A mid-race red flag in last night’s Monaco Grand Prix - which enabled teams to change tyres - threw race strategies out of window and put further focus on tyre supplier Pirelli.
Pirelli is frustrated and may quit F1 unless things change. The tyres supplied by the Italian giant for this year are exactly to specification, but high rates of degradation (requested to make pit stops more of a focus and spice-up the racing) are not providing great international television pictures or enhancing Pirelli’s image.
Further, there is no Concorde Agreement finalized for F1’s commercial rights beyond 2013 and no technical details have been finalized for tyres for next year when we switch to turbocharged 1.6-litre V6 engines – which of course places completely different demands on tyres.
The red flag in Monaco came after Williams driver Pasto Maldinado crashed at the high-speed, fourth-gear Tabac corner and the impact-absorbing air-barrier detached itself from the Armco fence and partially blocked the track.
But the big news was race-winner Niko Rosberg. He dominated the weekend in his Mercedes-Benz, being quickest in every practice session, qualifying and taking a lights-to-flag result to score his first GP victory.
Rosberg’s win came 30 years after his father Keke also posted as light-to-flag win in Monaco. The Rosbergs, who all live in Monaco, are the first father and son to have won the famed GP around the streets of the Principality.
Rosberg started the race with team-mate Lewis Hamilton alongside, but in the race Hamilton lost-out in the pit-stop timing strategy and eventually finished fourth.
The Benz’ arrived in Monaco under a cloud after completing a three-day tyre test in Spain immediately after the Spanish Grand Prix. Testing like this is allegedly illegal and Red Bull has protested.
Petronas Mercedes-Benz team principle Ross Brawn isn’t fazed saying the tyre test was not a secret and was done at the request of Pirelli. “How could it be a secret?” Brawn said. “Everyone knew we were testing straight after Spain and in fact after the race it was obvious we weren’t loading the cars into the truck.”
Red Bull drivers Sebastian Vettell and Australian Mark Webber finished second and third so Vettell now enjoys a 21 point lead in the championship standings.
Second in the points chase in Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen. He recovered from a late-race stop in Monaco to change a flat tyre and claimed the last point in 10th position. That’s 23 consecutive point-scoring GPs for Raikkonen and he’s closing in on the all-time points scoring record (25 races) held by – who else? - Michael Schumacher.
Paddock gossip in Monaco links Raikkonen with Red Bull next year, replacing Webber. For the Aussie, a switch to Ferrari to join Fernando Alonso must be on the cards with Ferrari’s current number two Philipe Massa still out of form and in fact taken to hospital in Monaco after a massive crash at the St Devote corner – a ‘carbon copy’ of a crash he endured during practice.
In other F1 news, Red Bull number two team Torro Rosso has signed with Renault for engine supply for year’s 1.6-litre turbocharged V6 formula and British team Williams sprung somewhat of a surprise by announcing its engine partner will be Mercedes-Benz.
