Stefano Coletti Storms To Historic Home Victory At Monaco
Stefano Coletti has stormed to a historic home victory after the GP2 sprint race around the streets of Monte-Carlo, becoming the first Monegasque driver to take victory around the Principality since Louis Chiron back in 1931. The 24-year-old was followed home by Adrian Quaife-Hobbs and Mitch Evans.
After causing the multi-car pile-up at the start of yesterday’s feature race, Arden International’s Johnny Cecotto jr. was excluded from the remainder of the weekend. This meant only 25 drivers took to the grid for the sprint race, with British driver Adrian Quaife-Hobbs on the reverse grid pole alongside Austrian driver Rene Binder. At the start the Briton stormed into the lead ahead of local hero Stefano Coletti, as Rene Binder suffered a frustratingly slow getaway off of the line.
Reigning GP3 Champion Mitch Evans enjoyed a tremendous start from 6th on the grid, working his way up to 3rd by Turn 5 after mastering an overtaking maneuver up the inside of James Calado. Despite starting from pole and initially taking the lead, Adrian Quaife-Hobbs was eventually overtaken by Stefano Coletti for the lead of the race on Lap 2, as the local hero stormed up the inside of the Briton at Turn 10.
As Stefano Coletti began to open up a considerable lead at the front, Daniel Abt and Simon Trummer were struck with drive-thru penalties for jumping the start. As the duo served their penalties, Tom Dillmann entered the pits with a suspected issue on his Russian Time machine. After several further pit-stops, the Frenchman found himself several laps off of the leaders way down in 25th position.
Despite Stefano Coletti’s commanding lead at the front of the order, many battles raged on throughout the order. After a superlative result in the feature race, Kevin Ceccon continued to impress after perfecting an overtaking maneuver on Sam Bird at Turn 10. To avoid a collision the Briton was forced to take avoiding action by cutting the chicane, eventually ceding 7th to the Italian driver. After taking a convincing victory in the feature race, Sam Bird failed to mount a resurgence in the latter stages of the race, as he began to plummet through the order.
As the race entered its closing stages, the battle within the midfield began to intensify as Jon Lancaster and Rio Haryanto collided at Turn 8. This caused a concertina-effect on the field, as Lancaster half spun his Hilmer Motorsport machine but managed to continue. Eventually Stefano Coletti stormed across the line to record a historic victory for Rapax, leading home Adrian Quaife-Hobbs in 2nd and Mitch Evans in 3rd. The Monegasque’s victory has enabled him to strengthen his lead in the Drivers’ Championship, as the Series enters a lengthy gap before reconvening around Silverstone for the British Grand Prix next month.
Results - 30 laps: Pos Driver Team Time/Gap 1. Stefano Coletti Rapax 42m50.707s 2. Adrian Quaife-Hobbs MP + 1.869s 3. Mitch Evans Arden + 2.216s 4. Felipe Nasr Carlin + 2.536s 5. James Calado ART + 3.747s 6. Rene Binder Lazarus + 19.293s 7. Kevin Ceccon Trident + 20.015s 8. Stephane Richelmi DAMS + 20.576s 9. Daniel de Jong MP + 21.197s 10. Jake Rosenzweig Addax + 31.720s 11. Sergio Canamasas Caterham + 34.105s 12. Jolyon Palmer Carlin + 35.775s 13. Fabio Leimer Racing Engineering + 36.488s 14. Julian Leal Racing Engineering + 36.913s 15. Robin Frijns Hilmer + 42.125s 16. Rio Haryanto Addax + 43.235s 17. Jon Lancaster Hilmer + 1m03.893s 18. Marcus Ericsson DAMS + 1m04.258s 19. Alexander Rossi Caterham + 1m04.735s 20. Kevin Giovesi Lazarus + 1m05.044s 21. Nathanael Berthon Trident + 1m05.468s 22. Daniel Abt ART + 1m06.174s 23. Simon Trummer Rapax + 1m07.413s 24. Sam Bird Russian Time + 1 lap 25. Tom Dillmann Russian Time + 3 laps
Picture Copyright © Charles Coates/GP2 Series Media Service
Takuma Sato Makes IndyCar History With Victory At Long Beach
Takuma Sato has made IndyCar history after taking his and Japan’s maiden IZOD IndyCar Series victory around the Streets of Long Beach, after an incident-filled race ran in scorching weather conditions. The 36-year-old took the victory ahead of Graham Rahal, with Justin Wilson 3rd for Dale Coyne Racing,
After securing pole position, four-time Champion Dario Franchitti led at the start as the field jostled for position through the opening corners. At Turn 6, rookie Tristan Vautier collided with Scott Dixon, an incident which forced the Kiwi to pit with a puncture and saw Vautier struck with a drive-thru penalty for causing an avoidable incident. Further collisions ensued throughout the opening lap, as Sebastian Saavedra slammed into the wall at Turn 9. This saw the first of many full course cautions, as Marco Andretti pitted to replace a damaged front nose cone.
The race was restarted on Lap 7, as Dario Franchitti fought for the lead of the race with reigning Champion Ryan Hunter-Reay. This was the first lap the Scotsman had led since the season finale at Fontana last year, in what has so far been a tough new season. Dario Franchitti proceeded to open up a gap to Ryan Hunter-Reay throughout the opening few laps, before Takuma Sato managed to overtake the Andretti Autosport driver for 2nd on Lap 22. The Japanese ace then began to catch Franchitti for the lead, before electing to pit on Lap 28 along with Ryan Hunter-Reay.
Dario Franchitti pitted from the lead a lap later and suffered a frustratingly slow stop, which ultimately led to the 39-year-old loosing the lead to Will Power. A second full course caution was caused on Lap 30 when Charlie Kimball and Alex Tagliani collided at Turn 8. Will Power, who has so far led during each of the three opening races, pitted under caution and handed the lead down to Takuma Sato.
The race was resumed on Lap 35, only for a third full course caution to be caused moments later when James Hinchcliffe and Tony Kanaan collected E.J. Viso at Turn 1. The Venezuelan driver continued to circulate, and eventually pitted for repairs along with Ryan Hunter-Reay, unlike Tony Kanaan who managed to survive the incident relatively unscathed. The race was quickly resumed, as Takuma Sato continued to lead at the front despite Graham Rahal’s attempts to reel in the A.J. Foyt Racing driver.
Reigning IZOD IndyCar Series Champion Ryan Hunter-Reay’s disastrous race was ended on Lap 50, when the American driver struck the tyre barrier at Turn 8. This caused the fourth full course caution of the race, and allowed the leaders to pit under caution. Takuma Sato won the race off of pit road, whereas further back Will Power was struck by Tristan Vautier who was exiting his pit box. This caused slight damage to Power’s Penske, and saw Vautier issued with his second penalty of the day. During the melee in the pit-lane, A.J. Allmendinger was forced into retirement with a mechanical issue.
Once again the race was resumed on Lap 56, as Takuma Sato remained in the lead ahead of Graham Rahal. Charlie Kimball’s race was brought to a premature conclusion when the 28-year-old struck the barrier at Turn 1. However, this did not result in a full course caution, as the gap at the front ebbed and flowed between Takuma Sato and Graham Rahal. As Takuma Sato started his final lap of the race, there was contact between Tony Kanaan and Oriol Servia, which saw the race end under caution conditions as Takuma Sato stormed to an historic victory around the Streets of Long Beach.
The Japanese ace was followed home by Graham Rahal in 2nd and Justin Wilson in 3rd, after 80 incident-filled laps. Takuma Sato’s victory was the first for A.J. Foyt Racing since Kansas in 2002, and the first on a street or road course since Silverstone way back in 1978. With three different winners in the first three races, the 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series has enjoyed an exciting and unpredictable start. Helio Castroneves remains atop the Drivers’ Championship with 99 points, however Takuma Sato is only six points adrift in 2nd position. The Series will reconvene in several weeks time around the Streets of Sao Paulo for the Sao Paulo Indy 300.
Results - 80 laps:
Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap
1. Takuma Sato Foyt Dallara-Honda 1h50m08.7155s
2. Graham Rahal Rahal Dallara-Honda + 5.3612s
3. Justin Wilson Coyne Dallara-Honda + 8.2386s
4. Dario Franchitti Ganassi Dallara-Honda + 12.3573s
5. JR Hildebrand Panther Dallara-Chevy + 28.2402s
6. Oriol Servia Panther/DRR Dallara-Chevy + 29.4683s
7. Marco Andretti Andretti Dallara-Chevy + 30.2703s
8. Simon Pagenaud Schmidt Dallara-Honda + 31.8674s
9. Simona de Silvestro KV Dallara-Chevy + 33.1224s
10. Helio Castroneves Penske Dallara-Chevy + 33.4118s
11. Scott Dixon Ganassi Dallara-Honda + 33.6278s
12. James Jakes Rahal Dallara-Honda + 35.0645s
13. Josef Newgarden Fisher Dallara-Honda + 35.8945s
14. Ana Beatriz Coyne Dallara-Honda + 36.3442s
15. Sebastien Bourdais Dragon Dallara-Chevy + 36.5936s
16. Will Power Penske Dallara-Chevy + 43.0022s
17. Tristan Vautier Schmidt Dallara-Honda + 51.7961s
18. Ed Carpenter Carpenter Dallara-Chevy + 56.4533s
19. Alex Tagliani Herta Dallara-Honda + 1 laps
20. Tony Kanaan KV Dallara-Chevy + 2 laps
21. Charlie Kimball Ganassi Dallara-Honda + 2 laps
22. EJ Viso Andretti Dallara-Chevy + 27 laps
Retirements:
AJ Allmendinger Penske Dallara-Chevy 51 laps
Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti Dallara-Chevy 49 laps
Mike Conway Rahal Dallara-Honda 38 laps
James Hinchcliffe Andretti Dallara-Chevy 34 laps
Sebastian Saavedra Dragon Dallara-Chevy 1 lap
Picture Copyright © Chris Jones/IndyCar
Ma Qing Hua To Drive Once Again In Practice At Singapore
HRT’s development driver Ma Qing Hua will once again get behind the wheel of the F112 at an official F1 event next time out at Singapore, as the Chinese driver continues his valuable learning experiences with the Spanish-outfit. The 24-year-old made F1 history last time out in Monza, becoming the first Chinese-born driver to race in the sport.
After initially partaking in HRT’s Young Driver Test at Silverstone back in July, Ma Qing Hua is now preparing to participate in his second official practice session in F1. Many teams up and down the paddock have utilized the opening practice session of the weekend to run their reserve drivers, such as Valtteri Bottas [Williams] and Jules Bianchi [Force India] making regular appearances for their respective teams. With HRT set to introduce several new upgrades at the Singapore Grand Prix, Ma Qing Hua will be instrumental in testing the new updates.
“I’m very happy to drive the F112 for a second time in a row and I really appreciate the opportunity HRT is giving me.” Explained Ma Qing Hua, “It will be very exciting to drive an F1 [car] around the streets of Singapore. It’s a very demanding track for all of us, but it will be even more of a challenge for me as this is only the second time I will be driving the car at a race weekend. I have prepared myself in the simulator as well as doing some specific exercises to be used to driving at night. This is yet again another step in my career and I look forward to getting more experience at the wheel of a Formula 1 car as well as doing my best to help the team to prepare for the race.”
Ma Qing Hua will once again replace Narain Karthikeyan for the opening session of the weekend, before the Indian driver makes a return behind the cockpit of the F112 for the second practice session later in the afternoon. Narain Karthikeyan has also never raced around the Marina Bay street circuit, and will be eager to utilize the 90-minute second practice session to learn the track.
Picture Copyright © HRT F1 Team
Ma Qing Hua To Make F1 Debut At Monza Practice
HRT’s development driver, Ma Qing Hua, will make his first track appearance at an official Formula 1 race at this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix when he becomes the first Chinese-born driver to race in the sport. He will replace Narain Karthikeyan for the opening session on the Friday, and will team-mate Spaniard Pedro de la Rosa.
Throughout the majority of the season, HRT have elected their reserve driver Dani Clos to take part in numerous Friday practice sessions, however this weekend will see a slight change as 24-year-old Ma Qing Hua gets behind the wheel of the F112 for the first time since the Young Driver Test at Silverstone back in July. The Shanghai-born driver completed 483.062km during the Silverstone test, and greatly impressed the team as well as securing himself a Formula 1 Super License which enables him to partake during official race weekends.
“This is a very important step towards my dream of becoming a Formula 1 driver.” Explained Ma Qing Hua, “It will be my second time in the car, after the Young Driver Test in Silverstone, and I’m very excited about driving at a circuit like Monza. The objective of this session is to continue advancing with my programme, rack up more miles and experience at the wheel of an F1 car and help the team with whatever they need. I’m excited but also calm about it because I’ve been training hard in the past months to be prepared when the opportunity presented itself. I’ve also worked on the simulator to get to know the circuits a bit better and how a Formula 1 car reacts.”
This weekend will see Ma Qing Hua make F1 history as he becomes the first Chinese-born driver to race in the sport, after Dutch-born Chinese driver Ho-Pin Tung tested for Williams and Renault as well driving in the GP2 Series. This will be the second time HRT have made F1 history this season, the first coming at the Spanish Grand Prix when it was announced that Dani Clos would be driving for them alongside Pedro de la Rosa in first practice. This therefore created the first ever all-Spanish line-up in a Spanish F1 team at all places, Spain.
“Personally, it fills me with satisfaction to be able to give Ma the opportunity to make his debut at a Grand Prix, and to do it in FP1 at a classic circuit like Monza makes it even more special.” Said HRT’s team principal, Luis Perez-Sala. “Since we started working with him in March everything has been very quick but he’s responded and overcome every phase accordingly. From tests with World Series or GP2 cars, passing through sessions on the simulator, to the Formula 1 tests in Silverstone where he completed 500 km with no problems. He’s shown to us that he’s on a good level and has transmitted the necessary confidence to take the next step, which is to make his debut at a free practice session of a Grand Prix.”
Narain Karthikeyan, who will sit out the opening practice session for Ma Qing Hua, will naturally make a return behind the cockpit of the F112 during the second practice session in the afternoon. Just like at Spa-Francorchamps last time out, this will be the Indian drivers first appearance at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza since his debut season in 2005 with Jordan.
Picture Copyright © HRT F1 Team
Pippa Mann Q&A
Pippa Mann made history last season, when she became the first British female to partake in the legendary Indianapolis 500. Racing alongside legendary figures such as Paul Tracy and Dario Franchitti, she made her presence known by qualifying 31st and finishing 20th.
Although the 2011 Indianapolis 500 will go down in history as the race where rookie JR Hildebrand crashed on the final corner of the final lap, thus gifting the lead to the late Dan Wheldon, it was also the race where a certain Pippa Mann made her debut. Since then, however, bad luck and a string of injuries have plagued her career in IndyCar.
After not finding a drive for the 2012 season, Pippa Mann talks about her season so far off-track and of her continuing quest of returning to one of the fastest sports in the world, the IZOD IndyCar Series.
Q: First of all Pippa, many thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. Although you unfortunately haven’t been racing in IndyCar this season, you’ve certainly been kept busy off-track. What’s your view on what has so far been an enthralling 2012 season?
Pippa Mann: While I haven’t been in a car this year, I have worked fairly hard to keep myself around at the race tracks, so I think I have a fairly good fan’s eye view of the series right now – just with a little more insider info, and a few more vested interests than your average race fan! I think overall racing with the new car has been great. It’s been entertaining for the fans, and interesting for the drivers. I think the new defending rules for the series this year have actually opened things up more than I thought they would, and I think overall the level of competition right now in the IZOD IndyCar Series is extremely high. The fan in me finds the races enthralling to watch this year, but the driver in me finds it so frustrating that I am having to watch such a great year rather than take part! I’ll be much happier when I get to see races from my preferred point of view again – the cockpit…!
Q: Throughout your career, you have raced on a number of iconic circuits such as Monaco, Spa-Francorchamps, Silverstone and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. What’s your favorite circuit you have raced on in your career and why?
PM: In Europe I always loved the circuits that either had really smooth, fast-flowing sections, or allowed for great passing – preferably both! My favorite track in the UK is actually Donington, and I have a lot of fond memories from there. Being that smooth is fast, and you can generally find a way around someone there. I loved Estoril in Portugal for it’s fabulous fast sweeping last corner, and the opportunities that would give me to make a big move on the can in front at the end of the long straight into turn one, and I love the sweeping fast sections of Monza, again the fast final corner onto the long straight there also providing great passing opportunities. I think that’s why I like the ovals so much. It’s about being fast and smooth, and setting people up to pass them just right all the time without any of the slow frustrating stuff! My favorite circuit of all time? From the first time I drove on it, to my historic pole there in 2010, to becoming the first British woman to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 in 2011, hands down the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. She’s a very special venue, and I have never raced anywhere like that before! There’s a saying we have in America – you don’t choose to win at Indy. She decides, and she chooses you!
Q: Over the years, female drivers in IndyCar have greatly outweighed female drivers in other major categories such as Formula 1. Why do you think female drivers have enjoyed more success in IndyCar in comparison to F1?
Pippa Mann has started three IndyCar races so far in her career.
PM: To give you the simple answer, quite simply there seem to be better opportunities for female drivers in America, both in terms of raising the funding to compete, and being awarded an equal opportunity to compete. The emphasis out here is on proving you can drive a race car. As with male drivers, some female drivers are more marketable for a host of reasons, and some less so, however out here it keeps coming back to performance in the car. If you drive well on a regular basis, you will get respect. Your results will influence people’s opinions of how well you can drive. This, in my opinion, is how it should be.
Q: Your first true taste of American motor sport came in the Firestone Indy Lights series. Unfortunately, the Firestone Indy Lights series isn’t widely broadcast in the UK, so could you please describe how the Firestone Indy Lights series differs to that of the IZOD IndyCar Series for my readers who might not have heard of the Firestone Indy Lights series before.
PM: The Indy Lights cars have a 450hp engine, and are basically a smaller more compact version of an IndyCar. However with IndyCars being so much larger than the shrink wrapped Formula One cars we see these days, the Indy Lights cars in themselves are not small machines. The races are 100 miles long, but they are sprint races with no pit stops for tyres or fuel. The reason for this is two-fold. In Europe, F1 and the various different feeder series all use tyre warmers for their pit stops, and so put on fresh hot rubber. In IndyCar and Lights, tyre warmers are banned. The risk of a four cold tyre stop in a series where drivers are still learning is relatively high. Also as IndyLights have never done pit stops, the teams would need to spend a lot of money gearing up, and this creates a large expense which always seems to trickle down the budgets. Indy Lights is a lot more affordable than trying to race GP2 or World Series by Renault back in Europe. The races generally last around an hour, but that time frame can be shorter or longer depending on how much time is spent under yellow, and the type of track. A green race on a mile and a half oval probably only takes around 45 minutes, but a race at Long Beach can easily take an hour and ten minutes.
The Indy Lights cars look more similar to the previous Dallara IndyCar than the DW12, as they are more of that generation of chassis. A new chassis is being introduced for that series too in the future. Other than that, the style of racing tends to be fairly similar between the two classes. As with IndyCar, in Indy Lights you have tools you can use in the car as a driver to adjust the handling of the car over the course of a stint, which you can’t in European single-seater series. The tools include rear and front anti-roll bar adjustments, and a weight jacker for the ovals. Also much like IndyCar, while there are some teams who are undoubtedly the ‘top’ teams, if you’re out there, week in week out, doing a good job with a smaller team, you can bring home results. This is one of the best things about competing in America – on a good day, with a good driver, even the small teams can run right up front.
Q: Your first victory in Firestone Indy Lights came at the Kentucky Speedway. What was it like when you first raced on an oval, after initially starting your career in Europe on road and street circuits?
Pippa Mann’s maiden Firestone Indy Lights victory at Kentucky in 2010.
PM: I will never ever forget my first time on an oval. It started when we first drove into the circuit and I saw how high the banks were at Homestead Miami Speedway. I said a variety of rude four letter words. I had no idea it would be THAT banked. It does not make the impact on you on TV that it does the first time you see it in real life! Then I got into the car, which was set up to turn left – as all oval cars are. This means that compared to a European car, or a road/street course car, they look all out of alignment before you even get in – like you slapped the wall really hard somewhere and bent your suspension leaving the wheels at different angles. They literally look like they’re leaning over. Then you first drive the thing, and it handles like a European car after you’ve slapped the wall and bent suspension too! My first thoughts were along the lines of “NO WAY!” and “YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME”. This was quickly followed by “I’M MEANT TO DRIVE THIS?!”
Q: You tried ever so hard to return to the Indianapolis 500 this season. Are you confident on returning to the IZOD IndyCar series in the near future?
PM: Not being able to put together the funding in time to get into one of the first 33 cars, and then there not being engines available when I did scrape the money together for this years Indy 500 was one of the most difficult and gut wrenching experiences I have had to go through. Being forced to watch a race from the stands, and not having the chance to get in a car and try and qualify after fighting so hard to make it in with a small team the previous year, literally at times made me feel unwell. I can’t describe to you the emotional roller-coaster I was on, nor having to deal with the reality of that battle ending without me getting in a car. Knowing there were so few entries this year made it even harder.
As to the future, I have been working on 2013 since May. I wanted to race again at the end of this season, and I have been very public about saying that, but the priority has always been the focus on 2013. I do not want to be in this position in 2013. I want to be back in a car on a full-time basis, because as a part time driver with inexperience it’s always a huge uphill battle even in the best of circumstances. I want to find a way to give myself a real opportunity to get out there and get the job done. Right now there’s a lot of work going into trying to make that happen. Watch this space…
Many thanks to Hannah Griffiths and Pippa Mann for the communication and time taken to complete this interview.
Picture(s) Copyright © LAT Photographic & Getty Images
Mark Webber Makes F1 History With Victory At Monaco
Mark Webber has made Formula 1 history with his second victory around the streets of Monte-Carlo, with a controlled drive throughout the Monaco Grand Prix. Previous 2012 race winner Nico Rosberg came home 2nd, with the Ferrari of Fernando Alonso 3rd.
At the start, the usual melee into the first corner ensued as Romain Grosjean made contact with Michael Schumacher and spun across the middle of the track. This backed the pack up as Kamui Kobayashi flew through the air, whilst further back the Williams of Pastor Maldonado made contact with the rear of Pedro de la Rosa’s HRT. Both retired due to the incident, as well as Grosjean and Kobayashi. As the pack completed the opening lap of the race, the safety was deployed to allow the marshals to clear away the stricken Lotus of Grosjean.
After only several laps behind the safety car, the race returned to green flag conditions as Mark Webber led at the front from Nico Rosberg’s Mercedes. With rain threatening the proceedings, many teams were forcing their drivers to stay out to try and wait until the rain fell to make their first stops. However, this rain failed to materialize when expected, as the likes of Hamilton and Raikkonen began complaining that their tyres were rapidly wearing out.
Traditionally at the Monaco Grand Prix retirements come in abundance, and this race was no exception as Vitaly Petrov joined Kobayashi, de la Rosa, Maldonado and Grosjean in retirement on lap 18 due to electrical issues. Caterham’s only chance of a point now rested solely with Heikki Kovalainen.
Jean-Eric Vergne was the first driver to pit for new tyres, as the Frenchman changed to the soft Pirelli tyres on lap 18. Ten laps later and the front-runners began making their first stops, as their teams kept an eye on the weather with rain still threatening. Nico Rosberg came in from 2nd for soft tyres, before Webber and Hamilton pitted a lap later. Fernando Alonso subsequently assumed the lead, as the majority of the field dived into the tight confines of the pit-lane to make their respective stops.
However the Spaniards lead was short-lived, as Alonso pitted a lap later. The Ferrari driver was able to jump ahead of Lewis Hamilton in the pits, as he rejoined considerably ahead of the McLaren driver. When Felipe Massa made his stop, Sebastian Vettel assumed the lead. The reigning World Champion was on a different strategy to the majority of the other drivers’, and was on the soft Pirelli tyres.
Sergio Perez was issued a drive-through penalty on lap 38, after the Sauber driver made a late pit entry. This subsequently impeded Kimi Raikkonen, who had to take avoiding action to not collide with the Mexican driver.
Jenson Button made his first pit-stop on lap 39, as the 2009 World Champion started the race on the soft tyres. However, upon exiting the pit-lane the British driver rejoined just behind the Caterham of Heikki Kovalainen. At the front of the pack Sebastian Vettel continued to increase his lead, before making his pit-stop on lap 46. The German driver rejoined the race just ahead of Lewis Hamilton in 4th, as Hamilton angrily asked why his team hadn’t kept him up to date with the German.
As the race entered its closing stages, the threat of rain ebbed and flowed before it began to fall lightly at various points on the track. Whilst the teams nervously kept an eye on the weather, three further drivers’ retired from the race. Michael Schumacher, Charles Pic and Daniel Ricciardo all retired with separate issues.
With the rain forecast to intensify throughout the closing laps, Jean-Eric Vergne switched to the intermediates predicting heavier rain. However, this heavy rain failed to arrive as Jenson Button retired after a slight collision with Kovalainen through the swimming pool section.
Throughout the final laps the top 5 drivers raced nose-to-tail, with only five seconds splitting them. However, with passing virtually impossible at Monaco, the positions remained the same as Mark Webber became the sixth different winner in the opening six races of the season. This feat sets a new record in Formula 1, surpassing the previous record of 5 different winners which was set in 1983.
As the F1 fraternity now packs up and heads to the daunting and ever-challenging Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, a seventh different winner is more than a possibility in two weeks time!
PROVISIONAL RACE RESULTS The Monaco Grand Prix Monte Carlo, Monaco; 78 laps; 260.520km; Weather: Cloudy. Classified: Pos Driver Team Time 1. Webber Red Bull-Renault 1h46:06.557 2. Rosberg Mercedes + 0.643 3. Alonso Ferrari + 0.947 4. Vettel Red Bull-Renault + 1.343 5. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes + 4.101 6. Massa Ferrari + 6.195 7. Di Resta Force India-Mercedes + 41.500 8. Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes + 42.500 9. Raikkonen Lotus-Renault + 44.000 10. Senna Williams-Renault + 44.500 11. Perez Sauber-Ferrari + 1 lap 12. Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 1 lap 13. Kovalainen Caterham-Renault + 1 lap 14. Glock Marussia-Cosworth + 1 lap 15. Karthikeyan HRT-Cosworth + 2 laps Fastest lap: Perez, 1:17.298 Not classified/retirements: Driver Team On lap Button McLaren-Mercedes 71 Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari 66 Pic Marussia-Cosworth 65 Schumacher Mercedes 64 Petrov Caterham-Renault 16 Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 6 De la Rosa HRT-Cosworth 1 Maldonado Williams-Renault 1 Grosjean Lotus-Renault 1
GP2 Monaco Qualifying Split Into Two Groups
Due to the tight and twisty nature of the Monte-Carlo street circuit, qualifying for the GP2 Series will be split into two 14 minute groups this weekend. This will be the first time a change of this nature has occurred in the history of the GP2 Series, and will hopefully allow drivers to complete clean and quick laps.
After a ballot which took place on Wednesday, two groups have been drawn up for todays qualifying session. The first group will consist of even numbered cars, in contrast to the second group which will consist of odd numbered cars including Championship leader and former Monaco race winner Davide Valsecchi.
Group A:
02. Josef Kral
04. Felipe Nasr
06. Nathanaël Berthon
08. Jolyon Palmer
10. Esteban Gutiérrez
12. Giedo van der Garde
14. Stefano Coletti
16. Stéphane Richelmi
18. Fabrizio Crestani
20. Ricardo Teixeira
22. Simon Trummer
24. Victor Guerin
26. Max Chilton
Group B:
01. Johnny Cecotto
03. Davide Valsecchi
05. Fabio Leimer
07. Marcus Ericsson
09. James Calado
11. Rodolfo Gonzalez
15. Fabio Onidi
17. Julian Leal
19. Giancarlo Serenelli
21. Tom Dillmann
23. Luiz Razia
25. Nigel Melker
27. Rio Haryanto
Picture Copyright © Alastair Staley/GP2 Media Service
Romain Grosjean Becomes 200th Different Driver On The Podium
Romain Grosjean made Formula 1 history in Bahrain, becoming the 200th different driver to step onto the podium since the sports inaugural season in 1950. With Grosjean joining his team-mate Kimi Raikkonen and reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel on the podium, it was all change once again on the top step of the F1 rostrum.
For Grosjean, it was his first step on an F1 podium in only his 11th start. The Frenchman began his career in 2009 with Renault, however he was replaced by Vitaly Petrov for the 2010 season. Grosjean then returned to the GP2 Series and in 2011 won both the GP2 and GP2 Asia Series’.
In 2012, Grosjean has returned to the top tier of motorsport along with his team-mate Kimi Raikkonen, and the two have already shown high amounts of competitiveness in only the first four races of the season. Although Grosjean failed to complete more than seven laps in the first two races due to two DNF’s, he seems to have made up for his errors with two points finishes in China and Bahrain.
The last Frenchman to step onto the podium was 14 years ago, when Jean Alesi did so in unforgettable circumstances at the crazy 1998 Belgian Grand Prix for Sauber. The French veteran was joined by the Jordan duo of Damon Hill and Ralf Schumacher, who had memorably achieved Jordan’s first F1 victory with a 1-2 finish in the rain at Spa.
Romain Grosjean has ended this drought for France and has returned the French flag to the podium once again, becoming the 21st Frenchman on the podium. He now joins the likes of Jean Alesi, Rene Arnoux, Alain Prost, Didier Pironi and Olivier Panis as French drivers’ who have reached the podium in their career.
With Grosjean only several races into 2012, his aim now will naturally be to become the first French winner since 1996, when Olivier Panis won the Monaco Grand Prix for Ligier in a race which amazingly saw only three cars eventually cross the finish line at the end of the race, the least amount in F1 history.
Lotus showed promising pace in pre-season testing at both Jerez and Barcelona, with Raikkonen and Grosjean both setting the fastest times throughout the testing period. It now seems that Lotus are beginning to show that pace once again, when it all counts during the race on Sunday. Both Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean know how to win races, and they will undoubtedly be striving to do so in 2012.
Picture Copyright © AFP
HRT To Extend Williams Partnership Into 2012
It was announced today that the HRT Formula 1 team have extended their deal with Williams which permits use of their gearbox and also a new addition of KERs for 2012.
HRT are currently lying last in the Constructors’ Standings whereas Williams are only 5 points ahead of them and are currently struggling in their worst season in their history in F1.
The extension of this deal will now permit HRT to use the KERs device, something which they haven’t had on their cars this season and which could well boost them into the right direction of gaining their first ever points in F1.
Since their first race in last years Bahrain Grand Prix, HRT have struggled to make an impact on the F1 world and have since used 7 different drivers with a mix of rookies such as Bruno Senna, Karun Chandhok and Daniel Ricciardo and experienced drivers such as Christian Klien, Tonio Liuzzi and Narain Karthikeyan. Even using many different drivers in such a short time, their highest finish in a race has yet to better 14th, and that was in the 2010 Australian and Korean Grands Prix.
HRT Team Principal, Colin Kolles, will be hoping that these new additions to next years car will have a positive effect on the team and push them towards higher finishes next season.
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