Nico Rosberg achieved his hat trick of pole positions in Formula 1 with a brilliant lap around the tight and twisty Monaco circuit.
The Mercedes driver fended off the challenges from Red Bull Racing to take the top spot, edging out his team-mate Lewis Hamilton in the process too.
Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber were initially first and second following the first Q3 runs, and with the rain appearing set to increase, it looked like Red Bull Racing might have the front row sealed.
But Mercedes found extra pace in the final moments of Q3, with Lewis Hamilton first leaping to the front with a time of one minute, 13.967 seconds, until Rosberg pipping him by 0.091 seconds with a pole position time of one minute, 13.876 seconds.
Vettel was 0.013 seconds down on Hamilton as he denied Webber third place. Kimi Raikkonen took fifth for Lotus, while Ferrari had a tough qualifying session.
Fernando Alonso could only manage sixth, while his team-mate Felipe Massa was unable to take part at all following his practice three crash. The team couldn’t repair the car in time for Q1.
McLaren’s Sergio Perez and Jenson Button were seventh and eighth, split by Adrian Sutil’s Force India.
Jean-Eric Vergne completed the top ten with a strong performance for Toro Rosso.
There was an element of lottery in getting into the top ten as Q2 came to a frenetic end, with everyone opted for slick tyres in the final four minutes and then trying to get the best out of an ever-quicker track.
Romain Grosjean was among those to lose out. His P13 was an anti-climax after a star Q1 performance, when he had shot to the front briefly on the single flying lap he had time for once Lotus had repaired his practice crash damage.
The other big story of Q2 was Giedo van der Garde’s effort. The Dutchman got Caterham through Q1 for the first time this season and was a top ten contender in Q2.
He eventually ended up P15, beating Q1 pacesetter Pastor Maldonado’s Williams. Maldonado was two positions behind team-mate Valtteri Bottas.
Also out in Q2 were Nico Hulkenberg and Daniel Ricciardo, who share row six.
Paul di Resta was left enraged with Force India’s tactics as he missed the Q1 cut and ended up P17. Esteban Gutierrez was also knocked out and will start behind Charles Pic in P19.
Jules Bianchi will join Massa on the back row, having parked on his out-lap with a fire in his Marussia’s airbox.
So an exciting qualifying session. Mercedes have locked-out the front row yet again but with overtaking so damn difficult around Monaco, we could see the Silver Arrows taking the race victory.
Qualifying times from Monte Carlo:
1. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m13.876s
2. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1m13.967s
3. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m13.980s
4. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m14.181s
5. Kimi Raikkonen Lotus-Renault 1m14.822s
6. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m14.824s
7. Sergio Perez McLaren-Mercedes 1m15.138s
8. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1m15.383s
9. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m15.647s
10. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m15.703s
11. Nico Hulkenberg Sauber-Ferrari 1m18.331s
12. Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m18.344s
13. Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault 1m18.603s
14. Valtteri Bottas Williams-Renault 1m19.077s
15. Giedo van der Garde Caterham-Renault 1m19.408s
16. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Renault 1m21.688s
17. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1m26.322s
18. Charles Pic Caterham-Renault 1m26.633s
19. Esteban Gutierrez Sauber-Ferrari 1m26.917s
20. Max Chilton Marussia-Cosworth 1m27.303s
21. Jules Bianchi Marussia-Cosworth No time
22. Felipe Massa Ferrari No time
107 per cent time: 1m29.293s
After taking his fourth career pole position in Formula 1 around the streets of Monte Carlo. Nico Rosberg is still wary about tyre wear in the Mercedes. Autosport.com has the story.
Nico Rosberg says his chances of winning the Monaco Grand Prix will come down to how much Mercedes has improved its tyre wear.
Despite taking his third pole position in a row, the German is keeping his optimism in check ahead of Sunday’s race, citing his car’s tyre-chewing performance in Spain two weeks ago as a genuine concern.
“I’m happy to be starting first, [but] in Barcelona we were struggling a lot in the race, [finishing] 70 seconds behind the race winner.
“We are improving, but it is difficult to understand the tyres and get the most out of them. We’re improving step-by-step, but there are still a lot of questions marks remaining.
“It will be difficult tomorrow, it is our weakness. Hopefully better than Barcelona, but it is still a weakness. It could also be a bit better than expected – let’s wait and see.”
Rosberg added that the start will be key, and that getting through the first corner in the lead is a must.
“The start will be important, to get to the first corner first,” he said.
“I have the advantage as I am first, after that we have to see how it goes, who is quickest with strategy.”
It was yet another Mercedes front row with Nico Rosberg leading team-mate Lewis Hamilton. The 2008 champion admitted that starting from the second on the grid is a relief. Autosport.com has the details.
Lewis Hamilton insisted just being on the front row for the Monaco Grand Prix was a relief as he had struggled more in practice than on any previous Monte Carlo visit.
The 2008 world champion was outqualified by his Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg for the third consecutive race, as the German continued his pole streak.
“I have been struggling all weekend, just struggling with the car,” said Hamilton.
“It’s the first time I have had that experience in Monaco since 2005.
“Every year I was on it, didn’t have any problems.
“I am really happy to be here, to lock out front row for the team. It’s just a massive improvement for me considering all the [practice] sessions.”
Hamilton admitted that being consistently outpaced by Rosberg was not ideal, but denied it troubled him.
“It is a new situation for me, one that I seem to be dealing with pretty well,” he said.
“I have had good seasons here in the past in terms of being on the pace [against team-mates] and this is definitely the worst.
“I need to correct this and as soon as I am able to extract the maximum from the car in the next few races hopefully you will see the true pace.”
Championship leader Sebastian Vettel has commented that Mercedes can be beaten on race day. The Red Bulls will start third and fourth (Vettel ahead of Mark Webber) on the grid. Autosport.com has the news story.
Sebastian Vettel says he and Red Bull Racing need to run their own race on Sunday if they are to beat Mercedes in the Monaco Grand Prix.
The reigning Formula 1 world champion will start the race third, behind Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton.
And while overtaking is notoriously difficult in Monaco, Vettel is confident that the race can be won if his team can get the strategy right.
“There are a lot of laps here,” he said.
“But it is difficult to overtake. It always depends where you are, [but] on track it can be difficult.
“Hopefully Mercedes will struggle, but we cannot rely on that. Tyre wear for sure will play a role tomorrow, but we need to look after ourselves first. We will see what happens and then make the right calls.
“Our target tomorrow is to win.”
Vettel also praised the team for making huge improvements to the car since Thursday’s practice sessions.
“We saw on Thursday our performance was not great, I wasn’t feeling the car and therefore today I was much happier.
“Overall I was happy with the lap. On Thursday it did not look like we were anywhere close to the first two rows, so I am happy with the result and confident for tomorrow.”
Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso admits victory is very unlikely thanks to the narrow and twisty circuit. Overtaking is incredibly difficult. Autosport.com has the details.
Fernando Alonso reckons he will have to just try to beat his title rivals in the Monaco Grand Prix, as he doubts he can win the race from sixth on the grid.
As Mercedes took another front row lockout, Alonso found himself back on row three, with championship opponents Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen third and fifth, split by Mark Webber.
“I think it’s going to be difficult tomorrow,” Alonso admitted.
“It’s not the best qualifying position if you want to fight for the race win.
“Nothing is impossible in Formula 1, but it’s going to be very unlikely that we’ll fight for the victory tomorrow.”
Alonso is currently third in the standings, 17 points behind Vettel and 13 down on Raikkonen.
“The second main target is to finish in front of our competitors in the championship, so Kimi and Sebastian, and this is perhaps possible,” he added.
“I start on the same row as Kimi and Sebastian is just one row ahead, so with a good start and good strategy we can do it.”
Jenson Button described McLaren as its “own worst enemy” as a fuel pump problem prevented a strong showing in the last segment of Monaco Grand Prix qualifying.
After finishing fifth in Q1 and eighth in Q2, Button was unable to mount a proper challenge in Q3, thanks to what was later revealed to be an issue with his car’s fuel pump.
He wound up ninth, two spots behind his McLaren team-mate Sergio Perez.
“I think we did a good job in terms of getting out on the right tyres at the right time and the pace was good, but it doesn’t really matter when you have an issue at the end,” said Button.
“I’m ninth and that’s it. We’re our own worst enemy it seems. You eventually get the car working well and we’ve done everything right this weekend and then you have an issue like that in Q3. It’s not easy at the moment.”
Button predicted that making progress in the race will be difficult.
“I think getting in the top five from being ninth will be a massive difference. But when you want to do your own strategy and ideas in the race, you can’t if you’re team-mate is ahead of you. So it’s going to be a tough afternoon.”
Source: Autosport.com
Following his big crash at St Devote in the final practice session leading up to qualifying, the Ferrari team were unable to repair the car and he will start the Monaco Grand Prix in last position. And yet, the Brazilian is not disheartened by the result. Autosport.com has the details.
Felipe Massa remains open-minded about what he can achieve in the Monaco Grand Prix, despite having to start last due to his practice crash.
Ferrari made a huge effort to repair Massa’s car after a heavy accident at Sainte Devote in the morning.
But it ran out of time to get Massa out in Q1, leaving him 22nd on the grid.
“It is the worst track to have such a problem,” Massa admitted, “but I think we need to remain positive and we will have to try everything we can for tomorrow.
“Monaco is difficult to overtake at, we know, but anything can happen.”
The accident was put down to driver error, although Massa remained puzzled by how it unfolded.
“When I braked over the bump the car touched the floor and I locked both front wheels,” he said.
“It’s not an easy thing to happen, normally you only lock one.
“And then I went into the wall – waiting for it to arrive was not a nice thing.
“I looked at the data, and honestly, when I braked I was in a gear lower than I was on Thursday. I locked both front tyres and it was very strange that it happened.”
He confirmed that he had not been injured in the incident.
“I feel a few pains in the muscles in my back, but I’m OK and it’s nothing that a massage won’t sort out,” Massa said.
Lotus driver Romain Grosjean shrugs off his Monaco accidents and insist he still has the confidence to do well in Monaco. Autosport.com has the story.
Romain Grosjean insists that his confidence has not been rattled by the two separate trips into the wall at Sainte Devote he has taken so far in the Monaco Grand Prix weekend.
The Lotus driver hit the wall for the first time on Thursday during free practice two, before repeating the effort on Saturday morning in the final minute of the third practice session.
The team managed to repair the car just in time for Grosjean to take part in qualifying, where he locked down 13th on the grid.
“I think I made some mistakes [in practice],” he admitted.
“The car is performing very well, but it was a bit on the edge to start with. Through the weekend we’ve improved.
“It’s not always easy to know exactly what’s going on, and Monaco is very bumpy and very unpredictable. But it didn’t hurt the confidence, as you could see in Q1.”
Grosjean’s Lotus team-mate Kimi Raikkonen will start Sunday’s race from fifth, and is confident of moving forward.
“I think the car was the best it’s been this weekend [in qualifying],” he said.
“We will have to see what will happen, and what the weather will be. Hopefully we can pick up some places.
“If we can get the tyres working a little bit better, we can be fast.”
The qualifying highlight had to be Giedo van der Garde, who managed to get through into Q2. The first time for the Caterham team. Autosport.com has the details.
Giedo van der Garde regards qualifying 15th for the Monaco Grand Prix as a career high.
The Dutchman reached Q2 for the first time in Formula 1 as he made Caterham’s first appearance in the second stage of qualifying this season.
Even though he has won races in his junior career, as well as the Formula Renault 3.5 title, he believes this achievement is up there with anything else he has achieved.
“Yes, it’s a big day for me and the team,” van der Garde told AUTOSPORT when asked if this was a career high.
“It was a great day for us and I’m very happy and proud of what we did.
“It’s not easy in these conditions, but you have to make the most of them and take what you can get.”
Caterham judged the conditions well in Q1, opting to bring van der Garde in for fresh intermediate rubber, which allowed him to improve his time by a big enough margin to end up ahead of Paul di Resta and Esteban Gutierrez.
In Q2, van der Garde gambled on a switch to slicks when everyone else was on intermediates. He climbed as high as fifth at one point before being demoted by faster cars that changed tyres later in the session.
“We played it quite aggressive,” he said of the team’s strategy.
“I was the first one on slicks and it was my call.
“But at those moments, you have nothing to lose and you have to try to get what you can.”
Despite being inside the top 10 in the closing minutes of the session, van der Garde believes that he did the best he could have done and that it was impossible to reach Q3 without the rain returning.
He ended up just over a second-and-a-half off the Q3 cut-off time, but believes that there was no more pace in the car because of the conditions.
“The gap to Q3 was quite big,” he said.
“It was still wet at the end of Q2 so it was tough and the car was sliding around a lot.”
With the Caterham having shown stronger race pace than qualifying pace so far this weekend, van der Garde is hopeful of a good result in Sunday’s race.
“You never know – as we saw in the GP2 race on Friday, anything can happen at into the first turn,” he said when asked if he felt scoring a point might be possible.
Paul di Resta thinks Force India got complacent in Q1 in Monaco and threw away a chance to qualify in the top six.
The Scot was eliminated in Q1 and will start 17th, a result he described as “probably the most painful
experience I’ve ever had in qualifying”.
Earlier in the session di Resta had been a frontrunner, and he believes that made the team feel too secure, leading to an errant call to stay out on worn intermediates as others changed to fresh tyres.
“Probably what threw us was that our performance on inters at the beginning was very successful,” said di Resta when asked by AUTOSPORT how the session had gone awry.
“We were well within the top three, better than we imagined, and maybe we felt a bit too comfortable.
“If we’d been in a bit more trouble and put a fresh set on, we’d have been easily through.
“In sector one and two, I had no rear tyres to get through the dry sector three.
“If it stayed wet, which I hoped it would have – because the performance in the beginning was a big step over where we have been in the wet – I think we would have been easily in Q3.
“And in the dry, we were P7 this morning but with quite a bit more potential still to go.”
He believes Force India should make changes to ensure the Monaco situation does not arise again.
“There are procedures that probably need to be improved in how we make decisions,” said di Resta.
Source: Autosport.com
It’s going to be fascinating if Mercedes will opt for a decisive team tactics by letting one driver race into the distance and go for victory, while the other holds up rivals. Mercedes boss Ross Brawn rules out this scheme. Autosport.com has the story.
Mercedes Formula 1 team boss Ross Brawn has ruled out using one of his drivers as a sacrificial lamb in the Monaco Grand Prix to try to guarantee his outfit victory.
With Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton securing the front row in Monte Carlo, the team could boost its chances of a win by using one of the drivers to hold the rest of the field up while the other is allowed to break free at the front.
But Brawn insists that there is no temptation to adopt such a tactic from the start, and has told both his drivers that they are heading into the event free to race each other for the win.
“The tortoise and hare strategy is one that people speculate on, but I don’t think either of our drivers are tortoises,” said Brawn, when asked by AUTOSPORT about the possibility of using one driver as a rear-gunner.
“We will let the race run and see what develops. Our ambition is to get a one-two and we will do what is sensible to try and achieve that.”
Brawn suggested that although such a tactic is an obvious one for Monaco, the only way to impose it fairly would have been to discuss it before qualifying, to show that one driver was not being given preferential treatment.
He made it clear, however, that no such talk had taken place with Hamilton or Rosberg about the matter.
“If you are thinking along those lines, you need to do it before [qualifying] practice and we haven’t done it,” he said.
“So we will let the race develop and, as always, we will do what is right for the team. We will leave the drivers as alone as possible to race each other.”
Rosberg, who famously followed team orders in the Malaysian Grand Prix to come home behind Hamilton, said that Saturday night strategy discussions would finalise their tactics for the race.
“We are going to discuss strategy and everything tonight and then we will see what the best way forward is,” he said.
“It is quite complicated because there might be some people trying a one-stop for example, and then how do they interfere with the two-stoppers in the race and things like that.
“We really need to wait and see how that pans out and have a good discussion tonight to see what is the best way forward. We need to work out how together we can make the most of it and possibly help each other out in some situations.”