FORMULA 1

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MAGNUSSEN: I DON’T CARE WHAT ANYONE THINKS

Kevin Magnussen has become the ‘bad boy’ for some of his over-the-top tactics and on-track shenanigans that have irked the majority of his rivals, but the Dane does not care what people think of him as he enjoys the best form of his career and a very handy car in the Haas VF18.

Speaking to ESPN ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix weekend, Magnussen insisted, “I don’t care what other drivers think of me. They can say what they want.”

The Haas driver did himself no favours when he was quoted saying that he was prepared to die in a race car, then a week later he inexplicably turned into the path of Pierre Gasly and nearly caused a huge accident, prompting the Toro Rosso driver to label him the most dangerous driver on the grid.

Magnussen feels compelled to explain that which have been lost in translation, “If there’s something like that where a story came out wrong, it depicted me as something that I didn’t like and it was wrong — completely wrong — and it looked like I wanted to die in the car, which is crazy. But unless it’s something like that, something which is incorrect, I don’t care what anyone thinks.”

“I focus on the team and I block out all the outside media stuff because it’s so irrelevant and uncontrollable. There’s so many different media on the internet, taking it from the big media and making their own little article out of that and changing it into something that it isn’t.”

“There’s never one story from an interview, there’s always so many different stories. Generally I stay out of it. I don’t look at social media, I have some people who look after it so whenever I want to post anything I send it to those guys so I don’t have to look at the apps.”

“I feel like that’s the only way to do it. It’s all out of my control anyway, I find it so difficult to control what goes out into the media and how it goes out that it’s better for me to just speak my mind on track and let them talk.”

While criticism of his tactics are well documented, it is also fair to say that Magnussen is enjoying a good spate of form this season, his second year with Haas where he has settled in well, while delivering to the appreciation of the teammate while his struggling teammate Romain Grosjean has done the opposite.

Magnussen lies ninth in the championship with 19 points, his French teammate has yet to score.

“It’s a nice environment to be in,” Magnussen said of the American outfit. “You have a lot of trust from the team and some commitment that I haven’t had before. That makes you more relaxed in your racing.”

“I don’t feel restricted, I feel like I’m free to explore limits and that’s different to the other teams I’ve been. I felt too much under pressure at other teams, for different reasons, especially at McLaren. I feel in a really good place at this team, in my second year.”

As for the future, he added, “I don’t know what the expectation is or anything, but I’m happy where I am at the moment. You never know what’s going to happen in the future but I feel very comfortable with my team and I feel like they appreciate the job that I do and I really appreciate the environment that we have here.”

“Of course we also have a competitive car, so let’s see… of course if I ever get a chance in a top team to fight for the championship then of course any driver with ambition wants to take that opportunity. Unless that happens, I’m pretty happy actually,” insisted Magnussen.

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MARKELOV: DR MARKO RUINS THE CAREERS OF YOUNG DRIVERS

Formula 2 driver Artem Markelov says he would only drive for Toro Rosso or Red Bull if Renault forced him to do so, the Russian is wary of the team’s driver consultant Helmut Marko and the future of the energy drinks outfit in Formula 1.

Of late there is much speculation regarding the future of Toro Rosso driver Brendon Hartley with a queue of drivers, apparently, ready to step up to replace the underperforming New Zealander.

One driver asked if he would care to replace Hartley, should he get the axe, was Markelov who replied, “Would I agree to replace Hartley? If Renault ordered me to do so then it’s possible, but if by my own choice, I would not drive for Toro Rosso. Knowing Dr Marko, knowing how he ruins the careers of young drivers, I don’t need that.”

“There are also rumours that Christian Horner could leave Red Bull who some say are looking to leave Formula 1 in the future. Sure, these are just rumours but I don’t know what the future prospects of being at Toro Rosso and Red Bull are,” added Markelov.

The 23-year-old currently drives for Russian Time in Formula 2, having finished second in last year’s championship. Earlier this year, Markelov was confirmed as Renault development driver.

The Red Bull driver programme has produced the likes of Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo, Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz but, at the same time, the programme has left a wake littered with drivers who were discarded during the various stages of their junior careers, some of them very good too.

Over 60 drivers have been part of the Red Bull Junior Team since it was formed back in 2001, 13 of them making it to Formula 1 with either Toro Rosso and Red Bull.

Christian Klien became the first Red Bull Junior graduate to race in Formula 1 during the 2004 season, while in 2008, Sebastian Vettel became the first Red Bull Junior to win a Formula 1 race, when he won the Italian Grand Prix in a Toro Rosso – also the occasion of the energy drinks organisation’s first victory as an entrant.

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WILLIAMS HEAD TO MONACO WITH MORE PAIN IN PROSPECT

It has been 15 years since Williams last won the Monaco Grand Prix, with Juan Pablo Montoya in 2003 after teammate Ralf Schumacher started from pole position, but scoring even a point would be a major achievement this weekend.

While that is better than 2013, when Williams failed to score in the opening nine races and ended the campaign with a mere five points, the slump has still been a shock to the system and there seems to be no quick fix.

At Spain’s Circuit de Catalunya the weekend before last, Russian rookie Sergey Sirotkin was last of those still running at the chequered flag while Canadian team mate Lance Stroll was 11th of 14.

Sirotkin has yet to open his account while all four points to date were produced by Stroll in one race — in Azerbaijan last month.

Processional Monaco offers little — for the team that took Alan Jones, Keke Rosberg, Nelson Piquet, Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve to titles — to get too excited about.

“I think what we’ve seen is that the issues we have are better and worse at different circuits,” said technical head Paddy Lowe after the race in Barcelona, a track he described as particularly unforgiving.

“Monaco will be another thing altogether. I’m not going to predict where that lands, we’ll have to see.”

Williams clambered back to finish third overall in 2014 and 2015, impressive for a privately-owned family team operating on a far smaller budget than the manufacturers, and have been fifth for the past two years.

But they have plenty to work on before they can start climbing back up the table again, with the Mercedes-powered car unbalanced and hard to handle.

The lack of performance, despite having the best engines available, is also likely to have a commercial impact. Title sponsors Martini have already announced they are off at the end of the year.

“We all carry responsibility. The car isn’t good enough, it’s not what it should be,” said Lowe in Barcelona.

“There are some issues with it, which fortunately we think we understand and we’re very busy doing a lot of work to fix those issues.

Formula One – F1 – Azerbaijan Grand Prix – Baku City Circuit, Baku, Azerbaijan – April 27, 2018 Williams’ Lance Stroll during practice REUTERS/David Mdzinarishvili
“We’re not writing off this season,” he added.

While Lowe was reluctant to give details, the car appears to be suffering an aerodynamic issue with the rear floor.

Lowe said that the problems were apparent right from the start of testing in March, with the drivers — the sport’s youngest and least experienced lineup — unable to drive it anywhere near the limit.

“You see the pace is really quite bad,” said Lowe. “There are many things that are good about the car and they are unable to show themselves because the car is let down by one particular aspect,” said the Briton.

“We have put in place…a recovery programme to bring back the performance, bring back the car to the level at which we intended to operate and that programme is timed up to the mid-season point.

“We just lost our way in some critical areas which we now understand.”

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WILLIAMS PREVIEW THE MONACO GRAND PRIX

The team takes to Monaco following a busy race weekend in Spain, which was followed by a successful two-day test at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, with Oliver Rowland and Robert Kubica sharing driving duties. Monaco’s tight and twisty street circuit is highly unforgiving and demands the very best from both car and driver, with little room for error.

The team turned around a tough weekend at last year’s Grand Prix to record a top-10 finish with Felipe whilst Lance retired with mechanical issues. Sergey earned a podium-finish on his Monaco GP2 debut and looks forward to returning to the principality.

For Monaco, Pirelli has made available the supersoft, ultrasoft and hypersoft tyres.

Paddy Lowe: “Monaco is a very special race on the F1 calendar. It’s a unique circuit with a great history. It is always seen as a destination event for the rich and famous, as well as being the only circuit which comes alive at the end of each day with Rascasse corner opening up to fans partying throughout the night. It’s a very particular circuit for both the teams and the drivers. There are some difficult challenges, as it’s unforgiving in terms of car control with
the barriers inches from the limit of the racing line. One of our main points of focus for the weekend is therefore to give the drivers the maximum number of laps in the car, because you cannot practice off-line. To get those final tenths requires extreme precision which only comes from intense repetition, so we don’t make a lot of adjustments to the car except to ensure reliability due to it being tough on brakes, tyres and suspension. This will be Lance’s second time in a Formula One car round there, and Sergey’s first, although he has had some success in Monaco achieving a podium in GP2.”

Lance Stroll: “Monaco is probably the most special weekend of the year. With the atmosphere, the track and the history of the race, it’s electric. The weekend is full of hype, and the guests and fans really get into it. The harbour is full of boats and there is a lot going on. It is a cool event and the track is pretty spectacular to drive. Luckily as a driver I don’t get distracted by what is going on as I just stay in my bubble and focus on the race.”

Sergey Sirotkin: “It will be nice to go back to Monaco as I haven’t driven there in a couple of years. It’s probably one of my top two or three events as I really enjoy the track and it’s going to be a very good experience driving there for the first time in a Formula One car. Obviously, it will be quicker than what I’ve driven there before, which will make it more exciting. It’s a really difficult and technical track with no room for mistakes, so it’s also very challenging to deliver the best lap. You need to take the right amount of risk and deliver the best lap-time possible.”

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Monaco: Easy to crash, difficult to overtake

The ease at which a driver can crash is matched only by the difficulty in overtaking; that’s the challenge of what can be a processional Monaco Grand Prix, or a crazy one.

Formula 1 heads to the Principality this weekend for an abundance of glamour, a lot of handshaking, a few cocktails, and even a little bit of racing.

Considered to be one of the most important and prestigious motor races in the world, the grand prix makes up one third of the hallowed triple crown – along with the Indianapolis 500 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans – and is the one that all Formula 1 drivers want to win.

Not many get to do it.

Four on this year’s grid have; Lewis Hamilton (2), Sebastian Vettel (2), Fernando Alonso (2) and Kimi Raikkonen (1).

Vettel is the reigning Monaco champ as Ferrari turned Kimi Raikkonen’s pole position into a Vettel win with an overcut while Daniel Ricciardo recovered from a traffic-filled qualifying to finish third.

Hamilton raced from 14th on the grid to seventh at the chequered flag, Jenson Button made a one-off return to Formula 1 only to tip Pascal Wehrlein onto his side, Marcus Ericsson crashed behind the Safety Car and Sergio Perez put Stoffel Vandoorne into the wall.

This year, the 65th running of the Monaco Grand Prix as part of the official Formula 1 World Championship, is expected to see Hamilton, and maybe even Valtteri Bottas, challenged by the Ferraris and Red Bulls, the latter having had bad luck in Monaco the past few years.

And by ‘challenged’, I mean a serious fight on their hands and not a repeat of Spain.

Hamilton reckons Red Bull, who lost the win in 2016 with a botched pit stop, “are going to be rapid in Monaco – and very hard to beat”, however, pretty much everyone else believes that Mercedes have rediscovered their mojo.

Although they ran riot over their rivals in Spain, Hamilton winning by 20s ahead of Bottas who was six ahead of Max Verstappen, a “humble” Toto Wolff – his word – has downplayed the chance of that happening in Monaco. It is, of course, the goal.

Mercedes may have won four of the last five Monte Carlo races but it is a track that limits the advantage of their V6 engine.

Monaco is instead all about tyre grip and downforce settings as it is the shortest and slowest lap on the calendar with its hairpin the slowest of slow corners.

This weekend’s grand prix marks a competition debut for Pirelli’s new hypersoft tyre and that in itself could throw up a few surprises as it remains to be seen whether the use of the pink tyre, the go-to tyre for qualifying, will alter the trend of one-stop Monaco grands prix.

Although only once in the last five years has a driver outside of Mercedes, Ferrari or Red Bull stepped onto the podium, Sergio Perez in 2016 for Force India, the nature of the circuit means Formula 1’s midfield teams could play a pivotal role in the outcome of Sunday’s race, then again so could the backmarkers.

Traffic and Safety Cars will be the order of the day with F1’s midfield, especially McLaren and 2018’s wonderkids Haas, looking to capitalise on any mistakes from those ahead.

And with the race not having been won from pole since 2014, even this race known for being processional could thrown up a surprise or two.

Whether fastest on a slow track or most cautious on an “insane” and “crazy” circuit wins the day, Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix promises to deliver – it just depends on what you’re looking for.

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Hybrid F1 regulations went too far, says Todt

FIA president Jean Todt admits that the current Formula 1 engine regulations went "a bit too far" in terms of complexity.
Todt says that F1 has to be a combination of sport and R&D for the manufacturers.

However, he acknowledges that the hybrid V6 rules, which have been in place since 2014, may have focussed too much on the latter direction.

The FIA and F1 have worked together to formulate a revised version of the current engines for 2021, without the complexity of the MGU-H.

"I think we wanted to take as much as we learned from the existing regulations," said Todt. "And to try to make things more simply.

"It's a beautiful piece of art, of technology, but I hear well that it's maybe not what the fans are expecting.

"It's not something that is absolutely needed to have a good championship.

"So I think it's important that we can learn out of it, and propose something which is supposed to be more simple.

"For me motorsport, and I have been saying that every time, is on one side a show, but it is not enough. It has to be also a laboratory.

"A laboratory for the manufacturers, a laboratory for the teams, and a laboratory which can then be profitable on road cars as much as we can. And it is what is happening.

"Saying that, if you think that it has been maybe a bit too far, you must be prepared to go a bit backwards.

"At the end of the day I'm sure that over the years the engine will be even more efficient without MGU-H."

Todt says that the definitive rules are nearly ready, and he hopes that will encourage new suppliers will agree to come into the sport.

"We are progressing quite well on the engine. I mean we are close to respecting the deadline we have to publish the engine regulations for 2021, and I hope that it may create some interest for some new manufacturers.

"There is interest, but between interest and commitment, there's a big difference."

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Hypersofts will make Monaco qualifying "madness" - Sainz

Renault F1 driver Carlos Sainz expects qualifying in Monaco to be "absolute madness" thanks to the extra pace provided by Pirelli's new hypersoft tyres.
All teams have heavily weighted their Monaco compound choices towards the hypersoft, with Red Bull, Williams and Renault even choosing as many as 11 sets from their total of 13, with just one example each of the supersoft and ultrasoft.

Although not designed for Barcelona, the pink-sidewalled tyres were sampled by several drivers during testing after the Spanish GP.

"It is quite impressive, that tyre, I must say," said Sainz. "It gives easily a second per lap, and we're at Barcelona where the last sector normally you arrive with the tyre quite on the limit.

"This tyre around Monaco could be something special. We will see very quick laptimes if that is the case. I would be prepared to see lap records in Monaco again."

Asked how impressive qualifying could be this year, he said: "Absolutely madness. It will be crazy.

"Already last year with the new cars it was something incredible, and this year, two steps softer compound and the tyre that for me is the best tyre Pirelli has done in a lot of years, it's going to be crazy."

Toro Rosso's Brendon Hartley is also expecting fast laptimes.

"I think in Monaco you have a lot less degradation anyway than a track like Barcelona," said the Kiwi. "I think it will be entertaining to have so much grip around one lap in Monaco.

"I don't suspect the drop-off will be as big as other tracks.

"It's very low on tyre degradation. I think all the drivers are happy that we have it, because qualifying will be very fun."

Pirelli boss Mario Isola expects the hypersoft to make more of an impact on its second outing in Canada, which is more of a traditional track.

"While the soft, super and ultra are quite close, the hyper is a step," he said. "The point is that Monaco is also a unique circuit, so I'm not sure if we can see the real potential of the hypersoft in Monaco – we'll probably see something more in Montreal about the hypersoft. Monaco is very, very low severity."

He also suggested that teams will run the majority of the race in the principality on the new tyre, changing as late as possible.

"The hypersoft is not [just] a qualifying tyre in Monaco, it's also a tyre for the race, and I'm sure that comparing the numbers and what we saw in Abu Dhabi, you can run a decent stint in Monaco with the hypersoft.

"In Monaco it's always the same, the softest choice is the one that everyone will want to take as long as possible."

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The changes that make Red Bull a real threat in Monaco

Red Bull may not have had the start to the Formula 1 season it wanted, but it heads into Monaco as one of the favourites for a win around the famous streets.
With its power deficit not likely to hurt it as much in Monte Carlo as it has in other venues, plus its RB14 chassis appearing much stronger after a major revamp in Spain, rivals are wary about what the Milton Keynes-based team can do this time out.

Here is a detailed look at the changes Red Bull has made to lift the pace of its 2018 F1 challenger - both to improve aerodynamic efficiency and to try to help engine performance too.

Red Bull RB14 front wing, captioned

As part of a raft of updates at its disposal in Spain, Red Bull added a small canard to the inside of its front wing endplate (1). It’s a design which is very similar to the one utilised by Ferrari throughout the latter part of 2017 and so far in 2018.

The canard, which like Ferrari’s design features a slot in its centre, will pick up the airflow coming off the trailing edge of the wing section just in front of it and stop some of it spilling over the top of the front wing endplate.

The opening (2) is to allow the airflow to be forced out as low as possible in what everyone is now calling 'outwash end plates'. 

It’s important that this all happens as low as possible, as if the airflow tries to go over the top of the front tyre it creates lift on the tyre surface and reduces the forces on the tyre contact patch.

Red Bull RB14 side pods, Spanish GP, captioned

Last year, the rules were opened up in the bargeboard area of the car to allow the teams to come up with a more sophisticated aerodynamic package.

As you can see from this Red Bull example, with the multitude of turning vanes, both vertical, and horizontal, all finely placed for maximum performance, it is no wonder the current breed of F1 cars struggle so much in turbulent airflow or windy conditions.

Developing all these components to work hand-in-hand is difficult enough when you are just using straight-ahead airflow, but throw a bit of turbulence or crosswind in there and basically anything can happen.

Just take Ricciardo's off in Spanish GP practice on Friday - it is likely that these sort of components and their drop-off contributed to it.

The main bargeboard has been heavily revised, with a new slot dividing the first element (denoted by the separation of the Rauch logo), whilst the secondary vertical element is now split into two. The black forward-facing element now features a comb like array of slots in its upper edge.

The lower footplate section (1) is used like a leading edge slat to help prepare the airflow that is going to the leading edge of the floor.

It also legalises the chassis boomerang (2), which is a delta-shaped wing section that comes out from the side of the chassis. It picks up the airflow coming off the trailing edge of the front wing and redirects it toward the sidepod.

This varies in angle of attack as it comes out from the chassis to optimise the airflow in each area. 

While the almost imperceptible slots in it surface may seem odd, they mirror the slots created in the floor section below for legality reasons. Its outer end mounts to the forward vertical tyre wake control deflector, improving the entire structure’s rigidity.

On the leading edge of the floor where previously the designers sited four strakes, there are now six strakes (3). Each of these set up vortices that will travel under the flat section of the underfloor, energising this airflow.

The upward curvature of the floor has also been revised, which in tandem with additional strakes will help to reduce the risk of airflow separation as the car changes direction.

On the floor’s outer edge, Red Bull has a fully enclosed longitudinal hole (4), similar to that pioneered by McLaren. This helps to seal the underfloor from the effect of any turbulent flow that would ordinarily be pulled under the floor in this area.

Keen to improve the cooling efficiency of its power unit, so it can run it harder for longer, the team made alterations to the RB14’s airbox and the layout of some of its ancillaries in Spain.

The changes required the team to repass the necessary load tests, given it’s part of the rollover structure. The tweaks also resulted in the pipework running from the inlet to the various heat exchangers being revamped.

With so many different components to cool on these modern power units, the teams struggle to find the best positions for cooling inlets.

Like most teams, Red Bull uses the airbox intake for this. With the engine being turbocharged, it will always be able to take the airflow it requires, so the airbox inlet is not as critical to performance as with the normally aspirated engines.

Red Bull is one of only a handful of teams that has opted, at least at this stage, to streamline the halo with its fairing allowance, rather than fit winglets or vortex generating devices to it. 

As such, it’s more than possible that its calculations about how the airflow spilt from the safety device interacts with the airbox downstream may have been slightly off and this is partly a reaction to that.

Red Bull RB13 sidepods intake comparison

It will be extremely interesting to see how Red Bull’s pace compares with its rivals in the coming races, especially when we consider that the RB14’s development trajectory is ahead of the curve when compared with 2017.

The team really began to unlock the potential of the RB13 just before the summer break last year, when it introduced a similar floor, sidepod and bargeboard overhaul in Hungary.

 

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Mercedes' query prompts new oil regulations debate in F1

The ongoing debate over oil consumption in Formula 1 has taken a further twist with a clarification request sent by Mercedes to the FIA.
When a team or engine supplier asks questions to the FIA, it usually either believes that a rival has already gained an advantage, or it has spotted a potential loophole and wants it to be addressed in public before anyone follows that route.

In this case, Mercedes told the FIA that it was happy for any feedback to be "circulated to all power unit manufacturers."

Its HPP division recently wrote to the governing body asking whether oil used "in the pressure charging (turbocharger) system" has to comply with Article 20 of the technical regulations, the section which covers the definition, properties and composition of oil.

"Article 20 also confirms that "no competitor may use more than one oil in a given engine during an event".

Mercedes also asked whether turbo system oil has to be considered as part of the overall 0.6 litres/100kms oil consumption limit that was introduced to stop teams using oil for power boosting purposes.

The FIA has replied with an affirmative, confirming that all oils have to comply with the requirements as set out in Article 20, and that the turbo is considered part of the engine.

In essence, Mercedes has pinpointed a potential loophole in the wording which could see the turbo considered separately from the ICE, or V6.

The original letter was sent to the FIA's Charlie Whiting by Chris Jilbert, the Head of Product Engineering Capability at Mercedes HPP in Brixworth.

In it, he asked: "With the exception of transformer oils used within ERS cooling circuits, and hydraulic oils used for PU actuators (both of which should have zero consumption in operation), do all oils (and specifically, any oil used in the pressure charging [turbocharger] system) used in the Power Unit need to comply with Article 20?"

Whiting's reply was that "All oils used in the engine must comply with Article 20 of the F1 Technical Regulations. The turbocharger is considered part of the engine."

Jilbert's second question was: "If the answer to Q1 is 'yes', does it therefore follow that the combined oil consumption of all the Power Unit oils must respect the 0.6lts/100km limit referenced within TD/012-17?", referring to previous Technical Directives about oil consumption.

Whiting replied with a "Yes."

Despite stricter limits, oil consumption has continued to be a talking point this year, while the smoke that accompanies the start-up of the Ferrari power unit – and which is understood to be associated with the turbo – has attracted a lot of attention.

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GRAHAM HILL THE FIRST KING OF MONTE-CARLO

The records show that Ayrton Senna has six Monaco Grand Prix victories to his name more than any other driver in history, with Michael Schumacher and Graham Hill sharing five wins each at the sport’s most famous venue, but it is the latter who was Formula 1’s first King of Monte-Carlo.

Monaco and Hill were synonymous in the late fifties and throughout the sixties. He made his Formula 1 debut at the 1958 Monaco Grand Prix in a Lotus-Climax, but retired with an engine problem.

It took another five attempts and a world championship title (1962) before he finally stood on the top step of the royal podium, winning the 1963 Monaco Grand Prix from second on the grid and heading home teammate Richie Ginther to make it a BRM one-two on the day.

A year later Hill was up against Jim Clark in the Lotus who qualified on pole for the race, Hill linded up third on the grid.

At the start, Clark led but the Lotus was trailing an anti-roll bar from early on in the race and he pitted for repairs which compromised his afternoon. By then Hill was up to second behind Dan Gurney, but the American’s Brabham-Climax was leaking fuel and on lap 53 the BRM took the lead.

Clark returned who returned to the action with a repaired car could not make an impression on Hill’s lead. Eventually, the Lotus packed up with engine problems and Hill headed home another one-two for BRM, with Ginther second again albeit a lap adrift of his teammate.

Although a second title eluded him at that point, Hill owned Monaco and in 1965 made it a hat-trick with arguably his most dominant performance. Qualifying on pole a full second faster than Ferrari driver Lorenzo Bandini and 1.4 seconds better than his own BRM teammate Jackie Stewart.

The two BRMs made strong starts, with Hill leading Stewart early on in the race. On lap 25 Hill was forced to go off the road to avoid an ailing car, which dropped him down to fifth.

He recovered and clawed his way back towards the front, overtaking Stewart and chasing down Bandini to take the lead where he stayed until the end of the 100 laps race, over two and half hours of hard graft in the cockpit.

Hill would rate that victory as one of the greatest of his F1 career.

At this point, with three victories at Monte-Carlo, Hill had surpassed Juan Manuel Fangio’s two wins and matched the three wins by Stirling Moss at the street venue.

The fourth victory did not come until 1968 when Hill qualified Gold Leaf Lotus 49B on pole by over half a second, lost the lead briefly at the start of the race but by the fourth lap he was at the front where he stayed until the end. He also claimed his second and final F1 world title at the end of that season.

The Englishman’s fifth win came a year later, again in the Lotus 49B. He qualified fourth behind the Matra duo of Jackie Stewart and Jean-Pierre Beltoise and the Ferrari of Chris Amon

Stewart roared off into the distance while Hill picked his way up the order. Half an hour into the race both Matras suffered driveshaft failures and the Ferrari blew its gearbox.

Hill was left in the lead where he stayed to claim his fifth Monaco victory, which also happened to be his final victory at the pinnacle of the sport.

Stewart has always had a very high regard for his former rival, “When Graham was winning in Monte Carlo it was considerably more difficult. You had to be right in focus all of the time in those days. We had 2,800 gearshifts – that was pretty hard on the hands (and) it was a physical race – 100 laps at that time.”

“His greatest asset was his humour, the second was his driving. He was a great character. There were some great drivers around when Graham was racing – Jack Brabham, Innes Ireland, Jim Clark, at that time the crème de la crème – and he won the world championship. Graham Hill was one of the best drivers of his time, there’s no question about that.”

Asked in an interview about the challenges of racing at Monaco, Hill responded at the time with his typical dry humour, “Well, it was bloody hard! You get everything that you meet on a public road: Lamp posts, trees, nightclubs, houses, hotels, kerbs, gutters.”

“It’s a proper road race and in the true meaning of the word – when motor racing was first originated, it was on public roads,” added Formula 1’s first King of Monte-Carlo, whose last grand prix was at the 1975 edition of the world’s most famous street race.
Thanks to his Monaco victories combined with his triumphs at the Indianapolis 500 (1966) and the Le Mans 24 Hours (1972) he is the only man to have won the Triple Crown of Motorsport.

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RAIKKONEN: AT MONACO BEING FASTEST DOESN’T GUARANTEE VICTORY

Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen has won the Monaco Grand Prix once in 15 attempts, thus he knows what it takes to win at the sport’s most prestigious venue and thus revealed that outright speed is not always a vital ingredient for success on the streets of Monte-Carlo

Speaking to reporters ahead of the weekend on the Cote d’Azur, Raikkonen explained, “The whole weekend here in Monaco is a big challenge. This is such a tricky place that even if you are the fastest it doesn’t guarantee you a win.”

“There are so many things that can happen, and you might not have time to react. All those things make it pretty difficult. This is a special weekend, you need to build up to it a little bit more than on a normal circuit.”

“Tomorrow we’ll start with the practice, then we’ll make the car how we want it to be. The track changes a lot over practice, qualifying and the race. We need to follow these changes, making sure that we’ll have the right set-up to be able to push when it’s time to do so.”

“You need to trust your car and have a good feeling. In testing, we already tried the Hypersoft compound, but obviously, the conditions in Barcelona were completely different. For sure they gave more grip.”

“It’s impossible to know where we are going to be, but we’ll start tomorrow and go through the normal program. We’ll try to do well,” added Raikkonen.

Last year the veteran Finn qualified on pole and finished second to teammate Sebastian Vettel in the race.

Raikkonen won once at the Principality driving the Mercedes powered McLaren MP4-20 in 2005, the last year of Formula 1’s V10 engine era.

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RICCIARDO: MERCEDES TRYING TO PUT PRESSURE ON US

Daniel Ricciardo has played down suggestions by Mercedes F1 chief Toto Wolff that his team are “bloody worried” ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix, the Australian wary of the mind games being played ahead of a race expected to suit the Red Bulls.

Speaking ahead of the weekend in Monte Carlo, Ricciardo said of Wolff’s comments, “I think they are trying to take a little pressure off them and put it on us. It’s no secret that we are always pretty good around here. I think it will be very close between us and particularly Ferrari, and we’ll see where Mercedes is.”

Ricciardo and Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen are expected to have the choice package in the RB14 on the streets of the Principality where downforce and aero efficiency are key factors for success.

In the current turbo era Red Bull hardly ever start a race weekend as favourites, a tag that Ricciardo clearly relishes, “I would love this feeling coming into every race that we genuinely have a chance to fight for the win. I can’t wait to get on the circuit and push the car to the limit. Hopefully, that will be enough.”

Ricciardo, who lives in Monaco, was robbed of a win at the venue in 2016 due to a pitstop blunder by his team and does not believe he is ‘owed’ a victory, “I have to go and earn it. It’s not just going to happen because it should have already.”

As for the key to success at  F1’s most prestigious venue’ where driving has been described as riding a bicycle in a living room with 19 other people, Ricciardo explained, “Confidence is a big thing here. This is probably the circuit on the calendar where if you are feeling it and you are in a good rhythm and a good flow you can find an extra tenth or two.”

“Everyone will put everything on their car and that will minimise that advantage,” he added. “That’s why l say there are no guarantees we will be quickest. But the DNA of our car solid and this year’s car is better than last year’s,” added Ricciardo.

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FERRARI HALO MIRRORS REMAIN BUT MODIFIED AFTER BAN

Ferrari arrived in Barcelona for the Spanish Grand Prix with an intricate Halo mounted mirror which included an extra winglet, which was subsequently banned by the FIA for Monaco and beyond.

The system clearly stretched the rules to breaking point, as the winglets were there to provide some sort of aero advantage and appeared to have nothing to do with seeing the cars behind.

In Monte-Carlo, the Ferrari SF71-H still sported Halo mounted mirrors, but the winglets were removed after the FIA were forced to clarify the conditions and requirements of how these are mounted which were that the mirrors must:

Provide a meaningful structural contribution to the mounting system. If you use more than one mounting you may be asked to satisfy us, by way of a physical test, to demonstrate this.
Be mounted to the lower and/or inboard surface(s) of the mirror housing.

This, coupled to talk that the Ferrari have some intricate trickery involving the battery which is said to deliver an extra 20bhp, on tap, during qualifying, as well as the ongoing oil burning suspicions plus the extra paddle on Sebastian Vettel’s wheel, means that many will be keeping a beady eye on the red cars this weekend in Monaco.

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NICO AND KEKE TO DRIVE TITLE WINNING CARS IN MONACO

Monaco Grand Prix winners, father and son, Keke and Nico Rosberg will do demo runs in their title-winning cars on Thursday, after FP1, during the Formula 1 weekend at the Principality.

Keke who won his F1 world title in 1982 will take a blast to the past at the wheel of the Williams FW07C
while Nico will be reunited with his 2016 championship winning Mercedes W07.

Rosberg senior spent nine years in Formula 1 retiring at the end of 1986 after winning five times, while his son spent a decade in the top tier and won on 23 occasions.

Nico posted a video on Twitter where he announced: “On Thursday lunchtime I’m going to be driving with my dad. We’re both going to be getting into our world championship winning Formula 1 cars, my dad in his 1982 car me in my 2016 car.

“So we’re going to be bombing it around Monaco together for a couple of laps. I think it’s going to be good fun, I’m really looking forward to it,” added Nico

Both Rosbergs are Monaco Grand Prix winners, with junior winning the race in 2013 and senior grabbing victory three decades earlier in 1983.

They are still the only father and son to have won the Monaco Grand Prix, although Graham Hill and Gilles Villeueve won in Monte-Carlo their sons Damon and Jacques never did.

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ABITEBOUL: RED BULL WILL NEVER LEARN THE NEED FOR LOYALTY

An all-new edition of the Red Bull versus Renault war is looming as the respective bosses fling taunts at one another through the media, with the latest development capable of once and for all ending partnership of the oft-feuding partners.

Earlier this month Renault team chief Cyril Abiteboul demanded that 31 May would be the deadline for Red Bull’s decision on an engine supply for 2019 and beyond, the energy drinks outfit flirting with the idea of switching to Honda.

But Red Bull F1 chief Christian Horner has other ideas, insisting that there would be no decision until after the Canadian Grand Prix.

Shots fired both ways which, in turn, triggered Abiteboul’s latest salvo in an interview with El Confidencial ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix, “That Red Bull criticises its engine supplier is not something new.”

“We have been with them for twelve years now, eight world championships together, and they continued to be critical of Renault. We are used to it. They will never learn the need for loyalty, appreciation and commitment to a supplier.”

“When we came back [as a works team] in 2015 after discussions with Renault leadership we offered to integrate forces with Red Bull, but they declined the offer. We then bought a team because the possibility of integration was not attractive to them.”

Abiteboul also rejected suggestions that Red Bull are hampered by the Renault power units, “They have the capacity to win races this season, they will win more, they did it in Shanghai and also maybe in Baku if his their drivers had not collided.”

With regards to the Renault team, he affirmed that the season is going to expectations, “There are ups and downs, but in general, for the moment we are in line with our plan. I know that sometimes it sounds too conservative and corporate, but every professional in Formula 1 knows that you cannot win in a day.”

“We fight against organizations that have almost thirty or forty percent more people than us,” added Abiteboul.

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2018 Monaco - Drivers Press Conference

 

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Red Bull's engine deficit halved in Monaco, say drivers

Red Bull drivers estimate the Monaco Grand Prix track layout will halve the impact of its power deficit to rival Formula 1 teams, and believe this should be enough to give them a shot at pole position.
The Renault-powered RB14 has proven itself a competitive package in race trim, but has been no match for Mercedes and Ferrari over one lap – with the Austrian outfit pointing to the extra engine power and qualifying modes available to its rival outfits as the main reason for this discrepancy.

Drivers Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo were both six and a half tenths off pole for the Spanish Grand Prix.

They both said that Red Bull was giving up around half a second on the straights in Barcelona, and reckoned the nature of the Monaco circuit would bring that figure down to around two tenths.

"We're still down on horsepower - that you will always see, on every single track," Verstappen said. "Plus they [other teams] have the qualy modes as well.

"It's just better for us [here] - they won't make as big as a difference, which is normally, let's say, four-five tenths, it's maybe two tenths here, and I think we can work with that."

Ricciardo suggested Red Bull should be in the mix for pole, explaining: "If we lost five tenths in Barcelona, maybe we lose two here.

"A bit of confidence and a good set-up, and two tenths can come pretty quickly on a track like this. If we're dialled in, I think we can still do it."

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton, who said Red Bull will be "incredibly quick" in Monaco, is among many tipping the Austrian team for success at the venue - and expectations have been raised by the fact RB14 was the quickest car in Barcelona's third sector, often viewed as a good indicator for Monaco.

Asked whether rivals had a point in talking up Red Bull's chances, Ricciardo said: "I think so, but I think they're also just trying to take a little bit of pressure off them and put it on us.

"Everyone talked about the last sector in Barcelona - for sure we looked pretty handy there... I think we'll be pretty decent. I'd be surprised if we weren't at least close."

The Aussie driver reckoned Red Bull is as strong heading into this Monaco race as it was ahead of the 2016 event, in which he became the only driver to deny Mercedes a pole position that year.

"There's no guarantees that we will be the quickest. But I still think, let's say, the DNA of our car is solid, and I do feel it's better than last year's car.

"Last year we weren't quick enough here to fight for the victory, but I'd like to think - I feel we're kind of where we were at in 2016 now, coming into this race.

"We're still probably not the quickest car, but we can be, and if we get it all hooked up, I think we can be pretty good."

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Alonso not expecting any upsets in Monaco GP

Fernando Alonso says there won't be any surprises in the Monaco Grand Prix, despite the one-off nature of the track taking the emphasis off engine performance.
The Spaniard expects Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull to dominate qualifying and the race, pointing to recent precedents.

"There are not many surprises here. It's never a place that we had a midfield team winning a race or a small team winning a race, or doing the pole position," said Alonso.

"There's always a lot of expectations in Monaco, but then there's a Red Bull, Mercedes or Ferrari on pole position, and three of these six drivers are on the podium in the last editions.

"So I think it's going to be quite similar this year again.

"I think it's quite difficult to make a surprise, but it's quite easy to make a mistake. So it's a weekend that's important in all the aspects, to execute it well."

Nevertheless, Alonso remains confident that McLaren can make Q3 – even suggesting that the Woking team can target fifth place.

"This is a race that 99% is on Saturday.  I think last year the car was quite strong here. Stoffel was P6 in Q1, P7 in Q2. So I think the P7 was possible last year," added Alonso, who skipped the race to compete in the Indianapolis 500.  

  

"Around P5 to P10 should be our target, to be in Q3 with both cars will be I think the target this weekend, but it's difficult to predict right now."

Alonso also expects laptimes to be much faster than on his last visit to the principality.

"Definitely it's going to be a big step, because 2016 the pole position was 1m15s or something like that, I looked today.

"We will run significantly quicker than that time. So it's a step of two years, and maybe 4-5 seconds in terms of lap time for me. It will be great, as long as you go forward and faster you enjoy the laps."

Alonso says that further updates added to the package introduced in Barcelona will add some performance.

"There have been a few positive days of testing in Barcelona after the race, in those tests I think we identified other areas of improvement, and there are a couple of updates here and there will come more in the next races.

"I think we are in a good moment of the year in terms of understanding the car, in terms of improving the weak areas that we as I said identified early on in Bahrain, in China, and we confirmed in the Barcelona test as well.

"I think we are improving those areas, every race, and we are feeling more and more competitive, definitely in the right direction.

"The momentum that the team has right now, I'm quite happy and quite positive in the next couple of races to find a lot of performance thanks to these improvements and these areas that have been reinforced."

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Ferrari to experiment with old suspension in Monaco

Ferrari will test with its old suspension in the Monaco Grand Prix, amid growing hints that a new development avenue it trialled in Spain cost it performance.
The Maranello-based team has worked extensively since the last race in Barcelona to try to get to the bottom of why Sebastian Vettel was unable to match the pace of the Mercedes.

What was especially concerning was that the team suffered much higher levels of tyre degradation in Spain than it had encountered in pre-season testing.

One suggestion that has emerged has been that changes it made to its rear suspension for the Spanish Grand Prix may have had a knock-on effect in hurting its tyre management.

Ferrari SF71H rear suspension comparsion

A new suspension upright had a much more aggressive transition – allowing a wider and flatter surface – which was designed to help improve the aerodynamics of the car in that area.

However, while being better for downforce, it may also have contributed to the tyres overheating more, which triggered the degradation issues.

Speaking ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix, Vettel said that the team had focused a lot of effort in the Barcelona test last week to understand more about what had gone wrong.

The result appears to be that there are doubts over the new rear suspension, which is why Vettel's car was fitted with the old version ahead of opening practice in Monaco.

It is unclear at this stage, however, whether he will commit to this version for the remainder of the weekend or will switch back to the newer specification for qualifying and the race.

"I think it is fair to summarise that Barcelona was not a strong race for us," said Vettel. "Saturday was actually pretty good, but Sunday we fell a little bit behind.

"So it was good we had the opportunity on Tuesday/Wednesday to get into the race situation again to understand a bit better with time and laps.

"There are a couple of ideas we have and things we believe that may have caused a weak race or weak pace during the race.

"But for here it is not that relevant because it is a completely different track. But going forward, time will tell whether we found a good direction."

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MONACO GRAND PRIX: TECHNICAL PREVIEW

This weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix provides both the teams and drivers with a special challenge – not only is the street circuit extremely difficult to master with the close walls and narrow track, but qualifying is largely indicative of the race result, especially if conditions remain dry.

Added to this, they will have to deal with a new tyre compound, the HyperSoft, which has only been run in Barcelona, a track very much unsuited for this compound, during testing.

Downforce vs Drag

This is one of the few tracks on the calendar where maximum downforce is bolted on to the cars, regardless of the greater drag that results. Indeed, such is the lack of straights that Raikkonen did not even use eight gear during his 2017 pole position lap.

Last year, this race saw a host of developments to the T-wings, and given they are still permitted lower down in 2018, the same could be the case this weekend.

Car Strengths Needed

Aerodynamic performance is of lower importance than normal around this slow-speed circuit, although those cars favouring a more aggressive Aero philosophy, such as Red Bull and McLaren with their high rake set-ups, are likely to gain relative to competitors.

However, as Force India have displayed in recent years, the key to being competitive here is good mechanical grip and tyre management, the latter referring to temperatures more than wear or degradation.

It is also important to have a good car over the bumps, of which they are many around Monte Carlo – keeping the car in contact with the ground for as much of the lap as possible minimises performance losses.

Key Corners

It is hard to pick out a single corner in Monaco that is particularly important since many turns form sequences that are very demanding. One of these is from Turns 12 – 16, known as the Tabac-Swimming Pool section.

This, together with the Casino area, is the highest speed part of the circuit and requires bravery, downforce and strong braking into T15. Turn 19 is also critical to ensure a good exit on to the DRS-assisted straight, permitting any slim chance of an overtaking opportunity.

Tyres and Strategy

Monaco sees the race debut of the pink-walled HyperSoft tyre, reckoned to be in the region of one second per lap faster than any other in the Pirelli range.

The drivers have been particularly complimentary about it, labelling it the best tyre that the Italian manufacturer has produced since its return to the sport in 2011. This should, therefore, mean high peak performance, together with decent wear/degradation traits.

Last year, the race was an easy one-stop affair, although some midfield runners took advantage of the safety car to make a late second visit to the pits. However, in 2017, the UltraSoft and SuperSoft were used in the race, corresponding to this year’s SuperSoft and Soft, the latter not featuring in this year’s selection.

Therefore, it may not be as easy a one-stop as previously, especially with the performance of the HyperSoft most likely preventing teams from qualifying on the UltraSoft in Q2.

Given that nobody wants to make a second stop and lose track position, the key will be to maximise the time spent on the HyperSoft in the first stint, which may require driving multiple seconds slower than is possible, in order to pit and return to the track in clean air.

It will be interesting to see if lower runners decide to start on the UltraSoft and then switch to the HyperSoft under an early safety car, before gambling on stretching the tyres to the end of the race.

Interestingly, Red Bull, Renault and Williams have all chosen eleven sets of the HyperSoft, meaning that they will run on this tyre exclusively (excluding installation laps perhaps) during practice and qualifying, and therefore will not sample the UltraSoft, the likely race tyre, before Sunday.

This is an aggressive strategy, but one which places maximum emphasis on qualifying and gives the driver fewer variables to factor in over the course of the weekend.

Overtaking/DRS

Overtaking is notoriously difficult around Monaco, especially with the arrival of the 20cm wider cars for 2017. That said, if cars are out of position, such as Perez last year, they can make forward progress – the Mexican made moves stick at Saint Devote and the Lowes hairpin, as well as attempting a pass on Kvyat into Rascasse.

Weather

Unfortunately for race prospects, the weather is set to remain dry on Sunday and indeed, throughout the weekend, meaning grid position will be everything. This will give teams good data on the HyperSoft during Thursday’s practice sessions.

Winds will remain low, preventing the gusting effect seen between the barriers in Baku, which caused Hülkenberg’s crash and Hamilton’s major lock-up.

Form Guide

It is often said that the last sector at Barcelona provides a good indicator for Monaco performance and this is true to some extent. This would suggest that Red Bull and Mercedes will be closely matched, with Ferrari a little behind.

The world champions have made progress on their slow-speed weaknesses, displaying strong pace in the final sector in Abu Dhabi last year as well, while Ferrari’s in-built advantage from 2017 no longer holds owing to its change in Aerodynamic concept.

It should be remembered, however, that Mercedes were three and five tenths faster in the final sector at Barcelona in qualifying and the race in 2017, yet struggled in Monaco – this year, they were evenly matched with Red Bull.

This author suggested that Ferrari would bring a higher downforce rear wing to Barcelona, but this will in fact come for Monaco, with the Scuderia testing a very aggressive design in the post-Spain test.

The midfield will remain tight, with the Renault-powered teams likely to be relatively more competitive, while street track specialists Force India should be in the mix.

MONACO GRAND PRIX: FACTS AND STATISTICS

The Monaco Grand Prix is the one race of the year that every driver dreams of winning, requiring a combination of precision driving, technical excellence and sheer bravery to win in Monte Carlo.

These facets highlight the differences between the good drivers and the great in Formula 1.

The Armco barrier-lined circuit leaves no margin for error, demanding more concentration that any other Formula 1 track. Cars run with maximum downforce and brakes are worked hard. Overtaking is next to impossible so qualifying in Monaco is more critical than at any other Grand Prix.

The Portier corner is key to achieving a good lap time around Monaco. It is preceded by the Loews hairpin, the slowest corner in Formula 1, and followed by the tunnel, one of the few flat-out sections of the track. Some great names have ended their races in the barriers here, most notably Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher.

To win in Monaco places a driver’s name on a list that includes many of history’s all-time greats.

Both Graham Hill, the man nicknamed ‘Mr Monaco’, and Schumacher won it five times, Alain Prost took four victories, whilst Stirling Moss and Jackie Stewart each won here three times. But the record of wins in the Principality resides with the Senna, who won in Monte Carlo six times.

The race has been a regular fixture of the world championship since 1955, but in that time the circuit has changed remarkably little. Slight alterations were made for the 2003 event, in particular a new, gentler entry to the Rascasse corner, with even bigger changes in 2004, with a new pit complex and increased spectator capacity. (Source: F1.com)

Facts & Statistics supplied by Reuters:

• Lap distance:3.337km. Total distance: 260.286 km (78 laps)
• 2017 pole: Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) Ferrari, One minute 12.178 seconds.
• 2017 winner: Sebastian Vettel (Germany) Ferrari
• Race lap record: Sergio Perez (Mexico) Force India 1:14.820 (2017)
• Start time: 1310 GMT (1510 local)

Race Victories

• Hamilton is going for his third win in a row, after Azerbaijan and Spain.
• The Briton has 64 victories from 213 races and is second in the all-time list behind seven-times world champion Michael Schumacher (91). Vettel has 49.
• Ferrari have won 231 races since 1950, McLaren 182, Williams 114, Mercedes 78 and Red Bull 56. Former champions McLaren and Williams have not won since 2012.
• Pole Position
• Hamilton has a record 74 career poles. Vettel has 53.
• Max Verstappen, at 20 years old, can become the youngest ever pole sitter this season. The current youngest is Vettel, who did it at the age of 21 years and 72 days.

Podium

• Hamilton has 121 career podiums and is second on the all-time list behind Schumacher (155). Vettel has 101, Kimi Raikkonen 94.
• Championship Points
• Hamilton has had a record 30 successive scoring finishes to date. He leads Vettel by 17 points after five races.
• Mercedes are 27 points ahead of Ferrari in the constructors’ championship.
• Russian rookie Sergey Sirotkin (Williams) is the only driver on the starting grid yet to score a point in his career.
• Haas’s Romain Grosjean has yet to open his account for 2018 and including last season the Frenchman has not scored for nine races in a row.
• Sauber have already scored more points (11) than in all of last year (five), with Charles Leclerc scoring in his last two races. The last time Sauber took points from three successive races was in 2015.

Monaco Grand Prix

• This year’s race is the 65th edition.
• The last six races have seen the safety car deployed.
• Mercedes have won four of the last five Monaco Grands Prix, but Ferrari ended that streak last year with their first in the principality since 2001.
• The driver on pole has won 10 of the last 17 races in Monaco. In 1996, Frenchman Olivier Panis won from 14th on the starting grid — the lowest winning start position to date.
• Since 1950, only 10 times has the race been won by a driver starting lower than third.
• Four former Monaco winners will be on Sunday’s grid: Alonso (2006, 2007), Vettel (2011), Hamilton (2008, 2016), Raikkonen (2005).
• Alonso missed last year’s race to compete in the Indianapolis 500.
• Leclerc will be the first Monegasque to compete in his home race since Olivier Beretta in 1994.

Milestone

• Hamilton’s victory in Spain was his 41st from pole position, one more than the record he had previously shared with Schumacher.
• Max Verstappen’s third place in Spain was Red Bull’s 150th podium finish.
• Monaco also sees Red Bull celebrating their 250th race start. They won their 100th and 150th races.
• Vettel can take his 50th win on Sunday.

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RIVALS QUESTION LEGALITY OF FERRARI ENERGY RECOVERY SYSTEM

Ferrari were cast into the spotlight on Thursday, the first day of the Monaco Grand Prix, after Formula 1 rivals questioned the legality of the energy recovery system on the SF71H which the governing body was reported to be investigating.

The sport’s official website said the governing International Automobile Federation (FIA) had asked Ferrari to “run an extra piece of hardware” so they could monitor the system.

“This weekend, the FIA will monitor the system in operation before analysing data and making any judgements,” it added.

The website added that, while there was no evidence of the sport’s most successful team breaking the rules, rivals had expressed concern Ferrari might be boosting energy flow beyond the permitted limit.

The web page was later amended to say the FIA had “reportedly asked” Ferrari and that “reports suggest” the governing body would monitor the system.

The FIA would not confirm an investigation was underway and a Ferrari spokesman said the team did not comment on media speculation.

Niki Lauda, the retired triple world champion who is now non-executive chairman of Ferrari’s main rivals Mercedes, said last week that the FIA needed to investigate.

“Any race in which grey areas remain grey can be a lost race. The FIA has to clarify these unanswered questions by the race in Monte Carlo,” the Austrian told Germany’s Bild am Sonntag newspaper.

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff and Red Bull’s Christian Horner were asked about the rumours in a scheduled news conference after Thursday’s first practice in Monaco.

“We have legality topics come up regularly. Some are more controversial but it’s the daily business of the FIA to check what the teams do,” said Wolff.

“It is the obligation of the teams to comply with the regulations and this is an ongoing process…and as far as I understand this is a process that’s taking place as we speak and we will see what the outcome is.”

Horner expressed confidence in the FIA’s ability to “measure, administer and look at the car that’s presented for scrutineering and during a grand prix weekend.”

Ferrari’s four-times world champion Sebastian Vettel, who is 17 points behind Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton after five races but won in Monaco last year, said such speculation was to be expected.

“It’s normal that every now and then you have something popping up,” Vettel told reporters. “This time for us… but in four weeks’ time it will be for someone else. Ultimately I think it’s the FIA’s job to look after it and I think we trust them as much as the other teams trust them.”

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MONACO FP2: RICCIARDO AND RED BULL TOO GOOD ON DAY ONE

Daniel Ricciardo topped the timing screens at the end of both the FP1 and FP2 sessions on the first day of the Monaco Grand Prix weekend with teammate Max Verstappen, in second, a tenth down on his teammate as Red Bull threw down the gauntlet ahead of qualifying on Saturday.

Drivers had predicted before the session started that lap records would tumble thanks to the new hypersoft tyres which are making their competitive debut this weekend and track resurfacing.

Ricciardo was the only driver to dip below the 72 seconds mark with a best lap time of 1:11,841 – an outright lap record around the sport’s most iconic venue – which was a tenth up on Verstappen’s effort in the 90-minutes afternoon session. The team’s first FP1 and FP2 lockout this season.

Ricciardo’s time compared to Kimi Raikkonen’s 2017 pole position of 1:12.178 for Ferrari, the previous fastest around the Mediterranean principality’s unforgiving streets and harbourside.

Half a second down on Ricciardo’s top time was Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel in third, ahead of Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes, their teammates Kimi Raikkonen and Valtteri Botas were fifth and sixth respectively – a mere two-tenths of a second separating the quartet.

Best of the rest was Nico Hulkenberg albeit 1.2 seconds down on the top pace, but good enough for seventh in his Renault with Carlos Sainz tenth a tenth and a bit adrift of his teammate.

McLaren appear to have found some handy pace after a troublesome morning, with Stoffel Vandoorne and Fernando Alonso eighth and ninth respectively

Neither of the Haas drivers found the sweet spot with Kevin Magnussen down in 16th and Romain Grosjean’s best only good for 18th.

Down the order, it was a good day for the rookies as both Charles Leclerc (Sauber) and Sergey Sirotkin (Williams) who, on their first Formula 1 day at Monte-Carlo, outperformed their more experienced teammates.

The session was cut short about fifteen minutes early on when the red flag was deployed after a manhole cover worked loose and needed to be fixed.

Father and son world champions Nico and Keke Rosberg, both retired, entertained the crowd between the sessions by lapping the circuit in their title-winning cars.

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BOTTAS USING HAKKINEN TRIBUTE HELMET FOR MONACO

Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas will pay tribute to compatriot Mika Hakkinen at this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix by sporting the double World Champion’s helmet design.

Hakkinen, the 1998 and 1999 World Champion, claimed victory around the streets of the Principality 20 years ago – his only success at the venue.

Drivers often sport modified helmet designs in Monaco and Bottas will don Hakkinen’s colours for this weekend’s event.

“It’s the [design] of Mika Hakkinen, he won here 20 years ago exactly and that year he won the title,” said Bottas as he unveiled the design.

“I’m going to pay a tribute for that. I respect him as a driver and a guy.”

Bottas has never triumphed around the streets of Monaco in Formula 1 – with his fourth-placed finish for Mercedes 12 months ago his highest classification.

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STEINER: THERE HAS NEVER BEEN TALK OF REPLACING GROSJEAN

Romain Grosjean has yet to a score a point this season, the Haas driver has been accident prone of late, wiping out in the last two races which prompted speculation that his future with the American outfit is under threat.

But team principal Guenther Steiner scoffed at the suggestion when speaking to reporters ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix weekend, “I don’t know where the rumours came from, so there are no rumours. I think that is the easiest way to stop them.”

“We didn’t even speak about that. Somebody’s having two bad races; there’s no point to start rumours or to start to do things. The only thing that we need to do is to get Romain back to where he is capable of competing, which we all know.”

“He’s a very capable guy. He had two bad races. I’m not a person where if someone is on his knees, I try to kick him. That’s unfair. For sure he knows better than all of us what not to do, not to do another Baku or Barcelona. But can it happen again? Yes, it could. It’s Monte Carlo.”

“Just to stop the rumours, there was never talk about that. I don’t know where they came from or whoever brought them up. I’m not trying to say anything wrong. I think I saw maybe one thing … I never spoke with anybody about the rumours. I would come to you guys if I did anything anyway.”

Grosjean crashed out of the race in Baku by making a rookie mistake while warming his tyres during a safety car period. Last time out in Spain he crashed on the opening lap, after spinning during a Turn 2 melee shortly after the start.

While points have eluded the Frenchman thus far this season, his teammate Kevin Magnussen has bagged all of the Haas’ 19 points scored after five rounds.

Steiner explained how he dealt with Grosjean after the setback in Barcelona, “During the race, I came off and went to speak with him. I know how you feel if something like this happens. We all have bad moments in our life and our careers and how you feel, and I said to him he’ll just get over it. It happens. There’s no point to dwell on it.”

“You know what you can do – get over it, focus on the races coming, and be positive. If you’re negative, negatives come out. It snowballs. So we need to be positive about it. We know what we can do, we know how good he is in Monte Carlo or how he can be in Monte Carlo. That is what we are focusing on from here,” added Steiner.

Grosjean has played down the criticism, claiming that the media are making a mountain out of a molehill.

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Max Verstappen cleared over Monaco FP1 incident

Stewards at the Monaco Grand Prix have opted to take no further action against Max Verstappen in the wake of his potentially unsafe re-joining of the circuit.

Verstappen, second in the session, locked up heavily into Sainte Devote and took to the run-off, from where he reversed back onto the circuit.

The pursuing Sebastian Vettel took to the inside run-off to avoid Verstappen’s RB14 and stewards placed Verstappen under investigation – though ultimately took no further action.

“The Stewards reviewed video evidence and heard from the driver of car 33, Max Verstappen and found that yellow flags (first a single yellow and later a double yellow) had been waived to warn the other drivers that his car had gone off the track at Turn 1," read a report.

"Car 33 (VER) had to reverse on to the track to rejoin but did so under yellow flags and in a manner that posed no danger to the other drivers."

Verstappen's Red Bull team-mate Daniel Ricciardo was fastest in the session.