2015 Monaco Grand Prix Thread

[N4D13]

Trouble with getting Lewis on the top step with him is that you end with an Austria 2002 situation on your hands. Chaos.

Lets be fair, as stupid as this was. Nico did nothing wrong and he won the race. Whether is was a Lewis error, team error, mechanical failure.......


Nico won and celebrated accordingly and like Lewis said all the right things for the team.

Agreed. It would have been nice if Rosberg had not celebrated out of respect for Lewis, but it's hard to imagine that anyone would be complaining had he inherited the race win due to a reliability issue on Lewis' car. At the end of the day, both are things outside of either driver's control. Rosberg lucked into the win, all right, but he won and did what winners do - celebrate.

[airshifter]

Trouble with getting Lewis on the top step with him is that you end with an Austria 2002 situation on your hands. Chaos.

Lets be fair, as stupid as this was. Nico did nothing wrong and he won the race. Whether is was a Lewis error, team error, mechanical failure.......


Nico won and celebrated accordingly and like Lewis said all the right things for the team.

I just searched out some of the after race conference. Though I obviously can't see the body language, reading the interview it seems to me that everyone on the podium handled the situation very well. And I wasn't suggesting the chaos of the Austria incident, just hoping that Nico should do what it appears he did, by admitting his luck and the misfortune for Lewis being the real deciding factor.

[kfzmeister]

Not sure if this has been posted, yet. Perhaps it has already been discussed, but check out the video from Max crashing into RoGro. I can't see how anybody could really fault Max for this. I seems clear to me that the Lotus pulls hard to the right and goes from the gas. I think it was a typical veteran "welcome to the big leagues" statement.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2icY5k9pByE

[zako85]

Not sure if this has been posted, yet. Perhaps it has already been discussed, but check out the video from Max crashing into RoGro. I can't see how anybody could really fault Max for this. I seems clear to me that the Lotus pulls hard to the right and goes from the gas. I think it was a typical veteran "welcome to the big leagues" statement.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2icY5k9pByE

I am not sure if this video shows anything new. The clip was played ad nauseam over and over on TV during the yellow flag.

Also, I don't see any RoGros movements to the right. It seems like he was going to take a usual race line through the corner. When the contact happened he was certainly moving to the left. Some people place the blame on RoGro for braking early, but to me diving like that looked like an act of desperation by Verstappen who is feeling pressure to perform from within the team. Kvyat was all jolted in the race too. I suspect Red Bull's Dr Helmut Marko had a "motivational" conversation with both of them before Monaco.

[Tazio]

I seems clear to me that the Lotus pulls hard to the right and goes from the gas. I think it was a typical veteran "welcome to the big leagues" statement.

I am not sure if this video shows anything new. The clip was played ad nauseam over and over on TV during the yellow flag.

Also, I don't see any RoGros movements to the right. It seems like he was going to take a usual race line through the corner.

It appears that Rogro did feign to the right a little, but I'm not sure that that just isn't the way he normally sets up that corner, and even if it isn't there is nowhere to go on the right except to cut the chicane.
In this sense I agree with you [kfz'] that Rogro did deceive the kid, and made what could be construed as a "welcome to the big leagues" statement, although we cant know that for sure. At any rate I don't see anything there that contravenes the rules as you are allowed one covering move (although there really wasn't anything to cover on his right) before you get back on your normal racing line through the corner. According to Allan Permane the stewards acknowledged that the decision was made on the basis of data presented to them that RG got on the brakes 5 meters later than he did the lap before, and Max's contention from the beginning was that RG did brake earlier, which the data apparently doesn't support.
I think Max should just chalk this one up to experience, and get on with it, which really is all he can do.

I suspect Red Bull's Dr Helmut Marko had a "motivational" conversation with both of them before Monaco.

I can't extrapolate things out that far, but I'm not saying it is outside the realm of possibility. However when you're racing the car you own up to your actions, which may or may not be what Max believes he has done.
Tough call this one!

[The Black Knight]

It appears that Rogro did feign to the right a little, but I'm not sure that that just isn't the way he normally sets up that corner, and even if it isn't there is nowhere to go on the right except to cut the chicane.
In this sense I agree with you [kfz'] that Rogro did deceive the kid, and made what could be construed as a "welcome to the big leagues" statement, although we cant know that for sure. At any rate I don't see anything there that contravenes the rules as you are allowed one covering move (although there really wasn't anything to cover on his right) before you get back on your normal racing line through the corner. According to Allan Permane the stewards acknowledged that the decision was made on the basis of data presented to them that RG got on the brakes 5 meters later than he did the lap before, and Max's contention from the beginning was that RG did brake earlier, which the data apparently doesn't support.
I think Max should just chalk this one up to experience, and get on with it, which really is all he can do.

I agree on this given the new information provided by the Stewards. Initially when I viewed the video it looked as though Grosjean had sold Max a dummy and braked earlier than usual. If the data indeed does show that Grosjean braked 5 metres later than the previous lap where Max was also up his gearbox then only Max is to blame. I'm a fan of Grosjean and Max but, from looking at the video, it looks differently. I'd love to see the onboard of the previous lap from Max and see what it looks like to compare.

Remember Singapore 2011 I think it was where Schumacher did something similar, a seasoned veteran,because he had forgotten to keep his tires warm during a safety car period. I still think it unfair for people like Massa, a guy whom himself has made massive blunders over the years, to come hitting out at Max for one incident. If it had happened in his first race then, for sure, there would be concern but he has proven himself to be more than capable of mixing it with the big boys over the opening 6 races as has Carlos Sainz.

[Hawkmoon]

Verstappen was carrying a lot speed into the corner. I suspect he may not have made the corner even if he hadn't clipped the Lotus.

[truefan72]

Verstappen was carrying a lot speed into the corner. I suspect he may not have made the corner even if he hadn't clipped the Lotus.

even though i did blame grosjean for the incident as well and maybe a a bit more than max, i also think that it would have been hard for verstappen to make that corner. i have just watched it again and he was coming in there at some speed. So perhaps i'm being swayed back towards blaming max more.

[Tazio]

I agree on this given the new information provided by the Stewards. Initially when I viewed the video it looked as though Grosjean had sold Max a dummy and braked earlier than usual. If the data indeed does show that Grosjean braked 5 metres later than the previous lap where Max was also up his gearbox then only Max is to blame. I'm a fan of Grosjean and Max but, from looking at the video, it looks differently. I'd love to see the onboard of the previous lap from Max and see what it looks like to compare.

Remember Singapore 2011 I think it was where Schumacher did something similar, a seasoned veteran,because he had forgotten to keep his tires warm during a safety car period. I still think it unfair for people like Massa, a guy whom himself has made massive blunders over the years, to come hitting out at Max for one incident. If it had happened in his first race then, for sure, there would be concern but he has proven himself to be more than capable of mixing it with the big boys over the opening 6 races as has Carlos Sainz.

Nice well reasoned post TBK. As for the part I have emboldened; I'm not one for taking or discounting others opinions. Felipe is entitled to his, and people should take it for whatever they think it is worth. After all he saw the same video as everyone else, and just because he is someone that will get a microphone shoved in his face, and be quoted in racing publications doesn't mean you have to agree with him.

[journeyman racer]

My computer had a bad virus, which has prevented me from using the internet as often as normally would. Needless to say, but I can't wait to read this fred! Oh God, I'm going to go right from the the first post and build myself to the big moment!

I switch over to the Eurovision replayed broadcast from a commercial break. I flick back to see Hamilton behind Rosberg and Vettel. "He's not going to get past them. What on earth has happened?"

That was hilarious! Personally? It largely makes up for Hamilton's 08 Monaco win which was the biggest fluke win I've come across. Now we just need for Rosberg to beat Hamilton to the title within 17pts to readdress the balance.

Oh deary me.