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Interesting to hear Mark Webber, newly in contention for the championship, announcing that only wins will secure the title this year. Easy for him to say that, soaked in champagne and pool water. What would he have done had he been in the middle or even the back of the snake of cars that followed him home yesterday? We’d like to think his stated flightiness would have meant he’d have attempted a move, but we’re not so sure.
In the warm light of Monday, yesterday does seem rather like a procession; old-school F1 where nobody passes anyone even when first-through-sixth are running nose to tail.
Is this the flipside of this year’s bizarrely unpredictable F1 season? Have drivers already decided to leave their results in the hands of fate – where ‘fate’ largely means ‘tyres’? Remember Kimi Raikkonen in China and that precipitous fall from podium to P-nowhere once his tyres were down to the canvas. Is that what’s at the back of driver’s minds this year?
Well, partly. But we think there might be something else going on.
It’s all very well blaming Monaco and the paradox of holding a ‘race’ on tarmac so narrow one car struggles to find a berth next to another, however fleetingly. Fact is, when a driver is in the zone, there is a way. Many a proper hero has won his Sunday Afternoon Spurs this way, especially when that rare resource, traction, is in short supply as it was in the closing laps yesterday. Why didn’t Rosberg have a go at Webber, or Alonso at Rosberg? And, why, with so much to play for, did Vettel, Hamilton and Massa opt to stick, when Casino Square was begging them to twist?
Like we say, they might have been waiting for someone else’s rubber to go funny. But they might also have become wary of what feels to us like trigger-happy stewarding. Sergio Perez was the only driver out to earn Hero Status yesterday and looked what happened to him: told once to give the place back and a second time to cool off with a nice slow cruise along the length of the pit lane. Shame that, as he was the fastest guy on the circuit.
Let it also not be forgotten that we were robbed of the most fantastic story yesterday. The Mercedes was the quickest car in Monte Carlo and Michael Schumacher was beyond motivated… Sure his race was ruined by more bad luck, but it could have been a win, not a seventh place he lost.
We’re not condoning his lumpy move on Bruno Senna in Spain (the reason he lost his well-earned pole position), just beginning to wonder whether it’s time the Stewards took more of a back seat, concentrated more on punishing dangerous driving, and less on ‘racing accidents’. If drivers start to believe — as tennis players and cricketers once did — that you’ll come out on top as often as you lose then maybe, just maybe, they might push their luck a little more.
Open Car Bar
What do you think?
anonymous 2 commented on this article
Monday May 28, 2012 at 4:10 pm
well,that’s what the experts say, pole in monaco is CRUCIAL if you want to win, and the only way to overtake is by pit stops, unless you’re very brave and would offer to risk a night out in the boats for spending the night in a hospital ward.
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Ewan commented on this article
Monday May 28, 2012 at 4:39 pm
If I’m honest I don’t think lewis, the fiestyest driver of the train of 6 in my opinion, wanted a repeat of Monaco 2011 when the stewards seemed to penalise him every time he even thought about an overtake…
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f1 fan commented on this article
Monday May 28, 2012 at 5:24 pm
Ewan: he was never in a position to overtake, at one point we saw him having more pace than vettel at the end when vettels tires were worn but he still didnt have enough to make a move, . Nico and Alanso had a go but you cant pass if its not there.
last season Lewis tried passing when it was not possible, met in collisions by his own fault.. thats not passing .. its stupidity .. thats why he was penalized
all the top drivers can pass, all know how to be aggressive and pull amazing passes, the two fiercest/bravest passes last season were done by Mark and Vettel so its rubish to say Lewis is fiercer than anyone, they are all great drivers
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formuladude commented on this article
Monday May 28, 2012 at 7:18 pm
why can you not take that hamilton is better.btw,whats the problem with overtaking at the hairpin,mr biased.vettel is not the god that you think of him to be u know, hamilton would have done that move drifting and singing sham 69 songs
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formuladude commented on this article
Monday May 28, 2012 at 7:18 pm
in monza that is
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steve12 commented on this article
Tuesday May 29, 2012 at 12:14 am
Good race, could have been better
just like the wife say after she get a
headache.
looking forward, to the rest of
the F1 season.
That Scarscow of Jezza, dress up as
a policeman.
wonder what, Jezza would do with
the devil cones if he was PC plod.
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Anonymous commented on this article
Tuesday May 29, 2012 at 3:49 am
I completely agree on this. The last couple of laps, the drivers had so many chances to spice up the race. Not long ago, 2005 monaco Grand prix was much different. http://www.youtube.com/wa tch?v=p6GikxD3arU just eight laps to go, the drivers took the risk to overtake.
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ogheeren commented on this article
Tuesday May 29, 2012 at 2:01 pm
It seems that wasn’t a ghost writer in one of the last posts. The guy is really gay for Hamilton. It is like the rubbish people are talking if they have a crush for someone and want to defend them. He’s a bit like the bitch in the audience of one of the Top Gear episodes trying to defend Hammond because Jezza made fun of him. Seriously, being gay for Hamilton is ok, but at least try to calm down a bit in this blog.
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F1isDead commented on this article
Wednesday May 30, 2012 at 12:52 pm
For me F1 is dead this year, the tires have killed it. Fair enough we had more overtaking this year than ever before, but this is not because the drivers and/or cars are better, but just because the other drivers tires are dead.
Anyone can say, they have to look after the tires… well they always had to do that, but at least they could over take. Come one, if one of the 6 tried to over take in Monaco than the tires would have been shredded in one lap and he would have finished with no points, so instead they all followed each other like on a driving lesson. Where are the days, that you could drive to the limit of the car and/or driver… if you could overtake and than lap 3s faster, then you could have an extra pitstop and still be in the front. Since when are the backmarkers the fastest guys on the track??? Let the drivers decide how quickly they kill the tires…
Time to stop the Pirelli fund raiser, it is ruining the sport!
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formuladude commented on this article
Wednesday May 30, 2012 at 6:23 pm
u noticed ogheeren how the pretty boy(vettel) is loved by everyone but hamilton?im the only one who even remotely likes him
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anonymous 2 commented on this article
Thursday May 31, 2012 at 8:14 pm
haha! alonso got pwned and owned by a williams at the beginning@anonymous.
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anonymous 2 commented on this article
Thursday May 31, 2012 at 8:17 pm
this is a complication of 2010 f1 crashes: relive the most exciting season ever(until now). http://www.youtube.com/wa tch?v=4Dn3ZhAjJA8&feature =related
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anonymous 2 commented on this article
Thursday May 31, 2012 at 8:21 pm
many funny moments of f1 until 2011: http://www.youtube.com/wa tch?v=wuIiQ8wfyMQ&feature =related
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Angry commented on this article
Sunday June 3, 2012 at 9:32 am
Monaco is boring, so is Canada unfortunately.
But there are two questions I would like answered.
According to this article:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/spor t/0/formula1/18310767
The Red Bull cars are illegal.
So, What is a fully enclosed hole, isnt it a solid?
And
If the cars are illegal, why have the FIA not taken all the points and wins away from Red Bull?
If it had been McLaren they would have banned them from the season.
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anonymous 2 commented on this article
Sunday June 3, 2012 at 9:44 pm
@angry: it’s only because teams didn’t protest until the monaco grand prix. that’s when the fia took action.
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f1 fan commented on this article
Sunday June 10, 2012 at 3:34 am
illegal cars those redbull guys are all cheaters
lmao .. enjoy the whopping Vettel did with his now legal car in quali
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