FORMULA 1 - 2015


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MCLAREN: FEELS LIKE WE’VE NOW ARRIVED AT THE START-LINE

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McLaren-Honda scored its first points of the season at Monaco, after starting from 10th, Jenson Button drove a typically unruffled race to eighth, earning the team four points. In fact, Jenson was never out of the top 10 all afternoon; he moved past Pastor Maldonado when the Lotus driver encountered brake issues, then jumped Max Verstappen when the Dutchman was delayed in the pits.
The late-race Safety Car offered the opportunity to catch Sergio Perez, but he was unable to generate enough temperature in the tyres to mount a sustained challenge to the flag.
Fernando Alonso’s race started well – he made a strong start to jump from 13th to 11th, but was given a five-second penalty (which he took at his pit-stop) for clashing with Nico Hulkenberg as the pair turned into Mirabeau on lap one. Fernando was the first driver to start on Primes, and his pace looked strong at the start of the race; however, his afternoon came to an end after 41 laps with an as-yet-unspecified overheating issue.
Jenson Button: “It’s been a positive day for us. We were hoping to score a point today, and we scored four. I certainly didn’t expect to finish eighth. At the start I lost a position to Nico [Hulkenberg], but got it back by going around the outside of him at Turn Three on the first lap, which was good fun. Once I got past Pastor [Maldonado], my race was basically about turning quali lap after quali lap: it was flat-out. That was tough – in fact it was pretty physical out there – but I really enjoyed it. I’m really happy for the team – we’ve worked hard to get into this position, and they deserve this. We have work to do, but this is a hugely positive step for us.”
Fernando Alonsom: “At the start, I don’t think I deserved the penalty [for the incident with Hulkenberg]. At that particular moment, I don’t know what else I could have done. Most significantly, it’s a pity we couldn’t finish the race today. The car started to upshift in a really strange way on the lap before I stopped; then, on the first corner, I had no braking. The car stayed in neutral and I couldn’t put it in gear. That’s frustrating because we could have had both cars in the point for the first time this season. We need to keep improving the car to ensure these sorts of things don’t happen again. Still, having these problems this year is good, because it means we won’t repeat them next year.”
Eric Boullier, Racing director, McLaren-Honda: “Since the beginning of the season we’ve been consistent in our messaging: we’re all working extremely hard, and the result of that arduous toil is steady improvement. Today, thanks to Jenson’s eighth place, our renewed McLaren-Honda partnership was rewarded with its first world championship points – a result that underlines that steady improvement. Okay, we’ve now squirrelled away four world championship points, but, although Jenson drove very well, we won’t waste time celebrating that milestone. Yes, it’s encouraging, but our ambitions run to far greater heights than eighth places. And we’ll achieve them, believe me. For Fernando, finally, this afternoon was another frustrating one, and we’re still investigating the cause of his retirement. He, too, drove very well, and, had his car proved reliable, would also have scored world championship points.”
Yasuhisa Arai, Honda R&D senior managing officer – chief officer of motorsport: “Thanks to Jenson’s steady run, and the team’s effort to improve the power unit’s driveability for Monaco, we earned our first points of the season today. It feels like we’ve now finally arrived at the start-line of the race calendar. As for Fernando, he left the garage feeling confident that he could finish in the points. He was running well in the race – and I also felt confident that we could see both cars in the top 10 for the first time this season – but, unfortunately, a drive-fail warning popped up and ended his race prematurely.
“As always, McLaren-Honda will keep pushing as a team and work towards better results at the next race.”
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LOTUS: A FRUSTRATING DAY FOR BOTH OUR DRIVERS

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Romain Grosjean drove a distinguished Monaco Grand Prix to fight back into a point scoring position from his P15 start, but ultimately finished twelfth after an overambitious move from a rival driver, whilst Pastor Maldonado suffered from a suspected hydraulic leak meaning he had to retire from the race.

  • Lotus F1 Team ran with branding for the creative force that is Pharrell Williams in today’s race to highlight the start of a new global collaborative marketing partnership between Lotus F1 Team and Pharrell Williams.
  • Romain started from P15 on the grid on fresh super soft compound tyres, changing to new soft tyres on lap 17.
  • Pastor started from P8 on the grid on his qualifying super soft tyres before retiring with five laps completed.

Romain Grosjean: “I didn’t see much of the accident with Verstappen, just his car flying past me in the air! Overtaking in Monaco is difficult and I think he gained that bit of experience today. It’s good to know he’s okay, as it was a bit dangerous for both of us, and it cost us what would have been a hard-earned point. Until then my race had been going pretty well when you consider where we started. The car felt good and the strategy was working well. After the accident, I turned around which established all four wheels were there, then looked in the mirrors to see if the rear wing was still there too, then got on with my race.”

Pastor Maldonado: “I had a problem with the brakes and I could feel the pedal pressure wasn’t right from very early on and that compromised our race from the off. It got worse and worse so we had to retire the car. It’s a shame for the team, we had a good car here, very good pace for the race and I think a strong strategy. There’s potential in the car, we just need to carry on, work hard, and look forward in the championship.”

Federico Gastaldi, Deputy Team Principal: “What a frustrating day for both our drivers. Pastor was in a great position to score well but a technical issue meant he had to retire. Romain was also looking like getting a point after his penalty-place start but was robbed of that by an incident. The positives are that both drivers remain optimistic and full of praise for the car. Monaco is always a unique event and for us we started something special with our new relationship with Pharrell Williams. We’re looking forward to Canada for many reasons.”

Nick Chester, Technical Director: “With Romain we did all we could with strategy to assist him to move up the order, and he was in tenth position after starting fifteenth, but he was taken off by Max Verstappen. For Pastor it was a real shame as he was in a strong position with a quick car with seventh position looking like a strong probability. Unfortunately he suffered from what looks like was a hydraulic leak which meant we had to retire him. Despite less than positive results here, we could see good pace from the E23, meaning we’re quietly confident heading to the next races.”

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SYMONDS WANTS BOTTAS TO STAY AT WILLIAMS

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Pat Symonds has urged Williams star driver Valtteri Bottas to consider pledging his future to the Grove outfit.
Symonds, the team’s highly-experienced technical boss who has worked alongside champions Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso, acknowledged the rumours now linking the Finn with Ferrari.
“It is no surprise to see other teams courting him,” he told Britain’s Sky.
But Symonds said Grove based Williams, having sustained its resurgent form of 2014 into the new season, might be the best team for Bottas at present.
“We are all aware of some quite famous drivers who jump at the wrong time,” he said.
Indeed, Bottas told Brazil’s Globo in Monaco that Symonds is one of Williams’ best assets.
“We may be limited in the budget. but there are great people in the team and a great wind tunnel. As I said, I trust our engineers and this man here,” added Bottas, pointing in Symonds’ direction.
For both Williams and Ferrari, the crucial date for the future of fellow Finns Bottas, 25, and Kimi Raikkonen respectively is believed to be July 31.
It is then that ‘options’ on both driver’s respective contracts are believed to expire.
Meanwhile Ferrari chief Maurizio Arrivabene added fuel to the speculation when he told Sky Italia in Monaco “Is Kimi staying? I don’t know.”
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WILLIAMS BOSS SAYS BOTTAS LINK TO FERRARI IS FLATTERING

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Highly rated Williams driver Valtteri Bottas is shaping up as the star player in this year’s Formula 1 silly season.
The annual round of speculation and counter-rumour regarding the movement of drivers within the paddock has got off to an early start, as talk of the Finn’s potential switch from Williams to Ferrari will just not go away.
Reporters are even now trying to guess the precise mid-year date of the ‘option’ on Bottas’ current contract, and whether it corresponds with Ferrari’s simultaneous deliberations over keeping Kimi Raikkonen in 2016.
“It has to be quite flattering for us, hasn’t it?” smiled Williams deputy Claire Williams in Monaco.
“Valtteri has an agreement with us,” she told the Finnish broadcaster MTV, “and I know that he is very pleased with the team at the moment.
“We are of course pleased with the way he is going, and he has been a part of the team for a very long time,” Williams added. “I know he feels comfortable here and is able to do a great job.”
“I think it’s up to us to give him the kind of car he deserves – he is future world champion material,” she declared.
However, Williams would not be drawn on the precise expiry date of Bottas’ supposed 2016 contract ‘option’, amid suggestions it is the customary July 31.
“You know how it is,” she replied. “We will not go into any contractual details. I know that everyone wants to know what’s going on and I wish I could be a little more open about it, but these are private conversations at the moment.”
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Ricciardo deserved a penalty for late clash - Raikkonen

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Kimi Raikkonen has criticised the Monaco Grand Prix stewards for not imposing a penalty upon Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo.
The pair clashed in the closing lap of the race as Ricciardo launched a late move up the inside of Raikkonen at Mirabeau. The Australian's front-tyre made contact with the Finn's rear, but both escaped damage, though Ricciardo managed to take fifth from the Ferrari man.
Whilst the stewards investigated the matter, they chose not to take any action, though Raikkonen believes Ricciardo's move was deserving of a penalty.
"It's not very clear what you're allowed to do and what you're not allowed to do because someone can get a penalty for something and another cannot," he complained.
Fernando Alonso found himself in a similar position to Ricciardo on the opening lap of the race with Nico Hulkenberg. However the Spaniard was penalised with a five-second time penalty, leading Raikkonen to question the stewards' consistency.
"It usually is a penalty for these kind of things and this time not," he said.
"There's no certain way of what is allowed and what is not so in my view it was pretty obvious but the stewards think differently."
Raikkonen eventually finished behind Ricciardo in sixth place.
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Why Mercedes gave Hamilton that fateful pit stop – and why it cost him victory

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Mercedes’ decision to bring Lewis Hamilton into the pits on lap 65 of the 2015 Monaco Grand Prix will forever be remembered as the moment that lost him the race – and probably one of F1’s most disastrous pit calls.
But why did they do it? As the data from the race shows, Mercedes were not the only team to think it was a move they could and should take.
In fact, more than half the teams took the opportunity to pit one of their cars during the Safety Car period caused by the Max Verstappen-Romain Grosjean crash. In the case of Red Bull, switching Daniel Ricciardo to a softer set of tyres gave him the performance boost he needed to reclaim fifth place from Kimi Raikkonen with a forceful pass.
All of the drivers who did come in for a late pit stop had one thing in common: they had enough of a gap over the next car behind them that they could expect they wouldn’t lose a position by doing so. Ricciardo, Sergio Perez, Jenson Button, Felipe Nasr and Felipe Massa all took the opportunity to make a ‘free’ pit stop and get on fresher tyres, and all held their positions.
What’s more, several of them had smaller margins over their closest pursuers than Hamilton to begin with. Hamilton had a lead of more than 19 seconds over Nico Rosberg when he came in, yet lost the lead to Rosberg and second place to Sebastian Vettel. How did it go wrong for Mercedes?
“We got our numbers wrong”, Mercedes motorsport head Toto Wolff admitted. “We thought we had the gap for Lewis to take fresh tyres and come back out in the lead behind the Safety Car, ahead of Nico and covering off any risk of another competitor taking fresh tyres. But the calculation was incorrect and he came out in third place.”
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The pit stop itself was not especially fast but that wasn’t where the bulk of time was lost. Hamilton’s 65th tour – his in-lap – took over two minutes and 11 seconds. For comparison that of Ricciardo, who was heading to the pits at the same time, was a shade under the two minute mark.
The difference was down to the location of the Safety Car on the track. Hamilton caught it in the second sector of his in-lap. When he pulled into the pits Rosberg and Vettel hadn’t caught it yet, and the time they gained catching the Safety Car as they looped around the Monaco pits was where they gained the time Hamilton’s strategists thought they had in hand.
This was not the first time Hamilton has been caught out pitting under the Safety Car at Monaco. Two years ago he was passed by both Red Bull drivers in a similar situation, though the circumstances on that occasion were somewhat different.
Today’s scenario was more similar to Singapore last year, where Mercedes brought Hamilton in from the lead for super-soft tyres under a Safety Car period with just eight laps to go. On that occasion he fell behind Sebastian Vettel but was easily able to pass him to win.
However in Monaco, where track position is even more critical, Mercedes surely would not have brought Hamilton in at all had they thought it was likely he would lose the lead. They expected he would be able to put on fresh tyres, strengthening his position at the front, without losing any advantage. But his ‘free’ pit stop turned out to have a high price.
Why did Mercedes do it? Clearly they thought they saw an opportunity to gain an advantage at no cost. They were also relying on input from Hamilton about the state of his tyres. Tellingly, in the press conference he revealed he had been keeping an eye on developments on the track side video walls and had formed a mistaken impression that Rosberg and Vettel had already switched to the super-soft tyres.
“I saw a screen, it looked like the team was out and I thought that Nico had pitted,” said Hamilton. “Obviously I couldn’t see the guys behind so I thought the guys behind were pitting.”
“The team said to stay out, I said ‘these tyres are going to drop in temperature,’ and what I was assuming was that these guys would be on [super-soft] and I was on the harder tyre.”
“So they said to pit. Without thinking I came in with full confidence that the others had done the same.”
As Mercedes being the post-mortem on this one they will surely find more than one way their strategic game needs to be sharpened up.
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F1 grid boys a one-off for Monaco

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The decision to have 'grid boys' at the Monaco Grand Prix was a one-off for Formula 1 made by local organisers.

Sebastian Vettel was in a joking mood at the end of the official post-race press conference, querying the absence of grid girls at F1's most glamorous race.
“Why didn't we have any grid girls today?” he asked. “You get there and park behind George or Dave. What's the point?”
Rather than the decision being a hint of F1 ditching grid girls, Motorsport.com has learned the idea to use boys instead was made by Michel Boeri, president of the Automobile Club de Monaco.
The topic of grid girls came up earlier this year when WEC organisers made the decision to not use them in its championship any more.
WEC CEO Gerard Neveu told Reuters before the season-opener: “From Silverstone next week, you will see that for any race we will do – no grid girls like in the past.
“For me this is in the past. The condition of women is a little bit different now.”
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Ecclestone: Rosberg and Vettel not good for business

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Bernie Ecclestone suggests Formula 1 has suffered in Germany because local drivers Nico Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel are not so popular with fans.

The German Grand Prix will be absent from the calendar this year, with neither the Nurburgring nor Hockenheim willing to pay what was demanded as a race hosting fee.
And in a revealing interview with the official Formula 1 website, Ecclestone reckons that it is Rosberg and Vettel's personalities that have contributed to the fall in audiences in their home country.
Referring to the huge fanbase that Rosberg's team-mate Lewis Hamilton has behind him, Ecclestone said: “When it comes to F1 I am a huge Lewis fan because he is a super promoter of the sport.
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"From a pure business aspect - sorry Nico if I have to say this - you are not so good for my business.”
When accused by Rosberg of his comments being a 'hard call', Ecclestone replied: “It sounds harder than it is meant. Unfortunately you don’t have the German fans on your side.
“As the cancellation of the German Grand Prix indicates, Germany is a terrible market for Formula 1.
"On the contrary Lewis is a hero in the UK. The British love Formula 1. Sebastian [Vettel] is also not doing much for F1. People hardly recognize him on the street.”
Team bosses must do more
Ecclestone's criticisms were not just restricted to Rosberg though, for he suggested team principals needed to do more to promote themselves and the sport.
"The team principals should be more prominent,” he said. “Take away Toto Wolff’s Mercedes shirt and send him down a street - nobody would recognize him.”
When asked if he felt new Ferrari team boss Maurizio Arrivabene was a good character, Ecclestone said: “Only for himself and not for Formula 1.”
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Martin Brundle: 18-inch tyres are the future

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Former Grand Prix star Martin Brundle believes that Formula 1 – and all major single-seater championships – must seriously consider switching to 18-inch wheels.

Brundle drove the larger rims and tyres at Monaco in a demo run in the GP2 test car at Monaco on Friday, and believes this is the direction for open-wheel racing to take.
“I think single-seater racing has to go this way,” said Brundle. “Everybody wants smart wheels.
“I’d never driven a GP2 car before, so it was quite a challenge in that respect, but I like the look of the wheels. Think of modern road cars, or look at the renderings of Ferrari’s futuristic car, and Adrian Newey has done the same thing, they’ve all got big wheels.
"It seems odd to have 13-inch wheels at the pinnacle of the sport.”
Good to be back
It was Brundle’s first drive in a racing car in Monte Carlo since the 1996 Monaco Grand Prix, and he enjoyed the experience. He last drove a Pirelli-shod car at Monaco in 1991 in a Brabham-Yamaha.
“The car felt great,” he said. “Once I had good temperature in the tyres, and apparently the car does the same laptimes on both types of tyre. I expected it to be really stiff – there’s less compliance in the sidewall of the tyre – that wasn’t a problem.
“The biggest problem I had was being able to see the barriers and kerbs, because the tyre is taller. It was quite a shock on the first lap, especially at Mirabeau and Portier. It’s a bit like a sportscar or a DTM in that respect, you learn to take a photograph in your mind of the barrier and the apex kerb. Drivers will have to change.
“The second lap I was able to push it a bit. But it was a tall order actually to drive one of the most challenging circuits in the world!
Weight concern
One of the drawbacks of the larger wheel and tyre is extra weight, which Brundle believes is a big hurdle that needs to be overcome.
“My concerns are that they are much heavier, so another 15 kilos on an F1 car would be completely unacceptable, so they’ll need to find another way,” he said.
“And with the 420mm tyres [suggested by the recent F1 Strategy Group meeting] that they’re talking about, I wonder if that’s going to make it harder to overtake because the cars are going to be two-metres wide.”
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Felipe Massa: Max Verstappen crash down to lack of experience

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Felipe Massa thinks Max Verstappen's crash at the Monaco Grand Prix proves the importance of experience in Formula One.

Verstappen slammed into the back of Romain Grosjean at Turn 1 on lap 66, a collision which saw him go straight into the tyre barrier. The 17-year-old walked away unharmed and pointed the finger of blame at Grosjean after the race, though the stewards disagreed and handed F1's youngest-ever driver a five-place grid penalty for Canada and two points on his licence.
Massa, the fourth most experienced driver of the current grid, shares the opinion Verstappen was at fault.
"I would say what for me was pretty dangerous was the accident with Verstappen," he said. "He's supposed to get a penalty for what he did. So he just braked behind, much later and what happened was very dangerous."So it shows that maybe experience counts in Formula One, and I think to teach about this type of accident they need to control better because it was very dangerous. So he was lucky that he was not hurt, because he could have been very hurt by what happened."
Speaking about the move itself, Massa said: "To be honest he was not even in a position to overtake. He was not even near to go alongside, he was behind. So to be honest it was too much what happened."
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Verstappen's early elevation to F1 raised questions about safety and even prompted the FIA to make it impossible for anyone under 18 to drive in the sport after this season. Massa does not think people should downplay the seriousness of the accident just because Verstappen was uninjured.
"Well with this type of mistakes, yes. It was very dangerous for him. He's 17, so if he's hurt everybody would talk about it. 'Why did they give a licence to a guy who is 17 and he's doing that?' But he's not hurt, everybody's happy, so I think they need to look at things in a better way."
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Fernando Alonso laments missed opportunity after Monaco retirement

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Fernando Alonso is still searching for his first points of the season after being hit with another reliability issue during the Monaco Grand Prix.

Alonso trailed McLaren team-mate Jenson Button for the first half of the race as the pair looked set for a double points finish. However, the Spaniard's race ended on lap 41 when he pulled off at Sainte Devote with what McLaren described as overheating issues.
"I think it was a gearbox problem," said Alonso, who had a costly electrical issue during qualifying on Saturday. "The car start to upshift really strange in the last lap, on the first corner I had no braking, the car stay in neutral and I could not fit any gear in, we need to make sure if it's the gearbox physically or it's just a sensor or something that makes crazy the gearbox.
"Both cars we were eighth and ninth so first points for us but unfortunately we missed the opportunity. Obviously from Barcelona [testing] I didn't finish any single session. And talking to everyone while the cars are running is not a good feeling. Hopefully we can it improve that next time."
Alonso served a five-second penalty at his pit stop after making contact with Nico Hulkenberg through Mirabeau on lap one. Though it had no bearing on his race at the time Alonso questioned the logic of the decision.
"No, of course not." Alonso said when asked if he thought the penalty was fair. "In that moment I don't know what I can do, I'm in the inside of Turn 5, he's on the outside, little bit optimistic, but we made contact, which in Monte Carlo maybe could happen, because two cars are difficult to pass in one corner so probably no penalty for cars would be the normal thing but you know the season sometimes random. But it's doesn't matter what I think, it's what they decide. For me it didn't change anything to me, I stopped P9 to the tyre change, and I exit P9 and so it was not any consequence. For sure it was a very strange penalty.
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2016 WILL SHOW IF FERRARI ON RISE SAYS BRIATORE

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The true test of Ferrari’s improvement will only come to fruit in the 2016 season claims Flavio Briatore, the former Renault team chief who in recent days and months has been defending Fernando Alonso’s decision to leave Maranello.
Briatore and Alonso are still united in the area of management, and so the flamboyant Italian has been tackling those who say the Spanish driver was clearly wrong to join McLaren-Honda.
“Last year (in Monaco qualifying),” the 65-year-old told Sky Italia, “Alonso was fifth with a gap of seventh tenths.
“This year, Vettel is also seven tenths behind (pole), the only difference is that there are no other rivals now while Mercedes still dominates.”
Briatore said Sunday’s Monaco grid does not bode well for an exciting race, “We can only hope that the two (Mercedes) drivers will battle each other, or else it will be boring.”
As for claims Ferrari has been a resurgent force ever since the Alonso-spearheaded, Stefano Domenicali and Luca di Montezemolo-led era ended, Briatore says that is wrong.
“This (team in 2015) is still the Ferrari of Montezemolo and Domenicali,” he declared. “What the new management has done we will only see next year.”
And as for Alonso jumping ship and joining McLaren, “Only the future will tell us who was right,” Briatore insisted.
Finally, he played down the likelihood of a return to F1 any time soon, “I have a small child and so I dedicate my time to the family now.”
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RENAULT AND RED BULL EXIT STILL BELIEVES PROST

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Speculation about the future of Red Bull and Renault in Formula 1 continues to hover around the paddock.
Earlier in 2015, at the height of partner Red Bull’s criticism and its performance and reliability troubles, the French carmaker made it known it was considering all options.
Now, at Monaco, the marque’s famous ambassador Alain Prost admitted pulling out remains among them.
“They would like to stay, for sure,” the 60-year-old Frenchman told Sky.
Prost said Renault becoming its own team again is another option, following speculation the chosen one could be Toro Rosso, the junior Red Bull outfit.
But that likelihood was recently played down by Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko, and in Monaco, Renault’s Cyril Abiteboul said the current priority is to remain “an engine supplier”.
To that end, contracts with Red Bull and Toro Rosso run until the end of 2016.
“I think right now the big target is to get the engine under control, both from reliability and performance perspectives,” Abiteboul said. “Once this is done we can secure some longer-term stuff.”
But Prost admitted there are “other things they (Renault) can do outside” of formula one as well.
“They are also with us in Formula E,” he explained, “but the first target is to see exactly what are the possibilities inside of formula one.”
If the decision is ultimately to leave, it might also trigger the exits of Red Bull and Toro Rosso.
“Everything is possible,” Prost acknowledged. “That would be a disaster for formula one, and that is why I hope the right decision is made, also by Red Bull.
“This situation is really a shame,” he added. “Obviously I’m a Renault guy but I also know the Red Bull people and what they have achieved in F1 is amazing.
“It would be very bad to see them leaving our sport.”
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My wife and I were watching the race, figuring it to be another boring as hell Merc 1-2 finish...

Then the terrible pit stop and Hamilton got screwed...

What just happened? Did they just do that?...

Wait...

Oh my god... heh

Ha..

Haha...

Hahaha...

Hahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hamilton totally got screwed and I *loved* it. Seeing him run over the 3rd place placard in the podium spot made me laugh out loud. For real... because I knew the little brat would run it over out of spite.

So today's race was mostly boring, though Monaco is always a sexy-ass backdrop. But the ending was so sweet. So very very sweet.

Hahahahahahahahaha!

I can't stop laughing about it! :)

Cheers,

Greg

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk

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My wife and I were watching the race, figuring it to be another boring as hell Merc 1-2 finish...

Then the terrible pit stop and Hamilton got screwed...

What just happened? Did they just do that?...

Wait...

Oh my god... heh

Ha..

Haha...

Hahaha...

Hahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hamilton totally got screwed and I *loved* it. Seeing him run over the 3rd place placard in the podium spot made me laugh out loud. For real... because I knew the little brat would run it over out of spite.

So today's race was mostly boring, though Monaco is always a sexy-ass backdrop. But the ending was so sweet. So very very sweet.

Hahahahahahahahaha!

I can't stop laughing about it! smile.png

Cheers,

Greg

Haha!! Greg, you always have a way with words my friend ;) I seriously laughed out loud in the office when I just read your comment. lol3.gif

I follow a number of drivers, Hamilton is not one of them but I did feel a little sorry for him. What's surprising is the look on both Rosberg and Hamitons faces when they win or lose, so immature the both of them and I follow Rosberg. I'm pleased for him, I want him to win the WDC, but both need to mature up IMO.

There are a few drivers on the grid who aren't doing all that great, but given a Mercedes they would be dominating and far more humble than those two.

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Daniel Ricciardo “appreciates” stewards' decision

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Daniel Ricciardo says his final stint at the Monaco Grand Prix was fun, and thanked the stewards for not penalising him for his run-in with Kimi Raikkonen.

The Australian found himself on super soft tyres following a late safety car caused by Max Verstappen’s collision with Romain Grosjean, which meant he was in with a shot of the podium as the race drew to a close.
His first job was to get passed Raikkonen, which he did with a forceful manoeuvre at Mirabeau at the re-start. His Red Bull Racing team-mate Daniil Kyat then let him through so he could have a go at passing Lewis Hamilton for third place.
Ultimately Ricciardo couldn’t get through, conceding fourth back to Kvyat at the finish as thanks for being released several laps earlier.
Despite missing out on the podium, Ricciardo said it was an enjoyable way to finish the race.
“It was a good race today and a good result for the team,” he said.
“I had some fun in the last few laps trying to get close to Hamilton and [sebastian] Vettel to fight for a podium position.
“I knew we were in a position to attack in the end which made it exciting, I think. The team worked well, Dany let me past to have a crack at the podium and I gave back the place on the last lap when I couldn’t get past Hamilton.
“We’ll try and keep up the pace in the next few races to hopefully stay in the top five.”
Ricciardo thankful for stewards' decision
Ricciardo benefited from some lenient officiating following his forceful move on Raikkonen, with the stewards deciding not to take action despite there being clear contact between the two.
While Raikkonen complained over the radio that Ricciardo’s move was “not nice”, the Australian explained that making a 100 percent clean move is difficult at Monaco, and that the stewards made the right call at that stage of the race.
“I had a little incident with Kimi and it’s hard to get a clean move without a little contact in Monaco,” he said.
“I appreciate the stewards not taking any further action, and I think the crowd and the fans enjoyed it.”
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GRAHAM HILL DESCRIBES A LAP OF MONACO

This clip was recorded in 1968, and it shows a relaxed, jovial Hill explaining Monaco in detail. If you’re planning on watching the race later today, this 2 minute 29 second film will be a great little reminder of why the principality makes such a wonderful race track.

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I thought Hamilton was going to abandon his car at the tunnel after the finish! Personally I thought it was a great race, lots of action and some crazy twists and turns in the plot.

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INDY 500 VICTORY BRINGS MONTOYA’S CAREER FULL CIRCLE

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Juan Pablo Montoya is arguably one of Formula 1’s favourite sons of the modern era, despite only 94 starts he did manage seven grand prix victories and at the same time captured the hearts of motor racing millions of fans.
Montoya’s nomadic motor racing career went full circle when he returned to Victory Lane at the Brickyard on Sunday, 15 well-travelled years after the Colombian won his first Indianapolis 500.
Much has changed since a brash 24-year-old arrived at the sprawling oval in 2000 and won the Indy 500 in his debut.
“For me, I think ’99, 2000 was the start of my career,” said the graying racer who shared Sunday’s victory with his wife Connie and three children. “I was really young. It was just the start of it. We came here, had a really good car, we dominated. This one, when you have to work for it that hard, it’s exciting.”
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The 15 years between victories and the contrasting way they unfolded revealed Montoya’s evolution as a driver. In his 2000 win, he dominated, leading 167 laps. On Sunday, he led just nine, the third fewest by a winner.
“It’s just experience,” shrugged Montoya. “You’re older, you’re wiser, you understand where the races are won, where they’re lost.”
Aggressive on the track, prickly off it, Montoya has put his cars in the winner’s circles wherever he has gone from Formula One and the Monaco Grand Prix to NASCAR and Sonoma.
He arrived on the North American racing scene in 1999 in spectacular fashion, winning seven races to become the youngest ever CART champion.
The next year he won three times while jumping to the rival Indy Racing League (now IndyCar) for a shot at the Indy 500 and took America’s biggest race.
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Having caught the eye of Formula 1, Montoya would spend six seasons at the pinnacle of the sport with Williams and McLaren, collecting seven wins and 30 podiums. His final F1 victory coming at 2005 Brazilian Grand Prix.
After wearing out his F1 welcome, Montoya’s career took a dramatic turn when he moved to NASCAR where he was twice a winner on the stock car circuit.
Needing to feed his hunger for wins, Montoya returned to IndyCar last year after being offered the chance to join the sport’s most successful team.
Ready to celebrate his 40th birthday in September and nearing the end of the racing road, Montoya hopes Penske is team where he can put down permanent roots.
“I told Roger, as long as you want me, I’ll be here,” said Montoya. “He has a passion of winning and being the best out of everything he does. For me I’ve been over the moon here.”
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FERRARI: WE OUTSMARTED THEM THIS TIME

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Sebastian Vettel finished the Monaco Grand Prix in second place. The German spent all 78 laps in the slipstream of Nico Rosberg’s Mercedes, managing to get ahead of Lewis Hamilton, who led for the first 65 laps, until he made a second pit stop.
Vettel crossed the line 4 seconds behind the winner, having run the race at a very competitive pace. Raikkonen also fought hard all race long, showing a strong pace. This is Vettel’s fifth consecutive podium from six starts in “red.”
  • This is the sixth consecutive podium finish for the Scuderia in as many races this year. In 2007, we had five in a row
  • This is Scuderia Ferrari’s 49th podium finish at the Monaco Grand Prix
  • With this result the team further consolidates second place in the Constructors’ championship
Maurizio Arrivabene: “Congratulations to Seb for holding Hamilton back in the final laps of the race. It was no easy job because Lewis had super-soft tires, while Seb’s Primes were low on pressure because of the laps he had done behind a very slow safety car. In the key moment of the race Iñaki Rueda, our race strategist, told everybody to keep calm and stay out on track, while the Mercedes came in for fresh tires. I am aware of the fact that we were lucky, our competitors are intelligent and very strong, but we outsmarted them this time. As for Kimi, he has a problem with qualifying, because he’s always strong on race pace. When Ricciardo got past him, I was determined to have a hard look at the rules, but then I was told that now the move is allowed when the driver in front opens up the line and the one behind manages to put at least on wheel inside . So we respect the Stewards’ decision. In the next races we’ll not be standing still, we have some developments in the pipeline, but if luck comes again, we are prepared to take advantage. Anyway, so far we’ve always been on the podium this year, and the gap is not massive. Maybe on some tracks we will experience the same issues that we had in Barcelona, but on other circuits we can be stronger”.
Kimi Raikkonen: “We knew that after starting from sixth position it would have been a difficult race. I was all the time behind slower cars and there was no way to overtake them even if I had a much better pace. At the the pit stop we managed to pass one Red Bull, we gained one place but we lost it for a stupid reason. I was following my normal line when Ricciardo hit my rear tire and pushed me wide, regaining the position. It’s not very clear what you are allowed to do, it’s really odd but there’s nothing we can do. For the next races we have to make a better job overall to make sure we get tires working and things sorted out without mistakes on Saturday in qualifying. This will make our life a lot easier on Sunday. Now we go to Canada a bit happier overall but it’s too early to make predictions, we have similar tires but the layout of the track is completely different, so let’s wait and see.”
Sebastian Vettel: “Today we took everything we could and it is nice to end up in second place. I tried to be agressive on the start, but I couldn’t get the second position straight away. We had a good pace and we put the Mercedes under pressure, closing the gap on the pit stop and not letting them get away at any point, but obviously it was not enough. We tried the undercut but they replied a lap after and unfortunately they came out in front. In the last laps Lewis with the Supersoft tires behind me was putting a lot of pressure, it was really difficult because for some laps my tires were really cold and I was struggling to make sure I stay on track, I was focused on having good exits. There is still something we need to understand and to learn, if it’s colder in qualifying on one lap it is difficult to get the tires work; this is something we need to improve. I want to thank the guys in Maranello , the engine was fine and very good on the straights so that we were safe staying in front. In all areas there’s a lot of work going on because we want more, we keep our feet on the ground knowing where we want to go and were we want to be. I’m very happy, it was a great race and the team gave 100%. In Canada the track layout is totally different, but we will try to be competitive there as well.”
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ALONSO: HOPEFULLY WE FIGHT TO BE WORLD CHAMPIONS IN 2016

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McLaren driver Fernando Alonso was not too disappointed to miss out on his first championship points of the season at the Monaco Grand Prix.
Actually, the honour of becoming the first points scorer in the new McLaren-Honda era on Sunday went to teammate Jenson Button, who finished eighth.
“This is a great stepping stone to winning in the future,” said the Briton.
Spaniard Alonso was also on target for points on Sunday, but for now he retains the ignominy of a ‘zero’ scorecard along with Pastor Maldonado and the Manor stragglers. Sunday’s failure was in the gearbox.
“Our progression has been extraordinary,” he told Spanish reporters after the race, “but reliability is something that we need to get on top of.”
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However, Alonso said every car problem now is hopefully one he will not suffer again in the future, “It’s better to happen now than next year, when hopefully we are fighting to be world champions. Being eighth or ninth matters relatively little now.”
Alonso said McLaren-Honda is pushing ahead with a “very aggressive plan” to improve the package in terms of the “engine, aerodynamics, reliability and performance”.
“Austria and Hungary we hope will be very important steps for us,” he revealed.
But the next race in Canada, Alonso warned, will be “difficult” for McLaren, who cannot expect “miracles” at a circuit where horse power is important.
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MARKO: WE ARE NOT BAD LOSERS

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Red Bull’s outspoken consultant Helmut Marko insists he is just as critical of the current regime in Formula 1 even after a better showing in Monaco this weekend by the energy drinks owned team.
The Austrian had warned that, as the ‘power unit’ era stopped Red Bull’s run of titles, team owner Dietrich Mateschitz could now pull out of formula one.
But Red Bull-Renault showed signs of recovery in Monaco at the weekend, where the team was clearly ‘best of the rest’ behind Mercedes and not far away from Ferrari.
“We are not worried about Formula 1 only for competitive reasons,” Marko told Welt. “The problem is complex and has nothing to do with our current lack of competitiveness.”
“We are not bad losers; we are concerned about the future of the sport,” said Marko.
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Welt said a specially-commissioned study showed that the appeal of Formula 1 in 100 countries has declined by about 25 per cent.
“We are concerned,” Marko confirmed, “that the sport is no longer as attractive as the time when we entered.”
And as for the competitive factor, he said the way the rules are set up means that Mercedes’ current engine advantage will not change in the short term.
“It’s like a boxing match between a heavyweight champion and a lightweight,” said Marko. “We live on the principle of hoping and waiting and giving those responsible time. That’s all we can do.”
That said, Marko admitted he is not very hopeful, “In all the meetings with the stakeholders we always parted ways without results.”
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NO MERCEDES HEADS TO ROLL AFTER HAMILTON STRATEGY BLUNDER

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No heads will roll after the embarrassing Mercedes team error that cost Lewis Hamilton a comfortable win at the Monaco Grand Prix.
But that doesn’t mean an exhaustive post-race investigation, prompted immediately by furious Mercedes team chairman Niki Lauda on Sunday, has not already found some heads to at least point at.
“Our chief strategist James Vowles has admitted that he make a mistake. And we all make them,” the F1 legend is quoted by Bild.
Lauda said Mercedes needs to tidy up its procedures so that better decisions are taken in moments of confusion.
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“I always listen on the radio, and I have already warned that because so many are talking, there needs to be someone making a decision when all the strategists are talking it to death. To me that is Paddy Lowe,” said the Austrian.
Ferrari team boss Maurizio Arrivabene says his own strategists did not consider making a similar decision to pit Sebastian Vettel in the safety car period.
“When I saw him (Hamilton) coming in, I said ‘caspita’ – that’s exactly what I said,” he revealed, using the word that translates in English as ‘Wow!’ or ‘Gosh!’
“We thought they were doing a bit of theatre or something but this was an ‘arroganti’. But when you think you are intelligent, people forget to be smart,” Arrivabene added.
Ultimately, the bizarre decision to pit Hamilton on Sunday was probably due more to confusion than arrogance.
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“The team said to stay out,” the gutted Hamilton revealed afterwards. “I said ‘These tyres are going to drop in temperature’ so they said to pit. Without thinking I came in with full confidence that the others had done the same.”
Drivers had been complaining about Pirelli’s supposedly ‘soft’ tyres all weekend, and were particularly nervous when the safety car was deployed for the Max Verstappen crash.
“They (the tyres) were stone cold,” admitted race winner Nico Rosberg.
Team boss Toto Wolff also explained that strategists were thrown by the lack of normal GPS positioning data in Monaco.
“In Monaco there is no GPS,” he said, “which makes the whole job even more difficult.”
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But FIA race director Charlie Whiting told Auto Motor und Sport that is not right, “The teams work here with a replacement system, based on our 20 induction loops around the circuit.”
Wolff said Mercedes was also caught off guard by the new ‘virtual safety car’ innovation that morphed into a real safety car period, and said the team’s computer “algorithms” therefore got the sums wrong.
“It would be completely wrong to start firing people or looking for the guilty faces in the crowd,” said the Austrian.
Also wrong, said Wolff, is for the media and fans to start launching conspiracy theories – like Daimler chairman Dieter Zetsche, who was in the garage, preferred to see fellow Rosberg win.
“You can believe me,” Wolff insisted, “Mr Zetsche was very unhappy with this particular situation.”
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MERCEDES ON TRACK TO ABIDE TO FOUR ENGINE RULE

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Reigning world champions Mercedes are right on track to master the tough new ‘four engines per driver’ rule in 2015.
There had been moves recently to increase the controversial allocation to five engines, but in truth, dominant Mercedes could probably make do with just three turbo V6 ‘power units’ apiece for Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.
In Monaco, the sixth race of the season, both silver-clad drivers were still using their first units of the 2015 season.
“Some others are already on the fourth,” team chairman Niki Lauda said on German television RTL after Sunday’s Monaco grand prix. “For us it is a super achievement.”
The ‘some’ he is referring to is almost certainly Red Bull, who have had constant problems so far in 2015 with Renault power.
For Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat, ten-place grid penalties for using an unallocated fifth engine are looming.
“I think it’s inevitable that we’re not going to do the rest of the season on one power unit,” team boss Christian Horner admitted.
For Mercedes, however, both Hamilton and Rosberg will have fresh engines for the very first time in 2015 next time out in Canada.
It had also been reported that Ferrari might have new engines in Canada — perhaps as the result of having used the first FIA performance ‘tokens’ for the year.
But team boss Maurizio Arrivabene said: “In Canada we will not use the tokens, but do not ask me when, because I don’t want the Germans (Mercedes) to know!”
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