Monaco

[LabradoRacer 2]

Hamilton & Rosie likely to tangle at the start.

[LabradoRacer 2]

According to ESPNF1, Schumi said in the press conference that he'll win from 6th. Considering his recent run of wretched luck, I hope it doesn't turn out to be a tall claim.

[JHS18 0]

Wow. I'm so happy. I grew up watching Schumacher win - and that took me back to my childhood for a little bit.

Where's your "Raikkonen is so good at Monaco" now? Where is your "Hamilton will easily get pole" comments now? Ahahahaha.

Shame about the penalty, but I'm still confident for a strong race. He finished fifth after starting from the back in 2006 - I'll say no more...

[Quiet One 15]

Alonso kinda disappointing after all has been said and done

Among theguys ahead of ALO my peferences for a win are in descending order: Romain, Marko Webbero, Schumi the Elder, Hamilton and, no, not Nico. Anybody but Nico. I's rathe watch Massa making Alonso crash and then cruising to victory than Nico winning and a bunch of "funny" journos writing "Oops, he did it again!" and congratulating themselves on their wittiness.

[JHS18 0]

I'd rather not Rosberg win tomorrow on the basis I want a sixth different winner. I'd rather Webber not win tomorrow because he's won at Monaco before. I'd rather Hamilton not win tomorrow because...well, he's Hamilton.

Come on Grosjean or Schumacher!

No, I joke. I'll be happy whatever the result as long as it is a sixth different winner. If that means a Webber domination, so be it.

[Massa 0]

Schumacher rockets to the lead, loses the engine in the final corner, everyone checks up, Massa plows through and wins. It would be perfect.

Even if that doesn't happen, enjoy the race, guys. I'll rejoin you for Montréal.

[brambilla 0]

Schumacher Rockets into Grosjean, who rockets into Webber, and Massa Rockets into Hamilton, leaving Rosberg, Alonso and Raikkonen fighting for the win. Alonso's tires fade down the stretch, leaving a Finn and a Pseudo-Finn fighting for the win, and Raikkonen takes it by a whisker ! Bonus - Kovalainen gets tenth spot and opens Caterhams Account =)

[F1 FANatic 1]

According to ESPNF1, Schumi said in the press conference that he'll win from 6th. Considering his recent run of wretched luck, I hope it doesn't turn out to be a tall claim.

Sadly he won't win, this week he has a mechanical problem on the menu. I'm going to say they put rosbergs tires on Schumis car and so he gets DQed

But next round in Canada he can look forward to finishing 12th after starting 2nd behind Button due to being run into by Hamilton, Alonso, Webber, Kimi and Maldanado as all of them have a false start and plow into the back of him as he is paiteintly waiting for the ligts to go out. Then he will be down 15 laps after repairs are complete but he will drive 35 seconds a lap faster than anybody for the rest of the race to finish in 12th

[JHS18 0]

Two particularly nasty incidents in the GP2 and GP3 races. Thankfully no-one was hurt in either crash, but hopefully we don't see anything like this tomorrow:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCte8-m-Xqg&feature=g-u-u

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXszF6m_ew8&feature=g-u-u

[Caesar 0]

that marshall has new birthday today

[Massa 0]

The thing I want to say about the Daly wreck:

Suranovich drove very disrespectfully and his actions were very unsportmanlike. That's frowned upon by me, at least.

But I hope Daly uses it to learn something, too. I'm not blaming Daly or defening Suranovich, but Daly needs to learn some patience. First, Daly hit Suranovich multiple times before the wreck. He was not driving very skillfully himself, and when you knock a guy's wing off, you can expect that guy to race you dirty (Suranovich was immature to try to ruin Daly's race, too, but it's not surprising that a driver would do that in frustration). What Daly ought to have realized after the first instances of contact and blocking was that Suranovich was going to race him like a ****, and therefore he should just back off. But instead Daly got riled and desperate to pass him and that contributed to the accident. I hear it all the time over team radios and things..."the 7's p***ed, back off a little" from the spotters in NASCAR or a driver in IndyCar saying they don't feel comfortable running alongside so-and-so and backing off. An experienced, tactful driver would have known 1) Suranovich was going to block at all costs and 2) Suranovich was being black-flagged and would be pitting soon enough anyway. I hope Daly learned to pick his battles because you cannot race that unskillfully and that impatiently, no matter how classless and disrespectful the guy in front of you is being, and expect to make it to F1...

...which is the topic of this thread, not the support classes, so I apologize for such a long post about Daly but you should note the flag next to his name and see why I care...

Anyway, with the World Series by Renault race tomorrow morning before the Grand Prix, I have a question...is having a morning support race a big deal for F1? I know when a different series from the norm (WSR isn't normally the undercard, though it probably has a better driver lineup this year and last than GP2 does and did) comes to the local short track or even when NASCAR Trucks and IndyCar share a weekend or any other series that uses different tires (WSR, or Formula Renault 3.5 if you prefer that, uses Michelin) everyone makes a huuuuuuuuuuuuge deal about "the rubber laid down on the track" impacting how the car handles, i.e. "all that Goodyear rubber from the Trucks is screwing up the IndyCars." Is that just an oval racing thing, or is it just Americans making excuses, or does it actually change the track surface a bit? Will that make a difference for the Grand Prix?

[HandyNZL 1]

I was going to post Connor's crash. Pretty lucky boy really. Open wheelers and catch fences don't go hand in hand. Idiot Russian driver though...just what did he expect he could do without a rear wing?

[Massa 0]

He was ****ed off at Daly for hitting him multiple times...it was just immature retaliation from a 16-year-old...

But it's weird to see Russia help the U.S. launch something since we usually battle each other over launching things...

[Massa 0]

Also, that catch fence is way too low. Those Formula Lawnmowers are just little squirts. You get an F1 car up and over and that's a lot of car higher than the fence.

[HandyNZL 1]

Re tyres from Eric...all I can say is that over a race weekend where we have Historic Formula Fords running on Dunlop CR82's and Avon ACB9's, and there are F5000's running Avons then pick up on the tyres does not seem too prevaliant, but once you have a few shopping trolley races (BMW E30's, classic japanese, Historic Muscle Cars, etc) then we end up with chunks of Toyo and Bridgestone and other DOT rated tyres all over our softer tyres.

Is it a problem? Well, it's the same for everyone in my mind, but some guys say it hurts their lap times, not that it is readily visible from the actual lap times written on the results sheets. You do end up with lots of marbles though!

[JHS18 0]

Apparently Suranovich flipped off the chief steward, was DSQed from the results and has lost his ride at the team he drove for...all in a day's work.

And yes Eric, races normally run on a Sunday before the Grand Prix. Normally a GP2/3 or Porsche race, it is pretty normal. So basically it makes little to no difference at all.

[HandyNZL 1]

Silly Boris....

[JHS18 0]

Is it a problem? Well, it's the same for everyone in my mind, but some guys say it hurts their lap times, not that it is readily visible from the actual lap times written on the results sheets. You do end up with lots of marbles though!

On that I think before most F1 races they clear the track of marbles anyway, especially on a street track, so yeah, it shouldn't be an issue.

[Massa 0]

Even Massa admits he's a hazard.

Michael did a great lap and I congratulate him – it’s a shame that he will then find himself very close to me on the grid tomorrow afternoon.

http://www.gpupdate.net/en/f1-news/279178/alonso-very-pleased-for-pace-setting-schumacher/

[Quiet One 15]

2 most plausible scenarios: everybody is scared out Sh#tless of making any mistakes, therefore the start will be as cautious as hell and maintain station...a procession minus the usual accidents.

Webber does what he does best: having an awful start. Massa does what he does best: making excellent starts. ALO and HAM get caught behind the Australian, Chaos ensues. I guess Massa will stay put behind Alonso either because he is smart enough or because of team orders. But the key question will be when he will relinquish the place if he has a better start. Hamilton will have the worst place, having to avoid Webber, a fast but accident prone Grosejan and trying to escape from the clutches of Alonso...al of it in a few seconds.

Schumi will be the usual loose cannon. Will he give ALO or Massa the Bruno treatment?

Further back Vettel is becoming this years Webber. Let's see how it goes. Kimi can be the greatest threat from the back or merely fade away.

Most likely winners/podium (scenaio 2): Nico, Hamilton and Grosejan. Alonso/Kimi/Vettel good substitutes if one of the guys in front crashes/loses the tire war.

Scenario 3. Rain. A Vergne win. Shares podium with Superman Coulthard and Rod Stewart, Spring comes. People marry and die. Pinkerton does not return (with apologies to Woody Allen)

[Insider 0]

I have to tell you that I will probably be streaming the GP on my iPad. Things have not turned as I thought they might. Some big wig who shall be nameless refused my friends the complimentary passes they had requested for me for today and refused to allow me to remain with the Marshals as I had not done a refresher course in the past three years. The latter I agree with. The former was just chest-blowing. I spent an interesting day with the Marshals yesterday and I shall report later. There are seats changing hands for 500-1000 euros in the bars and cafes but I don't have the wherewithal or notion actually, to get involved with that. I actually saw a Paddock Pass change hands last night for 5000 euros - I kid you not. I manage to meet up with some old Renault/Mecachrome cronies on Thursday and as they too are now excluded from the ex-employees complimentary roster they will be in a bar in Nice watching it. Well, I don't drink and I will be away to the airport early tomorrow.

For me, yesterday was a day of disgust and disbelief. Maldonado should not be allowed to take part in any kind of motor sport per se. I believe he is a sandwich short of a picnic and has a temper which borders on psychosis. I do not give a damn how talented he may be as a driver or how much money he brings to Williams. he should be barred from F1 completely. I saw the homicidal attack on Perez first hand but more about that in my report. Michael taking pole struck the pundits and the pit lane dumb. I was over the moon for him. Maybe, that just might be the spur to take him onwards.

Lastly, a word on JBs whining. I whine when I don't understand something and I can understand his frustration. He certainly had the car nicely balanced and was driving ultra-smooth but he lacked traction out of the slow corners and that's were all the time was going. Overall, though non-plussed by these tyres he does seem to be getting a little closer and with so many races to go still, I still fancy his chances. There are a lot of other drivers whining about the boots but the don't get the coverage Jens does.

Weather: From the Marshals. Between 13:00 and 15:00 cloudy, 69F, wind SSE at 10 km an hour, scattered showers, 30% chance of rain. The resulting low track temp could suit several teams including McLaren and Lotus. Au revoir, mes amis.

[LabradoRacer 2]

Tough luck, Sean. But no doubt your report will be like you were there.

[Quiet One 15]

Ahh yes...the Schum IS back...*rolls eyes*

[LabradoRacer 2]

Grosjean first made conctact with Alonso on his right, then making contact with Schumi.

Of course, Schumi will be blamed unfairly.

[LabradoRacer 2]

Sigh, yet another DNF for Schumi. I don't know when any driver had such a run of bad luck.