FORMULA 1 - 2014

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Newey: I remain committed to Red Bull for the foreseeable future

Formula 1′s most coveted design guru Adrian Newey has played down reports claiming that he is thinking about a switch to Ferrari.

Two weeks ago in Barcelona, Formula 1′s most highly paid and rated engineer sounded equivocal amid reports that Ferrari are prepared to ‘break the bank’ to lure him from Red Bull.

But in a short statement ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix, Newey said: “I remain committed to Red Bull for the foreseeable future.”

When asked earlier this month if he will see out his Formula 1 career with Red Bull, the 55-year-old Briton told Sky television: “I don’t know. I need to think about it. At some point I am going to have to think about the future, but at the moment my focus is getting in front of the silver cars.”

World champion Sebastian Vettel was also asked about Newey on Wednesday, and while stressing that Red Bull wants him to stay, he also said the Milton-Keynes based team is not a one-man band.

“He is one of the key people in the team,” said the German. “There are other people too. It is wrong to give the credit only to Adrian, as he would tell you himself.”

“We like him in our team, so yes,” added Vettel, when asked if he wants Newey to stay. “It’s a story in the end. How much truth there is in it, we may find out, we may not.”

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Alonso: I don’t think change is going to happen soon at Ferrari

Nothing much has changed at Ferrari since Marco Mattiacci took over as team principal of the Formula One team last month, Fernando Alonso said on Wednesday.

“Not much to be honest. I don’t think it’s going to happen soon,” the double world champion told reporters at the Monaco Grand Prix when asked what was different under the new leadership.

“He’s still learning about the team situation, the Formula One environment, the F1 weekends,” explained the Spaniard.

“There are a lot of things to learn and [he wants to] get some experience before making any decisions that at the moment he will not take.”

Mattiacci, the former head of the Italian carmaker’s North American operations, was drafted in after Stefano Domenicali resigned in early April following the team’s disappointing start to the new V6 turbo era.

The new boss, who has no Formula One experience, said last month that he thought initially Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo was joking when he made the approach.

While Montezemolo has attended two of the five races so far, and has said he wants to be more hands on with the race team, Mattiacci has kept a low profile.

The Italian hid behind sunglasses on his first day in the pit lane in Shanghai, when he also held a news conference. In Spain two weeks ago, he was a largely silent presence alongside Montezemolo when the president met the media.

Alonso said life at the factory was largely unchanged too, with meetings and simulator work the same as ever.

“Probably it was expected not to have any change in the first month, because he still does not have the experience,” said the Spaniard.

Ferrari have not won a race in more than a year, or qualified on pole position since 2012, and are currently third in the constructors’ standings.

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Hamilton: Cool if Ferrari and Red Bull were in the mix

Lewis Hamilton welcomed the prospect of a stronger challenge from his Formula 1 rivals as he seeks to raise his performance level again in this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix, where he is targeting five wins in a row.

The championship leading Briton, who has moved three points clear of his Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg at the top of the standings after winning the last four races, explained that he wants a tougher contest to keep pushing him on.

“Monaco has always been a track that I’ve really done well at, but Nico was very, very quick here last year and there are not many teammates that I’ve allowed to beat me here,” Hamilton said. So I’m really hoping that this weekend I can turn up the pressure again. I am looking to lift my performance.”

Hamilton was disappointed to finish fourth in Monaco a year ago, but said that in retrospect he believes his pace was respectable given his discomfort with the Mercedes at the time.

“Last year was probably the toughest year in terms of being able to get the maximum out of the car,” he told reporters. “Last year I didn’t really feel like I could do that anywhere really.”

“To have been second on the grid, even though I wasn’t getting 100 per cent out of the car, was quite cool. I’m hoping this weekend that I’m able to extract more from the car and it should be better.”

Asked about the perceived lack of competition to Mercedes, he said: “I’m racing my teammate, so I do have competition and I’m grateful for that! I’m hoping we have a closer race. It would be cool if there were Ferraris and Red Bulls in the mix this time.”

Despite the daunting experience of finishing second to Hamilton at the last four races, Rosberg, for his part, insisted that he has the speed and talent to beat his Mercedes teammate this weekend.

Rosberg, who lives close to Hamilton in the Mediterranean principality, won last year’s race from pole position and believes he can repeat that feat to regain the leadership in this year’s drivers’ championship.

The 28-year-old German driver said that he drew encouragement from his form in dry Qualifying sessions this year and pointed to the forecast for a dry weekend in Monte Carlo.

At five Grands Prix this year, Hamilton has taken four poles to Rosberg’s one, but in dry sessions the score is 1-1.

Asked by reporters if he needed to try a new approach to Qualifying, Rosberg said: “No. I don’t. Of course, three of those Qualifying [sessions] were in the wet, but in the dry it is 1-1 – and it is supposed to be dry on Saturday, so I am confident I can make it happen. In general, it has been a tough battle up until now. I expect it to continue like that.”

Meanwhile, rival drivers believe that the unique characteristics of the Monaco street circuit give Mercedes’ rivals a chance this weekend.

Defending four-time drivers’ world champion Sebastian Vettel said: “Mercedes have a very, very strong package, Nico and Lewis are very good around here so they will be the ones to beat.

“Maybe we can be a bit closer. The target is to have a very good Qualifying because that’s half the job done on Saturday.”

Two-time champion Fernando Alonso of Ferrari said: “In Monaco, definitely, there is a different scenario to other races and it is a little bit more open for some other teams after the domination of Mercedes in the first races.”

“Hopefully we are going to see some alternatives, but they are still big favourites. No doubt. If you have confidence with the car, you can do extra here and the performance of the car is not so important.”

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Ricciardo: Deep down I knew I could get close to Vettel

Daniel Ricciardo has emerged as the revelation of the 2014 season with strong performances which have outshone those of his quadruple Formula 1 world champion teammate Sebastian Vettel, and although the Australian’s showings have surprised some people they have not been a surprise him.

Speaking ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix weekend, the 24 year old Red Bull driver told reporters, “Deep down, I knew I could get close to him. But did I think I’d be finishing in front of him the first few races? I don’t know. I didn’t really know what to expect to be honest. Obviously I didn’t expect to come out and be a second quicker than [Vettel].”

“I have a lot of confidence in myself that I could get these results that I’ve had. I just knew that if I was doing the work away from the track – being healthy, being fit and just putting in my bit of work – that the team around me would form and they’d be more than capable of giving me a car that could [enable me to] step on the podium,” explained Ricciardo.

Much is expected of Red Bull this weekend, many predicting the world champions will end the five race winning streak by Mercedes. Ricciardo goes to Monaco feeling quietly confident.

“I definitely sense an opportunity but Mercedes is going to be quick nonetheless. Even if their car is brought to everyone else’s level, they’ve still got two obviously very capable drivers who are driving very well at the moment,” acknowledged the big smiling Aussie who scored his first (official) Formula 1 podium finish in Barcelona last time out.

“So not only is it: Can we be as quick as Mercedes? Then it’s: Can we be as quick as Nico [Rosberg] and Lewis [Hamilton]? There’s still a double challenge, but less of a horsepower circuit should bring everyone a bit closer.”

Reflecting on the past few races and where he feels he can improve, Ricciardo said, “I don’t think I’ve made an actual position off the line all year, so we’ve done a lot of ongoing work to improve the starts. We’ll do what we can this weekend with what we’ve got.”

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Button: Driving Monaco in the simulator makes me sick

The Monaco Grand Prix, glamour highlight of the Formula 1 season, makes Jenson Button sick – but only on McLaren’s simulator.

The 2009 world champion – and Monaco resident – told reporters at the harbourside circuit that it had been years since he prepared with virtual laps around the slowest but twistiest race on the calendar.

“I haven’t driven it in the simulator and I didn’t drive last year’s car in the simulator or the year before that,” said the Briton when asked how the V6 turbo 2014 car had handled on the simulator compared to the old V8 engined one.

“Basically, I can’t drive around Monaco in the simulator because I get sick. This is one I miss. I don’t know why but I get sick in it so I can’t drive it. It used to be Hungary as well but we’ve changed it…so I can drive it now.”

McLaren test driver Oliver Turvey has been spending time in the simulator seat instead back at the Woking factory and providing feedback.

“He’s done a lot of work and said that it’s more difficult to drive with the torque but I think we’re going to be able to manage OK,” said Button who won the 2009 edition of the Monaco Grand Prix.

McLaren, who took their first Monaco win 30 years ago with Frenchman Alain Prost and are the second most successful team in the sport after Ferrari, have not scored a point in their last three races.

That represents Button’s worst run since he was with Honda in 2008 but the most experienced driver on the starting grid said the results did not tell the full story.

“Obviously we’re not in a fantastic place right now in terms of speed and finishing positions,” he said. “I was asked what I would be happy with here and obviously it’s a win but we’re not going to get that.”

I don’t think the position is really what’s going to make us happy here because it’s not going to be a fantastic position. I think what we’ll get out of this weekend is how the car feels. If we feel that we have made improvements and have a better direction…we know there’s so much coming that I think we can be positive for the future.”

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Williams: We couldn’t complete our full programme

Williams team and drivers report from the first day of free practice of the Monaco Grand Prix weekend, Round 6 of the 2014 Formula 1 world championship, in Monte Carlo.

Objectives: Aero Evaluations, Set-up and Tyre Work

• FP1: Felipe Massa, 1:20.517 (16th), Valtteri Bottas, 1:19.494 (7th)
• FP2: Felipe Massa, 1:20.394 (16th), Valtteri Bottas, 1:19.421 (5th)

Rob Smedley, Head of Performance Engineering: There are some new parts we are running this weekend and we gathered lots of data in FP1. The rain affected our running this afternoon, so we couldn’t complete our full programme, however we managed to use the option tyre at the end of the second session which was constructive. There is a lot to do to be ready for Saturday and Sunday, but we have an additional day in between which is positive to work through the data that we could attain despite the limited running.

Valtteri Bottas: It’s great to be here in Monaco and good fun with the current cars. There are still some improvements we can make to be quicker and the rain didn’t help in the afternoon, but we do have some good data to work from. Saturday will be vital in the morning for set-up and of course qualifying around Monaco is key to having a good weekend. Overall I am feeling positive and I’m looking forward to getting back in the car.

Felipe Massa: Today was a tough day. I had some issues this morning with the power unit sensor so that limited my running, or at least the amount I could push. This afternoon it was wet and so I only went out at the end of the session and then suffered with traffic. The car is quick and Valtteri has shown that, so qualifying on Saturday will be very important.

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McLaren: Possibility of an unpredictable race is a welcome one

McLaren team and drivers report from the first day of free practice of the Monaco Grand Prix weekend, Round 6 of the 2014 Formula 1 world championship, in Monte Carlo.

Jenson Button:

• FP1 1m20.033s (+1.762s) 35 laps 11th
• FP2 1m19.721s (+1.297s) 16 laps 8th

“It’s fantastic to be back at Monaco – it’s such a crazy circuit, and always a lot of fun. In the dry, these turbo cars actually feel nice around here, although there’s not too much mechanical grip, which makes it more difficult. The Supersoft is a reasonable tyre, but it’s trickier in the wet – the Intermediates aren’t really working, even when the circuit’s almost dry. You’re wheel-spinning in fifth gear, which is an unusual feeling. Yesterday, I said that the new asphalt in the middle sector might lack grip, but I’m really pleased to be able to say that the organisers have done a fantastic job with the fresh surface. A lot of circuits could learn from the job they’ve done with the asphalt here: considering it’s brand new, it’s really good – there’s so much grip. I just hope we can get some some dry-weather running on Saturday morning – I think everyone needs a little more track time to complete their set-up work.”

Kevin Magnussen:

• FP1 1m19.789s (+1.518s) 29 laps 9th
• FP2 1m20.230s (+1.748s) 16 laps 10th

“We didn’t have any issues today – we just lack overall downforce. When our aerodynamicists get on top of that, hopefully we’ll be able to maintain that good balance and make some good progress. We haven’t done enough set-up work yet to be able to fully gauge our progress, but I felt comfortable driving the car. Of course, there are things to improve, but we’re taking it step by step. It was good fun driving the track today – the electronics mean you don’t really feel the impact of the turbo, so it’s not really like the old days, but I’m really looking forward to low fuel and new tyres for qualifying on Saturday!”

Eric Boullier, Racing director, McLaren Mercedes: “When both your drivers report that the car feels predictable and easy to drive around a tricky street circuit such as this, it gives you some encouragement for the rest of the weekend. After all, even the tiniest of mistakes can have very damaging consequences around here, so it’s reassuring to know that the car offers our drivers a stable and reliable platform upon which to develop. While we gathered some useful initial data during the morning, the rain between the two sessions meant that few teams opted to run when the track was at its wettest at the start of FP2. That was unfortunate for the fans – however, both Jenson and Kevin ventured out earlier than most, and were able to get some good exploratory laps on the Intermediate tyre under their belts. Running a shorter Friday programme than usual means that there’s still a lot of work to be done on Saturday morning – particularly as we weren’t able to do all the set-up work or gather the long-run data that we ideally need. Still, the possibility of an unpredictable race is a welcome one – and we’ll be doing our best to capitalise on any opportunity this weekend.”

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Ferrari: We might have to improvise our strategy

The microclimate created by the mountains that look down on the Principality did their worst today, delivering rain shortly before the start of the second free practice session. At the one circuit on the calendar where lots of laps are a feature of every driver’s programme, this didn’t help.

However, the fears expressed in the media that the lack of grip from the 2014 cars compared to their predecessors would see a high number of cars crashing into the unforgiving barriers proved to be unfounded.

In the Scuderia Ferrari camp, the only technical glitch affected Kimi Raikkonen’s F14 T, which suffered from a gearbox problem. As it occurred in the afternoon, when no one did much running because the track was damp, the Finn did not lose out so much compared to his colleagues, with many drivers only completing under ten laps. Over the course of the three hours of Thursday track time, the Ferrari duo completed 81 laps of the street circuit, with Fernando Alonso doing the lion’s share of 46.

Friday times mean little, even on a Thursday!, but perhaps on a circuit where the ability of the driver is known to count for more than usual, the fact Fernando was fastest this afternoon is not just happenstance. In fact, the top of the time sheet was quite different to usual come the end of the day.

Fernando Alonso: “Here in Monaco, the most important thing in practice is to do as many laps as possible, because it is a very special track and you need to have a good feeling from the car. Despite the rain reducing the amount of track time in the second session, we more or less managed to complete all our programme and, with or without a turbo, the complexity of this track remains the same, so doing well in qualifying will be crucial.

The increase in grip we found over the few laps we did with the Supersoft tyres leaves us in no doubt that this will be the tyre to use on Saturday afternoon, while for the race there is still a lot to learn as no one has done a long run. So we might have to improvise when it comes to strategy.”

Kimi Raikkonen: “Unfortunately, the bad weather affected this first day of practice and halved the possibility to complete the work we had planned. In the morning, on the dry track, we tried various set-up options, without encountering any particular problems, apart from a lack of grip at the front under braking.

In the afternoon, we made a few changes to improve the balance of the car, but having waited almost an hour before being able to go out on track, a problem with the gearbox prevented me from completing the session. On Saturday we will try and make the most of the third free practice session to complete our programme for qualifying, which we know is the key factor here.”

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Lotus: We will look a lot more competitive come Saturday

Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado completed a good morning of practice followed by a limited afternoon of track time during the first day of the Monaco Grand Prix.

The streets of Monte Carlo were dry for the morning where a total of 71 laps were completed by both drivers, however heavy rainfall at lunchtime meant most of the afternoon session was spent in the garage whilst the track dried.

Alan Permane, Trackside Operations Director – Technical programme notes:

• We evaluated a number of upgrades, principally aerodynamic with both cars running without issue in FP1.
• Pirelli’s soft (yellow) compound tyre was used in the morning, the super soft (red) in the afternoon.

What we learned today:

• The latest evolutions to the E22 appear to be working.
• We have a good basis for further progress on Saturday.

Romain Grosjean:

• Free practice 1: P13, 1:20.207, 33 laps
• Free practice 2: P16, 1:21.700, 6 laps

“This morning was a learning experience as the tyres are pretty hard here so it’s difficult to find enough grip. This made things a little tricky today as there’s no space for mistakes here. Certainly the car is working well and we could run through a decent programme today, even with missing a lot of the afternoon session because of the wet track. We hope the weather will be better on Saturday and we will have found a better balance with the car too.”

Pastor Maldonado:

• Free practice 1: P14, 1:20.241, 38 laps
• Free practice 2: P14, 1:20.977, 7 laps

“It was disappointing in the afternoon as we planned to run more and test more parts of the car but we wouldn’t have learnt what we wanted to learn with a wet track. We did at least get some laps at the end of the session with the super soft tyre which means we do have a comparison between the two compounds. The morning went well, even if the track’s not yet 100%. We have a good amount of data so we can prepare for Saturday and qualifying which is so important here.

Alan Permane, Trackside Operations Director: “It was a steady day for us. Our priority was to learn about the E22 and tyres at this very particular track which we were able to do in the morning. We sat out much of the afternoon session due to the wet track, only running at the end where neither driver managed to get a lap clear of traffic. We have a lot of data to work on and I’m sure we will look a lot more competitive come Saturday.”

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Red Bull: The direction we’ve got to go is pretty clear

Red Bull team and drivers report from the first day of free practice of the Monaco Grand Prix weekend, Round 6 of the 2014 Formula 1 world championship, in Monte Carlo.

Daniel Ricciardo

• First Practice Session: Position: 3, Best Time: 1:18.506, Laps: 37
• Second Practice Session: Position: 9, Best Time: 1:19.779, Laps: 11

“It was a shame we didn’t run so much this afternoon due to the conditions, but if it rains over the weekend then we’ll want to use the tyres, so there was a bit of waiting around, At the end the track still had a few damp patches, so we didn’t really learn that much this afternoon but I think the morning went well, so we’ve just got to try and get the set-up from that. The few laps I did this afternoon felt similar to the morning in terms of car balance and the things we need to work on, so I think the direction we’ve got to go is pretty clear. If we’re going to challenge the Mercs then I think this is the place for it, they don’t seem to have one sector at the moment which is blowing everyone away, but obviously it’s still early days.”

Sebastian Vettel

• First Practice Session: Position: 5, Best Time: 1:19.043, Laps: 33
• Second Practice Session: Position: 3, Best Time: 1:19.017, Laps: 15

“Obviously we’d love to run in the dry the whole time here, but of course if it’s wet it’s the same for everyone. Mercedes were very quick this morning and we see that usually, come Saturday, they are able to pick up their pace, so we’ll try to do the same. We potentially are a little bit closer here, but you know at the moment it’s all guessing. I think the big advantage on this track would be that there’s not that many straights, but we have to wait and see. We were obviously limited today on what we could learn in terms of pace and range, we know that it’s quite important to qualify in the front here so if there is a chance then we have to use it.”

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Force India: Work we have done is quite limited

An overcast day of practice in Monaco saw Sahara Force India end both sessions inside the top ten as Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez started preparations for Sunday’s Grand Prix.

Nico Hulkenberg:

FP1: 1:19.865 (P10) 38 laps

• FP2: 1:19.712 (P7) 10 laps

“The wet weather did not give us an opportunity to run much this afternoon, but I feel we have made the most of the time available this morning. In terms of performance the car is feeling okay and we just need to make some set-up tweaks and work on the balance before Saturday. The focus has to be on qualifying here because it’s even more important than at any other track. So we just need to optimise the car to be ready for Saturday.”

Sergio Perez:

• FP1: 1:19.666 (P8) 29 laps
• FP2: 1:19.668 (P6) 9 laps

“The day was disturbed by the weather so the work we have done is quite limited. I feel quite happy with the car and we ran in the top eight all day so it’s been positive. That’s where we need to be aiming for Saturday because qualifying well here is so important. There are still quite a few unknowns because I did not manage to do any long runs or race preparation, but it’s the same for everyone.”

Vijay Mallya, Team Principal & Managing Director: “We knew there was rain on the way so we tried to maximise the dry track time this morning. We made use of the extra set of tyres in the opening 30 minutes and completed the usual set-up tests to gather some data. In the afternoon it was simply a case of waiting for the track to dry because the forecast suggests the weekend will be dry and there was little value in running on a wet track. When the track had dried out we sent both cars out for the final ten minutes on the supersoft tyres, but with an evolving track it was hard to make any comparisons with this morning. The wet weather meant we missed out on the usual high fuel running this afternoon, but Nico did one long run this morning to give us some data, which will be useful for our race preparation.”

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Sauber: The morning session was quite positive

While the first practice session for the Monaco Grand Prix took place in dry conditions, the second session was mainly wet. It was only during the last ten minutes that the drivers were able to go out on slick tyres, just to get a feeling for the supersoft tyres. Due to these conditions, the Sauber F1 Team engineers were not able to complete the planned programme, but were still able to make a little progress.

Esteban Gutiérrez:

• 1st practice: 12th / 1:20.118 min (33 laps)
• 2nd practice: 15th / 1:21.467 min (8 laps)

“Overall it was a good day. We lost valuable time in FP2 due to the weather conditions. During the session in the morning we made some changes to the car and it was getting better. We were able to improve lap by lap. I think we worked in the right direction. In FP2 I could only run for a few laps, so it is not representative due to the conditions and the traffic on track. We will analyse what we were able to gather during FP1 and FP2 and put everything together for tomorrow.”

Adrian Sutil:

• 1st practice: 17th / 1:20.736 min (18 laps)
• 2nd practice: 13th / 1:20.811 min (8 laps)

“At the end of FP2, we were able to run a few laps on supersoft tyres, which worked out well. The car’s balance is decent. In general, we still have issues which we need to solve. The driveability needs to be improved. During acceleration and braking it is still difficult to keep the car under control. In FP1 I had a snap oversteer in turn 5, so I touched the barrier. The tyres were not up to temperature and it was difficult to keep the car under control. However, it was my mistake.”

Giampaolo Dall’Ara, Head of Track Engineering: “Overall, the morning session was quite positive. We were able to work through our planned programme and to make a little progress. Adrian made a contact with the wall, but fortunately there was not much damage. The second session was heavily influenced by the weather. Adrian just made a run on intermediate tyres to check everything and make sure the car was fine. And then, towards the end, we at least got a taste of the supersoft tyres.”

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Caterham: We have a good compromise between quali and race

Caterham team and drivers report from the first day of free practice of the Monaco Grand Prix weekend, Round 6 of the 2014 Formula 1 world championship, in Monte Carlo.

Marcus Ericsson: “Even though I’ve raced in Monaco quite a bit before this is obviously my first time in an F1 car and I have to say I really enjoyed both sessions today. I have a very special crash helmet for Monaco to pay tribute to Ronnie Peterson who won here 40 years ago, and I have his actual helmet bag from then for this weekend – having both of those in the garage with me today was a proud moment for me in my first F1 weekend here, especially as we’re from the same town in Sweden.

“On track FP1 went well. I managed to do 40 laps in the session which meant we got through everything we’d planned and definitely improved the whole car balance from how we’d started. Like Kamui I had very low grip on the first run and poor traction so we changed the ride height and front wing angles and made a good step forwards – I still had a bit of understeer but the overall balance had improved and it was a good start to the race weekend.

“It rained heavily over lunch and when FP2 started we waited for the track to dry before heading out. As the forecasts say it’s going to be dry on Saturday and Sunday we wouldn’t have learnt much from going out on inters and didn’t want to risk anything by running on a damp track so we had to wait until almost the end of the session and then did a couple of laps on supersofts so we could start having a look at how they performed here.”

Kamui Kobayashi: “38 laps in FP1 meant we were able to complete a good programme and made some decent progress throughout the session. We started with a similar grip issue to what we saw in Spain, but we made a few mechanical changes and it definitely improved, particularly in the high speed sections. That also helped take out some of the understeer I had in the first couple of runs but we still needed to work on traction and managing tyre temps so we had another look at that in FP2 and also took a step forward with both of those in the second session.

“Like a few of the other teams we waited to start our FP2 runplan until there was a clear dry line which meant we had to shorten the programme a lot, but it was safer to do that than go out on inters and risk damaging the car. That’s not ideal, obviously, but with about five minutes left of the session we went out on a set of supersofts and had enough time for a couple of timed laps which gives us some data on that compound that will be useful for Saturday and Sunday.

“Even with FP2 compromised like that it’s still been quite a positive day. We’ve brought a lot of what we learnt at the test in Spain here and I’m sure that we’ll be able to put that into action on Saturday.”

Cedrik Staudohar, Renault Sport F1 track support leader: “We tried different energy management scenarios for both qualifying and the race today. In FP1 we shared the tests between the cars and then adjusted the calibrations for FP2, but unfortunately didn’t really get the opportunity to evaluate in the afternoon. Despite the lack of running we are confident we have a good compromise between quali and the race, which should allow us to run the PU to the optimum performance. All in all not such a bad session.”

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Toro Rosso: We’re happy with how the day went

Toro Rosso team and drivers report from the first day of free practice of the Monaco Grand Prix weekend, Round 6 of the 2014 Formula 1 world championship, in Monte Carlo.

Jean-Eric Vergne:

First Practice Session Best lap: 1:20.260, pos. 15th, 36 laps

Second Practice Session Best lap: 1:19.351, pos. 4th, 14 laps

“It was a satisfying Friday and I have a good feeling with the car. I like this track and even if I don’t think I’ll be P4 in Qualifying, I’m still happy with what we achieved today. This has been a proper way to build up confidence and it gives us an additional boost to fight for Q3 and points. We’ll keep on working hard to get ready for the rest of the weekend. This is a track where the driver can make the difference so I’m determined to remain always 100% concentrated and give it my best.”

Daniil Kvyat:

First Practice Session Best lap: 1:20.914, pos. 18th, 37 laps

Second Practice Session Best lap: 1:20.622, pos. 12th, 13 laps

“I enjoyed driving here in Monaco finally and it was a good day overall, in which I was able to learn the track quite well. Those were my instructions from the team, who told me to go out and do as many laps as possible. Of course, the rain that made the track wet for some of FP2 did not help so much, but at least I have tried the circuit in both dry and wet now. The results are obviously not very representative because of the tricky conditions this afternoon. We will now look at all the data between tonight and tomorrow to get the best out for Saturday’s Qualifying and Sunday’s race.”

Phil Charles (Chief Race Engineer): “Today went well and we were able to work through our programme on both cars, even though we had to deal with some tricky conditions in the wet in FP2. In fact, even in FP1 there was not much grip because of the cool temperatures and the fact that part of the track has been resurfaced. Both drivers did a run on the Inters, before waiting for the track to dry, when JEV did a lap on the Prime tyre to check out the conditions. With Daniil we followed a slightly different programme, waiting to use the Option tyre, which was probably the right decision with him to give him a feel for the car on the softer tyre. In fact, his whole programme today was aimed at giving him as many laps as possible on his first visit here. Overall, we are quite happy with how the day went.”

Ricardo Penteado (Renault Sport F1 track support leader): “Most of the running was done in FP1 on account of the weather. Both drivers tested some new software upgrades and were happy with the improvements. Obviously the second session was a lot shorter but we did all the tests we needed to consolidate the data and ensure that there was a genuine step forward.”

[MIKA27]

Gearbox woes and near miss for Kimi

Kimi Raikkonen had an eventful first day in Monaco as his F14T suffered a gearbox issue and a Red Bull mechanic had to save him from being run over in the pits.

Putting in the laps in FP2 after the track had begun to dry out a bit, Raikkonen was soon slowly touring the streets of Monte Carlo with a stuttering Ferrari.

The Finn pulled into the pits where Ferrari revealed it was a gearbox issue and that his day's action was over.

"In the afternoon, we made a few changes to improve the balance of the car, but having waited almost an hour before being able to go out on track, a problem with the gearbox prevented me from completing the session.," Raikkonen revealed.

His troubles, though, almost weren't over.

Opting to head over to the paddock, he was casually walking through the pits when a Red Bull mechanic had to jump into action, pulling him away from Sebastian Vettel's car.

Raikkonen's walk had taken him straight into the path of the RB10 as Vettel sped away from his pit box.

[MIKA27]

Kvyat 'enjoyed' first Monaco experience

Racing around the streets of Monte Carlo for the very first time, Daniil Kvyat admits the rain did not help his cause.

Unlike the rest of this year's rookies, Thursday's running in Monaco was the very first time that Kvyat experienced the tight twisty street circuit.

Putting in 37 laps in the morning, he was 18th quickest before improving to P12 in the afternoon.

However, the rain that left the track wet for FP2 meant the Toro Rosso driver was only able to complete 13 laps on a track where he really needed all the running he could get.

"I enjoyed driving here in Monaco finally and it was a good day overall, in which I was able to learn the track quite well," he said.

"Those were my instructions from the team, who told me to go out and do as many laps as possible.

"Of course, the rain that made the track wet for some of FP2 did not help so much, but at least I have tried the circuit in both dry and wet now.

"The results are obviously not very representative because of the tricky conditions this afternoon.

"We will now look at all the data between tonight and tomorrow to get the best out for Saturday's qualifying and Sunday's race."

[MIKA27]

Luca hails Alonso as world's best

In the wake of Mercedes heaping praise on Fernando Alonso, Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has called his driver the "best in the world."

Earlier this week, Mercedes chairman Dieter Zetsche said that despite his team leading the Championships, Alonso was "probably the best driver on the Formula One grid."

He added that the Spaniard has "always proven it, and in uncompetitive cars."

Although Alonso was happy with the praise, he stated that it is "sometimes strange to see good comments and compliments from people from the outside and the opposite from people who are supposed to be close to you."

A day later - and amidst rumours that the Spaniard could be looking for a new team - the double World Champion has been hailed by di Montezemolo as the "the best driver in the world, who always gives 200 per cent in the races."

As for Alonso's comments about not receiving praise from Ferrari, di Montezemolo said: "He knows how much I count on him, even away from the race track, in terms of his contribution and the impetus he gives to the team.

"I think it's incredible there are still some so-called experts who don't understand that and are always looking for a polemical situation that simply doesn't exist.

"The truth is he and (team-mate) Kimi (Raikkonen), another incredible driver, need a competitive Ferrari and giving them that is our sole objective.

"We are working very hard, starting with Marco, who knows what needs to be done and who will instigate many changes at a technical and organisational level and in speeding up the decision-making process.

"That's what I want, as do our drivers and our fans, while all the rest is just idle chat."

[MIKA27]

'Comfortable' Seb chasing pole

Sebastian Vettel is refusing to rule out his first pole position of this season despite losing out to Mercedes in the dry in Monaco.

On a track where engine advantage is somewhat negated, Vettel finished 0.77s behind Lewis Hamilton in Thursday's first practice while the German was just 0.5s off the pace in the afternoon.

His afternoon gap was to Fernando Alonso who nabbed the P1 slot on a drying track.

It is Mercedes, though, who are expected to be the ones to beat in Saturday's qualifying with Vettel confident Red Bull will do everything they can to achieve that feat.

Vettel told ESPN: "Obviously [Mercedes] are the favourites and we have usually seen that come Saturday they are usually able to pick up their pace.

"We will obviously try to do the same where we can. Well I think we are closer at this circuit without there being any straights but we will see."

As for Thursday's running, even though the rain between sessions meant very little was done in the afternoon, the German feels it was still a productive day as he felt "comfortable" in his RB10.

"There were not that many laps around here but it felt good. It was limited in terms of what we could learn but I think we improved the car slightly, at least it felt that way from the morning.

"I think it's important around here to feel comfortable in the car because then you can push to the limit.

"Obviously FP2 was limited in terms of what we could learn in terms of pace for the race. I think if there is a chance we have to use it."

[MIKA27]

Drivers sport special helmets for Monaco weekend

It’s now a common feature of the Monaco Grand Prix weekend for many of the drivers to choose a special helmet design.

Retro helmet styles are a frequent favourite and Marcus Ericsson has not disappointed. His helmet is a copy of the style used by fellow Swede Ronnie Peterson, marking his Monaco Grand Prix victory of 40 years ago.

Ericsson, who like Peterson was born in Orebro County, is even using Peterson’s original helmet bag this weekend.

Daniel Ricciardo is also paying tribute to one of his countrymen. His helmet bears the message “Sir Jack Brabham, 1926 – 2014″, in honour of Australia’s three-times world champion who died earlier this week.

Inevitably his team mate Sebastian Vettel also has a special helmet design – albeit a more sober one than his racy pin-up design from last year.

The Sauber drivers Esteban Gutierrez and Adrian Sutil are sporting distinctive designs created by Brazilian pop artist Romero Britto as part of a campaign for Gabrielle’s Angel Foundation for Cancer Research.

Sutil helmet has already been sold at auction while Gutierrez’s will be sold online via Charity Buzz.

2014 Monaco Grand Prix special helmets in pictures

Esteban Gutierrez helmet, Sauber, Monte-Carlo, 2014

Adrian Sutil helmet, Sauber, Monte-Carlo, 2014

Sebastian Vettel helmet, Red Bull, Monte-Carlo, 2014

Daniel Ricciardo helmet, Red Bull, Monte-Carlo, 2014

Valtteri Bottas helmet, Williams, Monte-Carlo, 2014

Sergio Perez, Force India, Monte-Carlo, 2014

Marcus Ericsson, Caterham, Monte-Carlo, 2014

MIKA: I'm liking Daniel's and Sebastians helmets the most.

[stargazer14]

Keep up the good work, your F1 thread on the forum is my go-to for news these days. As a fan who has attended Monaco 6 or 7 times in various capacities I can't get enough of whats going on -

it almost like being there.

Michael

Attached : a photo I took at my first Monaco GP in 1979.

[MIKA27]

Keep up the good work, your F1 thread on the forum is my go-to for news these days. As a fan who has attended Monaco 6 or 7 times in various capacities I can't get enough of whats going on -

it almost like being there.

Michael

Attached : a photo I took at my first Monaco GP in 1979.

lotuspitMon79.jpg

Hi Michael - Many thanks for the kind comments and appreciate you reading the thread.

Wow, I never been to the Monaco GP and is certainly on my 'To do' list. I have been to the Hungarian, Austrian, German GP's over the years but Spa, Monaco, Canadian and Austin GP's are a must in my book.

Love the picture, thank you for sharing... I was 3 years old in 1979!!

[stargazer14]

I was fresh out of high school but had been watching Monaco on 'Wide World of Sports" since a toddler as my father is a racer and life-long Grand Prix fan. So I always dreamed of Monaco. I finally got there by chance while bumming around Europe as a friend of mine was in the Navy and his ship was to be moored in front of the harbor. (look at photos from '79, you will see the ship and 3 flags missing from the giant flag poles at the swimming pool on the circuit - why the flags are missing is another story but I'll just say those sailors are a crazy bunch…)

I had the most amazing week of my life there, staying everywhere from Loews Hotel to the bench in front of the train station.

I would have taken many more photos but was out of cash and short on film.

I got to watch the race from the inside (water side) of Tabac corner, could only get there by boat. Was on the apex, and Gilles in the Ferrari was within arms reach.

Went a number of times after, but nothing is like your first time.

[Bartolomeo]

Zetsche: Alonso is perhaps the best driver on the grid

Dieter Zetsche celebrates with Lewis Hamilton after victory in Spain

Fernando Alonso is perhaps the best driver in Formula 1, claims Dieter Zetsche, chairman of Daimler the parent company of Mercedes, whose Brackley based Formula 1 team is utterly dominating in 2014.

It has been reported recently that Mercedes could be interested in reviving McLaren’s fiery 2007 duo, by ousting Nico Rosberg and pairing current championship leader Lewis Hamilton with Spaniard Alonso next year.

Alonso is reportedly frustrated with Ferrari’s continued lack of championship-winning potential, and eyeing a 2015 move to Mercedes or perhaps McLaren.

Mercedes figures including Niki Lauda and Toto Wolff have denied the speculation. But Zetsche said on Tuesday: “Alonso is perhaps the best driver on the grid, demonstrating it even in a slightly less competitive car.”

And he is quoted by Spain’s EFE news agency as saying that driver skill is “more important than ever”, after the move to the new breed of turbo-powered cars.

“Drivers with the new hybrid power must be very good,” said Zetsche, “because the cars are no longer the ‘trams’ that we have seen before.

“Today’s cars are exciting; it doesn’t bore me that the same team has won every race so far,” he smiled. “It is the job of the other teams to equal the performance of Mercedes, even if we also have a lot that we can improve.”

Zetsche, an occasional visitor to grand prix race days, was seen embracing and celebrating with Hamilton after the Briton powererd to the team’s fifth consecutive victory of the season at the Spanish Grand Prix.

After which Hamilton said, “Every time Dr Zetsche came last year, we generally had a bad race, so it was really important to get a good result for him to get rid of that negative bug, or bad luck that I guess he thought he was bringing.”

I have been saying for years that Alonso in the best car on the grid wouldnt be close.....hope he gets 3rd this weekend

[MIKA27]

I have been saying for years that Alonso in the best car on the grid wouldnt be close.....hope he gets 3rd this weekend

Would be great to see Fernando on the podium. I think he will give Ferrari the flick sooner than later.

[MIKA27]

Monaco GP: Sergio Perez feels sorry for F1 fans after wet session

Sergio Perez says he "feels sorry" for Formula 1 fans who were forced to endure nearly half a Monaco Grand Prix practice session without a car taking to the track.

A downpour ahead of Thursday afternoon's second free practice session created a treacherous surface, and apart from a single installation lap by the Williams of Valtteri Bottas, no other cars ran for the first 38 minutes.

This led to some whistling from fans in the grandstands around the harbour, who then clapped and cheered when Adrian Sutil's Sauber finally ventured out as the circuit dried.

Perez, whose Force India team also elected to sit out the early part of the session, said he felt bad for fans who "pay a lot of money" to see F1 cars in action.

"I would be [disappointed] too but it's normal, you have to think of the longer term," said Perez, when asked by AUTOSPORT about the lack of early running disappointing the fans.

"It's really hard for the fans but at the same time our teams have other worries. We're limited and we don't want to damage parts.

"I feel very sorry for the fans, but we will put on a good show on Sunday."

Perez's team-mate Nico Hulkenberg said a lack of running was inevitable when teams were forecasting a dry race on Sunday.

"Yes it is a big pity for the spectators but this is Formula 1," he said.

"I think you would have to force us or put a rule in place that [says] we will run in conditions like this.

"If we don't see a big gain for us then that's what happens."

CARS DIFFICULT IN WET

McLaren driver Jenson Button said the lack of grip on intermediate tyres, combined with the extra torque from the new V6 turbo engines, made the cars difficult to drive around Monaco in slippery conditions.

"The inters are very difficult, even when the circuit is nearly dry there's no grip at all," he said.

"The tyres aren't working even though the circuit is almost dry and you're wheelspinning in fifth gear, so that makes it pretty tricky.

"It's something that's unusual to us when you're normally so confident to hit the throttle hard."

A NO-WIN SITUATION FOR F1?

Tyre supplier Pirelli said the conservatism of the teams was understandable given the nature of the circuit, despite also being allocated an extra set of intermediate tyres to use in the session.

"You can easily criticise, but you've also got to look at the practical side, which is if you go off you're going to damage your car, and everybody would be saying 'driver x who hasn't participated in this session, weren't they stupid going out in this situation?'" Hembery said.

"This is a street circuit. It's different when you're on a full-size circuit with lots of run-off and the margin is much greater.

"I think it's a no-win situation for F1."