Issue 202

ONLINE AROUND THE WORLD ON F1 GP MONDAYS >> ISSUE 202 >> MONDAY MAY 26 2014
WEEK
F1 >> MotoGP
.com
"Money not the
issue" as Marquez
re-signs for two
MotoGP
Rosberg prevails,
Hamilton grumpy
as it gets
personal
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OPENING SHOT
Monaco Grand Prix
May 25, 2014
Photographer: Dom Romney, Sutton Images
Camera: Nikon D4
Shot at 24mm, 1/1000 sec f/10
OPENING SHOT
Monaco Grand Prix
May 25, 2014
Photographer: Mark Sutton, Sutton Images
Camera: Nikon D4
Shot at 500mm, 1/1000 sec f/7.1
OPENING SHOT
Monaco Grand Prix
May 25, 2014
Photographer: Dom Romney, Sutton Images
Camera: Nikon D4
Shot at 130mm, 16400 sec f/7.1
OPENING SHOT
Monaco Grand Prix
May 25, 2014
Photographer: Mark Sutton, Sutton Images
Camera: Nikon D4
OPENING SHOT
Monaco Grand Prix
May 25, 2014
Photographer: Emily Davenport, Sutton Images
Camera: Nikon D4
Having vented at team-mate Nico
Rosberg after insisting hed lost pole due
to Rosbergs qualifying error at Mirabeau,
Lewis Hamilton wasnt happy with the
Mercedes teams strategy call when a
second Safety Car was called at lap 25 of
yesterdays Monaco Grand Prix.
Lewis believes his side of the garage
should have reacted quicker and called him in
a lap earlier than most of the feld pitted:
"When I was at McLaren we had two
strategists and the strategy from my
strategist was to get the best overall result
for me," Lewis told Sky Sports F1 afterwards.
"Unfortunately we have one overall
strategist, and he's amazing, but
unfortunately the role in the team is that he
has to look out for the number one (leader of
the race) and the guy in second has to come
second. I knew from the get-go that I had
a lesser opportunity to win the race and I
needed a miracle to win at a track like this.
"An opportunity occurred where I could
have come in. When I was at McLaren, l
would have been pulled in on that lap
and that may have given me the smallest
advantage to get the jump over the Safety
Car. But I'll work it out with the team.
In these races, you need to grab every
opportunity you can. The start was gone,
I was closing up and then the Safety Car
came out and really after that there was no
opportunity."
Added to Saturdays qualifying controversy,
it was a restrained Hamilton who dealt with
post-race media commitments, having
avoided any form of team-mate love-fest in
the post-race prizegiving area.
As Niki Lauda himself hinted, his
mentoring role will need to be at its best as
the team moves on to Canada.
The ongoing rivalry between the two
drivers continued throughout the Monaco
weekend, with some strong words being
said then dismissedby the pair.
Prior to Monaco, Hamilton was attributed
with a quote that suggested he wanted
it more than his teammate, because of
his poor background (as opposed to
Rosbergs privileged upbringing in Monaco).
Then there was a report in the German
media suggesting that Rosberg thought that
Hamilton is susceptible to cracking under
sustained pressure.
After their ffth 1-2 fnish in a row, both
drivers stepped away from their remarks.
That is defnitely very very far from
anything that Ive ever said and ever would
say, said Rosberg. Defnitely not and Ive
known Lewis for many many years and hes
always been strong, among other things
mentally, so Im defnitely not expecting him
to crack any time soon."
The BBC had reported prior to the race
that Hamilton, who appeared to be more
than upset that he had to abort his last-
minute attempt at pole after Rosberg
went up an escape road, would handle the
situation as Ayrton Senna might.
I dont know if Senna and Prost talked
about it, but I quite liked the way Senna dealt
with that so Ill take a page out of his book!
After the race, his tone was far less
antagonistic;
I cant really remember to be honest. I
think it was just a joke. Obviously I didnt.
The tension is defnitely building
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AND NICO'S NOT GOING ANYWHERE
Whatever friction there is between
Mercedes-Benzs two Grand Prix
drivers looks set to last at least two
more years, with reports that Nico
Rosberg has a new two-year deal
with the team.
Prior to the Monaco GP, there
were reports that the deal had
been signed, and while declining to
confrm the length of the contract,
a Mercedes spokesperson did say:
We have long-term relationships
with both of our drivers.
Rosberg is in the midst of his ffth
season with the team after joining
what had been BrawnGP for the
2010 season. He currently leads the
Drivers World Championship with
two wins, compared to four for
teammate Lewis Hamilton.
Adrian Neweys decision to stick
with Red Bull Racing and not go
to Ferrari may be partially fuelled
by a desire to take Britain to the
top of world sailing.
The technical ace behind Red
Bulls all-conquering cars is thought
to be considering a role with a
British bid to win the Americas Cup
in 2017. British sailor and four-time
Olympic Gold Medalist Ben Ainslie
is heading the bid to bring the Cup
to Britain for the frst time.
Newey is reported to have
knocked back an offer of almost
US$40 million to move to Maranello.
If accurate, that would be more
than double what he is believed to
earn at RBR.
Ferraris new team principal
Marco Mattiacci said last week that
he had had no conversations with
Newey, which would appear to
indicate that any Ferrari offer would
have had to have come from Ferrari
President Luca di Montezemolo.
RBR team boss Christian Horner
will be relieved that Newey has
committed himself to the team for
the foreseeable future, though a
sabbatical to take in some marine
design work, or a downsizing of
Neweys role to accommodate a
second sporting challenge, would
appear to be an option.
at
BriEFly
Bernie Ecclestone made
it to Monaco in spite of bad health.
Ecclestone, 83, was excused from
appearing in court in Munich last
week after his `s defence team
presented judge Peter Noll with a
doctor`s certificate confirming an
illness. Ecclestone is accused of
bribing German banker Gerhard
Gribkowsky with US$44 million to
ensure BayernLB sold its shares to
CVC Capital Partners
The Canadian GP will be
the first to feature Pirellis revised
tyres. The Italian maker announced
a modification to its runner after
some teams made four stops at
Barcelona.
Lewis Hamiltons
Monaco assault got off to a late
start on Thursday when he arrived
in the pitlane after the first Practice
session had started. His excuse? He
over-slept
Lotus driver Pastor
Maldonado has affirmed that his
seat is safe, in spite of recent
comments from Venezuelas new
sports minister Antonio Alvarez
recently stating there will not
be another dollar for motorsport.
Maldonado told PA Sport; PDVSA
is not my sponsor, they are a
team sponsor, and they follow
me wherever I go. I have a good
relationship with them as we have
been working for a very long time
together, maybe 10 years. I dont
see any reason for that to stop, but if
they do then it is not my decision.
Stoffel Vandoorne is the
latest driver to qualify for his Formula
1 Superlicence. The ART GP2 driver
replaced Jenson Button at the post-
Barcelona F1 test and completed 136
laps without a problem.
NEWEY STAYS TOO
Could the man to lead the new
partnership between McLaren
and Honda be Fernando Alonso?
That was one of the more
intriguing rumours swirling at
Monaco, with suggestions that the
Spaniard was being targeted by his
former team to sign on for 2015.
McLaren team boss Ron Dennis
told the Italian media that he
was open to the idea of having
the double World Champion
back, despite of the pairs fery
relationship when Alonso was a
McLaren driver in 2007.
Fernando would be welcome
back at McLaren, he said.
Youre surprised that Im talking
about Fernando? I dont have any
problem -- the most important thing
is for us to win again.
In 2015 we have the Honda
engine and we need a great driver.
Alonso is believed to have a
deal with Ferrari that includes
next season, but which has a
performance-based exit clause
that could be exercised should
the team not meet certain results
targets. With the team currently
far behind MercedesGP and falling
further behind Red Bull, any realistic
performance targets seem a long
way off.
Last week Ferraris Luca di
Montezemolo heaped substantial
praise on Alonso, calling him the
best driver in the world. While
fattering, such praise would be
consistent with the teams previous
attempts to placate drivers who
might be looking outside the team
for a more competitive seat.
Any Alonso-to-McLaren move
would look like bad news for Jenson
Button. With the performance of the
teams new driver Kevin Magnussen
this season impressing many, it
would appear that the Dane has a
future with the team, which may
lead to Button looking elsewhere
for a drive.
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The diffculty in running a
Formula 1 team has been
underlined with reports out of
Malaysia that the Caterham F1
team is for sale.
According to fnancial website The
Edge Malaysia, team owner Tony
Fernandes is looking to fnd a buyer
for his team and his Caterham Cars
concern, and has distributed an
information memorandum among
potential buyers in the Middle East.
The reported asking price for
the companies is in the region of
US$500m.
Fernandes, who own AirAsia,
Tune Hotels and English Premier
League football team Queens Park
Rangers among other business
interests, came into Grand Prix
racing in 2010 after buying what was
then known as Lotus Racing. The
team has not scored a point in four
seasons, and is yet to score one
this year as is Sauber.
Caterhams chances of getting
into the top 10 in the Constructors
Championship this year took a blow
at Monaco when Jules Bianchi
scored two points for fnishing ninth
for the rival Marussia team. Only the
top 10 teams in the Constructors
Championship earn a share of the
teams allocation of FOM money
for the following season.
CATERHAM FOR SALE?
THE MOMENT...
South African Grand Prix, January 2, 1967 this evocative
shot captures Jack Brabham lin typical pose, lighting
up the rears on the Repco Brabham as he begins the
defence of his 1966 world championship crown. Our
tribute to the great man is later in this issue.
(Sutton Images archive 1960-2014. Over 900,000 images
available online for search and print order)
VALENTINO AND
YAMAHA
one more time
Valentino Rossi looks set to see out his MotoGP
career with Yamaha.
The Italian legend told the assembled media at
the French Grand Prix that he was looking forward
to two more years aboard Yamaha M1s.
Sincerely I feel better and I am enjoying it a lot,
to continue to race and to work with Yamaha and
my team, Rossi said.
So my project is to make another contract for
two seasons and I think in the next weeks, during
the next races we will talk with Yamaha in order
to continue.
Rossi seems to have picked a strong moment
to suggest an extension to Yamaha. He has been
comfortably more competitive that teammate
Jorge Lorenzo this season and changes within the
Yamaha team appear to be paying dividends.
If Rossi does complete two more seasons, he
will have ridden in the top category for 17 years.
He is currently in the middle of his ninth season
with Yamaha, and has won 67 GPs in MotoGP, 37
of them on Yamahas.
MICHELIN
BACK TO
MOTOGP
Michelin has won the contract to
supply MotoGP tyres from 2016.
The French company, which
departed the sport in 2008, is
expected t start its tyre test program
mid-next season. According to Dorna,
three companies requested tender
documents but only the French
company submitted an application. The
other companies are believed to be
Dunlop, which is the sole tyre supplier
to Moto2 and Moto3 and Pirelli,
which supplies the Superbike World
Championship.
Our policy of carrying over our
technologies from track to street
fts perfectly with the new technical
regulations which are due to be
introduced in 2016 and which will
dictate the use of 17-inch wheels,
Michelin Motorsports Director Pascal
Couasnon said in a statement.
That is why Michelin decided to
submit a bid following the tender
process instigated by Dorna Sports.
We take this opportunity to thank the
governing bodies for the confdence
they have placed in us today. Their
confdence recognises Michelins
expertise and the 26 Riders world
titles it has secured.
Attention will now turn to how
Michelin will prepare for its return
to the top category. There are
suggestions that Colin Edwards, who
will retire at the end of the season,
may be retained as a test rider. The
Texan, who won both his Superbike
World titles with Michelin, has been
non-committal about a role, but it
would make sense for a rider with
recent experience to become involved.
at
BriEFly
Why did Honda push
to get Marc Marquezs signature
on a new contract? Apart from
the obvious fact that he was won
five races, timing could have
something to do with it. Maybe
Honda did not want him asking
for a private jet. The long-awaited
HondaJet F3, which seats six
passengers plus two pilots, is
currently undergoing FAA testing
before going on the market in Q1
of 2015. Expected price is $US$4.5
million.
There has been a
change to MotoGPs braking
regulations. From Mugello, riders
will be able to choose once again
between running 320mm and
340mm front brake discs on the
front wheel. Previously, 340s had
been made compulsory at Motegi
for safety reasons, but now, they
will be available at all circuits.
Colin Edwards will
have a new chassis at Mugello.
The American will run a revised
Harris frame, as part of Forward
Racing development to have
a new chassis ready for next
season. Aleix Espargaro currently
uses a Yamaha frame, but the
team will not get those in 2015.
The French MotoGP
is staying put. A new deal
guarantees that the race, which
moved to Le Mans in 2000, will
stay at the iconic track until at
least 2021.
HONDA DEAL IS PRICELESS
Marc Marquez is staying a
Honda man for the next three
seasons.
The World Champion signed
a new deal prior to the French
Grand Prix that will keep him
at HRC until at least the end of
the 2016 season. The terms of
the deal were not disclosed but
it is certain that the 21-year-old
is now the best-paid man in the
pitlane.
Im 21 and not looking at
the salary,: said Marquez. My
priority is the performance of the
bike and team.
It is great to have a very
powerful factory behind you. I
am the number one choice of
the factory and if you have the
confdence from a brand as big
as Honda, then this is priceless.
Speculation is now turning to
what Honda will do with its other
bike. Dani Pedrosa has been
linked to Suzuki but suggestions
that his management
overreached by asking for
more than US$10m a season
from the manufacturer. The
latest word is that the Spaniard
wants to see what Honda has
on offer before talking about a
new deal.
The other man that looks to
be a target for Suzuki is Andrea
Iannone. The young Italian has
starred at Pramac Ducati this
season, and has impressed
many. There is a suggestion
that after two seasons on
Ducatis he could be drafted into
Ducati Corse, which is currently
struggling to beat its own
MARQUEZ:
Marc the unbeatable
When Marc Marquez went
from pole to 10th in the frst
few corners of the French
MotoGP it was beginning to
look like his winning streak
would end at four races.
Silly us.
Of course Marquez came
through the feld. Of course he
picked his way past riders, a
Honda here and a Yamaha there,
with precision. And of course he
closed down the gap to leader
Valentino Rossi, pressured him
into a mistake and took the lead.
We just didnt expect him to
do all those things in the frst
half of the race.
Such is the level at which
Marquez in riding this season.
In France, the frst race of the
season at which he looked
like he had full recovered from
the broken leg he suffered
pre-season, he was in a class of
his own.
Rossi won his classifcation
the one for mortals ahead of
Alvaro Bautista, who looked a
different man to the one who
threw his Honda down the
road in the frst three races of
the season. Pol Espargaro was
a brilliant fourth, reminding
everyone that he won the Moto2
title last year. Dani Pedrose was
ffth, which would have been
notable in the circumstances
except he was ahead of Jorge
Lorenzo. The two Spaniards
were, respectively, 4.0s and
5.6s behind their teammates
after 26 laps.
Nicky Hayden was out on
the frst lap after an attack by
Andrea Iannone on the frst lap.
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This issue of GPWEEK comes to you with the support of
Mika Kallio has closed the
Moto2 points lead to Tito
Rabat to just seven points
with a second win of the
season at Le Mans.
The Finn stalked Forward
Racings Simone Corsi early in
the race and once in front, pulled
away to win by 1s. Rabat gave
the Marc VDS team a double
podium fnish with third place.
I started well and immediately
pushed to make a gap, if I could,
but after a few laps I saw that it
wasnt possible, said Kallio.
When Corsi overtook me I
decided to cool down and think
about the best way to fnish the
race.
I learned a few things
following him, then he started
to struggle a little, maybe with
rear grip, so I said, okay, now is
the time to attack. After I found
somewhere to attack I rode the
next few laps at the limit and
when I saw I had a one-second
gap, the last laps were easier,
though of course, its never easy
to win in Moto2.
Maverick Vinales continued his
strong rookie season with fourth
ahead of Pons teammate Luis
Salom. Jonas Folger, who took
pole position, had a low-key ride
to sixth.
It is being called the greatest
race in the history of Moto3
racing with a fnal lap that was
simply enthralling.
Aussie Jack Miller knew that
the Honda of Efren Vasquez was
quicker in a straight line (as were
all the Hondas), so when he lost
the lead on the straight, he took
it right back at the next corner.
Vasquez leaned, Miller leaned
harder and took the win. Alex
Rins took second from frst time
podium fnisher Isaac Vinales.
A clearly unhappy Vasquez was
sixth, and took a swing at the race
winner on the slow-down lap.
Miller shrugged it off and stopped
to do the worm in one of the
tracks run-off areas.
I did to him what he did to me
earlier in the race, Miller said after
the race.
Its always great to win a battle.
(Im) really happy with the way the
bike worked, cant complain about
anything really.
A beautiful race and an
awesome fnish.
Millers main rival in the
Moto3 points table, Romano
Fenati, retired from the race
with electronics problems at
mid-distance, meaning that the
Australian takes a 30-point lead to
Italy this week.
Jack wins thriller
Tally-ho, it's Kallio
What with the anniversary of
Ayrton Senna's death 20 years
ago, the recent passing of Jack
Brabham and the fatal accident
which befell the meticulous Ferrari
mechanic Nigel Stepney, May
should have been a sombre month.
While it was only right to mourn
these greats and to offer our
compassion to their families, many
of the memories recounted by those
close to them turned out to have a
humorous side.
McLaren Group CEO Ron Dennis
insisted as long ago as 1990 that
the arrival in the team of Gerhard
Berger had the wonderfully benefcial
effect of making Senna smile. The
leg-pulling and practical joking
certainly forced him to lighten up,
although things sometimes got a bit
out of hand.
One example was the time when
the McLaren crew had taken a break
between the Japanese and Australian
GPs in a resort on the Barrier Reef.
Gerhard somehow got his hands on
various local reptiles and inveigled
them into Ayrton's room.
The unwritten rule of these
incidents, according to Ron, was
that the victim should under no
circumstances show any sign of
consternation about being pranked,
because that would signify that the
trickster had succeeded. Senna
seems to have captured the dozen or
so invading cane toads from in and
under his bed, and casually checked
with Gerhard that he had got them
all.
"Yeah, you got 'em," said the
Austrian joker, to the relief of his
team mate. "But hey," he enquired
as he strolled away, "did you fnd the
snake?"
Then there's the oft-repeated
account of how Ron accepted a
challenge over dinner one evening in
Mexico to scarf down a whole jar of
hot chilies. When Ron frst told me
this story more than a decade ago,
he reported that the wager had been
US$1000, to be paid in cash which
Senna was unable to offer at that
moment because he, like the Queen,
didn't carry such a vulgar thing as
folding money.
Before lifting the fatal teaspoon,
Ron insisted on witnesses being
present to ensure that Senna could
not subsequently avoid coughing up
the cash. However, in his eagerness
to reverse the normal direction of
cashfow involving Senna, he had
failed to anticipate the inevitable.
While swallowing the hot stuff would
be eased with the help of copious
libations of cold water, the process
of elimination next morning was
destined to be hundreds of times
more painful.
When Ron re-told the story to a
group of hacks in March this year,
some of the details were strangely
different. Most importantly, the
amount wagered had increased
ten-fold, to US$10,000. When I put
it to him, McLaren's genial Director
of Communications winked and
suggested that Ron's memory had
taken infation into account. Possibly
so, I confessed, although there are
some of us at the bottom of the F1
money tree to whom US$1000 is still
an enviable sum ...
On BBC Radio 4 last week, Jack
Brabham was the top story on an
obituary programme. Somebody at
the Beeb had had the enormous
good sense to rope in the British
motor racing historian Doug Nye,
Jack's incomparable biographer and
friend, to contribute some memories.
Nye reeled off half a dozen
magnifcent yarns about Jack,
including one about an evening in
a restaurant in Australia at which
Jack took on a one-kilo steak as a
challenge.
Despite being almost 80 at the
time, he accepted and struggled to
the end. Someone then asked him
whether he'd enjoyed it.
'Yeah,' muttered Jack, 'what there
was of it.'
We shall not see his like again.
RIGHT Gerhard Berger brought
a sense of humour into Ayrton
Senna's F1 life ...
HUMOUR FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE
OPINION
O
P
I
N
I
O
N
MIKE
DOODSON
The tension went up with a bang at
the weekend in Monaco, didn't it.
It is clear enough that the 2014
World Drivers Championship
Psychological War is now on,
with Lewis playing the 'poor kid
from nowhere' card to explain
his motivation and desire to win
(compared to Nico's comfortable
Monaco up-bringing), and Nico
responding in his own way via the
German media.
All fairly ho-hum stuff.
But it all went up a huge notch
on Saturday afternoon when Silver
Arrow number six disappeared down
the escape road at Mirabeau.
Was it deliberate? Was Lewis
on his way to a better lap, and
pole? Opinion seems to be divided,
although given the in-car and
extrernal footage available, I'm with
the Stewards. Rosberg was going for
it, overdid it, locked up, tried to scrub
off late speed, but then had to make
the split second call wall or escape
road. He chose wisely.
While he is 'one of them' Germans,
I just don't think he is of quite the
same hard-core do-whatever-it-
takes mentality that defned Michael
Schumacher.
In the end, that might be what
costs him the title, because of the two
of them, I reckon Lewis is the closest
to that take-no-prisoners mentality.
Regardless, having gone into the
weekend swinging psychological
right hooks all over the place, it kinda
backfred on Lewis.
In the end, he appeared to be
starting to believe that the whole
Mercedes team was against him. He
wasn't surprised, he said across the
airwaves, that the team wouldn't take
the gamble and pit him as soon as
the Safety Car-inducing Sutil crash
happened. Really?
Post-race he was super-grumpy. No
handshake that could be seen; single-
line press conference answers. And
he couldn't help a subtle but caustic
reference to Nico's pole-winning
error the day before.
Answering Benedict Cumberbatch's
'Dorothy-Dixer' on world-wide TV: "It's
incredibly thrilling to watch, you were
all incredible out there, the closeness
of the cars "
"Thank you," said Lewis.
"Fortunately we didnt make any
mistakes, so. " he said, leaving it
hanging out there. Touche.
Phew there's one deeply pissed
off dude.
Now I don't know Lewis Hamilton,
but I always thought he was at his
best when relaxed and smiley;
positive, confdent. Either way, this
weekend was a big win for Nico
Rosberg, more than just the 25 points
and a renewed championhip lead.
There's still a long way to go and,
to be honest, I'd still back Lewis to be
the one to pass the other from behind
when it gets heavy, but this weekend
revealed a possible weakness. I think
Lewis believes he can domnate Nico
mentally, but it was his German mate
who looked the most balanced on the
Riviera this week.
Thank goodness. While MotoGP
has become a one-pony, one-man
show thanks to the brilliance of
Marc Marquez, at least this head-to-
head should continue to liven up a
World Championship F1 contest that
is all over as far as anyone else is
concerned. The 2014 World Champion
will either be Lewis Hamilton or Nico
Rosberg; that's a given.
And, as long as Toto and Niki allow
them to fght it out, (ultimately, it's
going to cost some carbon-fbre), it'll
be worth watching.
ABOVE: Lewis ... no 'mistakes' ....
PSYCHOLOGY III PART 6
OPINION
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CHRIS
LAMBDEN
While I wouldnt say no to the
millions of dollars, private jets,
and fve-star lifestyle of a Formula
One driver, one thing I have
learned over the past few years of
working in the sport is that in all
honesty I would hate to be the
one in the cockpit.
Modern celebrity in any form
isnt exactly easy. Sure, the rich
and famous dont have to worry
about the same sort of problems
real human beings do. I cant
imagine many movie stars live
in fear of having their electricity
cut off, and the only reason an F1
driver ever goes to bed hungry
is because hes trying to make
weight for the next race.
But every life has its problems,
and to live in the spotlight of
non-stop publicity looks pretty
dreadful. Photographers stalk you
at every turn, the world waits to
see you stumble in your personal
or professional life so that we can
delight in schadenfreude, and
people like me are paid to read
novels into your body language
and turn them into short pithy
pieces for general consumption.
When I frst fell in love with
Formula One, a major contributing
factor was the core of passion
that runs through the sport.
Paddock people are passionate
about winning, but theyre also
passionate about the sport itself. If
you cant think of anything else to
ask an F1 fgure, start asking about
their favourite historic car, or
tracks they wish were still on the
calendar, and youll get hours and
hours of conversation in response.
These days, however, the
passion that I found so
inspirational has become
something of a dirty word, and
those who dare to show too much
emotion are castigated for doing
so.
Perhaps it was always thus.
Ayrton Sennas era of dominance
pre-dates my involvement in
Formula One, but the since-deifed
(and inarguably talented) Brazilian
was not always the hero he is now
made out to be. Many sections
of the press vilifed him for his
aggressive style when he was
still alive, while many of those
who still work in the sport admit
to having been turned off by the
combination of passion and faith
that set Senna apart.
Lewis Hamilton gets a lot of
criticism for wearing his heart on
his sleeve, for letting his emotions
get the better of him on occasion.
Weve seen entire race weekends
where the Britons (relatively) poor
performances have been later
attributed to personal matters
blowing up far from the track itself,
and anyone whos followed the
sport for more than fve minutes
knows that a sub-par session from
Hamilton will lead to monosyllabic
answers in press conferences and
interviews.
But as someone whos been
known to let my personal life
impact my professional life on
occasion, I just cant castigate
another person for doing the
same. Particularly not when
as someone whose heart is
permanently on their sleeve I like
to explain our shared weakness
as the downside of an excessively
passionate nature.
Passion, by its very nature, is
scary. Its tempestuous, and its
hard to control. But theres a
certain honesty that comes from
raw emotion. Passion always
tells the truth, because its far too
hot-headed to lie.
Im probably biased by my
own passionate nature, but Ive
always been far more wary of the
calculating. Calculation requires
forethought, and planning. There
is no reaction, just behaviour
selected from a pre-considered list
of options that emerge in x or y
setting. Gut reactions, even when
distasteful or unpleasant, are at
least honest reactions.
And in these days when
celebrities try to control their
media presence to the nth degree,
micro-managing their profles as
much as possible, isnt a little bit
of unpleasant reality preferable to
the bland and calculated pleasant?
IN PRAISE OF PASSION
OPINION
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KATE
WALKER
Last year, Jorge Lorenzo (right) was a towering
force in MotoGP. He all but prevented Marquez
from taking the title, racking up eight wins to
the youngsters six, and backing them with
a heroic injury return at Assen, racing to fifth
two days after snapping his collarbone.
This year, five races in, it could hardly be
different. Jorge has stood on the podium only
once, crashed on lap one of race one, false-
started at race two, and (perhaps the worst
of all) has only once managed to beat his
revitalised old-and-new team-mate Valentino.
At the last round at Le Mans, Rossi was
second for the third time in five races (his new
crew chief is clearly an elixir of youth); Lorenzo
made no mistakes in the race, but slumped to
a dispirited sixth.
After the race, Rossi opined: I think he is
maybe too anxious about winning.
Jorge was quick to dismiss this notion. It
cannot be, because for me the championship
was over at the second race.
Instead, he compared himself to Vettel:
winning everything last year, struggling this
year. Sometimes it can happen, he said. We
can do nothing but wait for our moment.
The Vettel comparison rings true also on the
crucial team-mate level: quite apart from his
snatched-away second in Australia, Ricciardo
has finished ahead of his Red Bull compadre at
the last four races. But the history of Jorge and
Valentino is a good deal longer, and a good
deal more troubled.
Rossi joined Yamaha in 2004, winning
four titles between then and 2009. By then,
however, Jorge had been signed up for two
years as his team-mate. Rossi had been openly
against this from the start, and the chafing was
becoming intolerable.
It began with the two pits divided by a
wall to preserve tyre confidentiality: Rossi
had switched to Bridgestone, Lorenzo was
on Michelin. Next year they were both
on Bridgestone, but at Rossis insistance
the physical pit wall and the concomitant
confidentiality of each riders information
remained in place.
Until this point, Rossi had been happy to ally
himself with Yamaha for life. I want to end my
career on Yamaha, he said, prophetically as it
turns out. But when Jorge won the title in 2010,
the year Valentino broke his leg, the tide had
turned.
If Yamaha signs Jorge to stay, I go, he said.
True to his word, he did. To Ducati for two well-
paid seasons.
That backfired badly for both rider and his
tight-knit pit crew; both emerging from the
experience with results tables in tatters and
reputations with some nasty stains.
It was an altogether humbler (and financially
worse off) Rossi who returned to Yamaha last
year to fulfill his prophecy. No more pit walls,
no more bans on data-sharing, no more diva
behaviour. And while Lorenzo sparkled Rossi
remained comparatively lacklustre.
When he summarily disposed of his long-
time crew chief, the already highly successful
Jerry Burgess, at the end of last season, most
dismissed it as the desperate flailing of a rider
unwilling to accept that his best days were
over.
His new alliance with fellow-Italian Silvano
Galbusera has proved very different, with the
old magic conspicuously reignited.
More importantly for Lorenzo, the results
have shifted the balance within the Yamaha
team, and given him the worst headache a
rider can suffer. Everybody knows that the first
person you have to beat is your team-mate
TEAM-MATES FROM HELL
OPINION
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MotoGP
MICHAEL
SCOTT
Black Jack
Australia's greatest ever F1 star, Sir Jack Brabham, passed away peacefully last
Monday at the ripe old age of 88, 44 years since he retired from Grand Prix racing.
GPWEEK pays tribute to a multi-talented F1 legend
He was a trailblazer; he
took the hardest road
and made it easier for
the rest of us to follow.
When I think of Jack, I
think of a tenacious
individual; an absolute
grafter; he did it his own
way and made it stick.
There were no real rules
or a manual for Jack; he
fgured it out for himself.
What he achieved taking
on the best in the world
and winning one of his
three world titles in his
own machinery is the
stuff of pure legend.
Mark Webber
Last Mondays news that Sir Jack
Brabham has quietly passed away,
was no real surprise to people within
Australian motor sport. He had been
dealing with kidney disease for more
than fve years and that, along with
deafness from exposure to high-
pitched racing cars and macular
degeneration that affected his eyesight,
had provided its challenges.
But Jack as motor sport in
Australia knew him was as tough
as his legendary Brabham race cars,
thoughtfully designed and built
machines that unlike some of their
rivals at the time, simply did not
break. As recently as the day befoire
he died, he was attending events,
many featuring the car he is best
remembered for: the Repco-powered
Brabham that took him to his third
world title, in 1966.
So the news of his death was sad
but it is also an opportunity to refect
on achievements that will never
be repeated; he was a pioneer of
Australian sport and engineering.
Back in the late 1950s, the UK and
Europe were the global centres of
motor sport; they still are. Arrivals
from the colonies were viewed with
faint amusement and, well, tolerated.
When Jack arrived from Australia at
the Cooper Car Company to take up
their offer of a car, he was shown a
pile of tubes in a rack and told to start
building.
He did, and before too long, the
Coopers understood what they had
unearthed. Jacks engineering nous
helped in the development of the
Coopers, the frst serious modern rear-
engined grand prix cars, with which he
won his 1959 and 1960 world titles.
Unable to have greater input,
he went out on his own in 1961
in partnership with a friend from
Australia, Ron Tauranac. How typical.
An already-established garage
business became Brabham Cars and
soon, Jack and Brabham cars were
competing in what was then the 1.5
litre Formula One.
It was what happened next which
defned Jack Brabham. With a big
change coming to Formula One in 1966,
doubling the engine size to three-litres,
he pulled off the almost impossible.
With the traditional engine companies
all talking big V12 powerhouses, Jack
reasoned that theyd probably have a
hell of a time getting them sorted and
reliable. In the meantime, something a
little smaller and reliable might just do
the trick.
From that thought came the
relationship with Repco, and a
ground-up V8 engine designed and
built in Australia. It was light and
reliable, not as powerful as some of
the ferocious V12s would be, but it was
just the right thing at the right time.
A four-race winning streak paved
the way for his 1966 world title. The
unthinkable had been achieved a
driver from Australia had not only won
his third world title, this one was in
a car hed built himself. Imagine the
logistics alone engines being built
on the opposite side of the world, and
fown backwards and forwards during
development.
Jack was a pretty damned good,
albeit sometimes under-rated driver,
but it was the engineering challenge
which gave him the real satisfaction.
The following year, his team-mate
Denny Hulme won the championship
while Jack suffered from the
unreliability that comes with trying
new things on the run.
(Oh, and in the mreantime a
relationship with Honda was resulting
in domination of F2 at the dame time).
Eventually, the rest particularly
with the arrival of the brilliant Ford
Cosworth engine caught up and
the Repco programme came to its
end. Brabhams cars switched to the
ubiquitous Ford in 1969 and remained
among the most competitive cars for
some years.
Formula One in the late 1960s was,
as we know, very dangerous. Drivers
died. Under pressure from his wife,
Jack gave thought to quitting driving at
the end of 1969. Unable to replace his
departing star driver Jochen Rindt, he
went around one more time.
He won the opening race of the year
and would eventually fnish ffth in
the championship, at the ripe old age
of 44. But a simple driving error cost
him a win at Monaco, and then Rindt
was killed in a needless crash, driving
a Lotus, in qualifying for the Italian
Grand Prix. This time Jack listened
to his wife and at the end of the year
hung up his helmet and walked away,
returning to live on a farm and set
up garage and car businesses back
in Australia. In Jacks case that was
exactly half a lifetime ago.
Given the enormity of Formula One
21st century-style, Jacks achievement
winning in a car bearing his own name
(and with an Australian-built engine)
simply cannot be repeated. He owns
a unique spot in motor sport history
and Australia should be, and are, very,
very proud.
CHRIS LAMBDEN, Managing Editor
A unique Australian icon
Jochen Rindt (right) drove for Jack in 1968, but moved to Lotus in 1969. Here the two, still the best of friends, chat at
the South African Grand Prix in 1969. Rindt's death, 18 months later, may well have been the fnal straw in Brabham's
decision to retire at the end of 1970 a decision he ultimately regretted.
It is with great sadness that I
received the news that my former
Formula 1 boss and team mate,
the three time F1 World Champion
Sir Jack Brabham, passed away in
Australia over the weekend.
A motor racing giant has left
our planet whose combined
achievements of F 1 World
Championship driver and car
constructor in all likelihood will
never be equaled. Dark haired
'Black Jack' was a ferce competitor,
an outstanding engineer, a tiger of
a driver, an excellent politician and
a hands-on creator and visionary,
he opened the rear-engine door at
Indianapolis and raced there, he
was a doer, a true Aussie pioneer!
Jack and I go far back in history
together. We raced against each
other on the F1 circuit since 1959
driving Coopers, Ferraris, BRMs
and Porsches.
In 1963 he hired me as his team
mate for his newly established
Brabham F I team and during the
next three years we really got to
know each other. We discovered
we shared similar traits. We were
not only interested in driving
racing cars but in building them,
improving them, searching
for every tiny bit of technical
advantage we could fnd. I see
both of us sitting in garages all
over the world bent over engines,
talking to each other and to our
team: Ron Tauraunac, Phil Kerr,
Roy Billington, Tim Wall, Nick
Gooze and Denis Hulme.
We shared the camaraderie
of a closely-knit team pursuing
a common purpose, the racing
tragedies and the glory days of the
1960s bonded us for life.
Since we retired from driving,
both in the fall of 1970, we have
stayed in touch. I last spoke to Jack
a few months ago on the phone
we were looking forward to the
golden anniversary of the frst
World Championship F 1 victory
for the Brabham marque: The
French Grand Prix at Rouen, June
28th, 1964, which I won for the
team 50 years ago this summer.
In 1966 we both went our
separate ways. I followed the
trail he had blazed by trying to
build, race and win with my own
F I cars. I have been told that
only three men in the history of
autoracing have managed to do
that, Bruce McLaren and I won
races but Sir Jack Brabham won
World Championships he will be
forever in a class all by himself.
I will miss you Jack! You showed
the way!
With gratitude and admiration.
Dan
Dan Gurney
Ron Dennis
Among the personal tributes which have fowed in the past week, two stand out
from people who worked closely with and knew Sir Jack Brabham as well as anyone
the great Dan Gurney (left) and one-time mechanic and subsequent McLaren team
boss Ron Dennis ...
Everybody at McLaren is deeply saddened to learn of
the passing of Sir Jack Brabham. Below follows the
thoughts of McLaren Group Chairman and CEO, Ron
Dennis:
The word 'legend' is often used to describe
successful sportsmen, but often it exaggerates their
status. In the case of Sir Jack Brabham, however, it's
entirely justifed.
A three-time Formula 1 world champion, he
remains the only driver to win a Formula 1 world
championship driving a car bearing his own name
- a unique achievement that will surely never be
matched.
When I started out in Formula 1 in the late 1960s, I
worked frst for Cooper and then for Brabham. Even
as a callow youth, I could recognise greatness when
I saw it, and I'll always regard it as an honour and a
privilege to have worked for Sir Jack. I learned a lot
from him too.
So, on behalf of all at McLaren, I'd like to pay
tribute to one of the most illustrious names in motor
racing history, and above all to extend heartfelt
condolences to Sir Jack's widow Margaret and his
three sons Geoff, David and Gary.
Sir Jack Brabham, legend, RIP.
Suddenly, there was a noise, tyre
smoke and a spinning car.
The date was Sunday July 10, 1966.
The event was the XIV Grand Prix de
Rouen-les-Essarts on the 6.5km Rouen
circuit.
It may not have been Formula 1, but
it was not an event to be taken lightly.
At 301km, the race was of distance
similar to a World Championship
Grand Prix. And it was for a
championship the European Formula
2 Championship.
The season had been one-way traffc.
Jack Brabham was raced in seven of
the nine rounds held to that point, for
six wins and a second (which came
in the season opener, behind Jimmy
Clark). His Brabham BT18, with its
Honda engine, was dominant.
It was Hondas second year with
Brabham and a lot had been learned.
Brabham and his engineer Ron
Tauranac were somewhat alarmed
when the frst engine built by the
Japanese engineers arrived at their
English factory. It was bulky, tall
enough to prompt them to lean
it over in the chassis and while it
made good power, it was peaky.
The engineers were accustomed to
chasing horsepower numbers on
dynamometers, and how and where in
the rev band their engines made that
power was secondary.
The two Australians pointed out to
their Japanese partners that ultimate
power was useful on only certain
parts of a few circuits; driveability
was important everywhere. So was
packaging; when the revised engines
arrived in time for the 1966 season,
they were less powerful than those
from 65 but torquier and smaller.
So Brabham and Honda were
dominating. But Honda was not
happy. They went racing so that their
engineers could learn how make all
their engines in cars, motorcycles
and power equipment better.
Problem was, the 1000cc motors in
the back of the Brabhams were not
breaking and the engineers didnt
know where to focus their energies.
So, Honda stepped in. And by
Honda, I mean Soichiro Honda, The
revered founder of the company
decreed that a motor be built for Rouen
that contained used crankshaft and
bearings, already past their life, so that
their engineers could see what broke.
Brabham was in career-best form.
The previous weekend he dominated
both the French Grand Prix in his
Repco-Brabham and the F2 round
held at the same meeting at Reims.
Denny Hulme was third in the GP
(behind the Ferrari of Mike Parkes)
but had dropped out of the F2 race
with a broken rocker but his car was
Cosworth powered.
Brabham qualifed on pole at Rouen
and sped away from the grid. It was
looking like another win but, with six
laps of the race to go, the inevitable
happened. His Honda seized, his
wheels locked and the car spun to a
halt.
As he walked in, the press gathered
at the Brabham pit. A mechanical
failure?
Yes it was. Brabham showed them
the broken gear lever, which he had
put in his pocket. That is the offcial
cause of his DNF in the race, recorded
to this day.
The reason the gear lever broke
was because Jack broke it off, to save
Hondas any embarrassment that might
come its way from an engine failure.
Pops Honda got his broken engine,
and his engineers now knew where to
focus their efforts. Brabham went on to
win the European F2 title, a signifcant
triumph that has somewhat dimmed
in the mists of time alongside the feat
of winning the World Championship
for Drivers for the third time as well as
one for Constructors.
Did you know? ...
F1 news editor PHIL BRANAGAN adds a couple of lesser-known tales to the fascinating Brabham story
On the weekend when he won the
frst (of four in a row) F1 Grand Prix in
the Repco Brabham, Jack had already
won the F2 race in a Brabham-Honda
(pictured). But then Honda wanted to
push their engines further ...
Its the second round of the 1997 CART
Championship and Australias Gold Coast is
in party mode. On the Friday night of race
week, there is a special function, hosted by
Honda, to celebrate its frst championship in
the series in 1996.
Champion driver Jimmy Vasser is there and is
genuinely thrilled when a jacket specially made
for the occasion, and bearing the winged Honda
logo in its original form, is presented to him by
Hondas President, who has fown in from Japan.
A number of special guests are present,
including tennis legend Evonne Cawley. So
too is Jack Brabham who has been, and who
would continue to be for the rest of his life, an
ambassador for Honda. He says a few words,
and so too does Hondas President, Nobuhiko
Kawamoto. After they speak, we in the media
are invited to have a bite to eat and a drink, but
we are told, politely but frmly, that neither
Brabham nor Kawamoto will be available for
any further comment. Jack and his mate Nobby,
who was one of Hondas engineers on its F2
project and the man ordered by Honda-san to
build that engine for Rouen, are the best of
friends, and want to catch up. And that is what
happens.
Much has been written in the last week
about Jack Brabhams achievements, his titles,
his legacy. Whatever has been said, even
what I write here, hardly does the man justice.
Whatever he did on the track, whatever his
sons have done and continue to do on the track,
or what his grandsons will do, his infuence
reaches around the globe and is still felt across
the sport today.
Kawamoto was Hondas fourth President. Its
third was Tadashi Kume, who was also one of
the engineers on Hondas F2 project. Kume
once said of Brabham and Tauranac, Jack and
Ron taught us how to win races.
When Kawamoto took over in 1990, Honda
greenlit a number of racing projects, including
its CART program and an all-Honda F1 car, the
development of which looked very promising
until it ended with the unexpected death of its
designer Harvey Postlethwaite in 1999.
At the time Brabham was winning in F1 and
F2 his team, Brabham Racing Organisation, was
11 people and that included the drivers and the
secretary. Among those people were Tauranac,
who went on to run the Brabham team after
Jack retired, then establish and build Ralt into
one of the biggest racing car manufacturers
in the world. One of the few Brits in BRO
was John Judd, whose work on the Repco
engine was so important, and whose company
Engine Developments went on to build its own
motors for F1, F2, Champ Car and IndyCar and
Sportscar racing. The experience that Phil Kerr
gained at Brabham was very important when
Bruce McLaren wanted to follow in Brabhams
footsteps, leave Cooper and set up his own
team. McLaren had been Brabhams teammate
at Coopers, after Jack urged John Cooper and
his father Charles to hire the youngster in 1958
after seeing him race in New Zealand.
And of course, after McLaren started to lose
its competitiveness in the late 1970s, it was
merged with the Project Four team, with Ron
Dennis a former mechanic who joined BRO in
1968 in charge.
Had there not been a Jack Brabham, would
McLaren the driver get his big break, race for
Cooper and go on to start McLaren the team?
Would Dennis have ever become an F1 team
boss? It is impossible to say it would not have
happened somehow but Brabham did set
many of the wheels in motion that allowed all
of this, and much more in the sport besides, to
happen.
As for the future In six months time,
McLaren and Honda will start testing for their
reunion in 2015. Both sides of that partnership
have more than a little Brabham in their racing
DNA.
Sir Jack Brabham may be gone but, even after
his death, his infuence, the Brabham way, will
continue at the very highest level in motorsport.
One thing leads to another
It's 31 years after Jack's 1966 victories ... PHIL BRANAGAN takes up the story
Branagan is not usually
one to pose with
racing cars but last
Monday, with the 66
championship winning
Repco Brabham BT19,
the temptation was just
too much.
ABOVE F1 Manufacturers Brabham, McLaren, Gurney (Eagle)
Jack helped both McLaren and Gurney to get a start ...
CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE Arms out, Jack heads for British GP victory in 1966, his championship year; Ron Tauranac and Jack designer and driver/
mastermind; legend meets modern star; Honoured in bronze Sir Jack and 1980 champion Alan Jones at the 2013 Australian Grand Prix; Jack talks with
Denny Hulme at the 1966 German Grand Prix '67 would be Denny's year as Jack paid the reliability price of testing new developments in races ...
Sir Jack Brabham
will be honoured
at a State
Funeral, in his
fnal home State
of Queensland,
Australia, on
Wednesday June
11. One of the
absolute F1 greats
has gone, but his
unique legend will
never be equalled.
RIP Sir Jack.
More than ever, Monaco is about qualifying.
As Nico Rosberg powered through into
Casino Square on his fnal Q3 run, the
weekend was about to get controversial ...
Oh, and Nico won the race too
Star Wars 6
In the end, it was pretty anti-climactic.
Nico Rosberg got away well enough
to lead his team-mate around the
Principality all day.
Lewis chance might have come at
what was to be the single tyre stop, but
even that opportunity was lost, thanks to
the stops all happening after Adrian Sutil
brought out the Safety Car on lap 25 by
hitting the wall out of the tunnel hard.
Lewis was upset that an early call
wasnt made by the team, which might
have advantaged him, but in the end,
everyone pitted a lap later, stacking
where necessary, and any opportunity
was lost.
Rosbergs only issue was a need, at
about three-quarters distance, to ease
back for a few laps and get his fuel
consumption on the right side of the
ledger.
The race started well and I was
comfortable but then we had to manage
my fuel consumption and Lewis was
pushing really hard behind me, Nico said.
We were able to be in control of the
fuel with a few laps of lift and coast. It
was important for me to break Lewis'
momentum of winning the last four races
this weekend. That worked out very well,
but it was a really tough weekend.
Late in the race, Nico got away as
Lewis struggled to see clearly out of his
left eye a speck of dust/dirt apparently
causing the problem.
This allowed Ricciardo to close right
back in with two to go, but with the
Mercs prodigious power in the right
places, there was no realistic passing
opportunity.
Indeed, Daniel was a bit lucky to be
there in third. He had made a bit of a dud
start, letting both Vettel and a brilliantly-
starting Raikkonen past before Turn 1.
It was their respective demises which
elevated him back to where he started.
Vettel was frst to go, losing turbo
boost as early as the third lap, falling
back and crawling to the pits. He
re-emerged briefy stuck in frst gear
then retired for good. The reliability bug
certainly has crossed the garage at RB.
Kimi was so unlucky. With every
indication of a deserved third in the
offng, the Safety Car period brought
drama. The Ferrari was somehow hit by
the Chilton Marussia and one of Kimis
fresh rears was punctured. The extra
stop killed his chances.
Alonsos start was compromised by a
brief engine issue, which saw him down
on power for the frst third of the opening
lap, but even he admitted the extra
power would have made no difference:
At the start, something in the motor
didn't work, but even if I'd had full power,
there was no room to overtake. The three
cars ahead of me deserved to be there
as they were really uncatchable.
In truth, the on-track action came
behind this fnal top four, with Nico
Hulkenberg, as hinted, putting together
a strong race for a deserved ffth, albeit
a lap down on the leaders. Hed started
on Softs and, as the race ended, his
Supersofts were struggling:
"The last 20 laps were really tricky
because my Supersoft tyres were at the
end of their life and it was hard to hold
off the cars behind me and stay away
from the barriers. There were a few close
moments when I kissed the wall, but I
survived and managed to hold on to ffth
place. Fortunately my car was quick in
the right places going into the tunnel
and also through the fnal corner.
A typically smart Monaco drive yielded
sixth for Jenson Button, to some degree
at the expense of his young team-mate,
who had looked good for that spot until
late in the race a power unit issue,
which dropped him back to an eventual
10th. Jenson closed in on Hulkenberg
late in the race but, despite Nicos tyre
situation, couldnt fnd a gap.
Felipe Massas decision to gamble and
stay out at the lap 25 Safety Car played
its part in his rise from a P16 start to a
superb seventh. The move got him out
of the pack and, despite a lap 45 tyre
stop under green, a smart race brought
results.
A frst-lap puncture after contact with
Adrian Sutil changed Romain Grosjeans
strategy too, but he soldiered on for a
solid eighth.
But the big mid-feld story was
Marussia and some frst-ever points
courtesy of a great drive from Jules
Bianchi despite a fve-second penalty
having to be added to his race time.
Some gains from the Barcelona test and
an intelligent drive brought joy and the
end-of-season rewards to one of F1s
strugglers.
This is as close as it got after
the lap 25 Safety Car restart.
QUALIFYING
FORMULA 1 Round 6 MONACO GP Qualifying
POS # DRIVER TEAM Q1 Q2 Q3 LAPS
1 6 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:17.678 1:16.465 1:15.989 26
2 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:17.823 1:16.354 1:16.048 27
3 3 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing-Renault 1:17.900 1:17.233 1:16.384 22
4 1 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing-Renault 1:18.383 1:17.074 1:16.547 25
5 14 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:17.853 1:17.200 1:16.686 27
6 7 Kimi Rikknen Ferrari 1:17.902 1:17.398 1:17.389 27
7 25 Jean-Eric Vergne STR-Renault 1:17.557 1:17.657 1:17.540 26
8 20 Kevin Magnussen McLaren-Mercedes 1:17.978 1:17.609 1:17.555 25
9 26 Daniil Kvyat STR-Renault 1:18.616 1:17.594 1:18.090 23
10 11 Sergio Perez Force India-Mercedes 1:18.108 1:17.755 1:18.327 26
11 27 Nico Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes 1:18.432 1:17.846 20
12 22 Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:17.890 1:17.988 20
13 77 Valtteri Bottas Williams-Mercedes 1:18.407 1:18.082 20
14 8 Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault 1:18.335 1:18.196 23
15 13 Pastor Maldonado Lotus-Renault 1:18.585 1:18.356 21
16 19 Felipe Massa Williams-Mercedes 1:18.209 No time 10
17 21 Esteban Gutierrez Sauber-Ferrari 1:18.741 11
18 99 Adrian Sutil Sauber-Ferrari 1:18.745 11
19 17 Jules Bianchi Marussia-Ferrari 1:19.332 10
20 4 Max Chilton Marussia-Ferrari 1:19.928 9
21 10 Kamui Kobayashi Caterham-Renault 1:20.133 9
22 9 Marcus Ericsson Caterham-Renault 1:21.732 9
Pit lane start for Ericsoon on-track incident; Bianchi, 5 spot gearbox change penalty
Okay, so the last two minutes
of Qualifying stole the
headlines but its funny
how history/precedent can
rear its head and infuence
peoples thoughts. If
Michael Schumacher hadnt
deliberately parked his Ferrari
at Rascasse in 2006, would
anyone have questioned
Nico Rosbergs error on his
last fying lap here in 2014?
Possibly not.
Either way, the facts are that,
after the frst runs in the most
crucial Q3 of the year, the Merc
duo were clearly 1-2, Rosberg a
mere fve-hundredths up after
again Hamilton had grabbed
the initiative in the Q2 Super Soft
tyre run.
Five-hundredths is nothing
so there was a lot at stake in
that last two minutes, and there
will be more discussion on the
outcome elsewhere. However,
on the plunge down to Mirabeau,
and at the head of the queue of
cars, Rosberg overdid it, locked
a front and, at the last moment,
veered down the escape road to
avoid a head-on with the wall.
Hamilton had improved his
time on Sector 1 but the yellows
at Mirabeau compromised his lap
and he gave it away.
Nico was apologetic but
nevertheless happy. Pole at
Monaco usually transfers into a
win:
I did a really great banker
lap at the beginning in Q3 but
Lewis was very close, so I gave
it another try and pushed a bit
more, unfortunately just a bit
too much over the limit. I locked
up the rears and then the fronts
offine at the bumpy downhill part
of the track before turn fve but
I just managed to get down the
escape road. I have apologised
to Lewis for having hindered the
opportunity for him to improve
his lap time.
Lewis appeared to be
discussing the matter with his
engineer while still in the car in
parc ferme or maybe they were
just telling him to say nothing.
Either way, Lewis wasnt happy
or communicative.
The Stewards had a look at it,
checked the data, and decided
that there was nothing to say.
Daniel Ricciardo picked up on
the mood going into the top-three
Deja-vu as Nico parks it on pole ...
QUALIFYING
conference, having again come
out ahead of Sebastain Vettel
(there was, of course a reason for
it) and grabbed third on the grid:
I think all three of us don't
seem to be too pleased with
ourselves! I think we left a bit
on the table. We fought the car
pretty hard in qualifying and
trying to fnd a bit more from it.
I thought I was getting around
it OK but coming up to Turn 8 I
just lost the rear completely on
exit and pretty much the lap was
gone after that.
So Dan wasnt affected by the
yellows at Mirabeau? It seemed
not.
Vettel would start fourth:
Somewhere in Q1 we lost
ERS, basically the electric power
to discharge the car. In the end
we ran a different mode, which
was fne, but surely not as good
as it should be. It was the frst
time it had failed this weekend,
but these things happen. We
tried lots of different modes, but
at some point you have to just
get your head down and get on
with it.
Although not entirely happy
with the Pirellis believing they
were too hard Fernando only
missed matching Vettel by a
tenth and a half, as good as he
and the team could expect.
"Today's result encapsulates
the state of play this weekend
and it's more or less what we
expected, but I don't think
it went badly, because we
managed to stay ahead of rivals
who have been front runners so
far, such as Williams and Force
India and, most importantly,
we are closer to the Red Bulls.
We have made more changes
than usual here, because we
were suffering with understeer
and we had some problems
under braking and the car has
improved a lot. Compared to
what we expected, the tyres
seem too hard and we are
struggling a lot to get them up
to temperature.
Kimi was next in the F1
Noahs Ark, but then the
surprises started: Vergne,
Magnussen, Kvyat (frst top ten)
and Perez.
As with the Red Bulls, two
Toro Rossos in Q3 points to
a reasonably strong chassis,
while Magnussen was the only
McLaren to progress from Q2
though to be fair, Button was
baulked on his fnal Q2 run and
the lap was a write-off.
Nico Hulkenberg was
surprisingly not too disappointed
at just missing Q3:
"A place in Q3 was very
close today less than a tenth
away but I'm not feeling too
disappointed because I was
pretty happy with my lap in
Q2. There was just a tiny bit
missing because it's very hard
to get a perfect lap in Monaco.
The traffc management by the
team was good and although
I had some traffc in both Q1
and Q2, it was not at the crucial
moments. Starting from P11
with an extra set of fresh tyres
gives us a good chance of
scoring points tomorrow
As usual, there was a lot
going on in the tight confnes
of Monaco but, lets face it, all
anyone was talking about on
Saturday night was Nico and
Lewis and Turn 1 especially
after Lewis invoked his hero and
(jokingly?) threatened to do a
Senna
FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX DE MONACO 2014 78 LAPS ROUND 6/19

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FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX DE MONACO 2014
QUALIFYING CLASSIFICATION

1 Taking his 6
th
pole position to eclipse the career number of his father Keke, Nico Rosberg takes a 2
nd
consecutive pole in
Monaco, and heads Mercedes 2
nd
consecutive front row lockout. He will look to be the 10
th
man to win from pole in the last
11 Monaco Grands Prix, while Lewis Hamilton is attempting to be the first winner from 2
nd
on the grid since David Coulthard
won from there in 2002. The 0.059s pole gap is the smallest difference between in dry qualifying this year (Hamilton beat
Vettel to pole by 0.055s in a wet Malaysia).

2 Third placed Daniel Ricciardo outqualifies Sebastian Vettel for the 5
th
time in 6 races this season. This has so far been a
curious repeat of Bahrain, when Rosberg took pole after Hamilton was quickest in FP3, with Ricciardo third fastest (before
receiving a penalty).

3 Fourth placed Sebastian Vettel has won 39 Grands Prix in his career, but 0 Grands Prix from outside the top-3 on the
grid. Meanwhile, its business as usual for Fernando Alonso, who starts 5
th
for the 22
nd
time in 83 Ferrari starts, and Kimi
Rikknen has started 6
th
in exactly half of the races this year.

4 Jean-Eric Vergne gave Toro Rosso their best-ever start in Monaco by qualifying 10
th
last year, and hes improved upon
that by 3 places this year. Kevin Magnussen is 8
th
also the same as Bahrain while Daniil Kvyat reached Q3 for the first
time since the Australian GP. Magnussen is the only car preventing the first six rows from consisting of the same

5 Jenson Button starts 12
th
in Monaco for the 2
nd
time in 3 years, while Pastor Maldonado advanced from Q1 for the first
time in 2014, although he was still outqualified by Romain Grosjean, as at every other race this year. Felipe Massa starts a
lowly 16
th
, but he finished 5
th
from that position in the 2004 Monaco GP.

6 Sauber lost both cars in Q1 for the first time since the 2010 Belgian Grand Prix, although it should be noted that Kamui
Kobayashi went onto to finish 8
th
in that race. Jules Bianchi was fully 0.596s clear of the rest of the Marussia/Caterham train.

In the end, for Mercedes, the Monaco race was
something of an (albeit successful) anti-climax
after all that had preceded it.
Lewis psychological statements during the
lead-up, then Rosbergs pole-winning error in
qualifying and the subsequent body-language
impasse between the two is the frst signs of the
ramping-up of what will be a two-man contest for
the 2014 World Championship.
In the case of the Monaco race, as usual, without
an error from the man at the front, victory was
all-but assured. Rosberg made no mistake, nursed
his car through a fuel consumption warning at
three-quarters distance, and was able to ease
away as Lewis coped with a bit of dirt in one eye.
Comments from Mercedes team technical
director Paddy Lowe masked the undercurrent
between the drivers:
In terms of the race itself, it wasn't without
its challenges: Nico had to manage his fuel
consumption quite carefully and we were working
with the settings of Lewis' Power Unit to optimise
the energy recovery and deployment in the frst
half of the race. In the fnal stages, we had some
concerns with the tyres as we were running out
of rubber, which in turn made it hard to maintain
the tyre temperatures. We saw that when Lewis
recovered from the problem with his eye, and
couldn't get the tyres back working properly,
which allowed Ricciardo to close in. But he was
able to bring the car home and secure this fantastic
team result."
As Niki Lauda commented over the weekend,
more than once, his mentoring skills are being
tested to the limit. Kinda funny from the man who,
in his prime, was as undiplomatic and to-the-point
as any driver ever was
But the last word, for this day, went to Lewis
who, when responding to the praise from post-
race interviewer Benedict Cumberbatch, subtly
quipped:
Thank you. Fortunately we didnt make any
mistakes, so.
Psycho wars more off-track than on
Is there a greater contrast in driver
fortunes and results to that which is
happening at Red Bull.
In one corner, the new boy continues
to soar, again outqualifying his
champion team-mate and, again,
putting his Red Bull into the only
podium position available for
non-Mercedes cars.
Across the garage, the champ cant
take a trick. A change of car hasnt
brought any change in fortune. At least
this time the drama was over early on.
Seb was into the pits on lap three
with what turned out to be a turbo
boost problem. When he returned
to the track a lap or more down, he
forlornly reported that Im stuck in
frst gear
For a moment, it sounded like a
verbal explosion was brewing but in
the end, a simple what can we do?
was answered with a request to pit and
retire the car.
For the defending champion, 2013
must seem an eon away:
"It's disappointing. I had a good start
and then we lost boost pressure from
the turbo, so I had no power and had
to retire. The team did everything they
could. I felt quite helpless in the car, so
I was asking for an answer of what we
could do, but there wasn't anything at
that stage. We fxed some problems
yesterday with the ERS, but some more
came today with the turbo, but we will
move forwards and it will be good for
us soon."
It was left to Daniel Ricciardo to
handle the media questioning after
another quality drive:
Everyone was trying to do a one
stop today; its a bit of a weird one,
you dont really push much of the race
because, especially after the frst pit
stop, we still had a long way to go, so
youre in two minds: do I push or do I
just try and hold the guy off and get to
the end.
By the time wed got 15/20 laps to go
I knew the tyres were going to last so
then I could actually start my race, so
to speak, and then start to set some
quicker times. The team said I was
going to catch Lewis, the pace was
good so I knew I was eventually going
to get on to him. Knowing its hard to
pass around here, I was just waiting to
see what happened but I wasnt just
going to settle for third. Obviously in
the end I did but if there was a clean
move to be taken then, yeah, I would
have taken it.
The role reversal
continues
Joy at Marussia
Other team managers shared the
happiness for Marussia. In F1,
scoring points opens up access to
a share of the money pool, and so
the couple of points now alongside
Jules Bianchis name are invaluable.
No doubt Monacos unique
challenges and attrition rate helped,
but the Ferrari Driver Academy
driver delivered an intellligent,
measured race in a car which, by
all accounts, beneftted from the
recent Barcelona test.
After starting from the back row
(gearbox change penalty), Bianchi
gained fve places in superb
opening lap to be 16th. With a fve-
second penalty being handed out to
all the back-of-feld cars which had
moved up to fll Maldonados DNS
grid spot, that was taken care of
during the main lap 29 stop.
On lap 40, Bianchi pulled off a
top move to slip past Kobayashis
???? at Rascasse, then continued on,
facing a further fve-second race-
time penalty because the original
was taken under the Safety Car!
Eventually, Jules got the car over
the line in eighth, which became
ninth with the penalty. It didnt
really matter. The points do:
We have made great progress,
particularly since the Barcelona
Test, said a delighted Jules Bianchi.
This gave us the confdence to
push and we certainly did that here
this weekend. It was not an easy
race; there were some enjoyable
highs along the way, but also a
couple of concerning moments too.
What matters at the end is that we
got there and we can savour the
highlights for a long time to come.
Team principal John Booth
concurred:
A lot of this weekend's clear step
stems from the progress we made
at the recent Barcelona Test. We
were cautiously optimistic about
our performance increment, but we
really needed to see it translate into
a good race here in Monaco before
we could feel too confdent.
We are only a young team, but
we have every reason to believe
in ourselves and a positive
future. Clearly, in today's race, we
benefted from some attrition but,
throughout, we were running at
a pace that allowed us to stay in
position with the cars around us.
It is clear that we are now able to
race with the back of the midfeld
pack.
The accolades came from far and
wide including McLaren racing
director Eric Boullier:
"I want to pass on my
congratulations to Jules Bianchi,
John Booth, Graeme Lowdon and
everybody at the Marussia team
for scoring their very frst world
championship points today. Jules
drove fantastically all weekend, and
ninth place was a fantastic reward
not only for Jules' charging drive,
but also for the team's efforts all
season to improve and develop
their car. They're a fantastic bunch
of guys, and they really deserve
this today."
In the end, sixth and tenth was not a bad
outcome for McLaren. It could so easily have
been sixth and seventh without the late-
race problem with Kevin Magnussens Power
Unit. Best of the rest. For now, thats where
McLaren is.
As Eric Boullier summed up:
"Sixth and tenth isn't where we want to be,
but we have to be realistic and acknowledge
that this was a good performance.
Finishing tenth will be tough for Kevin to
accept he looked set for at least sixth place
until the closing laps, when a problem with
his power-unit dropped him down the order in
quick succession. Fortunately, we were able to
rectify the problem so he could proceed, but
the incident with Kimi obviously didn't help.
As usual, Jenson showed all his customary
fair and experience to relentlessly move up
the order from 12th on the grid. He was always
well positioned to beneft from the incidents
and action ahead of him, and judged the
second Safety Car to perfection, choosing to
dive into the pits at exactly the right time.
For veteran Button, it was a typical Monaco:
"Iit was messy out there; people were making
mistakes; there were cars all over the place;
you had to stay focused; keep up with the pack,
and look after the tyres, using them when
necessary. For the entirety of my fnal stint, I
looked after my tyres and dropped back into
the clear air behind Kevin. Then it was just
about pacing myself to the end. I couldn't quite
get past Nico (Hulkenberg) at the end he
was struggling with his tyres, but whenever I
pushed, I struggled as well, so I couldn't make
it stick.
Better than it seemed
Jenson chases down
the Force India of Nico
Hulkenberg
After qualifying in that slot behind the
Mercs and Red Bulls, Ferraris Sunday was
always going to be about points.
In the end, it was Alonso who got them
but only because of a terribly unlucky
incident which knocked Kimi Raikkonen out
of third place at the lap 25 Safety Car:
Today, luck was not on our side,
especially in Kimi's case, reported Pat Fry.
Mercedes and Red Bull showed they have
a greater potential than we do, but thanks
to a really good start, I think that Kimi, who
was third at the frst corner, could have
fnished on the podium. Unfortunately,
during the Safety Car period, his F14T was
hit by a Marussia and that meant he had to
make two stops in the space of two laps,
effectively ruining his race.
Fernando also got away well, but a few
moments later and for all of the frst sector,
his car suffered a temporary drop in power.
Fortunately, he managed not to lose too
many places and after that, he ran a rather
solitary race.
We start work again tomorrow in
Maranello, looking at our weak points: we
are sure we can improve and now we must
prove those words with facts.
Flat wipes out Kimi's opportunity
Points Drivers: Rosberg 122, Hamilton 118, Alonso 61, Ricciardo 54, Hulkenberg
47, Vettel 45, Bottas 34, Button 31, Magnussen 21, Perez 20, Massa 18, Raikkonen 17,
Grosjean 8, Vergne 4, Kvyat 4, Bianchi 2.
Manufacturers: Mercedes 240, Red Bull 99, Ferrari 78, Force India 67, Williams 52,
McLaren 52, Toro Rosso 8, Lotus 8, Marussia 2.
FORMULA 1 Round 6 MONACO GP
POS # DRIVER TEAM LAPS TIME GRID
1 6 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 78 1:49:27.661 1
2 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 78 +9.2 secs 2
3 3 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing-Renault 78 +9.6 secs 3
4 14 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 78 +32.4 secs 5
5 27 Nico Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes 77 +1 Lap 11
6 22 Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 77 +1 Lap 12
7 19 Felipe Massa Williams-Mercedes 77 +1 Lap 16
8 8 Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault 77 +1 Lap 14
9 17 Jules Bianchi Marussia-Ferrari 77 +1 Lap 21
10 20 Kevin Magnussen McLaren-Mercedes 77 +1 Lap 8
11 9 Marcus Ericsson Caterham-Renault 77 +1 Lap 22
12 7 Kimi Rikknen Ferrari 77 +1 Lap 6
13 10 Kamui Kobayashi Caterham-Renault 75 +3 Laps 20
14 4 Max Chilton Marussia-Ferrari 75 +3 Laps 19
Ret 21 Esteban Gutierrez Sauber-Ferrari 59 Accident 17
Ret 77 Valtteri Bottas Williams-Mercedes 55 Power Unit 13
Ret 25 Jean-Eric Vergne STR-Renault 50 Exhaust 7
Ret 99 Adrian Sutil Sauber-Ferrari 23 Accident 18
Ret 26 Daniil Kvyat STR-Renault 10 Exhaust 9
Ret 1 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing-Renault 5 Turbo 4
Ret 11 Sergio Perez Force India-Mercedes 0 Accident 10
DNS 13 Pastor Maldonado Lotus-Renault 0
THE LAST MAN TO WIN BACK-TO-BACK
MONACO GPS WHILE LEADING FROM
START-TO-FINISH EACH TIME WAS AYRTON
SENNA (1990, 1991)
VICTORY FOR MERCEDES MEANS THEY'VE
WON MORE RACES SINCE THEIR RETURN
IN 2010 (10) THAN THEY DID IN THEIR FIRST
SPELL IN F1 IN 1954-55
HAMILTON HAS A FIRST PODIUM FINISH
IN MONACO SINCE WINNING IN 2008
MERCEDES HAVE A FIFTH CONSECUTIVE
1-2 FINISH, THE LONGEST STREAK SINCE
FERRARI DID IT IN THE FINAL 5 RACES OF
2002
RICCIARDO FINISHES IN MONACO FOR
THE FIRST TIME
THE SAME THREE DRIVERS HAVE FINISHED
ON THE PODIUM IN THE LAST TWO RACES
ALONSO FINISHES FOURTH FOR THE
THIRD TIME IN SIX RACES THIS SEASON,
EXTENDING FERRARI'S POINT-SCORING
STREAK TO 73 IN A ROW
ALONSO HAS NOW GONE 20 GRANDS
PRIX WITHOUT A WIN, THE LONGEST
WINLESS SPELL SINCE JOINING FERRARI
IN 2010
HULKENBERG HAS SCORED POINTS IN
EVERY RACE THIS YEAR, AND ONLY ONCE
OUTSIDE THE TOP SIX (10TH IN SPAIN)
BUTTON WAS SIXTH, TO END A THREE-
RACE SCORELESS STREAK FOR MCLAREN,
THEIR WORST RUN SINCE 1994
MASSA RAN 46 LAPS ON SUPERSOFTS TO
FINISH SEVENTH, TYING HIS BEST RESULT
OF 2014
BIANCHI PROVISIONALLY EIGHTH (NINTH
CORRECTED), THE FIRST-EVER POINTS FOR
A MARUSSIA IN ITS 45TH GRAND PRIX
THE 82ND GRAND PRIX SINCE MAKING
ITS DEBUT AS VIRGIN IN 2010
GROSJEAN FINISHES THE MONACO GP
FOR THE FIRST TIME, AND SCORES POINTS
FOR THE SECOND STRAIGHT RACE
MAGNUSSEN SCORES A POINT IN
MONACO BUT FAILS TO MATCH HIS
FATHER'S SEVENTH PLACE FINISH FOR
STEWART IN THE 1997 MONACO GP
ERICSSON JUST MISSES OUT ON POINTS
IN 11TH TENTH WOULD HAVE BEEN THE
FIRST POINT EVER FOR CATERHAM, AND
THE FIRST FOR A SWEDISH DRIVER SINCE
STEFAN JOHANSSON FINISHED THIRD IN
THE 1989 PORTUGUESE GRAND PRIX
MAX CHILTON FINISHED FOR THE 25TH
TIME IN HIS 25-RACE CAREER
ONLY FOUR DRIVERS FINISHED ON THE
LEAD LAP, THE FEWEST SINCE THE 2011
SPANISH GRAND PRIX
STAT WRAP
WITH SEAN KELLY
Some facs you may have
thought of, and mos you
certainly didnt know about the
MONACO GP!

THE NUMBERS
Safety Car
appearances in the
Monaco GP during
this decade 12
The lead that Red Bull, Ferrari and Force
India would have over Mercedes in the
Constructors Championship if they all
counted as a single team! 4
Career fastest lap for Kimi
Rikknen, one short of
Alain Prost for second on
the all-time list
40
Rosbergs win was the
10th fastest Monaco GP
ever, despite two Safety
Cars
10
Max Chiltons best lap was quicker
than those of Kevin Magnussen, Nico
Hlkenberg, Jenson Button and Romain
Grosjean
1:20.579
Consecutive laps this year in
which Mercedes have been
1-2 on the track
157
Seconds margin by which Nico
Rosberg would have won the
2000 Monaco GP given his race-
winning time in 2014
0.552
Record for most starts by
a constructor without ever
scoring a point (HRT)
56
The last Monaco
GP to feature two
Frenchman in the
points 1993
Start made by Marussia
and Caterham in the 2014
Monaco GP
45
out of 12 retirements
to starts suffered by
the Sauber team this
season
7
Seconds gap between
Vettels fastest lap and the
race fastest lap set by Kimi
Rikknen
41.03
Lap on which Nico
Rosberg set his
best lap of the
race
33
Signs of progress from Mercedes' opposition?
TECHNICAL
T
E
C
H
N
I
C
A
L
PAOLO
FILISETTI
Technical
Editor
Monaco is unique in the Formula1
season, a circuit that imposes
something unnatural on F1 cars.
While teams have to cope with the
slowest corners in the world, it is
thus a circuit where top speed is not
paramount, even though it includes
one of the fastest corners in the
calendar, the one under the tunnel of
the Fairmont Hotel.
Traction is the secret. To be
competitive here, cars must have
great traction, mostly obtained by
increasing dramatically the flap angle
of the wings. And even in this uniquw
case, if you have an aerodynamically
and dynamically efficient car, it is
very likely you have an advantage
that cant be overcome by your rivals.
We are of course talking about
the current dominant car, the
Mercedes W05. Here, even though
its competitive features arent in the
best place to wholly express their
potential, they still remain in of a
class of their own.
Nevertheless it is interesting to
look how, not depending on the
particular layout of this track, other
cars are starting to get a little closer
to the championship leaders. I am
talking about Red Bull and Ferrari.
We were able to get this result, by
analysing race the sector times and
speed date illustrated here.
It is interesting to note that in the
first sector, the one that includes the
uphill rise to Casino Square, Ferrari
was one of the best, both in terms of
sector time, but also in terms of top
speed. In this sector, aerodynamics
dont play a relevant role instead
traction and throttle response are
much more important.
We can see that one of the
weak points in Ferraris armoury
(aerodynamics), that could have
been worsened by the particular
track layout, instead seems to not
be a problem. Of course, some help
in this respect may represented
by the fact that the flap angles are
high, to generate a good amount
of downforce. But if we look at the
top speed in the relevant sector, we
find that Alonsos and Raikkonens
MONACO RACE SECTOR ANALYSIS
T1 TIME ANALYSIS
20.3
20.6
20.9
21.2
21.5
ALONSO
RAIKKONEN
GROSJEAN
RICCIARDO
MAGNUSSEN
BUTTON
MASSA
HULKENBERG
HAMILTON
ROSBERG
T1
T1
RACE SECTOR ANALYSIS
T1 SPEED ANALYSIS
194
196
198
200
202
204
ALONSO
RAIKKONEN
GROSJEAN
RICCIARDO
MAGNUSSEN
BUTTON
MASSA
HULKENBERG
HAMILTON
ROSBERG
SPEED 1
SPEED 1
TECHNICAL
speeds are the best. This means that
the wing angle adopted was not so
dramatically high and detrimental to
the top speed in this sector. Instead,
we can see that the speed trap is
dramatically negative for Ferrari.
And, again, the result is not mainly
due to the aero setup chosen
instead it is mainly due to the lower
power output of the PU.
Looking at the Red Bull, in
particular to the third-placed one,
that of Ricciardo, we can see that the
sector times in each sector were the
second best in T2 and T3, showing at
the same time a top speed among
the best in Sector 2 and at the
Speed trap, but not in Sector 3. The
speed trap shows us how big the
PU improvement of this car has
been in the last few races, but at the
same time shows also how the aero
efficiency has improved.
The changes introduced here have
mainly been focused on increasing
the downforce load obtainable, but
at the same time, at Red Bull, they
tried to follow the same path of
the Mercedes. ie, as I have already
outlined in previous races, Mercedes
has an all round car, that expresses
its best potential at the medium-
fast tracks, but in reality there is no
circuit that is not favourable to the
W05. It is an all-round car.
After Melbourne, Red Bull
completely dismantled the RB10
we can say it was vivisectioned
in each part trying to discover
not only the weak points, but also
to build up on the strong ones.
And Ricciardo seemed capable of
finding a better feeling with the car
compared to team-mate Vettel.
Here in Monaco, apart the bad
luck affecting the German, it appears
to me that the driving style of the
Australian not only better suits the
vehicle dynamics of the RB10, but
also makes it easier for this car to
start to become a sort-of all-round
car, similar to the Mercedes W05.
As we have said in the recent past,
even though Red Bull are still far
from the level of competiveness of
the German cars, they look the only
real and credible opponent to them.
We would not be surprised if, by the
summer break, Red Bull might be
able to put one victory under their
belt.
And now wait and see what
happens in Montreal. There, Ferrari
will bring many new parts and
revised PU software management.
Could the Canadian race be be a
turning point for the Italian squad?
Time analysis in sector T2
36
36.3
36.6
36.9
37.2
37.5
ALONSO
RAIKKONEN
GROSJEAN
RICCIARDO
MAGNUSSEN
BUTTON
MASSA
HULKENBERG
HAMILTON
ROSBERG
T2
T2
Speed analysis in sector T2
175
180
185
190
ALONSO
RAIKKONEN
GROSJEAN
RICCIARDO
MAGNUSSEN
BUTTON
MASSA
HULKENBERG
HAMILTON
ROSBERG
SPEED 2
SPEED 2
TECHNICAL
RACE ANALYSIS
Speed Trap
280
282
284
286
288
290
ALONSO
RAIKKONEN
GROSJEAN
RICCIARDO
MAGNUSSEN
BUTTON
MASSA
HULKENBERG
HAMILTON
ROSBERG
Top Speed
Top Speed
RACE ANALYSIS
ResulPng drag level(CX)
MAGNUSSEN
GROSJEAN
RICCIARDO
RAIKKONEN
ALONSO
BUTTON
HULKENBERG
ROSBERG
MASSA
HAMILTON
DRAG
Time analysis in sector T3
21
21.3
21.6
21.9
22.2
22.5
ALONSO
RAIKKONEN
GROSJEAN
RICCIARDO
MAGNUSSEN
BUTTON
MASSA
HULKENBERG
HAMILTON
ROSBERG
T3
T3
Speed analysis in sector T3
259
262
265
268
271
274
ALONSO
RAIKKONEN
GROSJEAN
RICCIARDO
MAGNUSSEN
BUTTON
MASSA
HULKENBERG
HAMILTON
ROSBERG
SPEED 3
SPEED 3
PARTING SHOT
Next stop Montreal: Rosberg led last year, but Sebastian
Vettel won. Seb might struggle to back up this time ...

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ONLINE AROUND THE WORLD ON F1 GP MONDAYS >> ISSUE 202 >> MONDAY MAY 26 2014

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