FORMULA 1 - 2010

MIKA27 · May 10, 2010

Chandhok laments Alguersuari incident

Karun Chandhok has expressed his disappointment with Toro Rosso's Jaime Alguersuari after contact between the two forced the HRT driver out of the Spanish Grand Prix.

Chandhok suffered front-end damage when Alguersuari chopped across his car as he lapped the Indian.

While he had his front wing replaced, he retired on his first lap out of the pits with suspension damage.

"I'm very disappointed, it's a real shame what happened with Jaime," said Chandhok. "I stayed out of his way, kept the car completely straight and he just turned left into me.

"In the end, although we changed the front wing, the damage to the front right suspension was too much and I had to stop."

Alguersuari, who got a drive-through penalty for the incident, argued that the incident was simply a part of racing with more slower cars on the grid this year.

"Mistakes are part of racing," said the Spaniard. "The backmarkers were very tough to overtake as they don't move out of the way that much and they are really slow."

Despite the disappointment, Chandhok added that he had been enjoying a reasonable run in HRT's home race up to that point.

"I was really pleased with my race until then," he said. "I had a good first lap and was trying to be sensible with the option tyres and get them to last.

"My pace relative to the other new cars was good and I was pulling away from [Lucas] di Grassi quite comfortably."

MIKA27 · May 10, 2010

Kubica welcomes unexpected pace

Robert Kubica says Renault was faster than he expected this weekend, but he lamented a scrappy first lap for costing him a good result.

The Pole could only manage eighth place after a collision with Kamui Kobayashi at Turn 3 broke his front wing.

Renault decided against changing the wing because the battle in the midfield was so tight, but that restricted Kubica's chances of making progress.

"The pace has been good this weekend and that's a nice surprise," said Kubica. "After the pitstop the car felt quite competitive in spite of the damage.

"I actually made a good start and was fighting with [Felipe] Massa through Turn 1 but unfortunately the car snapped sideways when I got on the power.

"Then in Turn 3 I touched Kobayashi which damaged the front wing and cost me some places.

"I was struggling with quite a lot of understeer because of the damage, but the field was so tight that we didn't have time to change it without losing a position."

Team-mate Vitaly Petrov finished down in 11th.

MIKA27 · May 10, 2010

Sutil: Force India maintaining momentum

Adrian Sutil believes it was important Force India managed to maintain its points-scoring momentum after he finished seventh in Spain despite having missed out on Q3 on Saturday.

Eleventh position on the grid represented the German driver’s worst starting spot of the season so far but he immediately rectified that at the start of the race, picking up three places on the first lap.

Sutil was pleased to keep Ferrari’s Felipe Massa in sight for most of the 66-lap race and then finish ahead of the Renault of Robert Kubica to claim Force India's fourth points finish in five races.

“A very good race for the team, with a good pace that showed again we are up there in the midfield really fighting for position and points,” he said.

“I had a great start, moving from 11th to 8th, and was not that far behind the Ferrari of Massa for most of the race.

“I had to push quite a lot throughout as for about 40 laps Robert [Kubica] was quite close behind and there was no time to relax.

“In the end seventh position is a great success for the team. It's more points and keeps that momentum going. I can't wait to get to Monaco now, one of my favourite tracks.”

Team-mate Tonio Liuzzi had a more difficult afternoon to round off a tough weekend overall for the Italian, who says he experienced big balance problems on the soft tyres during the first stint.

He eventually came home two laps down in 15th and, while he felt his pace was better in the long second stint, says he and the team needs to took into the reasons why he experienced so many difficulties at Barcelona.

“It was a difficult race starting from so far behind. We had a decent start but we struggled with understeer and then snap oversteer on the first stint with the softer tyres,” Liuzzi reported.

“I lost a little time getting away from the pit stop but then the balance with the hard tyres was getting better.

“By that point though we had got caught in the traffic because of the faster cars coming by.

“Once they had all gone and we got some clean laps we could show a decent pace so we can be quite happy at this aspect.

“Ultimately the points were too far away as we had already lost so much time at the beginning, but that's racing and we have to sit and understand what happened to the whole weekend as it's been quite difficult all round. I'm now looking forward to Monaco in just a few days' time.”

MIKA27 · May 10, 2010

Rubens delighted to salvage points

Rubens Barrichello was delighted to emerge with two points from the Spanish Grand Prix after qualifying near the back of the grid.

The Brazilian veteran had a disastrous Saturday, failing to make it past the first knockout stage of qualifying, but rebounded impressively in the race with an aggressive drive to ninth place.

He made up a lot of ground with a charging opening lap, moved into the top 10 after the pit sops and gained an extra place when Lewis Hamilton’s tyre failed on the penultimate lap.

“After Saturday's disappointment this is a good result,” said Barrichello.

“We had a great start today, which allowed me to overtake five cars, and our pace was strong enough to stay with the Renaults and the Force Indias.

“We need to analyse it, but I think we were on the verge of a tyre issue in the last five laps.

“If it weren't for that, we would have finished closer to the guys just ahead of me.

“I am really happy considering where we were yesterday.”

Team-mate Nico Hulkenberg ran with Barrichello in the opening stint but faded to 16th place after damaging his FW32.

“I had quite a good start,” related the German rookie.

“I don't understand why yet, but I always felt like I was in the wrong place at the wrong time going into the corners in the first lap.

“After the first stop, I went off-line and damaged the car which resulted in a lot less downforce. From there, it became a very difficult race for me.”

Williams’s technical director Sam Michael said: “That was a good recovery after yesterday's qualifying.

“Both cars had great starts and Rubens put in an awesome first lap to make up more places.

“Rubens’s race pace was strong up until the final few laps for which we had to slow him down to ensure we didn't have a problem with the tyres. We'll be looking into that for the next race.

“Nico drove a good first stint, but unfortunately damaged the car after his pit stop, which caused a loss of downforce.”

OZCUBAN · May 10, 2010

MIKA: I think it all comes down to Hamiltons driving style, very fast and agressive. Its not such a bad thing, its what makes him great, but now he has to learn how to manage his tyres alot better.

Well said Mika ,thats why i think long term Button will have the willow on Hamilton ,even though i like them both.

Also a big congrats to Webber shut up a lot off critics i reckon ,watch this space at red bull this pot is sure to boil over

Cheers Oz :lol3:

MIKA27 · May 11, 2010

Disappointed Massa losing grip

Felipe Massa was left disappointed with his sixth place in the Spanish GP, unable with his car's lack of grip and the general lack of pace.

Starting ninth of the grid, Massa made his way up to seventh place off the start but from there on found himself unable to pass former Ferrari team-mate Michael Schumacher.

And after the first and only round of pit stops, it was Jenson Button's rear wing that he got to know rather well.

There was a bit of drama for the Brazilian, though, as he was hit the back of Karun Chandhok on Lap 25, damaging his own front wing.

The team, though, were quick to inform him that although there was damage it was not causing havoc on his pace, thereby opting to leave Massa out instead of pitting for repairs.

He eventually finished in sixth place, thanks largely to the demise of Lewis Hamilton, however, admitting that P6 was not what he had hoped for.

"It was a difficult race. I got a good start but then I was always behind other cars and I never managed to run at a constant pace," Massa said.

"Once again, the main difficulty was a lack of grip, especially in the third sector: every time it looked as though I might close on Button, he managed to get away from me over some sections of the track.

"We must work to improve the car's performance and there is no doubt about it. Even though we brought home a good number of points, I can't be happy with the way things went this weekend.

"When I touched a backmarker, the left front wing end plate got broken, but the handling of the car was not affected much. If I'd returned to the pits to change the nose, I would have lost at least three places, so the decision to stay out on track was the right one.

"Now we immediately head for Monaco, my second home race, given that I live a few hundred metres from the track. We will have different tyres to here and I hope we go back to finding ourselves in a more favourable situation, at least from my point of view."

After five races, Massa is sixth in the Drivers' Championship, 21 points behind Championship leader Jenson Button.

MIKA27 · May 11, 2010

Webber: Red Bull gives you wings

Mark Webber was grateful to his team's energy drink for giving his mechanics the wings needed that helped him romp to victory in Sunday's Spanish GP.

The 33-year-old Australian is back in the title race following a lights-to-flag victory at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya, his first win this season and third of his career.

Webber, though, knows such a triumph would not have been possible without the cans of Red Bull that kept the team going following the problems encountered in returning from the last race in China.

Travel chaos caused by an ash cloud from an Icelandic volcano led to team personnel struggling to return to their headquarters in Milton Keynes, leaving them with a race against time to prepare the cars for the start of the European campaign.

"A lot of people were out of position for a long, long time," said Webber.

"There was a bit of a knock-on effect in terms of people being stuck out there and being behind schedule, getting back into the rhythm.

"It led to them putting in some astronomical hours, like over the recent bank holiday weekend.

"Okay, maybe every team did that, but with our team there was such intensity.

"People were being told to do things and they were not questioning it. It was just boom, boom, with everyone on the same channel.

"It's good we're run by Red Bull. It kept the guys awake because their eyes have been popping out of their heads with the hours they've done. That was a special effort.

"Okay, Seb (Vettel) didn't have a clean race, but there were no mistakes on the cars even though they (the team) are under stress, and that was good."

After starting from second on the grid, Vettel was forced to settle for third, a position he dropped into after being passed by Lewis Hamilton at what should have been his only stop.

But a late brake issue forced him into a second stop, relegating him to fourth behind Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, only to step back onto the podium after Hamilton suffered a suspected tyre rim failure on the penultimate lap that saw him crash into a tyre barrier.

Webber and Vettel are now fourth and third in the title race, 17 and 10 points adrift respectively of McLaren's Jenson Button in the drivers' standings after the Briton finished fifth behind Michael Schumacher in his Mercedes.

Webber hailed his performance as "a very special victory," celebrating by throwing his helmet into the crowd, providing one fan with an unexpected gift.

In front of his home fans, Alonso was the key beneficiary of the problems that afflicted Hamilton and Vettel.

Appreciating his good fortune, he said: "When you gain two places in the last part of the race, unexpected places as well, it feels great and you have a fantastic feeling."

That was in stark contrast to Vettel, who was far from happy with third as he said: "It is not a bad position.

"But I think we had a horrible, bad race, with a lot of things happening we didn't want to."

The top 10 was completed by Ferrari's Felipe Massa, Adrian Sutil for Force India, Robert Kubica in his Renault, Rubens Barrichello for Williams and Toro Rosso's Jaime Alguersuari.

MIKA27 · May 11, 2010

Ferrari confused by Massa's lack of pace

It seems this is the week for investigations as Ferrari revealed they are to launch one of their own into why Felipe Massa struggled in Spain.

Hot on the heels of McLaren confirming that they will look into the cause of Lewis Hamilton's tyre failure, Ferrari announced that they are attempting to find the reason why Massa is struggled compared to his team-mate Fernando Alonso.

For the past four races, Massa has floundered compared to his team-mate, a strange statement given that in two of those he actually finished ahead of the Spaniard.

However, in Australia, Alonso had the better pace but just wasn't able to find a way through and suffered the same fate at the following race in Malaysia before he was undone by an engine failure.

But it was perhaps on Sunday in Spain where Massa's lack of pace became most notable. While Alonso was racing just outside the podiums, Massa was barely in the top eight and finished the race over 40 seconds behind his team-mate.

"We have to make sure the car is one he feels confident driving. For the first time this weekend it was not the case," Domenicali told the BBC.

"It is important to go back and see what we have done around Felipe's car."

Massa himself is concerned by his lack of pace, admitting he has no idea why he is battling to match Alonso.

"Fernando is a very good driver but something has happened to me," said the 29-year-old. "Something is not going like I want, so I can't do the lap time or drive the car like I want.

"This is something that we need to understand, and improve.

"It looks like something is not working out to give the grip. This is something that we need to understand, but I'm sure we will."

MIKA27 · May 11, 2010

Alonso in need of a podium run

Fernando Alonso admits he needs a run of four or five podiums if he hopes to be in the title fight come the end of the season.

The Spaniard, winner of the opening race of the season in Bahrain, is currently runner-up in the Drivers' Championship after claiming only his second podium finish in Spain on Sunday.

Just three points separate the Ferrari driver from Championship leader Jenson Button. But given that this year's race winners earn 25 points to second-placed finishers' 18, the gap could easily close - and it could just as easily be extended.

"I'm happy with this position (in the Championship), but as I said before, we need four or five podiums in a row," said the double World Champion.

"With one podium and then another three races with mistakes there is not enough to win the Championship.

"But I think we understand, we know the problems, we know the mistakes we made at the beginning of the Championship and we arrived in Barcelona with a very good approach, super Ferrari team.

"This weekend (we made) no mistakes at all: preparing for qualifying in practice in a good way, at the maximum of our potential in qualifying and a very solid race."

Alonso finished the grand prix in second place, however, he was a massive 24 seconds down on race winner Mark Webber, who was also 0.8s quicker than the Ferrari driver over a single lap in qualifying.

Ferrari are plugging their efforts into developing their F10, which already featured several upgrades at the Barcelona race, including their new F-duct system.

"There is a very aggressive plan of developing the car with some good gains and good improvements to come in the next races, so we are very optimistic on that," said Alonso.

"The Championship is long. There will be some circuits where we will be closer to Red Bull and some circuits like this weekend where we know it's going to be more difficult.

"But overall, for the 19 races, I think we have a package, a car that can fight for the World Championship which is the main goal."

MIKA27 · May 11, 2010

'Blown away' Hamilton keeping his 'chin up'

Lewis Hamilton has vowed to keep fighting after being "absolutely blown away" by his latest tyre failure.

Hamilton was coasting to second behind pole-to-flag winner Mark Webber in sunday's Spanish Grand Prix when, on the penultimate lap, he suffered a suspected left-front tyre rim failure that caused a puncture.

Hamilton's McLaren was immediately pitched into the gravel and on into a tyre barrier from which he fortunately emerged unscathed.

The 25-year-old was robbed of 18 precious points, and instead of heading to next weekend's Monaco Grand Prix a point behind Championship leader and team-mate Jenson Button, he is 21 adrift.

As Hamilton has discovered to his cost in the past, Formula One can be a cruel sport.

In qualifying for the 2007 European Grand Prix at the Nurburgring a puncture led to Hamilton hurtling into a tyre wall at 180mph, and then at that year's Turkish Grand Prix another puncture relegated him to fifth.

"It was a similar feeling to what happened at the Nurburgring," said Hamilton.

"This is my third or fourth tyre blow out in my career. More than most people have in their whole lifetime.

"There was no warning, the car felt great, so it was a surprise and a very disappointing end to the race.

"Up until that point it was pretty positive. I was just cruising to the finish line and heading for some great points.

"It was looking like a great job for us, but then it's never over until its over.

"Eighteen points and I'd have been right back in the Championship battle, but as it is, I'm a little bit further back now.

"So I'm absolutely blown away that something happened on the last two laps of the race, but that's motor racing.

"You just have to keep your chin up and look forward."

Admitting the incident was "a reality check", Hamilton also adopted a philosophical outlook, appreciating these are still early days in the title race with another 14 grands prix to come.

"The team did an incredible job," added Hamilton.

"It was great to come here and make such a good step forward, and second would have been perfect for the team in the Constructors' and Drivers' Championships.

"But there are many more races to go, so the guys shouldn't be hard on themselves because we can still fight for the Championship."

Assessing his prospects for next weekend's race in Monaco, Hamilton said: "To split the Red Bulls was a real positive step for us.

"Going into the next race we will be very close to them and I hope I can challenge for a win."

MIKA27 · May 11, 2010

Button hits back at Alonso's rift claims

Jenson Button has denied claims from Fernando Alonso that he is not on the best of terms with team-mate Lewis Hamilton.

Following the Chinese GP and his chop into the pits ahead of his team-mate Felipe Massa, Alonso was questioned about whether there was any tension in the Ferrari garage between the Scuderia drivers.

The Spaniard refuted this, adding that if people want to talk about tension, that's what's going on at McLaren after Button claimed two race wins to Hamilton's none.

Button, though, insists all is well at McLaren.

"Fernando is having a bit of fun with everyone," the reigning World Champ told the Mirror.

"He's trying to move the focus away from himself a little bit. I'm very happy and I think Lewis is. We're getting on really well."

As for Alonso's move on Massa, Button added: "I'd be gutted if my team-mate did that to me."

MIKA27 · May 11, 2010

Fry: Schumi's sparkle is back

Merc GP CEO Nick Fry believes Michael Schumacher's "sparkle is back" after his best performance of his comeback season to date in Spain.

Schumacher struggled in the opening four races of the season, failing to match his team-mate Nico Rosberg or even come close to putting in a challenge for a podium finish.

However, the team introduced massive upgrades to their W01 ahead of Spain, many of which were reported to suit Schumacher's style.

And the improvements in his performance were evident from the very first practice session, which saw him finish third on the timesheets - and ahead of Rosberg.

His reign over his younger team-mate continued throughout the weekend, eventually resulting in the German's best finish to date this season, a P4.

"The sparkle is back," Fry told Autosport. "I think in China he was perplexed - that is the best word to use.

"I don't think he really understood or we really understood why he had the problems he did, and that is always a major concern.

"Right from the beginning of Friday in Spain he was on it right from the start, and listening on the radio to Michael, there is the confidence back in his voice. He knows exactly what he wants from the car and he got all that could be had.

"He was concerned after China, because we didn't understand what happened. He spent a day at the factory with his engineers and he spent a day out cycling with them, and I think they worked on some things together. We are back on track with him."

Fry, though, concedes Mercedes do have cause for concern as despite his fourth place, Schumacher was a full minute behind race winner Mark Webber.

"When you finish a minute behind it is incredibly disappointing and the reality is that we have a lot of work to do," explained Fry.

"I frankly wouldn't expect the Red Bull to have such an advantage on other circuits, and I think this one particularly suited it.

"But even if it hasn't got that level of advantage, it has certainly got half a second on us and that is a lot to make up - so there is a lot of work to be done over the next month or so."

MIKA27 · May 11, 2010

Horner downplays Red Bull reliability woes

Christian Horner has played down his team's reliability issues, which once again hampered Sebastian Vettel in Spain.

On track for second place after his team-mate Mark Webber stormed away into the lead, Vettel had a slow first pit stop, which meant he then had to wait for rivals to pass by before he could exit his pit box.

Added to that, 15 laps before the end of the grand prix he lost the front left brakes and had to back off, dropping him down the order. He eventually finished P3 after a late promotion due to Lewis Hamilton's retirement.

Horner, though, insists there is no cause for concern despite this being the third out of five races in which the team's reliability gremlins have cost Vettel valuable points.

"I think when you are pushing the boundaries, things can happen," Horner said. "But we have to understand what the issue was here - as McLaren has to do with their failure with Lewis.

"Ultimately we have got two cars on the podium and were just three points off a maximum score. So I think the team managed the issue with the brakes very well."

Formula One immediately moves from Spain over to Monaco for this weekend's race around the streets of Monte Carlo. And Horner has warned his rivals that previous year's weak points, which have hampered Red Bull in Monaco, have been eradicated.

"What I am really pleased to see is that if we had an Achilles Heel last year it was on the slower speed corners," he told Autosport.

"Some of the work that the guys have done over the close season and in the early development of RB6 is that we have maintained our high speed performance but also really improved the low speed performance.

"A combination of factors have come in to play, so it is very pleasing to see the drivers' performance in the last sector in Spain for example, where with both RB4 and RB5 it was not our strongest area."

He added: "It is a race that we are determined to do well at. It is a circuit that we weren't particularly strong at last year, but we feel we have improved the car in a lot of areas compared to last season and we believe we can be very strong in Monaco."

MIKA27 · May 11, 2010

Mercedes make u-turn on car choice for Monaco

Mercedes have admitted that they will be running the original, shorter wheel-based, MGP001 in Monaco to help the drivers keep up speed in the tight corners.

The Grand Hotel hairpin, turn 6 on the Monte Carlo circuit, is the slowest on the F1 calendar at little over 30mph and a shorter wheel-base will allow German-duo, Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher, to turn tighter into the corner and clip the apex.

Rosberg will be the happier of the two to get back into the original chassis after driving it to a podium finish in 2 of the 4 opening races, the German seemed to struggle with the car's new longer wheel-base design and revised aerodynamics, whilst team-mate, Michael Schumacher strived and managed to out-race Rosberg for the first time this season.

Former world champion Niki Lauda complemented Schumacher's drive at the Circuit de Catalunya and claimed that "This was the resurrection of Michael."

In addition to the chassis u-turn, Mercedes are rumoured to be developing their own F-duct system and are expected to debut it in Istanbul in three weeks time.

MIKA27 · May 11, 2010

McLaren drivers concerned about Monaco traffic

McLaren drivers Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button have both expressed concern over traffic levels at this weekend's Monaco GP after the idea to split qualifying was scrapped.

Hamilton lapped the slow Virgin of Di Grassi four times in Spain, and narrowly avoided a collision as he left the pitlane and re-joined ahead of Sebastian Vettel.

"It's just very difficult when there is such a big difference. I lapped Di Grassi four times in Spain," the Telegraph quote the Brit as saying. "That's one of the biggest gaps I've had in Formula One.

"You catch them so quick, it's unreal. When you see them you are second guessing where they will move out of the way, and then they move into the wrong position. They'll go on the inside and be in the corner as you come up to them, so it gets quite tricky. So far, fortunately, there have been no incidents and it has been OK, but Monaco will be very tough. It could be a disaster."

Jenson Button agreed with his McLaren teammate, saying the traffic could 'be a nightmare' in the principality.

"When they are fighting for 20th place they don't want to let you past," he said. "They are so much slower than us and if you are behind them for four or five corners you have lost seconds. I know they want to race but the important thing is that they let us past."

MIKA: This is a bit of a concern, I must agree with Hamilton and Button.

It is also a perfect example where some cars even though they are in Formula 1, they are just not up to the F1 standard (HRT for one). Why on earth are cars not of a similar type and close to each other in performance, even a second or two less in the worst case, but not as slow where they are being lapped and possibly causing accidents.

MIKA27 · May 11, 2010

Red Bull told Vettel to retire from the race

Sebastian Vettel has revealed he was told by his team to quit the race after suffering a left-front brake failure toward the end of the Spanish GP.

The German ended the race in third after taking the decision to continue.

"As I got back onto the track, the team told me that I should quit the race," explained Vettel. "[The team said] you are at risk because of the broken brake was too great," he told Auto und Motor sport.

"I asked them on the radio if [retiring] was really necessary or whether I could just drive slowly and pick up two or three points.

"I got no answer," said Vettel. "So I drove. In the middle of the last curve I got the message ‘continue, but be careful’, but it was too late anyway. I was already past the pit entry."

Vettel got round the failure by adjusting the brake bias to the rear of the car as well as coasting into the corners and using the Red Bull's superior downforce levels to slow the car, reducing his reliance on the brakes.

MIKA27 · May 11, 2010

Sauber preview the Monaco GP

Pedro de la Rosa: "My last race in Monte Carlo was in 2002 and I finished tenth in the Jaguar. For me this is the most difficult circuit of the season, as it is very challenging. You have to really concentrate in order to avoid the slightest mistake. To have maximum track time in the practice sessions and find a good rhythm is very important. You need a lot of downforce and a good car for the narrow, slow corners. I’m afraid we may struggle a bit in Monaco, so I don’t expect an easy weekend for us. Off the track I understand why people love coming to Monaco, although it is absolutely not my sort of lifestyle. They are on a party mission, while we have a different schedule and tasks. As a racing driver I find it a rather chaotic weekend, from a fan’s perspective it must be great fun."

Kamui Kobayashi: "It will be my first Formula One race in Monaco, but I have some experience from GP2 – although not the best ones. Both races turned out to be short for me when I was involved in accidents. It wasn’t my fault and it can easily happen in Monaco. Driving there in a Formula One car must be fantastic. I’m really excited and looking forward to it, especially as I can see us improving as there is a positive trend. But I know it will be difficult to continue this in Monaco, as I don’t think our car is ideal for slow corners. Of course Monaco is very challenging also for a driver. I’m well aware I have room for improvement, so I will push hard and do my best."

Technical Director James Key: "It will be a very different event, as it is the first very high downforce circuit of the season. It will be interesting to see how these longer wheelbase, high fuel level cars work there because it’s something we haven’t experienced before. But obviously a very exciting event. Tyres will be very soft, so we have to see how we manage those. And, of course, we have to be extremely careful how we time our qualifying runs with so many cars now on the track. We have some small developments on the car specifically for Monaco. We have to work hard on the mechanical set-up to make sure that we can cope with the bumps, but also keep the aerodynamics strong as well, then it could be reasonable for us. But it’s a very different event from the first five races, so it will be interesting to see how that shuffles the pack."

Bartolomeo · May 11, 2010

I love any F1 race but this race was rather commercial, Webber dominated and thus fairly boring

How about Webber, Button, etc that were on crappy teams back in the day, now are on great teams and it shows. They are the top of the class right now and I am assuming its b/c of the cars.....

I always wonder the correlation between driver and car...........How would Bruno Senna do in the Red Bull vs. how would Vettel do in a Lotus, etc?

I think it would be interesting to put top drivers in crappy cars and vice versa

Bart

MIKA27 · May 11, 2010

McLaren preview the Monaco GP

Jenson Button: I won at Monaco last year - it was one of the highlights of my season and also of my entire racing career. It's a race that you grow up watching; you know the circuit, every corner, by heart before you've ever driven there, so it's an extremely special place. It's a race every young driver dreams of winning. Even though I've been racing there for many years, the sensation of speed you experience when you first drive a Formula 1 car out of the pits and up the hill is something that you can never fully anticipate. The acceleration is incredible and the walls are so, so close.

To get the best out of the weekend, you've really got to build your speed up gradually – there are no benefits from attacking from lap one and risking a mistake. The track rubbers in incredibly quickly over the weekend, and it's all about letting the car naturally find more speed through the corners as the conditions improve and your confidence increases. I love the place and I'm really looking forward to getting back there. I think the result is extremely tough to call this year because there are a lot of very competitive drivers in the field, so I'd like to think there's a good chance of a slightly unpredictable race this weekend.

Lewis Hamilton: I love the Monaco circuit – it's the greatest track in Formula 1. My victory there in 2008 is still probably my best win in Formula 1 and one of the greatest moments in my career. It was an incredible day. In 2008, it was wet and, looking at the week ahead, the weather also looks extremely unpredictable, with heavy rain forecast for much of the week. Even if it doesn't rain on the Sunday, the possibility of heavily disrupted practice and qualifying sessions means that we'll probably go into the race with a chance of one of the most exciting and unpredictable Monaco Grands Prix for many years.

That would be fantastic because, with just a single stop in the race for tyres, there's going to be less opportunity for strategy to play a role in deciding the outcome, unless it rains of course. That means qualifying will be more important than ever: while we're still working hard to improve our qualifying pace, I think that Monaco is a place where the input of the driver is more important than at any other track, so I'm pretty confident that we'll be able to do a good job. In addition, I'll also be wearing a specially painted helmet for the occasion. When you see it, you'll know why I'll be hoping for it to swing the odds in my favour.

Martin Whitmarsh, team principal: You don't need me to tell you that our record around Monte Carlo has been exemplary – McLaren has won the race 15 times, including a six-year lock-out between 1988 and 1993. It's a race where we love to compete and where we have produced some fantastic performances over the years.

For 2010, we are under no illusions that it will be a challenge to add to our tally: we have not typically been able to demonstrate our ultimate pace in qualifying and the MP4-25 is not a car that we feel is best suited to slower, tighter tracks with short, slow-speed corners. Having said that, I know full well that the team always seems to produce something special for the race and in Jenson and Lewis, we not only have two street circuit specialists, but also the last two Monaco Grand Prix winners, which is a very significant string to our bow.

I know that both Jenson and Lewis are looking to win in Monaco and both feel very confident about their chances. It would be a fantastic achievement for Vodafone McLaren Mercedes if we were able to score a third victory in Monaco in just the fourth year of our partnership.

MIKA27 · May 11, 2010

I love any F1 race but this race was rather commercial, Webber dominated and thus fairly boring
How about Webber, Button, etc that were on crappy teams back in the day, now are on great teams and it shows. They are the top of the class right now and I am assuming its b/c of the cars.....

I always wonder the correlation between driver and car...........How would Bruno Senna do in the Red Bull vs. how would Vettel do in a Lotus, etc?

I think it would be interesting to put top drivers in crappy cars and vice versa

Bart

Thanks for posting Bart. :no:

I tend to agree in that it would be great to watch someone like Alonso, Schumacher, Button, Hamilton in a HRT and see how they fare.

But I also believe that a driver is just as important as a great car. Take the last race, Button was driving a beast, way faster than the Mercedes Schumacher was driving, yet Schumachers experience dominated by way that he was constantly closing the gate on Button each time Button wanted to pass (For 49 laps), (This is not a negative critiscism on Button). Had you placed Alonso, Hamilton or someone great like the late Ayrton Senna, things may have been different.

I think, if you placed say, Senna (Now) in a McLaren, he may be faster, but in the end, he wouldn't achieve anywhere near what the more experienced drivers like Button and Hamilton are achieving now and this comes down to years of experience. As you stated, Webber back in the Minardi days (2002) and Button in Williams (2000) and Benetton (2001) were way less experienced, but looking at these guys now, they are fantastic drivers and at the top amongst so many other greats.

That's of course is my opinion and one can only truly know how they fared if drivers and cars actually were swapped around.

Smooth · May 11, 2010

Great thread MIKA!

Really looking forward to the race this weekend... Probably my favourite of the year. Always more interesting at Monaco with some rain so heres hoping it buckets down there again.

As a RBR and more so a Webber fan, going to be interesting to see how Mark drives this race. Its normally a circuit that makes him look a bit silly with his aggressive style. Also think Vettel will do very well he has the style to not get out of shape and the technical ability to cleanly overtake on this tight tight circuit.

MIKA27 · May 11, 2010

Great thread MIKA!
Really looking forward to the race this weekend... Probably my favourite of the year. Always more interesting at Monaco with some rain so heres hoping it buckets down there again.

As a RBR and more so a Webber fan, going to be interesting to see how Mark drives this race. Its normally a circuit that makes him look a bit silly with his aggressive style. Also think Vettel will do very well he has the style to not get out of shape and the technical ability to cleanly overtake on this tight tight circuit.

Thanks very much Smooth, glad you're enjoying the thread bud. :cap:

Monaco at best is always interesting with a mixed bag of winners and losers for sure. Especially when it rains.

As a rule of thumb, P1 in qualifying has ensured a winner. The past 5 race meets at Monaco has resulted in 4 out of 5 winners having won from P1 after qualifying.

Past winners:

- Jenson Button 2009 P1

- Lewis Hamilton 2008 P3

- Fernando Alonso 2007 P1

- Fernando Alonso 2006 P1

- Kimi Raikonnen 2005 P1

- Jarno Trulli 2004

- Juan Pablo Montoya 2003

- David Coulthardt 2002

- Michael Schumacher 2001

- David Coulthardt 2000

Webbers confidence is growing, perhaps he will change his driving habbits for Monaco and succeed?

I do know that teams previously (Like Ferrari) with longer wheel bases have not done so well, I hope Mercedes GP modify Schumis longer wheel base back to the short.

Either way, enjoy the race mate and thanks again for posting. :peace:

Smooth · May 11, 2010

Don't know if Webber knows how to change his driving habbits enough to do well at Monaco hopefully he can drive smart the entire race and get another high finish.

I have a feeling if Hamiltons car works and lasts we could see a repeat of 2008? He was super quick last week before the tire let go.

Hopefully no P.Diddy in the pits this time though hahaha

MIKA27 · May 12, 2010

Alonso: I can win the Championship

Fernando Alonso is convinced he can fight for the Formula One world title after emerging through the chaos of the opening five races.

Good fortune shone on Alonso to the delight of his fans in his home grand prix in Barcelona.

A brake problem for Sebastian Vettel and suspected tyre rim failure for Lewis Hamilton unexpectedly elevated the Ferrari star from fourth to second in the closing laps.

It was Alonso's best result since his season-opening victory in Bahrain, after which he encountered numerous problems.

Remarkably, going into this Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix, Alonso is firmly back in the title hunt, trailing championship leader Jenson Button by just three points.

"The championship is long," said Alonso.

"There will be some circuits where we will be closer to Red Bull and some circuits like in Barcelona where we know it's going to be more difficult.

"But overall, for the remaining races, I think we have a package, a car that can fight for the world championship which is the main goal."

Alonso knows, though, consistency is critical and that he cannot afford to endure a rollercoaster ride for the remainder of the year.

"You need good results all the way through," added the 28-year-old.

"So far we have had two engine problems, one gearbox problem, one jumped start, some chaotic races, but we are only three points behind the leader, so we are happy.

"It's still very early in the championship, but better to be in the first three or four positions than eighth or ninth.

"But from now we need four or five podiums in a row. We cannot have one podium and then another three races with mistakes if we are to win the championship.

"But we understand that. We know the mistakes we have made at the beginning of the championship, which is why we arrived in Barcelona with a very good approach.

"We were a super Ferrari team over the weekend with no mistakes at all."

With Ferrari planning a solid period of upgrades over the next few weeks, Alonso is confident that will keep him in the hunt.