Romain Grosjean Struck With Ten-Place Grid Penalty For Canada
Romain Grosjean has been struck with a ten-place grid penalty for the Canadian Grand Prix next time out, after the Frenchman seemed to return to his old incident-prone ways during the Monaco Grand Prix. In the latter stages of the race, the 27-year-old slammed into the rear of Daniel Ricciardo and eventually into retirement.
After a 2012 season where Romain Grosjean seemed to constantly be involved in incidents throughout each Grand Prix weekend, it was initially thought that the Frenchman had managed to change his ways over the winter period ahead of the new season. However, after four separate altercations throughout the entire Monaco Grand Prix weekend, it seems as though the Frenchman’s demons are continuing to plague him. Towards the latter stages of the Monaco Grand Prix, Romain Grosjean simply misjudged his braking for Turn 10 and slammed into the rear of Daniel Ricciardo’s Toro Rosso.
Naturally this incident infuriated the Australian driver, who described Romain Grosjean as dangerous. After an investigation by the race stewards, it was finally decided to impose a ten-place grid penalty for Romain Grosjean for the Canadian Grand Prix next time out. Romain Grosjean feels frustrated with the incident, as he feels Daniel Ricciardo broke early in the middle of the circuit.
“Daniel [Ricciardo] seemed to be really struggling with his rear tyres and they looked to have a lot of graining.” Explained Romain Grosjean, “I’d been following him for almost all of the 61 laps but I was caught out by him braking early in the middle of the circuit and there was nowhere for me to go. It’s a frustrating end to the weekend, but the real damage was done in qualifying when I didn’t get through to Q3. That was Daniel again who I was held up by, but it certainly wasn’t my intention to end my race in the back of his car!”
Romain Grosjean’s team-mate Kimi Raikkonen was also under investigation by the stewards after the race, with the Finn being deemed to have produced a time two seconds below the minimum time set by the FIA ECU when following the safety car. However, the former World Champion and Monaco Grand Prix winner avoided a penalty after only being issued with a reprimand.
Picture Copyright © Lotus F1 Team
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
Picture(s) Copyright © Getty Images
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
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
Picture Copyright © Getty Images
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
Picture Copyright © Mercedes AMG Petronas
Bird Is The Word In Monaco After Incident-Filled GP2 Feature Race
Sam Bird has taken a memorable victory around the streets of Monte-Carlo after a frenetic incident-filled feature race, which included a lengthy delay after a monumental multi-car pile-up at Turn 1. The British sensation was followed home by Kevin Ceccon, with reigning GP3 Champion Mitch Evans 3rd after another wonderful drive.
The start of the feature was initially delayed by roughly 15 minutes, after a barrier was fixed following an incident during a previous qualifying session. Eventually the five red lights went out to unleash utter carnage at Turn 1, whereas Sergio Canamasas stalled on the grid. Heading into Turn 1, Mitch Evans stormed into the lead from 2nd on the grid, whereas his team-mate Johnny Cecotto jr. ran straight into the retaining tyre barrier with Fabio Leimer alongside.
This resulted in a monumental multi-car incident further behind, as the entire GP2 field simply had no space to avoid the ensuing melee. Marcus Ericsson was one of the many drivers involved in the incident, as Jolyon Palmer spun in his urge to avoid a collision, blocking the track and creating a rather expensive car park. In total Johnny Cecotto jr., Fabio Leimer, Jolyon Palmer, Robin Frijns, Marcus Ericsson, Alex Rossi, Nathaniel Berthon, Kevin Giovesi and Julian Leal were all eliminated from proceedings, as the race was unsurprisingly red flagged.
Many others were also caught up in the incident, however the likes of Rene Binder, Jake Rosenzweig and Daniel Abt were luckily able to restart their engines and return to the back of the grid for the restart. Eventually it was decided that the race was to be restarted behind the safety car in the order the field were in at Sector One, with the drivers who were involved in the incident at the back of the grid in the order of their qualifying result.
As the race was restarted from behind the safety car, Mitch Evans took the lead ahead of Sam Bird in the Russian Time machine. After only one lap behind the safety car, the race returned to green flag conditions with the Kiwi out in front. However, it quickly became apparent that Sam Bird was much quicker than Mitch Evans, however the frustratingly narrow characteristics of the Monte-Carlo street circuit prevented the Briton from perfecting an maneuver for the lead.
By Lap 7 the order began completing their first compulsory pit-stops, with local hero and Championship leader Stefano Coletti and Frenchman Tom Dillmann becoming the first to do so. Sergio Canamasas was one of the many drivers who pitted early, however the reason for his stop was due largely to his minor incident with Jake Rosenzweig at Turn 10 which damaged his front-wing. On Lap 11 Kevin Ceccon elected to carry out his pit-stop, with the Trident Racing mechanics perfecting a stellar stop to allow the Italian to eventually leapfrog Mitch Evans who stopped a lap later.
The Kiwi’s stop allowed Sam Bird to assume the lead of the race, a lead he would retain until the checkered flag. During the many pit-stops, Dutchman Daniel de Jong managed to rise to 2nd for MP Motorsport. However, his 2nd position was ceded to Rene Binder on Lap 15 when he also carried out his pit-stop. The Dutchman suffered a slow stop, and dipped a tyre over the yellow line at the pit exit which saw him struck with a drive-thru penalty.
Whilst Daniel de Jong suffered a frustrating pit-stop, race leader Sam Bird’s Russian Time mechanics managed to perfect a mesmerizing pit-stop to enable the Briton to retain his lead over Rene Binder, Kevin Ceccon and Mitch Evans. The race at the front managed to continue relatively incident-free, despite the earlier carnage. However, further down the order saw Daniel Abt sneak up the inside of Rio Haryanto at Turn 19 and barge the Indonesian ace into the retaining wall. This saw Abt also struck with a drive-thru penalty, as Haryanto was forced into retirement.
Eventually Rene Binder carried out his compulsory pit-stop on Lap 29, enabling Kevin Ceccon and Mitch Evans to rise through the order to 2nd and 3rd respectively. Despite a close battle for 2nd between Ceccon and Evans, the top three remained unchanged as Sam Bird glided across the line to secure his second victory of the season. British driver Adrian Quaife-Hobbs managed to secure the reverse grid pole for tomorrow’s sprint race, despite initially qualifying last on the grid. The MP Motorsport driver will start alongside Rene Binder on the reverse grid.
Results - 42 laps:
Pos Driver Team
1. Sam Bird Russian Time
2. Kevin Ceccon Trident + 22.0s
3. Mitch Evans Arden + 23.2s
4. Felipe Nasr Carlin + 23.4s
5. James Calado ART + 29.5s
6. Stefano Coletti Rapax + 1m00.5s
7. Rene Binder Lazarus + 1m02.4s
8. Adrian Quaife-Hobbs MP + 1m08.4s
9. Stephane Richelmi DAMS + 1m12.1s
10. Daniel de Jong MP + 1m22.4s
11. Tom Dillmann Russian Time + 1m29.3s
12. Jon Lancaster Hilmer + 1 lap
13. Simon Trummer Rapax + 1 lap
14. Jake Rosenzweig Addax + 1 lap
15. Sergio Canamasas Caterham + 1 lap
Retirements:
Daniel Abt ART 40 laps
Rio Haryanto Addax 26 laps
Johnny Cecotto Jr Arden 0 laps*
Fabio Leimer Racing Engineering 0 laps*
Jolyon Palmer Carlin 0 laps*
Julian Leal Racing Engineering 0 laps*
Robin Frijns Hilmer 0 laps*
Marcus Ericsson DAMS 0 laps*
Alexander Rossi Caterham 0 laps*
Nathanael Berthon Trident 0 laps*
Kevin Giovesi Lazarus 0 laps*
* Did not take restart
Picture Copyright © Alastair Staley/GP2 Series Media Service
Nico Rosberg Continues To Assert His Authority At Monaco
Nico Rosberg has continued to assert his authority over proceedings around the legendary Monte-Carlo street circuit, with the German leading a Mercedes 1-2 ahead of team-mate Lewis Hamilton. The duo were followed by the Ferrari of Fernando Alonso, after yet another intriguing practice session ahead of the race on Sunday.
Once again the Formula 1 teams and drivers were welcomed back to the Monte-Carlo street circuit by glorious sunshine blue skies over the legendary circuit. Unlike the slow start to proceedings during the opening practice session, the teams and drivers immediately elected to complete timed laps with the Sauber duo once again becoming the first to take to the circuit.
Esteban Gutierrez therefore once again became the first driver to set a timed lap for Sauber, with a 01:24.850. However, the Mexican’s early benchmark was unsurprisingly instantly bettered by Max Chilton, who produced a 01:22.121. Monaco expert Pastor Maldonado soon rose to the top for Williams with a 01:18.863, before team-mate Valtteri Bottas did likewise with a 01:18.360. The times naturally continued to tumble throughout the opening stages of the session, with Sergio Perez, Kimi Raikkonen and then Romain Grosjean rising to the top with the latter setting a 01:16.999 and continuing his competitiveness from the opening session.
Nico Rosberg momentarily rose to the top for Mercedes, before Romain Grosjean instantly returned to the top with a 01:16.096. However, the Frenchman’s reign was brought to a end when Nico Rosberg continued to improve for Mercedes with a 01:15.843. Fernando Alonso became the next driver to assert his authority over proceedings with a 01:15.519, as Sebastian Vettel finally took to the track after his mechanics carried out several major setup changes to his Red Bull machine.
Eventually Daniel Ricciardo, Jean-Eric Vergne and Kimi Raikkonen became the first drivers to opt for Pirelli’s super-soft tyre compound, as Nico Rosberg continued to improve at the top with a 01:14.759. After setting scintillating lap times throughout the opening session, Romain Grosjean came unstuck at Turn 1 as he slammed into the retaining tyre barrier and destroyed the front-left of his Lotus. This caused the Monaco marshals to expertly retrieve his stricken machine, with the session remaining green despite a local yellow.
The session was then momentarily red flagged, after a piece of kerb became damaged at Turn 13 forcing the marshals to carry out a quick fix. The delay was short-lived, as the kerb was almost instantly fixed allowing the session to resume with Nico Rosberg and Adrian Sutil becoming the first two drivers to return to the circuit.
As proceedings were resumed, the majority of the field elected to begin carrying out long-fuel race simulations in preparation for the race on Sunday. This resulted in very little action in relation to the timing screens, as Nico Rosberg remained at the top as the session progressed with team-mate Lewis Hamilton a close 2nd ahead of the Ferrari of Fernando Alonso. Whilst the drivers completed their race simulations, many missed the apex at Turn 10 including the likes of Adrian Sutil, Giedo van der Garde, Mark Webber, Valtteri Bottas and Max Chilton.
After a productive opening day of the Monaco Grand Prix weekend, Nico Rosberg and Mercedes managed to finish both sessions fastest. Lewis Hamilton followed his team-mate in 2nd position at the end of practice two, with the Ferrari of Fernando Alonso 3rd for the Scuderia. The teams and drivers will not return to the Monte-Carlo street circuit until Saturday morning for the third and final practice session.
Pos Driver Team Time Gap Laps 1. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m14.759s 45 2. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1m15.077s + 0.318s 50 3. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m15.196s + 0.437s 37 4. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m15.278s + 0.519s 38 5. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m15.404s + 0.645s 41 6. Kimi Raikkonen Lotus-Renault 1m15.511s + 0.752s 38 7. Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault 1m15.718s + 0.959s 10 8. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m15.959s + 1.200s 39 9. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m16.014s + 1.255s 32 10. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1m16.046s + 1.287s 42 11. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1m16.349s + 1.590s 43 12. Sergio Perez McLaren-Mercedes 1m16.434s + 1.675s 40 13. Nico Hulkenberg Sauber-Ferrari 1m16.823s + 2.064s 42 14. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Renault 1m16.857s + 2.098s 40 15. Esteban Gutierrez Sauber-Ferrari 1m16.935s + 2.176s 44 16. Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m17.145s + 2.386s 37 17. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m17.184s + 2.425s 42 18. Valtteri Bottas Williams-Renault 1m17.264s + 2.505s 46 19. Jules Bianchi Marussia-Cosworth 1m17.892s + 3.133s 40 20. Charles Pic Caterham-Renault 1m18.212s + 3.453s 43 21. Max Chilton Marussia-Cosworth 1m18.784s + 4.025s 40 22. Giedo van der Garde Caterham-Renault 1m19.031s + 4.272s 30
Picture Copyright © Getty Images
Sam Bird Leads A Russian Time 1-2 In Practice For Monaco
Sam Bird led a Russian Time 1-2 after practice for this weekend’s GP2 Monaco Grand Prix, in a relatively incident-free 30 minute session around the narrow Monte-Carlo street circuit. The Briton was followed by his team-mate of Tom Dillmann, with reigning GP3 Champion Mitch Evans a close 3rd.
The one and only practice session for the GP2 field got underway in glorious weather conditions around the glamorous Monte-Carlo street circuit, with Simon Trummer leading out the entire field as soon as the session got underway. The Swiss driver naturally set the initial pace for Rapax with a 01:40.629, however his time was almost instantly bettered by the likes of Nathaniel Berthon and Julian Leal, both of whom momentarily traded fastest laps before the Frenchman produced a 01:28.537 for Trident Racing.
Rising British sensation Sam Bird continued to lower the benchmark as the session progressed, as the Russian Time driver set a 01:26.371. Naturally the times at the top continued to plummet as the session progressed, with the likes of local hero Stephane Richelmi, Johnny Cecotto jr. and Fabio Leimer all momentarily rising to the top. Reigning GP3 Champion Mitch Evans then impressed many with a 01:24.826, before Jolyon Palmer and then Sam Bird continued to improve around the tight and twisty confines of the Principality.
Arden International’s Johnny Cecotto jr. returned to the top as the session entered its closing stages with a 01:23.369, before Marcus Ericsson and then Tom Dillmann disposed of the Venezuelan with the latter setting a 01:22.387. However, Sam Bird continued to storm around the Monte-Carlo street circuit, returning to the top of the timing sheets with a 01:22.338 creating a Russian Time lock-out at the front. The British ace continued to improve, lowering the benchmark even further with a 01:21.512 as local driver Stephane Richelmi spun at Turn 18.
The 23-year-old Monegasque driver managed to avoid a collision with the barrier, however he stalled his engine forcing the tremendously efficient Monaco marshals to come racing to his aid. The session continued uninterrupted despite Richelmi’s minor error, as Kevin Giovesi ran wide at the same part of the circuit later in the session and was forced to reverse to continue circulating.
Eventually Sam Bird ended the practice session fastest overall for Russian Time, only a whisker ahead of his team-mate Tom Dillmann. The Russian Time duo were followed by GP2 rookie Mitch Evans, with Championship leader Stefano Coletti way down the order in 17th position. However, it will be qualifying later in the day that will count when the teams and drivers return to the Monte-Carlo street circuit.
Picture Copyright © Malcolm Griffiths/GP2 Series Media Service
Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco 2013 Preview
Two weeks after Fernando Alonso’s superb drive to victory on home soil around Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya, the Formula 1 fraternity will this weekend reconvene around the streets of Monte-Carlo for the glamorous Monaco Grand Prix. With passing always a difficulty, pole position will be fearsomely fought for during qualifying.
For decades the race around the narrow streets has been regarded as Formula 1’s crown jewel event, with many of the sports greatest teams and drivers storming to memorable victories throughout the years such as Ferrari, Lotus, Graham Hill and Ayrton Senna. Despite being renowned for its lack of overtaking possibilities, the Monte-Carlo street circuit simply oozes with prestige and history with some of the sports most iconic moments occurring around the Principality.
This year’s Monaco Grand Prix has all of the ingredients to be yet another thrilling chapter in the event’s long and colorful history, with the difference between qualifying and race pace set to cause many headaches up and down the grid. In recent races, teams such as Mercedes have been unbelievably quick during qualifying, only for tyre degradation to see them plummet through the order. With pole position as important as a victory around the narrow streets of Monaco, a Silver Arrows front-row lock-out could yield a rather different result.
After a sensational victory on home soil last time out, Fernando Alonso has thrown himself directly into the Championship hunt despite a lackluster start to his 2013 campaign. The Ferrari driver is only 17 points behind Championship leader Sebastian Vettel, with Finnish ace Kimi Raikkonen only four points behind the dominant German in 2nd. The Lotus man has finished in the points at every race weekend since the Chinese Grand Prix last year, and will naturally be striving to secure his second victory around the streets of Monte-Carlo.
Ayrton Senna secured numerous victories around the streets of Monte-Carlo.
Although the Monaco Grand Prix is strongly regarded as the toughest race weekend of the year, Ayrton Senna managed to accumulate a stunning six race victories [’87, ’89, ’90, ’91, ’92, and ’93] throughout his dominant career in the sport. Graham Hill and Michael Schumacher both managed to win five times around the streets of the Principality, with Fernando Alonso and Mark Webber with the most victories currently on the grid with two apiece.
Due largely to Ayrton Senna’s fearsome dominance around the Principality in the early ‘90s, McLaren are unsurprisingly the most successful team around the glamourous street circuit with 15 victories [’84, ’85, ’86, ’88, ’89, ’90, ’91, ’92, ’93, ’98, ’00, ’02, ’05, ’07 and ’08]. Ferrari and Lotus follow the Woking-based outfit with eight and seven victories respectively, with Red Bull surprisingly low down the order with only three race victories recorded.
For the first time this season, the FIA has decided upon a single DRS activation zone for this weekend’s race. During the first five races, two zones were put in place primarily along the start/finish and back straights. However, the only DRS zone this weekend will feature along the start/finish straight, with the tight and twisty confines of the circuit unable to safely feature two zones. The detection zone will be 80m after Turn 16, with the activation zone 18m after Turn 19.
Legendary Le Mans driver Tom Kristensen will assume the role of the Drivers’ Representative Steward for this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix. The Danish ace will steward his first race of the season, after last doing so at the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix last year. Throughout his long and colorful career, Tom Kristensen stormed to a dominant eight victories for Porsche, Audi and Bentley. The 45-year-old tested for Minardi back in 1998, but failed to secure a drive in Formula 1. He will be joined in the stewardship of the Monaco Grand Prix by Lars Osterlind and Jose Abed, both of whom are highly experienced stewards.
Despite a slim possibility of thundery showers Saturday afternoon during qualifying for the race on Sunday, the remainder of the weekend is forecast to be relatively warm and dry. Qualifying on Saturday is understandably much more important around the Principality, with overtaking during the race notoriously difficult. Looking back at the recent qualifying results, Mercedes look likely to once again battle for the coveted pole position. However, with overall speed not necessarily the key to success around Monaco, expect both Red Bull, Lotus, Ferrari and possibly even the likes of McLaren or Force India to battle towards the sharp end of the order throughout the weekend.
This weekend will see Pirelli offer the teams with the soft and super-soft tyre compounds, which is the second time both compounds will be utilized this season. Despite the treacherously narrow characteristics of the Monte-Carlo street circuit, tyre degradation is the lowest witnessed also season, therefore making it a perfect opportunity for Pirelli to offer their two softest compounds.
With the large discrepancies already witnessed this season between qualifying and race pace, this year’s Monaco Grand Prix is expected to be a thrilling spectacle. With passing notoriously difficulty, pole position will be as good as a victory for the lucky driver come the end of qualifying. Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton have been the qualifying kings so far this season, and both will be striving to replicate such pace this weekend.
Picture(s) Copyright © Pirelli & Williams F1 Team
Caterham Aiming For Competitive Results Around The Streets Of Monaco
Caterham are hoping for competitive results from their two drivers around the twisty confines of the Monte-Carlo street circuit this weekend, where the high rate of attrition could enable the smaller teams to fight for decent results come Sunday. Caterham are currently 11th and last in the Constructors’ Championship, behind rivals Marussia.
After a slightly frustrating start to the season for the Leafield-based outfit, which saw them initially fall behind arch-rivals Marussia, Caterham has recently returned to their former competitiveness in relation to the Anglo-Russian outfit. Despite Jules Bianchi’s stellar start to the season for Marussia, the Banbury-based outfit has recently fallen back behind Caterham in the race for 10th in the Constructors’ Championship. With Caterham currently enjoying a return to their competitiveness, both Charles Pic and Giedo van der Garde are optimistic ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix.
“Monaco is a great race and a track I’ve won on before in Formula Renault 3.5 and in GP2.” Enthused Charles Pic, who will be regarding the Monaco Grand Prix as a home race. “You can hope that it can be a good chance for you to finish in a good position, but with such a tight circuit and so many chances for something to happen it’s something we can’t control so we have to be focused on optimizing the car, extracting 100 per cent for qualifying and then focusing on the race. We’ll have to make sure we go the right way on tyre choice and strategy, and then we’ll see. We’ve definitely been improving over the last couple of races, so the aim is to carry that through to Monaco.”
Giedo van der Garde is also of the opinion that a competitive result is on the cards this weekend in Monaco, where a high attrition rate has always allowed smaller teams to rise through the order with little effort. This weekend will be the Dutchman’s first around the streets of Monte-Carlo in Formula 1 machinery, and he will undoubtedly be calling upon all of his knowledge from the lower categories throughout the weekend.
“Monaco’s also a place where the smaller teams, like us, can do something special.” Explained Giedo van der Garde, “It’s a shorter lap than many of the other tracks we race on, and everyone has to run as much downforce as possible, so outright speed isn’t the key. You need good traction to really attack the exits of the corners, and the package we introduced in Spain had exactly that, so what we want to do is build on the progress we made in Spain, show a bit more of our potential, and with a bit of luck we can come close to the top 10.”
For Caterham to rise ahead of Marussia in the Constructors’ Championship this weekend, the outfit will require a 12th place finish or higher after Jules Bianchi’s 13th place finish at the start of the season at Malaysia for the Banbury-based outfit. Last season Heikki Kovalainen managed to finish a strong 13th around the streets of Monte-Carlo, a result both Charles Pic and Giedo van der Garde will be aiming to emulate this weekend.
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