[deetjohn]

Round 6

The Monaco Grand Prix needs little introduction - the exceptional location of glamour, prestige and lot of steel.



Nico' home GP and he is the center of attention as he is very strong here. Can make it 3/3 race wins this weekend for Mercedes.


This time, last year. Jules Bianchi scored Marussia's first and only points in F1.


Weather
Weather forecasts for the Monaco Grand Prix indicate wet conditions for the first track action today with more potentially to follow. Periodic rain and sunny spells are expected throughout the first day of practice, which uniquely is held on Thursday. Conditions in the morning could be quite unpleasant, with strong winds expected, though this should pass before second practice.

The forecast for the rest of the weekend is more uncertain at this early stage, but the possibility of further showers which could interfere with qualifying on Saturday or the race on Sunday remains.

And time for some V10 action with Michael! That engine sounds glorious. Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpxUEZ4CJQ4

The race weekend is slowly kicking into gear, will add more details as they come in due time.

[zenren]

Here are the TV schedules:

Channels Star Sports 4 & HD4

FP1 - 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM
FP2 - 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
FP3 - 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM

Qual- 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM

Race- 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM

Wet weekend in Monaco would be very interesting. I'm not sure how many safety cars we should expect if it is a wet race. I'm expecting that it would be crash-fest starting FP1 if it rains.

On a side note, Alonso or Button might get McLaren-Honda their first points this time considering how good both these drivers are in wet conditions. I just hope the newbies don't take them out on their way to the barriers.

[Fullrevs]

Hamilton signs three year deal with Mercedes

Reigning World Champion Lewis Hamilton has agreed a new three-year deal to remain with Mercedes until the end of the 2018 season, it was announced ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix on Wednesday.

Hamilton joined Mercedes from McLaren on a three-year deal at the start of 2013, before going on to secure the 2014 crown with the Brackley-based squad.

Hamilton's contract talks had been an ongoing discussion point across the opening part of 2015 but ahead of this weekend's prestigious race around the streets of the Principality, Mercedes confirmed that Hamilton had extended his deal with the team.

"Mercedes is my home and I couldn't be happier to be staying here for another three years," said Hamilton.

"This is a company filled with real passionate racers, from the board room to the factory floor, and an incredible hunger to win.

"Even after the success of last year, that hunger is greater than ever - and it's the same for me, too. The Mercedes car I am driving right now is the best I have ever had in my career; it's just so much fun to be out there every weekend, on the limit and fighting to win at every track.

"Mercedes-Benz began supporting me in 1998 so I am very proud that this contract means I will mark 20 years with Mercedes in 2018."

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff added that Hamilton is a valuable asset to the squad.

"Continuity is one of the key factors for delivering success in Formula 1 and we now have that in place," he said.

"Lewis enjoyed an historic World Championship season with Mercedes-Benz last year and it was a priority for this season to renew his contract for the next term. We have taken the right amount of time with the process and not rushed ourselves.

"The result is a strong agreement that will enhance Lewis' association with the Mercedes-Benz brand, and that recognises and respects the market value of Lewis and of Mercedes in Formula One. Lewis' sporting track record speaks for itself and he is a great personality for the company."

Source: GPUpdate

Love watching this race on TV and if it rains, its going to be a bit of a lottery. Any performance deficits to the Mercedes should be minimized and I hope someone will get in the mix and beat the Silver Arrows. Its been a very long time since Ferrari has won this race. Here's hoping Kimi or Vettel can win this weekend.

[jfxavier]

Here are the latest statistics concerning Power unit component usage ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix weekend. Reliability is the key to avoid penalties during this weekend, where overtaking is rare.

ICE - Internal Combustion Engine
TC - Turbo Charger
MGU-K - Motor Generator Energy-Kinetic
MGU-H - Motor Generator Energy-Heat
ES - Energy Store
CE - Control Electronics


Whilst Mercedes and Ferrari are well within the requirements, both Renault and Honda are already nearing the maximum allowed without a grid penalty, which could prove vital in their fight for points come the end of the season.
Should a driver use a fifth component for the first time, they will be hit with a ten-place grid penalty. A five-place penalty will be applied to any fifth component after that and so on.

[gpa]

Is there a link to watch this race online? I recall those being posted on earlier threads but none of those links work now.

Thanks,
gpa

[Fullrevs]

Practise 1 times:
1. L. Hamilton Mercedes 01:18.750 49
2. M. Verstappen Toro Rosso 01:18.899 42
3. D. Ricciardo Red Bull 01:19.086 27
4. S. Vettel Ferrari 01:19.134 31
5. C. Sainz Jr. Toro Rosso 01:19.245 40
6. P. Maldonado Lotus 01:19.454 35
7. D. Kvyat Red Bull 01:19.520 33
8. K. Raikkonen Ferrari 01:19.679 31
9. N. Rosberg Mercedes 01:19.762 47
10. F. Massa Williams 01:19.766 32
11. F. Alonso McLaren 01:19.791 28
12. J. Button McLaren 01:20.202 15
13. R. Grosjean Lotus 01:20.274 34
14. S. Perez Force India 01:20.619 35
15. N. Hulkenberg Force India 01:20.784 34
16. F. Nasr Sauber 01:20.857 24
17. V. Bottas Williams 01:20.917 36
18. M. Ericsson Sauber 01:21.219 25
19. W. Stevens Manor 01:23.234 28
20. R. Merhi Manor 01:23.404 31

Originally Posted by deetjohn

Nico' home GP and he is the center of attention as he is very strong here. Can make it 3/3 race wins this weekend for Mercedes.

Hamilton has also moved to Monaco now. Its where he drives his very exotic car collection and also saves a huge amount of money in taxes.

Thanks so much for that video deetjohn. It was a real treat to watch. The sound, the look of the car....I really miss the good ole days. Schumacher was just so smooth behind the wheel, minimal steering inputs and corrections. I dont think anyone was as subtle in the cockpit as he was.

Also seemed to notice that in 2004 manual gear shifts didnt exist.

[jfxavier]

FP1 completed without any major incidents.
Friday is a "quiet day" in Monaco so they have to do it on Thursday.
Maybe also not to close the public roads for three consecutive days.
Hamilton topped the timesheets with a lap time set almost halfway through the practice session.
Max Verstappen on the closing minutes posted the 2nd fastest time in the session on his debut Monaco weekend.
Lewis Hamilton completed, by practice standards, a mammoth 49 laps in that opening session - less than 30 shy of the full race distance.
Just half a second to choose between the top five, with Toro Rosso the only team to get both their drivers there.

[jfxavier]

FP2 saw less on track action compared to FP1.

The cars were out as soon as possible setting faster times on the super softs as rain was forecast to arrive soon.
Then the first red flag of the day came out when Roberto Merhi in his Manor lost control and hit the wall on the chicane after the exit of the tunnel.
Soon it started to rain and then while everyone else went back and sat out, Lotus sent out Pastor Maldonado on the supersoft tyres and he nearly hit the wall at the hairpin before crawling back into the garage.
No one else wanted to risk the weekend running in the wet track as conditions were forecast to be dry and moderate for the rest of the weekend. On a weekend when the future direction of F1 is at the centre of so much attention, the lack of running in this session will reopen arguments about Practice sessions in wet conditions...

Meanwhile, McLaren won the 'best drying gadgets' competition with the below.

To top it off, Alonso's final effort during the last minutes was in the 1m 36s - faster than almost everyone during the wet conditions bar Kvyat. Obviously the timing sheet shows earlier times set in dry conditions.

[Hatari]

1.1 seconds separated the top 11 drivers during FP1! Nice to see close times, spices things up for quali. But how about some more rain on Saturday. That will do nicely.

[jfxavier]

Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA) wants to know more about you and what you think about the sport. This Global Fan Survey will give us a unique opportunity to understand how drivers, and F1 as a whole, can do more for you.

Here is the link:

http://gpda.motorsport.com/

http://surveys.haymarket.com/s3/GFC-survey-2015

Also, the second link will take you to the survey set up by Autosport, F1 Racing and Motorsport News. Formula 1 enthusiasts are being invited to have their say on the current state of the sport. The results will be presented to senior figures in the F1 paddock next month to gauge their reactions to the survey’s findings.

[GTO]

Deetjohn,

What a video to charge us up for the weekend! Ah, the good old days with Michael. Sure hope rains spice things up. But even if it doesn't, watching the cars in Monaco is entertainment enough. The camera work here is brilliant.

Originally Posted by gpa

Is there a link to watch this race online? I recall those being posted on earlier threads but none of those links work now.

Please note that Team-BHP has a strict stand against piracy. Suggest you take the Star Sports F1 Pack for Rs. 500 - link.

[deetjohn]

Originally Posted by GTO

The camera work here is brilliant.

You can say that again. And one round where qualifying shouldn't be missed.


Strategy Insights

Originally Posted by James Allen

Monaco has the lowest average lap speed of the season at 160 km/h, but it is never short of excitement. As it is so hard to overtake, qualifying is critically important to establish a slot at the front of the grid. The track layout is tight, with no high speed corners and two short straights. Monaco requires a particular technique of driving close to the barriers and this is a venue where a driver can make a real difference. Most drivers do a similar one-stop strategy, usually pitting between laps 27 and 30. With barriers waiting to punish a driving error, there is a very high (80%) chance of a safety car, which can turn a race on its head and hand the advantage to a rival.

And some stunning pics from Thursday!

[jfxavier]

Some drivers are hoping to take advantage of the lack of Thursday practice at Monaco. Running was limited in second practice and none of the drivers were able to complete a lap on the super-soft tyres. The quickest times in qualifying will be set on super-soft tyres, meaning all drivers will have only FP3 to learn how the new design tyres brought by Pirelli are operating ahead of qualifying.

"I don't have the crystal ball to see into the future, but I will try to do my best on Saturday," Alonso said. "The conditions are changing and nobody had the chance to run the super-soft and that is probably good news for us because it will be some kind of unknown situation for everyone in qualifying and we can take advantage of the difficulties for everyone. Let's hope to have a good Saturday and a good grid position."

http://www.espn.co.uk/f1/story/_/id/...e-lack-running

Looking how close the cars are to the barriers at Monaco, one has to be very confident to get the max. out of the car.

[jfxavier]

Free Practice 3:
It was a hard-to read session, as teams ran differently from normal because they had lost much of Thursday's second session, when they do their race preparation work, because of rain. Most of the drivers started the runs on Soft, except for Mercedes and Marussia who went out on Supersofts.
Hamilton looked the fastest for most of the session and set the pace early.
After the first stints, the tyres were switched & almost everyone were on their quick supersoft runs when Kimi hit the barriers at Ste Devote causing a rear puncture & the red flag.
Following the red flag period Hamilton complained that his car did not feel right and he was told that that was probably because his tyre pressures were too high. He was not alone in failing to improve during the final minutes. Most drivers would have felt that they could have done better if they did not have the red flag & the traffic later on, when on a normal weekend the drivers would be simulating qualifying.
For example, McLaren's Alonso, who had been fourth quickest when the session was stopped, did several laps on the 'super-soft' tyres without improving his time and slipped down to 14th. His team-mate Button, who had been a couple of tenths slower than Alonso when the session was stopped, did improve and ended the session eighth fastest, raising McLaren's hopes that their pace is ok.
Here are the FP3 timings:

[jfxavier]

Lewis Hamilton will start this weekend’s Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco 2015 from the front of the grid after claiming his first F1 pole position at the circuit on Saturday. He will be lining up ahead of his team mate Nico Rosberg and the Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel on the grid. It was an excellent session for Red Bull, with Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat taking fourth and fifth respectively, ahead of the Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen and the Force India of Sergio Perez who delivered the surprise as promised by his team. The Toro Rossos of Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen are behind him, split by Lotus’s Pastor Maldonado.

The order could have looked different had it not been for the yellow flags caused in Q2 due to Rosberg at Ste Devote while quite a few Q3 hopefulls were on their quick laps.

The final grid will look slightly different as Romain Grosjean has a 5 place grid penalty for a gearbox change and Sainz will have to start the race from the pit lane after missing a mandatory invitation to the FIA weighbridge.

http://www.formula1.com/content/fom-...naco-pole.html

Qualifying timings for Monaco: