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Also not a Max fan but watched the start - he seemed slow away from the line but STILL led out of turn one. Don't like him, but he's bloody good! 🙂
Pretty good result by Albon as well. I wonder whether we could have finished 4th if he hadn't been forced wide by LeClerc...
Also not a Max fan but watched the start - he seemed slow away from the line but STILL led out of turn one. Don't like him, but he's bloody good! 🙂
Watching the replay from Russell's onboard, I think Piastri got wheelspin or made a mistake or something in the second part of the launch. He got away well initially, then Russell and Verstappen just seemed to gain a tonne of speed on him. It looked like Piastri then covered George and in doing so left the door wide open for Max. Great move though, really nicely done.
So Monaco this weekend, can't wait for qualifying today, not sure that the compulsory 2 stopper will spice things up tho.
Nice to see Lando at the front again
not sure that the compulsory 2 stopper will spice things up tho.
It'll be interesting to see. One of the strategies that has been suggested is that the backmarkers make their required pitstops on lap 2 and 3, then hope for yellow flags. Nobody seems quite sure what the best strategy will be for the front runners.
Nice to see Lando at the front again
I just hope he can stay there.
I’m enjoying this 2 pit stop rule! 😀
I also like the way race control have kept the race running to avoid a red flag, which would have negated the the 2 stop rule.
I wish Brundle would stop moaning about it not being pure - it’s adding ‘wet race’ type interest to what is normally a procession.
…perhaps it is turning into a farce now!! 🤣
Max doesn’t even have to stop as the penalty is only 30s. Even Gran Turismo has a more sorted penalty system than that!
edit: Brundle just corrected himself, would be a DQ for deliberately skipping a stop
The race at the front has been as it should
Its the shenanigans in the lower half of the field which is causing the issues
Max doesn’t even have to stop as the penalty is only 30s. Even Gran Turismo has a more sorted penalty system than that!
Sounds like its a DQ if you dont stop twice
They are holding out in case theres a red flag (free pitstop)
It was worth a try and it has created a bit more intrigue, but its a similar situation as it would have been with the old system.
If it was me i'd try (for all races):
Tyre changes under red flag conditions dont count for the rule around running 2 compounds (safety only)
Closing the pit lane in SC/VSC scenarios
Both would help the race be "on track" rather than driving around hoping for a lucky situation
I really enjoyed that! So much chaos. I know the purists will be fuming but as a spectator that was the most interesting Monaco for a while
I wonder if they’ll keep the two stop rule? That was a really enjoyable race but it did feel a little ridiculous at times. If F1 was the kind of sport where cooler heads prevailed then they’d give it about three races, with possible tweaks, to see whether it improves the show or cheapens it, but F1 is generally a dumpster fire so we all know that won’t happen
Closing the pit lane in SC/VSC scenarios
You can't do that as there could be "genuine" reasons for needing to pit, including an actual tyre change.
Would be better, imo, if they were given a spec Monaco tyre that had 30 laps life in it max. Then they’d have to pit rather than pit for the sake of it
Closing the pit lane in SC/VSC scenarios
You can't do that as there could be "genuine" reasons for needing to pit, including an actual tyre change.
You can
They did it today when Gasley parked it in the middle of the pitlane, so there must be a provision in the rules
Theres also something similar in WEC/Indycar/NASCAR
You can always close the exit to negate any advantage in case you have to stop for "genuine" reasons
I know the purists will be fuming but as a spectator that was the most interesting Monaco for a while
No fuming round here other than at the Sky commentary team - I don't often see their coverage but IMO it's not worth paying for.
I think the race was unusually lacking full safety cars after the first couple of incidents so the lower order didn't get a chance to roll the dice and see if a random strategy paid off.
And fair play to Williams et al who used the rules to their advantage - Monaco is often about driving as slow as possible without being passed and today was no exception.
Monaco tyre that had 30 laps life in it
and was a third of the standard width. What was today’s overtake count?
If you want overtaking watch the Indy500 where it happens every other lap.
However its probably not worth watching until the last 20 laps, given the amount of cautions going on.
So many errors its looking like a club level race
80 laps, 20 drivers. Each driver gets 4 laps and the driver with the lowest total time wins. The winner of qualifying gets to choose when they take their laps, then 2nd and so on.
It’s a 4 lap time trial for F1.
I think it was an interesting concept that didn't work out very well in the end. I know Monaco is an anachronism in modern F1 cars but I still love watching it.
Yeah, fair play for trying a new rule but I don’t enjoy watching drivers backing everyone up. For a moment when Hadjar was making his stops I thought he might be in for a punt at the win, but it didn’t spice things up that much. Meh.
Would be better, imo, if they were given a spec Monaco tyre that had 30 laps life in it max.
The reason everyone complains about the current tyres is they have been engineered to degrade in an attempt to improve the racing. It's turned it into a tyre management competition rather than a test of outright speed.
The reason everyone complains about the current tyres is they have been engineered to degrade in an attempt to improve the racing. It's turned it into a tyre management competition rather than a test of outright speed.
Which really takes us back to the crux of the problem - the track isn't fit for purpose. There's nowhere else you can play the games you see at Monaco (e.g. Williams yesterday), or at least certainly not to the same extent
Gunther Steiner discussed the idea some years ago that some of the traditional races would go and that Monaco isn't safe from the axe.
Maybe they could introduce a swap to a go-cart for a few laps and back to the F1 car again rather than mess with tyres; it was Verstappen who inspired the thought, "We were almost doing Mario Kart. Then we have to install bits on the car and maybe you can throw bananas around. Slippery surface."
Continuing from the TT idea mooted above, I thought of another couple of cycling related events that could be adopted and adapted. How about an elimination race, or a madison?
Williams tried the keirin yesterday, so at least we can tick that experiment off
Williams tried the keirin yesterday, so at least we can tick that experiment off
They weren't the only ones to try it.
I'd go for the "devil takes the hindmost" elimination race.
Race for say 10 laps, then every 2 or 3, whoever is last is out.
But have tyres that fall off a cliff like they used to some years ago.
Or option 2 (for Monaco only) is to reduce the race to 1 team member only. If you want to race you have to beat yer team mate in quali.
Or option 3 is time trial, keep doing just quali sessions, cos practice and quali was not that bad in comparison.
Race for say 10 laps, then every 2 or 3, whoever is last is out.
Then on a circuit where you can't pass it becomes about track position rather than pace. Maybe have a timed lap every 5 laps then the slowest driver gets eliminated - Probably eliminate 2 or 3 drivers for the first couple to keep the total lap count sensible.
The only way to make Monaco interesting is some variation on a time trial where everyone is in clean air. Anything that requires overtaking to decide positions is doomed, and evidently anything that involves contrived strategy decisions makes for similarly tedious racing, but with greater jeopardy of people driving up the back of each other.
The 'easy' thing you could do to improve it would be to redesign the circuit. If you turn left at Lowe's, (instead of right to go under the tunnel) the Ave Princess Grace is a 2km straight -'ish' that ends in a roundabout. Gary Anderson proposed it, so it's not completely a stupid idea.
That's quite interesting. It's quite interesting to see what the streets look like when not set up for racing. Perhaps they should keep the parked cars and planters too.
They tried that devil format in qualifying. That lasted for two races.
Ultimately we just need smaller, more nimble cars
I actually think they did ok. Yeah it wasn't fine tuned over takes, but it equally wasn't certain what the outcome was from lap 1 - even at 90% of race distance it wasn't quite clear who would win. Team tactics actually spiced it up. A bit of rain or a crash and it would have totally shaken things up - the fact nobody further back crashed trying to pass the Williams, or the leaders trying to get through the congestion is probably as much luck as anything.
It strikes me a simple variation on yesterdays rule would be possible. Set a maximum lap time. Any car which exceeds the maximum lap time on a lap (or average of X laps) where no yellow flags and no rain can be blue flagged to let the person behind past. All sort of ways to work out the threshold time - could be dynamic as a multiple of the race leader, or fastest lap or set based on qualifying etc.
Monaco is about an amazing qualifying.....and about the occasion/party/venue and heritage. The race is almost an irrelevance at this stage in car development. .
So I'd propose....
Qualifying as is or longer to make it the main event with points allocated like they would be for the race - 25 for 'pole' and the like. Maybe you could make it Goodwood festival of speed meets an alpine downhill ski race with the last 10 runners that will get the points going off in reverse order for their flying laps.
Then Sunday is basically a bigger better version of Goodwood Revival. Scrap the race It's about heros of a bygone era doing laps in F1 cars from the past.
Then maybe.....a one off for bragging rights only race with the current F1 drivers driving cars built by current teams to a heritage 1950s spec. Or in karts. An event to allow driver character to shine through like a tennis exhibition match. A day of joy and smiles and friendly competition and spectacle.
To be honest I think you might get a decent race if they just gave them those full size Lego cars.
Traditional track, excellent in the 1950s?
So make it the heritage round with 1950s aero (ie little if any)
Modern cars, but no front or rear wing (removing the underfloor might be a bit taxing).
Virtually undriveable you say? Fantastic.
They need to remove the Nouvelle Chicane and provide a runoff/widened area at Tabac in advance of the corner. There is some space to do something with Portier too.
Sorting out portier would allow cars to exit into the tunnel much closer and the long run would allow a full drag battle right to a heavy braking zone.
If in addition, you forced all cars to run a high downforce package, DRS in this zone would be hugely powerful.
Heritage round you say? Great idea - make the cars the same spec tyres and wheels as Farina's Alfa 158 from the first world championship GP, that'll make the cars narrower so passing's easier. 🙂
With H-gate gear shift lever
and clutch
Anyway - Spain this weekend - and the supposed clamp down on flexi-flaps kicks in!
So will Red Bull and Ferrari suddenly become the front runners or will the status-quo remain?
Personally I don't think anything will change.
...and Lewis will continue to upset the Ferrari old-guard.
It was hardly a surprise to anyone that every team that has drivers one behind the other was going to play the back the pack up card to make space for the other. It was equally predictable that we would have last lap pit stops as some chose to hang on out int he hope of a full or virtual safety car or help. The short answer is that Monaco isn’t for purpose and unless the half the size of the cars or knock a load of buildings down to make the track wide enough nothing will change. It’s a classic case of you cant polish a turd
Instead of DRS, allow each driver to cut a corner or chicane 5 times in a race.
So McLaren's front wing wasn't as flexi as everyone thought after all!... 😬
I thought they'd already changed the front wing for Monaco?
I've seen pictures of the McLaren that has a support at one of the rear elements of the front wing.
On further reading this is from PlanetF1*...
As for Mercedes, the new parts for the W16 for Spain include a floor edge, floor fencing and a new rear wing.
This list, however, does not discount McLaren and Mercedes having already run their TD-compliant wing in an earlier practice session in order to avoid scrutiny.
It is understood both McLaren and Mercedes trialed their revised front wings at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola meaning they did not have to feature on the list of FIA submissions for Spain.
PlanetF1.com’s tech guru Matt Somerfield said of the W16: “Mercedes actually introduced their new specification at Imola and the onboard footage has suggested it doesn’t back off as much as the old one.”
https://www.planetf1.com/news/f1-teams-wing-it-in-spain-with-one-notable-exception
(*PlanetF1 have really stepped up their coverage this season - gone from click-bait to some really in-depth stuff).
So McLaren's front wing wasn't as flexi as everyone thought after all!
You don't know what the internal structure is like. You can't tell anything from just looking at it. However, I suspect that there's much more to McLaren's speed than just flexy wings and I doubt that they will suddenly fall off the pace.
Also, you can't draw any conclusions from one race. The Red Bull is very fast on some circuits but much weaker on others. We should have a much better idea by Hungary whether the pecking order has changed.
(*PlanetF1 have really stepped up their coverage this season - gone from click-bait to some really in-depth stuff).
Ineresting to see PF1 returngin so some semblance of actual journalism/reporting. They used to be pretty good, then several years ago went all in on the click-bait and adverts making their site almost unusable. It seems that places like The-Race have maybe maybe them rethink?
Well, I guess the flexiwing wasn't the secret to McLaren's pace.
So, Stroll out of the race with a hurty wrist, that has apparently been giving him jip for a while, but he still did qualifying.
But because he did quali, they can't put a reserve driver in for the race. Conspiracy theories abound
How’s anyone making conspiracy theories out of that?
How’s anyone making conspiracy theories out of that?
The Stroll's are Jewish so... (insert whatever insane conspiracy theory you want.)
Just guessing but if Drugovich did the weekend instead and was on Alonso's pace how secure would Lance's place be? Although TBF he has scored 100% of Aston's points, which this far into the season is surprising
Just guessing but if Drugovich did the weekend instead and was on Alonso's pace how secure would Lance's place be?
Seeing as his dad owns the team, 100% secure.
So, Stroll out of the race with a hurty wrist, that has apparently been giving him jip for a while, but he still did qualifying.
But because he did quali, they can't put a reserve driver in for the race. Conspiracy theories abound
Sounds like he had a wee temper tantrum
There is only one Aston Martin in the Spanish Grand Prix after Lance Stroll withdrew because he was, the team said, “experiencing pain in his hand and wrist, which his medical consultant believes is in relation to the procedure he underwent in 2023”, when Stroll broke both wrists in a bike accident.
It has emerged on Sunday morning that Stroll lost his temper in the garage after being knocked out at the end of Q2, in which he lapped 0.535 seconds slower than team-mate Fernando Alonso. Word was going around the paddock that Stroll had broken things in the garage and sworn at team members. Asked about this, a team spokesperson said: “Lance was upset.”
The spokesperson said that the loss of temper and the injury were unrelated.
Stroll then failed to go to be weighed as required by regulations, for which he has been given a warning by governing body the FIA.
Stroll is to have a “procedure to rectify these issues before focusing on his recovery”, so his participation in the Canadian Grand Prix in two weeks’ time is in doubt.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/live/cp8dz9zddz2t?post=asset%3A61282856-38f8-44a7-9321-22611740cc0b#post
So does the grid shuffle forward one place or is his position left empty? It'd be good news for the Hulk if that happens.
Well that just got interesting. Must surely be approaching a DQ?
Comedy gold end to race, toys launched into orbit by Max.
10s seems rather lenient. I'm no expert but that looked like a simple loss of temper and deliberate act.
DQ 100% for verstappen. 10 seconds is very lenient and Merc should appeal it
Flexiwing ban was a fizzle. My guess is that everyone will stop developing for this year and focus on 26. Max's lawyers will be looking at the fine print and on the phone to Merc for next year.
I’m not a Norris fan but “I’ve done that before on Mario Kart” was brilliant 😂
I stand by my assessment of Max. Every time I think “you know, he really is an amazing driver” he goes and acts like a complete ****.
At least he’s getting penalties now. Though I’d rather see a DSQ for that
Verstappen refused to answer whether the contact was intentional. “Does it matter?” he answered when asked by Sky.
Yes it matters, you petulant child. Intentional contact isn’t welcome, should result in being thrown out. And if you don’t know that already, maybe ask your dad to explain.
Oh, second thoughts, maybe not
So, it turns out that the stewards weren't going to ask Max to pull over for George. That'll make for an interesting chat in the Red Bull trailer later...
At least he’s now got 3 penalty points for it, which puts him 1 incident away from a ban. Fingers crossed
Utter madness by Max closely followed by DC trying very hard not to criticise him and make excuses for his in the post race
I wonder what the Italian press will be saying about Hamilton. Pretty aggressive on Charles at the start, overly defensive against Charles after a few laps, still lacking pace and then being passed by a Sauber at the end. Il Drake would have been a little unimpressed… Too much more of that and I’m going to have to leave my shiny new number 44 cap at home when I go to Monza 🙂
Should apply the same punishment Schumacher got for Villeneuve in Jerez.
Until the safety care came out as a race I thought it was a bit dull. But then again I always find Spain a bit dull.
There was some talk on SM that Lewis had a damaged floor for most of the race, but not seen anything on the mainstream F1 sites yet.
I know it's a bit tin-foil-hat brigade - but does anyone else get the feeling Lewis is being knobbled from within? A black, flash, opinionated, Englishman is going to rub some people up the wrong way within Ferrari. I know his qualifying form hasn't been great in recent years but his races have still been good, now he seems to go nowhere. Something doesn't feel right.
Utter madness by Max closely followed by DC trying very hard not to criticise him and make excuses for his in the post race
I like DC, I think on the whole he does a very good job at commentary and analysis. But being on the Red Bull payroll clearly compromises his ability to say what he actually thinks in situations involving Max Verstappen, not great for objectivity.
I know it's a bit tin-foil-hat brigade - but does anyone else get the feeling Lewis is being knobbled from within? A black, flash, opinionated, Englishman is going to rub some people up the wrong way within Ferrari. I know his qualifying form hasn't been great in recent years but his races have still been good, now he seems to go nowhere. Something doesn't feel right.
He's not as young as he was and he has to get used to a completely different car and team, his teammate is extremely quick and is familiar with how the team operates. Not at all surprising that Leclerc is beating Hamilton.
I know it's a bit tin-foil-hat brigade - but does anyone else get the feeling Lewis is being knobbled from within?
Fred Vasseur was cock-a-hoop when he signed Hamilton, he saw it as a massive coup to get someone who might be the GOAT signed for Ferrari, there is no way they aren't doing everything to get Hamilton up to speed.