monaco mania
question 1
In FP3 we saw Pastor Maldonaldo bump tyres with Sergio Perez and in response was awarded a 10 place grid penalty. What was your view on the incident and the resulting penalty?
@hedgeryhoops: It was quite childish really, especially after his magnificant Spain victory, he had gone a long way to prove his doubters wrong (including myself!). To be honest I don't believe him when he says the incident was a driver error on his part, and in the end it all came back to haunt him when he was deducted a further 5 places as the gearbox was damaged after the incident. Hopefully he will out this race behind him and continue his great start to the season so far.
@NigelBeechey: The FIA need to look at rules and penalties to be more consistent. 10 place grid drop for a contact incident where as Hamilton was sent to the back of the grid for 'just running out of fuel after Q3' and not causing any safety issues the race before. Pastor appears to be in his learning phase too. All drivers go through it. It tests maturity, patience, commitment and professionalism.
@icywingsuk : From the camera angles that I saw, it seemed that Maldonado intentionally drove at Perez. This is obviously not acceptable, introduces unnecessary danger and provides a poor example from someone who should know better. I feel that the 10 place grid drop was lenient for such a deliberate act, and given his history at the circuit in lower formulae (when he injured a Marshall under yellow flags), I think that he was lucky not to penalised further.
@SpinUp : He made a mistake that's for sure. Although Perez seems to correct his line into the corner tuning back into Maldonaldo a little, but even allowing for that Pastor didn't give the Sauber any room and having just driven passed him he obviously knew he was there. 10 places is arguably a bit much though, especially as Schumacher driving Senna off the track in Spain only warranted a 5 place penalty.
@hedgeryhoops: It was quite childish really, especially after his magnificant Spain victory, he had gone a long way to prove his doubters wrong (including myself!). To be honest I don't believe him when he says the incident was a driver error on his part, and in the end it all came back to haunt him when he was deducted a further 5 places as the gearbox was damaged after the incident. Hopefully he will out this race behind him and continue his great start to the season so far.
@NigelBeechey: The FIA need to look at rules and penalties to be more consistent. 10 place grid drop for a contact incident where as Hamilton was sent to the back of the grid for 'just running out of fuel after Q3' and not causing any safety issues the race before. Pastor appears to be in his learning phase too. All drivers go through it. It tests maturity, patience, commitment and professionalism.
@icywingsuk : From the camera angles that I saw, it seemed that Maldonado intentionally drove at Perez. This is obviously not acceptable, introduces unnecessary danger and provides a poor example from someone who should know better. I feel that the 10 place grid drop was lenient for such a deliberate act, and given his history at the circuit in lower formulae (when he injured a Marshall under yellow flags), I think that he was lucky not to penalised further.
@SpinUp : He made a mistake that's for sure. Although Perez seems to correct his line into the corner tuning back into Maldonaldo a little, but even allowing for that Pastor didn't give the Sauber any room and having just driven passed him he obviously knew he was there. 10 places is arguably a bit much though, especially as Schumacher driving Senna off the track in Spain only warranted a 5 place penalty.
Question 2
Qualifying saw Sebastian Vettel not set a lap time and through this benefited from the choice of tyres in the race. Do you think that this rule should be changed with penalties enforced if a driver/team do not set a time in Q3?
@DarshanChokhani : I don't think there's any need for a penalty for not setting a time in Q3. Yes, qualifying is important but it's ultimately the race which decide the ultimate position. In the end we do see a pole sitter and it's only few cars who don't go for setting up a time, more than 50% of drivers do set the Q3 time.
@simpson_tweets : If drivers do not wish to set a lap time in Q3 then they should be made to start the race on the tyres that they set their fastest lap in Q2........that seems only fair after all there are fans to consider because without them what is F1
@multicooldude34 : Vettel clearly gained an advantage through not sending Seb out in Q3. They had more tyres avalible, which gave them a strong advantage. Away from race-day, it often makes Q3 less exciting. In past GP's we have seen zteams such as Force India, Mercedes, and Toro Roso not go out in Q3, leaving 6 or 7 cars instead of 10.
@alonsomanso : FIA have to do something because the driver in the two qualifying sessions is crazy to get in the Q3 and then stay in pits.
@EmTheEmu : You can't penalise the teams/drivers for wanting to maximise their chances, which is what Sebastian did. If only we could have more tyres or special qualifying tyres, then the rule saying the top 10 have to start on their Q3 tyres could be scrapped.
@DarshanChokhani : I don't think there's any need for a penalty for not setting a time in Q3. Yes, qualifying is important but it's ultimately the race which decide the ultimate position. In the end we do see a pole sitter and it's only few cars who don't go for setting up a time, more than 50% of drivers do set the Q3 time.
@simpson_tweets : If drivers do not wish to set a lap time in Q3 then they should be made to start the race on the tyres that they set their fastest lap in Q2........that seems only fair after all there are fans to consider because without them what is F1
@multicooldude34 : Vettel clearly gained an advantage through not sending Seb out in Q3. They had more tyres avalible, which gave them a strong advantage. Away from race-day, it often makes Q3 less exciting. In past GP's we have seen zteams such as Force India, Mercedes, and Toro Roso not go out in Q3, leaving 6 or 7 cars instead of 10.
@alonsomanso : FIA have to do something because the driver in the two qualifying sessions is crazy to get in the Q3 and then stay in pits.
@EmTheEmu : You can't penalise the teams/drivers for wanting to maximise their chances, which is what Sebastian did. If only we could have more tyres or special qualifying tyres, then the rule saying the top 10 have to start on their Q3 tyres could be scrapped.
Question 3
A slow pitstop for Hamilton, being hit on the head by numbers falling off of pit boards and a lack of communication regarding Sebastian's pace left Lewis Hamilton frustrated with the race. Do you think this will affect his upcoming contract renewal and what do you think his options would be aside from McLaren?
@jo_johnson63 : Considering the messy pit stops, Lewis seems very positive compared to last year and does have a very fast car this year. By rights McLaren should be at the top but are letting themselves down hugely. If the situation doesn't improve they could very well lose him. I can't see him going to Ferrari for obvious reasons but at the same time would he fit in at Red Bull with Vettel? I can't see him going to any other teams as they are not competitive enough for him I wouldn't have thought.
@RobLMyers : Despite the very obvious issues that McLaren have at the moment I expect Lewis to stay on with the team. There really doesn't appear to be any better options out there for him. We should underestimate the impact of loyalty; Lewis has been with the team from a very early age - he knows them and they know him - and the team stuck by him when he was having a difficult 2011. I expect Lewis to do likewise.
@ChrisJ_F1 : Hamilton is in sublime form at the moment. It's arguable that he should have won a few races this year if it weren't for his teams blunders. No doubt this will raise concerns when he goes to put pen to paper. However I don't think he has any other options. Red Bull are happy with their drivers and have a Young Driver Programme in the form of Toro Rosso. Ferrari are certainly eyeing up Perez and Mercedes have expressed their interest in Di Resta.
@jo_johnson63 : Considering the messy pit stops, Lewis seems very positive compared to last year and does have a very fast car this year. By rights McLaren should be at the top but are letting themselves down hugely. If the situation doesn't improve they could very well lose him. I can't see him going to Ferrari for obvious reasons but at the same time would he fit in at Red Bull with Vettel? I can't see him going to any other teams as they are not competitive enough for him I wouldn't have thought.
@RobLMyers : Despite the very obvious issues that McLaren have at the moment I expect Lewis to stay on with the team. There really doesn't appear to be any better options out there for him. We should underestimate the impact of loyalty; Lewis has been with the team from a very early age - he knows them and they know him - and the team stuck by him when he was having a difficult 2011. I expect Lewis to do likewise.
@ChrisJ_F1 : Hamilton is in sublime form at the moment. It's arguable that he should have won a few races this year if it weren't for his teams blunders. No doubt this will raise concerns when he goes to put pen to paper. However I don't think he has any other options. Red Bull are happy with their drivers and have a Young Driver Programme in the form of Toro Rosso. Ferrari are certainly eyeing up Perez and Mercedes have expressed their interest in Di Resta.
bonus question suggested by joshbohnf1
Do you think we should still be racing at Monaco when overtaking is clearly important in modern f1?
@StephanieWeiser : Of course! Monaco is THE F1 track and whilst overtaking is very difficult, but not impossible, it's the strategy that makes the racing in Monaco interesting (plus all the celebrity hustle and bustle and the gorgeous scenery).
@NiawmF1 : Monaco isn't the most interesting race to watch on TV. It's one of the drivers favourites and it's clear to see why, it's so technical and the risk must provide a real thrill, knowing that one false move will more than likely end your race. The other day I read that more sponsorship contracts are signed at Monaco than any other circuit. We sometimes forget that Formula 1 isn't just a sport, it's a business and a business needs to keep raking in the money to stay afloat. This is before we've even considered the rich history Monaco has. Monaco isn't a terrible track and it certainly isn't as bad as Valencia, so yes I think it deserves a place on the calendar.
@MarussiaF1Will : Yes we should keep it, it's my favourite race weekend of the season. Always nice to see F1 cars go through the streets of Monaco. Street circuits are always difficult to pass on.
@BenF1_ : Yes we should still be racing, it's the most iconic race on the calendar, the track is wonderful, the drivers love it, it's glamorous and IS Formula One. I know quite a lot of F1 fans seem to be like 'Oh no, there's no passing it's really boring', but actually, I'm one of the people who just wants to see drivers pushing the limits of themselves and the car. Overtaking and such really does not matter to me. I love F1 because of it's speed, engineering, and raw passion, not because of 'the overtaking show'.
@StephanieWeiser : Of course! Monaco is THE F1 track and whilst overtaking is very difficult, but not impossible, it's the strategy that makes the racing in Monaco interesting (plus all the celebrity hustle and bustle and the gorgeous scenery).
@NiawmF1 : Monaco isn't the most interesting race to watch on TV. It's one of the drivers favourites and it's clear to see why, it's so technical and the risk must provide a real thrill, knowing that one false move will more than likely end your race. The other day I read that more sponsorship contracts are signed at Monaco than any other circuit. We sometimes forget that Formula 1 isn't just a sport, it's a business and a business needs to keep raking in the money to stay afloat. This is before we've even considered the rich history Monaco has. Monaco isn't a terrible track and it certainly isn't as bad as Valencia, so yes I think it deserves a place on the calendar.
@MarussiaF1Will : Yes we should keep it, it's my favourite race weekend of the season. Always nice to see F1 cars go through the streets of Monaco. Street circuits are always difficult to pass on.
@BenF1_ : Yes we should still be racing, it's the most iconic race on the calendar, the track is wonderful, the drivers love it, it's glamorous and IS Formula One. I know quite a lot of F1 fans seem to be like 'Oh no, there's no passing it's really boring', but actually, I'm one of the people who just wants to see drivers pushing the limits of themselves and the car. Overtaking and such really does not matter to me. I love F1 because of it's speed, engineering, and raw passion, not because of 'the overtaking show'.