Rosberg bounces back as Hamilton suffers mechanical woes in FP2
Nico Rosberg managed to bounce back during the second practice session at the Autodromo di Monza, as preparations were ramped up ahead of the Italian Grand Prix. Although Lewis Hamilton managed to finish a close second, the Briton was struck with mechanical woes during the first half of the session. Kimi Raikkonen ended the session third for Ferrari.
Unlike the earlier session in the morning, the second practice session began with great gusto as many drivers immediately took to the Autodromo di Monza to continue with their preparations for the weekend ahead. Instead of completing the traditional installation laps, the likes of Romain Grosjean and Jules Bianchi immediately got down to business by immediately completing timed laps. The Lotus driver, who returned to driving duties after ceding his seat to Charles Pic for practice one, produced the first timed lap of the session with a 01:32.995.
Almost immediately the times began to tumble, with the likes of Daniil Kvyat, Sergio Perez and Kevin Magnussen all rising to the top, whilst numerous drivers pushed beyond the limits and ran wide at the various chicanes. This included initial pace-setter Grosjean, who ran wide at turn four. Whilst Championship leader Nico Rosberg asserted his authority over proceedings with 01:27.500, the other Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton remained stuck in the garage with mechanical gremlins once again striking the team with the Briton’s car failing to start.
As the Mercedes mechanics began to dismantle Hamilton’s car in a bid to inspect the various internal components to try and discover the issue, team-mate Rosberg continued with his own preparations by improving on his benchmark with a 01:27.005. However, the German’s reign was short-lived as both Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso momentarily rose to the top, before Rosberg managed to return to the sharp-end of the order with an even quicker 01:26.786. Further down the order Kamui Kobayashi ran wide at turn four in the Caterham, with the Japanese driver making his return to the sport after missing the Belgian Grand Prix.
Eventually the majority of the field elected for Pirelli’s medium tyre compound, which enabled the times to once again take a minor tumble, albeit with Rosberg still reigning supreme at the top with a 01:26.225 ahead of the Williams of Valtteri Bottas. Meanwhile Adrian Sutil made a mistake at turn four and bounced precariously over the speed bums in the Sauber, as the German began his preparations for the weekend ahead of making way for Giedo van der Garde in practice one.
Whilst the Mercedes mechanics continued to strive frantically to rectify Hamilton’s car in a bid to get the Briton back out before the end of the session, the Lotus duo of Grosjean and Maldonado continued a woeful day of practice, with both running wide on numerous occasions. The Frenchman in particular ran extremely wide at turn six, which resulted in a brief excursion through the deep retaining gravel trap.
Meanwhile Hamilton finally left the confines of his garage after loosing roughly an hour of track time, after his mechanics managed to rectify the issue on his car. The Briton took to the Autodromo di Monza on the hard tyre compound, initially rising to 12th position with a 01:27.352. As the 2008 World Champion continued with his preparations ahead of the weekend, Grosjean in particular continued to struggle greatly, running wide at turn seven and then bumping precariously once again over the speed bumps at turn one.
Eventually Hamilton switched to Pirelli’s medium tyre compound, which enabled the Briton to rise up to second position with a 01:26.286, just behind his German team-mate and arch-rival. As the session entered its closing stages Alonso ran wide at turn one in the Ferrari, as did Button several minutes later in fine style after trying to gain as much of an advantage as possible in the slipstream behind Kvyat, with Sutil exiting the pit-lane on the right.
The checkered flag was soon unfurled to signal the end of the second practice session, with Nico Rosberg fastest ahead of team-mate Lewis Hamilton, who ran wide at turn one in the dying seconds, with the Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen a relatively surprising third. With the return of mechanical gremlins for Hamilton and Mercedes, the German marque will understandably be hoping that such issues do not return throughout the remainder of the weekend.
Image courtesy of Mercedes AMG Petronas
Hamilton versus Rosberg: A feud between friends
The friendship between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg extends back to the respective drivers’ childhood, with the duo competing within the lower categories together in their quest to reach Formula One. However, with the pair now competing alongside each other in unquestionably a Championship winning car, the friendship seems to be taking a considerable battering.
Despite a competitive and all-smiles start to the 2014 campaign, the partnership encountered its first hurdle at Bahrain where Hamilton and Rosberg fought tooth and nail for supremacy, with the Briton remaining at the top. However, the smiles of friendship remained crystal clear until the Monaco Grand Prix weekend, where Rosberg made an error during qualifying which prevented Hamilton from snatching pole position away from the German. Immediately question marks arose as to whether the mistake was intentional, with Hamilton ending the race weekend stating that they were no longer friends after Rosberg romped to victory.
During the break between races Hamilton tweeted a picture of the duo during their youthful years, proclaiming that they had discussed the issues and essentially made up. As the video below clearly shows, a strong friendship exists within the team which many predict will crumble as the Championship nears its conclusion. Regardless of the outcome, the spotlight is well and truly shining on the Mercedes team-mates, as the feud between friends continues at the front.
Nico Rosberg leads a Mercedes 1-2 after final practice in Malaysia
Nico Rosberg has ended the third and final practice session fastest for Mercedes, leading a 1-2 for the German marque with Lewis Hamilton a close 2nd. Kimi Raikkonen ended the session best of the rest for Ferrari in 3rd, over a second behind the fearsome pace of the Mercedes duo with Sebastian Vettel 4th for Red Bull.
The third and final practice session of the Malaysian Grand Prix got underway in slightly overcast weather conditions, with dark clouds looming ominously overhead as Marcus Ericsson became the first of many drivers to take to the Sepang International Circuit once the session officially got underway. The Swedish rookie was eventually followed by almost the entire field, except the Red Bulls, with many eager to finalise their preparations ahead of qualifying later in the day. Despite the sudden flurry of track activity, only installation laps were initially completed before the Lotus of Pastor Maldonado completed the first timed lap of the session with a 01:49.882.
As Pastor Maldonado made up for his lack of track time during the first two practice sessions on the Friday, with the Venezuelan ace eventually working his way down to a 01:44.622, many other drivers returned to the track in a bid to begin their own timed laps. This naturally saw the benchmark at the top tumble, as the likes of Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen rose to the sharp end of the order with the latter producing a 01:41.835 for the Scuderia. After such a competitive debut for McLaren, Kevin Magnussen’s Malaysian Grand Prix woes continued during the final practice session, with the Danish rookie complaining of a lack of power as Lewis Hamilton asserted his authority over proceedings with a 01:41.246.
Despite the ever-present threat of rain the third and final practice session continued in dry yet humid weather conditions, as Nico Rosberg bettered his team-mate’s time with a 01:40.946 as Lewis Hamilton began pushing beyond the limit and ran wide at Turn 4. With Kevin Magnussen yet to set a timed lap in the session, fellow McLaren driver Jenson Button was also struggling, as the 2009 World Champion produced a woeful 02:05.555 with the Briton complaining of a lack of rear grip on his Mercedes-powered machine. Meanwhile Lewis Hamilton returned to the top for Mercedes with a 01:40.552, as Pastor Maldonado became the first driver to elect for Pirelli’s medium tyre compound before running extremely wide at Turn 1.
With the majority of the field also deciding to switch from Pirelli’s hard compound to the medium compound, the benchmark at the top took another tumble as Kimi Raikkonen and then Nico Rosberg stormed to the top with the latter producing a dominant 01:39.008 to keep the German marque at the top of the order. As the final minutes of the session ticked away Rosberg’s time at the top remained unchallenged, with team-mate Lewis Hamilton slotting neatly into 2nd position to strengthen the German marque’s reign at the top. During the final minutes of the session Romain Grosjean ran extensively wide at Turn 11, with the Frenchman eventually ending the session 15th after a relatively incident free hour.
The Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen ended the session 3rd fastest behind the incredibly dominant ‘Silver Arrows’ of Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton, with reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel 4th fastest in the Red Bull albeit over one second off of the pace set by Rosberg. With all three practice sessions now over, the teams and drivers will return to the Sepang International Circuit later in the day for the all-important qualifying hour to determine the grid for the 56-lap Malaysian Grand Prix.
Picture Copyright © Mercedes AMG Petronas
Nico Rosberg tops an intense final practice in Australia
Nico Rosberg has ended an intense third and final practice session fastest for Mercedes, ahead of Jenson Button in the McLaren and Fernando Alonso in the Ferrari. Lewis Hamilton was 4th in the second Mercedes, whereas Sebastian Vettel ended the session a lowly 12th as preparations ahead of qualifying intensified.
With dark clouds looming ominously overhead as the session officially got underway, Jean-Eric Vergne became the first driver to take to the track for Toro Rosso and was instantly followed out by a whole host of other drivers who were all eager to continue with their preparations. This included the casualties of Marcus Ericsson and Pastor Maldonado, who both endured extremely tough days on Friday. As the majority of the field completed at least one installation lap, Kimi Raikkonen remained stuck in his garage with an electrical issue plaguing his Ferrari. With a slight shake of the head from the 2007 World Champion, it was crystal clear that all was not well within the Scuderia.
Whilst the Ferrari mechanics busied themselves on rectifying Kimi Raikkonen’s car, Jean-Eric Vergne produced the first timed lap of the session. The Frenchman’s initial benchmark was quickly thwarted by the McLaren of Kevin Magnussen, who managed to produce a 01:33.130. However, the times soon began to tumble as more drivers elected to complete a timed lap, with reigning GP3 Champion Daniil Kvyat rising to the top with a 01:33.079, which the Russian driver managed to immediately improve upon with a 01:32.605. Despite taking a minor excursion through the gravel trap at Turns 9 and 10, a mistake also carried out by team-mate Kevin Magnussen earlier, Jenson Button stormed to the top for McLaren with a 01:32.604 as the session swung into motion.
Former McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton soon rose to the top for Mercedes, before the 2008 World Champion’s team-mate fully asserted himself at the sharp end of the order with a 01:31.736. Whilst Pastor Maldonado’s weekend failed to improve after a trip through the gravel at Turn 12, Sauber confirmed that Esteban Gutierrez’s session was over after the Swiss outfit were forced to carry out a gearbox change on the car. As Lewis Hamilton returned to the top for Mercedes with a 01:30.919, Nico Rosberg was seen bizarrely holding a piece of bodywork in his hand through Turns 9 and 10. The German then threw the bodywork in question, which was apparently an elbow protector, out of the car and continued circulating.
As the third and final practice session entered it’s halfway stage, Romain Grosjean frustratingly reported back to his mechanics that his car was misfiring, as the Enstone-based team’s weekend failed to improve. Sergio Perez became the next driver to leave the track after making a minor mistake at Turn 13, whilst Kimi Raikkonen did likewise several minutes later at Turn 8. Although Red Bull had endured a somewhat topsy-turvy start to the new season, Sebastian Vettel was certainly on the ball as he amusingly corrected his race engineer over the team radio as to which torque map he required. After failing to complete a lap throughout the session, Williams confirmed that Valtteri Bottas was to incur a five-place grid penalty due to a gearbox change, as even the Mercedes-powered cars began to discover mechanical gremlins.
Eventually Pirelli’s softer tyre compound began to by utilised, with Pastor Maldonado and Nico Hulkenberg becoming the first two drivers to switch to the softer rubber. However, it was Nico Rosberg who fully capitalised on the soft tyre compound, with the German storming to the top with a 01:29.375 whilst Romain Grosjean began to loose his temper with “nothing solved” on his car. Lewis Hamilton became the next driver to make a mistake at Turns 9 and 10, which ultimately prevented the Briton from thwarting his German team-mate at the top. As the session drew to a climactic conclusion, Pastor Maldonado parked his Lotus at Turn 15 to prematurely end his session, whereas Jenson Button once again ran wide at Turns 9 and 10.
The checkered flag was soon unfurled to signify the end of an enthralling third and final practice session, with Nico Rosberg topping the time sheets ahead of Jenson Button in the McLaren and Fernando Alonso in the Ferrari. Lewis Hamilton could only manage 4th fastest, whereas reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel ended the session way down in 12th. The 22 drivers will return to the Albert Park Circuit later in the day for the all-important qualifying hour, which could well be plagued by inclement weather conditions.
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Nico Rosberg remains on top amid further rainfall during practice two at Brazil
Nico Rosberg has remained on top after another wet practice session around Sao Paulo’s Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace circuit, with the German ending the 90 minutes of track action ahead of the Red Bull duo of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber. Heikki Kovalainen managed to finish 4th, ahead of Lewis Hamilton.
The teams and drivers were greeted with further rain for the second practice session in the afternoon, after a wet start to the Brazilian Grand Prix weekend. This led to a slow start to proceedings around Sao Paulo’s Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace, as the majority of the teams elected to remain in the safe and dry confines of the pit-lane. After ceding driver duties to their respective team-mates, the second practice session marked the return of Paul di Resta, Daniel Ricciardo and Max Chilton.
Despite the increasingly wet weather conditions, Max Chilton became the first driver to take to the track for Marussia early on. The British rookie tiptoed around the circuit, before returning to the pits after only one installation lap. As one driver returned to the pits, another exited the pits in the form of Heikki Kovalainen. Unlike Max Chilton, the Finn elected to carry out a five lap stint which saw him produce the first timed lap of the session with a 01:31.658. The Lotus driver managed to improve upon his time on several occasions, eventually working his way down to a 01:30.537 as Jules Bianchi joined him out on track.
Mark Webber soon joined the track action in his Red Bull RB9, initially posting the 2nd fastest time before bettering Heikki Kovalainen’s time to rise to the top with a 01:29.088. Although the rain failed to ease off, many other drivers soon took to the track including the two Caterhams, Paul di Resta and Nico Hulkenberg. Charles Pic ran slightly wide at Turn 5, before Nico Rosberg stormed to the top for Mercedes with a 01:28.873. The German soon returned to the pits after rising to the top, with Romain Grosjean slotting into 3rd position for Lotus.
As the second practice session progressed, Fernando Alonso joined the track action on the intermediate tyre. The Spaniard could only manage 10th fastest on his first run, before then catapulting himself further up the order to 3rd fastest a little later. Many drivers soon began joining the former World Champion on the intermediate tyres, including the likes of Mark Webber and Felipe Massa. As Sebastian Vettel finally took to the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace sporting Pirelli’s intermediate tyres, team-mate Mark Webber was once again struck by a KERS failure on his RB9.
Although the conditions seemed to be gradually improving, Charles Pic managed to run wide at Turn 1 as the majority of the field continued switching to Pirelli’s intermediate tyre. Sebastian Vettel’s first timed lap of the session saw him slot into 5th position, before improving a lap later to go 2nd fastest with a 01:28.939 behind fellow countryman Nico Rosberg. The Mercedes ace improved at the top with a 01:28.693, before Sebastian Vettel obliterated the opposition with a scintillating 01:27.993 in the tricky weather conditions.
Whilst the entire field, except the Marussia duo, circulated the short Brazilian circuit, Lewis Hamilton perilously spun on the exit of Turn 5. The 2008 World Champion was lucky avoid colliding with the barriers, as he continued to circulate before slotting into 3rd position behind his team-mate and Sebastian Vettel. The German Champion continued to assert his authority at the top as the session entered its closing stages, with the German producing a 01:27.531.
With the track conditions continuing to improve throughout the final minutes, the times up and down the order began to tumble as Jean-Eric Vergne popped up into 3rd position in his Toro Rosso. Mark Webber soon demoted the Frenchman as he slotted into 2nd position behind his Red Bull team-mate, as Pastor Maldonado spun at Turn 1. The departing Williams driver managed to continue circulating, as Nico Rosberg thwarted the Red Bulls with an impressive 01:27.306. The checkered flag was eventually revealed signaling the end of the second practice session, with Nico Rosberg once again fastest at the top ahead of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber.
After a wet day of track action around the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace, the teams and drivers will be hoping for a much dryer third and final practice session tomorrow before the all-important qualifying hour. However, the rain has been forecast to remain a threat over the legendary circuit, which could well spice up the action when the battle for the final pole position of the season is commenced.
Picture Copyright © Mercedes AMG Petronas
Nico Rosberg Romps To Victory In Controversial British Grand Prix
Nico Rosberg has romped to his third career victory in Formula 1 after a highly controversial British Grand Prix, featuring spills, thrills and a dangerous amount of tyre failures throughout the 52 laps. The German was joined on the podium by the Red Bull of Mark Webber, with Fernando Alonso a close 3rd for Ferrari.
As the five red lights went out local hero Lewis Hamilton scampered into the lead, as team-mate Nico Rosberg was robbed of 2nd position by the Red Bull of Sebastian Vettel. Mark Webber suffered a collision with the Lotus of Romain Grosjean at Turn 1, resulting in minor damage to both machines. Felipe Massa enjoyed an absolutely sensational start for the Scuderia, rising from 11th to 5th on the opening lap. As the majority of the field battled for position throughout the early stages of the race, Lewis Hamilton proceeded to produce the fastest lap of the race at the front.
Lewis Hamilton’s chances of victory are ruined after a tyre failure on Lap 7.
The former World Champion continued to open a slight lead over Sebastian Vettel, before he suffered an utterly catastrophic blow to his race when his left-rear tyre exploded. Although Lewis Hamilton managed to limp back to the pits with minor damage to the floor of his Mercedes, his lead was lost as reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel stormed into the lead. As Lewis Hamilton eventually crawled back to the pits for a new set of tyres, the Briton found himself towards the back of the pack after initially starting from pole.
Controversy and mayhem continued to ensue as the race progressed, when both Felipe Massa and Jean-Eric Vergne suffered almost identical tyre failures to Lewis Hamilton. The Ferrari driver’s blowout occurred at Turn 5, which saw him briefly spin before returning to the pits. Jean-Eric Vergne’s tyre exploded along the Hangar Straight just before Turn 15, with the Frenchman miraculously remaining in control of his Toro Rosso at high-speed and immediately plunging into the pits.
With many teams now fearing for their own drivers after three identical tyre failures, numerous pit-stops ensued for the likes of Kimi Raikkonen, Adrian Sutil, Nico Rosberg and race leader Sebastian Vettel. Eventually the safety car was deployed to allow the marshals to clear the Silverstone circuit, which had been littered with shredded pieces of the delaminated tyres. As the old tyres were removed from many of the cars during their pit-stops, small cuts were discovered on the surface which accounted for the failures. Teams began instructing their drivers to avoid the kerbs, in what was becoming a bizarre British Grand Prix.
On Lap 21 the race was resumed as Sebastian Vettel scampered back into a commanding lead behind the wheel of his Renault-powered Red Bull. The controversy surrounding Pirelli’s tyres continued under green flag conditions, with Nico Hulkenberg and then Esteban Gutierrez both pitting after issues with their tyres. By Lap 29 the second round of pit-stops began as Kimi Raikkonen, Fernando Alonso and then Romain Grosjean elected to pit. Throughout the next several laps, the entire field eventually completed a pit-stop, with Sebastian Vettel retaining his lead over Nico Rosberg at the front.
After plummeting through the order due to his tyre failure during the early stages of the race, Lewis Hamilton managed to scythe his way back through the order to 6th by Lap 36 when the Briton pitted for his second stop. Upon returning to the circuit, the 2008 World Champion became locked in a grueling battle for 11th with Paul di Resta, who had perviously collided with Nico Hulkenberg at Turn 4. Despite the many tyre-related issues throughout the field, Jean-Eric Vergne became the first retirement on Lap 36.
The moment of disbelief when Sebastian Vettel retires with a gearbox issue.
As Lewis Hamilton perfected an overtaking maneuver on Paul di Resta, the race was turned upside down as race leader Sebastian Vettel ground to a halt on the start/finish straight with a mechanical issue plaguing his Red Bull for the first time since the Italian Grand Prix last season. With the German’s car coming to a halt in a precarious position on the track, the safety car was called upon for the second time as the marshals cleared the stricken machine. Meanwhile Nico Rosberg had assumed the lead of the race, with only a handful of laps remaining in the race.
Under safety car conditions, the majority of the field elected to pit apart from the Lotus of Kimi Raikkonen who rose up to 2nd position in his Lotus. The race was resumed on Lap 45, with Nico Rosberg storming into the lead ahead of Kimi Raikkonen and Adrian Sutil. After pitting for fresh tyres under the safety car period, Mark Webber began to scythe his way through the order like a hot knife through butter, as the Australian sensation searched for his third win at Silverstone.
As Mark Webber rose to 3rd and then to 2nd in the closing laps, yet another tyre failure struck the field. This time it was Sergio Perez was struggled to retain control of his McLaren down the Hangar Straight, as Fernando Alonso luckily avoided a face-full of Pirelli debris. The Spaniard then proceeded to overtake Kimi Raikkonen for 3rd, before Lewis Hamilton also overtook the Finn for 4th whose tyres had completely worn out.
Despite a masterful resurgence after his altercation with Romain Grosjean on the opening lap of the race, Mark Webber was unable to catch Nico Rosberg for the lead. The German stormed across the line to record his second win of the season and Mercedes’s first in Britain since 1955 at the hands of Sir Stirling Moss. With Sebastian Vettel scoring no points in the race, his lead at the top of the Championship has been diminished to only 21 points ahead of Fernando Alonso in 2nd.
The German ace will be hoping for renewed luck next weekend when Formula 1 reconvenes at the Nurburgring for the German Grand Prix, a race Nico Rosberg will unquestionably be striving to win. The German marque has enjoyed a resurgent 2013 season, and victory on home soil will be their sole aim next time out.
PROVISIONAL RACE RESULTS The British Grand Prix Silverstone, Britain; 52 laps; 306.198km; Weather: Sunny. Classified: Pos Driver Team Time 1. Rosberg Mercedes 1h32:59.456 2. Webber Red Bull-Renault + 0.765 3. Alonso Ferrari + 7.124 4. Raikkonen Lotus-Renault + 7.756 5. Hamilton Mercedes + 11.257 6. Massa Ferrari + 14.573 7. Sutil Force India-Mercedes + 16.335 8. Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 16.500 9. Di Resta Force India-Mercedes + 17.993 10. Hulkenberg Sauber-Ferrari + 19.700 11. Maldonado Williams-Renault + 21.100 12. Bottas Williams-Renault + 25.000 13. Button McLaren-Mercedes + 25.900 14. Gutierrez Sauber-Ferrari + 26.200 15. Pic Caterham-Renault + 31.600 16. Bianchi Marussia-Cosworth + 36.000 17. Chilton Marussia-Cosworth + 1:07.600 18. van der Garde Caterham-Renault + 1:07.700 19. Grosjean Lotus-Renault + 1 lap Fastest lap: Webber, 1:33.401 Not classified/retirements: Driver Team On lap Perez McLaren-Mercedes 47 Vettel Red Bull-Renault 42 Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari 36
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Nico Rosberg Fastest After Productive Second Practice At Silverstone
Nico Rosberg has ended the second practice session fastest for Mercedes, in what was unquestionably a highly productive 90 minutes of track action for the majority of the field after the washout that was practice one. The German ace was followed at the top by the Red Bull duo of Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel.
After the atrociously wet conditions during the opening practice session earlier in the morning, the Formula 1 paddock was treated to improving weather conditions over the Silverstone circuit for the second practice session. Although the track was still slightly damp in places, the lack of rainfall meant only intermediate tyres were called upon by the drivers in the opening few minutes of the session. The Red Bull duo of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber were the first to take to the track at the start of the session, with the reigning Champion producing the first timed lap with a 01:44.038.
Although the majority of the drivers elected for Pirelli’s Cinturato intermediate tyres, Jules Bianchi played it safe during the early stages of the session after electing for the full wet tyre compound in his Marussia. Sebastian Vettel’s reign over proceedings was short-lived, as Valtteri Bottas stormed to the top for Williams with a 01:43.929. Nico Hulkenberg momentarily rose to the top for Sauber, before local hero Paul di Resta rose to the top for Force India with a 01:43.207. With the track conditions improving greatly by the minute, Jean-Eric Vergne became the first driver to switch to slick tyres, which enabled the Frenchman to rise straight to the top for Toro Rosso with a 01:41.868, a time he improved upon next time around with a 01:37.102.
As the second session progressed, the Force India duo of Adrian Sutil and Paul di Resta traded fastest times at the top as the Silverstone-based outfit strive for a competitive weekend on home soil. Adrian Sutil eventually worked his way down to a 01:35.677, before Mark Webber lowered the benchmark even further with a 01:34.648. Despite the improving weather conditions, Felipe Massa found himself spearing towards the barrier once again in his Ferrari. The Brazilian driver sustained light damage to the front of his machine, in what was his third successive incident for Ferrari since Monaco.
After Felipe Massa’s stricken Ferrari was cleared by the ever-efficient Silverstone marshals, Nico Rosberg stormed to the top of the timing sheets for Mercedes with a 01:34.327. As the German improved upon his time at the top, team-mate Lewis Hamilton slotted into 2nd position for the German marque to create a Mercedes 1-2 at the top. However, the outfit’s reign at the top was quickly quelled by the Toro Rosso of Daniel Ricciardo who produced a highly competitive 01:33.550 as light rain once again began to fall upon the Silverstone circuit.
Adrian Sutil once again returned to the top for Force India as the session progressed, as Jean-Eric Vergne, Romain Grosjean, Charles Pic, Sebastian Vettel and Giedo van der Garde all became the first drivers to switch to Pirelli’s P Zero medium tyres. On the softer rubber, Sebastian Vettel blitzed the timing screens with a 01:33.068, improving a lap later with a 01:32.680. However, Nico Rosberg continued to improve for Mercedes, producing a 01:32.248 to return to the top as the majority of the field turned their attention on high-fuel runs in preparation for the race on Sunday.
As the session drew to a conclusion, the majority of the order remained unchanged with Nico Rosberg leading the Red Bull duo of Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel at the front. Paul di Resta managed to finish an impressive 4th ahead of fellow countryman Lewis Hamilton, in what was a highly productive session in comparison to the morning period. The drivers will be hoping the rain stays away from the Silverstone circuit for the remainder of the weekend, as they strive to enjoy as much dry running as possible in the build-up to the all-important race on Sunday.
Pos Driver Team Time Gap Laps 1. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m32.248s 33 2. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m32.547s + 0.299s 26 3. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m32.680s + 0.432s 31 4. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1m32.832s + 0.584s 34 5. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1m32.911s + 0.663s 28 6. Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m33.171s + 0.923s 34 7. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m33.290s + 1.042s 38 8. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1m33.313s + 1.065s 34 9. Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault 1m33.322s + 1.074s 38 10. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m33.494s + 1.246s 32 11. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m33.740s + 1.492s 29 12. Nico Hulkenberg Sauber-Ferrari 1m33.896s + 1.648s 36 13. Kimi Raikkonen Lotus-Renault 1m34.120s + 1.872s 30 14. Sergio Perez McLaren-Mercedes 1m34.130s + 1.882s 29 15. Esteban Gutierrez Sauber-Ferrari 1m34.998s + 2.750s 32 16. Valtteri Bottas Williams-Renault 1m35.070s + 2.822s 29 17. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Renault 1m35.127s + 2.879s 35 18. Jules Bianchi Marussia-Cosworth 1m35.802s + 3.554s 27 19. Giedo van der Garde Caterham-Renault 1m35.984s + 3.736s 32 20. Charles Pic Caterham-Renault 1m36.079s + 3.831s 35 21. Max Chilton Marussia-Cosworth 1m37.329s + 5.081s 33 22. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m43.466s + 11.218s 7
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Nico Rosberg Romps To A Dominant Monaco GP Victory
Nico Rosberg has romped to a dominant victory around the streets of Monte-Carlo, after a thrilling and incident-filled 78-lap race which featured everything from safety car periods to a red flag delay. The Mercedes ace was followed home by fellow countryman Sebastian Vettel, with Mark Webber just holding off Lewis Hamilton for 3rd.
After the damp and dreary weather conditions which plagued qualifying, the Monte-Carlo street circuit was once again bathed in glorious sunshine for the legendary race. As the field began the traditional formation lap, the Marussia of Jules Bianchi stalled on the grid and was subsequently forced to start the race from the pit-lane. At the start Nico Rosberg stormed into a commanding lead, as Lewis Hamilton defended heavily from the Red Bull of Sebastian Vettel.
The Silver Arrows led at the front as the lights went out.
As the field negotiated the opening lap of the race, Giedo van der Garde collided with the Williams of Pastor Maldonado at Turn 6 and lost his front-wing. The duo were forced to return to the pits after the opening lap for repairs, loosing them valuable track time. Throughout the opening laps, Nico Rosberg continued to open up a considerable gap to his team-mate, as Charles Pic became the first retirement of the race after his gearbox suffered a seizure and caused a fire on his Caterham.
Luckily the ever-efficient Monegasque marshals were able to clear the stricken Caterham and quickly extinguish the flames without the need of a safety car intervention. The order remained relatively unchanged for the first part of the race, until Mark Webber became the first front-runner to pit on Lap 25. With a one-stop strategy the plan for the majority of the front-runners, the likes of Kimi Raikkonen, Felipe Massa, Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso all pitted within the next two laps.
The race was thrown into utter confusion on Lap 29, when Felipe Massa once again slammed into the retaining barriers at Turn 1 in similar fashion to his incident during practice three. The Brazilian driver violently embedded his Ferrari into the barriers at Turn 1, causing the first of many safety car periods. As soon as the safety car was deployed, Sebastian Vettel and the two Mercedes’ immediately pitted. With Lewis Hamilton being forced to complete a slow in-lap due to the German marque stacking their drivers in the pits, the Briton lost track position to the Red Bull duo whereas Nico Rosberg managed to retain the lead.
After several laps behind the safety car, the race was resumed with Nico Rosberg once again opening up a comfortable lead at the front. Lewis Hamilton was visibly frustrated behind the Red Bull of Mark Webber, and tried an overtaking maneuver at Turn 18. However, the former Monaco Grand Prix winner managed to defend his position heavily through Turn 19. During the early stages of the race the McLaren duo fought perilously close, and continued to do so as the race progressed.
Jenson Button tried an overtaking maneuver on Fernando Alonso at Turn 6, but failed to complete the move and lightly tapped the rear of the Spaniard’s Ferrari. This enabled Sergio Perez to close right up on his team-mate, and master an overtaking maneuver into Turn 10. The race was momentarily red flagged on Lap 45, when Pastor Maldonado and Max Chilton came together at the high-speed at Turn 12.
After running wide following a battle with the Sauber of Esteban Gutierrez, Max Chilton slowed on the run down to Turn 12 allowing Pastor Maldonado to catch the Briton. Just before the corner, the duo touched which launched Maldonado momentarily into the air and then into the retaining barrier. Upon impact, the barrier absorbed Maldonado’s Williams and then flung it back out onto the track. The barrier itself became dislodged from its placing and was also spat out onto the track. This caused a red flag delay, forcing the field to line up at the grid.
Eventually after a delay of several minutes, the race was resumed behind the safety car. After only one lap of safety car control, the race returned to green flag conditions with Nico Rosberg scampering away at the front as Lewis Hamilton continued to try and find a way around Mark Webber’s Red Bull. Max Chilton was subsequently issued with a drive-thru penalty for causing the incident with Pastor Maldonado, which the Briton served immediately.
As the majority of the field continued to follow each other, Adrian Sutil threw caution to the wind and stormed up the inside of firstly Jenson Button and then Fernando Alonso several laps later at Turn 6. Jules Bianchi became the next retirement of Lap 60, as the Frenchman lost control of his Marussia and spun into the retaining tyre barrier at Turn 1. The third and final safety car delay of the day was caused when Romain Grosjean’s incident-filled weekend continued when he slammed into the rear of Daniel Ricciardo at Turn 10, ruining both of their races.
The safety car period was short-lived, as Nico Rosberg managed to continue his lead at the front over reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel. Further down the order saw Sergio Perez continue his feisty drive through the field, resulting in an altercation with the Finn of Kimi Raikkonen. This resulted in a puncture for the Lotus driver and saw Sergio Perez forced into retirement at Turn 19. Kimi Raikkonen therefore pitted for replace his delaminated tyre, dropping him right to the back of the field.
However, as Nico Rosberg stormed across the line to secure a memorable and historic victory, Kimi Raikkonen simply scythed through the field during the closing laps to finish 10th and secure himself another sensational points finish. Nico Rosberg, however, created history as the first son of a former Monaco Grand Prix winner to win the race himself, after his father Keke Rosberg’s victory in 1983.
Despite such a dominant race weekend for the Mercedes duo, Sebastian Vettel still managed to increase his lead at the top of the Drivers’ Championship with another strong result in 2nd position. The reigning World Champion will be striving to utilize Pirelli’s revised tyres next time out at the Canadian Grand Prix around Montreal’s Circuit du Gilles Villeneuve. However, the Mercedes’ duo will once again be out to upset the Red Bull party at the front.
PROVISIONAL RACE RESULTS The Monaco Grand Prix Monte Carlo, Monaco; 78 laps; 260.520km; Weather: . Classified: Pos Driver Team 1. Rosberg Mercedes 2. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 3. Webber Red Bull-Renault 4. Hamilton Mercedes 5. Sutil Force India-Mercedes 6. Button McLaren-Mercedes 7. Alonso Ferrari 8. Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari 9. Di Resta Force India-Mercedes 10. Raikkonen Lotus-Renault 11. Hulkenberg Sauber-Ferrari 12. Bottas Williams-Renault 13. Gutierrez Sauber-Ferrari 14. Chilton Marussia-Cosworth 15. van der Garde Caterham-Renault DNF. Perez McLaren-Mercedes DNF. Grosjean Lotus-Renault DNF. Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari DNF. Bianchi Marussia-Cosworth DNF. Maldonado Williams-Renault DNF. Massa Ferrari DNF. Pic Caterham-Renault
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Nico Rosberg Shines In Damp Conditions At Monaco To Secure Pole
Nico Rosberg has continued to shine for Mercedes after securing his third consecutive pole position for the German marque, after a damp qualifying hour around Monaco’s Monte-Carlo street circuit. The German will start the race alongside team-mate Lewis Hamilton, with the Red Bull duo starting on the second row.
After three practice sessions run in glorious sunshine around the Monte-Carlo street circuit, many were surprised when the all-important qualifying hour began in wet weather conditions. This forced the entire field to rush out onto the street circuit sporting the intermediate tyre, in treacherous and unknown weather conditions. The Caterham duo led out the entire field, as Jules Bianchi’s session was brought to an immediate and premature conclusion when a mechanical issue struck his Marussia.
The Caterham duo of Charles Pic and Giedo van der Garde naturally set the initial pace at the top, however the benchmark unsurprisingly plummeted as many drivers all improved in the tricky weather conditions. Lewis Hamilton and then Jenson Button rose to the top, before Mark Webber, Paul di Resta, Fernando Alonso and Jean-Eric Vergne both continued to lower the benchmark. Lewis Hamilton then returned to the top for Mercedes with a 01:32.920, before reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel asserted his authority over proceedings with a 01:31.431.
As the conditions began to gradually improve, so did the times as Monaco expert Pastor Maldonado rose to the top for Williams with a 01:30.126. Lewis Hamilton, Paul di Resta and then Mark Webber both momentarily returned to the top, before Sebastian Vettel continued to keep Red Bull at the top with 01:25.352. As the opening segment of qualifying drew to a close, Nico Rosberg and then Lewis Hamilton traded fastest times at the top, before Jenson Button rose McLaren to the front.
After his incident at the end of the final practice session earlier in the day, Romain Grosjean only just managed to take to the track as the session drew to a close. With only a handful of laps for the Frenchman to set a time, he stormed around the Monte-Carlo street circuit to produce a mesmerizing 01:23.738 to go fastest.
In the final minutes, Pastor Maldonado returned to the top for Williams with a 01:23.452, as the Caterham of Giedo van der Garde managed to progress through to Q2 for the first time in his career. As Q1 drew to a close, Paul Di Resta, Charles Pic, Esteban Gutierrez, Max Chilton, Jules Bianchi and Felipe Massa were eventually eliminated with the latter unable to partake in the session after his earlier incident in practice.
The rain continued to lightly fall over the Monte-Carlo street circuit as Q2 got underway, with Jean-Eric Vergne and Nico Rosberg becoming the first two drivers to take to the track. Once again the benchmark was instantly lowered as the first timed laps were completed, with Nico Rosberg, Sebastian Vettel and then Mark Webber rising to the top. With the track conditions still perilous in the damp conditions, Jenson Button, Sergio Perez, Nico Rosberg, Nico Hulkenberg and Romain Grosjean all momentarily rose to the top in a frenetic session.
Kimi Raikkonen and then Jenson Button set the pace once again at the front, before Nico Rosberg produced a 01:22.119. With the conditions continuing to improve, Giedo van der Garde became the first driver to opt for he super-soft tyres, which then led to the entire field joining the Dutchman on slick tyres. This naturally saw the times continue to plummet, as the first dry lap times of the session were completed. Mark Webber instantly rose to the top for Red Bull, before Sebastian Vettel silenced the opposition with a 01:15.988.
After a frenetic end to the second segment of qualifying, Nico Hulkenberg, Daniel Ricciardo, Romain Grosjean, Valtteri Bottas, Giedo van der Garde and Pastor Maldonado were all eliminated from proceedings. This left a mouth-watering spectacle for the top ten shootout, with the usual suspects joined by the likes of Jean-Eric Vergne who managed to rise to the top ten shootout for the first time in his career.
In drying weather conditions, Kimi Raikkonen became the first driver to take to the track on the super-soft tyre compound. The Finn naturally set the first timed lap of the segment, however Lewis Hamilton and then Mark Webber quickly disposed of the Finn with the latter setting a 01:15.134. The trend of the times tumbling continued as the session progressed, with no-one certain as to who would eventually secure the pivotal pole position. Sebastian Vettel set a superb time late in the session with a 01:14.333, however the Mercedes duo simply obliterated the remainder of the field with Nico Rosberg leading Lewis Hamilton after producing a 01:13.876.
The Mercedes ace has now secured pole position for the third consecutive race weekend, and will be striving to convert such a positive result into a race victory tomorrow. The Red Bull duo of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber will line-up on row two behind the Silver Arrows, in what will surely be a fascinating 78-lap race. Last year the Silver Arrows would have started from pole with Michael Schumacher, however a penalty from the previous race denied such a luxury. The German marque will be out to redeem themselves this weekend, with a 1-2 finish in their sights.
Pos Driver Team Time Gap 1. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m13.876s 2. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1m13.967s + 0.091s 3. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m13.980s + 0.104s 4. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m14.181s + 0.305s 5. Kimi Raikkonen Lotus-Renault 1m14.822s + 0.946s 6. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m14.824s + 0.948s 7. Sergio Perez McLaren-Mercedes 1m15.138s + 1.262s 8. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1m15.383s + 1.507s 9. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m15.647s + 1.771s 10. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m15.703s + 1.827s Q2 cut-off time: 1m17.748s Gap ** 11. Nico Hulkenberg Sauber-Ferrari 1m18.331s + 2.343s 12. Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m18.344s + 2.356s 13. Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault 1m18.603s + 2.615s 14. Valtteri Bottas Williams-Renault 1m19.077s + 3.089s 15. Giedo van der Garde Caterham-Renault 1m19.408s + 3.420s 16. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Renault 1m21.688s + 5.700s Q1 cut-off time: 1m26.095s Gap * 17. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1m26.322s + 2.870s 18. Charles Pic Caterham-Renault 1m26.633s + 3.181s 19. Esteban Gutierrez Sauber-Ferrari 1m26.917s + 3.465s 20. Max Chilton Marussia-Cosworth 1m27.303s + 3.851s 21. Jules Bianchi Marussia-Cosworth 22. Felipe Massa Ferrari 107% time: 1m29.293s
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Nico Rosberg Fastest In Incident-Filled Final Practice At Monaco
Nico Rosberg has once again managed to finish fastest after the third and final practice session, in what was an incident-filled final hour of practice ahead of qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix. The German was followed by the Lotus of Romain Grosjean, with Sebastian Vettel a close 3rd for Red Bull.
After a day without any Formula 1 action around the tight and twisty confines of the Monte-Carlo street circuit, the teams and drivers reconvened once again under glorious weather conditions around the Principality. However, dark clouds were looming the distance, with showers a strong possibility for qualifying. Nico Hulkenberg become the first driver to take to the track for Sauber, and was instantly followed by many others who were all eager to continue their preparations for the weekend ahead.
Although many drivers elected to pit after completing their first installation lap, Esteban Gutierrez was the only driver who continued circulating to eventually complete the first timed lap of the session with a 01:26.137. The Mexican ace continued to improve at the top, eventually working his way down to a 01:17.716. Jean-Eric Vergne soon ended the Mexican’s reign at the top, with the Frenchman producing a 01:17.664. The Toro Rosso driver then momentarily traded fastest times at the top with Nico Hulkenberg, before reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel asserted his authority over proceedings with a 01:15.791.
The Red Bull sensation managed to continue improving at the sharp-end of the order, working his way down to a 01:15.261 despite the Austrian outfit’s initial worries with regards to their one-lap pace ahead of qualifying. Romain Grosjean’s incident-filled weekend continued as the session wore on, with the Frenchman just lightly tapping the barrier at Turn 10 and damaging his left-rear tyre. Luckily the Lotus driver was able to continue back to the pits, despite the damage sustained.
As the session entered its closing stages, Felipe Massa crashed violently into the barriers at Turn 1, utterly destroying his Ferrari and causing a momentary red flag delay as the ever-efficient Monegasque marshals cleared the stricken machine. The Brazilian driver was luckily unscathed after the heavy impact, and was able to extract himself from his car moments after the incident. Only several minutes after the session had been resumed, Adrian Sutil became the next driver to slam into the barrier at Turn 3 after loosing the rear of his Force India.
Despite the rather heavy impact with the wall, the Monegasque marshals were able to clear the stricken Force India without requiring a red flag delay. Once the Force India had been cleared, many drivers up and down the order began opting for the super-soft tyres, enabling Romain Grosjean to rise to the top with an impressive 01:15.051. However, Grosjean’s time at the top was short-lived, as Nico Rosberg continued to impress many after producing a scintillating 01:14.378.
The German’s time atop the timing sheets remained unbeaten, largely thanks to Romain Grosjean who caused the third and final session to end under red flag conditions. Despite setting the 2nd fastest time overall in the session, the Frenchman’s incident-filled weekend simply failed to improve as he lost the rear of his Lotus heading into Turn 1 and tapped the barrier. Just prior to his incident, Romain Grosjean seemed to swerve towards the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton who was exiting the pit-lane, prompting several questions over his sudden change of direction.
With Nico Rosberg topping all three practice sessions throughout the weekend, many are beginning to strongly tip the German for pole position later today. With passing ever so difficult around the Principality, pole position for the Mercedes ace could well be translated into a victory come the race on Sunday. However, the likes of Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton will almost certainly be out to deny the German.
Pos Driver Team Time Gap Laps 1. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m14.378s 22 2. Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault 1m15.039s + 0.661s 13 3. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m15.261s + 0.883s 17 4. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m15.286s + 0.908s 17 5. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1m15.311s + 0.933s 20 6. Kimi Raikkonen Lotus-Renault 1m15.380s + 1.002s 19 7. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m15.550s + 1.172s 20 8. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1m15.594s + 1.216s 17 9. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Renault 1m15.861s + 1.483s 15 10. Nico Hulkenberg Sauber-Ferrari 1m15.926s + 1.548s 25 11. Sergio Perez McLaren-Mercedes 1m15.958s + 1.580s 23 12. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m15.976s + 1.598s 19 13. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m15.976s + 1.598s 21 14. Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m16.060s + 1.682s 16 15. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1m16.068s + 1.690s 12 16. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m16.105s + 1.727s 8 17. Esteban Gutierrez Sauber-Ferrari 1m16.427s + 2.049s 26 18. Valtteri Bottas Williams-Renault 1m16.933s + 2.555s 17 19. Charles Pic Caterham-Renault 1m17.902s + 3.524s 20 20. Giedo van der Garde Caterham-Renault 1m18.102s + 3.724s 20 21. Jules Bianchi Marussia-Cosworth 1m18.706s + 4.328s 22 22. Max Chilton Marussia-Cosworth 1m19.228s + 4.850s 22
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