INDIA in F1

Tag: Mercedes

  • I caught up before and I can catch again; We have a long way to go: Hamilton

    Mercedes AMG Petronas has released the preview for the Round 8 of the 2014 Formula One World Championship at the Spielberg Red Bull Circuit for the Austrian Grand Prix.  The Mercedes team has won all the six races this year before Daniel Ricciardo of Red Bull Racing spoiled the party in Canada with a maiden win but it was the battles between teammates Hamilton and Rosberg that kept the interest of the fans alive.  While Hamilton failed to finish the first and last races, till now, at Australia and Canada, Rosberg despite only two victories had taken the lead in the Championship. The German driver has 140 points after 7 races while his British teammate despite four wins, two more than Rosberg, is in second place with 118 points.
    The team is far ahead of Red Bull Racing with 258 points. Red Bull Racing (with one win by Ricciardo in Canada) is second with 139 points while Ferrari is in third with just 87 and are trying to ward off the challenge from Sahara Force India, who have garnered 77 points after a mixed bag at Canada. After being in contention for a podium for the best of the race, Sergio Perez muffed a good chance and crashed out in the last lap. 

    Ahead of the race next Sunday, Lewis Hamilton spoke about the point-less race in Canada: “Montreal was a bit of a strange one for me. I felt I had the pace right from the beginning of the weekend, but things just never quite came together. It’s frustrating when these things are out of your hands. The two DNF’s so far this season have not been ideal but that’s racing and there’s a long, long way to go. I caught up before and I can catch up again. It’s going to take another four wins to make the difference so I’m going to do my best to get those results. Right now, I’m just looking ahead to the next race in Austria and another chance to catch up to the lead. I’ve never driven the circuit but I’ve been working on it in the simulator and I’m sure I’ll learn it pretty quickly when we get out on track. It’s always exciting to go to a new venue, so it should be an interesting weekend. I’m feeling good in the car right now and I’ll be pushing flat out to come away with maximum points this time around.”

    On the other hand,  Nico Rosberg, the leader is pleased with the way things worked for him in Montreal: “Although it was a really, really tough day, I’m pleased with the result in Montreal. The car was strong throughout the weekend, so to have the problems we experienced in the race was not what we expected. It just goes to show that you can never be too well prepared and our priority has been to make sure the car is bullet-proof for the rest of the season. When you take everything into account, finishing second in that race was quite an achievement for everyone in the team. But we know we cannot afford to slip up, as our rivals are always there to take advantage. I’m looking forward to the next race in Austria and a chance to get back to our winning form once again. Although I’ve driven the circuit before, that was more than ten years ago in F3: back when it was still called the A1 Ring! Of course, it will be very different in a Turbocharged, V6 Hybrid Formula One car, so it’s basically like starting from scratch for everyone on the grid. Personally, I love that kind of challenge, so I’m excited to get back in the car and go for another top result.”

    Toto Wolff, Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport 
    Canada was a weekend of mixed emotions. On the one side, we had strong pace throughout the weekend. On the other, a small glitch in what has been an extremely reliable package so far this season proved to be extremely detrimental when it really counted on Sunday. It’s something we immediately moved to analyse, understand and rectify to make sure it does not happen again. Nico drove a fantastic race to maintain second position, while it was just a case of extremely bad luck for Lewis who was forced to retire. Obviously, Nico now holds an increased gap at the top of the Championship, but Lewis is a fighter and I have no doubt that he will come back stronger than ever. There is still a long way to go with twelve races remaining – thirteen if you count the double points round – so his challenge is far from over. This race shows how quickly things can change – not just between drivers, but between teams also – so we will be pushing harder than ever to ensure that we do not give away any more valuable points to our rivals.

    Paddy Lowe, Executive Director (Technical) 
    The performance of the car in Canada was once again very strong. Unfortunately, we were unable to fully capitalise on that performance in the race. We saw an extraordinary drive from Nico to salvage second place with malfunctioning machinery, but it was extremely unfortunate for Lewis that we were unable to manage the failure on his car to the same extent. This has once again created a sizeable points deficit for Lewis through no fault of his own. But, of course, we are doing our utmost to give both drivers the opportunity to compete for the Championship on equal terms. We put a significant amount of effort into understanding the problem that occurred in Canada and ensuring that there will be no repeat in Austria. We’re excited by the prospect of a return to Spielberg after many years away and hoping for a return to form results-wise. It’s a short circuit with a lot of braking and high fuel consumption, so it will be another challenging race. The venue is also at high altitude which, owing to the low atmospheric pressure, places a different kind of duty on the Power Unit to what we’ve seen so far. It will be interesting to see how well both we and the competition respond to that.

    On the Pit Wall 
    A ‘New’ Venue
    A Formula One Grand Prix hasn’t been held in Austria since 2003. Teams must therefore approach the weekend as if it were a brand new event, as data and statistics from 11 years ago are simply not relevant to today’s racing. New events, or in this case those that can be considered so, provide an interesting challenge. Teams that are most adept at conducting pre-race simulation work and dynamically reacting to live data during the weekend itself will have a significant advantage. Gaps between teams are likely to be larger than average: particularly at the beginning of the weekend. Making a strong start will therefore give teams a good chance of overhauling their immediate rivals.

    With only a handful of the current drivers on the grid having competed here in the past, in any racing formula, the relatively unknown nature of the track could prove something of a leveller. Certainly at venues such as Monaco, where existing knowledge of the circuit characteristics is of significant benefit, the more experienced drivers will have an advantage heading into the weekend. Here, however, those drivers who have the most natural feel for car setup will come to the fore.

    Simulation

    Approaching a relatively unknown venue such as that seen in Austria requires a significant amount of simulation work. Time spent in the DIL (Driver in the Loop) Simulator is key to providing the most accurate set of data possible, as this is what the team will work from heading into the opening practice sessions. While modern simulation tools are sufficiently accurate to provide a solid baseline, there are some subtleties which cannot be accounted for. Knowledge of how old the tarmac is, how different the grip is at different points around the circuit, how the track surface and balance will change over the course of the weekend and the race itself will only be revealed as running progresses. Teams must therefore glean all of this information during Friday and Saturday. This will likely lead to increased track time during practice sessions.

    Circuit Layout

    File photo of Hamilton from Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 team.
    File photo of Hamilton from Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 team.

    Similar to the last race in Montreal, this is a high power sensitivity circuit with a low number of corners and multiple straights. This style of track layout also exemplifies fuel efficiency: both characteristics which play to the strengths of the Mercedes-Benz Power Unit. Much the same as in Montreal once more, braking stability is essential. Of the ten corners around the circuit, seven are classed as braking events: three of which are heavy. Turn One is a fantastic corner: comparable in many ways to its counterpart in Austin. The severity of the gradient may not appear too great on television, but in reality it’s a tricky right-hander with a blind turn-in, rising quite sharply uphill. While Turn One in Austin is certainly steeper, this is much more off-camber and much more blind to the driver, making it really quite exciting.

    Anniversaries 

    Mercedes-Benz Heritage 

    17 June 1904 – 110 Years Ago:
    The 90 hp Mercedes racing cars driven by Camille Jenatzy, Baron Pierre de Caters and Hermann Braun take second, third and fifth places respectively in the fifth Gordon Bennett Race, held in the Taunus mountains in Germany.

    18 June 2004 – 10 Years Ago:
    DaimlerChrysler hands over the first fuel cell powered passenger cars to German customers at Mercedes World on the Salzufer in Berlin. Partners Deutsche Telekom and BEWAG/Vattenfall Europe receive four A-Class F-Cell cars for their fleets. Under the joint Clean Energy Partnership project, the first regular service station for fuel cell cars in Europe commences operation.

    21 June 1964 – 50 Years Ago:
    Eugen Böhringer and Dieter Glemser win overall victory in the six-hour race at the Nürburgring, driving a Mercedes-Benz 300 SE at an average speed of 127.2 km/h.

    On-Track 

    1998 Austrian Grand Prix – 16 Years Ago:
    Mercedes-Benz power takes its 10th one-two finish in Formula One, courtesy of McLaren Mercedes drivers Mika Häkkinen and David Coulthard.

    18 June 1950 – 64 Years Ago:
    The Inaugural Belgian Grand Prix is held around the original Spa-Francorchamps circuit, which measured in excess of 14 km.

    Spotlight 

    24 June 1911 – 103 Years Ago:
    Juan Manuel Fangio is born. Considered one of the greatest drivers of all time, the Argentine took a total of five Formula One World Championship titles with four different manufacturers. However, there was something very special about his relationship with Mercedes-Benz. Fangio had been working as a dealer for the Stuttgart-based brand in Argentina since 1951 and, following the end of his racing career, became President of Mercedes-Benz Argentina S.A. in 1974.

    It was at the French Grand Prix on 4 July 1954 that Mercedes-Benz made its first ever appearance with the latest, all-new incarnation of the legendary Silver Arrows: the W 196 R. As the leading figure in the marque’s campaign to win the Formula One World Championship in the 1954 and 1955 seasons, Fangio formed an almost symbiotic partnership with the W 196 R, taking an emphatic victory at the Reims circuit. The result was all the more significant as, exactly 40 years previously, Christian Lautenschlager drove to victory for Mercedes-Benz in in Lyon.

    Despite being aged 43 at the time, making him older than many of the other drivers in the field, this would be far from a fabulous finale to Fangio’s glittering career. Instead, his first win for Mercedes-Benz at the wheel of the W 196 R marked the start of an extraordinary success story. During 1954 and 1955, Fangio lined up on the starting grid for the Mercedes-Benz team at a total of 19 Formula One and touring car races, recording ten wins and a number of other impressive results, including a solo drive to second place at the Mille Miglia in a Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR (W 196 S).

    eom

  • Ricciardo takes maiden win in Canada as Mercedes hit trouble

    Daniel Ricciardo of Red Bull Racing wins Canadian GP on Sunday for his maiden F1 victory. An FIA image
    Daniel Ricciardo of Red Bull Racing wins Canadian GP on Sunday for his maiden F1 victory. An FIA image

    Red Bull Racing driver profits as power unit issues relegate Rosberg to second and force Hamilton to retire.

    Montreal, 8 June 2014: Red Bull Racing’s Daniel Ricciardo took his maiden Formula One victory in at the Canadian Grand after power unit problems forced Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg to settle to second after team-mate Lewis Hamilton was forced to retire with brake problems after 46 laps, an FIA press release said.

    Sebastian Vettel finished third after passing Force India’s Sergio Perez, who also struggled with brake issues, two laps from the flag. However, the race ended under the safety car following a high-speed crash involving Perez and Felipe Massa on the penultimate lap.

    At the start, Rosberg held off a strong challenge from Hamilton, holding his line as Hamilton made a move into turn one. The tussle allowed Vettel to sneak through into second. Behind them Williams’ Valtteri Bottas held fourth ahead of Massa, with Ricciardo sixth. Fernando Alonso, meanwhile, dropped back,  surrendering seventh place to Jean-Eric Vergne. Kimi Raikkonen, too, made up a place, passing Jenson Button for ninth.

    At the back, though, there was a collision. Just after the start Max Chilton lost control into Turn 4 and collided with team-mate Jules Bianchi and pitched the Frenchman into the barriers. Chilton, too, spun out as a result. It was the first time Chilton had failed to finish in Formula One. The double DNF was a bitter pill for Marussia after the team took its first points in Monaco two weeks ago.

    When the action resumed the leaders all held position but Button lost out again, Sergio Perez passing the McLaren driver into the chicane to slot into the final points position.

    At the front, Hamilton made his move on second-placed Vettel at the end of lap nine, passing the Red Bull under DRS into the final chicane. The move left the Mercedes driver 1.7s adrift of his team-mate.

    Ricciardo was the first to make a scheduled stop at the end of lap 13. The Australian swapped his starting supersoft tyres for soft rubber. The stop saw Ricciardo re-emerge in 14th place. Bottas responded, pitting on the next tour from fourth place. He re-emerged just in front of Ricciardo. The next lap saw Vettel, Vergne and Massa all making their way to pit lane for soft tyres.

    Massa’s stop, however, was problematic. A delay with the front left wheel saw the Brazilian lose out badly and he was jumped on track by both Ricciardo and Vergne.

    Leader Rosberg stopped on lap 18, shedding his supersofts for soft tyres. Hamilton pushed hard to make up time and that forced Rosberg to be similarly committed. The German’s enthusiasm was almost very costly as he took too much kerb just after leaving the pits and almost hit the wall.

    Hamilton pitted the next time around but his in-laps hadn’t clawed back enough time to pass his team-mate and Rosberg held his lead comfortably.

    After 21 laps, then, most of the field had made a visit to pit lane. Sergio Perez, however was still circling on his starting supersofts and had climbed to third behind the Mercedes drivers, while Nico Hulkenberg, on his starting soft tyres in the second Force India had climbed to fourth ahead of Vettel, who led Bottas, Ricciardo, Alonso, Massa and Vergne.

    At the front, Hamilton was exerting heavy pressure on Rosberg. The German made a mistake at the end of lap 25, locked up and straightlined the chicane. The incident seemed to gain the leader time on the track and the FIA stewards quickly put the incident under investigation. However, the officials eventually decided not to penalise the German and Hamilton was left to pass his team-mate on the track.

    Perez finally pitted at the end of lap 34, the Mexican taking on his final set of tyres, discarding his starting supersofts for soft tyres.

    Bottas was the first of the two-stoppers to return to pit lane at the end of the next lap. He was followed on lap 36 by Vettel. His team-mate Ricciardo followed a short while late but his pace was sufficient to allow him to jump the champion.

    Hamilton, meanwhile, was on the radio reporting a loss of power. He wasn’t alone and Rosberg was soon on the radio reporting the same issue. Both were suddenly dropping two seconds a lap to third-placed Hulkenberg. The second Force India driver made his sole stop on lap 42, taking on supersofts. He emerged in eighth position behind the Vettel/Ricciardo battle.

    At the front, the Mercedes were still running slow – a second slower per lap than new third-place man Massa, who was 17s adrift. Rosberg was told the problem was not fixable and that both would have to push hard to stay in control.

    When the two Mercedes drivers made their stops, Massa assumed the lead. Rosberg had a slow stop and when Hamilton came in the next time around the Briton was able to rejoin ahead of his team-mate in P2.

    Rosberg soon had the position back however as Hamilton suddenly overshot the final chicane, clearly struggling with his brakes. The problems quickly became terminal and he was forced to retire on lap 46.

    Massa then pitted from the lead, handing control back to Rosberg. The Williams driver had been told to try to nurse his tyres to the end but the team gave up that chase and the Brazilian bolted on a new set of soft tyres in the hope that the boost in pace would help in the closing stages.

    It was Perez, then, who was left to chase down the troubled Mercedes of Rosberg. The gap between the two disappeared within a handful of tours and on lap 52 the Force India man was just half a second down on the faltering W05 Hybrid. Behind Perez, the Red Bulls of Ricciardo and Vettel were also suddenly vaulted into contention.

    Rosberg, though, was determined to stay in control and after being told by his team to push when he could the German began to put in better laps, eventually stabilising the gap to Perez at the one-second mark.

    Futher back, the battle for fifth was hotting up, with Hulkenberg under pressure from Bottas and Massa. The Brazilian was on fresher tyres than his team-mate and the Williams pit wall soon told Bottas to let him past. Bottas attempted a move on Hulkenberg that forced the German wide at the hairpin and Massa was able to leapfrog both and move into fifth place. With new tyres and running faster than anyone else on track he began to close on fourth-placed Vettel.

    The final few laps were thrilling as a four-car train formed behind Rosberg, all battling for the lead. It was Ricciardo who made the decisive move, first muscling past Perez into turn one, and then overtaking the struggling Rosberg under DRS later in the lap to take the lead. Behind them Vettel pressed Perez and eventually got past the Mexican, who was struggling with brake wear, on the penultimate lap.

    Massa on much fresher tyres saw his chance and attempted to get past Perez on the final lap. The pair collided at high speed and both arrowed off track and hit the barriers hard, scaterring debris across the circuit. The safety car was immediately deployed, giving Vettel no chance to make a move on Rosberg in the final corners.

    Ricciardo then took his first grand prix victory ahead of Rosberg and Vettel. Button was a surprise fourth, with Hulkenberg fifth. Fernando Alonso was sixth for Ferrari ahead of Bottas, Vergne, the second McLaren of Kevin Magnussen and Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen.

    2014 Canadian Grand Prix – Race Result
    1 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing Winner 6 25
    2 Nico Rosberg Mercedes  +4.2 secs 1 18
    3 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing +5.2 secs 3 15
    4 Jenson Button McLaren +11.7 secs 9 12
    5 Nico Hulkenberg Force India +12.8 secs 11 10
    6 Fernando Alonso Ferrari  +14.8 secs 7 8
    7 Valtteri Bottas Williams +23.5 secs 4 6
    8 Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso +28.0 secs 8 4
    9 Kevin Magnussen McLaren +29.2 secs 12 2
    10 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari  +53.6 secs 10 1
    11 Sergio Perez Force India +1 Lap 13
    12 Felipe Massa Williams +1 Lap 5
    13 Adrian Sutil Sauber +1 Lap 16
    14 Esteban Gutierrez Sauber +6 Lap 22
    Ret Romain Grosjean Lotus +11 Lap 14
    Ret Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso +23 Laps 15
    Ret Lewis Hamilton Mercedes  +24 Laps 2
    Ret Kamui Kobayashi Caterham +47 Laps 21
    Ret Pastor Maldonado Lotus +49 Laps 17
    Ret Marcus Ericsson Caterham +63 Laps 20
    Ret Max Chilton Marussia + secs 18
    Ret Jules Bianchi Marussia + secs 19

    eom

  • Rosberg edges Hamilton to claim Montreal pole

    Mercedes lock out front row for fourth time this season as Vettel claims third place on the grid ahead of Bottas.

     

    Nico Rosberg after claiming the pole in Canada on 7 June 2014. A Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 team image
    Nico Rosberg after claiming the pole in Canada on 7 June 2014. A Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 team image

    Montreal, 7 June 2014: Nico Rosberg will start the Canadian Grand Prix from the front of the grid after he narrowly beat team-mate Lewis Hamilton in qualifying at the Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

    Hamilton had been expected to excel at a track where he been on pole and won three times, but in the final runs in Q3 at the island track, Rosberg found an extra injection of pace and managed to edge ahead of Hamilton by just seven hundredths of a second.

    Third on the grid tomorrow will be Red Bull Racing’s Sebastian Vettel. Williams has looked set to claim a top three start as Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas jockeyed for the position, but in the end it was Vettel who snuck through to take the position, the Red Bull driver putting in a superb second sector to brush past Bottas, who will join Vettel on row two at the start.

    Before the start of Q1, Esteban Gutierrez was ruled out of the session. The Sauber driver had crashed into the barriers in the morning’s final practice session, losing control in turn three and the damage sustained was bad enough to warrant a change of chassis.

    Caterham’s Kamui Kobayashi was also in trouble before the start of the session. The Japanese driver had stopped his CT05 late in FP3 and was later forced into a gearbox change. The switch means he’ll take a five-place grid penalty for the race start.

    Unsurprisingly, it was Mercedes that set the pace in Q1, on soft tyres. Hamilton had a narrow advantage over Rosberg throughout the opening exchanges, but then the Briton fired in a lap of 1:15.750 to move seven tenths clear of the German.

    Behind them everybody was switching to the supersoft Pirellis, with only the two Mercedes, the Williams cars and the Red Bulls staying on the soft rubber until the end of the session. The Red Bulls dropped back quickly and Vettel looked to be at risk in P13. He didn’t have to worry, however, as moments later Marcus Ericsson lost control of his Caterham and clattered into the wall at turn nine. The incident brought out the red flags with 16 seconds left on the clock.

    It meant that out went Pastor Maldonado, who had steered his Lotus off track and out of the session shortly before the Ericsson incident. Also out were Max Chilton in P18, followed by team-mate Jules Bianchi, Kobayashi, Ericsson and the non-starting Gutierrez.

    At the top Hamilton claimed P1, seven tenths clear of Kevin Magnussen who had snuck into P2 on his supersoft tyres. Rosberg was third ahead of Jenson Button, Felipe Massa, Valtteri Bottas and Nico Hulkenberg.

    Daniil Kvyat was the fastest non-Mercedes-powered driver, the Russsian taking eighth place ahead of the Ferraris of Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen.

    In Q2, the Mercedes drivers bolted on supersofts but initially failed to make a significant step forward and as the session approached the final runs it was Massa at the top of the timesheet with a lap of 1:15.773, a tenth ahead of Rosberg in P2 and 1500ths ahead of Hamilton in P3.

    In the final runs, however, the Mercedes duo finally stretched their legs and Hamilton threw in a final lap of 1m15.054 to take top spot, two tenths clear of Rosberg. Massa held on to third with the lap that had seen him hold top spot earlier.

    Bottas confirmed Williams’ competitiveness with fourth place ahead of Red Bull Racing’s Daniel Ricciardo. Sebastian Vettel jumped from P13 to P6 with his final run, the champion setting the fastest final sector of all to claim his spot in the top-10 shootout.

    Alonso finished seventh ahead of Button, with Raikkonen ninth. The final Q3 berth went to the impressive Jean-Eric Vergne whose final lap was good enough to dump Hulkenberg out of the final segment.

    And so, once again, Q3 came down to a battle between the Mercedes drivers. After the first runs of the final 12-minute segment, it was Rosberg who held sway, the German putting in a lap of 1:14.946 to head Hamilton by five hundredths of a second. Behind them Bottas moved ahead of team-mate Massa to claim P3, half a second back from Rosberg. Ricciardo was fifth, two tenths ahead of Vettel.

    And after the tense final runs it was Rosberg who emerged victorious, his benchmark of 1:14.874 eclipsing Hamilton seven hundredths of a second.

    With Vettel and Bottas finishing fourth ahead of Massa, sixth place went to Daniel Ricciardo in the second Red Bull. It’s the first time since Bahrain that he will start behind Vettel. Fernando Alonso will start seventh, ahead of the excellent Vergne who beat out Button and Raikkonen to claim eighth place.

     

    2014 Canadian Grand Prix Qualifying Result

    1 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:16.471 1:15.289 1:14.874 19
    2 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:15.750 1:15.054 1:14.953 20
    3 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing-Renault 1:17.470 1:16.109 1:15.548 18
    4 Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:16.772 1:15.806 1:15.550 21
    5 Felipe Massa Williams 1:16.666 1:15.773 1:15.578 21
    6 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing 1:17.113 1:15.897 1:15.589 20
    7 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:17.010 1:16.131 1:15.814 17
    8 Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso 1:17.178 1:16.255 1:16.162 24
    9 Jenson Button McLaren 1:16.631 1:16.214 1:16.182 20
    10 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 1:17.013 1:16.245 1:16.214 17
    11 Nico Hulkenberg Force India 1:16.897 1:16.300 21
    12 Kevin Magnussen McLaren 1:16.446 1:16.310 15
    13 Sergio Perez Force India 1:18.235 1:16.472 19
    14 Romain Grosjean Lotus 1:17.732 1:16.687 19
    15 Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso 1:16.938 1:16.713 19
    16 Adrian Sutil Sauber 1:17.519 1:17.314 16
    17 Pastor Maldonado Lotus 1:18.328 10
    18 Max Chilton Marussia 1:18.348 6
    19 Jules Bianchi Marussia 1:18.359 5
    20 Kamui Kobayashi Caterham 1:19.278 8
    21 Marcus Ericsson Caterham 1:19.820 10
    DNS Esteban Gutierrez Sauber
    eom/FIA press release

  • A fantastic performance by the team to get 1-2 on the starting grid: Hamilton

    DRIVERS

    1 – Nico ROSBERG (Mercedes)

    2 – Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes)

    3 – Sebastian VETTEL (Red Bull Racing)

    TV UNILATERAL

    Nico, your first pole here in Montreal and given Lewis’ record here over the years you must be delighted.

    Nico ROSBERG: I’m not really aware of Lewis’ record or something but of course I know it’s a track where he’s very strong at, so all the more I’m very, very happy that it worked out. It’s great. It’s been a fantastic day and also all through the weekend really progressing all he time, getting stronger and stronger. It’s really cool and best position for tomorrow of course.

    It’s been very close all weekend of course, but Lewis did have the upper hand going into qualifying. Where did you find the difference today?

    NR: It’s just working at it all the time: looking at data, working with my engineers, trying to just improve the set-up, trying to understand what are the areas where I can do better. It’s really just an onward process and it’s great that it worked out.

    Lewis, you were behind on the first runs in Q3 and then on your final run it looked like you lost time in the middle sector. Can you tell us what happened?

    Lewis HAMILTON: Not particularly. Nico did a fantastic job today, so congratulations to him. Just wasn’t the greatest qualifying session this; sometimes you have good ones, sometimes you have bad ones. But it’s great for the team that we have got the 1-2 in quali. A really fantastic performance by the team, so let’s hope we can make history tomorrow.

    Well, it’s seven one hundredths of a second only the difference between you today. Can we expect a similarly close battle in the race tomorrow?

    LH: I would assume so, yeah.

    Thank you for that. Sebastian, a great final lap, you saved your best until last?

    Sebastian VETTEL: Yeah, indeed. The start of the last lap wasn’t great. I still didn’t manage to get that first sector right, the first two corners I didn’t get along very well with today. After that I tried to take more risk and it worked, so sector two was very good through the two kind of chicanes, especially the second one; I found a significantly better line and more time compared to previous runs and kept it together until the end. So, all in all, a very good result. I think it was the maximum we could do, very close with the people behind, obviously half a second to the Mercedes in front, but yeah, I think four cars were within five or six hundredths of a second, so obviously I’m happy to be the quickest one of those.

    Obviously you won here last year, like you say the margin to Mercedes is big but you’ve got the Williams to contend with tomorrow. What are your thoughts on prospects for the race?

    SV: We’ll see. It’s a long race here. Strategy I think could be a bit of a surprise, so we’ll have to wait and see what happens. But as you touched on Williams is very, very strong here. They have a very, very quick down the straights. Generally the Mercedes-powered cars are looking forward to the straight lines tomorrow. I’ll try to obviously stay as close as I can to those two, maybe get some tow and do the best I can. If we have a chance to attack them then we should go for it.

    Coming back to you Nico, again same as in Monaco you had the advantage after the first run in Q3. Can you talk about the confidence that gives you going into your final run, knowing that you’re in that position; that you’ve got the pole and it’s up to the other guy to take it off you?

    NR: Of course that helps a lot because I have a banker in and that’s a big advantage to have, definitely. That was also a benefit.

    PRESS CONFERENCE

    Q: So Nico, the word you used in Monaco was momentum: you stopped Lewis’ momentum there and you’ve carried that on here. Now you’ve got the momentum. Can you talk about that and how you take that forward into tomorrow’s grand prix?

    NR: Well, it’s just that little bit extra when you have the result, when I have that result behind my back and I know I’ve come here knowing that I’ve won the last race. It just helps a bit. Lewis obviously had that winning streak and to bring that to an end was important.

    Q: Lewis, you talked about the importance of pole position here in Montreal. How do you see it? On the one hand it looks like an easy track to overtake on but from where you are now, you thinking about that for tomorrow, how important to you in your mind is not being on pole?

    LH: Yeah, it’s not that easy, especially with Nico being so fast, so overtaking is going to be very difficult, to overtake the same car as mine – especially when we’re so close in pace. So, we’ll do what I can but, of course, the thing tomorrow is to try to make sure we get as many points as we can.

    Q: Sebastian, can you talk a little about the improvements that Red Bull have bought here this weekend – obviously we heard something about Renault giving you a bit more power – and how you feel all of that has contributed to you being here now.

    SV: Well, honestly I don’t know where the Renault talk comes from but I think as far as we’re concerned, yeah, we always obviously try to improve but we didn’t have any major steps for here. Regarding the car, obviously you run a little less downforce around here, which I think is obvious and probably the same for everyone. And… yeah… we brought some bits, other than a different downforce package as well, which seemed to work – but obviously we’re fighting a very big gap and it’s difficult to close it in one go.

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

    Q: (Dan Knutson – Auto Action / National Speedsport News) Seb, following on from that last question, how about you, yourself? Do you think maybe you’ve made a step getting more used to driving these cars?

    SV: Well, I think you always try to work on yourself. Obviously if you look at the record so far I didn’t have the smoothest races, so it’s good to have a more or less clean Friday and a clean Saturday today. So, hopefully, fingers crossed, we’ll have a clean race tomorrow. But I’m confident, always confident that when I step in the car that it is good enough to make it – so we’ll have to wait and see. In terms of fighting with the car, I’m still not where I want to be, still not yet behaving the way that I probably prefer but, then again, you still try to get the maximum out of the car and that’s normal. It’s not like last year always I was stepping into a dream car and everything was smooth and perfect – I had to work very hard as well. So, this year, obviously, yeah, we’re not yet tickling the right spots, probably.

    Q: (Pierre Durocher – Montreal Journal) I would like to ask each driver about the fact that they announced earlier today a new deal to keep the race in Montreal for the next ten years.

    NR: It’s great because Montreal is one of the best races in the year, for all of us, I think. It’s a great track, the fans are fantastic, so enthusiastic so I’m very happy and I’m sure everybody is, that we’re going to be coming here a lot more often in the future.

    LH: Yeah, I second that. It’s one of the best races of the year but mostly the fans here are just, again, some of the best that we get to see. They really make the atmosphere and the city is incredible, great food, we enjoy coming here so I’m grateful that that’s been done so hopefully we get to race here many more times.

    SV: Yeah, I think it’s great. I think it’s one of those places… one of the few places in the calendar where the whole city really parties all weekend long and embraces the Grand Prix so really appreciates the Grand Prix being here and obviously for us that’s a great feeling. You stand on the grid tomorrow and you have so many fans during the drivers’ parade but also when you race you see full grandstands and it just makes your job extra special.

    Q: (Paolo Ianieri – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Sebastian, is this third position a surprise to you, were you expecting to make it, looking also at the problems you had yesterday?

    SV: Well, I think it was very very tight, you have to say that. I think between third and sixth there wasn’t much so obviously I’m happy I got the last lap right and it was just good enough. Obviously it’s quite good to start third, right behind the Mercedes so we will see what we can do from there in the race but I think it was kind of expected that it would be a tough battle for third. It was probably not yet clear yesterday but the contenders were already on the list, with Red Bull, with us, with Williams and the Ferraris.

    Q: (Livio Oricchio – Universo On-Line) Lewis, you lost a lot of time in the second part of the track with your last set of tyres. Do you think you lost your pole position there and what happened?

    LH: In the middle sector? I went wide a couple of times in turn six and then turn eight but Nico just did a better job today so I need to work hard to make sure I do better tomorrow.

    Q: (Jordan Irvine – Nextgen-Auto.com) Sebastian, in 2009 when Brawn seemed to be running away with the championship, Red Bull were able to catch up and challenge in the latter half of the season. This year, is Red Bull able to develop a car that can not only catch up Mercedes but actually in your opinion beat them on regular occasions to put you back in the fight for the championship?

    SV: Well, you don’t have to be a genius to beat them. You need to be faster than them on the track and to beat them in the championship, you need to consistently score more points than them so right now we’re struggling to do that. You didn’t have to follow much… obviously they’ve been very dominant in the first couple of races, winning all of them so we are working very hard, completely motivated and we have a strong belief in ourselves. I think that’s the reason why we’ve been so successful the last couple of years, so rest assured we won’t give up.

    Q: (Massimo Lopez Pegna – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Lewis and Nico; seeing the results today, do you predict for tomorrow that the race will be decided between the two of you or can you see somebody else maybe giving you trouble?

    NR: I expect that it’s going to be between the two of us for now, yes, but of course there can be surprises so we need to still make sure we push but I think we have enough of a gap at the moment on race pace.

    LH: I don’t think it’s just between the two of us. Obviously in qualifying Sebastian wasn’t as close as perhaps he would like to be but the race pace was great in the last race so I anticipate tomorrow they should be quite strong, so we definitely cannot disregard Sebastian or Red Bull. I think we need to be very cautious, still, and make sure that we keep pushing.

    Q: (Paolo Ianieri – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Nico, this has always  been called a track for Lewis and you’ve never done better than fifth in your career racing here. Has this pole taken pressure off you, is it a boost of confidence?

    NR: That’s statistics, you know. I di

    Rosberg, flanked by Hamilton on right and Vettel on left after Canada GP qualies. Mercedes AMG Petronas team photo.
    Rosberg, flanked by Hamilton on right and Vettel on left after Canada GP qualies. Mercedes AMG Petronas team photo.

    dn’t even know the statistics until I got here and you told me on Friday or whenever, so for me it’s a track like any other and a track that I really enjoy. It’s a really great track, it’s a challenging track so I didn’t think about it that way and I always believed that I have a chance to be right at the front, so I’m just very very happy that it worked out.

    eom/FIA release of the transcript

  • Hamilton fastest in final practice but Nico Rosberg steals the pole

    Montreal, 7 June 2014: Lewis Hamilton continued to dominate the timesheets in Montreal as went quickest in final practice at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. The Briton, who failed to set a representative time on the quicker supersoft tyre at the end of the session, still managed to finish half a second clear of supersoft-shod Williams driver Felipe Massa. However, it was his teammate, Nico Rosberg,

    File photo: Nico Rosberg after winning the Monaco GP. A Mercedes AMG Petronas image
    File photo: Nico Rosberg after winning the Monaco GP. A Mercedes AMG Petronas image

    who took the pole amid yellow flags. Vettel will start on P3.

    Hamilton set his P1 lap of 1:15.610 with 25 minutes of the session remaining, as the final longer runs on the soft tyre came to an end. That put him half a second clear of team-mate Nico Rosberg.

    However, when the time came to bolt on the supersoft tyre for qualifying simulations, neither Mercedes driver set a convincing time, with Hamilton returning to the garage first and Rosberg following soon after.

    Despite the field being clear none of the duo’s supersoft-shod rivals could make a dent on their soft tyre times. Williams’ Felipe Massa came closest, splitting the Mercedes, but otherwise the closest challenger was Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, eight tenths adrift of Hamilton.

    In the early part of the session the pace was set by McLaren’s Kevin Magnussen, the Dane topping the timesheet with a lap of 1:18.325. The expected front-runners were still in the pit lane, however, with Lewis Hamilton not emerging inside the first quarter of the hour.

    As the 15-minute mark was reach, the session was briefly red-flagged. Esteban Gutierrez lost control of his Sauber on the run down to turn four and hit the wall on the outside of the exit.

    Action resumed four minutes later and Hamilton joined the fray and the Briton jumped to P1 on his second lap out, with a lap of 1:17.416. That was swiftly eclipsed by Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen before the Mercedes driver responded by becoming the first man to break the 1 min 17s barrier with a lap of 1:16.760.

    Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg was not to be outdone, however, and after Hamilton had lowered the bar to 1:16.186, the championship leader shaved another six hundredths of a second off to claim P1.

    There was no denying Hamilton, though, and he soon moved ahead again, registering the fastest lap on soft tyres – a 1:15.610 – before the duo returned to the pits. Behind them the quickest prime tyre runners were Massa in third and over a second down on Hamilton, Red Bull Racing’s Daniel Ricciardo, and Valtteri Bottas in the second Williams.

    Raikkonen was the first to make the switch to the supersoft tyre, 20 minutes before the end of the session and the Finn jumped to third with his first lap out, still just under a second shy of Hamilton’s soft tyre benchmark.

    The rest of the field left it later, with most not making the switch until the final 10 minutes. Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg leaped from 10th to fifth and then Fernando Alonso moved third ahead of team-mate Raikkonen by just 0.040s.

    The battle at the top should have been about the two Mercedes drivers but as Hamilton left pit lane for his first supersoft run he got on the radio to his team asking them to investigate a problem noticed when leaving the garage. He returned to the pits after an first lap out and didn’t re-emerge. Rosberg too opted out of his run on the red-banded Pirelli tyre after failing to find significant improvement and thus the session ended with Hamilton’s soft-tyre time giving him spot, 0.476s ahead of Felipe Massa’s best time on supersofts, with Rosberg third.

    Alonso was fourth on supersofts, some eight tenths down on Hamilton’s times, with Daniel Ricciardo fifth for Red Bull Racing. Raikkonen took sixth place ahead of compatriot Bottas and the Finns were followed by the Toro Rossos of Daniil Kvyat and Jean-Eric Vergne. The final top-10 spot went to Sebastian Vettel, who ended the session almost 1.3s adrift of Hamilton’s time.

    A number of drivers had offs during the session, with Gutierrez’s being the most significant. Turn eight caught out number of drivers with Marcus Ericsson, Romain Grosjean and Sergio Perez all surviving spins at the turn. Kamui Kobayashi made a late exit from the session, his Caterham team telling him to stop his car at Turn 10 as they had spotted an issue with his CT05.

    2014 Canadian Grand Prix – Free Practice 3 Times
    1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:15.610  18
    2 Felipe Massa Williams 1:16.086 0.476 16
    3 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:16.120 0.510 20
    4 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:16.488 0.878 15
    5 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing 1:16.504 0.894 15
    6 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 1:16.528 0.918 22
    7 Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:16.684 1.074 20
    8 Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso 1:16.820 1.210 21
    9 Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso 1:16.824 1.214 19
    10 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing 1:16.884 1.274 15
    11 Nico Hulkenberg Force India 1:16.944 1.334 17
    12 Kevin Magnussen McLaren 1:16.993 1.383 19
    13 Romain Grosjean Lotus 1:17.121 1.511 21
    14 Sergio Perez Force India 1:17.188 1.578 19
    15 Pastor Maldonado Lotus 1:17.224 1.614
    16 Jenson Button McLaren 1:17.360 1.750
    17 Adrian Sutil Sauber 1:17.900 2.290
    18 Jules Bianchi Marussia 1:18.518 2.908
    19 Max Chilton Marussia 1:18.525 2.915
    20 Marcus Ericsson Caterham 1:19.865 4.255
    21 Kamui Kobayashi Caterham 1:20.227 4.617
    22 Esteban Gutierrez Sauber 1:22.388 6.778

  • Alonso tops first practice session on Friday: Canadian GP

    Montreal, 6 June 2014: (7 June 2014 12.30 am IST) Fernando Alonso finished the opening practice session of the Canadian Grand Prix weekend at the top of the timesheet, the Ferrari beating out Mercedes rivals Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, who were second and third respectively. Sebastian Vettel was fourth-fastest for Red Bull Racing.

    Sahara Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez were 11th and 12th respectively during the first practice session for the Canadian GP to be held on Sunday .

    Alonso set a best lap of 1:17.238 to finish just under two hundredths of a

    Alonso in a pensive mood on Friday. The Ferrari driver topped the time sheets in the First practice. An FIA image
    Alonso in a pensive mood on Friday. The Ferrari driver topped the time sheets in the First practice. An FIA image

    second ahead of Hamilton whose best time of 1:17.254 was over a tenth of a second clear of team-mate Rosberg.

    The top three were well clear of the rest of the field, with Vettel’s fourth-placed time being just under a second adrift of Alonso’s benchmark. Valtteri Bottas was fifth for Williams, the Finn exploiting the Mercedes engine that is expected to make the difference on the long, fast straights of the Montreal circuit. Daniel Ricciardo in the second Red Bull was sixth fastest. The Milton Keynes-based team have already admitted they are expecting a difficult weekend due to the deficit their Renault power unit has to the pacesetting Mercedes.

    Ricciardo was followed by the McLarens of Jenson Button and Kevin Magnussen, while Kimi Raikkonen was ninth in the second Ferrari, some 1.3s down on his team-mate. The top 10 order was completed by Toro Rosso’s Jean-Eric Vergne, who eclipsed rookie team-mate Daniil Kvyat by more than half a second around the daunting, high-speed track.

    As ever, the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve’s close walls played a part in the session. With little grip available from the temporary track, several drivers had close brushes with the barriers. Most got away with minimal contact but Marussia’s Jules Bianchi was caught out and the Frenchman struck the wall on the exit on the exit of turn four sustaining damage to the right rear of his car. Bianchi eventually limped back to the pits for repairs.

    Felipe Massa had few chances to test the limits of the circuit. The Brazilian completed just seven laps during the session.

    2014 Canadian Grand Prix – Free Practice One Times
    1 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:17.238  21
    2 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:17.254 0.016 25
    3 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:17.384 0.146 32
    4 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing 1:18.131 0.893 28
    5 Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:18.361 1.123 20
    6 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing 1:18.435 1.197 26
    7 Jenson Button McLaren 1:18.446 1.208 33
    8 Kevin Magnussen McLaren 1:18.514 1.276 31
    9 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 1:18.578 1.340 15
    10 Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso 1:18.643 1.405 14
    11 Nico Hulkenberg Force India 1:18.733 1.495 30
    12 Sergio Perez Force India 1:18.959 1.721 22
    13 Adrian Sutil Sauber 1:19.108 1.870 24
    14 Romain Grosjean Lotus 1:19.142 1.904 32
    15 Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso 1:19.177 1.939 21
    16 Pastor Maldonado Lotus 1:19.340 2.102 37
    17 Felipe Massa Williams 1:19.575 2.337 7
    18 Esteban Gutierrez Sauber 1:19.804 2.566 15
    19 Jules Bianchi Marussia 1:20.200 2.962 15
    20 Max Chilton Marussia 1:20.844 3.606 26
    21 Marcus Ericsson Caterham 1:21.404 4.166 33
    22 Alexander Rossi Caterham 1:21.757 4.519 27

    eom/FIA press release

  • Rosberg takes second consecutive Monaco win; regains Championship lead

    Mercedes driver reclaims control of Drivers’ Championship standings as Hamilton is second and Ricciardo third.

    Nico Rosberg took his second consecutive Monaco Grand Prix victory and reclaimed control of the FIA Formula One World Driver’s Champiolnship with a controlled drive from pole position.

    Nico Rosberg after winning the Monaco GP on Sunday. A Mercedes AMG Petronas image
    Nico Rosberg after winning the Monaco GP on Sunday. A Mercedes AMG Petronas image

    The German held of a strong challenge from team-mate Lewis Hamilton, whose chances of taking a fourth win in a row this season faded when he suffered a visibility problem caused by dirt in his left eye. Daniel Ricciardo finished third for Red Bull Racing after recovering from a slide to fifth at the start.

    Rosberg held his lead at the start, but had Hamilton hard in pursuit. Behind them third-on the-grid Red Bull Racing’s Daniel Ricciardo made a poor getaway and was passed by team-mate Sebastian Vettel. The Australian then tried to fend off the hard-charging Fernando Alonso and that allowed his team-mate Kimi Raikkonen, who had started sixth, to slip past both around the outside.

    As the front-runners settled into the lap behind them Force India’s Sergio Perez, who had started 10th, was clipped by McLaren’s Jenson Button and pitched into the barriers on the run down to the hairpin.

    That triggered a brief safety car intervention and when the pace car left the order quickly changed again. This time it was Vettel on the move – though backwards. The champion reported a loss of power and slid rapidly back to 10th by the end of lap four. He pitted for work to be done but when he was released back on track he quickly reported that his RB10 was stuck in first and then had further power unit problems, which forced him to retire at the end of the lap. His exit moved Raikkonen to third and Ricciardo to fourth.

    The next man to stop was Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat. The Russian rookie had impress all weekend on his first time out at Monaco but after a decent race start in which he settled into eighth position he began to drop back on lap 11 losing places to Button and Hulkenberg. Kvyat steered his car back to the pit lane and retired.

    The Safety Car next appeared on lap 25. Adrian Sutil lost control of his Sauber on the exit of the tunnel and smashed into the barriers scattering debris all across the run down to the Nouvelle Chicane.

    That was the cue for a flurry of stops as all the front runners visited the pits. While all went smoothly for the Mercedes drivers and for Ricciardo, trouble was brewing elsewhere. Seventh-placed Jean-Eric Vergne was released into the path of Magnussen and incurred a penalty that spelled the beginning of the end of his race. Raikkonen, meanwhile, slotted back into third following his stop but was soon back in the pits, for another set of softs, the Finn being clipped by a lapped Marussia on his out lap. The Finn’s misfortune promoted Ricciardo to third.

    Vergne’s return to the pits on lap 37 for his penalty shuffled the order in the lower half of the top 10. Hulkenberg was now sixth, ahead of Magnussen, Button, Valtteri Bottas and Esteban Gutierrez.

    Massa, though, was still circulating on his starting supersofts and would need to make the switch. He finally pitted on lap 45, dropping back to 11th. The order now was Rosberg, just 0.8s ahead of Hamilton, with Ricciardo third 12s back. Alonso was fourth ahead of Hulkenberg, Magnussen and Button. Bottas was eighth, Gutierrez ninth and Raikkonen was back into the top 10.

    Vergne’s race meanwhile went from bad to worse. Fighting with Jules Bianchi for P13 on lap 52, blue smoke suddenly appeared at the back of the Toro Rosso. By the time Vergne reached the swimming pool section it had turned into a plume and he arrowed into pit lane to bring to an end a frustrating afternoon for his Italian team.

    A handful of laps later a second engine failure changed the order again. Bottas, in eighth, was defending hard as behind him Gutierrez, Raikkonen and Massa (on fresher tyres) pushed to get past. In the end none of the trio had to tussle too hard as on lap 57 Bottas’ FW36 expired in a pall of smoke at the hairpin.

    Gutierrez was the next man to exit the race. The Mexican clipped the barrier at Rascasse, sustained a puncture and spun close to the pit lane entrance.

    That put Marussia’s Jules Bianchi in a points-scoring position. The Frenchman was due to take a five-second penalty at the end of the race for a previous infringement but with a six-second advantage over Grosjean on track, it looked like the Frenchman was on the way to his first F1 points.

    Hamilton, meanwhile, was in trouble, complaining that he had dirt in his left eye that was impairing his vision. The gap between him and Rosberg drifted to five seconds, with Ricciardo now eight seconds behind Hamilton.

    The Australian made a determined bid to reel in Hamilton and closed the gap on the Mercedes driver to three seconds by lap 72. Hamilton was soon embroiled in traffic and on lap 73 Riccardo was running on the Briton’s gearbox.

    In the traffic, Button passed Magnussen across the start-finish line. Riccardo and Hamilton wove their through the backmarkers and as they did so Raikkonen attempted to pass Magnussen.

    Both got stuck at the hairpin and that allowed Bianchi to move up to eighth place, meaning that regardless of his penalty he would retain a points position.

    It was now all about the Riccardo/Hamilton duel. Riccardo threw everything at the challenge but the Red Bull driver could find no way past as Hamilton used his greater power in tunnel to prevent any move from Riccardo into the chicane.

    Ahead, Rosberg crossed the line to take his second Monaco win and to seize back the championship lead. The German now has 122 points to his team-mate’s 118.

    Hamilton held off Riccardo to take second. Alonso was fourth behind the Australian, with Hulkenberg fifth. Button was sixth for McLaren, ahead of Massa. Romain Grosjean was eighth with Bianchi ninth, but the Marussia driver was crucially nine seconds ahead of tenth-placed Magnussen, meaning that Marussia scored their first championship points and took a crucial advantage over Caterham, for whom Ericsson was 11th, in the Constructors’ Championship.

    2014 Monaco Grand Prix – Race Result
    1 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 78 1:49:27.661 1 25
    2 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 78 +9.2 secs 2 18
    3 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing 78 +9.6 secs 3 15
    4 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 78 +32.4 secs 5 12
    5 Nico Hulkenberg Force India 77 +1 Lap 11 10
    6 Jenson Button McLaren 77 +1 Lap 12 8
    7 Felipe Massa Williams 77 +1 Lap 16 6
    8 Romain Grosjean Lotus 77 +1 Lap 14 4
    9 Jules Bianchi Marussia 77 +1 Lap 21 2
    10 Kevin Magnussen McLaren 77 +1 Lap 8 1
    11 Marcus Ericsson Caterham 77 +1 Lap 22
    12 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 77 +1 Lap 6
    13 Kamui Kobayashi Caterham 75 +3 Laps 20
    14 Max Chilton Marussia 75 +3 Laps 19
    Ret Esteban Gutierrez Sauber-Ferrari 59 Accident 17
    Ret Valtteri Bottas Williams 55 +23 Laps 13
    Ret Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso 50 +28 Laps 7
    Ret Adrian Sutil Sauber 23 Accident 18
    Ret Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso 10 +68 Laps 9
    Ret Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing 5 +73 Laps 4
    Ret Sergio Perez Force India 0 Accident 10
    Ret Pastor Maldonado Lotus 0 +78 Laps 15

    eom/FIA press release

  • It was a really good day for Mercedes to get 1-2 finish: Hamilton

    DRIVERS

    1 – Nico ROSBERG (Mercedes)

    2 – Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes)

    3 – Daniel RICCIARDO (Red Bull Racing)

    PODIUM INTERVIEWS

    (Conducted by Benedict Cumberbatch)

    Nico, congratulations, man – a home win for the home boy. How did it feel? You had Lewis very, very close to you all the race but you held on to your lead. How was it?

    Nico ROSBERG: A very, very special day for sure. Lewis drove really, really well and pushed me massively hard, so the pressure was on all the way. But I kept it cool and, yeah, was able to win, in the end pulling a bit of a gap because I had the fresher tyres. So, fantastic and I’m very, very happy for the whole team, it’s an amazing car they’ve built and given us this year.

    Congratulations, well done to the Monaco boy. Lewis, how are you? Tell us a little bit about what happened on the 56th lap? You got something in your eye?

    Lewis HAMILTON: Yeah, just through the visor… but anyway that’s not important. It was a good day and really good for the team to get a one-two.

    You had [Daniel Ricciardo] right close behind. How was it? You started second and finished second and how are things with your team-mate, I think people want to know?

    LH: I had great pace, you know, obviously I felt I was very strong today but it’s a very, very difficult circuit to overtake on…

    It’s incredibly thrilling to watch, you were all incredible out there, the closeness of the cars…

    LH: Thank you. Fortunately we didn’t make any mistakes, so….

    Daniel, well done, man. Nice to meet you; Benedict. Tell us a little bit about your race. You were in third for a while, then the pit stops, tell us a little about your strategy.

    Daniel RICCIARDO: Firstly, it’s really nice to be up here on the podium in Monaco.

    It’s your first podium here isn’t it? Congratulations.

    DR: Yeah, thank you. The start was not great, I dropped back to fifth actually. A bit of frustration but then we saw Vettel had a problem, so we were able to get fourth and then we saw Raikkonen had a puncture on one of the safety cars. So we sort of inherited third after a poor start…

    You got very close to Lewis. You were right on his gearbox at the end?

    DR: At the end we really closed in. I believe he had an issue. We tried to put some pressure on but in the end third was the best we could do.

    PRESS CONFERENCE

    Congratulations Nico – a two-time Monaco Grand Prix winner, only a handful of drivers have ever done that before. Fifth consecutive one-two finish for the Mercedes team and you are back on top of the Drivers’ standings. Can you sum up what this win means for you today in the context of tyhe4 battle with Lewis for the championship?

    NR: Yeah, it’s a special win, definitely, because Lewis has had the momentum with the results and everything and I really needed to try to break that momentum and somewhat I managed to do that this weekend. Of course taking the leading again in the world championship and winning here in Monaco, yeah, all in all really, really cool.

    Well done. Lewis, obviously the momentum is broken for the moment. We heard you on the radio quite a lot after the safety car and the pit stops, questioning and speaking about the strategy calls. Obviously you pitted together under the safety car. Had there been a thought that you might try to undercut Nico before that? Can you explain to us what the conversation was about?

    LH: I don’t remember to be honest. I don’t. I think they saw a crash and normally under the crash we could have come in and I really should have come in but the team didn’t call us in. We really should have pitted that lap.

    Fair enough. Daniel, your first Monaco podium. Can you describe your feelings about that and looking back across qualifying and the race is there any way you could have got a better result than the one you got today.

    DR: To describe the feeling, it’s really nice to be up here. Could we have done better? I don’t know. I felt yesterday that we left a little bit of lap time on there. Where that would have jumped on the grid, who knows. After that, the race itself – the start was not good, not what I wanted. I actually dropped back to fifth and then Seb had his problems, still not sure what, but pretty evident he had problems when he slowed on the straight. Then Raikkonen I saw got a puncture under the safety car, so I got third and then pretty much was just trying to maintain the gap behind me to Alonso. Then when I thought there was enough or the right amount of laps left before the end to push and not really save tyres anymore, I did and went for it. We got close to at least one of the Mercedes at the end but you know what it’s like around here, it’s quite hard to pass. Tried to put a bit of pressure on but third was the best we could do but not a bad day.

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

    Q: (Paolo Ianieri – La Gazzetta dello sport) A question for Nico and Lewis. We have seen that there is a pretty tense situation between the two of you and we also heard comments from Lauda saying you did not want to talk and apologise. Are you going to have a pizza together, a dinner, to sort the problems, talk about it and try to get the situation back to normal.

    NR: It’s fine. We’ve had discussions and the benefit we have is that we’ve known each other for so long. We always sit down and discuss it and then move on and that’s what we’re doing this weekend also.

    Lewis?

    LH: I don’t really have an answer for you there.

    Q: (Oana Popoiu – F1 Zone) I have a question for Lewis. Niki Lauda said that in Barcelona you used an engine mode you were told not to and you had to apologise to Nico for that. Do you think that that mode would have helped you win the race today?

    LH: No… today we were using all the modes. In the last race it was a mode that didn’t really affect the outcome of the race. We were told that we had to stay in a certain mode. Nico did it in Bahrain and I did it in Barcelona. In this race we stuck to the strategies we had to stick.

    NR: I don’t know what Niki is referring to but it’s completely normal that we switch modes together you know, we always do that in the races. It’s nothing unusual.

    Q: (Dan Knutson – Auto Action and National Speedsport News) Lewis, yesterday you told the BBC that you might handle the situation with Nico like Senna would. What did you mean by that?

    LH: I don’t know. I can’t really remember to be honest. I think it was just a joke. Obviously I didn’t.

    Q: (Michael Schmidt – Auto Motor und Sport) I think you said on the radio that you had a problem with your eye in the closing stages. What happened there?

    LH: I’ve never really had it before. I kept making sure my visor was as closed as possible but I had quite a bit of wind coming in. I got close to Nico at one stage and all of a sudden I got a bit of debris in my eye, or some dirt, so I was driving with one eye, which is virtually impossible to do and so through the low-speed corners I was trying to open up my visor to clear it up but it was just making it worse. Fortunately, I think with five laps to go it cleared up so I was able to stay ahead of Daniel.

    Q: (Vincent Marre – Sports Zeitung) in the last days Nico was mentioning that the previous races were not one-to-one races. What do you think Lewis about this race or this race weekend. Was it a one-to-one races.

    LH: I don’t fully understand the question.

    Q: (Vincent Marre – Sports Zeitung) last day Nico Rosberg was mentioning that the previous races were not one-to-one races, relating to the weather, because you were winning the races and this time he’s winning the race and I want to know if you think this weekend is a one-to-one race for you?

    LH: I’m still not fully understanding it, but all the races have been very, very close but this weekend I think I had very good pace. I drove with all my heart and gave it all I could, fairly, and I feel like I drove fairly all weekend. So I leave today quite happy and I can go into the next race with even more energy and determination.

    Q: (Ian Parkes – Press Association) Lewis, it seems pretty clear to us that you feel aggrieved with the events that occurred yesterday in qualifying. Is this it now for you? Is it gloves off in your battle with Nico? And secondly, do you feel that you are getting full and fair support from the team?

    LH: Generally, there is a fierce battle between me and Nico and it will continue that way to I’m sure quite late in the season. Nico’s not had a single hiccup through the season so far. Obviously I had a car that didn’t finish in Melbourne but otherwise it’s still quite close, so I’m just going to keep my head up, keep pushing. I know the team are working hard for the both of us. The team can sometimes be in awkward positions, which they were yesterday, and their job is really to protect us both and that’s what they did.

    Q: (Graham Harris – Motorsport Monday) Question for Nico: you were being told to back-off and coast with fuel. How critical was your fuel?

    NR: Yeah, the fuel was very critical and caught me off-guard a little bit because it was a major change that I had to make and especially with Lewis being so close behind, it was a tough moment because I had to change the driving style completely, use different gears, different lifting and coasting, everything different. But, again, the team managed that well and got me to do what I needed to do. And then, once I got into the groove again, it was OK and everything… it was no problem them. But it was still difficult.

    Q: (Jussi Jäkälä – YLE) Nico, 31 years ago Keke won here, today you are double Monaco winning. Which do you think is prouder at the moment: you or your Dad?

    NR: I don’t know. I hope… of course my father is proud today and that makes me very happy, that I’m able to make my parents proud. Hopefully even my friends, for example, who all were here also this weekend and that makes it all the more special to have family, friends, everybody I know lives here and is at the track watching the race and that’s even nicer.

    Q: (Paolo Ianieri – La Gazzetta dello Sport) One question to Nico and one to Daniel. Nico, you said that you had to break the momentum, since Lewis is coming from four consecutive wins. Is this your most important victory so far? And to you Daniel, from what we have seen today from Red Bull, are you going to have the pace to challenge Mercedes in Montreal in two weeks?

    NR: I don’t know about the most important. For sure it was very, very important, yes, today because Lewis had the result moment and I needed to try and bring that to an end and managed to do that today, so that’s great but, y’know, it’s still early days and for sure it’s going to continue to be a very, very tough battle.

    Daniel?

    DR: I think, yeah, we closed up a bit here in Monaco which we knew would be our best chance up until now. This circuit definitely suits our package a bit better than previous circuits – we still didn’t finish in front so, unfortunately, it’s still not where we want to be. Montreal is still a street circuit but unfortunately the straights go on a little bit longer there so we’re still down a little bit in that area, which I think everyone’s aware of and we’ve made progress. Whether it will be enough by then, honestly, probably not but we are closing the gap so, that’s all we can ask for, for now, and just keep chipping away at it and be patient. I’m sure a bit of perseverance as well and we’ll get there.

    Q: (Livio Oricchio – Universo Online) Daniel, for sure as a driver you must trust in yourself but in any moment did you believe you could beat Vettel in the way this season you are beating him in qualifying and the race?

    DR: I didn’t really have any visions exactly on how it would go, what the race results would be or what the qualifying score would be – but I knew that I have some talent and obviously got a bit of experience now in Formula One. So, every year, even every six month period I feel I’m still growing and getting better as a driver as well so, I knew coming into the season with the team behind me and sort of a new opportunity, that I would be able to challenge Seb. Did I think it would be going, let’s say, as well as it was now? I don’t know. But I knew if I had everything underneath me I’d be capable of getting the results. So, fortunately the team saw that as well, back in September, I think, last year. So, it’s coming good.

    Q: (Barna Zsoldos – Nemzeti Sport) Lewis, after your victory in Barcelona, you said that Nico was faster than you in the race. Today he can even beat you. Is it a worry for you? And do you know where you should improve pace-wise.

    LH: erm… not really. I was pretty comfortable with my pace this weekend.

    Q: (Yassmin Abdel-Magied – RichardsF1.com) Daniel, you said yesterday that there was a little bit left on the table in terms of qualifying. Do you think that there was a little bit left on the table still in the race, and was there was there any point – you got pretty close to Lewis at the end there – when you were going to go for it and then maybe not – don’t want to risk it? What was the thinking in those last few laps?

    DR: Everyone was trying to do a one stop today; it’s a bit of a weird one, you don’t really push much of the race because, especially after the first pit stop, we still had a long way to go, so you’re in two minds: do I push or do I just try and hold the guy off and get to the end. By the time we’d got 15/20 laps to go I knew the tyres were going to last so then I could actually start my race, so to speak, and then start to set some quicker times. We caught Lewis, the team said I was going to catch him, the pace was good so I knew I was eventually going to get on to him. Knowing it’s hard to pass around here, I wasn’t… I don’t know. I was just waiting to see what happened but I wasn’t just going to settle for third. Obviously in the end I did but if there was a clean move to be taken then yeah, I would have taken it.

    Q: (Nicola Pohl – Bild) Lewis, what do you think was the reason why the team didn’t call you in immediately after the crash? You complained over the team radio about that.

    LH: I think it’s just what we have a rule that the guy in front gets the first opportunity to pit first so I think that would be why.

    Q: (Haoran Zhou – Formula One Express) Lewis, how did the debrief of yesterday’s qualifying go because as we understand, you were not in the debrief room, while Rosberg was?

    LH: I was in there. I went to the toilet and Nico did his big debrief before I got there which is unusual. Usually we do it when we’re both in the same room but as I came up I did mine and fortunately the engineers had written down what Nico had said so I read it.

    Q: (Michael Schmidt – Auto Motor und Sport) Nico, have you been surprised that the team didn’t call you in right after the crash of Sutil?

    NR: No. Surprised? No, not really, because I don’t think about that too much. I know I can rely on them to make the right call at all times so it’s not something that I’m thinking too much about, the strategy and should I be boxing now or not, because I know that they’re going to make the right call.

    Q: (Christian Hoenicke – Der Tagesspiegel) Nico, do you think it was fair what Lewis said about you not being hungry as him because you were growing with boats and jets and all that stuff?

    NR: I didn’t hear Lewis say that and so I’m not going to comment because it’s easy for you to just invent something and so I’m not going to comment on that, and even if something like that was written – which I don’t know because I don’t read the media – then still, between what Lewis says and what’s written, so much can turn around so it’s better I don’t say anything and I know that Lewis wouldn’t say something like that, especially not to the press, maybe to me if he feels like it but not to the press.

    Q: (Ian Parkes – Press Assocation) Nico, you may give the same answer to this question then, because there were some comments from yourself in one of the German newspapers or certainly a few of the German newspapers and you can correct me if I’m wrong, if the English translation was not correct but you remarked that when Lewis goes through a difficult period that he can crack. Do you think that that’s what happened this weekend, that maybe Lewis did crack under the press yesterday in qualifying, and Lewis, any comment on that yourself? Do feel you’re the kind of guy that doesn’t crack, that you can hold it together in these kind of circumstances?

    NR: Again, that is definitely very very far from anything that I’ve ever said and ever would say. Definitely not and I’ve known Lewis for many many years and he’s always been strong, among other things mentally, so I’m definitely not expecting him to crack any time soon, that’s for sure. It’s going to be a tough battle which is going to be ongoing, but I would never say something like that anyways.

    LH: Do I feel like I crack? No.

    Q: (Ralf Bach  – Sport Bild) Lewis, to clean the situation, did you tell the BBC in this interview where you said these things with the boat or didn’t you say that?

    LH: I was asked who was hungrier. I think if you ask every driver they will say that they’re the hungriest and I said that what gives me the hunger is where I grew up in comparison to where Nico grew up. You know I’ve always been striving to come and live here. I used to travel around with Nico in his Dad’s plane, I used to go to his boat, I used to go to his house, I used to have those experiences and that gave me those experiences and that gave me the desire to want that one day, which gave me the hunger. It was his Dad obviously who inspired me to be where I am today.

    Q: (Ralf Bach  – Sport Bild) So you did say it.

    LH: Yes, but – as Nico said – it was taken out of context a little bit.

    Q: (Livio Oricchio – Universo On Line) Lewis, do you believe with a normal pit stop – not under safety car conditions – you would have had any chance to overtake Nico and get the lead of the race?

    LH: It’s irrelevant now, but obviously with the start, we got exactly the same start… there’s only two opportunities in the race and the pit stop would have been the other one but the safety car came out at the perfect time for him so I didn’t have the chance there. Otherwise, that was it.

    Q: (Gloria Scola – El Mundo) The race has just finished; I was wondering what racing gives you, is it freedom of expression, a way to express yourself, adrenalin?

    NR: First of all, we’re here to entertain and hopefully give people a great time and a spectacle to watch, and especially in Monaco, it’s very obviously because everybody’s there on boats and houses and everything, and I just hope that we’re able to put on a great show, that our sport is seen as the best sport in the world, the most fun sport in the world, the most exciting sport in the world and so that’s a special feeling as such. And then of course driving my car through the streets of Monaco on the limit, battling everybody else, trying to win and then of course the win itself is the most special moment.

    LH: I’m living my dream so it gives good energy.

    DR: I get… honestly, freedom is definitely one thing. I remember when I first hopped in a go-kart as a kid, just being in control and not having anyone else in your space and then going at speed was a sense of freedom definitely. It’s nice as well, particularly with everything that happens around F1, all the media and everything else – when you hop in the car, it’s just you and the car and occasionally you have an engineer on the radio but it’s just you so definitely a sense of freedom along with a wicked adrenalin.

    eom/FIA press release of the transcript of Monaco Press Conference

    Rosberg flanked by Hamilton on right and Ricciardo after winning the Monaco GP to take the F1 Championship lead again. A Mercedes AMG Petronas image
    Rosberg flanked by Hamilton on right and Ricciardo after winning the Monaco GP to take the F1 Championship lead again. A Mercedes AMG Petronas image

  • Rosberg and Hamilton make it a fifth 1-2 for Mercedes at Monaco GP

    Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton took a dramatic one-two finish this afternoon at the 2014 Monaco Grand Prix.

    • Nico took his second consecutive Monaco Grand Prix victory this afternoon, the first driver to do so since Ayrton Senna
    • Lewis finished in second place, securing the team’s fifth consecutive one-two finish in the 2014 season
    • Both drivers ran one-stop strategies, pitting behind the Safety Car on lap 26 and retaining the leading two positions
    • The team has now taken five consecutive one-two finishes, for just the third time a team has achieved this in F1 history
    • This victory marked the team’s 10th victory in the new era of the Silver Arrows since 2010
    Driver
    Car No.
    Chassis No.
    Result / Fastest Lap
    Nico Rosberg
    6
    F1 W05 Hybrid/04
    P1 1:19.425
    Lewis Hamilton
    44
    F1 W05 Hybrid/01
    P2 1:19.361
    Weather
    Warm
    Temperatures
    Air: 19-21 °C
    Track: 28-31 °C

    Nico Rosberg 
    It was a tough race out there today but I am absolutely delighted to have won my second Monaco Grand Prix in succession. It’s an amazing feeling and I’m proud to have done it at home, in front of my family and friends who were all here this afternoon. The race started well and I was comfortable but then we had to manage my fuel consumption and Lewis was pushing really hard behind me. We were able to be in control of the fuel with a few laps of lift and coast. It was important for me to break Lewis’ momentum of winning the last four races this weekend. That worked out very well, but it was a really tough weekend. I’m so happy for the team that we had another one-two finish and look forward to the party tonight!

    Lewis Hamilton 
    I felt very strong out there today and I really drove with all my heart, giving everything that I could to improve my position. This just hasn’t been my weekend but I can leave today feeling happy that we have achieved another one-two finish for the team. We have such a great car and everyone who has worked on it deserves the incredible results that we are getting at the moment. Back to this afternoon, this is such a difficult circuit to overtake. I was following Nico as close as I could and had great pace but I just couldn’t get past. Towards the end, I got some dirt in my eye through the visor which made it very tough for a few laps but thankfully it cleared up and I was able to hold off Daniel and keep second place. This hasn’t been the greatest of weekends but I’ll go into the next race with even more energy and determination. The team are working so hard and we’re determined to keep the momentum going.

    Toto Wolff 
    A fantastic result for the team after a weekend where we had the pressure to deliver on the car’s potential here in Monaco. Six wins from six races, and five one-two finishes in a row, is a very special achievement at the start of this 2014 season. Congratulations to Nico for a faultless race and to Lewis for following him home in spite of some unexpected challenges this afternoon. We were driving a controlled race when the Safety Car forced us to pit earlier than had been planned for our only stop of the afternoon. After that, both drivers pushed hard and that had the consequence that they started to run out of rear tyres in the closing laps. When Lewis had the problem with his eye, that was when Daniel Ricciardo came close. It just goes to show that we must never give up pushing because our rivals are right behind us – and working hard to run us down. We have absolutely no margin for error because if we make one little slip, our rivals are right there. We will enjoy this moment – but the hard work continues tomorrow at the factory.

    Paddy Lowe 
    To take our fifth consecutive one-two finish is an incredible achievement for our team. It doesn’t matter how good a car you’ve got: to achieve that kind of run, you need amazing drivers and a great team performing faultlessly. We have all of those elements and this afternoon again reinforced just how well both Nico and Lewis are driving right now. I also must say a special thank you to the team: to take a one-two at Monaco, you need a great chassis and a driveable engine, and this result shows our car is an all-round performer. In terms of the race itself, it wasn’t without its challenges: Nico had to manage his fuel consumption quite carefully and we were working with the settings of Lewis’ Power Unit to optimise the energy recovery and deployment in the first half of the race. In the final stages, we had some concerns with the tyres as we were running out of rubber, which in turn made it hard to maintain the tyre temperatures. We s

    Nico Rosberg after winning the Monaco GP on Sunday. A Mercedes AMG Petronas image
    Nico Rosberg after winning the Monaco GP on Sunday. A Mercedes AMG Petronas image

    aw that when Lewis recovered from the problem with his eye, and couldn’t get the tyres back working properly, which allowed Ricciardo to close in. But he was able to bring the car home and secure this fantastic team result.

    eom/A Mercedes AMG Petronas press release

  • Rosberg claims Monaco pole in dramatic style

    Monaco, 24 May 2014: Final-lap mistake by Mercedes denies second-placed team-mate Hamilton opportunity to challenge. Ricciardo third.

    Nico Rosberg claimed his second success Monaco Grand Prix pole position in dramtic fashion, an error on his final lap bringing out the yellow flags, which then denied team-mate Lewis Hamilton the opportunity to improve on his time.

    Rosberg claimed provisional pole with his first run in Q3 in the Principality, the German setting a time of 1:15.989. It was just enough to put him ahead of Hamilton, whose opening lap yielded a time of just over five hundredths adrift of his team-mate.

    In the closing minutes Rosberg set off ahead of Hamilton in search of an improvement. However on the run to the Mirabeau corner Rosberg momentarily lost control under braking and was forced to take an escape road. The incident immediately saw the yellow flags raised.

    “I just locked up, the outside front, I think it was, or the inside, I’m not sure, and that put me off line,” said Rosberg. “I was still trying to make it but in the last moment I had to turn out because I was going to hit the tyre wall. It was close but I managed to go into the escape road.

    “I thought it was over once that happened, because I thought the track would ramp up and somebody else could beat the time but no, of course, in the end I’m really, really happy that it worked out in the end. To be on pole is fantastic, at home; couldn’t be better,” he added.

    Hamilton, meanwhile, was getting into his own final flying lap, setting a personal best first sector time that could have given him the chance to eclipse Rosberg.

    The chance never came, however, as the flags prevented the championship leader from making his charge. He was forced to pull out of the lap and cede pole position to his team-mate.

    Third place went to Daniel Ricciardo, who was also displeased with how the last moments of the session had played out, though for different reasons.

    “I think all three of us don’t seem to be too pleased with ourselves,” he said. “I think we left a bit on the table. We fought the car pretty hard in qualifying and trying to find a bit more from it. I thought I was getting around it OK but coming up to Turn 8 I just lost the rear completely on exit and pretty much the lap was gone after that. Frustrated, I think we could have been much closer. So a little bit disappointed.”

    Ricciardo finished ahead of team-mate Sebastian Vettel for the fourth time this season, while Fernando Alonso will start fifth ahead of team-mate Kimi Raikkonen.

    Jean-Eric Vergne claimed an impressive seventh place in the session his time of 1:17.540 just 1500ths of a second behind Raikkonen’s. Team-mate Daniil Kvyat was ninth, the first time both Toro Rosso cars have qualified in the top 10 since the opening race of the season. Kvyat’s performance was especially good considering that the Russian rookie has never raced at Monaco in any category. Additionally, in Q1 a mistake saw him hit the wall on the run down to the Nouvelle Chicacne and he was forced to pit for a new front wing.

    Eighth place went to Kevin Magnussen, the McLaren rookie claiming his third top-10 qualifying position of the year. Tenth place in the session went to Force India’s Sergio Perez.

    Elsewhere, Felipe Massa was forced to sit out Q2 after he was pitched into the barriers by Marcus Ericsson at the end of Q1. The Caterham driver tried to pass the Williams driver down the inside but miscalculated and caused them both to hit the wall. Massa had already done enough to progress to Q2 but was not able to take part.

    2014 Monaco Grand Prix – Qualifying Result
    1 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:15.989 26
    2 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:16.048 27
    3 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing 1:16.384 22
    4 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing 1:18.383  1:17.074  1:16.547 25
    5 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:16.686 27
    6 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 1:17.389 27
    7 Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso 1:17.540 26
    8 Kevin Magnussen McLaren 1:17.555 25
    9 Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso 1:18.090 23
    10 Sergio Perez Force India 1:18.327 26

    11 Nico Hulkenberg Force India 1:17.846 20
    12 Jenson Button McLaren 1:17.988 20
    13 Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:18.082 20
    14 Romain Grosjean Lotus 1:18.196 23
    15 Pastor Maldonado Lotus 1:18.356 21
    16 Felipe Massa Williams No time 10

    17 Esteban Gutierrez Sauber-Ferrari 1:18.741 11
    18 Adrian Sutil Sauber-Ferrari 1:18.745 11
    19 Jules Bianchi Marussia-Ferrari 1:19.332 10
    20 Max Chilton Marussia-Ferrari 1:19.928 9
    21 Kamui Kobayashi Caterham-Renault 1:20.133 9
    22 Marcus Ericsson Caterham-Renault 1:21.732 9

    eom/FIA Press Release

    Nico Rosberg poses after taking the Monaco pole. A Mercedes AMG Petronas image
    Nico Rosberg poses after taking the Monaco pole. A Mercedes AMG Petronas image