2013 Monaco Grand Prix Review

Round Six of the 2013 Formula 1 season was nothing short of an amazing, long and an entertaining race! Lets take a look at how the weekend panned out! There was lot of glitz and glamour this weekend. Amber Lounge parties, Yacht parties, Hollywood stars and of course Special helmets. Monaco Grand Prix has it all!

Practice:

Only in Monaco do we have the first two of the three practice sessions on a Thursday! The day began with Mercedes on top and ended with them on top at the end on FP2. Mercedes clearly had the best setup this weekend, atleast for one-lap pace. Behind them Ferrari looked strong whereas Lotus and Red Bull were a little way behind. In FP2 it was the more or less the same order and Monaco had its first big crash for the weekend, Romain Grosjean crashed into the wall Ste Devote and his car was badly damaged! Mclaren seemed to have improved this weekend by quite a margin. Saturday Practice was again dominated by Mercedes and Rosberg ended the session on top again! Massa suffered a massive lock up going into turn 1 and ended up in the barriers, heavily damaging his Ferrari! This ruled him out of Qualifying! Grosjean suffered another crash and so did Sutil in his Force India! Red Bull and Lotus were quicker on Saturday and this set up a great battle for pole!



Qualifying:

Coming into qualifying Massa's garage was shut as Lotus and Force India worked frantically to get Grosjean's and Sutil's car fixed in time! They did succeed while Massa was ruled out. Mercedes had the best car out there and Rosberg once again put his car on top. That's 4 sessions in a row that he has been on top! Hamilton made it a second consecutive front row lock out for the team. Mercedes were clearly on fire! Behind them it was the two Red Bulls and Raikkonen and Alonso on row 3! Perez managed to slot his McLaren in 7th with his teammate in 9th. Special mention to Van Der Garde who qualified in 15th and made it to Q2 for the first time! The team were really pleased with his performance.

Race:

It was race day, stands were packed, people were ready with food and drinks on their yachts and then what came out was shocking! Mercedes had apparently had a private test with Pirelli after the Spanish Grand Prix with their current car. Pirelli say this was to evaluate the tires for next year  but it sure did give Mercedes the pace they were looking for! Red Bull decided to protest after the race and Ferrari were looking to join in.
FIA decided to handle this after the race.

The grid was ready to race on the streets of Monaco for the 60th time in history! And then it was lights out! 78 laps of one the best races ever began.

If you look at it on the whole Nico Rosberg led every lap from start to finish and claimed his Second Victory and that was in some fashion! His performance wasn't even slightly hindered after two Safety car periods and a Red Flag! Mercedes had improved in every possible way and finally had the race pace to  take their cars to the top. A little help from the private test perhaps?

Rosberg's teammate Hamilton started second but dropped down to 4th behind the Bulls after his first pit-stop. After the race Lewis accepted it was his mistake for not keeping up with his teammate and dropping back farther than he was supposed to. Lewis gave Webber a good fight to the finish but with uncertainty over when the tires will drop off he backed off in the last few laps.

The Red Bulls came into this race looking to claim their fourth straight victory and they almost did it. Vettel was attacking Rosberg and had many chances to get past. But this being Monaco it was very difficult and so the team settled for a very impressive double podium.







Ferrari's race was below par by all standards, Massa had a crash similar to his FP3 shunt and that was race over for him. Alonso on the other hand was good in his first stint and then started falling away from the leaders. Perez passed Alonso on the hairpin in a move that wasn't even slightly defended. Alonso and Perez had another moment down at the chicane after the tunnel and for this Alonso was asked to hand his place back to Perez after the Red Flag period! Alonso finally finished in 7th.


Mclaren had stepped up their performance this race. Button and Perez were battling together and had their moments. Button finished in 6th. Perez suffered damage to his suspension while making a move on Raikkonen and later retired a few laps before the end.

It was a weekend Lotus might want to forget! Grosjean rammed into the back of Ricciardo and later retired. Ricciardo's race was over when Grosjean took him out. Romain was handed a 10 place grid penalty for the next race! Kimi's race started off well and he was attacking for 4th! The move by Perez cost him dearly. He suffered a late race puncture and this forced him to pit. He dropped down to 16th and then made a late race charge in the last 5 laps to finish in 10th. That was an amazing performance put gave the team only one point!

Force India were looking to continue their good form in this race and after Thursday night's yacht party on Mr. Vijay Mallya's Indian Empress the team were upbeat!! Di Resta started in 17th and then made his way up slowly to finish in 9th. The star of the team that day was Adrian Sutil who passed the Ferrari's and Mclaren's to finish in 5th and scoring vital points!





The red flag was caused when Maldonado had his second collision of the day, this time with Max Chilton at the back of the grid. The William's touched the rear wheel of the Marussia which momentarily launched his car into the air and then rammed into the barriers. The damage was major and it took the Marshalls a while to clear up the debris. Chilton was handed a drive through penalty and Maldonado's race was over!

Apart from Grosjean, Ricciardo, Maldonado and Massa and Perez, the other retirements were Bianchi with a brake issue and Pic with a gearbox issue.

Highlights:

Nico Rosberg won the Monaco GP 30 years after his father Keke Rosberg achieved the feat! The first Father-Son duo to achieve this. Another special reason is that Monaco is home to Nico Rosberg so this is a kind of home win for him. Feels good that he won. Hope they continue this good form!

Vettel got on the Podium for the 50th time in his Formula 1 career. A great way to do it!

Kimi Raikkonen finished in the points for the 23rd consecutive race and if he repeats a points finish in Canada he will equal Michael Schumacher's record!



After the race a lot of drivers and team personnel visited the stewards. Kimi was called for over-speeding under the safety car and also for his clash with Perez! Representatives of Ferrari, Red Bull, Pirelli and Mercedes were called to discuss the "Tyre-Gate". No changes in the results of Monaco Grand Prix. Lets wait and see what happens in the near future!

See ya all in two weeks time for Formula 1's Canadian adventure for the Canadian Grand Prix starting on 7th of June! Have a great time!

2013 Monaco Grand Prix Preview

Its Round Six out of 19 and this weekend the Formula 1 stars descend on one of the best circuits to race on,  Circuit de Monaco on the streets of Monte Carlo in Monaco!

Fans can watch this race from various positions around the track- The stands, the super expensive yachts and even from their own homes that are right next to the race track! Its a spectacle to see the cars going around the track!

This circuit is known not only for its historical association with Formula 1 and glamorous parties but also for the amazing races we get every year! The tight and twisty 19 turn, 3.3 Km circuit has brilliant corners that push drivers to the limit every time they are out on track. Brake a fraction late and that's it, Race over! The barriers are just a few centimeters away and sometimes we see sparks flying when drivers push their cars to the absolute limit! And of course the tunnel which is a stand out on the Grand Prix Calender!

After Spain, it is clear that Red Bull and Mercedes are fastest in Qualifying and Ferrari, Lotus and Red Bull are strongest in the race. In Monaco with over taking being so difficult, a good grid position is really important if anyone wants to have a good race. In Qualifying we can expect to see Mercedes on the front row along with a Red Bull.





Ferrari and Lotus need to look at improving their qualifying pace if they want to beat Red Bull at this track! Red Bull are the favorites to win again, having won the last three editions of the race. One reason why fans love watching Red Bull win is because of the after party on their energy station and the traditional jump that the Webber, Vettel and Horner have taken in the past!

In the mid-field its still going to be Force India who have the upper hand. They will look forward to continuing their good form this season and try to keep the Mclaren's behind them. The Woking team will try to improve their performance and get a lot of points! Sauber, Williams and Torro Rosso will fight among themselves and maybe score a couple of points if we have non finishers in the top 5 teams.




This track could spring surprises like every year, the pack stays close to each other and this gives us some great battles up and down the field! The only problem being overtaking! It is so easy to brake late and crash into the barriers or ram into a car and this year will be no different.

Expect the race to be a cracker with lots of action and glamour! No wonder this circuit is loved by everyone.   78 laps of one of the most amazing circuits on the Grand Prix calender gets going this Sunday  Enjoy!  

2013 Spanish Grand Prix Review

Its that time of the year again! The teams pack up all the trucks and start off on a European tour like no other! Their first destination, Circuit De Catalunya near Barcelona, Spain! European leg also means the team set up their swanky motor-homes in the Paddock before the action begins on track!

Practice:

Practice 1 started off with a damp track and the teams set out on the intermediate tires trying to find their groove on track.. In the end with a drying track it was home boy Alonso gave the spectators what they came to see.. He put his car on top followed closely by Massa.. Red Bull used this session to test new parts and weren't looking at lap times.. Practice 2 started off with a dry track and Red Bull showed their true pace but was closely matched by Alonso in his Ferrari.. At the end of friday practice it looked like Ferrari and Red Bull were on top.. Mclaren were still unsure how good their updates were and Mercedes were surprisingly off the pace. Saturday practice is where the teams set up for Qualy and that's where Lotus joined he party showing how fast they can be.. This time Massa set the fastest time in his Ferrari!

Qualifying:

Q1 began and it was the usual suspects who were at the back.. Unusually Red Bull and Mercedes opted for the Medium tires to get them into Q2.. Last year's pole sitter Maldonado was out in Q1! Expected him to go through to Q2 atleast.. Q2 was exciting with Lewis setting a super fast lap at the very last minute! Button was disappointed  qualifying only in P14 outpaced by his team mate Perez who made it into Q3! The two Sauber's and two Torro Rosso's dint make the cut along with Sutil.. Q3 started off and a fight between Ferrari and Red Bull was expected and then the two Mercedes cars came up with a blistering lap locking out the front row with Rosberg on pole.. It was Vettel and Kimi behind them and Alonso managed only 5th! Massa initially qualified in 6th but was given a 3 place grid penalty for impeding Webber..

Race:

With two Mercedes cars on the front row it looked like it was going to be easy for them to hold off the pack, as the race began Lewis fell back straight away and Alonso and Vettel took advantage of this! Massa had a storming start making up 3 positions and Sutil made up 5 places to go to P8.. Webber had another bad start falling back to P11.

With DRS enabled it was Vettel and Alonso who were catching the Mercedes.. Hamilton was struggling and Kimi over took him for P4

Most of the teams opted to pit early and it was Alonso who got past Vettel and started attacking Rosberg!
Grosjean had a problem with his car and ended retiring on lap 10.. Sutil had problems in the pits with smoke coming out from his brakes..






Gutierrez who hadn't pit yet was in the lead.. Alonso overtook Rosberg into T1 and Rosberg fell back to P5.. Gutierrez pit and it was Alonso in the lead followed by Vettel and Massa and Raikkonen..

Maldonado was given a drive through penalty for speeding in the pit lane..

At lap 20 the second set of pit-stops began! Van der Garde had a loose wheel on and his left rear tyre came out when he was out on track.. He managed to limp back to the pits..


Vettel and Raikkonen were the last ones to pit for the second time and at this point Alonso was way up the field.. Lotus decided on a three stop strategy for Kimi whereas the others were on a 4 stopper.. If Alonso had to stay ahead despite an extra pitstop he had to get a big enough lead before pitting.. And Alonso kept putting in those good fast laps..

Raikkonen and Vettel got very close at turn 10 and Seb managed to stay ahead for a few laps before Kimi finally got past at Turn 1..

Sauber's Hulkenburg was released in an unsafe manner and hit the back of Vergne's Torro Rosso in the pits.. Surely a penalty for him and yes he was handed a 10 second stop/go penalty..

Raikkonen was closing in on Massa in P2 before Alonso and Massa both pit in succession.. Alonso came out behind Kimi and eased past him 2 laps later.. The top 3 were Alonso, Kimi and Massa at this time!
Massa was having a great race this weekend!

The two Mclaren's were fighting it out for P7, a mediocre performance by them this weekend..

Alonso kept pulling away to get a good lead to come out ahead of the rest after his next pit-stop.. Kimi's tires were falling off the pace.. Webber who had a bad start managed to come up to 5th behind his team mate.. A good race for him barring the start!

Kimi was the first to make his last pit-stop on lap 46 and came out in 3rd.. Now all he had to do is push hard and catch Massa for P2..

Alonso had a big enough lead and pit on lap 50 and came out in 1st.. It was a race to the flag for him.. Kimi was close to Massa and when Massa pit, Kimi moved ahead into P2!

Now it was a race to the finish with the order being Alonso, Raikkonen and Massa..  Di Resta was one of the last stoppers and in the end gave Rosberg a good fight for P6 but Rosberg managed to stay ahead of the Brit!

It was the start of the final lap and the crowd was going wild.. This could mean only one thing and that is Alonso winning the race.. Alonso took his 32nd win and in some fashion! Collecting the Spanish flag from a Marshall and waving to the fans..


Kimi finished in his 3rd consecutive 2nd place finish and surely will want to get on the top step again!

Massa had a fantastic race, starting from 9th and finishing in 3rd.. Ferrari get two cars on the Podium and that's surely gotta feel good..

Red Bull finished in 4th and 5th and that's good but not for Red Bull.. So they've got some thinking to do! Mercedes will be surely disappointed after starting from 1 and 2 and finishing only in 6th and 12th!

McLaren finished in 8th and 9th and this is still not good for them.. Force India had only one car in the points in 7th and that's ahead of the Mclarens.. This is good for them in a way but need to look at getting both the cars in the points..

Results:

Pos.	No.	Driver	Constructor	Laps	Time/Retired	Grid	Points
1	3	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	66		5	25
2	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Lotus–Renault	66		4	18
3	4	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	66		9	15
4	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull–Renault	66		3	12
5	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull–Renault	66		7	10
6	9	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	66		1	8
7	14	Paul di Resta	Force India–Mercedes	66		10	6
8	5	Jenson Button	McLaren–Mercedes			14	4
9	6	Sergio Pérez	McLaren–Mercedes			9	2
10	19	Daniel Ricciardo	Toro Rosso–Ferrari			11	1
11	12	Esteban Gutiérrez	Sauber–Ferrari			19
12	10	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes			2
13	15	Adrian Sutil	Force India–Mercedes			13
14	16	Pastor Maldonado	Williams–Renault			17
15	11	Nico Hülkenberg	Sauber–Ferrari			15
16	17	Valtteri Bottas	Williams–Renault			16
17	20	Charles Pic	Caterham–Renault			22
18	22	Jules Bianchi	Marussia–Cosworth			20
19	23	Max Chilton	Marussia–Cosworth			21
20	18	Jean-Éric Vergne	Toro Rosso–Ferrari	54	Accident Damage	12
21	21	Giedo van der Garde	Caterham–Renault	23	Wheel	18
22	8	Romain Grosjean	Lotus–Renault	9	Suspension	6

So that's the first round from the European part of the season done! Next up is everybody's favorite, Monaco Grand Prix on one of the most beautiful tracks ever! Cya all in two week's time :)