Alonso leads title chase with eye on third crown | 2012 F1 season

In all the hand-wringing over whether there's too much overtaking or too many race winners in F1 today, the fact that there's a championship going on tends to get overlooked.

But there is, and the contest for the drivers' title is being led by Fernando Alonso, thanks largely to his superb damage-limiting performances in the F2012 in the first four races of the year.

'We leave Monaco heading the championship,' said Alonso on Sunday. 'If I'd been offered that after the Mugello test at the beginning of the month, I'd have signed for it there and then, but if I'd been told that after Melbourne, I would never have believed it!'

Ferrari have bounced back from a faltering start to the season. The F2012 is not the fastest car on the grid right now, but it is greatly improved.

For evidence of that, look back at how Alonso wrestled with the evil-handling car in qualifying in Australia, until it finally got away from him and skidded into the gravel. Even a driver of Alonso's calibre could not have put that car on row three at Monaco.

The changes made following the Mugello test have transformed the F2012 from a car that scrapes into Q3 to one that can contend for podiums and even victories. From being 1.51% slower than the fastest cars in the first four races, that deficit has been almost halved, to 0.77%.

Compare that to the figures for their rivals over the season so far (see table, right) and it's clear Ferrari are in contention now.

(Incidentally, one other team have enjoyed a leap forward comparable to that of Ferrari in the last two races: Williams, who were 1.35% off the pace in rounds one to four, and 0.73% down in Spain and Monaco.)

Alonso's damage-limitation in the opening four races have clearly stood him in good stead: fending off Pastor Maldonado for fifth in Australia, and of course his superb win in the rain in Malaysia.

The car may not have served him well to begin with, but the team has other strengths. He has every reason to be satisfied with Ferrari's race strategy and their reliably rapid pit stops, both of which have helped him gain places and points.

The other good news for Alonso is Felipe Massa's long-overdue resurgence in form last weekend. If the improved Massa is here to stay, his role will undoubtedly be to take points off Alonso's rivals, a luxury the McLaren and Red Bull drivers are unlikely to enjoy.

Too close to call

We're just six races into a gruelling, 20-race calendar ' less than a third of the way through the season ' and at this stage several drivers are in the hunt for the title this year.

Alonso's closest rivals at present are the Red Bull duo. Last year's world champions became the first team to win two races this year in Monaco, and have built up a 38-point advantage in the constructors' championship. Their tally of 146 is shared evenly between their two drivers.

Bucking the trend from 2012, Webber has tended to be ahead in qualifying. Vettel has generally recovered well in the races but lost points with an unnecessary tangle with Narain Karthikeyan in Malaysia, and a drive-through penalty in Spain.

McLaren have a car that performs well in qualifying ' at least in Lewis Hamilton's hands ' but less well in the races. On top of that multiple mistakes in the pits has robbed them of more points.

Mercedes were quick to point out after Monaco that Nico Rosberg has out-scored every driver in the field over the last four races. Having failed to score in the last two races, he's now up to fifth.

Fortunately for Rosberg, he's largely avoided the unreliability problems that have compromised Michael Schumacher's campaign thus far, as well as the first-lap tangles with Romain Grosjean.

Six drivers are close enough to Alonso to be able to leave the next race in Canada with the championship lead. This sixth is Kimi Raikkonen.

Lotus's pace is clear to see from the table above, and Raikkonen's back-to-back podium finishes in Bahrain and Spain. However he's tended to be out-qualified by his junior team mate so far, and the team's performance in Monaco was clearly short of what they're capable of with the E20.

This year is shaping up to be a repeat of the thrilling 2010 season, with the lead of the championship repeatedly changing hands. The championship will be decided by who can make the most of the opportunity they have each race weekend.

But if there's one driver who will be hoping this year doesn't have too much in common with 2010, it's Alonso, who lost the title in the final round that year.

That was the second time he'd missed out on a third world championship in the final round. Will this be the year Alonso finally joins the elite ranks of F1's thrice-champions?

2012 F1 championship points

Use the interactive 2012 drivers' and constructors' championship points graphs:

• 2012 F1 championship points

2012 F1 season

• Alonso leads title chase with eye on third crown
• Become an F1 Fanatic Supporter: Annual subscriptions now available
• Why McLaren turned their nose up
• Williams capable of top five in Monaco, says Gillan
• Top ten pictures from the Monaco Grand Prix

Browse all 2012 F1 season articles

Image © Ferrari spa/Ercole Colombo

Webber rubbishes claims he was told to help Vettel | F1 Fanatic round-up

In the round-up: Mark Webber refutes Mercedes' suggestion he might have been told to delay his pursuers to help Sebastian Vettel in Monaco.

Links

Top F1 links from the past 24 hours:

Mark Webber column: Winning in Monaco is always special (BBC)

'I heard afterwards people had been speculating that I was 'backing up' Nico [Rosberg], Fernando [Alonso] and McLaren's Lewis Hamilton, who was also behind me, to help my team mate Sebastian Vettel gain places' That is absolute rubbish. You just cannot be that fancy around Monaco.'

As I wrote on Sunday, the lap charts bear this out:

• 2012 Monaco Grand Prix lap charts

New York F1 race in doubt ' Ecclestone (ESPN)

'I don't know if it is going to happen. I hope everything will be OK. They are sorting things out internally with some of their funds. If they are ready for 2013 we will have them.'

Analysis: What's Bernie's game? (Grand Prix)

Williams have previously said the fire in Spain was caused when they were draining fuel and not by KERS. But that won't put Ecclestone off his hobby horse:

'I think the fire was a lot to do with that kinetic energy thing which sparked. It should never have been introduced. It's an expensive secret because nobody knows anything about it. The public don't know and don't care.'

18 Millionen Euro für KERS und Motoren (Auto Motor und Spot, German)

Engine manufacturers say an engine and energy recovery system package for the 2014 will cost '18m (£14.4m).

Vettel: Geheime Ausstiegsklausel (Bild, German)

Helmut Marko says Sebastian Vettel has a performance clause in his Red Bull contract which allows him to leave in 2014.

• Sebastian Vettel extends Red Bull contract to 2014

McLaren MP4-26 2011 ' Fan Tail (Octopus) Exhaust (ScarsbF1)

'This exhaust solution was not the 'Octopus' as described; in fact McLaren Technical Director Paddy Lowe explained to me at the 2012 cars launch, that 'it didn't look anything like an Octopus'. Adding 'The exhaust we had was a slot, we called it a fantail', which was a simpler, albeit still innovative solution.'

Monaco Grand Prix: Suspension With Bells On (Gizmodo)

'Back in 2004, McLaren was approached by Dr Malcolm Smith, a Cambridge University Don. He had a solution that could absorb the sudden bounce from the tyres, in a way that conventional shock absorbers cannot.'

Mistakes from McLaren-Mercedes are hurting Lewis Hamilton (The National)

'If McLaren fail to get their act together before the circus rolls into Montreal in 10 days' time, it would not come as a major surprise if Ross Brawn, the Mercedes chief, hears a knock on his motorhome door an hour or so after the chequered flag falls.'

McLaren F1 Developer Designs New Auto Driving 100 MPH on 96 MPG (Bloomberg)

''We're taking on this monster industry, but we know it's going to work,' says [Gordon] Murray, standing in front of a mural depicting his victorious Formula One cars. 'I love the idea of being a giant killer.''

Comment of the day

Are Williams better off with Pastor Maldonado and Bruno Senna than their predecessors? Girts isn't sure:

The main problem of the 'second tier' (if I may use this combination of words) F1 drivers is not that they cannot deliver, that is, be as quick and great as a Vettel but that they are unable to perform consistently at that level, which, in my opinion, is the case with both of Williams' current drivers. By hiring Maldonado and Senna, Williams might have gained a lot of money that they have been (successfully) investing in the development of the car but I think they have also lost some valuable points that Barrichello or Hulkenberg might have scored.
Girts

From the forum

• Looking for somewhere to watch the Canadian Grand Prix next week? Join in on F1 in Pubs
• The Japanese commentary of the Indianpolis 500 makes the final laps even more dramatic
• More bad news from the world of rallying as Nokia pulls its WRC backing

Site updates

Spam prevention

Last week a few users complained they had received spam messages from another user.

The user in question had their account disabled promptly. Since then I've taken time to look more closely at how the messages were sent and made some changes to prevent it from happening again.

Support F1 Fanatic

As you may have seen yesterday, you can now contribute your support to F1 Fanatic on an annual basis instead of monthly, and enjoy ad-free browsing on the site when you do.

See here fore more information:

• Become an F1 Fanatic Supporter: Annual subscriptions now available

Happy birthday!

Happy birthday to The Dutch Bear and DuncF1!

If you want a birthday shout-out tell us when yours is by emailling me, using Twitter or adding to the list here.

On this day in F1

A puncture brought Nigel Mansell's string of victories at the beginning of the 1992 season to an end in the Monaco Grand Prix.

It dropped him behind Ayrton Senna, and he was never going to find a way around the master of Monaco. Not for a lack of trying.

Here's Mansell losing the lead (the pivotal moment was missed by the TV director):

And the frantic final laps:

Image © Red Bull/Getty images

Become an F1 Fanatic Supporter: Annual subscriptions now available | F1 Fanatic

Last week the new F1 Fanatic Supporter subscriptions were launched and take-up has been very good so far.

Several readers expressed an interest in being able to pay yearly instead of monthly, so that option is now available as well.

See these links for more information or sign up below:

• Become an F1 Fanatic Supporter
• F1 Fanatic Supporter FAQ

Become an F1 Fanatic Supporter

By becoming an F1 Fanatic Supporter you can contribute £1 per month or £12 per year towards the cost of running the site, and in return your F1 Fanatic account will become ad-free.

This will allow you to browse the site with no external ads, giving you more screen space and quicker-loading pages.

If you would like to contribute towards running and improving F1 Fanatic, and get to browse ad-free in return, simply fill in your F1 Fanatic user name below and click Subscribe.

You will be taken to an external page hosted by PayPal to complete the transaction (you do not require a PayPal account).

Monthly payment

£1 per month

Annual payment

£12 per year

You can also make a donation to F1 Fanatic or contribute in other ways.

Why McLaren turned their nose up | F1 technology

McLaren began 2012 with a lower and sleeker nose on their car than their rivals.

But following the Mugello test a revised version was introduced for the Spanish Grand Prix with a higher tip and a flatter profile. Why did they make the change?

One of the most striking changes of the 2012 regulations was the mandatory lowering of the nose. The nose section now must be no higher than 550mm above the reference plane, which is 75mm lower than before.

To maximise air flowing under the car most teams have resorted to the ugly 'stepped' nose. This design sees the top of the chassis and nose section hug the height boundaries imposed by the regulations. Because there is a discontinuity in this boundary it creates a 'step' atop the chassis. By doing this there is a greater volume of free space below the nose to manage the airflow which feeds into the floor.

The only team that didn't buy into this 'high nose' philosophy was McLaren. For the last couple of years McLaren have elected to build a lower chassis in order to reduce the centre of gravity of the front of the car ' a very important characteristic to improve mechanical grip. Hence the MP4/27 was the only car not to feature the otherwise ubiquitous stepped nose.

The low nose

The first drawing shows the nose and front wing of the launch-spec MP4-27. At this juncture the car still featured the 'snow plough', which fits under the nose and creates additional downforce and manages airflow around the sidepods. The snow plough was run extensively in 2011 and can be seen very clearly from the photograph below.

The low nose and snow plough means that it is harder to develop the surrounding area ' for example under wing vanes must either be smaller or omitted as the underside of the nose is much closer to the FIA's mandated exclusion zone where teams cannot place bodywork.

In addition it is more tricky to place the cameras in-board under the nose as that zone (especially with the snow plough) is even more cluttered.

The high nose

Although McLaren claimed that it hadn't missed a trick with the high nose, the team began evaluating the concept in February. The new nose made its first appearance late on the final day of the Mugello test at the beginning of this month and was introduced at the Spanish Grand Prix.

The second illustration shows the latest high-nose and front-wing on the MP4-27. It is worth noting a few things.

The front wing pillars are noticeably wider and higher thus allowing a much larger volume of air to flow under the car. The wider pillars also allow the cameras to be positioned in-board directly under the centre of the car ' from the drawing the in-board cameras create a quasi-flap behind the FIA mandated central wing section. This will increase aero efficiency and create a little downforce.

Although McLaren turfed out the snow plough (right) in February testing (it is unclear whether there was ever an intention to run it on the car) it is incredible how much additional space it frees up.

If you look at a front shot of the MP4/27 it almost appears as those the nose is now stepped ' this is because the new nose now hugs the upper 550mm boundary defined by the FIA. This new set-up allows front-wing vanes to be positioned underneath the chassis to scavenge air under the nose and to stop dirty air from the tyres impeding this flow.

The final point to note on the new McLaren front wing assembly the added aerodynamic detail on the front edge and underside of the wing. The green circle shows an example of this detail. Teams are becoming ever more sophisticated in producing and targeting vortices for aerodynamic benefit.

This detail (circled above) is likely designed to create a series of vortices directed to the lower-inside part of the tyre. Again this will help prevent turbulent air from the rubber interfering with the airflow downstream.

Is a stepped nose next?

McLaren will likely retain the 'high nose' concept for the remainder of the season. They have committed to it now for two races and the team clearly believe the new design has more development potential.

An interesting question is whether come 2013 the MP4-28 will feature a stepped nose. This is likely to depend on whether the FIA change the regulations.

The technical rules are set to lower noses a further 300mm in 2014. The compromise rules for this year were chosen to allow teams to continue to run their 2011 chassis if they chose.

The FIA therefore has some room to manoeuvre and may tweak the rules next year to remove the unsightly stepped noses from the sport. If that doesn't happen I would expect McLaren to evolve their current design and join the rest of the grid in having a stepped nose of their own.

F1 technology

• Sauber cut an F1 car in half and reveal what's inside
• Why McLaren turned their nose up
• Williams take a step forward with improved compact gearbox
• The problems with Ferrari's front pull-rod suspension
• How the Red Bull RB8's exhaust feeds its diffuser

Browse all F1 technology articles

Illustrations © John Beamer for F1 Fanatic, images © Mclaren/Hoch Zwei, F1 Fanatic

Sauber cut an F1 car in half and reveal what's inside | F1 technology

Sauber have produced an enlightening video which shows how the internals of an F1 car are laid out.

The team split a 2008 BMW Sauber F1.08 chassis in half lengthways to show the positioning of components within the car.

As always, even with a four-year-old car, the team avoid showing the rear of the car in too much detail, as the engine and drivetrain are among its most sensitive parts. This being a 2008 car, is does not have a Kinetic Energy Recovery System or Drag Reduction System.

However the video gives a rare view of the layout of an F1 car, and is worth watching just to see Sergio Perez perched inside the Willy Wonka half-car.

F1 technology

• Sauber cut an F1 car in half and reveal what's inside
• Why McLaren turned their nose up
• Williams take a step forward with improved compact gearbox
• The problems with Ferrari's front pull-rod suspension
• How the Red Bull RB8's exhaust feeds its diffuser

Browse all F1 technology articles

Two-way tie as Predictions Championship closes up | Predictions Championship

Two players are tied for the lead of the Predictions Championship after the Monaco Grand Prix round.

Carpy3 and Chrissylyn each have 65 points following a difficult round in which most players struggled to score in double figures.

The highest scorer was Tango11 with 19, who wins a 1972 Autocourse eBook.

Formula 1 took second place after beating OmarR-Pepper in the pole position time tie-breaker. They win a Grand Prix Heroes DVD and F1 poster respectively.

For the second week in a row few players correctly picked the race winner before qualifying started ' just 11 (1.2%) named Mark Webber as the winner and 12 (1.3%) tipped him to take pole position.

Lewis Hamilton was the favourite both for pole position (43.2%) and the win (34.9%).

See the updated points standings in full Here:

• Updated Predictions Championship standings

Here are the four highest-scoring predictions for the last race:

Remember you can make your predictions for all the remaining rounds of the season below and edit them whenever you like up until the start of each qualifying session.

2012 F1 Fanatic Predictions Championship overall prizes

Grand prize: Two grandstands tickets to the 2013 British Grand Prix

The person who scores the most points over the whole season will win two grandstand tickets to the 2013 British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

The grand prize winner will receive tickets to all three days of the event with reserved seating for the race.

• Buy British Grand Prix tickets via the Silverstone website or call the ticket hotline on 0844 3728 300

Second place prize: An F1 painting of your choice

The second place finisher will win a Formula 1 painting by Rob Ijbema.

You get to choose which F1 driver, present or past, will feature in the painting.

Or you can pick one of the other motor racing paintings on Rob's site:

• Car-a-day

Runner-up prize: Racecar Engineering subscriptions

The five players with the next highest scores (positions three to seven) will each win a year's subscription to Racecar Engineering magazine.

Racecar Engineering is the world's leading motorsport technology magazine. Every issue is packed with in-depth features, interviews and analysis from Formula One, Le Mans and all forms racing and rallying.

• Exclusive offer: save up to £33 when you subscribe to Racecar Engineering

Runner-up prize: Autocourse calendars

The five players with the next highest scores (positions eight to 12) will each win a 2013 Autocourse calendar.

The Autocourse Grand Prix calendar contains images taken during the season of all the major players competing in the Formula One World Championship.

The images are high resolution and taken by one of the world's leading Grand Prix photographers, the calendar is printed on art quality paper and comes with a stiffened backing board and shrink wrapped for protection.

• Autocourse Grand Prix calendar

More prizes to be announced

Further prizes will be announced during the season.

2012 F1 Fanatic Predictions Championship race prizes

Race winner's prize: Autocourse eBooks

The highest scorer in each race will win an Autocourse eBook. The 1971 edition will be the first prize up for grabs, and later players will have the chance to win 1972 to 1976 editions.

The Autocourse eBooks are faithful reproductions of the original annuals in digital form. The colour, clarity of images and text have been improved to modern standards, but the content remains in original format.

Autocourse has become the definitive record of Formula One racing the world over and early editions are collector's items, which regularly trade for hundreds of pounds.

• The 1971 Autocourse eBook is available from www.autocourse.com for £19.99 with free postage/packing to UK customers.

First runner-up prize: Grand Prix Heroes DVD

The second-placed player in each race will win their choice of one of Duke Video's new Grand Prix Heroes DVDs (pictured top).

Videos are available on such famous F1 figures as Niki Lauda, James Hunt, Mika Hakkinen, Jackie Stewart, Mario Andretti, Emerson Fittipaldi, Jody Scheckter, Ronnie Peterson, Peter Revson and Frank Williams.

• Duke Video

Second runner-up prize: F1 posters by PJ Tierney

The third-placed player in each race will win one of PJ Tierney's excellent unofficial Formula 1 posters.

You can view PJ's posters along with his other work on his website:

• PJ Tierney

How to enter

To enter, predict the pole sitter and the top five finishers in the race. You can also enter a prediction for the pole position lap time ' this may be used as a tie-breaker.

Enter your pole position lap time prediction as follows: MM:SS.ccc

For example, for a lap of one minute, 23.456 seconds you would enter 01:23.456

You need to log in using an F1 Fanatic account to make your prediction.

If you haven't got one yet the sign-up process is quick, simple and entirely free: sign up here now.

After entering your prediction, you will receive an email confirming your entry. If this does not happen, or you are concerned your prediction has not been received, please get in touch using the contact form.

Enter your predictions

You must be logged in

2012 Monaco Grand Prix

• Top ten pictures from the Monaco Grand Prix
• Vote for your 2012 Monaco GP driver of the weekend
• Webber the sixth winner and fifth pole sitter of 2012
• 2012 Monaco Grand Prix fastest laps
• 2012 Monaco Grand Prix tyre strategies and pit stops

Browse all 2012 Monaco Grand Prix articles

Image © Red Bull/Getty images

Top ten pictures from the Monaco Grand Prix | F1 pictures

Ten of the best pictures from the Monaco Grand Prix weekend.

Nico Rosberg, practice

A Monaco marshal enjoys one of the best seats in the house, watching Nico Rosberg turn in at Mirabeau.

Kimi Raikkonen, practice

Kimi Raikkonen donned James Hunt's helmet for the race weekend. The 1976 world champion made his final F1 start at Monaco for Wolf in 1979.

Raikkonen spent most of first practice in the garage having his steering changed, and rain in second practice meant he had little dry running on Thursday.

Jean-Eric Vergne, practice

In the damp second practice session, Jean-Eric Vergne took the opportunity to familiarise himself with the track and Pirelli's intermediate tyres.

In the race, he was the only driver to use the treaded tyre, gambling on the conditions worsening in the later laps. Unfortunately for him, they didn't.

Felipe Massa, qualifying

Felipe Massa qualified within a tenth of a second of Fernando Alonso ' the closest he's been all year ' and still had his team mate in sight at the end of the race. Light at the end of the tunnel?

Williams, race

There was no repeat of Williams's Spanish success in Monaco. Pastor Maldonado was relegated to last after a controversial collision with Sergio Perez during practice.

Bruno Senna, being pushed past his team mate on the grid, took a single point for tenth, his third points finish of the year.

Start

Chaos is about to break out at the start. Fernando Alonso is moving left to try to pass the slow-starting Lewis Hamilton, but as Romain Grosjean moves left in avoidance Michael Schumacher can't avoid him.

It wasn't the first time this year Schumacher and Grosjean collided on lap one ' they also did in Malaysia. This time Grosjean came off worst, though Schumacher also retired later in the race.

Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso, race

Alonso pressured Hamilton on the first lap, getting alongside the McLaren at the hairpin, but find passing as difficult as ever at Monaco.

Kimi Raikkonen and Michael Schumacher, race

Raikkonen hit trouble with his tyres and quickly had Schumacher and Nico Hulkenberg bottled up behind him. Soon Bruno Senna, Paul di Resta, Daniel Ricciardo and Heikki Kovalainen caught them too.

Mark Webber, race

Mark Webber scored his second win from pole at Monaco with Rosberg and Alonso less than a second behind.

Mark Webber, post-race

The team jump into the Red Bull pool has become an annual event, as they've won the race for the last three years in a row.

Christian Horner began the tradition in 2006, jumping into the pool wearing a Superman cloak to celebrate the team's first podium finish, scored by David Coulthard.

More Monaco Grand Prix pictures

• 2012 Monaco Grand Prix in pictures
• More special helmet designs for Monaco
• Vergne using Jean Alesi tribute helmet in Monaco
• 'Thou shalt defeat the enemy': Alonso's Monaco helmet design
• 2012 Monaco Grand Prix qualifying in pictures
• 2012 Monaco Grand Prix practice in 100 pictures
• 2012 Monaco Grand Prix Wednesday pictures

2012 Monaco Grand Prix

• Top ten pictures from the Monaco Grand Prix
• Vote for your 2012 Monaco GP driver of the weekend
• Webber the sixth winner and fifth pole sitter of 2012
• 2012 Monaco Grand Prix fastest laps
• 2012 Monaco Grand Prix tyre strategies and pit stops

Browse all 2012 Monaco Grand Prix articles

Image © Daimler/Hoch Zwei, Lotus F1 Team/LAT, Red Bull/Getty images, Ferrari spa/Ercole Colombo, Williams/LAT, Daimler/Hoch Zwei, McLaren/Hoch Zwei,Lotus F1 Team/LAT, Red Bull/Getty images, Red Bull/Getty images

Horner hints at Webber's Red Bull future | F1 Fanatic round-up

In the round-up: Christian Horner says he sees no reason for Mark Webber to leave Red Bull.

Links

Top F1 links from the past 24 hours:

No Reason For Webber To Leave ' Horner (Speed)

'Why would he want to leave? He's comfortable in the team. The team know Mark very well, Mark knows the team very well. We're only at race six.'

Michael Schumacher should stay at Mercedes ' Ross Brawn (BBC)

'We always said Michael himself will know when it's time to retire and after a performance like that why should he?'

Hamilton admits McLaren are 'falling behind' (The Telegraph)

'The team definitely have some work to do. I've fallen behind. Race by race we are getting further and further behind the others.'

F1 in new push to bring costs down (Autosport)

Norbert Haug: 'It is not a secret that with the new [commercial] arrangements that the top teams are better off, and what we want to have in F1 are competitive midfield teams that can spring surprises.'

F1 unpredictability may be a turn-off for fans, says Jenson Button (Metro)

'So anyone can win a Grand Prix, everyone can lose a Grand Prix like that?' I think they're finding it a little bit strange now.'

Mercedes F1 W03 ' revised sidepods (F1)

'Mercedes were running a heavily revised, almost B-spec car in Monaco.'

A working Monday in Maranello (Ferrari)

'Another item on the job list is undoubtedly the behaviour of the tyres. Going into the race in the Principality, not many believed that doing a one stop race would be possible and the fact that it had not been possible to test the tyres over a long run in free practice, especially the super-soft which was making its first appearance of 2012, made the situation even more uncertain.'

Domenicali: Monaco a great boost for Massa (Adam Cooper)

'I'm sure that this will be a turning of his season, because he needs that. It was a great boost for him. It's something that we need for the constructors' championship and for the team. So I'm expecting a good Felipe up to the end.'

How Kovalainen & Caterham beat a McLaren: F1 debrief ' Monaco (Caterham via YouTube)

There is nothing unlucky about 13th for Caterham (The Sun)

'Within seconds his car was sporting four new supersoft tyres and a brand new nosecone. As Heikki pulled away to rejoin the race ahead of Timo, Jody roared his appreciation of the job the pitcrew had done, telling the lads it was 'Pure mint!' ' and a couple of other more choice words!'

Monaco Conclusions

'Barring accident or an unseasonal shower, this is how Monaco always has been ' or at least it has felt that way for the past twenty years ' and how it will always be. It's both the best setting in F1 and the worst venue on the calendar (we can forgive Valencia on account of its youth).'

Nico Rosberg: Message after P2 at Monaco GP 2012 (Nico Rosberg via YouTube)

Kevin Garside: Schumacher still driven by primal need (The Independent)

'A lusty proportion of Formula One fans were never comfortable with the marriage of freakish speed and shifting morals. It did not do much either for Formula One writers of a certain vintage, or Schumacher-wins-again correspondents as they became known, compelled to sell to the boss on a fortnightly basis news of another Teutonic sweep to the chequered flag.'

Time with M. Todt (Peter Windsor)

''Do you envisage just one championship in every tier?' 'Yes. Ideally ' and again on paper ' it's very easy: karting, Formula 4, Formula 3, Formula 2, Formula 1. The problem is to assess the situation and to see how you can achieve that ' and with whom you can achieve it.''

The IT crowd: CFD at Marussia F1 (The Engineer)

'With a performance rating of 72 teraflops ' or 72 trillion calculations per second ' Marussia's supercomputer is one of the most powerful in the UK. F1 rules only allow an average performance of 40 teraflops but having this high peak capability leaves room for intense use when needed and space to run experiments on last year's design without breaking the rules.'

'There are twisty roads in Monaco' just ask Princess Grace': Sky Formula 1 presenter sparks fury with bad taste 'joke' (Daily Mail)

'A Sky spokesman told MailOnline: 'We are very sorry for the offence caused by SimonLazenby's remark. His reference to Grace Kelly was inappropriate and, quite rightly, he apologised for the comment live on air.'

Comment of the day

Andae23 on the best drivers in Monaco:

Very difficult choice: I think the entire top six drove a superb race without a single mistake, this may have been the best 'race' I have seen in a long time. Schumacher did superb on Saturday and did well on Sunday before resigning.

Vergne actually drove his best race so far this year before the team made a mistake which cost him points. Solid race from the Force India guys, and congratulations to Karthikeyan for finishing.

I think I'm going to go with Webber: he hasn't put a foot wrong this weekend and thoroughly deserved this win. Is Webber a title candidate? Well, he has shown some remarkable consistency in the first six races, so I would say so!
Andae23

From the forum

• If you spotted one you can nominate the best pass of the Monaco Grand Prix here
• Who's leading the 2012 qualifying championship?
• We're trialling a new ad format again

Happy birthday!

Happy birthday to Chris and Hughes!

No F1 Fanatic birthdays today.

If you want a birthday shout-out tell us when yours is by emailling me, using Twitter or adding to the list here.

On this day in F1

Denny Hulme won Oulton Park's last non-championship F1 race today in 1972, driving a McLaren M19A.

Image © Red Bull/Getty images

Vote for your 2012 Monaco GP driver of the weekend | 2012 Monaco Grand Prix

Which F1 driver had the best race weekend in Monaco?

Compare all the drivers' performances below and vote for who you think was the best driver of the Monaco Grand Prix weekend.

Driver notes

Sebastian Vettel ' A set-up change on his car on Saturday left him having to work hard to get into Q3. Once there he chose not to set a time, and instead start on the soft tyres and run a strategy counter to that of the other. It would have worked better had Raikkonen's tyres not gone off, creating a gap for the other front runners to make their pit stops and come out in clean air. Nonetheless he ran strongly to lap 46 on his softs before pitting, jumping Hamilton and Massa to take fourth.
Mark Webber ' Beat Vettel again in qualifying ' he's 4-2 up now this year. Second became pole after Schumacher's penalty, and he got off the line better than usual to take the lead. Weathered constant pressure from Rosberg at the end of the race, particularly during the brief shower, to take his second Monaco win.

Jenson Button ' Failed to reach Q3 for the second race in a row and was delayed in the first-corner crash, falling behind Kovalainen. McLaren's efforts to jump the Caterham through the pits failed. Button spun at the Swimming Pool trying to pass Kovalainen, then went off for good at Sainte Devote with eight laps to go.
Lewis Hamilton ' For the first time this year, Hamilton wasn't among the top two qualifiers. He made a slow start from third which he complained to his team about on the radio afterwards. More frustrations followed: he was jumped by Alonso during his pit stop, then lost another place to Vettel, and came home fifth.

Fernando Alonso ' Started fifth and contained his pace in the opening laps, looking after his tyres. This paid dividends when it came time for his pit stop, allowing him to pass Hamilton. With hindsight, he admitted afterwards, he could have stayed out longer and gained more places ' perhaps even taking the lead ' had they suspected the soft tyres would take so long to warm up.
Felipe Massa ' Only a tenth off Alonso in qualifying and finished close behind too in a much better showing.

Michael Schumacher ' His penalty from Spain cost him pole position, relegating him to sixth. The Mercedes stood up impressively well to a heavy whack from Grosjean on the run to the first corner. He fell behind Raikkonen, losing a lot of time when the Lotus driver's tyres went off. Was on course for seventh when he lost fuel pressure ' his fourth retirement this year and the third time it was out of his hands.
Nico Rosberg ' Pushed Webber hard for the win, with rapid in- and out-laps around his pit stop, but couldn't get the jump on the Red Bull. Second podium of the year moves him up to fifth in the drivers' championship.

Kimi Raikkonen ' Requested a steering change on his car after his installation lap in first practice, which meant he had little dry running on Thursday. Qualified over half a second off Grosjean, and slipped back in the first stint when his tyres went off. Was unfortunate to lose a place to Hulkenberg as Perez pitted. 'Ninth was the best we could do today,' he reckoned.
Romain Grosjean ' Looked very confident and quick in practice, though couldn't find the same performance gain on super-softs that the others got. Started fourth but edging away from Alonso put him into Schumacher's path, spinning him out of the race. Though he bears no blame for what was a racing incident, it was precipitated by another less-than-stellar start.

Paul di Resta ' Unhappy with the car's balance in qualifying, he started 14th. Moved up to 11th at the start, then ran long at his first pit stop to move up to ninth ahead of Hulkenberg. That became seventh at the flag.
Nico Hulkenberg ' Was held up in the queue behind Raikkonen and made the unfortunate choice to pit on the same lap as the Lotus. Snuck past when Raikkonen was held up by Perez, and finished one second behind his team mate.

Kamui Kobayashi ' Disappointed to miss Q3 and start 11th, he damaged his car making contact with Grosjean at the start and had to retire.
Sergio Perez ' 'I am disappointed and I expected a much better result,' was Peter Sauber's short and stark assessment of qualifying after Kobayashi failed to reach Q3 and Perez crashed in Q1. Replays indicated Perez's front-left wheel had sustained damage before he crashed ' possibly from contact with the barrier ' but at least this wasn't as serious as his 2011 shunt. Recovered well to finish 11th for the third time in four races, and was hard done with his penalty.

Daniel Ricciardo ' Out-qualified Vergne as usual but dropped behind Kovalainen in the second half of the race. Retired after damaging his steering in the Swimming Pool complex.
Jean-Eric Vergne ' Lost out badly at the first corner, slipping to 17th. His team countered with a bold strategy, switching from super-soft to soft tyres earlier than everyone else. His tyres were fading late in the race when he was running seventh so they tried another gamble, pitting for intermediates. But the rain never got heavy enough and he slumped to 12th.

Pastor Maldonado ' From hero in Spain to zero in Moanco. Insisted his FP3 clash with Perez was accidental but it didn't look it, and his ten-place grid penalties suggests the stewards weren't convinced either. Piled into the back of De la Rosa's HRT at the first corner
Bruno Senna ' Was off Maldonado's pace but at least he brought the car home for a point.

Heikki Kovalainen ' A stoic drive from Kovalainen brought Caterham the 13th place they needed to overhaul Marussia in the championship. Struggled in the late-race rain, losing heat in his brakes and tyres, and had to pit for a new front wign after clashes with Button and Perez, but brought the car home.
Vitaly Petrov ' Picked up damage early on so pitted for a new front wing, falling to last. Later retired with an electrical fault.

Pedro de la Rosa ' Said he doesn't enjoy Monaco and doesn't think it's safe enough for F1, so was perhaps not too disappointed to be taken out by Maldonado on the first lap.
Narain Karthikeyan ' Comprehensively beaten by de la Rosa in qualifying to the tune of 1.2 seconds. Finished last, two laps down.

Timo Glock ' Came very close to spoiling Caterham's weekend when, with four laps to go, Kovalainen returned to the track less than a second in front of him. Had to settle for 14th ' the time lost with a broken front wing early in the race proving costly.
Charles Pic ' Infuriated his team mate in qualifying ' Glock said Pic held him up ' and retired with an electrical problem in the race.

Qualifying and race results summary

Review the race data

• 2012 Monaco Grand Prix tyre strategies and pit stops
• 2012 Monaco Grand Prix lap charts
• 2012 Monaco Grand Prix fastest laps

Vote for your driver of the weekend

Which driver do you think did the best job this weekend?

Cast your vote below and explain your choice in the comments.

Who was the best driver of the Monaco Grand Prix weekend?

An F1 Fanatic account is required in order to vote. If you do not have one, register an account here or read more about registering here.

2012 Monaco Grand Prix

• Vote for your 2012 Monaco GP driver of the weekend
• Webber the sixth winner and fifth pole sitter of 2012
• 2012 Monaco Grand Prix fastest laps
• 2012 Monaco Grand Prix tyre strategies and pit stops
• 2012 Monaco Grand Prix lap charts

Browse all 2012 Monaco Grand Prix articles

Image © Red Bull/Getty images, Daimler/Hoch Zwei, Red Bull/Getty images, Marussia

Webber the sixth winner and fifth pole sitter of 2012 | 2012 Monaco Grand Prix stats and facts

Mark Webber scored his eighth career win in the Monaco Grand Prix, matching Jacky Ickx and Denny Hulme's tally of wins.

He becomes a two-time winner of the race, and the 11th driver to win the historic event more than once.

He joins Juan Manuel Fangio, Maurice Trintignant, Stirling Moss, Graham Hill, Jackie Stewart, Niki Lauda, Jody Scheckter, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, David Coulthard and Fernando Alonso.

Webber scored both his wins at Monaco by slender margins: 0.643s ahead of Rosberg this year, and 0.448s ahead of Sebastian Vettel two years ago, albeit under safety car conditions.

Neither of these were the closest-ever finish at Monaco: that remains Ayrton Senna's 0.215s win over Nigel Mansell, which will be 20 years ago this Thursday.

Webber's tenth pole position

Webber also claimed his tenth career pole position, giving him as many as Jochen Rindt.

This may seem an uncontroversial point but it inspired a surprising degree of invective in the comments from those insisting pole position belonged to Michael Schumacher. Schumacher was fastest in qualifying, but his five-place grid penalty for causing a collision with Bruno Senna in the Spanish Grand Prix relegated him to sixth.

While the significance of Schumacher being fastest in qualifying for the first time since his comeback should not be missed, this was not his pole position. That did not stop several headline-writers claiming it was.

Drivers' tallies of pole positions are based on who is allocated pole position on the starting grid. The reason for their demotion makes no difference. There are many past examples of drivers who were fastest in qualifying not gaining pole position.

Ferrari driver Cliff Allison never started a world championship race from pole position but he was fastest in qualifying for the 1959 German Grand Prix at AVUS. As he was a reserve driver, the organisers added ten seconds to his lap time, and he lined up 14th instead of first.

Other drivers who lost pole position for different reasons include Kimi Raikkonen (engine change penalty, Monza 2005), Fernando Alonso (penalty for impeding, Hungaroring 2007) and Lewis Hamilton (excluded due to stopping after qualifying, Catalunya 2012). None of these are counted towards their pole position tallies of 16, 20 and 21 respectively.

And, of course, Schumacher himself lost pole position once before at Monaco in 2006, after infamously parking his car at Rascasse to prevent other drivers from improving their times. Nor is this counted towards his pole tally of 68.

Schumacher's now had three penalties in his last four visits to Monte-Carlo ' he was controversially demoted from sixth to 12th after the 2010 race for passing Alonso under safety car conditions at the end of the race.

Six winners in six races

Webber becomes the sixth different driver to win in the first six races ' a new record. Red Bull became the first team to score more than one win this year.

While much has been made of what the number of different winners says about the state of the sport, it should be remembered that we are still well short of the record of nine consecutive different winners (see the last stats and facts for details). And the record for five consecutive different teams winning has not been broken.

We've also had five different pole sitters in the last five races. This last happened in 2009 between the British and Belgian Grands Prix, with Sebastian Vettel, Webber, Alonso, Lewis Hamilton and Giancarlo Fisichella taking pole position.

Sergio Perez became the sixth different driver to set fastest lap this year, and the seventh different driver to do so in consecutive races.

This was Perez's first fastest lap as an F1 driver, and only the second ever by a Mexican. The other was set by Pedro Rodriguez in the 1968 French Grand Prix, held at a soaked Rouen.

Rosbergs tie on 114 starts

Nico Rosberg started his 114th Grand Prix, meaning he now has as many starts as father Keke. Here's how their careers compare up to this point:

Lotus's 535th race

Lotus went to town on marking their '500th race', emblazoning it on the nose of their car and tagging their Tweets 'Monaco 500'.

This was a somewhat confusing gesture as the previous team called Lotus had marked the 500th start for the famous name at the 2010 European Grand Prix.

This is, of course, another example of the thoughtless use of the Lotus name in F1 over the last three years.

While Tony Fernandes-era Lotus (2010-2011) adopted the heritage of their predecessors, the new Lotus are positioning themselves as 'Team Enstone'. The team's website refers to their predecessors Toleman, Benetton and Renault as the team's history.

This explains why they called the Moanco Grand Prix their '500th race'. I cannot fathom the reasoning of doing this yet persisting to call themselves Lotus. By this reasoning, their first race was the 1981 Italian Grand Prix in which they competed against Lotus.

For the record, this was the 535th race contested by Lotus (in their three different guises) in F1.

More Monaco Grand Prix stats and facts

Two drivers raced with helmet designs mimicking those of former F1 pilots: Raikkonen used James Hunt's and Jean-Eric Vergne used Jean Alesi's ' itself based on the design used by Elio de Angelis.

In 1996 at Monaco David Coulthard was struggling with his helmet fogging up so he borrowed one of Michael Schumacher's spares for the race. While the real Schumacher crashed out on the first lap, the 'fake Schumacher' finished second for McLaren, wearing the same helmet Schumacher had used to finish third in Brazil.

Felipe Massa and Webber led a race for the first time this year. Half the drivers in the championship have now led a race at some stage. Three more race leaders this year will equal the record of 15.

Finally, Maldonado went from hero to zero by winning from pole position in the previous race but starting last for this one and crashing out on the first lap.

Review the year so far in statistics here:

• 2012 F1 championship points
• 2012 F1 season records
• 2012 F1 race data
• 2012 F1 qualifying data
• 2012 F1 retirements and penalties
• 2012 F1 strategy and pit stops
• 2012 F1 driver form guides

Spotted any other interesting stats and facts from the Monaco Grand Prix? Share them in the comments.

2012 Monaco Grand Prix

• Vote for your 2012 Monaco GP driver of the weekend
• Webber the sixth winner and fifth pole sitter of 2012
• 2012 Monaco Grand Prix fastest laps
• 2012 Monaco Grand Prix tyre strategies and pit stops
• 2012 Monaco Grand Prix lap charts

Browse all 2012 Monaco Grand Prix articles

Image © Red Bull/Getty images, Daimler/Hoch Zwei, Lotus F1 Team/LAT

Hamilton unhappy with poor Monaco showing | F1 Fanatic round-up

In the round-up: Lewis Hamilton was unhappy with his start, strategy and pace ' as well as being hit by numbers falling from his pit board.

Links

Top F1 links from the past 24 hours:

Lewis Hamilton furious with McLaren over slow start at Monaco (The Guardian)

'I wasn't really informed. I didn't have the information to say Sebastian was going to get me. I could easily have pushed. Those are communication things which you work on. I just have to ask them next time to give me more info.'

No protest against Webber's win (Autosport)

'It is understood that Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes are unhappy that holes in the floor in front of the rear wheels of the RB8 do not comply with the regulations.'

FIA's Technical Working Group to discuss RBR controversy on Monday (Adam Cooper)

'The hole caught the attention of rival teams during the Monaco weekend, and McLaren wrote to Red Bull at 1.32pm on Saturday, just prior to qualifying, expressing its opinion and giving the team a chance to change the car ' something that clearly was not going to happen at such a late stage.'

Analysis ' Red Bull floor cut-outs (F1)

'Talk focussed on whether the cut-out on the Red Bull constitutes an enclosed 'hole', hence meaning the floor is not 'impervious', as opposed to the cut-outs in similar places on the Sauber (red arrow in right-hand drawing) and Ferrari, for example, which are open at the floor's edge.'

Schumacher fastest but not on pole (The Independent)

'Insiders are adamant that [Sebastian Vettel] has signed an option with Ferrari for 2014, subject to competitive form from the Prancing Horse stable for the rest of 2012.'

• Sebastian Vettel extends Red Bull contract to 2014

Mark Webber believes race wins are key to claiming F1 title (BBC)

'You need to win. We need to be scoring all the time and then when days like this come along, you cannot let them go ' at all. You have to grab them with both hands.'

Monaco GP ' Conference 4 (FIA)

Mark Webber: 'I think, in general, qualifying has gone very well for me this year. Seb got me once in Bahrain, the rest have gone for well for me. Set-up-wise, we've always been pretty close, we always work very well as a team, to get the most out of both cars. He made some changes before qualifying, which ' it looks in hindsight he wasn't particularly happy with.'

Whiting: I'll have a glass of wine and a packet of crisps when Monaco is over (Daily Mail)

'There is always the danger of complacency, and I am always reminding people the next accident is around the corner. There's always that possibility. You can't consider it is not going to happen because, inevitably, it will. We have to keep vigilant.'

Crane delays Porsche race (Joe Saward)

'The Automobile Club de Monaco found a solution, but the start of the Porsche Supercup race was delayed by 15 minutes while the blockage was removed.'

Comment of the day

CeeVee on yesterday's two big races:

Thank goodness the Indy 500 was on later and showed what motor racing should be. More changes for the lead in one race than we get in a whole season of F1 and, shock/horror, they took place on the track. Yes, tactics played a part but they didn't dominate the way they do in F1 and they have tyres that allow the drivers to race.

F1 has been degenerating ever since it stopped being a single seat formula and became races with a driver in the car and a dozen or so co-drivers in the pits, monitoring systems and feeding driving instruction out to the car. The contrast between Monaco and the Indy 500 showed why F1 will never really succeed in the USA, it's just not interesting enough.
CeeVee

From the forum

• Video: Franchitti wins dramatic Indy 500 as Sato crashes on last lap
• Were you at the race? Share your videos from the 2012 Monaco Grand Prix

Happy birthday!

No F1 Fanatic birthdays today.

If you want a birthday shout-out tell us when yours is by emailling me, using Twitter or adding to the list here.

On this day in F1

Andrea Moda were surely one of the most hopeless entries ever seen in Formula 1. They only started a single race ' the 1992 Monaco Grand Prix.

That was thanks to Roberto Moreno, who dragged the S921 through pre-qualifying on this day 20 years ago, before going on to qualify.

Here's some rare video of the team at the only race they ever qualified for:

Image © McLaren/Hoch Zwei

2012 Monaco Grand Prix result | 2012 Monaco Grand Prix

Not classified: Romain Grosjean, Pastor Maldonado, Pedro de la Rosa, Kamui Kobayashi, Vitaly Petrov, Michael Schumacher, Charles Pic, Daniel Ricciardo

2012 Monaco Grand Prix

• Webber gives Red Bull third straight Monaco win
• 2012 Monaco Grand Prix championship points
• 2012 Monaco Grand Prix result
• Rate the race: 2012 Monaco Grand Prix
• Live: 2012 Monaco Grand Prix

Browse all 2012 Monaco Grand Prix articles

Rate the race: 2012 Monaco Grand Prix | Debates and Polls

What did you think of the Monaco Grand Prix? Share your verdict on today's race.

F1 Fanatic holds polls on each race to find out which fans thought were the best and worst races during a season.

Please vote based on how entertaining and exciting you thought the race was, not on how your preferred driver or team performed.

Rate the race out of ten and leave a comment below:

Rate the 2012 Monaco Grand Prix out of ten

1 = 'Terrible', 10 = 'Perfect'

You need an F1 Fanatic account to vote. Register an account here or read more about registering here.

See the results for past seasons here:

• New 2011 rules produced best racing of last four years
• Canadian Grand Prix voted best race of 2010
• F1 Fanatic readers rate the last 50 races
• Rate the race 2009 results
• Rate the race 2008 results

Image © Daimler/Hoch Zwei

2012 Monaco Grand Prix championship points | 2012 Monaco Grand Prix

Advert | Go Ad-free

Maldonado handed ten-place grid penalty for Perez collision | 2012 Monaco Grand Prix

Pastor Maldonado will be moved back ten places on the grid for the Monaco Grand Prix.

The Williams driver collided with Sergio Perez towards the end of the final hour of practice on Saturday morning.

Maldonado, who scored his first F1 victory in the previous race in Spain, appeared to deliberately make contact with the Sauber driver.

Maldonado was involved in a similar incident with Lewis Hamilton during qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix last year, for which he received a five-place penalty.

This article will be updated.

2012 Monaco Grand Prix

• Schumacher fastest but Webber on pole in Monaco
• 2012 Monaco Grand Prix grid
• Maldonado handed ten-place grid penalty for Perez collision
• Live: 2012 Monaco Grand Prix qualifying
• Rosberg fastest as Maldonado crashes in Monaco

Browse all 2012 Monaco Grand Prix articles

Image © Williams/LAT

2012 Monaco Grand Prix grid | 2012 Monaco Grand Prix

Advert | Go Ad-free

Schumacher fastest but Webber on pole in Monaco | 2012 Monaco Grand Prix qualifying

Michael Schumacher was fastest in qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix ' but will lose his it due to his five-place grid penalty from the Spanish Grand Prix.

That means Mark Webber will start Sunday's race from pole after team mate Sebastian Vettel chose not to set a time in Q3.

Q1

The first part of qualifying got off to a busy start with all 24 cars taking to the track in the first few minutes. As usual traffic proved a problem ' notably for Charles Pic, who was held up by Pedro de la Rosa at the end of his first lap.

But within a few minutes the session was stopped. For the second year in a row Sergio Perez crashed his Sauber ' though fortunately not as seriously as his 2011 crash.

The Sauber driver hit the barrier at the Swimming Pool complex ' replays showed his front-left wheel was not pointing in the correction direction before he hit the wall. The session was red-flagged while his car was recovered.

When the session restarted the Mercedes pair set the fastest times to begin with on soft tyres, with Pastor Maldonado's Williams in among them.

Lotus waited until the track had quiet end before sending their cars out on soft tyres. Grosjean made it through into Q2 comfortably but Raikkonen's last effort wasn't quick enough and he had to make a flying visit to the pits for a set of super-softs.

He got the job done on the red-coloured tyres as did Sebastian Vettel, who also had to use the softer run to secure a place in Q2.

Drivers eliminated in Q1

Q2

Rosberg led the way at the start of the second part of qualifying, a 1'15.022 putting him fastest, with Webber just 0.013s behind.

The other Red Bull of Vettel continued to struggle ' his first effort left him ninth, complaining the car was 'jumping around like a rabbit'.

Jean-Eric Vergne was the next driver to lose his car on the approach to the chicane, swiping the barrier on the left and losing his front wing. He toured slowly back to the pits, Felipe Massa having to take evasive action to avoid hitting the Toro Rosso.

On his return to the track on super-softs Massa set a new benchmark time, lowering the mark to 1'14.911 and securing his progression to Q3 for the first time this year.

Grosjean did his first laps on soft tyres but couldn't produce a time quick enough for the top ten. As in practice he couldn't find as great a lap time improvement on the super-softs as his rivals, but made it into the final ten.

His team mate joined him, once again scraping in with his final lap. Vettel also escaped elimination with his last effort, but again Button was unable to join them, ending up 13th.

Drivers eliminated in Q2

Q3

Seven cars went out initially in Q3, the Ferraris and Vettel hanging back. Grosjean led the way to begin with, setting a 1'14.639, but Rosberg pipped him by six-hundredths of a second with his second lap on the super-soft tyres. Webber took up third behind them, followed by Hamilton.

The Ferrari duo took up sixth and seventh with their laps, but Vettel decided not to set a time, effectively settling for a place on the fifth row.

That was all the more extraordinary as his team mate had the pace to challenge for pole position. A 1'14.381 put him on top ' until he was pipped by eight-hundredths of a second by Michael Schumacher.

Grosjean showed pace in the first sector of his final lap but a slow middle sector left him fifth.

But Schumacher's pole position will be denied him because of the penalty he was handed in Spain. A five-place grid drop will put Webber on pole, sharing the front row with Rosberg.

Top ten in Q3

2012 Monaco Grand Prix

• Schumacher fastest but Webber on pole in Monaco
• 2012 Monaco Grand Prix grid
• Maldonado handed ten-place grid penalty for Perez collision
• Live: 2012 Monaco Grand Prix qualifying
• Rosberg fastest as Maldonado crashes in Monaco

Browse all 2012 Monaco Grand Prix articles

Image © Red Bull/Getty images

Will F1 get winner number six in Monaco? Make your predictions | Predictions Championship

The close and competitive 2012 season has made the F1 Fanatic Predictions Championship extra-challenging this year.

There's been a different winner in every race so far ' and we could see a sixth this weekend.

But there's some great prizes on offer if you can name the top five finishers ' plus the pole-sitter ' for the Monaco Grand Prix.

The top prediction will win a retro Autocourse eBook, second place will claim a Grand Prix Heroes DVD and the third-placed finishers will receive an F1 poster by PJ Tierney.

All you have to do now is get your prediction right! Study the form, pick a winner and make your selection below.

As usual you can edit your prediction up until the start of qualifying.

How to enter

To enter, predict the pole sitter and the top five finishers in the race. You can also enter a prediction for the pole position lap time ' this may be used as a tie-breaker.

Enter your pole position lap time prediction as follows: MM:SS.ccc

For example, for a lap of one minute, 23.456 seconds you would enter 01:23.456

You need to log in using an F1 Fanatic account to make your prediction.

If you haven't got one yet the sign-up process is quick, simple and entirely free: sign up here now.

After entering your prediction, you will receive an email confirming your entry. If this does not happen, or you are concerned your prediction has not been received, please get in touch using the contact form.

Enter your predictions

You must be logged in

2012 F1 Fanatic Predictions Championship overall prizes

Grand prize: Two grandstands tickets to the 2013 British Grand Prix

The person who scores the most points over the whole season will win two grandstand tickets to the 2013 British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

The grand prize winner will receive tickets to all three days of the event with reserved seating for the race.

• Buy British Grand Prix tickets via the Silverstone website or call the ticket hotline on 0844 3728 300

Second place prize: An F1 painting of your choice

The second place finisher will win a Formula 1 painting by Rob Ijbema.

You get to choose which F1 driver, present or past, will feature in the painting.

Or you can pick one of the other motor racing paintings on Rob's site:

• Car-a-day

Runner-up prize: Racecar Engineering subscriptions

The five players with the next highest scores (positions three to seven) will each win a year's subscription to Racecar Engineering magazine.

Racecar Engineering is the world's leading motorsport technology magazine. Every issue is packed with in-depth features, interviews and analysis from Formula One, Le Mans and all forms racing and rallying.

• Exclusive offer: save up to £33 when you subscribe to Racecar Engineering

Runner-up prize: Autocourse calendars

The five players with the next highest scores (positions eight to 12) will each win a 2013 Autocourse calendar.

The Autocourse Grand Prix calendar contains images taken during the season of all the major players competing in the Formula One World Championship.

The images are high resolution and taken by one of the world's leading Grand Prix photographers, the calendar is printed on art quality paper and comes with a stiffened backing board and shrink wrapped for protection.

• Autocourse Grand Prix calendar

2012 F1 Fanatic Predictions Championship race prizes

Race winner's prize: Autocourse eBooks

The highest scorer in each race will win an Autocourse eBook. The 1971 edition will be the first prize up for grabs, and later players will have the chance to win 1972 to 1976 editions.

The Autocourse eBooks are faithful reproductions of the original annuals in digital form. The colour, clarity of images and text have been improved to modern standards, but the content remains in original format.

Autocourse has become the definitive record of Formula One racing the world over and early editions are collector's items, which regularly trade for hundreds of pounds.

• The 1971 Autocourse eBook is available from www.autocourse.com for £19.99 with free postage/packing to UK customers.

First runner-up prize: Grand Prix Heroes DVD

The second-placed player in each race will win their choice of one of Duke Video's new Grand Prix Heroes DVDs (pictured top).

Videos are available on such famous F1 figures as Niki Lauda, James Hunt, Mika Hakkinen, Jackie Stewart, Mario Andretti, Emerson Fittipaldi, Jody Scheckter, Ronnie Peterson, Peter Revson and Frank Williams.

• Duke Video

Second runner-up prize: F1 posters by PJ Tierney

The third-placed player in each race will win one of PJ Tierney's excellent unofficial Formula 1 posters.

You can view PJ's posters along with his other work on his website:

• PJ Tierney

Rules

Competition terms and conditions

1. Maximum one entry per household.
2. The competition is not open to employees, friends or family of F1 Fanatic, Silverstone Circuit, Car-a-Day, Icon Publishing or Chelsea Magazines.
3. Predictions will be promoted on the front page of F1 Fanatic before closing prior to the start of qualifying.
4. In each round players are invited to predict (a) who will be on pole position and (b) what the top five finishers will be (five different drivers).
5. Players score points in each round as follows:
a. Correctly naming the pole sitter: 2 points
b. Correctly naming one/two/three/four/five driver/s who finish in the top five: 1/2/3/5/8 points
c. Correctly predicting where one/two/three/four/five driver/s finish: 2/6/14/24/40 points
6. Whoever scores the most points in every race counting towards the Formula 1 World Championship wins the grand prize.
7. In the event of a tie on points the winner will be determined by who is closest to predicting the pole position time correctly. If that fails to produce a winner the editor will choose a means of deciding who has won.
8. Predictions must be entered using the form above. If you have trouble submitting your entry via the form please contact F1 Fanatic via email and send your prediction using the contact form.
9. In the event of a dispute the editor's decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
10. No cash alternative is offered for any of the prizes.
11. Grand Prix tickets: Children must be accompanied by an adult. Accommodation and transport to the venue not included.
12. Players who have won prizes will be notified by email within seven days of each Grand Prix. Grand Prix tickets will be despatched once they are available.

2012 Monaco Grand Prix

• Will F1 get winner number six in Monaco? Make your predictions
• Rain makes for inconclusive practice day in Monaco
• Raikkonen wears James Hunt-style helmet in Monaco
• 2012 Monaco Grand Prix practice in 100 pictures
• Button fastest in rain-affected second practice

Browse all 2012 Monaco Grand Prix articles

Image © McLaren/Hoch Zwei

Williams: Senna 'must respond' after Maldonado win | F1 Fanatic round-up

In the round-up: Frank Williams says Bruno Senna needs to raise his game following Pastor Maldonado's win in the Spanish Grand Prix.

F1 Fanatic Live

Join us for live comments during today's GP2 and GP3 races here:

• F1 Fanatic Live: Monaco GP2 and GP3 races

Links

Top F1 links from the past 24 hours:

Formula One: driving sideways at 140mph still gets Frank Williams going (The Telegraph)

'Now Bruno [Senna] must respond. Maldo's win will give him a kick up the backside. Which he needs. We'll see. Everyone is saying Maldo is magic around Monte Carlo and to some extent he is. But it is by no means a given.'

Q&A with Williams' Pastor Maldonado (F1)

'Sometimes, some comments really got to me. But at the same time I knew better and was sure that by giving my best I would prove all the false comments were wrong. I knew it would just be a matter of time. Good results ' and winning ' are the best way to stop such nonsense. I never felt that I was paying to race. It's a natural process. A GP2 champion should advance to Formula One ' Nico Rosberg did, Nico Hulkenberg did and I did.'

McLaren to offer Hamilton a new £20m deal (The Telegraph)

'XIX Entertainment, Hamilton's management company, is keen for greater freedom to be inserted into any new contract which would allow him to promote his own brands or pursue his own projects.'

FIA Showdown Over F1 Float (Sky)

'The FIA, which is run by the former Ferrari team boss Jean Todt, is also understood to have tabled a list of other demands from CVC and Ecclestone during their discussions.'

Monaco GP ' Conference 2 (FIA)

Ross Brawn: 'I think it would be a mistake to delay the engines again. If you recall, we've already delayed them one year and we've had to re' in fact we've changed them from a four cylinder to a six cylinder and then we delayed them a year. Every change actually costs a lot of money for the people investing in new engines.'

Mercedes in 'delicate discussions' over F1 future, says Ross Brawn (The Guardian)

Ross Brawn: 'We are very proud of our history and our heritage and we feel its important to the sport. People have different opinions on that. But it's all part of the delicate discussions that are going on. It is still I'm afraid something we can't comment on. So I can't really add anything to what we've said previously.'

Lotus the team to beat, says Button (Reuters)

'The cars that looked very fast for me were the Lotuses. Their runs whenever they are out look very competitive, so I'd say the Lotus is the car to beat so far this weekend.'

Grosjean: I'd love to surprise (Sky)

'Let's see Sunday. It's would be nice. I would love to be the surprise here but step-by-step. I think free practice went pretty well, let's see how qualifying goes and then the race.'

Jean-Pierre Beltoise ' 'If Romain Grosjean wins the Monaco Grand Prix, I'll be absolutely delighted!' (Lotus)

'At one moment the visibility was so bad on the Gazometre straight ' the Swimming Pool Esses didn't exist at the time ' and it was the quickest part of the circuit that I had to base myself on the proximity of the guardrail on the left and on the right. When I managed to make out something I braked with 10,700 rpm on the rev counter and when I saw nothing I lifted off at 10,200 rpm.'

• 1972 Monaco Grand Prix flashback: Beltoise scores his only win ' and BRM's last ' at Monaco

Webber fears pole out of reach for RBR (Autosport)

'It was not easy for us. We have got some work to do in the next 24 hours. There are clearly some very quick cars and we have to improve our car.'

Monaco The Ultimate Paradox (Speed)

'Only recently have teams been given the luxury of pit garages in which to work. During my time in the pit lane, we worked in the open, and there were no garages but merely small pit boxes in which to store tires and tools, but there was no cover for us or the cars. We worked out in the open, rain or shine, a crude set-up that rendered our technology vulnerable to the eyes of the competition.'

McCombs remains committed to F1 track (My San Antonio)

'McCombs declined to comment when asked if he had bought out Hellmund, an Austin-based promoter and former race car driver who initiated contact with F1 officials five years ago.'

Comment of the day

Damonsmedley reckons Toro Rosso give their drivers more running in wet practice sessions:

One thing I've noticed this year is the Toro Rosso guys using practice a lot more than most drivers, particularly when the track is wet.

At the Australian Grand Prix, we walked the track in FP2 and whilst there were several appearances from all the drivers, the only cars that seemed to be continuously on-track (and they stayed there when everyone else was parked in the garage) were the two Toro Rossos.

Why is that? Are the drivers trying to get experience? And if so, why are they the only ones doing it? I noticed it again today when Vergne and Ricciardo were both pumping in laps on the intermediates.
Damonsmedley

From the forum

• Are you still playing F1 2011 and F1 2010? Share your progress
• Problems at a different street race ' track blocked during the F3 Pau Grand Prix

Happy birthday!

Happy birthday to Sumedh!

If you want a birthday shout-out tell us when yours is by emailling me, using Twitter or adding to the list here.

On this day in F1

Jacques Villeneuve won the Spanish Grand Prix 15 years ago today in a race shaped by tyre wear.

The Goodyear runners experienced higher degradation than those on Bridgestones ' the latter included Olivier Panis, who rose from 12th to finish second for Prost. Jean Alesi was third for Benetton.

Here's the beginning of the race:

Image © Williams/LAT

2012 Indianapolis 500 preview: America's great race gets a new look | IndyCar

The Monaco Grand Prix is one of two great and historic races taking place on Sunday.

After the chequered flag falls in Monte-Carlo, 33 turbocharged IndyCars will assemble for the 96th running of the Indianapolis 500.

There's no denying the race lost some of its lustre during the dark days of the IRL-Champ Car split. But in recent years the series has tried to recapture some of that missing magic.

This year's race marks the return of competition between engine manufacturers and has already produced the closest ever battle for pole position.

There's plenty of interest for F1 fans having a look-in as well. Former F1 drivers Rubens Barrichello and Jean Alesi are making their first starts in the race which has been running for more than a century.

They'll be competing with the likes of Dario Franchitti, Helio Castroneves, Marco Andretti and Tony Kanaan to win the 500-mile classic.

New car, new engines

The field which assembles for this year's race looks very different to that of 12 months ago. With new chassis and new engines, an unpredictable and spectacular race is in the offing.

The new Dallara DW12 IndyCar has already done service in four races but this will be its first appearance on an oval. The bulky rear bodywork may be of questionable aesthetic merit, but the turbulence it generates produces a more powerful slipstream for drivers, which should produce some exciting racing.

For the first time since 2005 there's competition between different engine manufacturers. Chevrolet had the upper hand in qualifying, taking nine of the top ten places on the grid. It remains to be seen if Honda can compete on fuel mileage in the race ' the two have been closely-matched in the races so far.

However the two Lotus-engined cars qualified in the last two places and may struggle to stay in the race. Five of the 26 cars in the first race of the season were using the Lotus powerplant, a figure which has dwindled to two out of 33 this weekend. Teams have been quick to drop the underpowered engines.

Race director Beaux Barfield has said cars which are more than 5% off the pace during the race will be disqualified. Simona de Silvestro was 5.34% off in qualifying and Jean Alesi (pictured) 7.24% in his first IndyCar race weekend.

Read more about the new cars here:

• IndyCar 2012 season preview: A new beginning

In memory of Dan

This year's race will inevitably be tinged with sadness as since then we have lost the driver who won it so spectacularly this year.

It is the first IndyCar race on an oval since Dan Wheldon lost his life in the appalling crash at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on October 16th last year.

The car Wheldon won last year's race with will be driven on a lap of honour before the race starts by team owner Bryan Herta.

2012 Indianapolis 500 practice and qualifying

Ryan Briscoe starts from pole position for Penske after the closest ever content for pole in the 101-year history of the speedway. He beat Andretti's James Hinchcliffe by 0.0023s over four laps of the circuit, average 364.49kph (226.484mph).

Hinchcliffe's team mate Ryan-Hunter-Reay joins them on the front row as the Indianapolis 500 grid is three cars wide.

Championship leader Will Power starts from fifth. He's won the last three races on road and street courses but his record on ovals is less strong. He's flanked by Marco Andretti and three-times Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves.

The highest Honda-powered driver is American rookie Josef Newgarden driving for Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing. He shares row three with KV duo Tony Kanaan and EJ Viso.

The third KV car belonging to Rubens Barrichello is tenth on the grid, the highest he has started so far in his IndyCar career.

Reigning champion Dario Franchitti is in the middle of the pack ' 16th, having not enjoyed a good start to the season with the new car.

JR Hildebrand, who came within one corner of winning last year's race, is 18th. Former F1 drivers Takuma Sato, Justin Wilson and Sebastien Bourdais are 19th, 21st and 25th ' the latter making his first start with a Chevrolet instead of a Lotus.

The punishing 500-mile race often comes down to who can tune their car in to the shifting conditions at the track, manoeuvre themselves into the best strategic position at the end of the race and ' of course ' sustain almost three hours of flat-out racing without striking the unforgiging walls.

This is one of the supreme challenges of motor racing ' that it takes place on the same day as the Monaco Grand Prix is an embarrassment of riches for a motor racing fan. Join is with us and enjoy both great races this weekend.

The 2012 Indianapolis 500 on F1 Fanatic Live

We'll be following every lap of the 2012 Indianapolis 500 on F1 Fanatic Live. Keep an eye out for the live page appearing after the Monaco Grand Prix.

The race is shown on Sky Sports 4 in the UK, covering starting at 4:30pm.

You can follow F1 Fanatic Live on Twitter for updates during the race and catch up on more pre-race news in the forum:

• F1 Fanatic Live on Twitter
• 2012 Indianapolis 500

2012 Indianapolis 500 starting grid

The 2012 IndyCar season so far

IndyCar Grand Prix of St Petersburg

The new IndyCar era began in Miami. Will Power led early on but an early pit stop dropped him back into the pack, letting team mate Helio Castronever in to win.

IndyCar Grand Prix of Alabama

Power battled through the field in Alabama to win ahead of Scott Dixon in an action-packed race.

IndyCar Grand Prix of Long Beach

Mass penalties for the Chevrolet drivers put Dario Franchitti on pole at Long Beach. He came under attack from Josef Newgarden at turn one but the rookie's move proved too optimistic and he crashed out.

Franchitti slipped back and Power claimed the win despite Simon Pagenaud hunting him down quickly in a thrilling end to the race.

Sao Paulo Indy 300

Power made it three wins in a row in Brazil, this time after starting from pole position. Takuma Sato took his best IndyCar finish to date with third behind Ryan Hunter-Reay.

The 2011 Indianapolis 500

No-one who witnessed the closing laps of last year's Indianapolis 500 will forget the moment of pure drama on the final lap. As a motor racing fan, it was up there with Interlagos 2008 as one of the most astonishing moments I've ever seen on a race track.

In the closing stages Dario Franchitti looked well-placed to claim the lead after his last fuel stop. But he was passed by JR Hildebrand, the American making his first Indy 500 start.

So it was Hildebrand who inherited the lead after Bertrand Baguette's effort to make it to the end without a final stop failed on lap 197.

Hildebrand had led earlier in the race and with three laps to go he was out in front and seemingly uncatchable. Behind him Dan Wheldon, who had been fifth when Baguette pitted, passed Scott Dixon for second place.

Wheldon had lost his full-time IndyCar seat at Panther Racing to Hildebrand during the off-season, and this race was supposed to be his only start of the year. As the final lap began he looked set repeat his second place finish of the previous two Indy 500s.

But as Hildebrand approached the last corner for the 200th and final time, he ran wide lapping Charlie Kimball, got onto the slippery asphalt on the outside of the corner, and smashed into the barrier.

Hildebrand's shattered car had more than enough momentum to carry him across the line, but the charging Wheldon but him to it by two seconds. It was a stunning and emotional second win in the race for Wheldon.

• Wheldon wins Indy 500 as Hildebrand crashes at last corner

You can watch the race in full here.

Indianapolis 500 history

This year sees the 96th running of the Indianapolis 500. The race was first held in 1911, and last year marked its 100th anniversary.

The Goodwood Festival of Speed marked the centenary with a parade of race-winnind cars including the inaugural winner, the 1911 Marmon Wasp. Have a look at some of the great, weird and wonderful cars to have triumphed at the Brickyard:

• Indianapolis 500 centenary celebration at Goodwood

IndyCar

• 2012 Indianapolis 500 preview: America's great race gets a new look
• Live: 2012 IndyCar Sao Paulo Indy 300
• Live: 2012 IndyCar Grand Prix of Long Beach
• Live: IndyCar Grand Prix of Alabama
• Live: IndyCar Grand Prix of St Petersburg

Images © Ron McQueeney, Chris Jones, Chirs Jones

2012 Monaco Grand Prix practice in pictures | F1 pictures

Pictures from the first practice day of practice for the Monaco Grand Prix.

More images will be added here.

Jenson Button, McLaren, Monaco, 2012

Lewis Hamilton, McLaren, Monaco, 2012

Lewis Hamilton, McLaren, Monaco, 2012

Fernando Alonso, Monaco, Ferrari, 2012

Fernando Alonso, Monaco, Ferrari, 2012

Fernando Alonso, Monaco, Ferrari, 2012

Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, Monaco, 2012

Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, Monaco, 2012

Sebastian Vettel, Mark Webber, Red Bull, Monaco, 2012

Jean-Eric Vergne, Toro Rosso, Monaco, 2012

Jean-Eric Vergne, Toro Rosso, Monaco, 2012

Jean-Eric Vergne, Toro Rosso, Monaco, 2012

Paul di Resta, Force India, Monaco, 2012

Paul di Resta, Force India, Monaco, 2012

Paul di Resta, Force India, Monaco, 2012

Nico Rosberg, Mercedes, Monaco, 2012

Nico Rosberg, Mercedes, Monaco, 2012

Nico Rosberg, Mercedes, Monaco, 2012

Kamui Kobayashi, Sauber, Monaco, 2012

Kamui Kobayashi, Sauber, Monaco, 2012

Sergio Perez, Sauber, Monaco, 2012

Heikki Kovalainen, Caterham, Monaco, 2012

Heikki Kovalainen, Caterham, Monaco, 2012

Heikki Kovalainen, Caterham, Monaco, 2012

Felipe Massa, Monaco, Ferrari, 2012

Felipe Massa, Monaco, Ferrari, 2012

Felipe Massa, Monaco, Ferrari, 2012

Toro Rosso, Monaco, 2012

Daniel Ricciardo, Toro Rosso, Monaco, 2012

Jean-Eric Vergne, Toro Rosso, Monaco, 2012

Lewis Hamilton, McLaren, Monaco, 2012

Lewis Hamilton, McLaren, Monaco, 2012

Lewis Hamilton, McLaren, Monaco, 2012

Heikki Kovalainen, Caterham, Monaco, 2012

Vitaly Petrov, Caterham, Monaco, 2012

Vitaly Petrov, Caterham, Monaco, 2012

Nico Hulkenberg, Force India, Monaco, 2012

Paul di Resta, Force India, Monaco, 2012

Paul di Resta, Force India, Monaco, 2012

Heikki Kovalainen, Caterham, Monaco, 2012

Nico Rosberg, Mercedes, Monaco, 2012

Michael Schumacher, Mercedes, Monaco, 2012

Fernando Alonso, Monaco, Ferrari, 2012

Fernando Alonso, Monaco, Ferrari, 2012

Felipe Massa, Monaco, Ferrari, 2012

Jenson Button, McLaren, Monaco, 2012

Jenson Button, McLaren, Monaco, 2012

Jenson Button, McLaren, Monaco, 2012

Sergio Perez, Sauber, Monaco, 2012

Mark Webber, Red Bull, Monaco, 2012

F1 pictures

• 2012 Monaco Grand Prix practice in pictures
• Vergne using Jean Alesi tribute helmet in Monaco
• 2012 Monaco Grand Prix Wednesday pictures
• "Thou shalt defeat the enemy": Alonso's Monaco helmet design
• Williams prepared for Monaco despite fire

View more F1 pictures

Images © Ferrari spa/Ercole Colombo, Lotus F1 Team/LAT, Williams/LAT, McLaren/Hoch Zwei, Mercedes, Daimler/Hoch Zwei, Getty Images/Red Bull, Sahara Force India F1 Team, Sauber F1 Team, Caterham/LAT, Marussia, HRT, Pirelli