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  • 2016 Monaco Grand Prix: Sunday Post Race Press Conference

    2016 Monaco Grand Prix: Sunday Post Race Press Conference

    DRIVERS

    1 – Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes)

    2 – Daniel RICCIARDO (Red Bull Racing)

    3 – Sergio PEREZ (Force India)

     

    PODIUM INTERVIEWS

    (Conducted by Martin Brundle)

    Lewis, well done. Finally, 44th victory, your favourite number, what a race.

    Lewis HAMILTON: Thank God that today went the way that I hoped. Big thank you to the fans that came out today, you really made the weekend. Big thank you to my team for providing me with a great car to see it through to the end. Honestly, I’m kind of lost for words really. I prayed for a day like this and it came through, so I feel truly blessed.

    You got the wet tyres a long way so that you could put the slicks straight on but you had a long way to go on those tyres from lap 31.?

    LH: I’m telling you that was the longest run to get there before I stopped for those tyres. It was crazy how long it was and really difficult to understand how much wheelspin you’re allowed, how much you can use the tyres because you don’t know to what end they’re going to go and I think the last lap was the time they were literally just about to drop off, but as I say thank God they stayed on.

    Daniel was chasing you hard, especially on the re-starts?

    LH: Yeah. Firstly, big congratulations to this guys [Daniel Ricciardo]. He drove phenomenally all weekend. Just one of the best drivers I’ve raced against, really he did a fantastic job today. That was a lot of pressure I was under and it was incredibly close, particularly on those re-starts but he did a phenomenal job. So I’m looking forward to many more battles with him. I’m sure he’s not that happy, since he started pole and it’s never great to start pole and come second, but he should feel proud of the way he drove.

    Daniel, the one that got away my friend.

    Daniel RICCIARDO: Ha! I don’t even want to talk about the race to be honest. Just want to say thanks to the fans, thanks for sticking out this weather. I guess from the outside we put on a show. Shouldn’t have been as exciting as it was to be honest. Two weekends in a row I’ve been screwed now. It sucks. It hurts. But thanks to everyone for sticking it out, I appreciate it.

    Any idea? Can you tell us what happened with the missing tyres on that stop?

    DR: No. No idea. I was called into the box. I didn’t make the call. I got called. They should have been ready. It hurts. It hurts. I don’t have anything else to say to be honest.

    You had a few scary moments with you front brakes locked up as well. You were so quick on the re-starts but obviously it was a challenge all afternoon out there for grip?

    DR: Yeah, I think we had the speed. I think we had the speed in the wet on the start. We pulled away, pitted for inters and we put ourselves in a race with Lewis, which we didn’t need to be in. And then the pit stop was the pit stop. I felt that I was the quickest in all conditions but again second place doesn’t show much for it.

    You’ve been on fire all weekend; your day will come,

    DR: Thank you, I appreciate it.

    OK, third place man: Sergio Pérez, you look a very happy man and rightly so.

    Sergio PEREZ: I’m extremely happy because my team has done a tremendous job – with the strategy, with the calls, with the pit stops. It’s been an amazing day for us certainly my favourite podium with the team, so a very special to have it in Monaco, especially in these race conditions. I want to dedicate this podium to our boss Vijay Mallya. He has been very supportive during these times and I really want to dedicate this one to him.

    You had Vettel in your mirrors; Seb was there the whole time. You were so fast on those soft tyres.

    SP: I think we did the right call. I think the best strategy for us was the soft at the end. I was controlling the pace at the beginning, then Seb, as you say, had a lot of pace, he was a lot faster than us, but then I think I saved my tyres and when I needed to push I had the tyre life. It was amazing race really with all the calls and everything, so I’m extremely happy.

    Well done. Finally, back to you Lewis, just 26 [sic] points behind in the world championship. Game on!

    LH: Yeah. I haven’t even thought about that just yet. I forgot to congratulate Sergio today – he did an amazing job today to come up from where he was. Of course we’re in the battle. We’re still going. There’s a long, long way to go and just when you feel like when it couldn’t get any worse it gets better, so I think the message from today for everyone is ‘never give up’.

     

    PRESS CONFERENCE

    Lewis Hamilton, what a win, one of those Monaco Grand Prix people will talk about for many years to come. Your first win of the season, in fact 24 points behind Nico Rosberg in the world championship, less than a win, he lost a place on the line. The key, clearly, was the decision to delay the pit stop and go directly onto the slick tyres. Just talk us through that whole communication process, because ironically it was a communication process here 12 months ago that did for you the other way and it’s totally come your way this time.

    LH: Yeah, I’m massively overwhelmed. It’s been a long time coming to get this win, not only in this season but to get the grand prix win here. This is one the toughest, if not the toughest, races of the year for us. Just so much pressure on all of us. Honestly, yesterday didn’t go well and of course I could only come here today hoping for the best and just making sure I was focused. But as soon as it rained it just opened up all the doors of opportunity. Fortunately I was quick enough in the wet, as I usually am here. I think with the strategy it was really just about that the track was drying so quick, but unevenly across the lap, so the first and middle sector were drying up really quick and the last sector was going quite slowly. So it was really kind gauging that and I noticed other people when they came out – Nico I heard had pitted and Sebastian and they weren’t lapping much faster than me, if at all. My tyres weren’t really degrading, so I was like “I got to stay out”. The team were saying we should move but I knew I would drop behind Daniel, so I eked it out as far as I could and luckily right at the end… I switched just at the right time. Coming back out on those slicks, I tell you, it was so slippery for us all. Trying to get temperature into those tyres and quick reflexes for the big snap oversteers you have, so incredibly exciting. And Daniel drove just phenomenally, as I said before. He was all over the back end of my car. I couldn’t really see a huge amount out of my mirrors, because when it rains it gets so dirty. S trying to defend from him and not always knowing exactly where he was probably one of the toughest if not the toughest races I’ve had for as far as I can remember. Huge respect for him and for the way he drove today and a big, big thank you to the team, especially the new guys on my side of the garage that have taken such a…. it’s been a hard five races to be here, six with yesterday and I think today can take a huge amount of weight off them, knowing that they’ve been doing a great job.

    Thank you very much. Daniel, a warm tribute there from Lewis. Clearly they made some moves but there’s no question that on your side there moves that were made that cost you the race. Second race in a row a pit stop has cost you a win. I know you were just looking at the screens there as to the pit stop, the tyres not being ready. Do you understand how that happebed and what are your feelings about the call to come in for inters when you had the race under control in the first place.

    DR: Two races in a row, two races in a row. That’s all I can say. We were quick in the wet, we had a comfortable lead, pitted for inters, got stuck behind Lewis and we just effectively put ourselves in a race we didn’t need to be into. Then I got called into the pits for the slicks and the tyres weren’t ready. I didn’t make the call. I didn’t make the late call. I got to the pits and everyone’s running around like headless ‘chooks’. Massively, massively disappointed. I don’t like being up here being miserable, because I got a podium in Formula One, so it should be a good day, but when it happens two weekends in a row it’s hard to take.

    Q: (Barna Zsoldos – Nemzeti Sport) Lewis, after another difficult qualifying, after another mechanical issue, what or who helped you the most to keep your head up and basically, how did you spend the rest of Saturday?

    LH: Honestly, for me, just God really. I just said my prayers. I’ve had my great friends around me yesterday, watched a movie, I just had good company but honestly it was just in my thoughts. I never pray to win, I pray for everyone’s safety, I pray that I’m able to be the best that I can be and today I think I honestly feel super-satisfied and happy with how I drove. To be able to drive at your best and to be able to do what you come out to achieve is a wonderful feeling inside, so that’s what I’m feeling now and carry that on for the next days, that’s for sure.

    Q: (Michael Schmidt – Auto Motor und Sport) Lewis, in the beginning when you saw Daniel disappearing in the wet, did you get nervous that he might get away and did you ask the pits to ask Rosberg to let you pass? And was it actually a real passing manoeuvre or do you think he let you past by himself?

    LH: I really don’t know. I don’t remember if… I didn’t ask to be let passed, I had the pace, obviously, on Nico but it’s very hard to overtake but it looked like he had a problem for a second, he pulled to the left and I went by so… I guess I’ll find out afterwards.

    Honestly, when I was behind Nico I was only thinking about either finishing where I was and thinking this is a long race, either finishing here or getting past Nico and at least getting some more points than him but then obviously once I got past it was hammer time. I had to try and catch Daniel and he was clocking about three or four tenths, between two and four tenths, slower than me so I was reining him in gently but not quick enough and then he pitted and I was in the lead and after that it was really nerving because the track was drying, I didn’t know if my tyres were going to burn up really quick and he was on a fresh set of intermediates which were for sure much quicker but I managed to just hold him off.

    Q: (Andrew Frankl – Forza) Gentlemen, should we salute the marshals who have done a fantastic job, so you could race, removing all the debris and lifting all the cars? I honestly don’t think you could have done it without them and I think they were very very brave.

    LH: I personally appreciate you mentioning that. I’ve been racing for such a long time and seen thousands and thousands of marshals that turn up every year to look out for our safety and for sure it’s not mentioned anywhere near enough. So I would like to take that from you and absolutely thank them. I think today they were risking their lives getting on the track with all these cars coming by but they do it for the love of the sport and I’m massively appreciative of them. And also being able to go on the track knowing that if something was to happen to me in the car, I’m confident that these guys  could get me out to safety in the best way possible.

    DR: Yeah, absolutely. The marshals here are by far the best in the world. We obviously travel around the world and not taking anything away from wherever else we go but the efficiency and the way they are able to clean up and keep the race going, basically keeping it exciting for the fans, letting us race but still doing it safety, it’s impressive, it’s impressive how they work here. There’s always crashes, there’s always incidents and yeah, they’re able to be very efficient and honestly keep us safe, as Lewis said. So 100 percent appreciate everything they do.

    SP: Yeah, what I can say is that I remember my crash in 2011 and they did a fantastic job to get me out of the car in very difficult situations and in the end I just want to thank them because they do an extremely good job. I think it’s the most difficult track for that and they show how good they are, so I really want to thank them a lot for the job they do and their love of the sport. I think they are simply the best marshals in the world.

    Q: (Christopher Joseph – Chicane) Daniel, yesterday you ambushed Mercedes with a great strategy, today you’re talking about headless chooks. Who calls the shots, what went wrong, what needs to be done for you to win a race?

    DR: I don’t know. I don’t know to be honest. I think I took Barcelona on the chin and then took it well but two in a row now, and it’s not like we’re in Mercedes’  position, we’re not able to win a race, so to have an opportunity to lead two races in a row and especially here in Monaco. I put it on the front and you wake up and you see thunderstorms and it’s like, OK, there’s a few curved balls coming my way today but I felt I dealt with them as well as I could have and had the pace in the wet at the beginning and again I thought I was controlling everything I had to. Obviously a big part of it is relying on the team and the strategy but yeah, to get it wrong twice now it definitely hurts. I’m not sure where to go from here, what to do. Obviously they’ve got to understand what’s going on  and learn from it but this win I’ll never get back, that’s a fact.

    Q: (Sandor Meszaros – Autosport ES Formula Magazin) Checo, can we say that this fantastic Monaco podium finish is another message from you to the top teams?

    SP: Well, I hope not only this one, I hope what I have been doing over the past years. I had a really tough time at McLaren and it seems that this is what everyone remembers, my time at McLaren but no one remembers my time at Sauber, my time at Force India. All I can do is keep doing my job, keep doing as well as I can, keep improving as a driver. I think in the last years I have improved a lot. I’m a more complete driver in all aspects, qualifying, race, race pace, better experience. So if the opportunity ever comes, I will be ready for it and I’m up for it. If not, all I can keep doing is doing my job.

    Q: (Frederic Ferret – L’Equipe) Daniel, you said that the Red Bull is not in a position to win every race now. How far are you from the Mercedes, can you still compete in the next races for victories?

    DR: I think Canada is going to be interesting. There’s obviously a lot of… it’s still a street circuit but there’s a long straight and it’s a bit more of a horsepower circuit. I think that will be a sign; if we can be quick in a couple of weeks, then I think we can be quick really for the remainder of the season. If we can fight for a podium in Canada then we should be able to fight everywhere else. We knew this track would be an opportunity for us to win but yeah, probably in two weeks time we’ll have a better idea really how competitive we can be, not only on these type of circuits but all the others.

  • F1 2016: Monaco GP – Masterful Hamilton Wins

    F1 2016: Monaco GP – Masterful Hamilton Wins

    If a race around the confined streets of Monte Carlo isn’t a big enough challenge the rain that came down made sure that it was emphatically more demanding.

    Daniel Ricciardo started the Monaco grand prix from his first career pole position and would’ve felt he had half the job done. As the race got underway behind the safety-car there was no perilous side-by-side running into turn one with Nico Rosberg’s Mercedes or the fear of pushing slightly over the limit any into a barrier.

    When racing did get underway Ricciardo quickly carved out a ten second to second placed Rosberg with Hamilton close behind in third. As the circuit started to dry Ricciardo dived into the pitlane for a set of intermediate tyres but the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton stayed out. It was this stint, on the full wet tyre, that won Lewis Hamilton the Monaco grand prix.

    But for Hamilton to take his first victory of the season a lot of things had to go his way. First championship leader and teammate Nico Rosberg had to move over and let him by and this move revealed some Rosberg’s character.  Regardless of his pace, as the championship leader, there couldn’t have been an argument against Rosberg if he didn’t move out of the way for his biggest rival. By giving way to Hamilton he showed himself to be a team man.

    GP MONACO F1/2016Still victory seemed a long shot as Ricciardo closed right onto the back of Hamilton on his quicker intermediate tyres. Each driver would have to make one more stop for slick tyres. However, as the Australian dived into the pits for dry tyres a communication error meant the team was not ready. A thirteen second pitstop for Ricciardo meant Hamilton squeezed into the lead of race.

    Although demoralized Ricciardo refused to give up and hounded Hamilton for as long as possible. Nevertheless, the Australian was unable to take back the lead of the race and finished second. Not too far behind Force India’s Sergio Perez drove a stellar race to hold of the Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel for third. Ferrari’s Monaco experience was an unforgettable one as Kimi Raikkonen retired early on after touching the barrier in the hairpin and getting stuck on his own front-wing.

    Fernando Alonso showed his class with a fine fifth place finish for McLaren on their 50th anniversary. The opportunistic Nico Hulkenberg snatched sixth place from Nico Rosberg into the final corner on the last lap of the race. Meanwhile Rosberg, running with suspected glazed brakes, finished seventh ahead of Carlos Sainz in eighth, Jenson Button in ninth, and the Williams of Felipe Massa in tenth.

    GP MONACO F1/2016The race was interrupted by several virtual safety car periods as drivers fell victim to the difficult conditions and notoriously tight circuit. Renault’s Jolyon Palmer crashed in the start/finish straight while Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat took out Kevin Magnussen. Max Verstappen was well on his way to recovering from a pitlane start but stuck his Red Bull into the barrier on lap 34.

    To add insult to a serious lack of pace Marcus Ericsson attempted a bizarre move on his Sauber teammate Felipe Nasr into the final corner that ended in a double retirement for the team.

    Some stars had to align for Hamilton’s first win of the 2016 season. But it was his masterfully controlled stint on a drying track with worn wet-weather tyres that sealed the deal. A car as dominate as the 2016 Mercedes often disguises a driver’s skill. But on this day not even this could overshadow Hamilton’s near impeccable feel and talent for driving a Formula 1 car.

    All images courtesy of Pirelli Motorsport.

  • Red Bull Puts Ricciardo’s Pit Stop Blunder Down to Tyre Unavailability

    Red Bull Puts Ricciardo’s Pit Stop Blunder Down to Tyre Unavailability

    Red Bull have revealed that Ricciardo’s pit stop  blunder was down to unavailability of tyres required because they were at the back of the garage.

    The race started under safety car conditions and once the race got going he was able to open up a good lead over the Mercedes pair. After his first stop on the intermediates after starting on the full wets, he was able to stay close to 1st place driver Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton chose to stay out on the full wet tyres, a move that would later prove to be a race winning move.

    As conditions improved and a dry line started appearing and drivers switched over to dry weather tyres. Hamilton came in for a set of ultra softs first, Ricciardo was in the pits a few laps later. It was supposed to be a routine stop for the Australian and he was expected to rejoin the race in the lead.

    Red Bull did not have any tyres ready for him and Ricciardo was delayed in the pits. He eventually rejoined the race behind Hamilton.

    The plan, according to Red Bull was to fit the softs on Ricciardo’s car but then changed their minds to fit on the super softs that he ran during Q2.

    Believing that there was enough time to get those tyres ready for Ricciardo it soon emerged that the tyres were at the back of the garage which sent the mechanics scrambling for tyres at the back of the garage.

    “Based on how we are set up here in Monaco, the pit wall is upstairs and the garage is downstairs,” said Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner

    “The tyres are on heat both in the garage and behind the garage, and unfortunately the set of tyres that were called for were not readily to hand, and were at the back of the garage.

    “There was a scramble with the mechanics, originally having the soft tyre ready, the yellow tyre. And when that change [to supersoft] was requested to go to the super soft, those tyres were actually right at the back of the garage.

    “A very disappointing day.

    “We as a team owe Daniel a huge apology today as we failed to support him in the way we did to get him to his first pole position yesterday.

    “The delay at his pit stop cost him the lead and despite some excellent driving to get close to Lewis, he couldn’t get past, as is so often the case here in Monaco.

     

    Photo Credit: Red Bull Racing

  • Breaking News: Red Bull Announces Engine Supplier

    Breaking News: Red Bull Announces Engine Supplier

    Red Bull Racing has revealed that it will continue its partnership with Renault Sport Racing as power unit suppliers.

    The renewed partnership will run to the end of the 2018 season and will be badged as Tag Heuer. In addition the Toro Rosso team will move away from Ferrari power units and into the Renault stable for the 2017 and 2018 seasons.

    Christian Horner, Red Bull Racing Team Principal, said: “We are delighted to extend our partnership which has proved very successful over time. After the reconstruction that Renault has undertaken, clear progress has been made which has made it logical to continue with the TAG Heuer badged engine.”

  • Pit Lane Start for Verstappen

    Pit Lane Start for Verstappen

    Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen will start from the pit lane at Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix race after his Q1 crash.

    Verstappen crashed in Q1 making contact with the inner barrier at Turn 15 with his front right wheel. He broke his cars track rod in the contact. With no steering control Verstappen speared into the outside barrier of Turn 16. He’s car had sustained quite a bit of damage in the contact.

    Red Bull took the decision to build a new car for Verstappen around a new chassis tub. The car will be built overnight and the stewards have agreed to scrutineer the car tomorrow before the race. Max Verstappen_Monaco 2016_crashThis means that Verstappen will start from the pit lane which gives the team more setup options on the car.

    With some rain forecast for tomorrows race the team may got with a rain setup to give Verstappen the edge when the rain does come.

    Talking to Motorsport.com Verstappen said that he will do all he can to work his way through the field. He also said that had he not crashed he would’ve been able to secure a Red Bull front row lock out.

     

     

  • 2016 Monaco Grand Prix: Saturday Press Conference

    2016 Monaco Grand Prix: Saturday Press Conference

    DRIVERS

    1 – Daniel RICCIARDO (Red Bull Racing)

    2 – Nico ROSBERG (Mercedes)

    3 – Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes)

    TV UNILATERAL

    Daniel, your first Formula One pole and what a place to do it.

    Daniel RICCIARDO: Yeah, definitely a special place. I knew coming into the weekend we’d have a shot at it and it looked good from Thursday. Yeah, I sort of had it in my mind the whole time coming into the weekend. I think also, after Barcelona I felt like… the last few races I feel like I’ve been driving well but haven’t go maximum reward, so I came into this weekend with a lot of a confidence and a lot of belief that I could be in this position now and yeah, I’m very happy to have fulfilled that. It feels good, I’ve always enjoyed this place, obviously the car is good, we’ve got a good package behind us now and it’s nice to be able to make the most out of it.

    Very well done. Nico, first time since 2012 no Mercedes on pole position here in Monaco. Red Bull and Daniel clearly pushed you very hard today, you brushed a barrier during Q2, but where did it get away from you today when it really counted at the end?

    Nico ROSBERG: I don’t think it really went away from me; it never was with me, because Daniel was just quick today and yeah, so they got a well-deserved pole and that’s it. I just wasn’t quick enough.

    Thanks very much. Lewis, there’s obviously a story behind your qualifying today: the engine problem at the beginning of Q3 and dramatically being wheeled back into your garage. How much did that upset your rhythm? On your final run there you were on target for pole but the final sector was just no quite there.

    Lewis HAMILTON: Yeah, it was a difficult qualifying; I don’t really know what to say at the moment. The good thing is that I did get out to do a lap at least. It wasn’t as bad as some of the races have been in that respect, with the engine problems. I’m grateful to be up in third. Obviously pole was there for the taking I think, but nonetheless I will do what I can in the race tomorrow to salvage what I can from today’s result.

    Thanks you for that. Coming back to our polesitter, Daniel Ricciardo. You did your Q2 run on the supersoft tyre, so tactically and strategically Red Bull are trying something here, it means you’ll be able to run a longer first stint in the grand prix tomorrow than either of the gentlemen either side of you. Your thoughts on that; the part you played in that decision and what it will do for you.

    DR: Yeah, we’ll see tomorrow if it works. The plan was to go out on the ultrasoft in the first run in Q2 and at least try and do a good enough lap with that and then we had the time on our side and we thought ‘let’s try and see what a supersoft can do’. We just feel maybe it opens up a few more options for the race tomorrow. Yeah, we did a good lap on that, and then yeah it sort of set us up well for Q3, knowing that I had the ultrasoft and that step in grip and I think I was able to maximise that and do that lap, so let’s see. I think today were sitting pretty and hopefully it turns in our favour tomorrow.

     

    PRESS CONFERENCE 

    We’ll start with our polesitter Daniel Ricciardo, just to say it once again. Do you think you’ll be able to sleep tonight and how much would a win mean to you, particularly after what happened two weeks ago in Spain?

    DR: Yeah, I’ll certainly be able to sleep tonight, I think. I’ll probably sleep easier knowing that I achieved what I set out to do. The whole week has been a lot of anticipation, a lot of excitement, so obviously the race now is hopefully the more controlled part, but anyways it’s cool to get my first pole. Monaco has always been a good track for me in previous categories. I’ve always loved it here. It’s a good day. I’m going to enjoy it while I can and 24 hours from now I’ll hopefully be back here.

    Okay, very well done. Nico, famously you’ve won here for the last three years running. You didn’t know that Daniel had done that Q2 time on the supersoft until you sat down next to him before the press conference. Now that you’ve had a few minutes to think about that, how do you see tomorrow’s grand prix unfolding and what do you think he’s got up his sleeve.

    NR: Yeah, I was very surprised by his time in the first part of Q3. I though I was looking good with my time but then I looked on the board and he was three tenths up the road, so I knew that was going to be difficult to reach. I gave it everything anyways but it wasn’t quite enough. For tomorrow? I don’t know. I have more grip at the start, maybe that can help me hopefully. Because I experienced that in China, starting with stiffer tyres, or harder tyres than everybody else – that was not good. Who knows, maybe that can play in my favour. And if not; strategy-wise no idea. Let’s see, we’re fine with our strategy for sure.

    Thanks a lot. Coming back to you Lewis, you mentioned briefly in the unilateral about your engine situation. Do you know the problem was? Is there still in your mind a lingering question about it for the race or did they get across to you that they think it’s going to be fine, that they fixed it?

    LH: I don’t know what the problem was, so I honestly can’t comment.

    Be that as it may, what do you think you can achieve tomorrow?

    LH: If the car keeps going I will be fighting as hard as I can with these guys. You can’t overtake here so… Daniel’s on a potentially better strategy than we will be on but, you know, hopefully it rains! That would be pretty amazing.

     

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

    Q: (Peter Farkas – Auto Motor) Daniel, considering that the last race has been won by your team-mate, a new guy who has just been promoted to Red Bull just before that, how important was it for you personally to make you mark now and get your first pole position exactly in that moment.

    DR: I think every race I’m treating as as-important as the other. I think from the start of the season, obviously I started off with Dany as my team-mate and wanted to make my mark. I think the whole season I’ve been qualifying really well and I feel I’ve been maximising everything. The race, let’s say didn’t turn into my favour in Spain but obviously I wanted to bounce-back – not that I feel it’s anything I did – but bounce back and have a good weekend here. I’ve always said it: this is a real circuit; it’s a drivers’ circuit and, like any in Formula One, sure, you need a car to help you out – and I’ve got that, I’ve definitely got that here – but that extra bit of confidence and commitment I think goes a long way. From Thursday I’ve felt good in the car. Little tweaks throughout the weekend and I think it’s brought us to this pole position. So it’s definitely a nice feeling.

    Q: (Livio Oricchio – globoesporte.com) To Lewis. It’s not very clear, when you came to the pits your time has any relation with the problem you had? The time you registered, it has some limiation or not?

    LH: In Q3? No, I had one lap to do it. Makes a big difference when you have a banker lap and work on it. I only had one lap so it was inevitable that I’d get P3.

    Q: (Ralf Bach – Autobild) A question to Daniel. What was the main reason for the pole: the engine update, the chassis itself or the big Australian balls?

    DR: Big Australian balls!

    Q: (Peter Windsor – F1 Racing) Just continuing that theme Daniel – kind of – you’ve been saying for a while now that you felt very confident of Monaco – dare I say the ‘W’ word? – and that was the package you had then. You have a package now, Renault have brought forward this upgrade for Monaco, how different, how much better is the package, compared with, say, two races ago? And b) What is the most enjoyable part of the circuit on that lap from your point of view?

    DR: Enjoyable part of the circuit, I’ll start with that. I’ve always loved Turn 12, 13, 14. Tabac and the Swimming Pool. It’s fun. It’s got really really nice flow, skip across the kerbs. It’s cool. Even the second part now, 15 and 16, it’s a little bit more open and I think probably it’s grown on me over the weekend, it’s quite fun, you can carry a lot of speed through there. So, yeah , the last sector is what I enjoy the most. As for… yeah, I think the car has been working well from the start of the season. I think it’s getting better and better, which is really nice. Had the update here from the power unit. That was working well, I think. You can just feel it pulls a little bit more, so in some practice sessions we didn’t run, let’s say, full power, so it was more like the older spec and you can feel it pull a bit more, up the hill for example out of Turn One. So it’ll be interesting when we get to longer straights, Canada the next one, and Max will have it in there as well, so it’ll be interesting to see where we stand there.

    Q: (Barna Zsoldos – Nemzeti Sports) To the Mercedes drivers, after the winter testing you expected Ferrari will be your main rival. It is a surprise or a shock that Red Bull is so fast now?

    NR: They’ve done a very good job in recent races. They’ve progressed very quickly and now another big step with the engine. We always expected them to be a tough competitor but we did see Ferrari as our closest competitors and now we need to question that. Of course Monaco is a very unique track, so let’s not come to any conclusions here – but for sure it’s them, Ferrari and us. We all seem to be very close here and hopefully the next race we’ll be a bit further ahead again.

    Any thoughts Lewis?

    LH: Same as Nico.

    Q: (Christopher Joseph – Chicane) Lewis, obviously a very frustrating day today. Tomorrow very crucial race for you in terms of the season. How will you balance control and aggression considering you need to score lots of points?

    LH: Today was the crucial day so… tomorrow’s just another day. What will be, will be. I will do whatever I can. There’s many races still ahead. I don’t really expect too much from tomorrow. I’m going in with the goal, of course, of trying to overtake the two cars in front – but we shall see.

    Q: (Michael Schmidt – Auto Motor und Sport) Daniel, you had the speed on whatever tyre anyway, so this Q2 on the supersoft, do you see it as a risk or a joker? Why did you go offset to somebody you could have beaten anyway?

    DR: I think we feel it’s not going to change too much off the start and then it just opens up… as we saw Q2, my lap was quicker on the supersoft than on the ultrasoft, so I don’t think there’s that much difference in the tyre. The pure performance. I mean sure, there’s a few tenths, but I don’t think as much as what we thought coming into the weekend. And then I think obviously it should have a little bit better tyre life. It just opens up maybe a few more windows in the race, and here it’s so important obviously to come out and be in clean air and not come out in traffic, so it could just open up a bigger window for us tomorrow and give us a bit more freedom when to pit.

    Q: (Andrea Cremonesi – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Lewis, you said before that you needed to try to overtake the two cars in front of you. After what happened in Spain, do you think that that can affect your approach at the start tomorrow or not?

    LH: I don’t think so but there’s very little room into turn one anyway so I doubt that there’s going to be much room there. I think it’s more the long-term game, it’s a long race, so I’ll try and do the best I can with the time that I have.

    Q: (Livio Oricchio – GloboEsporte.com) To Lewis and Nico, what is the meaning of another team fighting with Mercedes, considering that for the last two years and a half we didn’t have it, if Red Bull confirms (it is competitive) from the next races ahead?

    LH: What does it mean? Means we have a race. I think it’s great for the sport.

    Q: (Livio Oricchio – GloboEsporte.com) For you, in terms of the two Mercedes?

    LH: It’s even better, because obviously that could enable the gap between the two of us. I look at it as a positive.

    NR: Same, good battle, that’s it.

    Q: (Peter Windsor – F1 Racing) Lewis, just to draw a line under your problems today, the car was presumably was perfect in Q2, sitting in the garage, and then you drove out and the car just stopped? What actually happened?

    LH: Yeah, I was just accelerating and then I had a loss of power all the way down the pit lane and I didn’t know if it would come back. They asked me to make an adjustment on the switches, which I did, but it was just not idling. Once I stopped, it wouldn’t idle very well, it was hiccupping all the time so I had to switch off, I obviously lost my first run. I’d already done three warm-up laps to get in sync with everyone else, so by the time I pushed, my tyres perhaps weren’t as good as the fresh tyres that they had had  and then as I say, the banker lap is always super helpful in Q3, I did the best I could on that lap. Obviously I will go back and see if I could have done any better but anyways, it is what it is, as I said.

    Q: (Christopher Joseph – Chicane) Daniel, obviously a career objective achieved today, highly emotion, highly elated, tomorrow how are you going to manage your emotions during this race?

    DR: No different. I think winning a race is a bit more than getting a pole. I’ve experienced that a few times a few years ago. I feel it’s been a long time coming, this, so it’s just more…I feel it should have come sooner but obviously I’m happy that I’ve done it but yeah, no other feelings or anything. Coming into the race, it’s just carry the confidence from the weekend into tomorrow and execute a good start and then pick a good window to pit in.

    Q: (Silvia Arias – Parabrisas) We saw wonderful laps, incredible laps today and in these days but I would like to ask Nico, we saw you so aggressively and nearly flying. Do you have time to enjoy these laps or under pressure you don’t have any time to feel what you are doing?

    NR: Well, for sure, this is probably the most enjoyable qualifying in the whole season because the track is just thrilling, and to be on the edge with the most grip you have in the weekend with the most power, the most fuel, it’s really exciting.

    DR: I can’t speak highly enough about driving an F1 car around here. The faster the better in a way. Sure, it can be a bit of a blur but we’re in control and yeah, it’s like the closer you get to the barriers, the more you want to keep pushing the limits then every time you think you’re going to touch but you don’t the next time you go now, I’m going to get closer, a bit closer so it’s fun. For sure the reason why we do it I think is to have this adrenalin that we have around here.

  • F1 2016: Monaco GP Qualifying Report – Ricciardo Scores First Pole

    F1 2016: Monaco GP Qualifying Report – Ricciardo Scores First Pole

    Red Bull driver Daniel Riccardo has secured pole position for Sunday’s Monaco grand prix.

    Australia’s Daniel Ricciardo has secured the first pole position of his Formula 1 career around the sunny streets of Monte Carlo. Nico Rosberg will line up alongside on the front row of the grid while Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton will start third.

    Sebastian Vettel set the fourth fastest time ahead of Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg. Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen set the sixth quickest time but will drop down five position after replacing a gearbox. Carlos Sainz, Sergio Perez, Dannil Kyvat, and Fernando Alonso rounded out the top ten.

    Two red-flags marred the first part of qualifying as first Felipe Nasr’s engine let go and later Max Verstappen put his Red Bull into the barriers.

    Daniel Ricciardo is in prime position for Sunday’s 78 lap race as he will start on the more durable, red-walled supersoft tyre. Meanwhile his closest rivals will start on the purple-walled ultrasoft compound.

    Qualifying Standings:

    Screen Shot 2016-05-28 at 3.19.54 PM

     

  • Free Practice 3 Report: Monaco Gp – Vettel Quickest

    Free Practice 3 Report: Monaco Gp – Vettel Quickest

    Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel set the quickest time in the final free practice session ahead of Sunday’s Monaco grand prix.

    The one hour session got underway in gloriously sunny conditions and saw Sebastian Vettel set the quickest time overall on the purple-walled ultrasoft tyre. Mercedes Lewis Hamiton was second quickest, a mere 0.018 off Vettel’s lap time. Nico Rosberg rounded out the top three in the sister Mercedes.

    Red Bull drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen finished fourth and fifth on the timing sheets as less than half a second covered the top five positions. Verstappen clouted the outside barrier at Massinet with his Red Bull but was able to return to the track after a thorough check by the Red Bull mechanics.

    Several other drivers made use of the escape road at Ste Devote with incurring any damage. Unfortunately, Renault’s Jolyon Palmer was as lucky as he damaged the rear-wing against the barriers of Tabac.

    Pirelli’s ultrasoft tyre, appearing for the first time this season, appears to be quite robust as several drivers were able to continually improve the lap time over a longish stint on the purple-walled tyre.

    Final Free Practice 3 Standings:

    Screen Shot 2016-05-28 at 12.22.08 PM

  • 2016 Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix: Wednesday Press Conference

    2016 Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix: Wednesday Press Conference

    DRIVERS – Jolyon PALMER (Renault), Romain GROSJEAN (Haas), Pascal WEHRLEIN (Manor), Max VERSTAPPEN (Red Bull Racing), Nico ROSBERG (Mercedes), Sebastian VETTEL (Ferrari)

     

    PRESS CONFERENCE
    We’ll start without most recent race winner, the youngest ever Formula One race winner at 18, and Holland’s first grand prix winner. What’s the reaction been like and are we now going to see an army of Dutch fans coming to grands prix?
    Max VERSTAPPEN: Yeah, it was pretty crazy in Holland. Yeah, so the first Dutch winner I think it’s always very special, so I can call myself now the youngest and the oldest – something I’m the oldest in! Luckily, I didn’t go out too much in Holland on the streets, just enjoying my time a bit with family and friend but of course hopefully we’ll see more fans, that’s for sure.

     

    Renault has a new engine update, which their senior engineer has said should be worth somewhere up to half a second a lap. How did you find it in testing last week and what’s the plan for using that engine this weekend and in the coming grands prix?
    MV: I think it was a very positive step. I felt very comfortable with it. It was very positive that we gained so much, because it’s not so easy to find that out of a car. I’m looking forward to using it in Canada.

     

    So it’s Daniel here and you get it for the first time in Canada?
    MV: Yeah.

     

    Thank you. Nico, world championship leader, coming to you, you’ve owned this race track for the last three years. Does winning here mean more to you than any other venue?
    Nico ROSBERG: Yeah it does, because it’s my home race. I sleep in my apartment, get out the front door… I’ve lived here all my life, so it’s a very special place. Also, if there’s one race to win then it’s Monaco and the combination of all that makes it the most special race.

     

    Obviously in Spain was the first time in your three-year title battle sequence with your team-mate Lewis Hamilton that you’ve taken each other out and both scored no points. Are you in a position now though, personally, with more experience of these tense situations to just put it behind you and focus on winning this weekend?
    NR: I don’t know about experience playing into this, but for sure yeah it’s now a thing of the past, not thinking about it anymore. We’ve been through it and now looking forward. Just concentrating on Monaco and I want to try to win here and that’s that.

     

    Romain, coming to you: first race of a double header, if you like, of French-speaking race venues. How excited, though, is the American Haas team about racing in the Monaco Grand Prix?
    Romain GROSJEAN: Pretty much excited. It’s one of the races we wanted to do during the year. Of course having the first one… well, coming here for the first time is always a challenge, but on the other hand, it’s as well my home race – almost friends – so it’s great to be here. There’s a lot of support. Doing the track walk this morning was funny, we had cars stopping on the street asking for autographs and it made a mess. But yeah we had good fun and we’re looking forward to driving here.

     

    Well, you had three points scoring results from the first five races, but I understand you’ve got a new chassis after some handling issues. Could you tell us a little bit about that and how you’re feeling about the overall development of your car?
    RG: Yeah, to be honest we did a great job even though the results haven’t followed. We changed the chassis after the race in Barcelona because we have a big doubt about it and things felt better in the testing, so hopefully we can go back to a good car here and get the best of all the package.

     

    Thanks you for that. Jolyon, a two-time race winner here in GP2 in Monaco. You’ve been finding some consistency in the last couple of races but you’ve not appeared to be all that happy so far. Is that accurate and if so why?
    Jolyon PALMER: I’m pretty happy. I’m enjoying racing in Formula One. I’m happy to be back here as well, at a track that I love. I think I’ve just missed a little bit in qualifying in the last couple, but it’s been hundredths and a couple of tenths in Barcelona, but we had a lot of problems on Friday. Yeah, we had a very bad race in China and I didn’t race in Bahrain, but since then I think we are finding some consistency and it’s all coming together better.

     

    Obviously you’ve got updates on the engine as we were discussing with max a moment ago, but also updates on the chassis as well, based on last week’s test. It seemed to give you a few tenths; do you feel a move a little bit up the grid is imminent?
    JP: I think so. I think this track will suit us better already. I think the chassis is not too bad. We’re down on power but obviously Kevin has got the engine upgrade for this weekend, which will help already. The team are working really hard back in the factory to find a few tenths on the car and if we do that and a few tenths on engine then I think we’ll certainly moving up closer to the midfield and looking for points more regularly.

     

    Pascal, coming to you, only driver to do two days of testing last week in Spain, you drove the Mercedes as well as the Manor. Did you pick up anything from that experience that might help you and Manor to progress?
    Pascal WEHRLEIN: Of course I could see the differences between the cars. I mean, the day before I just drove the Manor and then the next day the Mercedes. But also last year I drove the Mercedes, so I know the differences between the cars, so that was nothing new for me.

     

    You’re in a battle with the Sauber team, which will have big financial consequences for the team that comes out ahead at the end of the season. How does that battle feel from the inside?
    PW: It’s cool. We are at the back at the moment and there is still a small gap to Sauber, but on some race tracks we manage to be quite close to them or even in front of them. That’s the target for this year, just to improve the care, to improve ourselves and manage to finish in front of them.

     

    Coming to you Sebastian, of course a former Monaco Grand Prix winner, but it’s hard to believe that Ferrari hasn’t won Monaco since 2001, 15 year ago. Do you feel a strong desire within the team to put that right?
    Sebastian VETTEL: Well, I think you could probably apply the statistics to many places. I think we all know that we want to bring Ferrari back to the top. Obviously the challenge is very difficult but the target is there, so then hopefully very, very soon you start having all these bad-sounding statistics and we rock up with a win from the year before.

     

    You were third in Spain but clearly Red Bull had the pace to match Ferrari in Barcelona, and they have a power unit upgrade as we’ve been hearing. So is Ferrari now in danger of being involved in a battle with Red Bull for second in the Constructors’ rather than the stated aim of challenging Mercedes for the title?
    SV: I think our aim is still looking forward and in that regard our aim is Mercedes. I think in Barcelona we had a bad Saturday, which explained the difficult race on Sunday, I terms of raw speed we should have been ahead but we weren’t. I said on the day well done to them and in particular to Max, but we move on. I think we have a strong package. We do have new bits here and there, so I think we obviously as I said want to make progress and want to make sure we close the gap to Mercedes rather than looking at what’s going on behind.

     

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

     

    Q: (Heikki Kulta – Turun Sanomat)– Nico, how much would it mean to you to win here fourth time in a row, because only Senna has done it and especially after what happened in Barcelona?
    NR: I’m aware of the statistics of course, but it’s not something I’m concentrating on or even thinking about, because, as I’ve said even in the past couple of races, what I want to do this weekend is try and win this race, just because it’s Monaco and I love winning here and that’s it. That’s only what I’m thinking about. That’s it.

     

    Q: (Peter Farkas – Auto Moto) Nico, has it become absolutely clear what happened with you at the start in Barcelona, so you simply made a mistake by no putting the switch in the right place, and could you tell us how easy it is to make a mistake in that mental state in which you all are at the start, which is obviously a very nervous moment, and how do you prepare yourself both mentally and technically before a racing start, during the formation lap?
    NR: What was the first part?

     

    Q: (Peter Farkas – Auto Moto) Has it become clear that you made a mistake by not putting the switch into the ‘Strat 3’ setting, why were you not in the right engine mode?
    NR: Because it was in the wrong position. It’s my job to put it in the right position and that’s it. Pretty simple. Not much more to say with that. In terms of formation lap and start, it’s the same as always. Of course you need to think about what you’re doing. There’s a lot going on and that’s it. You need to come up with ways of making sure that everything is done properly. That’s it.

     

    Q: (Ralf Bach– Auto Bild) Nico, if you were the team principal of Mercedes, what would you tell both your drivers after the incident in Barcelona and before the Monaco race?
    NR: When am I going to answer that? I’m not the team principal. That’s not my job to even think about that. I have enough to think about myself to try to win this race, with all respect. I don’t know what I should answer to that. What is your opinion?

     

    MV: I would say keep going.

     

    NR: I’m sure you would! What would you say Ralf?

     

    (inaudible)

     

    Q: (Jerome Pugmire – AP) Question for Max. From the outside you don’t seem to be feeling any pressure. You seem to take everything in your stride. Does the pressure get to you at all – especially now the spotlight’s on you because you’re the youngest winner of a race?
    MV: I think every driver has pressure but I turn it into positive pressure. As long as you’re enjoying it and you feel happy then, yeah, I think it’s the most important to have success. At the end I always try to do my best. I think that takes a lot of pressure away as well.

     

    Q: (Jonathan McEvoy – Daily Mail) To Nico. Have you a) spoken to Lewis since the race to discuss the events of Spain and b) when you get out to race this week will there be, from you, an obligation to race absolutely full out, not giving Lewis an inch – and if you need to shut the door on Lewis again, that you would do that?
    NR: So, if we’ve spoken or not, as always that needs to be kept internally. What I can say is that, between the two of us, it’s a thing of the past now, we’re moving on with everything and the relationship is the same as before. Now, going out on track, I’m not going to be thinking about Barcelona. I’ll take the same approach as always – flat out and do what’s necessary to try to win this grand prix, which is what I’ve come here to do.

     

    Q: (Leigh Diffey – NBC Sports) Sebastian, you rocked the motorsports world as a 21 year-old, could you share with us your thoughts on Max’s achievements as an 18 year-old.
    SV: I was in Formula Three so I can’t possibly share… but, yeah, in both cases probably the circumstances were very new. It wasn’t an expected win, probably little bit less for me at the time – still I think you’re first grand prix win is something… you’re over the moon. Something very difficult to grasp. I’m sure he felt now how it was and he wants to do it again. That’s how I felt back then. It’s up to all the rest of us to ensure it doesn’t happen too often.

     

    Q: (Livio Oricchio – globoesporte.com) To Max. Max, you did a great performance in the last race, no question, but most impressive was the way you controlled the pressure from Kimi and all the pressure from the crowd, from the media also. Did you make a special preparation for that or is it something natural? It’s inside you?
    MV: To be honest I didn’t expect that so I didn’t do any special preparation I just put my helmet on, jumped in the car and suddenly I was leading the race. From there on you just try to do the best thing you can from the experiences you had before. The car was performing good as well, otherwise you can’t do those things. We had good traction out of the last chicane and I knew that was a strong point, so I was always trying to get a good exit and that gave me the race win.

     

    Q: (Flavio Vanetti – Corriere della Sera) To Sebastian, is this the toughest place where to show the improvements of Ferrari?
    SV: I think it’s one of the places where it’s difficult to read the strength of the car or weakness of the car. I think it’s a place where a driver can make more of a difference, a place where you need to have the confidence, as a driver in order to be able to make the difference, so of course it’s important which car you have, how confident you are but it’s probably more important here, the level of confidence, just going around, the trust in the circuit, because that allows you, compared to other tracks, let’s say, more normal race tracks, to extract a little bit more. So, I think the car is not as important maybe, as it is in Barcelona for example – or a normal race track.

     

    Q: (Daniel Johnson – The Telegraph) Question for Seb. If I can take you back to 2010. You’ve been in a position yourself where you and your team-mate have collided on track and it’s had difficult consequences. Can you give us a bit of an insight into what that was like in the immediate aftermath and any words of advice to Nico on how to deal with it going forwards?
    SV: I think everybody needs to decide himself what he wants to do – or not. I had a word with Mark back then, I always found that, yeah, if you collide none of the two is doing it on purpose because especially when your race stops. Yeah, I think it’s for everyone to handle and to decide how to handle. We had a very close fight until the end, we were talking about team orders during that year. Mostly for Mark because he was in a better place looking at the Championship. I was obviously not so keen to move over because I said I still have a chance to win – and then as it turned out obviously it was important – but all these things you never know in advance. I think it was also a different situation going into the last race with four drivers still being able to win the championship. Now it’s race [five]. They’re old and mature enough, Nico and Lewis. Whether they talked about it or not I don’t know, I don’t really care but it’s for them to manage.

     

    Q: (Byron Young – Daily Mirror) Nico, what’s the big secret about whether you and Lewis have even talked? I could understand data being secret or car settings or engine changes – but the fact you guys have talked, that’s open information isn’t it?
    NR: Because… of course I’ll try to give you as much information as I can because you’re writing for all of our supporters out there to have a good time and read some cool stuff – but there comes a point where at the same time we’re trying to keep a good spirit in the team and win lots of races. There’s a balance and some things are just better not to share.

     

    Q: inaudible – Byron Young – Daily Mirror???

     

    NR: I didn’t say it’s no comment. I just said it’s better to keep it internal, that part, and then I tried to elaborate on everything else.

     

    Q: (Luigi Perna – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Question for Seb. Comparing this Ferrari to last year’s one, have you got the same level of confidence in the car? I mean the car speaks to you the same way as last year’s one?
    SV: Yeah, I think we’ve made a step forwards. It’s what we said from day one. It feels simply more grip, we have increase the downforce, we’ve worked a lot of the kinematics of the car. I think we’ve done a very big step forwards. It is a lot better than last year but equally you need to accept the challenge, that other people have improved their cars as well. I’m sure if we would race with this year’s car last year we could win the Championship by a country mile – but it’s not the case. Equally, everybody else in the pitlane is probably telling you probably the same story. You need to be there when it matters. At the moment we’re still a little bit behind. But, as I said, our target and all of focus, here at the track and back in Maranello, everyone is to make sure we improve our car and we close the gap. That’s it really. Does it suit my driving style? I think so, yes. Does it suit us? I think yes. Are we quick enough yet? Not yet.

     

    Q: (Jonathan McEvoy – Daily Mail) I actually had my hand up to ask before Byron made his remarks and I was going to ask something very similar. Maybe I can go about it another way. Given that it’s a media event – and I understand you normally answer everything very fully – but I don’t understand the reluctance to answer that. If we’re going to ask you things, that you could give us the answer when we’re not delving, I don’t think, into stuff that normally would be off limits. So I was wondering if you’re under instruction or whether you’ve had orders from above not to discuss that? That you’ve been briefed, in other words, not to do that?
    NR: As you know, I always try to answer your questions and yes, of course, we’ve spoken together, as a team also. How to we approach these happenings and everything. But actually now, with respect to this exact answer now, no there’s been no discussions at all. I just feel like not discussing that, and that’s it. It’s pretty simple.

     

    Q: (Ralf Bach – Sport Bild Motorsport) Pascal, last Tuesday evening, what did the Mercedes team tell you why you should test the car on Wednesday, what were the reasons?
    PW: Because they couldn’t finish their test programme on Tuesday.

     

    Q: (Louis Dekker – NOS) Max, two wins a row, how realistic is that and can you even be happy finishing sixth on Sunday?
    MV: I will see. I’m going about it the same way as I did in Barcelona and we’ll see where that ends up. I think at the moment Mercedes still look very strong but we’ll try to find a really good set-up in the car and try to get very comfortable on this track because in the end that’s very important to go fast and we’ll see where it ends up.

     

    Q: (Livio Oricchio – GloboEsporte.com) To all of you, for the first time we have the ultra-soft tyre for this race. What scenario do you predict for the weekend?
    RG: It looks nice! I like the colour. I tried them in Barcelona on a test day after the Spanish Grand Prix. They looked alright and I think it’s going to be interesting this year how they perform here. We know Pirelli has been going for harder compounds from the previous years when they came in so we will probably be closer to something we knew back in the past but here again, Monaco is a special track and we really have to see how they behave here and then I guess Canada is going to be a different story again.
    JP: We’ve never run them so it’s going to be the first chance for us but I think the supersoft was lasting  well here, it’s very easy on the tyres so I expect a good step in grip, more degradation, the usual thing from a softer tyre. Something new for us.
    PW: I’m looking forward to driving the ultrasoft here. We drove it in Barcelona in winter testing and I had a lot of degradation so it should be better here and of course, more grip, so I’m looking forward to it.
    SV: Well we found out about the tyre in general. I think it’s a bit like asking a rabbit how his first date went, if it went well? Probably he will tell you it was great but didn’t last very long. I think that’s a little bit how the tyre felt in Barcelona which is always great if you have more grip but we will see how long it lasts.
    NR: Just excited to have extra grip in qualifying. That’s it.
    MV: Yes, I think it’s good to go a bit more aggressive on the tyre choice, especially here for Monaco. I think last year the soft was just too hard so yeah, I’m looking forward to it. Bit more grip, I don’t think it will be as big between the soft and the supersoft but at least you gain a bit more grip. We will see in the race.

     

    Q: (Byron Young – Mirror) Nico, what did you and Lewis talk about? No, I know you can’t go there. Could you tell me the psychological value of a victory here in Monte Carlo because both you and Lewis like this race and you’re ahead in wins at the moment?
    NR: It’s a great race to win. That’s it. It always gives a positive boost to win this race, for sure, but like any other race but this is just a little bit extra. I love racing here and I would love to win on Sunday.

     

    Q: (Daniel Johnson – The Telegraph) Jolyon, you had your own teammate coming together in Barcelona. We didn’t really see much of it on the television. Can you talk us through what happened from your point of view and just secondly, are you fairly annoyed not to have been given the new engine here, because that’s going to hamper you quite a bit?
    JP: Firstly, the incident was just turn 13 in Barcelona before the chicane and Kevin was coming on fresh soft tyres and he came from a little bit back and lobbed up the inside. It was quite an aggressive move so I ended up being forced off the track, cut the corner and kept the place but we’re fine. He apologised straight afterwards and it’s fine. We went to the stewards but already there was no real need to do anything about it.
    And the engine? I would rather have the new engine of course but I didn’t test last week and I’m behind in the championship, so I think it’s normal that Kevin would get it for this one. I’ll get it for next time so I hope it’s good.

     

    Q: (Jerome Pugmire – Associated Press) Nico, just want to ask you what impression Max has made on you as a driver, from your perspective, what you can see, what impression he’s made on you?
    NR: I congratulated him on the win of course, it was awesome and a great job, especially coming for the first time in the car. It’s not to be underestimated, with all the things you need to do, and different steering wheels and everything. For sure that wasn’t easy. And great for F1 also of course, lots of news about that.

     

    Q: (Peter Varkas – AutoMotor) Max, I don’t want to suggest that from here it can only get worse as you are 18, but after that spectacular win, what can be your realistic target for this season in particular? And how did you see the situation pace-wise between you and Daniel during the last weekend? In Q1 and Q2 you were quicker. In Q3 he has produced that surprisingly good lap but then in the first two stints you were quite on the same pace with him so how do you see it? Is he quicker than you thought, is he as quick or are you quicker than you thought?
    MV: What do you want me to say? I think as a driver you always feel that you are the faster one, no? Daniel is a great driver, you can clearly see that and from my side, I was still getting used to the car, even in the race I was still getting used to the car because it was the first time I was doing a race in the car. We’ll see. I was feeling good. In the test, after the race, I again learned some very important things about the car, how to get it better for me in qualifying terms. But that’s all a process and it will only start to get better. Even here I will learn again and it will take a few races before you are fully comfortable with all the systems. And yeah, about the race, I won the race, we’ll see what happens now in the next few races. I just stay calm, try to do the best I can and from there on we’ll see what position that is. Of course Mercedes is still very strong so it will be difficult to beat them at the moment but we’ll do our best.

  • Broadcast Times for the 2016 Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix

    Broadcast Times for the 2016 Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix

    What can be said about the Monaco Grand Prix that has not already been said before. It’s the one event that sums up the glamorous life of F1 in the early days. Things have moved on since then but it still remains the Jewel in the Crown of Formula 1.

    The Monaco Grand Prix is run on the 3.337km Circuit de Monaco. The track has undergone 5 changes to the layout we currently race on. Ask any driver and he’ll tell you that it takes extreme levels of concentration around the track for an entire race. With little run off areas and with tyre’s sometimes millimeters away from the barriers one can easily see that a split second lapse in concentration can put you out of the race.

    The safety car is guaranteed at the race. If not at the start for Turn 1, there will be something happening in the middle of the race. Overtaking is usually limited at the circuit with a few overtaking chances around the circuit. But that does not stop the drivers from trying.

    The new ultra soft tyre will make its debut for the 2016 season together with the super soft and the soft tyre. Teams’s tyre choices have leaned towards the ultra soft tyres. The circuit. with slow corners and low degradation, is very kind to the tyres and it is expected that a one stop race will be the best strategy.

    Teams will run as much down force as their setups allow. The slow corners make the circuit a rear limited track which means the drivers will depend heavily on mechanical grip from the tyres out of the corners.

    CDT GMT+2 GMT Local
    Free Practice 1 Thursday 05:00 Thursday 10:00 Thursday 08:00 Thursday 10:00
    Free Practice 2 Thusday 09:00 Thursday 14:00 Thursday 12:00 Thursday 14:00
    Free Practice 3 Saturday 06:00 Saturday 11:00 Saturday 09:00 Saturday 11:00
    Qualifying Saturday 09:00 Saturday 14:00 Saturday 12:00 Saturday 14:00
    Race Sunday 09:00 Sunday 14:00 Sunday 12:00 Sunday 14:00