Sebastian Vettel scored his fifth win of 2011 in the Monaco Grand Prix.
The Red Bull driver came under fierce pressure in the closing stages of the race from Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button.
But a red flag with six laps to go changed the complexion of the final laps as it allowed Vettel to discard his old tyres for fresh ones.
Vettel held the lead from pole position at the start while Button fended off Mark Webber for second. Alonso took advantage of the slow-starting Red Bull to grab third place.
Button was the first of the three to pit, taking on a second set of super-soft tyres. Vettel came in on the following lap but his stop was delayed as the team didn’t have his tyres prepared.
He eventually got away – on softs, instead of the planned super-softs – having fallen to second behind Button. Alonso came in on the next lap and also switched to softs.
Button opened up a gap over Vettel before pitting again on lap 32, falling behind them. Alonso came in shortly afterwards but Vettel stuck with his soft tyres.
At this point the safety car was deployed following a collision between Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa.
Hamilton had been delayed after Michael Schumacher had hit his car on the first lap, and passed him at the hairpin. Hamilton later squeezed past at Sainte Devote.
He arrived on the tail of the Ferrari and made a move at the hairpin. Massa braked deep and tagged Webber’s Red Bull with his front wing, and Hamilton and Massa made contact.
Massa stayed ahead, but Hamilton came back at him as they went into the tunnel. The Ferrari ran wide, got onto the treacherous marables and made heavy contact with the barrier.
After the restart Button put Vettel under pressure until lap 47, when he made his mandatory switch to the harder tyres. Vettel stayed out, his tyres now 32 laps old.
Button reeled in Vettel and Alonso, whose tyres were slightly less old, and the pair ran nose-to tail for several laps, covered by just half a second. But he couldn’t find a way past Alonso, who was able to use his DRS while attacking Vettel.
Vettel’s lap times began to slow as he passed the 50-lap mark on his tyres and the battle for the lead seemed to be building to an exciting conclusion. But it all went wrong as they approached a clutch of cars to lap them.
Among them was Hamilton, who was mounting a recovery having been delayed at his first pit stop and being handed a penalty for the collision with Massa. He went down the inside of Vitaly Petrov at Tabac.
The three leaders picked their way through the mess and the safety car was deployed, but within a few laps the race was red-flagged as there was concern over Petrov’s condition. He was later confirmed to be conscious and talking.
But the red flag brought an end to the battle for the lead, as Vettel and Alonso were able to change tyres on the grid while waiting for the restart.
Fortunately for McLaren, they were able to use the time to repair Hamilton’s rear wing in time for the restart.
This proved to be unlucky for Pastor Maldonado, who Hamilton tied to pass at the restart. The pair clashed and the Williams, which had been running sixth, ended the race in the barrier.
At the sharp end of the field the battle for the lead was over and Vettel duly collected his fifth win out of six. Alonso and Button completed the podium.
Mark Webber passed Kamui Kobayashi for fourth place two laps from home and Hamilton finished sixth, albeit under investigation for the clash with Maldonado. The stewards were also looking into a collision between Kobayashi and Sutil, who finished seventh.
Nick Heidfeld was eighth for Renault ahead of Rubens Barrichello, who gave Williams their first points of the year.
Sebastien Buemi claimed the last point for Toro Rosso in front of Nico Rosberg, Mercedes having struggled for pace during the race.
Paul di Resta was 12th, after a drive-through penalty for a collision at the hairpin, followed by the Lotuses of Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen.
Jerome d’Ambrosio finished 15th, Timo Glock retiring earlier with suspension failure, ahead of the two HRTs.
Vettel’s fifth win from six starts extends his dominant start to the season. But F1 will reflect on an incident-packed weekend in Monaco which ends with two drivers, Petrov and the non-starting Sergio Perez, recovering from injuries.
2011 Monaco Grand Prix
Image © Red Bull/Getty images
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
29th May 2011, 15:58
that was a sucky finish to an otherwise great Monaco GP… The decision to allow all to change their tyres effectively handed the victory to Vettel…
peter.b
29th May 2011, 16:03
Agreed, but vettel still managed to survive on the softs for a remarkable 50 odd laps. A HUGE feat and a deserved win i think! I would have loved to see button take it from him though in the last few laps.
Mikef117
29th May 2011, 16:17
Peter, RBR’s decision to stay with track position was as risky as Hamiltons’ gamble yesterday to only take the one run. He was rescued by the red flag and the change of tyres.
If there was no safety car (or he had had to restart with the same tyres) I think the win would have gone to Button.
Having said that, the strategy made sense at the time (just like Hmilton’s seemed to when the call was made yesterday) – Sit in 1st and defend or pit and drop to third then have to try and pass.
Mike
30th May 2011, 3:50
I think the win would have gone to Alonso, For sure Vettel would have hit a cliff in tyre performance and lost the places, but I see no reason why Button would have been able to pass Alonso.
IceMan
30th May 2011, 7:43
+1. It would have been very difficult for Button to overtake Fernando.
BasCB (@bascb)
30th May 2011, 7:28
The fun part of it was, Red Bull hadn’t even intended to put him on the yellows at that point of time, they messed up!
The safety car for Hamilton gave them the opportunity to go for a stop less and It was a shame the red flag robbed us of a stunning few laps to the end.
bosyber (@bosyber)
30th May 2011, 8:58
I agree, when I heard that – Horner explained it to Brundle off-camera during the after BBC red button for those who didn’t see that – I was really lauhing.
Initially I had been annoyed that we lost the fight for the win, but somehow the absurdity/luck of Red Bull lucking into a race winning strategy thanks to (from their perspective) lucky timing for safety car and red flag made it okay for me. It’s just one of those things.
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
29th May 2011, 17:57
I agree. It’s so easy to over-look the ability to hang on to worn or near-worn tyres. It’s too easy to look at Vettel and think he wasn’t challenged. He most definitely was. The ability to defend is just as important as the ability to attack.
91jb12 (@91jb12)
29th May 2011, 18:35
I think Vettel would’ve held on. Alonso had 20 laps to pass him, he couldn’t so would he have done it in the last 6???
Button had 10 laps to pass alonso, he couldn’t do it so who’s to say he would’ve done that in the last 6 laps?
BasCB (@bascb)
30th May 2011, 7:29
Because he was getting very close to that “dropping off the cliff”, and Alonso was rapidly getting there as well, with all the stress he put his tyres through.
MVEilenstein (@mveilenstein)
29th May 2011, 16:44
It’s allowed by the rules.
Adam
29th May 2011, 19:29
I disagree with the rules on working on cars on track.. I give everything to Vettel but feel giving other drivers a free pit stop gives an unfair advantage that alters the race results, button clearly had the quicker car due sacrificing position to pit….
JerseyF1
29th May 2011, 22:16
I agree. This is the second year in succession that Monaco has shown up problems in the rules. Last year Schumacher made a completely legal pass of Alonso but was demoted because what the rules actually said wasn’t what they really meant.
This rule about fixing things up after a red flag looks to me like it’s just out of date and seems to hark back to the days when races were often red flagged early on and getting in a spare car or fixing up the car for a restart was the norm. Given the effort to create situations where overtaking can take place using tyres at different stages of wear this rule allowing those with an inferior strategy to gain from the red flag seems silly now.
However, I thought they would simply stop the race at the red flag anyway, in which case Vettel would have been even better off anyway. Also, even if they fix the rule the likelihood of it ever having such a profound effect is tiny.
I’m really just hugely frustrated that the crash denied us the chance of late-race overtakes for the victory at Monaco, something I thought I’d never see (and probably now never will). At worst it would have been as exciting as 1992, and who knows how much better it would have been.
bulabog
29th May 2011, 23:43
well hamilton benefited on this rule too – they were able to fix his rear and front wings, so he was still lucky. Even with the 20 second penalty handed to him after ramming his car on maldonado on what seemed like a crash derby, he still got the points.
Concoluto
29th May 2011, 16:02
why not declare the winner when 92% of the race was run.
Damon (@damon)
29th May 2011, 16:09
Why not declare the winner directly after lap 1?
YUTAO
29th May 2011, 16:11
03 brazil GP
Last Pope Eye
30th May 2011, 1:25
@ Conculoto and Damon: Why not declare the winner after the 1st corner?
DVC
30th May 2011, 4:54
Because there was 8% of the race to go.
slr
29th May 2011, 16:03
It’s a shame that Button didn’t have a chance to win due to the red flag. As for Hamilton, I just saw his interview and he is OFFICIALY PARANOID and a complete idiot.
TommyB (@tommyb89)
29th May 2011, 16:26
The tyre rule cost us a grandstand finish.
slr
29th May 2011, 16:44
I know, I should have said that differently.
Mike
30th May 2011, 3:58
Yes, but that doesn’t make it wrong.
I think it’s a huge pity, but that’s all. It’s not ideal for me personally, but the rules were clearly set before the race, and it just happaned to suit Vettel.
infy (@infy)
29th May 2011, 16:46
Alonso had a better chance at winning than Button.
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
29th May 2011, 18:01
I think that Button did himself and Alonso out of winning (had the red-flag not happened) simply by catching Alonso. Alonso had to shift his strategy to defending as well as attacking, giving Vettel a bit of breathing space.
Scribe (@scribe)
29th May 2011, 16:47
FOr crying out loud, the disgust being directed at Hamilton is completley ridiculous and entirely stupid. He’s furious, had an awful race, some bad luck and some stupid driving.
He’s probably angry at himself, everyone else on the planet and the universe himself. Will everyone please calm the hell down and save your respect for someone in a fit state of mind.
slr
29th May 2011, 17:00
I said that comment out of shock more than anything. Though he should have handled his frustration in a much better way.
phildick (@phildick)
29th May 2011, 18:38
The disgust at his driving and his talking is completely justified. And he didn’t have bad luck – actually it was good luck he didn’t hurt anyone today. Either he’ll grow up soon or he’d better be going back to the sandbox.
Adam
29th May 2011, 19:34
well said, they are racers at the end of the day…. I believe FIA are to blame for some, Monaco is too tight for these F1 cars and marbles on track are just stupid. You can’t pass on corners and can’t pass on straights due to marbles……Madness!
Todfod (@todfod)
29th May 2011, 22:24
Button win?!? He couldn’t overtake Vettel when he was on supersofts and Vettel was on softs. There is no way Button would have gotten by either Fernando or Sebastian. Alonso looked more likely for the win than Jenson.
Last Pope Eye
30th May 2011, 1:33
Agree 100%. If Hamilton was in his position that would be fantastic to watch..
IceMan
30th May 2011, 7:51
He would have ran into Aloso and ruined his race.(Maybe vettels too) :)
bearforce1
29th May 2011, 16:04
We will never know whether it helped Vettel to win or not.
He was leading before the red flag. So it didnt change his position.
Bazooka (@bazooka)
29th May 2011, 16:16
Totally agreed. If it wasn’t for the red flag we would have seen about 4 laps behind safety car and it would have left us with only few laps to race. I think Vettel was able to win without a red flag. It’s well deserved win for him today it was a great drive, great ability looking after his tyres no mistakes. True champion.
David BR
29th May 2011, 16:21
I kind of agree with both, it was wrong to allow the tyre change as it removed any chance of a fight, but I don’t think Alonso would have passed him. Maybe Button but it’d be asking a lot.
MVEilenstein (@mveilenstein)
29th May 2011, 16:46
The rules allow it.
infy (@infy)
29th May 2011, 16:48
Alonso had a better chance at overtaking Vettel. His tyres were still newish.
Nitpicker
29th May 2011, 16:25
He got a free tyre change at a time when his tyres were getting worn. How could it not have helped him??
foolsm8
29th May 2011, 16:39
Yeah maybe changing the tyres made his life a little easier, but I’m sure he would also have won without the red flag. I just don’t see how Alonso or Button could have passed him. Saying Vettel just got lucky and won just due to the red flag is completely unfair on him.
BBT (@bbt)
29th May 2011, 17:42
Yes we will! It did, end of story. It did help, it made it much easier to stay in front with new tyres for the last 6 – 7 laps. I take it you meant Vettel might of won anyway which is true (but unlikely IMO) however the red flag made it a certainty / much eaiser… it therefore helped.
Ral (@)
29th May 2011, 16:04
Hamilton and his entertainment media management team, will wish he’d kept his mouth shut before the day is over. I know I do. Idiot.
Bernard
29th May 2011, 17:12
The only idiots in the world are those that wish for others to keep their mnouths shut.
Brian Baum
30th May 2011, 0:02
No, Hamilton playing the race card today made him look like an idiot. Time for the baby to finally grow up.
Bernard
30th May 2011, 13:58
Have you actually seen the interview Brian? Your comments would suggest not. He didn’t play the race card – it was a unmistakable joke.
BasCB (@bascb)
30th May 2011, 7:32
Well, there was a lot of “entertainment value” in it. And as they say in Marketin, there is no such thing as bad publicity, its all about being in the news.
I liked seeing how open he was (allowed to be) although he should be feeling stupid about those remarks by now.
dan selby
29th May 2011, 16:06
Concoluto, why would you want the race to finish prematurely?!
Shame about the change of tyre rules. also a shame Button was asleep on the restart.
I think every year that goes by, the cars outgrow Monaco more and more, which only makes it all the more incredible.
Some work needs to be done at the chicane approach though.
Long live Monaco!
YUTAO
29th May 2011, 16:09
03 brazil
Concoluto
29th May 2011, 16:35
as I said before, 92% of the race was already run and what is the point for a restart with fresh tyres.
Fixy (@)
29th May 2011, 16:12
When the first 3 found those multiple lapped cars I was enthusiastic of such a chaos, and the crash with the first three escaping was heart-stopping. When the red flags came out I had little hope for Alonso, but I thought everyone had to keep their tyres. When every driver put new tyres on, I knew the race was over.
Steph
29th May 2011, 16:12
The top 3 were all fantastic. Vettel was fortunate at the end but that’s the way it goes, Alonso is every superlative under the sun at the moment and JB arguably lucky with quali too, couldn’t pass with fresh tyres anyway and fluffed his restart but he was very good and smart today.
Scribe (@scribe)
29th May 2011, 17:03
JB qualified 2nd on merit, he was only lucky that his team mate didn’t get a decent run in qualifying.
JB should have won this race, his pace in the middle was incredible, McLaren messed it up on strategy again, the way they snatched defeat from the jaws of victory was just spectacular. The decision making at this team is abysmal, I don’t understand what the hell they thought they were doing.
BBT (@bbt)
29th May 2011, 17:44
@Scribe 100% agree, amazing drive and pace from JB, how the team can lose it for him from there is unbelievable.
Good race pace, Mclaren should win the next two, they can’t keep missing up the race for their drivers.
Alonso was also impressive.
BBT (@bbt)
29th May 2011, 17:45
messing*
BasCB (@bascb)
30th May 2011, 7:34
Well, to be honest it was a bit of a gamble on the SC coming out for Glock. Did not pay off for him.
And a lot of luck for Vettel, that his team messed up his pitstop and put him on the wrong set of tyres. Otherwise he would have been completely the same as Button and would have probably stopped with the SC for Massa and dropped behind Button there.
Roald
29th May 2011, 16:13
Hamilton drove a terrible race, in my opinion he was at fault in both the Massa and Maldonado cases. And to blame it on the colour of his skin can only make things worse… disrespectful even.
Would have loved Alonso to win, think he had a fair chance too, before the red flag happened…
Oliver
29th May 2011, 17:53
Hamilton had one of those races.
But the accident with Massa was his fault only because he was behind. But if you were observant, you will notice Massa changed his line at the hairpin once he noticed Hamilton was attempting a pass. Hamilton had almost all his wheels on the kerbs but Massa drives like that. Same thing he did in Monza last year.
phildick (@phildick)
29th May 2011, 18:40
Oh yes, so you say Massa deliberately tried to allow Lewis to make damage to his car so he couldn’t get a good result when his career is at stake? Oh, please.
David-A (@david-a)
30th May 2011, 3:23
Massa didn’t cause a collision in Monza last year. It’s actually pretty laughable to think that he did.
Oliver
30th May 2011, 4:54
Massa allowed Alonso feed in ahead of him and immediately shut the door on Hamilton. He knew Hamilton was on the outside, hence had more to lose. Don’t get me wrong, the issue isn’t who was resposible for the accident. What I was implying was that Massa would never let Hamilton past, not under any situation.
Same thing happened at Fuji I think a few years earlier.
Ral (@)
29th May 2011, 16:19
Ah, having seen the whole overtake from Kobayashi on Sutil, I think he should get penalised for that as well, unfortunately. That was just a tad too far back. If he gets a 20s penalty, does that mean he will fall outside the points?
Still, nice to hear Webber’s comments on Kobayashi’s driving today :)
florida mike (@florida-mike)
29th May 2011, 16:21
The laps before the Red Flag, with Vettel, Alonso and Button less than 1 second apart, was some of the best racing I’ve seen in years. Amazing car control, barrier to barrier. That’s what I’ll remember most about this race.
91jb12 (@91jb12)
29th May 2011, 18:37
Yeah, me too. Shame we didn’t get a proper finish but that shouldn’t take one ounze of credit to the 3 blokes in those cars
David-A (@david-a)
30th May 2011, 3:24
+1, superb driving by the three champions, including squeezing through the carnage.
Mikef117
29th May 2011, 16:23
Maclaren need to sack their strategist. This is not the first weekend this season they have called it wrong time after time.
It is obvious RBR have the fastest car over a single lap, but that is compromising their race pace – I guess it is set up to play to Vettels’ strength – get in front and stay there. Maclaren have the better race pace but just do not seem to be able to make the best use of this advantage on a Sunday.
WildOz
29th May 2011, 16:25
Hamilton cost Button the win when he took out Massa and caused a safety car. Then the red flag decision took the race away from Alonso. Vettel will win lotto next with all that luck on his side.
Mr draw
30th May 2011, 1:18
+1.
Oliver
29th May 2011, 16:31
Nope Keith, the red flag didn’t hand Vettel the win, Mclaren capitulated.
Button was 16 seconds ahead, all he had to do was wait for Vettel to pit first.
I remember telling myself the moment Mclaren brought him in that, for sure :) Redbull will maintain track position. We all know when the rear coach tries to over take the front coach, while on the same railtrack, can only mean an accident.
Own goal Mclaren. Great race computer and strategists you have got. Button should sue. :)
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
29th May 2011, 17:34
I said ‘help’, not ‘hand’, there’s an obvious difference.
BBT (@bbt)
29th May 2011, 17:48
Over looking the fact that he wouldn’t of steady there for another 8 lap and was already 2 second per lap slower.
Alonso and Button might not of go past (unlikely) but the red flag made it easier / a certainty, the flag therefore helped, I don’t see how anyone can argue with that fact.
darren
29th May 2011, 16:34
Look for the McLaren forced apology from Hamilton tomorrow…
PieLighter
29th May 2011, 16:41
+1
Trenthamfolk (@)
29th May 2011, 16:56
Hmmm…. it’s gonna be painful :-(
Jian
29th May 2011, 16:45
Let’s look at this objectively, are there racists out there? Definitely! Could any of the stewards be racists? Highly unlikely.
That’s the issue for people of non”standard” colour (white), they know racism is there but if its not explicit then they can never prove it. That creates a feeling of vulnerability and sense that you don’t control your own fate. Imagine a f1 driver feeling out of control, in that context, in the heat of the moment, I can understand why Lewis made the joke, to vent his frustration. (Read: if he made a serious accusation that would be bad, this was a joke, not very funny but understandable)
I don’t take offence and if you do, well haters gonna hate.
MVEilenstein (@mveilenstein)
29th May 2011, 16:52
It’s good to know you speak for all “non-standard” people with all that talk of feeling vulnerable and out of control.
Trenthamfolk (@)
29th May 2011, 16:55
I Like Hamilton a lot, but this is not understandable at all. Hamilton is MASSIVELY rich and SUPREMELY talented, but when he had an off day (which we all do froM tome to time), he blames everyone else.
Then, he has the bare faced cheek to insult the stewards, and call them racists! He seriously lost the plot today, made some dumb moves, and made some idiotic comments. I hope they throw the book at him, silly little boy :-(
David-A (@david-a)
30th May 2011, 3:27
I’m black, but I don’t go around feeling paranoid, vulnerable and out of control like the guy from Balls of Steel.
Eggry (@eggry)
29th May 2011, 16:50
Ahhh!!! It could be one of the best race ever!! RF and SC spoiled it! even though I think it would be the best race of this year. pretty sure. maybe. perhaps.
damonsmedley (@damonsmedley)
29th May 2011, 16:54
Red flag helps Vettel to pole. Safety car helps Vettel to lead. Red flag helps Vettel to stay in the lead. Tyre rule helps Vettel to win. :P
Not saying he’s not a good driver, but I can name several drivers who drove better and deserved the win more than him today. Nothing could have worked out better for him. Nothing.
Burnout (@burnout)
29th May 2011, 17:33
So you’re saying Perez, Massa, Sutil, Alguersuari and Petrov screwed up their races to engineer a win for Vettel?
That’s like saying Alonso ended his race for Fisichella to win in Brazil ’03.
alpha
29th May 2011, 18:18
Hi Damon. Yes. I know. Fixed race.
David-A (@david-a)
30th May 2011, 3:28
As fixed as every race your fave driver doesn’t win ;)
damonsmedley (@damonsmedley)
30th May 2011, 6:40
I’m not saying it was fixed! I’m just saying that Vettel was gifted the luckiest victory I’ve seen since Brazil 2003. ;)
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
30th May 2011, 9:51
Nahhh…I see where you’re coming from and yes everything did go in his favour. But does that mean he deserves less than 25 points? No way. To finish first you first have to finish ;)
JohnBt
29th May 2011, 16:56
One of the best Monaco race until the red flag was waved. Last six laps meant nothing.
Fixy (@)
29th May 2011, 17:04
It wasn’t really the red flag, because the drivers would have been close anyway… it were the new tyres for Vettel that neutralised any lack of performance he had.
Fixy (@)
29th May 2011, 17:03
I just wanted to say how lovely the trophies were… simple but unique, gold, silver and bronze, something we’ve lost with sponsor-shaped trophies.
MuzzleFlash
29th May 2011, 17:15
Agree, especially after those awful Santander ones last week.
Burnout (@burnout)
29th May 2011, 17:35
Agreed. Far too many generic wheel shaped trophies out there. This was a welcome departure.
David-A (@david-a)
30th May 2011, 3:31
Yeah, they were great. Shaped like the circuit and everything. But if they used the idea at Abu Dhabi, the winners may have a tough time getting through customs.
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
30th May 2011, 9:53
Oh yes, good spot. I thought the trophies were nice.
Fonseca
29th May 2011, 17:20
Like Schumacher in the old days: besides being a super talented driver and having a fantastic car, every little detail conspires in favour of Vettel. Amazing.
peto4000 (@peto4000)
29th May 2011, 17:30
Did anyone else notice that the marshals appeared to wave blue flags at drivers that was racing for position against the likes of Webber and Hamilton when they were out of position. DiResta made a comment on it in his post-race interview.
Ral (@)
29th May 2011, 17:37
Yeah, they were waving blue flags at Kobayashi in the second to last lap while Webber was hounding him. It must be confusing for them to know what is going on and who is fighting for what position.
alpha
29th May 2011, 17:37
I enjoy this race very much, and I love the circuit and I shall say it is one of the best Monaco GP in the last 5 years at least!
Having said that, this is also one of the most artificial race. All result isn’t really reflecting the actual result. 2 red flags over the 2 days, only Vettel really get huge benefit in both occasions. Is he just lukcy? I just dont like to see him winning anymore. Its not good for the sport. It just so frustrating that he got away with it everytime.
alpha
29th May 2011, 17:48
I am so surprised that teams were allowed to change tyres during red flag. It was simply a free pit stop for all. Monaco was a good show, definitely not a good race, and it just shows the weakness of the current Rules.
Noone should be allow to fix / change tyres for their car. I accept Tyre warmer, but not to change tyres!
Tom
29th May 2011, 17:48
I can’t for the life of me understand why they put the super softs on button’s car during his penultimate stop. All they had to do was throw softs on and he had the race in the bag. Why would they force him into a 3 stop strategy That was worse than ferrari’s duff during AD last year.
dlaird
29th May 2011, 19:28
Agreed. Threes stops? Vettel did one. Mclaren needs to really look at their race strategies.
Tomas García
29th May 2011, 18:14
Tyre changed after red flag and cars stopped was a complete mistake that helped only Vettel.
If tyres are allowed to be changed after race is resumed, the time of the pit stop plus the transit via the pits for Vettel would had been in favor of Alonso and Button who went 2,3 times to pits and that time was against them.
This have to be revised and challenged.
Burnout (@burnout)
29th May 2011, 21:58
I have to disagree. Vettel was still doing laps in the mid 1:19s when Button was lapping in the mid-to-high 1:17s, just before he caught up with Alonso and Vettel. Unless Vettel’s tyres went off the cliff in the 6 laps between the Alguersuari-Petrov crash and the end of the race, he would have held on to win.
Also, didn’t Alonso and Button change their tyres after the red flag? Maybe they wouldn’t have passed Vettel at the re-start if they were also on worn supersoft tyres.
dennis
29th May 2011, 18:43
I think the headline is a bit terrible.
Vettel helped himself to victory just fine with a brilliant drive on that old rubber.
David-A (@david-a)
30th May 2011, 3:33
I wouldn’t say terrible, as it did help a bit. But Vettel probably would have held on anyway. Agree with you about his drive.
Jonny
29th May 2011, 19:07
Was a shame about the crash I would loved to have seen Vettel defend his position until the end of the race.
To last as many laps as he did on the same tyres was amazing, unlucky for Jenson, amazing race!
electrolite (@electrolite)
29th May 2011, 19:14
I’d love to see a rule change where if there is a red flag in the dying moments of the race, the tyres cannot be changed.
foolsm8
29th May 2011, 19:28
This is getting ridiculus…
The rule is the same for everybody and Alonso and Button also had the advantage of new tires. Besides, if you’re favorite driver had been leading the race in that situation, my guess is you would not be pleading for a rule change now…
Tomas García
29th May 2011, 19:51
General questions : how many tire changes are mandatory in F1 ?
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
29th May 2011, 20:02
The 2011 F1 rules changes at-a-glance
Tomas García
29th May 2011, 20:00
looking around in google, i find this link related to a red flag in F1 : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formula_One_regulations
it says :
A red flag indicates that the race, practice session, or qualifying session has been suspended. All marshal stations will signal this. Drivers may not leave the pits. All drivers on the track must proceed cautiously to the red flag line and stop. There they will be reordered in their correct racing order. Sessions may be resumed or abandoned as the race director indicates. Flashing red lights are now used in addition to the flags. If the safety car is deployed, the racing cars should follow it and provisions allow for the safety car to divert the field into the pit-lane and wait there. Other than that, drivers who enter the pits will be given a drive-through.
Observe this last sentence : Drivers who enter the pits will be given a drive-through. Changing tires is equivalent for a pit stop.
Is very, very clear
Tomas García
29th May 2011, 20:12
another link
http://www.formula1.com/inside_f1/rules_and_regulations/sporting_regulations/8690/fia.html
Review in detail 41.4
chi-tom (@chi-tom)
29th May 2011, 21:56
In todays’ Monaco race I was rather stunned that the FIA allowed tires to be changed during the Red Flag period 6 laps from race’s finish. It invalidated the whole developed context of the race at the time of the red flag in so far as the front running driver’s tire wear. The strategies teams employed to put their drivers in either vulnerable (Vettel and Alonso) or advantaged positions (Button) to potentially win the race were dismissed. Button had no chance to win after the red flag.
Time is past due for the FIA dolts to change this aspect of the rules and let the race, its integrity and its whole progression stay intact to the finish.
Don M.
30th May 2011, 12:17
But if they change the rule it would invalidate other strategy aspects by closing the field together. You can’t have everything covered. Like any safety-car interuption it’s just unfortunate and it will always benefit some more than others. No need to over-react.
Slim (@slim)
29th May 2011, 22:06
I think that the whole end of the race was a total sham and everyone knows It. Did Vettel really have that clean of a drive today? He certainly didn’t make any mistakes, although his engineers really gambled with the 1 stop strategy. The red flagged session handed him the victory and everyone knows it. On really worn out tires he was mince meat and at the mercy of an impending Button and Alonso barrage.
Alonso and Button were much quicker than Vettel and both of those drivers could have easily stood at the top spot of the podium and I wouldve been happy. Not only did they make up huge deficits after pit stops on Vettel, but were consistently setting fastest laps.
Button, after his 3rd pitstop, made up something like 17 seconds on Vettel. Thats insane!
Olivier42 (@olivier42)
30th May 2011, 2:28
Vettel had a great race. As he said in the interview, he gambled on the 1 stop strategy himself, he decided to give it a try knowing he would probably finish 3rd if he stopped. He took a risk and it paid off – he should be praised for that.
The only reason Button ever made it to first position is because Red Bull flubbed the pit stop. Vettel should have come out in first, and then we would have had a nice battle with Vettel on soft and Button on super softs.
So Button made almost 2 seconds per lap after his third stop. He was on tyres that were 30 laps fresher than Vettels, what do you expect? I actually thought Vettel would stop around lap ~60 and do his third stint on super soft tyres. We would have seen Vettel catch up to Button and Alonso sooooo quickly. It would have been a similar situation.
As for people thinking Vettel got handed pole because of the red flag – I highly doubt Mclarens could have beaten the brutal time Vettel set. Of course, we will never know for sure, just like we will never know if Vettel could have held on the old tyres for the last 6 laps (Though a few of those laps would probably have been under the safety car, so we might be talking about just 2-3 “real” laps). Vettel got the victory, but the glory got stolen from him because of questionable rules – a shame.
Marco Aurelio
29th May 2011, 23:16
41.4 Whilst the race is suspended :
– neither the race nor the timekeeping system will stop, however, in accordance with Article 5.3 the
length of the race suspension will be added to the maximum two hour period ;
– cars may be worked on once they have stopped on the grid or entered the pits but any such work
must not impede the resumption of the race ;
– only team members and officials will be permitted on the grid.
drezone
30th May 2011, 0:41
Vettel is startung to have the luck the Schumnacher used to have. He was lucky to grap pole and the win due to red flag incidents.
He lost the race to Button with 1st safety car and was about to lose race to Alonso until 2nd safety car.
Yes Alonso had 20 laps to do this until then but he’s not stupid. He won’t risk a move early until necessary which would be the last 5 laps or so to take the win.
Webber 4 fastest laps out of 6 races. hmmmm
Maybe he’s not getting Saturday’s right or the team are not allowing him to have the best package.
He’s obviously quicker than Vettel in the race and also doing a lot more racing and overtaking.
Yes some may say Vettel doesn’t need to go fast if in comfortable win, however Monaco just proved that wrong as he had the same new tyres as everyone esle with last 6 laps and couldn’t afford to cruise with Alonso and Button going for win as well.
Webber didn’t look exactly look stoked when he grabbed pole in Spain, as if the team have already told him that Vettel must finish in front of him any in quali or race if Vettel is near him.
Lucky for him Webber doesn’t need to let Vettel through as Red Bull are doing a good job of making Webber’s pitstops lose positions anyway so that Webber spends his afternoons behind traffic, just think Spain and Monaco.
Hmmm. one for the conspiracy theorists.
David-A (@david-a)
30th May 2011, 3:40
Setting fastest laps on a Sunday don’t mean squat. Vettel was quicker because he finished the race 23 seconds before Webber did. Period.
silencer
30th May 2011, 3:30
I strongly urge FIA to change the rules that allows teams to change tyres and repair the car under red flag in race condition..
IMO that is what ruin the excitement of this race not the safety car or the red flag itself but the rules under red flag situation
wasiF1 (@wasif1)
30th May 2011, 3:39
Some say we Monaco provide boring racing,watch 2011 race.
Bad day for Renault & Mercedes along for Maldonado he was great all week.Sure Hamilton will get a penalty for that.The move of Hamilton on Schumacher was one of the great I have seen around Monaco.It was a shame that we couldn’t see the race under normal condition what could have been something like 92 Monaco.Lastly good wishes for Perez & Petrov.
Toxic (@)
30th May 2011, 8:49
I feel cheated after the Red flag. That was so bad.
Bleu
30th May 2011, 9:00
I would actually like to see opinion article by Keith about those tyre changes during the red flag.
Mister Nillionaire (@mister-nillionaire)
30th May 2011, 10:11
Meh, I was really hoping for anyone but Vettel to win this :< Hate the finger…
PJA (@pja)
3rd June 2011, 18:01
I couldn’t understand the decision to pit Button for a second time when they did and then put on third set of super softs instead of going on to the softs during the race and I still don’t really.
It was mentioned in commentary during the race that McLaren may have done it to pre-empt any safety car needed to recover Glock’s car but I thought from the TV pictures it seemed obvious he had managed to find somewhere safe to pull off so no safety car would be needed and the fact the safety car did come out for a the Hamilton and Massa incident shortly afterwards showed that if it was because of a safety car then it was the wrong decision anyway.
The only reason I can think of why Button made his second stop when he did would be if he had used up his tyres pulling out his lead, which would be understandable even though a lot of people seem to claim Button is the easiest on his tyres of all the drivers.
But the biggest mystery for me was why he went for another set of super softs instead of the softs, a decision that meant he had to stop again for a third time no matter what happened, when his main rivals had already used both sets of tyres and, and I think which ultimately cost him the victory even without any safety cars.