Monaco Grand Prix is always interesting. The race on the Côte d'Azur is always full of events and is never boring. And only if the rain — it turns it into a real thriller. I was no exception and the Grand Prix this year...
Unlike all the previous — and the next too — the stages of Formula 1 this year in advance to name the winner in Monaco impossible. It was too many «unknowns» in this equation.
Here at the forefront is not the power of the power plant, and the «quality» of the chassis and racing luck. If luck to you ill-disposed, that success does not have to wait in Monte Carlo.
Between the fifth and sixth stages of the team conducted a series of test session. The main outcome of which was the appearance at the Red Bull and Renault Daniel Riccardo Kevin Magnussen seriously upgraded the motor of the French brand.
On tests powerplant proved itself so well that the team actually persuaded minders to accelerate the implementation process of the engine in operation, and instead of the planned Canada got it in Monaco — even one copy of each.
The fact that the Red Bull chassis is excellent — it is no secret. The fact that the Red Bull drivers are excellent — not a sensation. Add to this the engine will add strength and get an answer to the question of how Daniel Ricardo won his first career pole position is the Grand Prix of Monte Carlo in 2016.
Prelaunch session — three training and qualification — were full of events and incidents of various kinds abounded. But this is not surprising — it's the Monte Carlo! The first and second training held in Monaco on Thursday, Friday and team riders rested, and on Saturday continued their training runs.
Absolutely all participants in training had to take the time to evaluate the new product from the company Pirelli — supersoft rubber composition UltraSoft. The life of the wheels was calculated in the theory of the unit circle, but they had to let the drivers go much faster than any other team.
During the first training session broke their cars of Felipe Massa and Jolyon Palmer, Esteban Gutierrez stopped due to a problem with the power plant, and the strangest thing happened to Jenson Button.
Briton «caught» manhole cover, which he hooked up to Nico Rosberg. Both cars were damaged, and the session is stopped to ascertain and eliminate the causes.
In the second session smashed their car Romain Grosjean, Rio Haryanto and Kevin Magnussen. And Sebastian Vettel spun his Ferrari and hit the barrier. But the German was able to independently get to the boxes.
In Saturday's session once again to «mark» Jolyon Palmer and Kevin Magnussen and Max Verstappen.
Interestingly, in all three training showed the best results are different riders, with from different teams — Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), Daniel Ricardo (Red Bull) and Vettel (Ferrari).
The qualification is again excelled Riccardo — Australian won the first pole in Monaco and once in his career! Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton rounded out the top three at the end of the qualifying rounds, but the Briton was not happy about this at all — in the third segment, he «lost» two laps due to the fact that his car stalled on the road out of the boxes.
However, much worse had the winner of the previous stage Ferstappenu Max. It won first place in the Grand Prix of Spain, the Dutchman was focused special attention — to confess from him again waiting for a sensational race. And the «sensation» has occurred, but with the sign «minus».
In the first segment, Max ran into a bump and doomed himself to start from the last row of the boxes or — to prefer the second option.
But Daniil Kvyat, who Verstappen replaced as part of Red Bull, finished ninth qualifying races. And after the end of qualification has risen more one line up — the replacement of the gearbox Kimi Raikkonen was fined five positions and moved to the eleventh to eighth place.
On race day, the weather presented a surprise party to repeal — in the morning the rain, which lasted almost to the start of the race. This led to the fact that from the start the peloton left behind the safety car.
But even in this mode, one of the riders faced serious trouble — no luck Daniel Kvyat. The engine of his Toro Rosso switched to constant speed mode and refused to switch to racing settings.
Ufimets pulled into the pit lane, where he replaced the steering wheel. However, this did not change the situation. Kvyat again had to return to the pits after the second visit of the racing mode finally joined. But by that time the Russians have already lost to their rivals a big circle — in Monte Carlo, where overtaking is not just difficult, almost impossible, this is tantamount to defeat. But the race still did not even started!
The safety car left the track in the eighth round. And immediately start something for which likes and dislikes rain race — the team began to «play» with the bus tactics and riders began to get into an accident.
The first difference Renault drivers — Kevin Magnussen drove into the pits and put the intermediate tires, and his teammate Jolyon Palmer «slipped» on the starting line and left in the bump.
Later the path Magnussen and Kvyat crossed in turn Rascasse — the Russians at this stopped participating in the Grand Prix, and the Dane was able to continue the race to finally get on the 33rd lap due to the impact of the bump.
Race participants and more lost — gone Kimi Raikkonen, Max Verstappen, Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr. But the main event was not an accident, and the error made by Red Bull team.
Daniel Riccardo confidently led the race. He was not even much hurt that Nico Rosberg at the request of the team missed the front of Lewis Hamilton, who after the pit stop, Red Bull pilot led the race on rain tires and managed to go at a pace intermediate, which put Australian.
Yes, the Briton saved one pit stop, but Dan had to beat him to the next race in the pits. However, the mechanics hesitated — had not prepared the necessary set of tires — and as a result of Ricardo stood in place for more than ten seconds. This Hamilton was enough to keep the lead.
To keep the first place in Monaco you can not even the fastest car — it has been proven many times — that Lewis did, scoring his 44 victory in Formula 1 Fans of numerology immediately noticed that under the same number Hamilton stands in F1.
The runner-up award to Ricardo was blacker than the clouds. The same can not be said about the winner, as well as to take third place Sergio Perez of Force India.
The top ten were also Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso, Nico, Nico Rosberg, Carlos Sainz, Jenson Button and Felipe Massa.
The next stage of the Formula 1 will be held in two weeks in Canada.
Photo: F1fanatic.co.uk & XPB Images
