Monaco Mania

To be totally honest, I only partially agree with this week's title as I found the race a bit boring. It got to the point that I was even yawning at some points... but there was plenty of mania before the race and Webber won after *finally* getting a good start off the line, meaning Red Bull have now got a hat-trick in Monaco. So I really can't complain all that much!

© Daily Mirror Sport

Q1) In FP3 we saw Pastor Maldonado bump tyres with Sergio Perez, and in response was awarded a 10-place grid penalty. What was your view on the incident and the resulting penalty?

A: Maldonado has garnered quite a reputation for being hot-headed, and the incident with him and Perez hasn't done anything to try and rebuff that. He said afterwards that he 'lost the car' due to being on cold tyres, but from what I've seen from replays of the incident, there's nothing to suggest that he had oversteer or any other problem that could have caused him to swipe across Perez in the way that he did. With the confines of the track being so tight in Monaco it's incredibly difficult for cars that have been blue-flagged to move over, and to be fair to Perez he did his best to move over as much as he could, slowing down significantly. Maldonado could see this and had enough space to go around the outside of him going into Portier, so I don't understand why he chose to stay on the line he took. 

Looking at it like this, I think it was right for the stewards to give Maldonado the 10-place grid penalty. Although this incident was fairly minor compared to the one with Lewis Hamilton in Belgium last year, it was still a dangerous piece of driving that would have been completely avoidable had he kept his head and just backed off a little. With him being on cold tyres and on his first lap it wouldn't have been that detrimental for him to do this, as he could have created a gap and pushed again on the next lap. Also, with it being the second time of him doing something like this, the punishment needed to be harsher to act as a deterrent to Maldonado and the rest of the drivers. If he were to do something similar again in the future, I'd expect him to be starting from last or DSQ'd from the race as a third strike.

Q2) Qualifying saw Sebastian Vettel not set a lap time, and through this benefiting from the choice of tyres in the race. Do you think that this rule should be changed, with penalties enforced if a driver/team do not set a time in Q3?

A: You can't give the teams/drivers penalties when all they're doing is maximising their chances of getting a good result - Formula 1 would be a very funny sort of sport otherwise. The rule saying that the top 10 have to start on the tyres they set their Q3 times on will mean that teams will gamble with not setting a time, in order to start on fresh rubber. And when it works, like it did for Sebastian, then it will make it even more of an incentive, so I think we'll see it a lot more as the season progresses. The above rule hasn't really done anything to alter the running in the early stages of races, which it was designed to do, instead ruining Q3 and making it anti-climatic, even dull in some cases, for those of us watching. In an ideal world the rule would be scrapped and teams would be given a slightly larger allocation of tyres to accommodate for it, or even be given special qualifying-only tyres. But with Formula 1 trying to cut down on its environmental impact this won't be happening, so I'm afraid drivers sitting out Q3 will be a regular occurance. Which is sad, as we're not getting to see the cars' true capabilities when on the edge.

Q3) A slow pitstop, being hit on the head by numbers falling off pit boards, and a lack of communication regarding Vettel's pace left Lewis Hamilton frustrated with the race. Do you think this will affect his upcoming contract renewal, and what do you think his options would be aside from McLaren?

A: Lewis, bless him, doesn't seem to having much luck this season! And it isn't his fault, as he seems to have got himself together psychologically after his worst ever season last year. You can't blame him for being frustrated with everything that's happened at McLaren in these first six races. The car is capable of winning,  as Jenson Button proved in Australia, but it's been mistakes from the team like poor pitstops and the fueling problem in Spain that have caused them to now be lagging behind. If McLaren don't get their act together soon, I think Lewis will start to consider looking for a ride elsewhere. Where at is another matter...

On the face of it, his options are broad - at the time of writing Ferrari, Lotus, Mercedes and Red Bull all only have one driver contracted for next season, with Williams, Sauber, Force India and Toro Rosso having no-one confirmed for 2013. But assuming he wouldn't want to move to a midfield team and taking other factors into account, Lewis' opportunities are soon narrowed:

Ferrari - appears to be a no-no as the history between Lewis and Fernando Alonso isn't great, with the two having had some controversial incidents while together at McLaren in 2007. Add to that an uncompetitive car, and Sergio Perez being widely accepted to be taking the seat if Felipe Massa doesn't improve sufficiently, the door at Maranello seems firmly closed for the moment.

Lotus - personally I couldn't see Lewis going to Lotus and I think it would be a risky move, as historically Lotus have been poor at developing a car throughout the season (a key strength of McLaren's). Despite this they've built a strong car this year, regularly fighting for podiums, so wins aren't out of the question. But Kimi Raikkonen is doing well despite his few years out of the sport and seems motivated and happy, while the close relationship between Romain Grosjean and Eric Boullier means that I think he'll be given another season to assess his performance.

Mercedes - Mercedes and McLaren have a close relationship through their engine deal and the team are now proven race-winners after their victory in China. If everything can come together, as this season has shown, then Mercedes have the potential to be regularly competing for wins and this will be a big incentive for Lewis. Michael Schumacher has struggled on his return to the sport and question marks have already been raised about his future, while Lewis and Nico Rosberg have a very good relationship, having competed against each other through the lower formulae. If Mercedes continue to show good pace and Red Bull keep Mark Webber on, a move here can't be ruled out.

Red Bull - probably the place where Lewis would have his eye on first. Although not as competitive this season, they've proven that they still have what it takes to win, and constructors' and drivers' championships for the last two seasons will make Red Bull a very attractive move. I think Lewis would relish the challenge of having Sebastian Vettel as a team-mate and they would push each other hard, so it would be very interesting to see how they performed together. This is all dependent on Mark Webber leaving - at 35, he's nearing the end of his career and rumours of his retirement, along with a move to Ferrari, crop up around this time of year. He's also made it no secret about his unhappiness with certain events in the past, with his 'not bad for a number two driver' comments in 2010. But he's proven that he still has the talent and experience to win races and seems happy in the team for the moment. Depending on what Mark decides to do, I could really see Lewis making the switch here.

BONUS [as suggested by @joshbohnf1]) Do you think we should still be racing at Monaco when overtaking is clearly important in modern Formula 1?

A: There's lots of arguments for and against Monaco still being on the calendar. Of course the narrow and twisty nature of the circuit makes overtaking extremely difficult, resulting in often boring races as well as maybe making the race more dangerous than the rest. But that's what makes Monaco unique - it provides a unique test for the drivers, and the history and prestige (as well as the glamour) that surrounds it makes it a thrill for both drivers and fans. Having said that, Spa-Francorchamps has a lot of these qualities, but its future in Formula 1 has been under threat for a couple of years now. It's interesting to hear everyone's viewpoints on the subject but the fact is that Monaco will be staying with us for the forseeable future.

© Mark Thompson/Getty Images

The Twitter-Powered Formula 1 Drinking Game

Cheers! via pinnacle racing @ Autosport forums

Everyone likes a good drinking game, and there's plenty of material in Formula 1 to make up some creative challenges. So with the help of Twitter, we have this extensive set of rules for you to enjoy your race-viewing that little bit more*. Many thanks to @F1Ellen, @RobTsintas, @Sibutch, @wtf1couk, @graemefowler, @jimbobbydazzler and many others for their contributions. Feel free to comment with your own suggestions below, or on Twitter, with the hashtag #F1DrinkingGame. Enjoy!

*Standard disclaimer: this is just for fun. Of course we encourage everyone of legal age to drink sensibly and responsibly

One shot

1) Any mention of 'for sure' from drivers, team personnel, TV presenters etc.

2) Sebastian Vettel says 'obviously' during an interview, or gives 'The Finger' if he wins a pole or race

3) Jenson Button complains about having no grip. Same for Michael Schumacher criticising the Pirelli tyres

4) Lee McKenzie says 'you must be bitterly disappointed' when interviewing a driver

5) David Coulthard says 'well, indeed'. Last one to shout 'och aye tha noo motherf***er!' takes a shot of Scotch whiskey

6) Ted Kravitz says that he's 'down at the McLaren/Red Bull garage'

7) Williams reserve driver Valtteri #BOTTAS is mentioned or shown on-screen

8) Each position Fernando Alonso finishes ahead of Felipe Massa (caution advised here, could get very messy!)


Two shots

1) David Croft and/or Martin Brundle use a strange similie to describe a driver's performance (e.g. 'hugging the apex like it's your favourite granny')

2) Kimi Raikkonen answers a detailed, in-depth question with 'it was OK', 'not really', or words to this effect

3) Simon Lazenby mentions how you can watch Formula 1 'in glorious 5.1 Dolby surround sound'

4) Christian Horner performs his famous 'Horner Jig' foot-tapping on the pitwall

5) Tequila if Sergio Perez goes for a conservative strategy, by staying out on prime tyres or one-stopping

6) Any joke about Eddie Jordan's shirts, or David Coulthard's chin or white jeans

7) Kamui Kobayashi successfully pulls off a crazy overtaking move. Must be done while shouting 'BANZAI!'

8) Eddie Jordan questions Michael Schumacher's decision to come out of retirement


Down your drink!

1) Heikki Kovalainen makes it into Q2

2) The BBC and Sky F1 teams are visible together in one TV shot

3) Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa crash into each other

4) A bottle of San Miguel if a HRT qualifies within 107%, or the stewards allow them to race. Extra shot if both make it

5) Lewis Hamilton gets any sort of penalty. Last one to shout 'it's an absolute friggin' joke!' takes an extra shot

6) Martin Brundle and Tanja Bauer 'bump into each other' on the grid

7) Mark Webber or Vitaly Petrov become airborne as the result of an off or crash


Race-specific Rules

Australia - if it's the first race, down a Fosters if a commentator says the first race is like the first day back at school


Malaysia - one shot each time FOM cuts to a picture of a weather radar. Down your drink if a red flag comes out for rain


Monaco - a sip of champagne, or other expensive drink:

1) Each time a celebrity tries to sound knowledgeable about Formula 1, and fails miserably, during the grid walk

2) If any of Monaco's prestige, glamour, history, difficulty to overtake, or how every driver wants to win it are alluded to


Spain - one shot each time a commentator mentions how the Circuit de Catalunya isn't good for overtaking


Canada - down your drink if:

1) A driver crashes into the Wall of Champions any time during the weekend

2) Groundhogs are spotted! Extra shot if they cause a yellow flag or the safety car to be brought out

3) The track surface starts to break up, bringing out the marshals. Should a marshal fall over, the last person to laugh at them takes an extra shot


Europe (Valencia) - one shot each time there's an overtake, it'll help ease the boredom


Belgium - one shot each time a driver's thrown into the gravel because of rain, and when a driver locks up going into the Bus Stop chicane


Japan - one shot each time FOM cuts to Japanese fans in crazy Formula 1-themed outfits

25%

Can't believe we're already a quarter of the way through the season. It's going much too quickly! 6 weeks today and I'll be setting off to Silverstone for the British Grand Prix, which if last year was anything to go by, will be an amazing long weekend. I'm planning on buying a sm*rtphone for the weekend so I can still blog while I'm there, and post pictures and videos etc. to give a sort-of-real-time idea of what it's like to attend a Grand Prix - will be interesting to see how that works out. Tickets have started shipping out today, so I'm writing this sitting at the bottom of the stairs, waiting for the postman to arrive...

Monaco - the capital of glamour © Rainer Brunotte

Q1) The tight and twisty nature of the Monaco circuit is known for difficult overtaking. Do you think we will see drivers take more risks like Hamilton did in 2011, or will it be more about strategy and pitstops?

A: I think we'll see both, but it'll be more skewed towards strategy and pitstops. With Monaco being the prestigious race that it is, drivers will be more willing to take risks to try and move up the order and with overtaking being so difficult, gaining even one position during the race would be an achievement. However, with the way the Pirelli tyres have been this year I think teams may want to be a little more conservative. This of course all depends on whether there's going to be a safety car and the weather, which going by current reports isn't looking too good for practice and qualifying at the moment.

Q2) What is it about Monaco that makes it so special, or do you not feel the excitement for Monaco?
A: One answer always seems to crop up - 'it's Monaco!'. No other race on the calendar has so much behind it to create its unique buzz; the history, the prestige, the glitz and glamour, the skill that goes into the preparation of the drivers and teams for the event, the celebrities trying to sound knowledgeable when they're being interviewed for Martin Brundle's gridwalk (and failing miserably - yes, I'm looking at you Nicole Scherzinger and Geri Halliwell):

Q3 [as suggested by @AilishCatherine]) What is your favourite corner on the Monaco Grand Prix circuit and why?

A: There's a couple that stand out from the rest, like Casino Square, as it looks like a real challenge for the drivers coming into it from the top of the hill. The Lowes hairpin is always cool for seeing the cars so close together and snaking slowly and carefully through the streets. And The Tunnel needs no introduction. But I like all of them - the whole track flows brilliantly despite overtaking being impossible, so I guess they're all my favourite.

BONUS) Which Monaco race that you have watched is your ultimate Monaco Grand Prix and why?

A: I'm having to work from word of mouth here as I don't remember watching it myself, but from what I've seen of it now that I'm older, the 1996 race was immense. A real survival of the fittest battle in very tricky conditions, showing just how tough Monaco is on the drivers and their machinery - and Olivier Panis won in a Ligier, with the three drivers on the podium being the only ones to actually finish the race. What's not to like?

*Rainer Brunotte has taken some stunning photographs of Monaco's cityscape, harbour and parts of the Grand Prix circuit as part of the build-up for this year's race, you can see more of his work here

Spanish Spectacular

Considering this was Barcelona, which is usually a right bore-fest, I'd say this year's race was pretty epic! This was helped no doubt by watching it at the pub and making some new F1 friends (see F1 in Pubs for more details on where you can watch in the UK). 5 different winners, from 5 different constructors, in 5 races just shows how crazy the 2012 season has been up to now. Also, big happy birthday to Fan Formula's founder @GraceF1Fanatic, hope you have a lovely day!


Q1) Qualifying saw Hamilton's penalty and Karthikeyan qualifying outside the 107% rule. What do you make of both incidents and the resulting stewards decisions?

A: It's not the first time McLaren have under-fueled one of their cars in qualifying, deliberately or otherwise. The rule saying the cars have to get back to parc ferme under their own power was tightened because of McLaren's exploits at Canada in 2010, where Lewis had to push his car back to the pits. Even though I think this time the team made an honest mistake, the FIA had to be seen to be taking action as it does create an unfair advantage. However, I thought exclusion from qualifying and being put to the back of the grid was a little harsh. If it was me, I'd have excluded him for Q3 and calculated his grid position from his Q2 time, which would have put him 11th, and maybe have stripped McLaren of constructors points for that race as it was the team's fault that he didn't have enough fuel.

As for Karthikeyan being allowed to race, it makes a complete mockery of the 107% rule. What's the point of having it if it isn't going to be enforced? It's decisions like this that are making the FIA so inconsistent and enduring the wrath of fans. In my opinion, the rule should be modified - unless you have a mechanical problem during qualifying that prevents you from setting a time, then anyone who qualifies outside 107% should not be allowed to race at all. If someone does have a breakdown, only then should the FIA look at their times in practice to assess if they have the pace to keep up.


Q2 [as suggested by @squiffany]) In the Senna vs Schumacher crash, who do you think was at fault?

A: Both drivers had part to blame, but Schumacher was more at fault. I imagine that he would have been told about Senna struggling for grip over his radio, and so a driver of his experience should have been much more aware of his closing speed. Having said that, Senna did move ever-so-slightly left just before going into Turn 1 - I don't know whether that was because of a lack of grip under braking or him trying to fend off Schumacher, but it did play a part in the accident, so in hindsight Senna maybe should have made it a little easier for him to pass if his tyres were that badly worn. A 5-place grid drop for Schumacher in Monaco was deserved though, as it was a silly accident that didn't really need to happen.

Ooops... © Mirror Sport

Q3) Maldonado took his first victory in Spain (the first win for Williams since 2004). Do you think this signals the return of Williams to the top of the grid, or is this just another topsy turvey result for the 2012 season?

A: It's hard to say, as the way the 2012 season is going it's impossible to even make a calculated guess as to what's going to happen! But Williams have clearly made a much better car than those of the last couple of seasons and now that they've won one race, I don't see why they can't win another. It'll take a lot of luck and skill to get the Pirelli tyres to work in their favour, but that's the case for all the teams this year.

Going slightly off-topic, I'm sure everyone was shocked to see the fire that engulfed the Williams garage about an hour after the podium ceremony. It made what was a brilliant and emotional result for the team so bittersweet, though it was very heartening to see such bravery and teamwork from everyone up and down the pitlane to try and help put the fire out. It's events like this that show that Formula 1 is fundamentally a team sport and that at the end of the day, we're all one big family.


BONUS) Who would you say drove the best race at Catalunya and why?

A: Now this is a hard one because no-one really had a race that stood out as being amazing, most of them making the best of a good or bad situation. In the end I've chosen three drivers - Maldonado, Vettel and Hamilton. Pastor stood up to immense pressure from Alonso all race long to produce a very mature drive to silence his critics (including myself), while Sebastian and Lewis pulled off some brilliant overtakes to shoot through the field, albeit they shouldn't have been that far back in the first place (with Lewis' penalty, and Sebastian's drive through and strange front wing problem).  But it all made for an exciting race - maybe we'll see a different driver and constructor take the win in Monaco!

© Vladimir Rys/Getty Images Europe

Gilles Villeneuve: A Reflection

There hasn't been many people, in life and in death, that have captivated the world of motorsport in such a way that they become the stuff of legend. But Gilles Villeneuve can undoubtedly be included in that category.

The son of a piano tuner, Villeneuve seemed set for a career in music, had it not been for his fascination with speed and engineering from a young age. Aged eleven, he was let loose with a pick-up truck in a field close to the family's Quebec home, with the young Gilles later taking their lawnmower engine and pieces of plywood to make a go-kart. As a teenager he 'borrowed' his father's Pontiac Grande Parisienne to test its top speed, only to skid on a wet road and crash into a telephone pole. This first taste of speed's dangers did little to deter him, however, and he was soon honing his craft in the world of snowmobile racing. It was these years of sliding on ice at over 100 mph, that he would later claim helped craft his incredible capability to control cars in wet conditions.

The transition to single-seater racing was not so smooth. Living on the breadline with his young family in a pre-fab home, Villeneuve was resorting to stealing tools from local shops to save money. Only by selling the house and converting a disused school bus into a motorhome/workshop did he raise the money to compete in Formula Ford and Formula Atlantic, which he did with gradual success. It was in the latter that he beat F1 world champion James Hunt, in a non-championship event at Trois-Rivieres in 1976, and impressed Hunt so much that he persuaded McLaren to give Gilles a Formula 1 drive at Silverstone the following year. Qualifying 9th and finishing 11th in a year-old car, he would have finished much higher up the order had it not been for a faulty temperature gauge costing him precious time. Regardless, McLaren decided not to keep him on due to his lack of experience, and was instead recruited by Ferrari. In a sport where courage, determination and downright stubbornness are standard, Gilles took these qualities to a whole new level - producing some of the best racing, and some of the most outrageous actions, Formula 1 has ever seen:

His ferocious speed and questionable sanity can be epitomised with his performance at the 1979 United States Grand Prix, at Watkins Glen. On a soaking wet track in practice, Villeneuve was setting times that were up to 11 seconds faster than his rivals, including his teammate, and that year's world champion, Jody Scheckter. While others were nursing their cars so as not to crash, Gilles was pulling everything out of the car in order to try to better it and himself. These examples of commitment weren't only confined to the racetrack, however - Villeneuve seemingly didn't understand the meaning of the word 'slow'. On public roads he would drive flat-out, incurring hundreds of speeding tickets (many of which were forgotten about with a quick signed photo, especially in Italy) and he would manhandle his speedboat and helicopter at unthinkable speeds.

But behind this recklessness he was quiet and softly-spoken, a man of strong principles that always conducted himself with the utmost honesty and expected others to do the same. Indeed, it was his teammate Didier Pironi's breaking of a team orders agreement between them, at the 1982 San Marino Grand Prix, that many say cost Gilles his life. Incensed at Pironi's lack of sanctity for a promise, he headed to the next race at Zolder with a chip on his shoulder and a point to prove. On 8th May 1982, while trying to improve his time in qualifying to beat Pironi, a misunderstanding with Jochen Mass over where to move over resulted in him driving into the back of Mass' March at over 120mph. The Ferrari was thrown into the air, flipped and nose-dived into the track. The force of the impact was so great that Villeneuve, still strapped to his seat but now without his helmet, was catapulted into catch-fencing over 50 metres away. He died from critical head and neck injuries later that night.

Gilles Villeneuve has become quite special to me as a fan, as he's the main reason why I've become so interested in motorsport and Formula 1 in particular. I was given a brilliant biography of his life as a gift about 4 years ago, which describes all of the above in vivid detail (and which the info for most of this post has come from). Being born nearly 10 years after his death it gave a wonderful insight into how the sport and its stars worked back then, and was the impetus for me to learn more about its history. However, Gilles' story really struck a chord with me. His dogged determination, although often bordering on the reckless and selfish, and his passion for the sport that he loved was proof that if you could set your mind to what you want to achieve, then there's no reason why you can't. Which makes it all the more tragic that he never got to fulfill his wish and that of his many fans - to win the world championship he rightly deserved.

The Return Of In-Season Testing

A pretty quiet week in Formula 1, but there's been tonnes of other motorsport on today (Sunday) - British Touring Car Championship, World Touring Car Championship, DTM, Formula Two, MotoGP and IndyCar. Too much sport!


Q1) In-season testing returns this year after being banned in 2009. Are you glad to see an official in-season test return to F1?

A: Yes and no. Yes because the fans have even more time to see the cars on track and teams have more opportunity to develop updates, but it doesn't send out a very good message about a sport which has publicly committed to cut costs. The reaction to the return of in-season testing has also been mixed - Fernando Alonso has stated that the Mugello test will be important for Ferrari to try and gain some ground on the front-runners, while others, such as McLaren's Paddy Lowe, have admitted that they don't need an in-season test and that holding one is just another burden on the team's budget and logistics. He even went as far to suggest that he didn't think there would be another in-season test after this year. Doesn't bode well...

Day One washout at Mugello © FIA

Q2 [as suggested by @cwhite90999]) Do you think it is a mistake for HRT to not attend the test?

A: A month or so ago I said that the 'new' teams, HRT and Marussia in particular, can't even begin to dream of catching up to the others if they can't attend testing and I still stand by that. However for a team like HRT, who have so little money compared to the likes of outfits such as cash-strapped Williams, attending a test in which they're not going to gain much in terms of performance or data-gathering would be a big strain on their already limited resources. So in that sense it seems like a sensible decision to miss out on the test, and one where they could divert the money saved into development for next year's car.


Q3) Do you think that having the test after only 4 races makes the test slightly less effective than it could be if it were later along in the calendar?

A: If anything I think it makes it more effective. Having the Mugello test 10 or so days before the Spanish GP will allow the teams to trial some of their big updates for that race, and with the way this season has unfolded up to now this could either bunch up the pack even more or give us a slightly better idea of a front-running order.


BONUS) What do you make of the Young Drivers test potentially being brought forward and being held at Silverstone this year?

A: I think it's a great idea. Even with the clause allowing all teams to go to Abu Dhabi at short notice due to bad weather, and Red Bull and Toro Rosso preferring to go to Abu Dhabi in the first place, I'd like to think that the huge following Formula 1 has in the UK would mean the test would be very well attended by fans. If there was some sort of discount or special offer for those of us going to the British Grand Prix, that would be perfect (are you listening Bernie?)

Silverstone or Abu Dhabi? © Andrew Hone/Getty Images