489 replies to this topic

[F1 Engineer]

Didn't seem to be a thread for this, have to say an exciting race as a spectator, exactly what most F1 personnel do not want, however, especially if you're not towards the back end of the grid. Watching the timing screen from home and the race on TV (and a private team feed) was one of thos most nerve-wracking things I've done - I'd say its on par with actually being in the paddock.

You can't really fault many people today, but I have to give my man of the race badge to Adrian Sutil, not because I think he did the best job, necessarily (although I think he was definitely in contention for that), but because of the heart-break he must be going through!

What are your thoughts?

[Spunout]

Excellent race

[pRy]

When/where do they weigh the drivers after the race at Monaco, or do they not do that here? I didn't see anyone weighed before the podium celebrations?

[F1 Engineer]

Originally posted by pRy
When/where do they weigh the drivers after the race at Monaco, or do they not do that here? I didn't see anyone weighed before the podium celebrations?

They do weigh them at some point, I'm not sure of the exact schedule of post-race scrutineering, however. If they didn't weigh them then we'd all be "bending the rules" .

[femi]

Originally posted by F1 Engineer
Didn't seem to be a thread for this, have to say an exciting race as a spectator, exactly what most F1 personnel do not want however.

What are your thoughts?

The Mclaren is certainly the fastest car out there. They qualified so close to the Ferraris and were much more heavily fuelled.

The Mclaren speed was evident to me judging by how LH came 3rd on a 3 stop strategy during the last race; a race that Kova would have won if things had not gone wrong for him.

Mclaren are looking very good for the championship this year at leat the WDC.

[molive]

The race was entertaining, and Hamilton a deserving winner, but I cannot feel good about a lottery/gambling match. Timing and luck clearly decided the race for Hamilton, who hit the wall and had to change a tire and still lucked back into contention because of the SC.

Kubica was real good, well deserved 2nd. The guy makes Nick (whom I rate highly) looks foolish.

Barrichello gets somes points, finally! :up:

Massa, deserved better, but closes the gap to the top of the table, and should get the lead in Canada!

[ensign14]

As usual, no grip + zero room for error = excellent, splendid race where they really earn their money.

And the astonishing retardedness of the safety car rules was really brought into focus. Force 1ndia lose a great finish because Raikkonen is allowed to close from 8 seconds back into smearing Sutil's rear wing.

Clear that the Ferrari is way above the McLaren, as when the car advantage is wiped out suddenly they're a little bit floundering.

[ensign14]

Originally posted by molive
The race was entertaining, and Hamilton a deserving winner, but I cannot feel good about a lottery/gambling match. Timing and luck clearly decided the race for Hamilton, who hit the wall and had to change a tire and still lucked back into contention because of the SC.

The first safety car didn't gain him 40 seconds over everyone else.

[santori]

Fantastic from Sutil. Bloody hell.

Fantastic from Robert.

Lewis is a great driver. And also a bit of a smug bastard.

Massa can be superb in the rain.

Very good from Vettel and Webber.

Not good from Fernando or Nico.

Very bad from Kimi.

Nick unlucky to be clouted by FA as well as being slower than Robert. Did he also make a mistake?


What was happening in the Ferrari pits? And what was happening in the McLaren and BMW pits under the safety car?

[JensonWDC]

Originally posted by femi


The Mclaren is certainly the fastest car out there. They qualified so close to the Ferraris and were much more heavily fuelled.

Have you even watched the race?

[HONDA FANATIC]

canada is going to be all Ferrari dominance ;)

[Coral]

Well I thought it was a fantastic race. Great win for Lewis Hamilton...apart from the early mistake, he kept his head when all around were losing theirs...I love wet races...especially at Monaco!

What on earth has happened to Kimi though? Complete disaster for him today, and poor Adrian Sutil paid the penalty. Kimi does seem to be off form these days...has Massa's superior race pace/qualifying performance affected him psychologically? The ways things are going I can see the WDC being between Hamilton and Massa...

Well done too Kubica, Webber...and Vettel!

[gaston_foix]

A big to Sutil and Kubica. Kubica deserved the win, and because of SC he lost.

Also good race for Massa and Hammi.

Loosers of the race Kimi and Alonso

[Will]

Originally posted by molive
:

Massa, deserved better, but closes the gap to the top of the table, and should get the lead in Canada!

Massa certainly did well though Hamilton extended his advantage on him so I'm not quite sure about closing the gap ;)

[F1 Engineer]

Originally posted by femi


The Mclaren is certainly the fastest car out there. They qualified so close to the Ferraris and were much more heavily fuelled.

The Mclaren speed was evident to me judging by how LH came 3rd on a 3 stop strategy during the last race; a race that Kova would have won if things had not gone wrong for him.

Mclaren are looking very good for the championship this year at leat the WDC.

Lewis came 2nd in Turkey, not 3rd. And he was on the fastest strategy for McLaren, though, yes, it was probably not as optimal as a normal 2 stop, but more optimal than the 2 stop suggested by Bridgestone.

I don't necessarily agree with your conclusions though, I think Ferrari and McLaren are very close, but would give the nod to Ferrari at this moment.

[thuGG]

Hamilton, how did he get there??
Kubica, not a singe mistake, very fast.
Massa, solid, he can drive in wet.
Sutil, it makes me sad, (almost) wonderful race for him,
Kimi, i'm dissapointed, he's one of my favouirets, but...
Webber,

[Pikku Pakkanen]

Both World Champions , Alonso and Kimi, were absolutely rubbish today.

Hamilton was lucky, he crashed into the wall at the perfect moment. It would have been a perfect time to pit and fill the tank anyway.

[femi]

Originally posted by JensonWDC



Have you even watched the race?

Yes I did. LH was way behind when he (Massa) pitted. LH overtook him in the pits and extended the advantage massively.

Mass was even holding Kubica back or didn't you notice?

[Digitaldrug]

Hamilton- Very lucky but made the most of it.

Massa- Flying in the wet and deserved to win.

Kimi- Totally pathetic performance. No speed in the wet plus multiple mistakes. Massa destroyed him in the wet. Hes gettign worse.

Alonso- Sloppy performance but he had nothing to lose and just went for it. If Heidfeld had not been so slow and pathetic, Alonso could have scored some good points today.

[JazH]

Hamilton lucky

Massa was good and unlucky
Kubica
Sutil

Kimi What is going on? Mid-season blues, except real kimi to appear at Britain/France.

Ferrari tactics were abysmal, late tire change on Kimi, late tire changes during the race cost them lots of slow laps. Ferrari ruined a very good situation with their tactics.

[mclarensmps]

I was expecting the rain to provide a safety car fest, but we only got two. Safety car rules are pretty sketchy, they definitely have to review them.

Drivers of the race for me: Sutil, Kubica, Vettel, Webber, and Hamilton, in that order.

Kimi was nowhere until he hit Sutil, then he found some pace from god knows where. I found that strange.

Kovalainen cannot buy a break, I feel bad for him, I really would like him to win his first race soon :.

Listening to Alonso's car to pit radio was fun as well!

Interesting to hear Massa say, in the press conference that Ferrari just completely botched up the strategies this time around.

[primer]

A lottery, but one that was fun to watch. No points should be awarded for Monaco though, just doesn't seem fair because so much depends on luck. :

Almost everyone made error(s). Ferrari though were the only team who had the honor of winning a penalty for their own driver

Massa was looking so good, but then he went off and from that point completely lost his pace. It is things like this which will make sure that he never wins a WDC.

Fernando too was looking decent till that incident at hairpin.

Nelson Piquet

Top four drivers are now sperated by only 4(?) points. Fair enough, Kubica isn't gonna win the WDC, but it makes for a close contest. Ferrari have two drivers who are taking points away from each other, and Mclaren are totally focused on Lewis since Heikki is now on 15 points to Lewis' 38.

Oh yes, Vettel was anonymous and got a bunch of points.

[Cheap Wine Alesi]

Originally posted by ensign14

The first safety car didn't gain him 40 seconds over everyone else.

Without the first SC, LH would never have won, or even finished 2nd

[Galko877]

Great race.

Big thumbs up for Lewis and Felipe.

I'm especially delighted by Massa's performance because of Lewis we knew he is kind of a Monaco specialist, as well as McLaren as a car. I hope it's not very pre-mature to say it but Felipe is starting to drive like somebody who could win the title. Why not? It's very impressive to see how he overcomes his demons one by one. Monaco, rain - I was worried for him. Instead he gave an impressive performance. Well done, Felipe! You are in the race!

And although I'm supporting Ferrari I don't mind McLaren's success here. It was always going to be a McLaren track and if Ferrari would have won even here it could have turned intoa a boring Championship. Now it gives a boost to the McLaren team and it promises to be exciting again.

Edit: Oh, and sorry to forget Kubica. I shouldn't have. He is fantastic! Quick, consistent, what else you need to win a title? I think BMW too has a driver who is capable to win it. Now, they only need the car. Maybe next year.

[Alfisti]

- Hamilton, luckiest driver on the grid. Was fast but was REWARDED for binning it

- STUPID SC rule allowing all lapped cars to pass, it's just mesmerisingly STUPID. The very leasta driver in front can expect is the buffer of a car or two after being well in front.

- Sutil was ROBBED because of the above STUPID SC situation.

- Alonso and Rosberg again showing they can get impatient and flustered easily

- Great drives Kubica, Sutil, Vettel and

A quick plug for Webber ...

- I thought he got a **** start but some of that was due to the massive fuel load, jesus he was heavy
- Fast with a full fuel load
- Mega fast as the track dried a tad
- Not so much as a twitch from the car as those around him binned it and buried it (apart from Kubica and Sutil)
- Didn't panic when Alonso had full wets on and was really fast for a bit
- Didn't panic when Alonso nudged Button
- Was ROBBED by the need to come in just that 4 or 5 laps before it was time for drys
- Was ROBBED by hitting traffic just before he pitted, allowing Sutil to close from 11 seconds to 3 seconds
- Was ROBBED as Kimi pops out JUST in front of him (due to the early move to drys) as he was catching Sutil at 4 seconds a lap!

Super drive.

[Crafty]

Lewis was lucky with the Safety car, but he did make the most of it - the SC did not put him 40 seconds in front. He then pulled out a small lead until the finish. Driving consistently faster than the guys behind him, most of it with more fuel on board he constantly found the grip.
Heikki was really strong today, he gets more confident and faster with every single mile, I ddn't really rate im last year but I am impressed.
Kubica drove an excellent race, BMW just need to give him a bit more.
Massa did okay until mid distance and then just faded.
Kimi, the less said the better but hes quickly going the way of Montoya.
I think Rosberg had his moments, the accident was a shame.

[ashnathan]

i love this track. its my favourite race. i loved this race. i love mclaren.

[JensonWDC]

Originally posted by femi


Yes I did. LH was way behind when he (Massa) pitted. LH overtook him in the pits and extended the advantage massively.

Mass was even holding Kubica back or didn't you notice?

Raikkonen pitted one lap before Kovalainen, so nothing with "they qualified so close with much more fuel".
It´s very likely that Hamilton would have been to the pits before Kovalainen, as the later always gets the heavier strategy.
Both teams were more than even in qualifying and also in the race. Massa was fastest in wet conditions, Hamilton in mixed to dry and Raikkonen in full dry conditions.

[HoldenRT]

This race was epic and one for the ages. Maybe this race shutup some of the old timers who think that the old drivers are so much better then the new. These cars (engines) aren't even designed to with no TC, and yet there were still more finishers here then wet races in the past.

It's frustrating when top drivers in good cars can make mistakes, damage the car and still come out infront of most others who haven't made a mistake who are in traffic. But then they were so much quicker maybe they deserved that.

Lewis, despite mistake fantastic.. It was the luckiest mistake I have ever seen but his pace in the middle stint deserved the win.
Massa, only a minor error here or there running wide... good drive
Kubica, led the race
Webber, Vettel, Rubens For Webber it was Fuji in reverse..
Sutil I hope Kimi gets some kind of punishment that was one of the most heartbreaking things ever! Will he donate the millions to Force India that he cost them?
Kimi, lots of mistakes.. not much else to say.. wasn't even that quick.. Sutil was ahead of him on merit
Alonso Too erratic, one of his worst ever drives
DC, Nico, Glock, Piquet, Bordais, Button :
Heidfeld was unlucky but was also very slow :
Heiki Made a stupid mistake and hit Button, but was robbed of a decent race before the lights even went green

Everyone who finished today did an amazing job. Congrats to Lewis.

[Cheap Wine Alesi]

I don`t know what was up with Kimi, that was just wrong what was going on with him on track today.

Webber

[SevenTwoSeven]

Originally posted by molive
The race was entertaining, and Hamilton a deserving winner, but I cannot feel good about a lottery/gambling match. Timing and luck clearly decided the race for Hamilton, who hit the wall and had to change a tire and still lucked back into contention because of the SC.

As someone said, luck doesnt build you a huge gap to 2nd like he did - maybe this will stop some of the constant and frankly boring repetitive bashing that goes on here, but im sure many will find reasons to knock both McLaren and Hamilton despite a cracking race. Yes he hit the barrier, but who didnt beside Kubica and Sutil and Massa (still he went off!)?

The ferraris clearly didnt have the pace when it matterd.

[boost]

kimi nuff said.

Webber best finish

[skonks]

fantastic race!!!
all the task about how difficult it would be without the TC it turned to be pretty much useless.
"proven" "rain masters" got owned today

master performance by:
Sutil
Baridiculos

great performance by:
Webber
Massa
Vettel
Kubica

very lucky, but good race for Hamilton

bad race for:
Batton -
Fred - I got the impression he thought that today he was "god"
I could "bet" that Ferrari's pit crew from today was the same one from Hungary 06
Kimster - are you sure he was driving today? Unfortunately he also did a One Problem maneuver that ****ed Sutil's race

crash business as usual for:
gran`pa DC
Piket

I was expecting more from Fussikiler

[Torch]

Good show by Hamilton, Kubica, and Sutil. EDIT - and Webber/RB!

Hamilton was lucky with first SC, but still deserved the win IMO. Even with a lot of fuel on board he didn;t lose much time to Massa and then pulled out a huge margin.

Massa looked slow and inconsistent at times. Was lucky to have an off without damage as well.

KR - no comment

Originally posted by Digitaldrug
If Heidfeld had not been so slow and pathetic, Alonso could have scored some good points today.

Alonso looked very impressive at times, but made too many mistakes today to deserve good points.

[Digitaldrug]

Originally posted by SevenTwoSeven


As someone said, luck doesnt build you a huge gap to 2nd like he did - maybe this will stop some of the constant and frankly boring repetitive bashing that goes on here, but im sure many will find reasons to knock both McLaren and Hamilton despite a cracking race. Yes he hit the barrier, but who didnt beside Kubica and Sutil and Massa (still he went off!)?

The reason he was able to build the big lead was because of the extra fuel he was given after he smashed into the barrier. He was quick but helped by luck. Like winning at poker.

[Torch]

Originally posted by Digitaldrug


The reason he was able to build the big lead was because of the extra fuel he was given after he smashed into the barrier. He was quick but helped by luck. Like winning at poker.

Why didn't Massa pull out a big margin on LH when he was full with fuel?

[OSX]

Originally posted by Cheap Wine Alesi
I don`t know what was up with Kimi, that was just wrong what was going on with him on track today.

I seriously think that there was something wrong with his car today. His lack of speed can't really be explained otherwise, especially in the early part of the race.

[Yellowmc]

Opinions sway quickly among a lot of you.

Good race for Webber and Barrichello.

Congratulations to Lewis but I thought Kubica deserved to win after a faultless performance.

[molive]

Originally posted by Crafty
Lewis was lucky with the Safety car, but he did make the most of it

No, he was lucky to hit the wall exactly when he had to pit anyway.

Originally posted by Crafty
Massa did okay until mid distance and then just faded.

Wrong tires at the wrong time dude, that was simply it.

[bankoq]

HOW THE HELL DRIVER WHO LOST HIS WHEEL WON MONACO GP?

It shouldn't be like that, you can't be the "King of Monaco" when you lose your wheel...

Kubica didn't make even the smallest mistake, and look at the others: Lewis lost his wheel, Felipe lost the car & had quite a lot of luck, Kimi... was just horrible. RK really deserved to win today.

Sutil was also fanatastic, he stayed out of trouble & also didn't make any mistake in these difficult conditions.

Sorry Lewis, but Robert and Adrian are the real "Kings of Monaco " 2008

[MichaelPM]

Hamilton Did the job but it wasent anything special to have everything perfect like that. First Monaco win and clearly means alot to him so congrats

Kubica Looked very stable out there, not sure if it was the car but he did a very very solid job and managed to get the best of the Ferrari's

Massa good start tot he race and was as far as I know mistake free.

Webber kept in there and got the best he could.

Vettel just like Webber really

Rubens beating Hamiltons times while Allen was too busy creaming himself over Hamiltons pace over mass

Heikki unlucky

Kimi ...only thing I could say would be a swear word so i'll just refrain and say

Alonso very unlucky and should not have got so frustrated behind slower people, should have let the race come to him even if there was nothing to lose. Fantastic radio communications, really shows his strong point and why Renault or any other team would love to have such a driver.

Button people expected alot more from him i'm sure so it was a slightly poor effort.

Glock how he spun so much without taking some wheels off is pretty impressive

Trulli I cant say I saw him at all in the race

Heidfeld bad weekend and was taking a bit too many liberties with defending position when he was painfully slow

Sutil Man of the race and unluckiest man of the race, he atleast got some attention for a better driver later on maybe.

Rosberg was unlucky like Alonso but when he was able to show his stuff it was great to watch

[Fatgadget]

Who again was that who said you need to be on pole to win at Monaco?

...And that it's a processional race??

[sopa]

Kimi and Alonso - arguably two of the best drivers are useless in the wet without TC. Actually they are the worst drivers on the grid.

/irony mode if someone took it seriously/

[rad787]

Originally posted by Crafty
Lewis was lucky with the Safety car, but he did make the most of it - the SC did not put him 40 seconds in front. He then pulled out a small lead until the finish. Driving consistently faster than the guys behind him, most of it with more fuel on board he constantly found the grip.
Heikki was really strong today, he gets more confident and faster with every single mile, I ddn't really rate im last year but I am impressed.
Kubica drove an excellent race, BMW just need to give him a bit more.
Massa did okay until mid distance and then just faded.
Kimi, the less said the better but hes quickly going the way of Montoya.
I think Rosberg had his moments, the accident was a shame.

It's obvious you did not know that when Massa first pit, they fueled him TO THE END of the race, and on his second stop he only changed tyres. Which is the wrong strategy considering he will still stop another time, he needed a light car for Lewis not to build a gap to him. But they didn't. Read first before you start posting. Ferrari is the fastest car out there. Lewis will not have won without the first SC.

[snx843]

You need a little luck in the conditions...

[Ricardo F1]

Hamilton got a break but his pace was astonishing. Pulling a 40 second gap on Massa and Kubica and it seemed effortless for him. Awesome drive. Big thumbs up for Massa as well, he performed fantastically yesterday and today. Kimi - what the hell can you say? Ferrari stuff him with their stupidity in not getting the tyres on, but frankly he was totally out of sorts. Hitting Sutil was unfortunate for Adrian who was doing fantastic, my heart goes out to him. Webber, Vettel, Rubens and Kubica drove great.

[femi]

Originally posted by F1 Engineer

Lewis came 2nd in Turkey, not 3rd. And he was on the fastest strategy for McLaren, though, yes, it was probably not as optimal as a normal 2 stop, but more optimal than the 2 stop suggested by Bridgestone.

I don't necessarily agree with your conclusions though, I think Ferrari and McLaren are very close, but would give the nod to Ferrari at this moment.

Let's wait and see what happens at Montreal. I still think it would have been a Mclaren 1,2 if KOVA hadn't a problem. I still think that Mclaren has erased the advantage that Ferrari had over them and have pulled away from BMW as well.

[Clatter]

Originally posted by Digitaldrug
Hamilton- Very lucky but made the most of it.

Massa- Flying in the wet and deserved to win.

Kimi- Totally pathetic performance. No speed in the wet plus multiple mistakes. Massa destroyed him in the wet. Hes gettign worse.

Alonso- Sloppy performance but he had nothing to lose and just went for it. If Heidfeld had not been so slow and pathetic, Alonso could have scored some good points today.

If Massa was so deserving of the win, why didnt he come closer after the last SC? He was slower than both LH and RK, so if he was flying they must have been super-sonic.

[SchuOz]

Originally posted by sopa
Kimi and Alonso - arguably two of the best drivers are useless in the wet without TC. Actually they are the worst drivers on the grid.

/irony mode if someone took it seriously/

May have been due to dry set-ups.

[primer]

Originally posted by Alfisti
STUPID SC rule allowing all lapped cars to pass, it's just mesmerisingly STUPID. The very leasta driver in front can expect is the buffer of a car or two after being well in front.

The SC thing needs rethinking, it must be very confusing for drivers as well what with the cars overtaking under SC and a solitary blue collared hand waving out of the SC window, urging them to overtake the car. Team radios saved the day, but it looks amateurish. There has to be a better way.