Monaco GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Mercedes

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS FORMULA 1 TEAM

Lewis Hamilton - “Barcelona was the worst feeling but, like I always say, the true test is how you get back up when you've been knocked down. It was a tough moment for all of us after the race but it's now chapter closed and looking ahead to Monaco. It's an incredible feeling making a car dance through those streets, one of the purest thrills you can have in a racing car. I've not had the best run of results in Monaco in recent years - but last year showed I have the pace to do the job. It's always a different weekend to the rest, with the extra day, the boats in the harbour and sleeping at home; that makes it fun because the whole rhythm is something else to the rest of the season. I'm approaching this weekend with only one result in mind.”

Nico Rosberg - “I was gutted after what happened in Spain - for myself, but mostly for the team. We're in this together and I know how hard everybody works to make these amazing cars, so for us to leave them both in the gravel is the worst possible scenario. But we've talked it through and now it's time to leave it in the past. It's one of my home races next in Monaco - the ultimate driver's track. It's where I grew up and where I still live today, so that always makes it a special weekend. I have memories from every corner going right back to my school days and I always have great support there from my family, my friends and the fans, which gives you that extra boost through the weekend. It's been amazing to win there for the past three years - but I know it will be tough to repeat that with Lewis, the Ferraris and the Red Bulls all so strong now. I'm feeling confident, so bring on the battle!”

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Monaco GP: Circuit Preview

MONACO GRAND PRIX 2016 - CIRCUIT PREVIEW & 2015 STATS

Name: Circuit de Monaco

Location: Monte Carlo, Monaco

Opened: 1929

Length: 2.074 Miles

Capacity: 37,000

Runs: Clockwise

Turns: 19

Race Laps: 78

2016 STATS

Pole Position: Lewis Hamilton

1st Place: Nico Rosberg

2nd Place: Sebastian Vettel

3rd Place: Lewis Hamilton

Retirements: Pastor Maldonado (Brakes), Fernando Alonso (Gearbox) & Max Verstappen (Collision)

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Monaco GP: Track Schedule

MONACO GRAND PRIX 2016 - TRACK SCHEDULE

May 25th / Wednesday

15:00 - Drivers Press Conference (Located in the Press Room)

May 26th / Thursday

10:00 - 11:30 - Free Practice #1

14:00 - 15:30 - Free Practice #2

16:00 - 17:00 - Press Conference (Located in the Press Room)

May 28th / Saturday

08:00 - 08:45 - Paddock Club Pit-Lane Walk

08:00 - 08:45 - Team Pit-Stop Practice

11:00 - 12:00 - Free Practice #3

12:10 - 13:45 - Paddock Club Pit-Lane Walk

14:00 - 15:00 - Qualifying

May 29th / Sunday

08:00 - 09:00 - Paddock Club Pit-Lane Walk

11:45 - 13:15 - Paddock Club Pit-Lane Walk

12:30 - Drivers Track Parade

12:45 - 13:15 - Starting Grid Presentation

13:46 - National Anthem

14:00 - 16:00 - Race 

(Times subject to change)

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Head Protection Design To Be Chosen

Head Protection Concepts in F1

So, will it be Ferrari’s “Halo” or Red Bull’s "Aeroscreen" that will be protecting drivers in the future? The debate over cockpit protection in Formula One has raised a lot of questions, but one of the most important of them, which concept will be introduced in 2017, will be answered by July 1st.

Formula One bosses have set the deadline for the cockpit protection concept for the first of July.

Charlie Whiting told Autosport that the plan is to have everything sorted “to the point that the teams can design their chassis” by July 1st. The changes to the 2017 aerodynamic regulations mean the decision will have a huge influence on what the car looks like.

“It would be unreasonable if we didn’t have a clear path by that time,” Whiting told Autosport.

“It’s only a small part of the chassis and it’s not going to affect things like fuel volume and those big things but it’s still part of a complex design process.

“There are different load cases for each deign because the halo has a central mounting and the aeroscreen has two sides on the side and nothing in the middle.”

Only one of the two proposed designs will be implemented and, in the case of the aeroscreen screen, it will be made by one company, so every team will receive the exact same screen.

“Most teams would like to have a single design, whether that is a single source supply or whether it is a design like side impact structures, where the design and lay up are all part of the technical regulations and the teams make their own to that precise design.”

There are still tests for the cockpit protection device, including the “free head volume” which will test how much space the driver has to move his head without hitting the device.

It’s expected we’ll see Red Bull continue to test the aeroscreen in practice at in Spain and Monaco, and Ferrari and Mercedes are free to further test the halo if they request to do so.

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In-Season Test 1 - (Barcelona) Day 2 / Re-Cap & Times

IN-SEASON TEST 1 / DAY 2 / RE-CAP & TIMES

Max Verstappen celebrated his first ever grand prix win by topping the timing sheets in the second day of in-season testing at Barcelona. The Red Bull newbie set more than 100 laps with the B-spec power unit, but had already set the fastest time of the day in the morning session.

    On both Tuesday and Wednesday, Renault have been testing the B-spec power unit, looking to see what the upgrade can do ahead of a possible introduction in Monaco. Judging by Versappen’s times, the implementation could cause a few worried thoughts in the Ferrari camp, with Verstappen’s Wednesday time just 0.047 seconds off of Vettel’s best time from Tuesday

    Behind Verstappen was another young face, with Stoffel Vandoorne ending the second day of testing just 0.739 seconds behind the teenager. Vandoorne set the time on the supersoft tyre, with McLaren focusing on tyre preparation during the morning session. The test driver also commented on the improved down force of the McLaren car, which he drove in Bahrain after Fernando Alonso’s collision in Australia.

    Mercedes made a late change in their driver line-up, with Manor driver Pascal Wehrlein taking the Mercedes for a spin in the second day of testing. The German set the third fastest time of the day, 0.878 seconds slower than Vandoorne. The switch may be more than meets the eye to the Mercedes fans/conspiracy theorists, as the switch means Lewis Hamilton most likely will not test for the team this season.

    It was a used ultrasoft tyre that Esteban Gutierrez used to set his fastest time, which put him fourth quickest, 0.128 seconds ahead of Antonio Fuoco, who was in the Ferrari car. The Italian was using medium tyres for most of the day, setting his fastest time late on the day when he switched to the soft compound.

    After rejoining the team before the Spanish grand prix, Russian Daniil Kvyat would have wanted as much time in the possible to get used to the Toro Rosso. Kvyat set over a hundred laps, but his day was interrupted when he brought out the red flags after stopping late in the afternoon.

    Alfonso Celis Junior in the Force India and Kevin Magnussen in the Renault were seventh and eighth on the timing sheet. After recent complaints about the Renault, Magnussen noted the improved drivability of the car, which is also carrying the B-spec power unit. The Dane said he would be happy to run it in Monaco, if the team believes it is ready.

    Felipe Massa and Jordan King rounded off the timings, with Massa running the experimental double wing in the afternoon. The wing wouldn’t be race legal, but allows the team to analyse aero balance.

 TIMES:

 1. Max Verstappen - 1:23.267 / Red Bull-TAG-HEUER / Netherlands
2. Stoffel Vandoorne - 1:24.006 / McLaren-Honda / Belgium
3. Pascal Wehrlein - 1:24.145 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Germany
4. Esteban Gutierrez - 1:24.592 / Haas-Ferrari / Mexico
5. Antonio Fuoco - 1:24.720 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Italy
6. Daniil Kvyat - 1:24.737 / Toro Rosso-Ferrari /Russia
7. Alfonso Celis - 1:25.016 / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico
8. Kevin Magnussen - 1:25.133 / Renault-Renault / Denmark
9. Felipe Massa - 1:27.167 / Williams-Mercedes / Brazil
10. Jordan King - 1:27.615 / Manor-Mercedes / Great Britain

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In-Season Test 1 - (Barcelona) Day 2 / Line-Up

IN-SEASON TESTING / DAY 2 / LINE-UP

Mercedes-Mercedes: Pascal Wehrlein

Ferrari-Ferrari: Antonio Fuoco

Red Bull-TAG-HEUER: Max Verstappen

Williams-Mercedes: Felipe Massa

Force India-Mercedes: Alfonso Celis Jr.

Toro Rosso-Ferrari: Daniil Kvyat

McLaren-Honda: Stoffel Vandoorne

Renault-Renault: Kevin Magnussen

Manor-Mercedes: Jordan King

Haas-Ferrari: Esteban Gutierrez

Sauber **

** - Sauber has opted to sit out the first test

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In-Season Test 1 - (Barcelona) Day 1 / Re-Cap & Times

IN-SEASON TESTING / DAY 1 / RE-CAP & TIMES

While Sauber opted not to attend testing for multiple reasons, the rest of the 10 teams stuck around for the first in-season test of the year. Not all teams chose to run a current driver in their line up. For example, Williams did not use Massa or Bottas for day 1 but instead went with Alex Lynn, who is not a main driver but a reserve/test driver for their team for this season.

    Williams not only used a different driver, but showed off a retro-style double decker back wing. The wing is illegal currently to race with, but they were allowed to run it in testing. It was definitely a talking point around the track and on social media.

    Pierre Gasly, former Formula Renault 3.5 driver & Current GP2 driver for the Prema Racing team, got to drive for Toro Rosso for the day and had a pretty good session until electronics issues cut his running short. Gasly however, finished the session overall in 7th.

    Ferrari was at the top of the time-sheets, with Sebastian Vettel behind the wheel. His fastest time of the day was a 1:23.220. Mercedes was close behind though, while Button in the McLaren rounded up the top three. 

TIMES:

1. Sebastian Vettel - 1:23.220 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany

2. Nico Rosberg - 1:23.337 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Germany

3. Jenson Button - 1:23.753 / McLaren-Honda / Great Britain

4. Romain Grosjean - 1:23.882 / Haas-Ferrari / France

5. Pascal Wehrlein - 1:24.297 / Manor-Mercedes / Germany

6. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:24.307 / Red Bull-TAG-HEUER / Australia

7. Pierre Gasly - 1:24.821 / Toro Rosso-Ferrari / France

8. Alfonso Celis - 1:25.467 / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico

9. Alex Lynn - 1:26.071 / Williams-Mercedes / Great Britain

10. Esteban Ocon - 1:26.530 / Renault-Renault / France

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In-Season Test 1 - (Barcelona) Day 1 / Line-Up

IN-SEASON TESTING / DAY 1 / LINE-UP

Mercedes-Mercedes: Nico Rosberg

Ferrari-Ferrari: Sebastian Vettel

Red Bull-TAG-HEUER: Daniel Ricciardo

Williams-Mercedes: Alex Lynn

Force India-Mercedes: Alfonso Celis Jr.

Toro Rosso-Ferrari: Pierre Gasly

McLaren-Honda: Jenson Button

Renault-Renault: Esteban Ocon

Manor-Mercedes: Pascal Wehrlein

Haas-Ferrari: Romain Grosjean

Sauber: **

** - Sauber has opted to sit out the first in-season test as they do not have any upgrades

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Spanish GP: Race - Re-Cap & Results

SPANISH GRAND PRIX - RACE

It was a first lap shocker for everyone watching when Lewis Hamilton ran through the grass and spun out before hitting Rosberg's car in the process, taking them both out of the race before they could even fully get around the track once. Both drivers were angry and disappointed as it meant nothing good for the team. Nico Rosberg's winning streak was also over. Lots of drama followed, with multiple people pointing the blame at either driver. Some said Hamilton was making an illegal move on Rosberg, while some say Rosberg shoved Hamilton into the grass

    With both Mercedes drivers out, it was both Ferraris and Red Bulls taking to the front of the leading pack, with Williams and Force India close behind, along with Sainz in the Toro Rosso. Max Verstappen was quick to battle to get past both Raikkonn and Vettel but Daniel Ricciardo was the one leading the race.

    Force India, who have recently installed multiple upgrades to their cars, were looking to have a promising race, but it was over fairly quickly for Nico Hulkenberg. An oil leak saw him retire from the race. Hulkenberg also retired on Lap 1 of the Russian grand prix after a collision involving Gutierrez and Haryanto. 

    Fernando Alonso and Romain Grosjean were the last two retirements of the race. It wasn't the way Alonso wanted his home race to go. But a software issue shut his engine down and he could no longer race. Grosjean retired with a brake issue, following a nasty trip through the gravel.

    With a little over 20 laps to go, it was Max Verstappen leading the race, with Kimi Raikkonen close behind. A little further back, Sebastian Vettel was battling his old team-mate, Ricciardo. With every lap, Raikkonen tried hard to close the gap to Verstappen and was even coming close enough to try and pass, but it didn't seem to be going in Raikkonen's favour. 

    In the end, it was a shocking and remarkable 1st win for 18-year-old, Max Verstappen. Not only was it his first weekend with Red Bull, and his first podium finish, but he won his first Grand Prix and also became the youngest F1 race winner in history, beating Vettel's previous record. Verstappen won at exactly 18 years and 227 days. Vettel had won at 21 years and 73 days. Kimi Raikkonen finished in second and Sebastian Vettel in third.

    Carlos Sainz finished his home-race in 6th, which not only is a great result for the Toro Rosso team, but also Sainz's best finish of his F1 career. New team-mate, Kvyat was able to grab the last point by passing Gutierrez in the final laps and finishing in 10th.

    Post-Race, it was deemed that what happened between Hamilton and Rosberg was a racing incident and no further action would be taken. However, a scuffle between Renault team-mates, Magnussen and Palmer during the race, which resulted in both cars touching, ended up with Magnussen getting a post-race penalty which demoted his finish to 15th and earned him 2 penalty points to his license. 

RESULTS: 

1. Max Verstappen / Red Bull-TAG-HEUER / Netherlands / + 25 Points

2. Kimi Raikkonen / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland / + 18 Points

3. Sebastian Vettel / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany / + 15 Points

4. Daniel Ricciardo / Red Bull-TAG-HEUER / Australia / + 12 Points

5. Valtteri Bottas / Williams-Mercedes / Finland / + 10 Points

6. Carlos Sainz / Toro Rosso-Ferrari / Spain / + 8 Points

7. Sergio Perez / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico / + 6 Points

8. Felipe Massa / Williams-Mercedes / Brazil / + 4 Points

9. Jenson Button / McLaren-Honda / Great Britain / + 2 Points

10. Daniil Kvyat / Toro Rosso-Ferrari / Russia / + 1 Points

11. Esteban Gutierrez / Haas-Ferrari / Mexico 

12. Marcus Ericsson / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden

13. Jolyon Palmer / Renault-Renault / Great Britain

14. Felipe Nasr / Sauber-Ferrari / Brazil

15. Kevin Magnussen* / Renault-Renault / Denmark

16. Pascal Wehrlein / Manor-Mercedes / Germany

17. Rio Haryanto / Manor-Mercedes / Indonesia

RETIRED - Romain Grosjean / Haas-Ferrari / France / Brakes

RETIRED - Fernando Alonso / McLaren-Honda / Spain / Software Issue

RETIRED - Nico Hulkenberg / Force India-Mercedes / Germany / Oil Leak

RETIRED - Lewis Hamilton / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain / Collision

RETIRED - Nico Rosberg / Mercedes-Mercedes / Germany / Collision

* - Magnussen demoted due to post-race penalty for causing a collision with Palmer

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Spanish GP: Qualifying - Re-Cap & Results

SPANISH GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING 

Lewis Hamilton grabs Pole Position this time around while Max Verstappen will start 4th in his debut race for Red Bull Racing. 

HOW IT WORKS:

Q1 = 18 minutes. All cars allowed to go out. At the end of the session, the six slowest are eliminated.

Q2 = 15 minutes. The remaining cars go out. At the end of the session, the six slowest are eliminated.

Q3 = 12 minutes. Final 10 cars go out. The final order at the end of the session is how the grid will line up. Fastest car starts from Pole Position.

GRID LINE-UP

1. Lewis Hamilton / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain

2. Nico Rosberg / Mercedes-Mercedes / Germany

3. Daniel Ricciardo / Red Bull-TAG-HEUER / Australia

4. Max Verstappen / Red Bull-TAG-HEUER / Netherlands

5. Kimi Raikkonen / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland

6. Sebastian Vettel / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany

7. Valtteri Bottas / Williams-Mercedes / Finland

8. Carlos Sainz / Toro Rosso-Ferrari / Spain

9. Sergio Perez / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico

10. Fernando Alonso / McLaren-Honda / Spain

11. Nico Hulkenberg / Force India-Mercedes / Germany

12. Jenson Button / McLaren-Honda / Great Britain

13. Daniil Kvyat / Toro Rosso-Ferrari / Russia

14. Romain Grosjean / Haas-Ferrari / France

15. Kevin Magnussen / Renault-Renault / Denmark

16. Esteban Gutierrez / Haas-Ferrari / Mexico

17. Jolyon Palmer / Renault-Renault / Great Britain

18. Felipe Massa / Williams-Mercedes / Brazil

19. Marcus Ericsson / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden

20. Felipe Nasr / Sauber-Ferrari / Brazil

21. Pascal Wehrlein / Manor-Mercedes / Germany

22. Rio Haryanto / Manor-Mercedes / Indonesia 

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