part of this is because of the cars themselves having reduced revs and power trains compared to the engines of the Schumacher era. But, you never know.

Again, thanks for your post, please feel free to comment or post anytime. The more the merrier.

[MIKA27]

Horner slams 'underhanded' Mercedes

Christian Horner has accused Mercedes of being "underhanded" after news of their 'secret' Pirelli test broke in Monaco.

The Brackley-based outfit faces the threat of penalties from the FIA after conducting a three-day test with Pirelli in the wake of the Spanish GP.

A week later, Mercedes won their first grand prix of the season in Monaco.

Main rivals Red Bull Racing and Ferrari both lodged protests with the Monte Carlo stewards and the matter could go before the International Tribunal.

And the FIA has warned the penalties could be forthcoming.

"The Tribunal may decide to inflict penalties that would supercede any penalty the stewards of the meeting may have issued," said a statement from motorsport's governing body. "Such procedure would be followed in pursuance of the FIA Judicial and Disciplinary Rules."

But whatever the eventual outcome, for now Mercedes' rivals are fuming.

"What's wrong is that a team, in an underhand way, consciously tested tyres that are designed for this year's championship," said Horner.

"As far as we're concerned the regulations are black and white, are very clear what you can and cannot do.

"It's a team's responsibility to comply with the regulations, so the issue isn't so much with Pirelli.

"It's more that the team has purposefully tested a current car, at a current circuit and with the current drivers which is in breach of the regulations.

"When a team runs around for three days in Barcelona on a tyre that is going to be used at the next grand prix when in-season testing isn't allowed is, in our opinion, an unfair advantage."

The team boss was joined in his criticism by Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko, who believes the team gave Mercedes the time to resolve their tyre issues ahead of Monaco.

He told the Telegraph: "We are very unhappy.

"When we test for three days, we go a second faster - that's what Adrian Newey, our technical director, says.

"It definitely helped them - you can see that they had no tyre problems here."

He added: "There are sporting regulations, which cannot be overridden by a civil agreement between Pirelli and the FIA. They state clearly when and how you can test."

[MIKA27]

'Lotus need to cool Grosjean down'

Eric Boullier is confident Romain Grosjean will not devolve to the driver he was at the start of the last season despite a trying weekend in Monaco.

Grosjean will start the next race in Canada with a ten-place grid penalty after his fourth and final accident of the Monaco Grand Prix weekend.

The Frenchman's weekend began with a minor incident in FP1 and progressed to a bigger one in Thursday's second practice.

That, though, was just the start of it.

Another crash in final practice put him on the back foot in qualifying, however, he still managed to get through to Q2, qualifying in 13th place.

Struggling to make his way through the traffic and into the points on Sunday, his weekend came to naught when he crashed into the back of Daniel Ricciardo in the rundown to the chicane.

The stewards deemed Grosjean to be solely responsible and slapped with a grid penalty for Canada.

Asked by Sky Sports F1 what Lotus planned to do about Grosjean after his crash-filled weekend, the team boss said: "Keep the pace and make sure he's back under control like he was at the beginning of the season.

"[We will] sit down with him and let's go through the weekend. It's always the same story, especially in Monaco. He had the pace, we could see it. It's even more frustrating because of that.

"Thursday's accident didn't help but it happens. The rest of the story went worse on Saturday morning. I think building up his frustration was Ricciardo who didn't allow him to complete the Q2 like he should have done and [being] 13th on the grid just finishes the frustration.

"I think we just need to cool him down and have a proper discussion when we are back in the factory."

Pressed as to whether he was worried about the weekend having an adverse effect on his driver, he said: "No, it's not a worry.

"He did a great job over the winter and fixed all the problems he had last year, I think it's just frustration sometime that he knows he can be fast and he just needs to build himself and say he is fast and he can deliver some big results.

"He did it in Bahrain, he was on his way to do it in Barcelona so it's just not losing the momentum and making sure he's back on track with a real expectation."

[MIKA27]

Wolff defends Pirelli test

Toto Wolff is adamant Mercedes were "exactly within the rules" when they tested for Pirelli earlier this month.

Although in-season testing is banned from Formula One, and has been since 2009, Pirelli have a clause in their contract that allows them to run 1000km with a team should they deem it necessary.

And that's exactly what Pirelli did.

In the wake of the Spanish Grand Prix, the Italian manufacturer remained at the Circuit de Catalunya with Mercedes and put in all the miles they are permitted to do.

Somehow, though, the test was kept a secret from Merc's rivals, who have reacted angrily, lodging protests in Monaco on Sunday.

Wolff, though, insists Mercedes did nothing wrong.

"What we did was exactly within the rules," the executive director told the Daily Telegraph."We get a complaint like this, and now we're digging ourselves out of s---."

Meanwhile, team boss Ross Brawn says the team was never meant to be kept a secret but that it was up to Pirelli to inform the other teams as per their contract.

"It was up to Pirelli to spread the information. It wasn't up to us, it was their test," said Brawn.

"Pirelli has been asking teams to help them out for 12 months and people haven't been supporting them.

"There are lots of communications between Pirelli and teams asking them to do 1000km for them, and we obviously had an issue in Bahrain with Lewis [Hamilton] which we were quite anxious about - and we made the effort to help them.

"Nobody else seems to have done that."

[MIKA27]

Renault 'committed' to reducing costs

Renault chief executive Carlos Ghosn is adamant his company will take steps to reduce the cost of their new 1.6-litre V6 engines in 2015.

On Sunday it was confirmed that Toro Rosso had joined Red Bull in signing up as a Renault customer. But, it was also announced that Williams are looking to move away from the French manufacturer in light of the price of their engines.

Renault are reportedly offering the most expensive V6 engines for next season with Mercedes a few million less and Ferrari even less than that.

Ghosn, though, insists Renault are committed to reducing the cost of their units - but only after next season.

"There is some concern about the cost of the engine, I understand it, but our commitment is to work to reduce these costs," he told Reuters.

"Let's first put the performance at the right level, reassure our teams that they are going to get a very competitive and effective power unit for 2014 and then little by little rationalise, simplify, reduce the costs.

"We are not going to drop the price for anybody for 2014. But our commitment is every year we will be working hard to make this engine more efficient, to reduce the costs and then try to pass part of the cost reduction to the users."

And although Renault could also lose Lotus to another engine supplier, the chief executive is confident his company will start next season with at least three customers.

"We will not be surprised if the third one will come soon. We may have more but we don't need more," he said. "It's more a question of opportunity than necessity. But in terms of necessity we need three."

The Frenchman also committed his company's long-term future to Formula One saying Renault will remain in the sport "as long as it makes sense for the company.

"Today it makes sense for us. We have invested a lot into the new technology coming in 2014 so we are going for many years.

Nobody can preclude if it would continue to make sense in 10 or 15 years. As long as we are gaining we will continue. Today we are, so we will continue."