2013 Monaco Grand Prix

[Kiril Varbanov]

Some chances are arising to visit the race, I will do live reports if I make it, truth is, however, I've never really liked Monaco races, this year I can sell my soul to the devil, who wears Prada (pardon my French, Pirelli).

My humble prediction is for Vettel's win.

[Blackout]

Disagree. The Lotus was woeful last year here

Disagree. Grosjean was allways amongst the top 3 last year in FP1, FP2 and FP3. And despite a sudden change on the tires behaviour between FP3 and qualy (another one), he still managed to qualify 4th IIRC.
Then he crashed at the start but it wasnt entirely his fault.

Which effectively means Raikkonen was the only available benchmark - and he opened up a pitstop gap to P2 man Rosberg by Lap 25, despite a safety car over the first few laps. He couldn't even hang on to the prime-tyred Vettel at race start.

Raikkonen was awful all the weekend long (for technical reasons) He cant be the Benchmark.

[ParanoiD]

If I'm not mistaken, teams usually have special package for Monaco ( or Monza).
Will it change the nature of the car much?

Current favourite is clearly Mercedes, but I would expect other top teams fight backs.
They know Mercedes would be strong, but will they just let Mercedes win it? I am sure they will put effort try to at least make it harder for Mercedes.

[donskar]

Could be an interesting race, but probably won't because of the nature of the course. If current trand continues, Mercedes will be on pole, a huge advantage at Monaco. But I do not think M-B can block from flag to flag. IMHO, Vettel will win because Monaca requires mechanical grip and downforce -- Red Bull strengths -- and does not require top speed -- a Red Bull weakness.

1) Vettel
2) Alonso
3) Kimi

[Gridlock]

ROS or HAM for the pole, in that order of likelihood I think due to the weirdness of Monte Carlo and Lewis' first time there in a new, very different car. But form (recent and this race last year) suggests Silver Arrows with a clear view into St Devote.

Vettel or Webber for the win, unless Ferrari can come up with a nutty 3-stop strategy or something. I hope the Massa Podium Comeback Tour continues though.

[mclaren_mircea]

I think Jenson could make a top 3 in Monaco because like Raikkonen he can make a one stop minus compared to the others. Mercedes will lock the front-row but they will drop behin after the pit-stops. Overall, qualy and race Red Bull will be the best packege in Monaco, but Jenson could make a surprise At leat I hope

[raymondu999]

I think Jenson could make a top 3 in Monaco because like Raikkonen he can make a one stop minus compared to the others.

This is of course valid only if the tyres can't make a 1-stop. It was arguably within most cars' capabilities to one stop in 2011, and it definitely was within their capability to one-stop in 2012.

IMO the Pirellis don't mind traction and braking. It's more heat that does them in, mostly through ambient or through lateral loads. I think most cars can manage a 1-stop anyway.

[Jonnycraig]

The question is who do you vote for pole ROS or HAM ? Also I think Merc can realistically win Monaco because the leading car control the pace and unless they destroy their rear tyres like Vettel did in 2009 they can claim victory . They need a wingman policy i.e. 2 placed runner hold up the field behind and the winner should be decided on Saturday .

I would expect if a train does form, one or more of the front runners (probably Vettel) will dip into the pits earlier and undercut them. They can afford to sacrifice a longer last stint because as you note, the leader sets the pace in Monaco.

Wouldnt be surprised in the slightest to see a repeat of last year where we had 5/6 cars within 3 seconds for the final stint.

[langwadt]

I think Jenson could make a top 3 in Monaco because like Raikkonen he can make a one stop minus compared to the others.

This is of course valid only if the tyres can't make a 1-stop. It was arguably within most cars' capabilities to one stop in 2011, and it definitely was within their capability to one-stop in 2012.

IMO the Pirellis don't mind traction and braking. It's more heat that does them in, mostly through ambient or through lateral loads. I think most cars can manage a 1-stop anyway.

if heat is the problem blowing the diffuser isn't helping, a megawatt "blow torch" pointed right at the tires won't make them any cooler

[raymondu999]

Naturally. But it won't matter if you can go slow enough while dictating the pace anyway.

[Jonnycraig]

I think Jenson could make a top 3 in Monaco because like Raikkonen he can make a one stop minus compared to the others.

This is of course valid only if the tyres can't make a 1-stop. It was arguably within most cars' capabilities to one stop in 2011, and it definitely was within their capability to one-stop in 2012.

IMO the Pirellis don't mind traction and braking. It's more heat that does them in, mostly through ambient or through lateral loads. I think most cars can manage a 1-stop anyway.

If Monaco can produce a situation similar to last year whereby degradation is minimal and 1 stops a genuine option, RB will not need to sacrifice qualifying pace like they have in China, Bahrain & Barcelona. In that instance a distant RB 1-2 is nailed on IMO.

[raymondu999]

Possibly. But I guess you could say similar of Mercedes.

[Jonnycraig]

Possibly. But I guess you could say similar of Mercedes.

That depends on if you believe Mercedes are faster than Red Bull over a lap. The paddock appears to believe not.

[godlameroso]

There's no way that only one stop will be made, more like three or four. Although aside from Tabac there are no real high speed corners in Monaco. Most turns are low to medium speed, and not a lot of stress gets put on the tires. I still think that a three or four stopper is going to be the norm.

Last year's super-soft is this year's soft but heavier and more flexible sidewalls so it generates more friction per slip angle, more one lap performance but also shreds itself faster. What they need to do is make a tire that reaches it's operating temperature quickly then performs consistently for 12-15 hard laps then starts falling off the cliff at over a second per lap. Maybe make a tyre with two stages, one soft layer on the outside, and a harder safety tread that is significantly slower once it's been worn.

What we have now is a tire that works well and gets up to temperature quickly but then self destructs at the tune of one second a lap of degradation after the first lap or two. There's no consistency in the performance of the tires if you push you just go slower and slower while working harder and harder, as opposed to saving tires saving your stamina and concentration while maintaining the same speed. If you want to push like crazy you simply will not have enough tires to finish the race, and frankly that's where I think Pirelli really dropped the ball. The tires need to be durable enough to make pushing from beginning to end a viable strategy, yet the current allocation of tires would not be able to handle a 100% push from beginning to end. You would need a six stop strategy and there simply isn't enough rubber allocated to each car per weekend, unless you wan to finish the race on rain tires.

[Vasconia]

Possibly. But I guess you could say similar of Mercedes.

That depends on if you believe Mercedes are faster than Red Bull over a lap. The paddock appears to believe not.

It depends on the race, and Monaco could suit Mercedes more than RB, If the special package that Mercedes will bring to Monaco is as good as last year the pole its more than a real chance.

But they need lower temperatures (as last year) and a very good set-up, only under these conditions could Mercedes win the race or at least reach the podium. if not, we will see them suffering as it happened in 2011 when Michael and Nico had no pace in the first half of the race.

What I expect is to see and endless train behind Nico and Lewis in the first stint and then they will loose at least 4-5 positions.

By the way, hich were the fastest teams in the last sector in Barcelona? Mercedes were tremendously fast, but the rest?