2014 Formula One World Championship - Round Six - Monaco Grand Prix (22-25 May 2014)

Thought I'd post the thread for Monaco this year - can't guarantee any more this season, but I hope you enjoy!

The sixth GP of the year takes us to Monte Carlo for the Monaco Grand Prix. The Monaco street circuit has the slowest average lap speed of all the Formula 1 tracks, and Formula 1 has outgrown the track but it is retained for historical, prestige and financial reasons.

Here's Lewis Hamilton's circuit of the track in the simulator:



James Allen does a preview of each race, and the Monaco version can be found here: http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2014/...nge-enough-as-new-f1-cars-hit-monaco-streets/

Drivers Championship

With Hamilton taking the lead in the Championship from Rosberg at Spain, the battle for the 2014 title is heating up. Hamilton's form this year can't be doubted, but does he have the mental strength to stay ahead of Rosberg. The real battle in 2014 is for the third position with Alonso looking for more performance from Ferrari, Vettel looking like he's finally come to grips (no pun intended) with the 2014 car, and Ricciardo looking the goods in his debut season for Red Bull. Monaco can always spring a surprise so I wouldn't count out the likes of Hulkenburg and Bottas making improvements in the standings following Monaco.

1 Lewis Hamilton 100
2 Nico Rosberg 97
3 Fernando Alonso 49
4 Sebastian Vettel 45
5 Daniel Ricciardo 39
6 Nico Hulkenberg 37
7 Valtteri Bottas 34
8 Jenson Button 23
9 Kevin Magnussen 20
10 Sergio Perez 20
11 Kimi Räikkönen 17
12 Felipe Massa 12
13 Romain Grosjean 4
14 Jean-Eric Vergne 4
15 Daniil Kvyat 4

Constructors Championship
It's daylight second behind the dominant Mercedes team, but Red Bull's recent form have them firming as favourites for the runner up position.
1 Mercedes 197
2 Red Bull Racing-Renault 84
3 Ferrari 66
4 Force India-Mercedes 57
5 Williams-Mercedes 46
6 McLaren-Mercedes 43
7 STR-Renault 8
8 Lotus-Renault 4

The tyre choice for Monaco features the street circuit friendly super-soft and soft compounds.
The tight twisty nature of the Monaco circuit makes qualifying and pit stop strategy all important. It is almost impossible to pass other cars on the circuit and therefore starting at the front, passing through pit stop strategy (under cut, or less pit stops), or luck with the safety car, are the only real options available to the teams. I would expect more quite a bit of safety car action in the race, with the high torque 2014 engine being quite a hand full at Monaco.

Lastly, a reminder that the Monaco race weekend is held on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday rather than Friday through Sunday.
 

DamoESP

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Some OK bets to be had in the chance of an upset etc. Just put down:

Winner
Sebastian Vettel $5 @ 14.5
Daniel Ricciardo $5 @ 18
Fernando Alonso $5 @ 32.01
 

little graham

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More proof Webber was the man that made redbull after fp1 in Monaco.

10365747_625999257477165_1387223829829498696_n.jpg
 

TheMidRunner

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This is Red Bulls chance for a win. This is a slow track and they lose the Mercedes on fast straights. Red Bulls can get upto 8km p/h faster in corners. Hopefully it can be Riccardo that steps up to the challenge
 

DrKrieger

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Safety Car may run a fair few laps here, I suspect there will be a few banzai moves out of frustration on a track where passing is about as easy as hand sewing my work pants to make them shorts.
If pastor starts, there will be a safety car at some point. That much I would guarantee.
 

Main Man

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Only P1 but Ricciardo impressive again, not sure how much the Mercedes have up their sleeves but importantly had a big gap on Vettel who looked to be pushing in P1 to me, he might be able to find some more time in P3 and Qualifying but Ricciardo looks as though he may have his measure again, he was faster than Seb in every sector.

Could he find himself on the front row here?
 
If pastor starts, there will be a safety car at some point. That much I would guarantee.
Saw this today:
Pastor Maldonado record in Monaco is impressive:
2013 – 16th in the grid, crashed in lap 44
2012 – 24th in the grid, crashed in first lap
2011 – 8th in the grid, crashed in lap 73

So it all depends on where he starts on the grid, the closer to the back the sooner the crash.
 

darth_timon

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Maldonado- your name is now forever linked with 'screeeeeeeeeech smasssh crunch!' That is how I shall refer to him from now on.

I think Hamilton will bag himself another pole and from there a fifth successive win. He's got the confidence.
 

hey shorty

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DR 2nd in final practice. The front row beckons tonight.
 

little graham

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From my favorite pommys fb paige.

FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX DE MONACO 2014 - Fast Facts

► This will be the 61st grand prix of the Formula One era. The race, however, dates back to 1929 when the first event was won by William Grover-Williams.

► The driver with the most wins here is Ayrton Senna, with six. His first Monaco win came in 1987 at the wheel of a Lotus 99T. Two years later he began a streak of five straight wins in the Principality, all at the wheel of McLaren machinery.

► The next most successful drivers at the circuit are Graham Hill and Michael Schumacher, both of whom scored five wins. Hill scored a hat-trick of wins between 1963 and 1965 and then landed a double in 1968-’69. Schumacher began with a double in 1994-’95 and then won in 1997, ’99 and 2001.

► The record for pole positions in Monaco is also held by Senna. The Brazilian started from the front of the grid five times: in 1985, ’88, ’89, ’90 and ’91. The next most successful in qualifying are Juan Manuel Fangio, Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart and Alain Prost, with four poles each.

► On the current grid there are six Monaco winners: Kimi Räikkönen (2005), Fernando Alonso (2006/’07), Lewis Hamilton (2008), Jenson Button (2009), Sebastian Vettel (2011) and Nico Rosberg (2013). Alonso scored his wins with two different teams, Renault in 2006 and McLaren in 2007.

► Three rookies will feature this weekend, McLaren’s Kevin Magnussen, Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat and Caterham’s Marcus Ericsson. Magnussen raced the circuit twice in Formula Renault 3.5. In 2012 he failed to finish and last year he finished fourth. Ericsson raced here in GP2 four times, starting in 2010 and has one podium finish to his credit, scoring second in 2012 in the feature race. Only Kvyat has no experience of the street circuit.

► With few overtaking opportunities, grid position is all-important here. On the evidence of the past 10 grands prix that would appear to be the case, with the race being won from further back than pole just once – Lewis Hamilton...
 

little graham

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Anyone think that the redbull will get more out of the super soft in q3 than Mercedes will?
 
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