The iconic Monaco Grand Prix marked the sixthrace of the 2019 F1 season, and while the focus this week has been on the loss of F1 legend and Mercedes mentor Niki Lauda, the race around the streets of Monte Carlo finally brought a long-awaited challenge to reigning champion Lewis Hamilton, in the form of Max Verstappen and Red Bull.
Red Bull’s decision to kiss goodbye to their partnership with Renault in 2018 was hardly a surprise to the world of F1, after a number of seasons falling short of their dominant years with Sebastian Vettel. It was also hardly a surprise to find that fans were dubious about their subsequent contract with Honda, who famously struggled in their partnership with McLaren.
With Max Verstappen hungry to win his first championship, the move to a power unit that had been even less reliable than Renault seemed like very risky business, but is the risk beginning to pay off?
Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool
Rob Marshall, Red Bull’s chief engineering officer, certainly seems to think so, even if they are under no illusion they still have a way to go.
“We can see areas around the power-unit packaging-wise,” he said. “It’s just making different bits and moving a few things around. [Honda] are very open to our suggestions.”
The Red Bull and Toro Rosso drivers both felt the benefit of an upgrade brought to Baku, which was reflected in Verstappen’s solid performance. The same could not be said for his team mate Pierre Gasly, however, who was forced to retire on lap 40 out of 51 due to a loss of power.
In the run up to the Monaco Grand Prix, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, who has been highly critical of the suppliers in the past, expressed the teams delight in working with Honda this season.
“We are very happy with the progress that’s being made […] to have closed that gap [to the top 2 teams] and put that performance on the car is really encouraging,” he said.
Horner was under no illusion about still having work to do with the car generally but, aside from Gasly’s retirement in Baku, reliability hasn’t been as much of an issue for the team.
“Reliability compared to previous years has been fantastic, and performance is strong […] Now we have to try and focus on diminishing the gap further to Mercedes”.
Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool
Verstappen found enough pace to challenge Hamilton’s Mercedes, running in second position in Monaco from lap 11 after exiting the pit lane ahead of Bottas following an unsafe release. Though Verstappen finished in fourth place as a result of his five-second penalty, he is still positive about his race overall.
“Of course I would have liked to have been on the podium but if we look at the pace and performance, we were strong,” he said.
Pierre Gasly also had a respectable performance around the streets of Monaco, finishing fifth and also taking an extra point for fastest lap for the second time this season.
In terms of points and podiums, then, Red Bull is building a steady lead ahead of the other teams. After Monaco, Red Bull are on 110 points and are beginning to close the gap between themselves and Ferrari, who currently have 139 points. In the drivers’ championship, Verstappen is in fourth position with 78 points, behind Vettel with 82 points.
Pierre Gasly is in sixth position with 32 points behind Leclerc who has 57 points. Verstappen has also finished third twice so far this season – Monaco would have been another podium had it not been for the unfortunate penalty.
It almost goes without saying that Mercedes are the ones to beat, however with Red Bull’s newfound pace, it’s certainly an encouraging start for a team that were once the ones to beat.
[Featured image – Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool]
Following the 2019 Monaco Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc has now competed in four races across two open wheeled series at his home track. His record in Monaco, however, is something that no one wants. He has yet to see the chequered flag at any of his four starts despite having some very good equipment at his disposal, albeit being classified twice due to completing 90% of the race.
We will focus on F1 after his two no scores in his F2 season winning campaign. In his rookie season last year he was close to scoring points, but complained of grip and brake problems throughout the race. Eventually, a brake failure resulted in him plowing into the back of Hartley’s Toro Rosso at the chicane coming out of the tunnel. He would still be classified, though, as 90% of the race had been completed.
We know, too, about the recent mess Ferrari got Leclerc and themselves in after taking a risk and avoiding completing a second run in Q1, resulting in Leclerc being knocked out in the first stage of qualifying. He was the entertainment early on in the race, though, with some ballsy moves, but a collision resulting in a puncture ended his day early causing too much damage to the floor.
He isn’t the only one to have a pretty poor showing at his home track – some F1 legends also never did well.
Jacques Villenueve
Jacques Villenueve started off well at Montreal. He tried to emulate his father by winning at his home rack and finished P2 in 1996 behind team-mate Damon Hill, but after that he never saw the podium, and helped to create the Wall of Champions. He crashed into the wall in 1997 and also in that famous race in 1999 along with Hill and Schumacher. He actually only ever finished the race twice more in nine attempts, both outside the points, a spell of five consecutive retirements between the year 2000 and 2004.
Wikimedia Commons
Rubens Barrichello
Rubens Barrichello currently holds the record for most ever starts in F1, having competed between 1993 and 2011 using an array of machinery including the Ferrari in the early 2000s. Despite this, he was only ever on the rostrum in Brazil once, in 2004. From 1995 to 2003 he retired from every single Brazillian GP.
In 2001 he could only manage sixth on the grid, and problems prior to the race meant he had to switch to the spare car. It was over before it began really – Hakkinen stalled on the grid, bringing out the safety car, and at the restart Barrichello went straight into the back of Ralf Schumacher at turn four, ending both of their races early.
2003 looked like it could have been his year – by lap 46 of 71 he was in the lead, but his car crawled to a halt due to a fuel pressure problem.
Leandro Neumann Ciuffo – Wikimedia Commons
Jenson Button
Jenson raced at Silverstone for 17 consecutive seasons. In that time he had some great machinery, but he never managed to stand on the podium in any of those years.
The 2006 and 2011 races demonstrated his poor showings. In 2006, whilst competing for BAR, he was knocked out in Q1 behind both Midland cars. He may have started off well in the race with some great overtakes, but it was all over by lap nine as an oil leak resulted in his Honda engine failing.
2011 was no better. Mixed conditions forced Button to pit thirteen laps from the end – the front right wheel, however, wasn’t attached properly, and he was forced to retire at the pit exit.
Wikimedia Commons
As you can see Leclerc has only raced in two home races but is well on his way to being in this category. It took team-mate Sebastian Vettel until 2013 to win the German Grand Prix despite having the dominant car three seasons prior to this, so things can only get better for Leclerc.
The resurgence of the McLaren-less Nyck De Vries continued among the yacht-webbed glamour of Monaco, and the Principality did more than play host to a Dutch siege. Nicholas Latifi encountered the first real bump of his F2 season, while Jack Aitken was force fed a Calpol bottle’s worth of bad luck, at the hands of Mahaveer Raghunathan.
MONTE CARLO, MONACO – MAY 24: Car of Callum Ilott (GBR, SAUBER JUNIOR TEAM BY CHAROUZ) being pushed the pit lane by marshals during the Monaco at Monte Carlo on May 24, 2019 in Monte Carlo, Monaco. (Photo by Jerry Andre / LAT Images / FIA F2 Championship)
The race began with Callum Ilott stalling on the grid. Unable to re-start, he was sent to the back of grid – cruelly denied a chance at the win from second place. The gird took another formation lap, reducing the race length. On the second start attempt Mick Schumacher valiantly commenced a fightback from fifth after dropping back from third due to a wheelspin-riddled start. A move on Anthoine Hubert at the tricky Mirabeau corner was arguably the race’s finest.
Schumacher would be involved in another incident but this time for the wrong reasons. Latifi’s shot of bravery went wrong with his attempt to overtake into Loews corner, only to find Schumacher wasn’t planning on leaving the door open for him. Both were lucky to make it out of the incident relatively unscathed; no damage to Schumacher’s Prema while Latifi’s DAMS suffered a minor front wing break.
Schumacher may have been the innocent party in the Latifi incident, but not long after he would cause a much more severe accident of his own. Attempting to overtake Tatiana Calderon into Rascasse, the Ferrari academy driver, misjudging the admittedly wide apex, hit Calderon and leading to both cars stalling. The red flag was brought out as the cars behind Calderon and Schumacher had to park behind the pair, and confusion reigned supreme.
MONTE CARLO, MONACO – MAY 24: Anthoine Hubert (FRA, BWT ARDEN) and Sean Gelael (IDN,PREMA RACING) during the red flag during the Monaco at Monte Carlo on May 24, 2019 in Monte Carlo, Monaco. (Photo by Glenn Dunbar / LAT Images / FIA F2 Championship)
Once the race resumed, the cars that had pitted under red flag conditions were classed as being a lap down, much to the bemusement of the drivers and teams, while conduct under the red flag period itself was declared for investigation after the race. Schumacher was given both a five-second time penalty for cutting the track and a drive-through for the incident with Calderon.
Latifi, not deterred by the last time, went for a similar Loews corner lunge on Hubert, but while it was unsuccessful he was able to bail out of it without contact. Meanwhile, after earlier in the race where Aitken was held up to the tune of 20 seconds by the glacial Raghunathan, who had blocked him in qualifying the day before, the final blow was exacted when Raghunathan rammed the rear diffuser of Aitken and sent him into the Loews wall.
The final piece of action was left to Juan Manuel Correa, who binned his car at the swimming pool section to sprinkle flakes of carbon fibre on a Monaco feature race packed with action. And the one to enjoy a first slice? That was De Vries, who had been nothing short of masterful. Latifi might now just know the identity of his strongest challenger for the rest of the season.
Featured image courtesy of Jerry Andre / LAT Images / FIA F2 Championship
Anthoine Hubert became the first rookie of F2’s field to snatch victory in the 2019 championship, but was made to work for it on the tricky streets of Monaco by Louis Deletraz, who set up a nail-biting photo finish. Guanyu Zhou rounded off the podium and made it a day to remember for a pair of Renault junior drivers.
Hubert started the race much as he finished it, competent but under pressure. The same can’t be said of Mahaveer Raghunathan, who cut across the pit lane exit and gained four places, only to (quite deservedly) be given a 10-second time penalty. Zhou, meanwhile, went around the outside of Artem Markelov for third, and Ralph Boschung worked his way up into P7.
Luca Ghiotto caused the first accident of the day, making contact with the sidepod of Tatiana Calderon at Mirabeau and sending the Colombian into the wall. After the stricken Arden was removed from the track, Ghiotto too found his day ruined when he crashed with Raghunathan into Loews corner, ending both their races.
Boschung was forced into retirement shortly after, while Nobuharu Matsushita climbed to 9th and feature race winner Nyck De Vries into P6. Sean Gelael added a large dose of spice to proceedings with a forceful double-punt on Giuliano Alesi, the second contact forcing the Italian out of the race.
The front four drivers began to pull away from fifth-place Dorian Boccolacci, to the tune of over ten seconds, while Deletraz continued to hound and press Hubert into a possible mistake up front. The chance would ultimately not come, however close he made it across the line – Hubert was on the right side of a photo finish and recorded his maiden F2 win.
Nicholas Latifi just managed to cling on to his title lead by a point from De Vries, with the fastest lap putting him on 95 points. Ghiotto finds himself third on 67 points, while Jack Aitken and Guanyu Zhou have 62 and 54 respectively. DAMS leads the teams’ table with 147 points, while Virtuosi Racing remain second on 121 points.
The championship arrives in Portugal with the top three, Seb Ogier (122), Ott Tanak (112) and Thierry Neuville (110) separated by just twelve points. Once again, road position will be key and this will mean that those further down in the championship will hope to take advantage of their position in the startlist.
Last season, Thierry and Nicolas took victory from Elfyn and then co-driver Dan, with Teemu and Mikko taking third. The Belgian duo will want to get back on the podium after their crash last time out, but Elfyn and new co-driver Scott will want to take one step higher on the podium with victory. In fact, any of the top five in the championship could win, even Ogier, although even that will be tricky for him and will depend on his road position going into Saturday’s stages.
Last years top three celebrate! Photo credit M-Sport
There will also be interest in Gus Greensmith and Elliot Edmundson who will be making their debut in a full-blooded WRC Fiesta this weekend. When I spoke to him at this years Autosport International in January, he talked about how he’d bring his skills in looking after the tyres to this event.
Now, here are the details about the twenty stages that lie in wait for the finest rally drivers in the world. Covering 306km’s of competitive stages over the three days. Friday sees a different set of stages not used since 2001, with 94km in total, with no lunchtime service, and just a tyre fitting zone. Saturday sees a huge challenge with 160km’s and not much change from last year, while Sunday will see the double run of Fafe!
THURSDAY 30 MAY
8.00am: Shakedown Paredes (4,60 km)
7.00pm: Ceremonial start (Coimbra)
7.10pm: Parc ferme
FRIDAY 31 MAY
8.30am: Start (Coimbra)
8.35am: Tyre fitting zone (Coimbra – 15 mins)
9.48am: SS 1 – Lousa 1 (12,35 km)
10.32am: SS 2 – Gois 1 (18,78 km)
11.20am: SS 3 – Arganil 1 (14,44 km)
12.33pm: Tyre fitting zone (Arganil – 15mins)
1.51pm: SS 4 – Lousa 2 (12,35 km)
2.35pm: SS 5 – Gois 2 (18,78 km)
3.23pm: SS 6 – Arganil 2 (14,44 km)
7.03pm: SS 7 – Lousada (3,36 km)
8.10pm: Flexi service A (Exponor – 49 mins)
SATURDAY 1ST JUNE
6.45am: Start & service B (Exponor – 19 mins)
8.38am: SS 8 – Vieira do Minho 1 (20,53 km)
9.31am: SS 9 – Cabeceiras de Basto 1 (22,22 km)
10.47am: SS 10 – Amarante 1 (37,60 km)
12.50pm: Service C (Exponor – 44 mins)
3.08pm: SS 11 – Vieira do Minho 2 (20,53 km)
4.01pm: SS 12 – Cabeceiras de Basto 2 (22,22 km)
5.17pm: SS 13 – Amarante 2 (37,60 km)
7.15pm: Flexi service D (Exponor – 49 mins)
SUNDAY 2 JUNE
6.50am: Service E (Exponor – 19 mins)
8.25am: SS 16 – Montim 1 (8,76 km)
9.08am: SS 17 – Fafe 1 (11,18 km)
9.48am: SS 18 – Luilhas (11,89 km)
10.35am: SS 19 – Montim 2 (8,76 km)
12.18pm: SS 20 – Fafe 2 Power Stage (11,18 km)
1.50pm: Service F (Exponor – 14 mins)
2.20pm: Finish (Matosinhos)
Let’s hear from the drivers!
Citroën Total WRT
Sébastien Ogier
“We had a good day of testing and now we need to take that into competitive conditions. In any case, Portugal is a rally that I have always liked. I’ve done well here in the past, so it’s really enjoyable to come back, even though I’m well aware that leading the championship again isn’t going to make life easier for us this year. If we are to have a chance of scoring heavily here, we’ll need to manage running first on the road as best we can on Friday’s new and fairly short opening leg, to end the day as high up the standings as possible. On gravel, it’s crucial in order for the rest of weekend to go well.”
Can Sébastien Ogier continue his run of podiums? Photo credit Citroen.
Esapekka Lappi
“Although the first leg is new, the rest of the rally is contested on roads that I like and know, where we can push. It’s also one of the rallies where I have more experience. Last year, we were pretty quick on both Saturday and Sunday. I hope that the weather will stay dry, so I can make the most of my seventh position in the running order. That way, we can build on the good feeling we had at the end of Rally Chile and gradually keep upping the pace.”
Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT
Ott Tänak
“These next two events are rallies that I enjoy, and they both have some special meaning to me: Portugal was the first WRC round I ever competed in, and Sardinia is the place where I took my first podium and my first victory. They are quite fast rallies in places but they can also be very tough, as we experienced last year. But the team has been working really hard and I believe we are well-prepared. To win in Chile was really important: it has definitely put us back into the fight. Now we need to keep focused and try to take some good points from these next two rallies.”
Jari-Matti Latvala
“Portugal always reminds me in some ways of Argentina with the sandy roads, although it isn’t quite as rough. But this year on the Friday we’ll go to Arganil, which is a famous area from Rally Portugal in the 1980s and ’90s, and where the road is a bit more like bedrock and harder for the tyres. In Sardinia, the main differences are that the roads always have a hard base, they’re narrower and there are lots of big rocks at the sides that you need to avoid. I came away from my test last weekend really happy: I feel we’ve improved the car in rough conditions, so I’m looking forward to these rallies confident that we’ve got a strong and fast car. I hope we can be back on the podium.”
Jari-Matti and Miikka Antilla have won this event before in 2015. Photo credit, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT
Kris Meeke
“I’m looking forward to Portugal. It’s a rally I know well and where I’ve always been quite strong – I won it in 2016 and I’ve led there in the two years since. As for Sardinia, I haven’t driven much there over recent seasons, although I still know the island fairly well from the past. The last few events have been frustrating for us. We have had the speed to be on the podium, so now we really need to focus on translating that into a strong result. I had a good test on Monday – we’re always trying to find some ways to improve the car – and I hope that we’re in good shape for the next couple of events.”
Hyundai Motorsport
Thierry Neuville
“We have had some very strong results at Rally de Portugal in recent seasons. It’s a very demanding rally, with heavily rutted stages on the second pass. The conditions make it difficult, especially at the high speeds we reach, which make the car behaviour unpredictable at times. It’s part of the nature of this rally, and one that makes it an enjoyable challenge. We lost ground in the drivers’ championship after Chile, but Nicolas and I are fighting fit and ready to support the team to our full capability in the manufacturers’ title battle.”
2017 FIA World Rally Championship Round 06, Rally de Portugal 18-21 May 2017 Thierry Neuville – Nicolas Gilsoul, Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC Photographer: RaceEMotion Worldwide copyright: Hyundai Motorsport GmbH
Dani Sordo
“Rally de Portugal is a nice event, particularly for us with lots of fans travelling from Spain to support us. There is always a fantastic atmosphere, which makes it a pleasure to drive there. We have had a break since our last event in Argentina, so we are well prepared for this rally. My target is to fight for the victory and to bring home as many points for the manufacturers’ championship as possible.”
Seb Loeb
“Participating in this rally is an unexpected bonus, but I am looking forward to it greatly. I found a really nice feeling with the Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC in Chile, which allowed us to finish on the podium. Portugal will offer different challenges and new stages. If we can get quickly back into the same rhythm, I am hopeful we can feature strongly.”
M-Sport WRT
Elfyn Evans
“Rally de Portugal is one of the classics. Most of the drivers have a lot of experience here, and everyone will be pushing for the top results – ourselves included. The Portuguese fans have a real passion for their motorsport, and everyone wants to do well in front of this crowd.
Elfyn and then co-Driver Dan scored a well deserved podium in Rally de Portugal last year. Photo credit M-Sport
“We’ve always had pretty good speed here, and the whole team have been working hard to ensure that continues. We completed a day and a half of testing last week, and everything feels good. The competition is so close at the moment, but if it all comes together, I see no reason why we can’t challenge for another strong result.”
Teemu Suninen
“I have done this rally four times before, which means that only Rally Finland is more familiar to me! Having secured my first podium here last year, I hope that we can be in the fight for another strong result – and I feel quite optimistic that things could go well for us next week.
“Friday will be the toughest day with a lot of new stages that have a hard base, and will be more aggressive on the tyres. If there is a lot of cleaning, we will need the confidence to make the most of our advantage – because the fight is always very tight at the moment.”
Gus Greensmith
“I’ve spent the last ten years of my life preparing for this moment, and I can tell you that I feel ready to climb this mountain! But it’s not just about me – so many people have worked hard to get me to this point and it’s been a real collective effort. I’ll take the time to thank each and every one of them, but for now there is only one job I need to focus on.
“I don’t have any expectations other than to enjoy myself. I’m one of the very few to have been given an opportunity to drive one of these cars – so whatever happens, I will drive with a smile on my face, and hopefully we can make next weekend something positive for everyone involved.
Gus Greensmith at the wheel of an R5 Fiesta! FIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP 2018 -WRC PORTUGAL (POR) – WRC 16/05/2018 to 20/05/2018 – PHOTO : @World
“It’s also quite special for me to be making my debut in Portugal. I really love this country and the area around Porto – it really does feel like home when I walk out of the airport. Of course, the stages are amazing to drive, but it’s the country and the Portuguese way of life that makes me feel so at ease.”
In addition to the front runners, there will also be a Fiesta R5 pedalled by young Polish crew of Łukasz Pieniążek and Jakub Gerber, competing in the WRC2 Pro category.
Łukasz Pieniążek is joined by Jakub Gerber in an R5 Fiesta. Photo credit, M-Sport
Łukasz Pieniążek
“Rally de Portugal is one of my favourite events, and last year I secured my career-best result there with second place in WRC 2. I can’t wait to get back in action and do the best I can. This will be my fourth start in Portugal and experience plays a big role in this sport – so I hope that will help me keep a good pace.
“Friday’s stages will be completely new and a big unknown for everyone which will require very good preparation during the recce. Saturday is a very long day and another tough challenge which demands clean driving and a good strategy.
“Portugal will also mark the start of another chapter for me as I’ll be joined by Jakub Gerber as my co‑driver. We worked together in 2015 – with good results both in the Polish Championship and the European Rally Championship – so I’d like to welcome him back to the team.”
Summary
Well, we are set for another round- Who will emerge on top by Sunday afternoon? We could see another change in the championship order as well! Enjoy!
Over the course of the Monaco Grand Prix weekend, the world of Formula 1 came together to celebrate the extraordinary life of Niki Lauda, triple world champion who sadly passed away in Vienna on the 20th of May at the age of 70.
The drivers all paid their respects, and the teams placed their own tributes on their cars, with Mercedes’ tributes have been most poignant. Lauda had been the non-executive chairman of the team and was regularly seen in the team garage alongside Toto Wolff; he had been an enormously important figure in bringing Lewis Hamilton to the team.
Lauda was always seen in the paddock wearing a red cap and so, in tribute, Hamilton and Bottas‘ cars had a red star painted on the bodywork – a reportedly permanent change – and the normally silver halo was painted red in the triple world champion’s honour.
2019 Monaco Grand Prix, Thursday – Steve Etherington
Prior to the start of the Grand Prix, a minute’s silence was held to remember the Austrian, who fought against all odds following a horrific crash at the Nürburgring in 1976. At the time, his chance of recovery was slim and a priest administered the last rites and yet, miraculously, he survived. As the F1 world took a moment to remember a legend, few words were needed, other than ‘Danke Niki.’
Qualifying once again saw Mercedes at the front of the pack, with Lewis Hamilton taking pole position with a staggering 1:10.166. Teammate Valtteri Bottas, who posted a time just eight hundredths of a second slower, lined up alongside the Brit. Max Verstappen had looked quick in free practice and secured third position, with Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel securing 4th. Unfortunately for Charles Leclerc, his home race weekend didn’t get off to the best of starts and he qualified 16th after a major strategic error from his Ferrari team. The midfield once again remained incredibly close, bringing hopes of wheel-to-wheel action and entertainment in a race which is notorious for being fairly uneventful.
As the race got underway, Hamilton got a perfect start, with teammate Bottas also starting well. Around Sainte Devote, Charles Leclerc and Antonio Giovinazzi had to cut the corner, however the stewards deemed an investigation was unnecessary. Leclerc fought his way past the cars ahead, making a memorable move around Lando Norris at the hairpin. Despite an impressive start and progression up the pecking order, a tussle with Nico Hülkenberg caused a puncture in the Ferrari driver’s right rear tyre and damage to the floor of his car.
With debris from Leclerc’s tyre littered across the circuit, the safety car was brought out and many drivers dived into the pits. In a rare mistake from the Red Bull pit crew, Max Verstappen was let out of his pitbox too soon and found himself pushing Bottas near to the wall. As a result, Bottas lost second place and was forced to pit again, changing onto the hard compound tyres. The stewards investigated and gave Verstappen a five-second penalty for the unsafe release, which was to be added to his time post-race. He was also given 2 points on his license.
Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool
Leclerc was stuck at the back of the train of cars due to his collision with Hülkenberg, and on lap 16, both himself and George Russell found the road ahead blocked by Antonio Giovinazzi and Robert Kubica, the latter having been hit by the Alfa Romeo when the Italian took the inside line at Rascasse. Luckily, all four drivers managed to get back on track and carry on with their race, even though Giovinazzi was given a ten-second penalty for the incident.
Leclerc made another pitstop and switched to softs, but his car was suffering from a severe lack of downforce. Unfortunately, he was forced to return to the Ferrari garage and retire from his home race.
Stroll was investigated by the stewards for a clash with Kimi Räikkönen – the Finn taking part in his 300th Grand Prix – and was given a five-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage.
By lap 48, the leaders were caught in a train of backmarkers, with Bottas being compromised by Lance Stroll and losing a chunk of time.
Lewis Hamilton was doing his utmost best to care for his tyres, however their deteriorating condition and Mercedes’ strategy left the Brit anxious. In the closing stages of the race, Verstappen remained on Hamilton’s tail, posting similar lap times which kept him on average just half-a-second behind the leader. Sebastian Vettel had been running in 3rd place for most of the race and it was a quiet and uneventful afternoon for the four-time World Champion.
Ferrari Media
After a brilliant effort to pass the race leader with two laps to go, Verstappen and Hamilton made contact at the Nouvelle Chicane, but luckily both escaped the incident unscathed. The stewards reviewed the incident, but confirmed no further action was needed.
Hamilton took his fourth victory of the season, dedicating the win to Niki Lauda, with Verstappen finishing second. However, because of his penalty, he was classified fourth behind Vettel and Bottas.
Pierre Gasly secured a bonus point for posting the fastest lap time, the second time he has done so this year. Carlos Sainz had a strong race for McLaren, finishing in 6th, while both Toro Rossos impressed in 7th and 8th. Daniel Ricciardo took the final point for Renault, with Lando Norris just missing out in eleventh.
There are now 17 points between Hamilton and Bottas in the Drivers’ Championship. Mercedes appear to be running away at the top of the Constructors’ standings
The seventh round of the 2019 Formula 1 season will take place on the 9th of June at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve for the Canadian Grand Prix.
It was a dry but overcast afternoon in Monaco and, as the green light went out in Q1, eighteen of the drivers took to the Circuit de Monaco in a bid to claim pole position.
Monaco is a tight street circuit, so many choose to set competitive times early to avoid being caught out by a yellow or red flag. Early lap times are crucial at this track.
Both Red Bulls of Gasly and Verstappen sat in the garage at the beginning of Q1, with Verstappen’s car being pulled apart and swiftly put back together. Whatever issues he had seemed to have been fixed as he exited the garage.
Leclerc struggled to set a good lap time at the start of the session, having been held up by Lance Stroll. Hulkenberg almost ran into Giovinazzi in a very similar situation at turn 18, with the pair being put under investigation for the incident.
Verstappen had the initial time to beat, three tenths quicker than defending world champion Lewis Hamilton. Leclerc was in third, with Alex Albon sitting in an impressive fourth place for Toro Rosso.
Hamilton also seemed to struggle, as replays showed the Mercedes driver locking up going into the chicane. After a bit of a scrappy lap, his teammate Bottas managed to set the pace with a 1:11.562.
Steve Etherington
Leclerc then missed the weighbridge procedure, as did Perez and Hulkenberg. All were investigated after qualifying came to a close for the infringements.
Vettel clipped the barrier at the Swimming Pool exit before pitting and returning to the track to set a competitive time. The Ferraris were cutting it fine in P17 and P15 as the chequered flag came out.
After topping the session in FP3, Leclerc dropped out of the session in a disappointing P16 at his home Grand Prix, having been left in the garage by Ferrari as the session came to a close. It was a costly and frustrating mistake which resulted in Leclerc falling behind traffic on his final attempt. Joining Leclerc in the drop-zone were Perez, Stroll, Russell and Kubica.
Both Mercedes went out at the beginning of Q2, with Bottas setting a new track record and Hamilton struggling to match the pace of his teammate in P3 behind Verstappen. Hamilton quickly managed to slot into second spot.
Several drivers made minor mistakes throughout the session, including Magnussen who clipped the wall going into Mirabeau as his Haas struggled to find grip.
With five minutes remaining in Q2, all drivers bar Verstappen went out to set their quickest laps. Verstappen sat in P1 in front of both Silver Arrows as the session ended with Hulkenberg, Norris, Grosjean, Raikkonen and Giovinazzi in the elimination zone. Grosjean was majorly unhappy with P13 after having been held up by the Red Bull of Pierre Gasly, who was then put under investigation for the incident.
Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool
Both Alfa Romeo cars had a disappointing session after showing great pace in free practice, finishing in P14 and P15.
Vettel sat in P4, followed by Kevin Magnussen and both Toro Rossos. Gasly sat in P8 with Daniel Ricciardo behind in P9. Rounding out the top 10 was McLaren’s Carlos Sainz.
The final part of qualifying got underway as all ten drivers took to the track on soft compound tyres. Valtteri Bottas set the initial pace with a staggering 1:10.257, four tenths ahead of Max Verstappen in second position.
Hamilton initially made a mistake going into the chicane which meant his first lap had to be aborted, but he managed to slot into P2 on his second run, two tenths behind his teammate.
Renault’s Daniel Ricciardo made a risky decision to go for only one flying lap in the session and managed P6.
Sebastian Vettel made a late mistake and ran into the barrier at Tabac, but he didn’t sustain any damage.
After a flawless performance throughout qualifying by Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton pipped his teammate as the chequered flag came out, clinching pole position by half a tenth from Bottas.
Behind, Max Verstappen lined up P3 followed by Sebastian Vettel in P4, Gasly, Magnussen, Ricciardo, Kvyat, Sainz, and Albon.
It was certainly an interesting session with several cars being investigated for impeding the regulations throughout the afternoon. It was another dominant session by Mercedes, but an extremely disappointing day for Ferrari who will have to rethink their strategy for tomorrow’s Monaco Grand Prix. What’s more, with a 60% chance of rain, it certainly seems as if the race could be full of surprises.
Following the race debut of the Advanced Frontal Protection (AFP) device at the Indianapolis GP, IndyCar has announced their next step in cockpit safety which takes the shape of an ‘Aeroscreen’.
This latest development will be designed by Red Bull Advanced Technologies and bears resemblance to the aeroscreen that Red Bull tested in 2016 when F1 was assessing options before ultimately deciding to adopt the halo.
For IndyCar, the solution was always going to be slightly harder to find because their problem is more complicated. The biggest problem with a halo-type structure is the visibility issues that it would present on the ovals, which is where the protection is needed the most.
Also, the halo leaves sizeable areas that are unprotected from debris, meaning it isn’t that effective at protecting the driver from smaller pieces of debris, which tend to be more common in IndyCar.
The Aeroscreen will be introduced at the start of next season and will be a polycarbonate laminated screen with a titanium framework. In testing, the device has shown the same load-bearing capacity as F1’s halo but has the added benefit of complete frontal protection. There will also be an anti-reflective coating on the inside of the screen to aid driver visibility.
The idea of closed cockpits was never really on the table this time around as there are numerous hurdles to overcome, mainly regarding driver extraction, though it’s expected that’ll be the direction of all single-seater motorsport in the future.
On-track testing of the Aeroscreen is expected to start at the beginning of the summer with all teams expected to take delivery of the Aeroscreens by the autumn.
Credit: IndyCar
At a joint press conference announcing the Aeroscreen, Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner said: “Since the first prototypes were developed and demonstrated in 2016, the potential of Aeroscreen to improve the safety for drivers in the event of frontal impacts in the cockpit area of cars has been clear.”
“This new partnership with IndyCar gives us at Red Bull Advanced Technologies the go-ahead to fully explore that potential, and to deliver a protection system that will help prevent serious injuries and potentially save lives in the US premier single-seater series. Over the coming months we’ll be working closely with IndyCar and its drivers to refine and perfect Aeroscreen and we’re looking forward to seeing the results on the cars in 2020.”
IndyCar President Jay Frye said: “This collaborative effort on the Aeroscreen truly exhibits an unrelenting commitment and passion for enhancing driver safety. We would like to thank everyone at Red Bull Advanced Technologies for creating a design that will be significant in the evolution of motorsports safety not only for the NTT IndyCar Series but from a global perspective.”
It’s another Bank Holiday and another round of the British Superbike Championship this weekend, as the series heads to Donington for round three of the 2019 season.
Josh Broke Be Wiser Ducati at Oulton Park BSB 2019. Image courtesy of Ducati
Josh Brookes (Be Wiser Ducati) got his championship back on track in Oulton Park three weeks ago, after a non-scoring round one at Silverstone for the Aussie. Two wins for Brookes and the PBM Ducati Panigale V4R, in which he led from lights to flag on both occasions, slingshot the #25 rider straight into the championship top six, just fourteen points off the championship lead and with the highest podium points score of any rider as we approach the third round.
Arguably, Donington should suit the Ducati even better than Oulton Park, being a wider, track with less hard braking zones. Certainly, that would make for low hopes for the opposition, as it was not just Brookes in Oulton Park who was faster than the rest, but also Tommy Bridewell (Oxford Racing) who was able to go pretty much right with Brookes in both races at round two and goes to round three as the joint-championship-leader. The #46 has since been to Imola at the World Superbike race to replace Eugene Laverty for the GoEleven squad, and performed quite impressively. It will be interesting to see this weekend if anything Bridewell learned on the WorldSBK-spec Panigale can be translatable this weekend. Similarly, the WorldSBK Ducati riders will be watching this weekend somewhat keenly to see how the bike performs at Donington, even though this weekend the BSB riders will go right at the end of the back straight and cut out the Melbourne Loop.
The anticipation of Ducati performances will also extend to Scott Redding (Be Wiser Ducati) who is searching for his first BSB win this weekend at – almost – the circuit where he took his first Grand Prix win back in 2008 in the 125cc class.
Away from Ducati, perhaps it will be once more the McAMS Yamaha pairing of Jason O’Halloran and the rider joint with Bridewell at the top of the standings, Tarran Mackenzie. O’Halloran’s season has not gone to plan so far, having scored just twenty-two points from the first four races thanks to events (mostly) out of his control in Silverstone, and then missing some pace in the second race in Oulton Park.
Whilst O’Halloran missed pace in the second race in Oulton Park, Mackenzie missed pace in all the weekend, apart from the second race when he finished fifth to retain his championship lead on countback. Both Mackenzie and O’Halloran will be looking for podium returns this weekend, at the place where the current model YZF-R1 scored its first podium back in 2015 with Josh Brookes – and this weekend they will be missing out the part of the track which in theory should suit the Yamaha the least.
Whilst the Melbourne Loop section of Donington Park will be not so sorely missed by the Yamaha and possibly Ducati riders, it probably will be missed by the Kawasaki riders. The ZX-10RR has always been impressive in hard braking zones, and the hardest of the braking zones at Donington where at the Melbourne Loop section. Danny Buchan (FS-3 Racing) will nonetheless be hoping to continue his impressive form from Oulton Park – where he scored two third places – into this weekend and close his nine-point deficit to the championship leaders.
Buchan is not the only Kawasaki rider facing an important weekend – Glenn Irwin (Quattro Plant JG Speedfit Kawasaki) is also at an important point. The start of his BSB career with Kawasaki has not gone to plan, and Oulton Park saw the #2 in what seemed almost like desperation. Nothing seemed to work for him three weeks ago, but he had an impressive time at the Northwest 200 last week with a couple of podiums, so it will be interesting to see this weekend if changes which worked on the roads will also work in BSB.
On the other side of the Quattro Plant JG Speedfit Kawasaki garage there is some change, as the injured Ben Currie is replaced by Hector Barbera, who will be running the #80, who won his first Grand Prix at Donington in 2003 by six tenths from Andrea Dovizioso. Certainly, for a non-British rider, Donington is a fairly comfortable introduction to British Championship racing.
The 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500 is nearly upon us with qualifying completed and all but one of the practice sessions run. As always, the Indy 500 is one of the most important races of the season and, with double points on offer, the stakes couldn’t be higher.
Indy GP winner Simon Pagenaud took the honour of pole position last weekend, continuing his remarkable upturn in form after a fairly dreadful start to the season. Starting alongside him on the front row will be the Ed Carpenter Racing duo of Ed Carpenter himself and Spencer Pigot, the latter of whom was the favourite to take pole after Saturday’s running.
Front Row qualifiers and their families (L-R) Spencer Pigot, Ed Carpenter, Simon Pagenaud. Credit: Chris Owens/IndyCar
The other ECR car of Ed Jones heads up the second row, followed by rookie sensation Colton Herta and last year’s Indy 500 champion Will Power. The last three of the Fast Nine drivers fill the third row with Sebastien Bourdais heading championship leader Josef Newgarden and 2016 Indy 500 champion Alexander Rossi.
The Fast Nine Shootout very nearly didn’t happen after rain hit the track on the second day of qualifying, meaning the majority of the practice sessions due to take place that day were cancelled. This meant that Fernando Alonso, in his hastily modified McLaren, didn’t have time to set up his car properly, something which would come back to bite him in the Last Row Shootout.
Credit: Walter Kuhn/IndyCar
Six drivers vied for the last three places on the grid with one-off entrant Sage Karam taking 31st followed by James Hinchcliffe, who managed to avoid a non-start for what would’ve been the second year running, and the miracle that was Kyle Kaiser for Juncos, in a car that shouldn’t have really been in qualifying in the first place after his shunt on Friday.
The three drivers bumped out of the race were Alonso, after McLaren’s widely-reported catalogue of errors stretching back to the very first test, and the Carlin pair of Patricio O’Ward and Max Chilton. After Alonso’s crash on Wednesday, he had also been running a Carlin-built car, meaning the British team lost three of their four entries on Bump Day.
While Alonso garnered much of the attention from qualifying for failing to do just that, it’s important not to forget the 33 drivers who did qualify for the race. Positions 10 to 30 were locked in after Saturday’s running with that group including pretty much all the big hitters who failed to make the Fast Nine, as well as a delighted Pippa Mann who, like Hinchcliffe, failed to qualify last year.
Pippa Mann celebrates qualifying for the race with her #39 team. Credit: James Black/IndyCar
Throughout both practice and qualifying there have been a number of big accidents but, thanks to safety innovations including cut-outs in the floors of the cars, there haven’t been any flips and all the drivers involved walked away unharmed. Alonso, Felix Rosenqvist, O’Ward, Kaiser and Hinchcliffe all suffered shunts, with Alonso and O’Ward making up two of the three bumped drivers.
As for the race, well we can expect to see a close-run fight for the victory with a number of notable drivers out of place on the grid. Generally speaking, the Fast Nine drivers stand the best chance of drinking the milk at the end of the race, but purely being in the race gives any driver a good enough shot at the win.
Pole-sitter Pagenaud will obviously be one to watch, as will second-place Carpenter who is always fast at the 500 and has come close to taking victory a number of times before. Last year’s Indy 500 champion Power will be a threat from sixth as he tries to defend his title. 2016 Indy 500 champion Rossi is another driver who will be chasing the win with his daring overtakes always grabbing the headlines.
Further down the grid, three-time Indy 500 champion Helio Castroneves could be someone to keep an eye out for after his race was ended abruptly last year, as will defending series champion Scott Dixon who is always one to factor into the race. There aren’t many drivers who you can rule out with any certainty, and that’s testament to how close the field is this year.
Scott Dixon with Robert Wickens. Credit: Joe Skibinski/IndyCar
There is a threat of rain on Sunday so it’s probably best we brief you on the protocol if bad weather does affect the race. 101 of the 200 laps must be completed for the race to be classed as ‘official’ and for full points to be dished out; if this can’t happen on Sunday, as scheduled, the race can be postponed until Monday or later, depending on when the weather allows the race to be run. The current forecasts give around a 50% chance of rain during the race, so it’s certainly something to watch out for.
All being well weather-wise, the race will kick off at 12:30 pm local time which works out at 5:30 pm in the UK, so neatly fitting in after the Monaco GP.
