2017 Monaco Grand Prix, Monte Carlo, 26-28 May

[basti313]

Do you know what? This year, it would be great to not have a safety car within the middle of the GP. I remember 2014, it was so close between Hamilton and Rosberg and I really did wonder if Hamilton could pull off getting past Rosberg by staying out a lap longer. Unfortunately, a safety car phase ruined that opportunity in 2014 and both drivers retained their position. This race could be well something if we have two drivers battling out at front sticking close to each other and one of them attempting an overpass without the element of a safety car.

I do not know...maybe we can see something new with this years tires but in the last years it was:
- New (harder) tires are faster than old tires as pitting early brings you into traffic. So you can not do the overcut.
- The undercut is not strong either, as new tires need a lap or two the get into the right temperature. Enough time to cover the undercut with a fast inlap.

At the moment I do not believe in any strategic news. The front runner will run until Nr.2 pits and then do his stop and come out in front. As we have two clear Nr1 drivers battling it out, I can picture a 2013 scenario with the front runner going slow (P2 and P3 not more than 15sec away from slow cars) to keep the pack close to avoid any split strategy games behind him and then raise the pace only some laps for his stop.

[dren]

In the last 20 years, the pole winner won the race 60% of the time. If you take into account the two races that the pole winner DNF'd and the one race where Schumacher was given a penalty and removed from pole, then it increases to 70% of the time. The last two years the pole winner -should- have won the race if it wasn't for a botched pitstop or strategy call.

[FrukostScones]

bring back those pls.

[FrukostScones]

1977 dry
1978 dry
1979 dry
1980 Dry at the start, damp in the end
1981 dry
1982 Dry, then Wet
1983 Wet track at the start
1984 heavy rain and spray throughout race
1985 dry
1986 dry
1987 dry
1988 dry
1989 dry
1990 dry
1991 dry
1992 dry
1993 dry
1994 dry
1995 dry
1996 wet at first, drying later, light rain at finish, Olivier Panis Victory
1997 Overcast, cold and rain
1998 dry
1999 dry
2000 dry
2001 dry
2002 dry
2003 dry
2004 dry
2005 dry
2006 dry
2007 dry
2008 Wet, drying later.
2009 dry
2010 dry
2011 dry
2012 dry
2013 dry
2014 dry
2015 dry
2016 Rainy at start, dry later

from Wikipedia, so maybe not completely correct.

[PlatinumZealot]

I'd like to see a strait forward race, no weather, vsc or sc, so we can get a clearer view of the pecking order.

That was Barcelona my friend.

[Artur Craft]

Of all drivers, Verstappen is the one that needs to show a lot more than the horrible performance of 2016 when he was a lot slower than Ricciardo, when not crashing.

The new surface might allow for times on low 1.12 or high 1.11. Yes, the cars couldn't improve 3s even on Barcelona, so Monaco should mean much less(around 1s) but resurfacing have huge impacts on lap times as Sepang, Interlagos showed, on recent years.

Yeah, good stuff - thanks! The irony, of course, is that he turned the fastest ever lap of the circuit here - a 1:13.532 in 2006 Q2.

Imagine the sticky 2006 compounds on this wide stick tyres Or more, imagine a decade later of such compounds enhancement

FrukostScones, your avatar fits particularly well on this thread because Maldonator was a specialist on this track

[f1316]

Of all drivers, Verstappen is the one that needs to show a lot more than the horrible performance of 2016 when he was a lot slower than Ricciardo, when not crashing.

The new surface might allow for times on low 1.12 or high 1.11. Yes, the cars couldn't improve 3s even on Barcelona, so Monaco should mean much less(around 1s) but resurfacing have huge impacts on lap times as Sepang, Interlagos showed, on recent years.

Yeah, good stuff - thanks! The irony, of course, is that he turned the fastest ever lap of the circuit here - a 1:13.532 in 2006 Q2.

Imagine the sticky 2006 compounds on this wide stick tyres Or more, imagine a decade later of such compounds enhancement

FrukostScones, your avatar fits particularly well on this thread because Maldonator was a specialist on this track

Yeah, I was just thinking the other day how crazy it is that narrower tyres with great big valleys round the entire circumference - some of which were designed to be pushed for an entire race - can be so much gripper than the current, massive, slicks.

Old news which we all know, of course, but just that particular way of phrasing it really struck me.

[f1316]

Wider cars, I wonder if they'll brush the barriers more? I do still think a shorter car will pay dividends and hence bring Mercedes and Red Bull toward each other - With Seb out front - but interesting to see if I'm proven wrong.

edited

Either way! some brush, but some most certainly 'hit' (ask Max!)

[f1316]

I'd like to see a strait forward race, no weather, vsc or sc, so we can get a clearer view of the pecking order.

That was Barcelona my friend.

No VSC and everyone's clear on the pecking order?

[Vasconia]

from Wikipedia, so maybe not completely correct.

Exactly, as I said the weather here is everything but unpredictable. Rain is not, sadly, very common.

[torpor]

bring back those pls.
http://www.countach.ch/History/PaceCar/ ... 1981_1.jpg

What's that? I see a red Lamborghini. But why?

[Powy]

bring back those pls.
http://www.countach.ch/History/PaceCar/ ... 1981_1.jpg

What's that? I see a red Lamborghini. But why?

I think it was the pace car in Monte Carlo in 1981.

[WaikeCU]

bring back those pls.
http://www.countach.ch/History/PaceCar/ ... 1981_1.jpg

Knowing that is a dream car, a bedroom wallpaper kind of car and because this is the prestigious Monaco, I would say a Bugatti Chiron pace car would be brilliant.

[torpor]

bring back those pls.
http://www.countach.ch/History/PaceCar/ ... 1981_1.jpg

Knowing that is a dream car, a bedroom wallpaper kind of car and because this is the prestigious Monaco, I would say a Bugatti Chiron pace car would be brilliant.

I think the chorion is way too heavy and sluggish for some tracks e.g. Monaco. I think a Mercedes-AMG GT would be great. Oh wait...

[Bill_Kar]

Hopefully I'll be wrong, but I can't see Mercedes in the picture in Monaco. I think 16 years on, it was about time.