The 2014 'Max For 25' Monaco Grand Prix Thread

[S951]

I think Kamui had some rear end damage from the Jules overtake and was loosing time from there well according to their twitter anyway, but yes agree they also had a good chance to 11th and 13th is no consolation really can see Tony F being ubber pissed.

Are Caterham stone dead last behind Sauber to based on position count back to?

[Enforcer]

Are Caterham stone dead last behind Sauber to based on position count back to?

Should be: Sauber have an 11th and 12th from Australia. Caterham have 11th and 2 x 13ths (here and Kobayashi in Malaysia).

EDIT: Actually, if Raikkonen gets in trouble for his pass on Magnussen, it might elevate Kobayashi to 12th and then Caterham would be ahead on the basis of having 11th, 12th and 2x 13ths vs. Saubers 11th, 12th and 2x 16th.

[TomPryce]

I can't believe I missed what turned out to be the best race of the year

[AdrianSutil]

Bianchi getting interviewed live on Sky:

"I made a shite start actually". It's ok Jules, you can swear all you want...

[Eifelland]

Is today the most important day in the history of F1 Rejects?

[Wallio]

Is today the most important day in the history of F1 Rejects?

Damn close.

[Alextrax52]

Is today the most important day in the history of F1 Rejects?

It's an amazing day for F1 Rejects. I knew it would be Bianchi who'd do it

[eytl]

Is today the most important day in the history of F1 Rejects?

The day we spoke to HWNSNBM probably takes that mantle. But we haven't had a day like this in a long time.

[S951]

Are Caterham stone dead last behind Sauber to based on position count back to?

Should be: Sauber have an 11th and 12th from Australia. Caterham have 11th and 2 x 13ths (here and Kobayashi in Malaysia).

EDIT: Actually, if Raikkonen gets in trouble for his pass on Magnussen, it might elevate Kobayashi to 12th and then Caterham would be ahead on the basis of having 11th, 12th and 2x 13ths vs. Saubers 11th, 12th and 2x 16th.

Wow Caterham will really be clutching at straws if they are hoping that Sauber score no points and they get a 12th really that's the best ain't it for them? Unless there is another mad race Singapore?

[Eifelland]

For all the drama going on this weekend, this is what really matters to the sport (or so I'd like to believe).

On a more sombre note, if things don't pick up for the rest of the season, could this be the moment that sinks Sauber?

[Dj_bereta]

Also in this race, its the third or fourth time in this season that Raikkonen and Magnussen crashed with each other. I think Raikkonen will punch Magnussen someday. He's already furious with the Danish probably.

[mario]

For all the drama going on this weekend, this is what really matters to the sport (or so I'd like to believe).

On a more sombre note, if things don't pick up for the rest of the season, could this be the moment that sinks Sauber?

I have to wonder as well whether that is the case - in fact, I wonder whether this race might have sunk both Sauber and Caterham in one go? With rumour swirling around that Fernandes is going ahead with his threat to sell the team, the fact that 10th in the WCC now looks like such a remote prospect may be the final straw and push him into selling. As for Sauber, they similarly cannot afford to finish this low down in the WCC - they're already in deep financial trouble, and falling to 10th will cost them tens of millions in lost TV rights revenue from FOM.

Also in this race, its the third or fourth time in this season that Raikkonen and Magnussen crashed with each other. I think Raikkonen will punch Magnussen someday. He's already furious with the Danish probably.

In this instance, Kimi really has nobody to blame but himself - he was going into that corner far too quickly when you're on such a tight line, so he can't really blame Magnussen for that.

[Eifelland]

For all the drama going on this weekend, this is what really matters to the sport (or so I'd like to believe).

On a more sombre note, if things don't pick up for the rest of the season, could this be the moment that sinks Sauber?

I have to wonder as well whether that is the case - in fact, I wonder whether this race might have sunk both Sauber and Caterham in one go? With rumour swirling around that Fernandes is going ahead with his threat to sell the team, the fact that 10th in the WCC now looks like such a remote prospect may be the final straw and push him into selling. As for Sauber, they similarly cannot afford to finish this low down in the WCC - they're already in deep financial trouble, and falling to 10th will cost them tens of millions in lost TV rights revenue from FOM. [/quote]

That was more or less my line of thinking. We know that Sauber have barely made it through the last couple of seasons, so to finish even lower that expected is going to put massive pressure on them. I guess there's always a Maldonado or a Ma Qinghua on the horizon who can come in and throw money at a drive, but that's not a great way to go, and history shows that tends to only stave off the inevitable bankruptcy anyway. Looks like I better get behind Sauber for a bit now and cheer them on to safety.

As for Caterham? If they don't do well this year, and Fernandes can't sell them (unlikely, given their excellent infrastructure and good set up), then I think with a set of new teams on the horizon, we could see Caterham go the way of HRT, which would be a shame for a sport that was once reknowned for its colourful pagentary and have-a-go attitude.

[Paul Hayes]

Great to see Rosberg finally strike back, and also to *finally* see one of the "young teams" score some points!

[Barbazza]

Was wondering if my decision to get Sky Sports for this weekend (at half price, I finally got an offer out of them!) would turn out to be worthwhile.

Answer : OH YES!

[IceG]

Bianchi incurred a 5 second stop-go penalty. He was on a one-stop strategy. He changed tyres under the safety car so could not serve his penalty then (although he did but it cost him nothing). He wasn't stopping again so five seconds added to his race time. This is clever strategic thinking by the team surely - the lowest risk for the greatest reward? The alternative was to come in and serve a second five second penalty which would have cost him around 21 seconds.

Either way - a good result for a great drive.

Hamilton needs to get his emotions and reactions under control, or perhaps we were getting more of his whinging than from other drivers because it "improves the spectacle"?

[Salamander]

Bianchi incurred a 5 second stop-go penalty. He was on a one-stop strategy. He changed tyres under the safety car so could not serve his penalty then (although he did but it cost him nothing). He wasn't stopping again so five seconds added to his race time. This is clever strategic thinking by the team surely - the lowest risk for the greatest reward? The alternative was to come in and serve a second five second penalty which would have cost him around 21 seconds.

Actually, according to team interviews after the race, Bianchi was in the process of serving his penalty for lining up on the grid incorrectly at the time when the safety car was deployed. Marussia weren't sure about how to handle that so they decided to just serve it then and hope that that would be acceptable - it turned out it wasn't, but it didnt hurt them too badly, thankfully.

[IceG]

Bianchi was in the process of serving his penalty for lining up on the grid incorrectly at the time when the safety car was deployed.

Ah, I thought the SC had already been deployed. If not then surely the team have an appeal under Force Majeur? Did it actually affect Bianchi's points? I can't work it out.

[AdrianSutil]

Bianchi was in the process of serving his penalty for lining up on the grid incorrectly at the time when the safety car was deployed.

Ah, I thought the SC had already been deployed. If not then surely the team have an appeal under Force Majeur? Did it actually affect Bianchi's points? I can't work it out.

It did affect him as he finished P8 on the road but dropped behind Grosjean. But I don't think Marussia will care too much...

[mario]

For all the drama going on this weekend, this is what really matters to the sport (or so I'd like to believe).

On a more sombre note, if things don't pick up for the rest of the season, could this be the moment that sinks Sauber?

I have to wonder as well whether that is the case - in fact, I wonder whether this race might have sunk both Sauber and Caterham in one go? With rumour swirling around that Fernandes is going ahead with his threat to sell the team, the fact that 10th in the WCC now looks like such a remote prospect may be the final straw and push him into selling. As for Sauber, they similarly cannot afford to finish this low down in the WCC - they're already in deep financial trouble, and falling to 10th will cost them tens of millions in lost TV rights revenue from FOM.

That was more or less my line of thinking. We know that Sauber have barely made it through the last couple of seasons, so to finish even lower that expected is going to put massive pressure on them. I guess there's always a Maldonado or a Ma Qinghua on the horizon who can come in and throw money at a drive, but that's not a great way to go, and history shows that tends to only stave off the inevitable bankruptcy anyway. Looks like I better get behind Sauber for a bit now and cheer them on to safety.

As for Caterham? If they don't do well this year, and Fernandes can't sell them (unlikely, given their excellent infrastructure and good set up), then I think with a set of new teams on the horizon, we could see Caterham go the way of HRT, which would be a shame for a sport that was once reknowned for its colourful pagentary and have-a-go attitude.

I'm not sure who would buy Caterham right now though - Haas is planning on using his existing base of operations in the US given the investment in facilities like the Windshear windtunnel, so you would assume that he would not need to purchase Caterham's facilities. As for Kolles and his bid, similarly he seems to have built his bid around his existing facilities, with Ferrari providing additional technical support - so would he necessarily need or want Caterham's facilities either?

As for manufacturers, the only manufacturer they have had links with, Renault, seems to be backing away from Caterham (the Caterham-Renault partnership aiming to revive the Alpine brand appears to have fallen apart completely), and the only new manufacturer entering the sport (Honda) has already arranged a deal with McLaren. You would hope that Caterham could find a buyer and not end up going the way that HRT did, but right now I can't think of an obvious buyer for the team if it were put up for sale.

[Alextrax52]

I think a clearer pecking order is beginning to show after 6 races now. The Mercedes car look the quickest followed by the Red Bull's and then the Ferrari's are 3rd fastest. At the other end the Caterham's look the slowest cars followed by Marussia and then Sauber with Lotus probably 8th fastest level with Toro Rosso. The Force India's Mclaren's and Williams's seem to be swapping amongst themselves so far

[mario]

I think a clearer pecking order is beginning to show after 6 races now. The Mercedes car look the quickest followed by the Red Bull's and then the Ferrari's are 3rd fastest. At the other end the Caterham's look the slowest cars followed by Marussia and then Sauber with Lotus probably 8th fastest level with Toro Rosso. The Force India's Mclaren's and Williams's seem to be swapping amongst themselves so far

That does seem to be a fairly accurate picture - it does look as if Ferrari can close up to Red Bull a bit on front limited circuits, as was the case in China, and I would add that Lotus is perhaps more competitive than Toro Rosso, albeit with significantly more reliability and consistency issues (as evidenced by Grosjean's flashes of promise in Barcelona before he encountered powertrain issues that cost him power).

That said, the picture might shift a little in the Canadian GP - Ferrari have reported that they are changing the engine maps for Canada to boost their engine performance, as it seems that they have been fairly conservative in the opening few races due to initial concerns about reliability. That might shift the Ferrari powered teams a little closer to the front, though probably not massively altering the grid.

[good_Ralf]

I think a clearer pecking order is beginning to show after 6 races now. The Mercedes car look the quickest followed by the Red Bull's and then the Ferrari's are 3rd fastest. At the other end the Caterham's look the slowest cars followed by Marussia and then Sauber with Lotus probably 8th fastest level with Toro Rosso. The Force India's Mclaren's and Williams's seem to be swapping amongst themselves so far

I think the pecking order also depends on the type of track the teams visit. On a power circuit like Bahrain, the Mercedes cars may still have an advantage over the Renault and Ferrari powered cars. In Monaco aero is more of an issue so the pecking order was Mercedes, RBR, Ferrari, the teams with more downforce. As for the McLaren vs Williams vs FI scenario Freezy, I think McLaren's form in Monte Carlo was an aberration, after all the silvers were blown away by the whites in China and Spain and to a lesser extent Sakhir. It will some time before McLaren's car becomes consistently quick and able to challenge their Mercedes-powered rivals.

[Jocke1]

http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/ ... 15886.html

A question for Nico and Lewis. Are you going to have a pizza together, a dinner, to sort the problems, talk about it and try to get the situation back to normal.

Lewis, yesterday you told the BBC that you might handle the situation with Nico like Senna would. What did you mean by that?
LH: I don’t know. I can’t really remember to be honest. I think it was just a joke. Obviously I didn’t.

Q: (Vincent Marre - Sports Zeitung) In the last days Nico was mentioning that the previous races were not one-to-one races. What do you think Lewis about this race or this race weekend. Was it a one-to-one races.
LH: I don’t fully understand the question.

Q: (Haoran Zhou - Formula One Express) Lewis, how did the debrief of yesterday’s qualifying go because as we understand, you were not in the debrief room, while Rosberg was?
LH: I was in there. I went to the toilet and Nico did his big debrief before I got there which is unusual. Usually we do it when we’re both in the same room but as I came up I did mine and fortunately the engineers had written down what Nico had said so I read it.

Q: (Christian Hoenicke - Der Tagesspiegel) Nico, do you think it was fair what Lewis said about you not being hungry as him because you were growing with boats and jets and all that stuff?

Q: (Ralf Bach - Sport Bild) Lewis, to clean the situation, did you tell the BBC in this interview where you said these things with the boat or didn’t you say that?
LH: I was asked who was hungrier. I think if you ask every driver they will say that they’re the hungriest and I said that what gives me the hunger is where I grew up in comparison to where Nico grew up. You know I’ve always been striving to come and live here. I used to travel around with Nico in his Dad’s plane, I used to go to his boat, I used to go to his house, I used to have those experiences and that gave me those experiences and that gave me the desire to want that one day, which gave me the hunger. It was his Dad obviously who inspired me to be where I am today.

Q: (Ralf Bach - Sport Bild) So you did say it.
LH: Yes, but - as Nico said - it was taken out of context a little bit.

[pasta_maldonado]

Well, with Bianchi scoring those fabulous two points for Marussia, the thread will end on a brighter note than it started.

Also proving that points are like buses... you wait for one, and then two come along!

[good_Ralf]

StatsF1, you make me proud.

[Alextrax52]

StatsF1, you make me proud.

Your obsessed with Stats

[good_Ralf]

StatsF1, you make me proud.

Your obsessed with Stats

It's why I got stuck into F1 in the first place. I'm more into the results than the drama and politics of the sport TBH, so I'm not really a true F1 fan in that respect. What I was trying to say was that StatsF1 chose Bianchi's points finish as the signature image for yesterday's race, which is why I was pleased with the website.

[watka]

I'm a day late to the party as usual but I'm so glad that Bianchi and Marussia got their first points otherwise all we'd be talking about is this sour Rosberg vs Hamilton battle that has been fabricated, and now forced, by the media.

Yes, there were retirements but Jules had a very good race regardless, with his pass of Kobayashi of all people being particularly impressive. His pace was solid and he held his nerve. I don't think he's wrong when he said after the race that Sauber were a realistic target to aim for in terms of pace. The result has effectively killed off Caterham's morale and Sauber will be getting worried. Let's not forget that Sauber and Marussia are both Ferrari powered teams so the winner of this battle (Ferrari have historically been quite supportive of Sauber, but have an interest in Marussia through Bianchi) may become the favoured "B" team of Ferrari. This result, whilst been a great source of celebration for this forum, actually has rather a big impact on the future of the tail of the grid.

[Jocke1]

On the Magnussen-Raikkonen feud in Monaco, apparently Magnussen was quoted by the Finnish media outlet YLE as having said;

I don't know if he was drunk or what he was on.

And according to YLE Magnussen said over teamradio;

He's getting old.

[Fetzie]

Seems like Hamilton and Rosberg have had a chat, he posted this on twitter just now:

We've been friends a long time&as friends we have our ups&downs. Today we spoke&we're cool, still friends #noproblem

https://twitter.com/LewisHamilton/statu ... 0162045952

[good_Ralf]

Since Rosberg is the experienced cycle-rider (read the February 2014 edition of F1 Racing to be sure), I'm not surpised Hamilton is using Rosberg as a support, Hopefully Lewis will learn to keep cool about the inter-team driver situation from now on...