F1 2021 – spoilers here

Alonso in the wall, doesn’t sound too bad though

Shame that Leclerc’s gearbox has sharted itself, the Ferrari of Sainz looks pretty handy. The Gulf McLaren is pretty, but they need to be running higher than 7th and 13th. Amazingly Mazepin hasn’t stuffed it yet.

Home is where the heart is#MonacoGP ❤️ @Charles_Leclerc pic.twitter.com/xtMEscC2An

— Formula 1 (@F1) May 20, 2021

I forget who explained it, but one of the drivers said some of the time gain at Monaco comes from being able to aim the car inside the apex (ie hitting the barrier) knowing that you would drift just wide enough to get round. Leclerc obviously got the memo.

I think the only question isn’t whether Mazespin crashes out it when. We should run a pool!

My money is on binning it hard enough in Free Practice that he can’t qualify, i’m thinking massive tankslapper into the wall at Tabac.

Well there has indeed been a Haas in the barriers in FP3 but it was Mick Schumacher who misses out on Qualifying…

Blimey, Ferrari on pole for the first time in as long as I can recall, Hamilton is back in seventh. Ricciardo is clearly still struggling with the McLaren, he’s in 12th place. The Red Bulls are split by seven places and .97sec.

Leclerc obviously got the memo.

Ahem…

I remember one commentary where Coulthard explained they would walk the circuit and work out which barriers had a post or not on the apex and flex if nudged.

I dont normally bother with Monaco but I hope it goes better than the support races this morning, both so far have had big pile ups on the first lap going up the hill after sainte devote

not looking good for Ferrari now

Yep – he’s out.

Seems like Ferrari opted for the glory of pole rather than play safe and sort the rear end of the car out and take a 5 place grid drop.

That’s a pity. I can understand Ferrari’s thinking – this is probably their only real shot at winning a race this year so worth taking the risk.

Well Lewis’s toys are being thrown out the car!! 🙂

Well Lewis’s toys are being thrown out the car!!

And in spite of that, it’s still as dull as ditchwater.

It’s not a classic! 🙂

Dull dull dull but that is Monaco

dreadful place dreadful race.

Post race interview, and Max can’t stop smiling, fabulous!

I haven’t watched the Monaco race for years, and haven’t done today.

Lewis this week was bemoaning that f1 had become a billionaires playground. He doesn’t realise he is the exception, it always has been a sport for the wealthy elite, and that is why Monaco is on the calendar.

Very dull. Another good race for red bull next in Bacu as their Limbo wing has maximum effect.

It wasnt that bad. lots did happen but not on the track. Very worthy podiums. A big swing in the championship and highlights the vulnerabilities of Mercedes. Maybe the development of 2021 Mercedes is not quite finished

eh ? Bottas was running comfortably in 2nd place until his mechanical

yeah bottas mechanical in the pits

and ?

Mercedes moaning about RB limbo wings should be careful

And the Red Bulls (thanks @jonb4g). As Wolff said, both teams might be protesting each other over the Azerbaijan weekend! pic.twitter.com/lhZ75XOx26

— Thomas Maher (@thomasmaheronf1) May 23, 2021

That was terrible. A race who’s time has clearly passed. When the only overtake was to avoid last place, as Schumacher squeezed past Mazepin you know thinks are dire.

Yawn….

And in spite of that, it’s still as dull as ditchwater.

Dull dull dull but that is Monaco

Havent watched F1 for years, channel flicking last night and saw C4’s show, my god what a boring race, was there a single overtake in the entire race?

was there a single overtake in the entire race?

Schumacher overtook Mazepin. Norris lapped Ricciardo, if that counts.

The trouble is that the drivers love driving there, the glitterati love being seen there and the corporate types love being there to schmooze and be schmoozed into doing deals. Yesterday there was a complete lack of on track action, I can’t even really recall anyone being in a position to attempt a pass (Noris doesn’t count and Mazepin only counts half because everyone is disappointed that he didn’t launch it into the barriers). Bottas’ stripped nuts and LeClerc’s broken shaft provided what little entertainment there was, alongside the unusual whining noise that car #44 started making after the pit stops.

I recall talk of a new development/land reclaim in Monaco which could potentially then be incorporated into the circuit, but think there was a lot of resistance from folk whose view of the harbour/whatever would be obstructed by the new buildings.

the unusual whining noise that car #44 started making after the pit stops.

I’m a Hamilton fan but that’s quite funny 👏🏼👏🏼😂

Every year I watch the Monaco F1 race, and every year I question why I bother.

Even all the build-up & talk basically goes along the lines of ‘great pedigree, virtually impossible to overtake, commitment close to the barriers, virtually impossible to overtake full-concentration, must get on pole to have any chance…did I mention virtually impossible to overtake?”

Even when the car in front is on completely destroyed tyres or has some kind of mechanical issue, faster cars still can’t get past.

When the most exciting bits of the race are someone breaking down on the formation lap & someone else with a wheelnut that wouldn’t come off, you know it’s been a bit shit.

I remember when BBC sold out and started mainly highlights with a couple of full length races one of the races they took full length was Monaco! Who the **** decided that was a good one to take in its entirety?! If ever a race wants highlights only its this one.

It’s one of those that always seems to have the potential for great drama but almost always (ie any time it doesn’t rain) fails to deliver—especially these days, now that cars don’t fall apart anywhere near as often as they used to and everyone’s good enough to get round without sticking it in the wall. The only crashes seem to be the exit of the swimming pool during qualifying.

Remember that one of the all-time Monaco classics was 1992, the defining feature of which was a few minutes of edge-of-the-seat lack of overtaking 🙂

I watched the Porsche Super Cup that went before it. Much better racing than the F1, and the cars look amazingly planted and quick round such a tight circuit.

When the most exciting bits of the race are someone breaking down on the formation lap & someone else with a wheelnut that wouldn’t come off, you know it’s been a bit shit.

I don’t think that’s fair. Schumacher and Mazepin fighting over last place was the most exciting bit.

thols2

I don’t think that’s fair. Schumacher and Mazepin fighting over last place was the most exciting bit.

What….? More exciting than the mechanic skilfully whacking the side of the wheel gun hoping that it would somehow fix the damaged nut?! No way!

Actually, the most exciting bit was probably Vettel & Gasly scampering up the hill side by side, but the editors decided to cut from that action in case it woke people up.
And I was quite pleased to see Vettel get a decent finish & some points. I’m not sure that will carry over for the rest of the season, but at least it gets him some points on the board & perhaps a mental boost. He’s looked like he needs a big hug for too long now.

+1 for Monaco generally being a bore-fest, F1 cars generally outgrew the circuit decades ago and with modern reliability it’s more often than not the first car into Sainte Devote off the lights that takes the chequered flag.

Remember that one of the all-time Monaco classics was 1992, the defining feature of which was a few minutes of edge-of-the-seat lack of overtaking

Yep, Mansell climbing all over the back of Senna’s McLaren Honda was edge of the seat stuff until it became clear that Senna’s car was practically the same width as the tarmac. 1996 was pretty entertaining though – Schumacher stuffed it early on, Hill was way out in front and set to win at Monaco for the very first time until his engine blew, then it rained and only three cars made it to the finish with a well deserved win from 14th place for a man with (almost) a very amusing surname.

IIRC, in addition to the 1998 debacle, Rosset crashed at Monaco in the 1996 race, on his way to the hilarious statistic of twenty retirements or DNQs out of 33 races. On that basis, Nikita Mazepin has proven himself to be better than Rosset having actually finished the race yesterday.

I don’t understand why merc thought bringing hamilton in early would work in monaco. I thought he’d definitely run long

in other news:

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/bottas-wheel-nut-still-stuck-mercedes/6514622/

It was a completely dull race, really felt like a waste of time. It may have spiced up the championship table for a while and I’m happy for Norris with his podium but as a spectacle it was pointless. It only needs one genuine overtaking spot to be made though, then it would be at least possible to race. As it is now they all know they can drive at 7/10ths, not risk hitting a barrier and there’s nothing a following driver can do to get past on-track. The strategists take care of when to take the mandatory pitstop and that’s the fun sucked out of it, barring a mechanical or a driver getting frustrated enough to try a dive somewhere.

I remember when BBC sold out and started mainly highlights with a couple of full length races one of the races they took full length was Monaco! Who the **** decided that was a good one to take in its entirety?! If ever a race wants highlights only its this one.

It was a ‘quirk’ of the deal they did with Sky. The BBC had half the races live, the rest highlights. The only guaranteed live one was Silverstone, after that it was an odd choice system. The BBC picked one then Sky told them one they would be doing live then the BBC picked another etc. It basically resigned the BBC to having all the boring tracks live and only a few of the interesting ones. So the BBC would choose Spa then Sky would tell them to have Monaco, BBC goes for Canada then Sky tell them they have to do Bahrain etc. It was designed to essentially force fans to get the Sky F1 channel if they wanted to follow the interesting stuff while making sure the BBC couldn’t get the best races as live ones.