Often called the cheap man's race by absolutely no one, welcome to Monaco! please log in to view this image Former Winners: 2012 - Mark Webber (Red Bull) 2011 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) 2010 - Mark Webber (Red Bull) 2009 - Jenson Button (Brawn GP) 2008 - Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) 2007 - Fernando Alonso (McLaren) 2006 - Fernando Alonso (Renault) 2005 - Kimi Raikkonen (McLaren) 2004 - Jarno Trulli (Renault) Event Schedule: Thursday: Practice 1: 9:00 - 10:30, Practice 2: 13:00 - 14:30 Saturday: Practice 3: 10:00 - 11:00, Qualifying: 13:00 - 14:00 Sunday: Race: 13:00 - 15:00 Tyres: please log in to view this image please log in to view this image [video=youtube;N-qTltwW1-o]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-qTltwW1-o[/video] Prediction Table x2 allsaintschris di fredsta jonnybaws justjazz maxwhiplash miggins thistle21 tomcat606 westcoastboogaloo zer0 x1 AbsolutelyGlorious diresta is faster than u sportydan tomtom94v2.4(beta) Forza Bianchi drudeboy happyal jackjeffries julius caesar schneiderlin is the goal king stephen licorish marklarmergerbilfarmer Paco Montoya pit lane charlie RoadRunner smithers Poll shuts Wednesday night due to Thursday free practice
Mercs may come out top (esp. if they can replicate their sector 3 performance at Spain in Monaco..) But I still think teams will get passed them during the pits stops. With that in mind, I think the winner is likely to be driving a Ferrari or Lotus.. Will choose nearer the time but right now, 60/40 in favour of Alonso over Kimi
I'm saying Vettel will win.. Also in the previous winners, didnt Trulli win in 04 and not Schumacher?
I don't agree that Mercedes being jumped in the pit stops will definitely happen. It's possible yes but I think some people are jumping the gun too early. 1. We don't know their pace 2. The low grip and cold conditions will suit Mercedes 3. The chasing pack could encounter traffic after pitting 4. If Mercedes find a gap in the traffic, they could pit first and gain the advantage. 5. If Mercedes are 1 and 2 after lap 1 we could see a team game being played with the 2nd Merc holding up the pack
Looking like it will be a overcast race at Monaco, with temps in the high teens to low 20's. James Allen has done a good piece on the race Here To select a proportion of the article: Likely tyre performance and other considerations Pirelli tyre choice for Monaco: Supersoft and Soft. Monaco is gentle on tyres, the track surface is smooth and there are no high energy corners. This race sees the second appearance of the supersoft tyre, which was used in Melbourne. The teams have done little running or testing on it this year. In Melbourne it lasted only nine or ten laps, but with the shorter lap in Monaco and less energy going into the tyre, it should go further. However, to make a one stop strategy work you will need to do more than 50 laps on a set of soft tyres. Based on what we saw in China, where the soft was good for only six or seven laps, this will be a struggle. Pirelli has acknowledged its mistake in making the construction of the 2013 tyres too aggressive and this is the last outing for them before they return to the 2012 construction from Montreal onwards. To pull off a one stop strategy the cars that qualify on supersofts will need to get to at last lap 27. This may prove too much for many runners, who are likely to be forced into a two stop strategy. This creates a great opportunity for a car, like the Lotus, that may not qualify at the front, but can potentially do the race on one stop only. It is more likely that the race will be like the 2011 edition which saw a mixture of one, two and even three stop strategies. Number and likely timing of pit stops Last year saw the top ten finishers all doing a similar one stop strategy. Of the podium finishers, Webber pitted on lap 29, Rosberg on lap 27 and Alonso on lap 30. The pit lane at Monaco is long and slow so the time needed to make a stop is quite long at around 25/26 seconds. This, and the risk of losing time on slower traffic, encourages teams to make less rather than more stops. But with big question marks over both tyre compounds, ahead of a change of construction by Pirelli from Canada onwards, free practice running will be crucial to identify the optimum strategy and stop laps. Teams will do whatever strategy they believe is the quickest and will allow them to run in as much clear air as possible. Given the performance gap between the soft and super soft tyre it is likely that everyone will qualify on the super soft. The first lap is always very costly for the midfield and back of the field. With having to follow through the tight corners, it’s common for the cars in the bottom third of the grid to do a first lap which is 20 seconds slower than the leader, who is running in clear air.
I think it will be a one stop race. Rosberg managed a three stopper in Spain, it's not wear which is costing Mercedes it's overheating. In Monaco they'll be able to drive well below the car's limit and stay in front, the chasing pack will be forced to drive at their pace. If they get both cars in the top 3 (3rd on the grid is arguably better than 2nd here) they should be able to cover pitstops, and like BIL says, if they're leading it's they'll come across the gaps in the traffic first. The only problem is if someone does what Vettel did last year and run a long first stint on prime tyres. If Mercedes back the pack up they'll pit behind someone starting 8th or 9th on primes, then everyone will respond to Merc given the guy who hasn't pitted clean air to pull into. That's probably the only way this race will be exciting. It would be good to see someone like Grosjean sitting out Q3 to start on the primes.
This could be the mother of all trains!!! Agree with BIL that should Mercs be 1-2, they may get the chap in 2nd position to hold up the field whilst the guy in front get a lead of a least one pit stop... However will depend on the conditions and if they can make the SS last 25+ laps, if so, don't bet against a Merc win.. Still think Alonso or Kimi will bag the win though (would like to be proved wrong).
will merc get pole though? Monaco isnt really known for its fast long straights. I know MS got pole last time but that was a super lap out of the blue.
Based on the fact they were .3 second quicker in the final sector in Spain (not to dissimilar to the type of performance you need in Monaco), I'd have thought they'd be in with a decent shout?
Worth noting that the sector times from sector 3 in Barcelona last year were nothing like the Monaco grid, so it's far from a done deal. http://www.formula1.com/results/season/2012/868/7070/best_sector_times.html Schumacher was only 9th, With Maldonado fastest. Reversed in Monaco.
Can't see beyond a Merc pole, and pole round Monaco equals a win. I expect Lotus to really struggle, their car doesn't look great in slow speed corners. Alonso can never be discounted either. I've voted Rosberg, he's had the measure of Hamilton over 1 lap, and he's owed 1 by the team for Malaysia, so in a fair world, he'll get his repayment this weekend.
