F1 - Monaco Qualifying 24 May 2014 21:30 AEST ONE HD

[gary]

Coverage of the Qualifying session for Monaco is on Saturday night
starting at 21:30 AEST on ONE HD.

If you are an F1 follower but at a star party or out of observing, be sure
to set your recorder.

Coverage of the race itself is on Sunday on TEN starting at 21:45 AEST.

Hamilton and Rosberg were only 0.032 seconds apart in setting the fastest
two laps in P1, followed by Ricciardo, only 0.235 slower.

Alonso, Hamilton and Vettel lead the way in P2, which was partially wet.

Weather is expected to be fine on the weekend.

Rosberg won in Monaco last year and Hamilton won it in 2008.

A great opportunity for Ricciardo. If the aerodynamic Red Bulls don't
better the Mercedes in the tight winding streets of Monaco, then they
will clearly be outpaced again come fast circuits like Spa and Monza.

[Exfso]

Thanks Gary, yeah I will be watching it for sure. Renault have to do something about those power plants, they really are not up to what Mercedes is putting out.:shrug:

[gary]

Andrew Benson in an article on the BBC F1 website provides
an interesting insight into Vettel's driving style when cornering
the Red Bull when it still had the blown diffuser.

For example, he would destabilize the rear of the car on entry to get
it pointed quickly at the exit, then get on the throttle to get the
exhaust gasses blowing to create more downforce and grip.

Since the blown diffusers are banned in 2014, that trick no longer works and
Vettel has to change his driving style.

That and other insights here -
http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/formula1/27438960

[astroron]

Yes Gary I saw that, it was a very intersting observation.
Looks like it could be an interesting race, wit Alonso getting the fastest lap in second practice, but that was on a partially wet track and not a great deal of laps were done.
See what tomorrow brings on a dry track.:question:
Cheers:thumbsup:

[AstroJunk]

So in a way, Vettel got lucky. His natural driving style combined with the cars characteristics happened to put him in a brilliant position which his natural competitiveness allowed him to exploit for the last few seasons.

But unable to change his driving style, he's being routinely beaten by an Aussie rookie!

So is Vettel a one trick pony? Lets wait and see...

[ianB]

Someone should get Hamilton a baby bib.

[astroron]

Obviously you have never been pissed off when you feel that there has been something not right, and under a stressful situation shown it.
Even though Rosberg has been cleared, it could have been just as easy to do what he did deliberatly,like Schoemaker,but more subtle.
I hope Hamilton wins on the track tonight.
Cheers:thumbsup:

[ianB]

But why suggest it was on purpose?
Hamilton should be man enough to accept that these things happen, also as stated on t.v he should have known that leaving his last time lap to the last minute, literally, was a gamble, he gambled and lost.

[ianB]

Anyway Ron a good night for watching the race.

[Astro_Bot]

Vettel retired early, so that's a step in the right direction. :wink2:

And now the second (or is that the third?) safety car, which isn't making Lewis' race any easier. It's so hard to pass in Monaco, so I don't know if Lewis can get ahead of Nico.

But let's hope for a close and engaging race for the remainder. :driving:

[astroron]

In big letters because Louis thought "HE PROBABLY DID" Ian.
Cheers:thumbsup:

[AndrewJ]

And good on Nico if he did do it on purpose. The main aim is to get pole, and using smart tactics to do it is now part of the "sport".
I find it more worrying that F1 is now so formulaic that pole is more critical than being able to "race".
For the cars that are on the pace mechanically, its still just a high speed game of chasey. Magnificent high speed car control, but not much racing anymore.

Andrew

[mithrandir]

If only Renault could find a few more horses. Daniel vs Lewis would be more exciting.

[gary]

After the weekend in Monaco, a few things have become clear.

The two Silver Arrows appear unbeatable. Whether they will become the
first team to win every race in a season, only time will tell.

The sight of the two of them consistently pulling ahead of the rest of the
pack and maintaining a commanding lead is impressive and the fact that
both of them are doing it is no coincidence. This weekend's race appears
to have been won by the Mercedes engineers a few years back when
the company committed to developing that innovative power train.
The precision and reliability of their manufacturing processes then help
ensure a one-two result.

With so much of the power train design frozen, it will be very difficult
for the other teams to catch them. One might speculate the other
Mercede's powered-cars like the McLarens would have the best chance
but it does not appear so at the moment and Mercedes have
obviously packaged their own engine design the best.

With the two Silver Arrows being supposedly identical, the rivalry
between Hamilton and Rosberg is going to be the highlight of this
season. The race and drama is between these two. Rosberg is on 122 points
and Hamilton on 118 with Rosberg having won two races and Hamilton
the other four.

"Louis, I think this is the end of a beautiful friendship." :lol:

With the motivation to win encoded in their DNA and millions of dollars
at stake, as it unfolds it has the potential to make for one of the greatest
F1 rivalries in decades.

On a final note, Ricciardo did a magnificent job and it was edge of the
seat stuff seeing him on Lewis's gearbox on the last laps.

[astroron]

The gloves are well and truly off, No more Mr Nice Guy for Nico Rosberg, and it will be win at all costs for Lewis Hamilton,which will only increase the tension between the two.
Now that the glamour race is out the way,we can get down to real racing,not fair ground racing.
Go Lewis. :)
Cheers:thumbsup:

[Andy01]

Nice to see Schmettel has inherited Webbo's bad luck gene, go Dan :)

[ianB]

Monaco / fair ground racing :lol:

[ianB]

I reckon sooner or later Rosberg and Hamilton will take each other out of a race by being overly aggressive towards each other on the track.