Official F1/Motorsport thread

[abigsmurf]

If the qualifying is anything to go by, Vettel should breeze this race. Hopefully we'll get a nice messy first few turns to shake it up a bit.

[Bort]

If the qualifying is anything to go by, Vettel should breeze this race. Hopefully we'll get a nice messy first few turns to shake it up a bit.

? Unless you meant Webber?

Vettel's KERS seems to be buggered for the whole weekend and Webber has been faster all weekend and his KERS seems to be fine.

[Bort]

Monaco Grand Prix
Monte Carlo, 27-29 May
Thursday 26 May: Practice one - 0900-1030; Practice two - 1300-1430
Saturday 28 May: Practice three - 1000-1100; Qualifying - 1300-1400
Sunday 29 May: Race - 1300

[Bort]

No reports so far saying Perez has broken anything. He was taken to the hospital and is awake and talking.

HRT will be racing tomorrow. Practice times were good enough.

[toythatkills]

Can't see any problems with HRT trundling round the thin streets of Monaco. Nope. Seems like a great idea.

[Flabio]

A cynic would say that Hispania didn't run in qualifying cause they knew they were within the 107% in morning practice but didn't think they would be in Qualy (although Luizzi's car was a mess after he stacked it anyway).

Perez won't race if he's had a concussion, they generally don't let you race under those circumstances.

[PeteJ]

I'd be amazed if they could rebuild the car. Great that he is doing well but it's a damn shame as it was his best qualifying session of the year (and would have been the best qualifying session of the year full stop). ****ing scary crash though. Nico was bloody lucky on his crash earlier today, can't believe how close it was to being a lot worse.

LH has been given a penalty for cutting a chicane and will start 10th.

[Bort]

Perez won't be driving tomorrow.

Saubers test driver is Esteban Gutierrez who is currently driving in GP2. Political/sponsor appointed position.

[NW2013]

Yeah, nasty crash and as PeteJ says Nico was lucky not to do the same thing. Shame for Perez as it was a great qualy for him. My heart was in my mouth at his oversteery antics through the swimming pool in Q1.

Seems pretty pointless restarting the race now as it's unlikely many positions will change unless someone does a suicidal move.

[Flabio]

Hamilton's had a bit of a shocker in this one. I doubt he'll even get to keep the 6th place he ended up with.

Vettel wouldn't have got that without the red flag and restart though, but his gamble paid off I guess. Grr.

[NW2013]

Vettel wouldn't have got that without the red flag and restart though, but his gamble paid off I guess. Grr.

Disagree, unless Vettel's tyres popped I couldn't see the other two getting through even if his lap times did get even slower. Don't understand why he didn't pit straight after Button's last stop unless they thought the tyres wouldn't last and/or he wouldn't get back out in front. Think McLaren screwed their own race by putting Button on 3 stops.

[Flabio]

We haven't seen it under race conditions yet, but apparently when these tires do go off it's *epic* levels of drop off. Of the order of 4 or 5 seconds a lap. There's no way he would've held anyone behind him if they had gone.

Heh, Lewis (jokingly) saying on the radio at the moment that he gets more penalties than other drivers cause he's black...

[jim g]

being allowed to change tyres in Red Flag conditions o ludicrous, penalizes those who were on good tyres!!!!!!

Stupid stupid rule. Whether Vettel would have made to the end we will never know, but gifting him a new tyres (and Alonso) is plain stupid.

Hamilton did what I expected, saw red mist and drove very aggressively, that said, if he had been in 3rd behind Alonso, he wpuld would have a go, Button lacks balls IMHO

[NW2013]

It did remind me a bit of the V10 era when Raikkonen was leading a race in his McLaren but chose not to pit and his tyre delaminated one or two laps from the end. Would have been interesting to see what would have happened to Vettel.

The McLaren mechanics did a good job patching up that rear wing on Hamilton's car.

EDIT: Forgot to add I wish they'd all stop doing a little speech at the end of the race, it's cringeworthy.

[PeteJ]

Good on LH for giving it a go through through the race, I think he made a good point that it is stupid that all racing incidents end up with penalties these days. That said, he really doesn't present himself well in interviews though you have to appreciate the honesty. He was super unlucky all weekend.

We were robbed of a classic finish just like we were robbed yesterday in qualifying. I don't like the rule that allows you to change parts on the car during a red flag situation as it basically made the final five laps pointless (though Webber made up a place and Lewis took another car off the track). I don't agree that Button lacks balls, in the last few years he has shown himself to be one of the best overtakers on the field. He was right to play the waiting game today and I think eventually Alonso and Vettel would have started to struggle, he was just unfortunate with the safety car.

Good drives from most of the pack today and a really entertaining race.

F1 forum after the race was awesome too. Eddie Jordan is such a muppet but that was funny as hell.

edit - here it is, the interview Lewis will regret giving:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hD8T8_JR4Mw&feature=player_embedded