The Official 2012 Formula 1 season..ched

[roadracer7]

Ferrari pile more pressure on Massa
Tue, 15 May 00:17:00 2012



Ferrari has added to the pressure on Felipe Massa by highlighting how poorly the Brazilian has performed this season and making clear that they expected him to shift up a gear in Monaco next week.


Williams team members leave hospital
Whitmarsh admits Hamilton blunder
Bet on Formula 1
Massa has not been on the Formula One podium since 2010 and has scored just two points from five races this season. The 2008 season overall runner-up collected a drive-through penalty in Spain on Sunday and ended up 15th.
Spanish team mate Fernando Alonso won in Malaysia, finished second at his home race in Barcelona and is level with Red Bull's double world champion Sebastian Vettel at the top of the standings with 61 points.
Ferrari's official website compared their relative performances at the same stage in 2011 and 2010.
"Fernando has always maintained a very high level (67 points and second place in 2010, 51 and fifth place last year) while Felipe's drop off has made itself felt," it said.
"The Brazilian had picked up 49 points two years ago and 24 the following year, while so far this season he has just two.
"In Montmelo (Barcelona), Felipe was very unlucky, both in the race and in qualifying, but everyone, he more than anyone, is expecting a change of gear starting right away with the Monaco Grand Prix," added the website.
Massa lives in Monaco, which hosts the sixth round of the season. He has never won in the principality, with third place in 2007 and 2008 his best results there.
Alonso won with Renault and McLaren in 2006 and 2007 respectively.
"We expect Felipe to react and fight back after this unlucky weekend, starting in Monaco," team boss Stefano Domenicali said after Sunday's race. "We absolutely need his points to also fight for the constructors' title."
Ferrari are fourth overall, 21 points behind third-placed Lotus and 46 adrift of champions Red Bull, after starting the season with a car whose performance was some way off their rivals' pace.
Domenicali spoke also of the inspirational example of Manchester City's Italian manager Roberto Mancini, whose club won the Premier League title with two stoppage-time goals on Sunday.
"You always have to believe you can do it, even when the evidence has you believe the contrary," he said.
"Last night I watched the replay of the football matches involving the two Manchester sides and saw the determination with which Roberto Mancini continued to exhort his guys even when the situation seemed lost.
"It was an example for everyone involved in sport."


Time for massa to pull out of f1


sulking, unproductive, casting blame
no good since crash................crashed...

[adriano7910]

sulking, unproductive, casting blame
no good since crash................crashed...

i've been saying this a while now. since the crash he hasnt been the same. still talented but not ferrari money talented.

On another note i think that all teams are fiddling with the front wing designs. it looks like they have adopted a strategy of changing noses as per the track to be raced. the number of changes thus far is not short but amazing as compared to previous years

[roadracer7]

Raikkonen: Tyres haven't changed F1
Thu, 17 May 11:10:00 2012


Kimi Raikkonen says that too much has been made of the impact of tyres on the racing this year - and thinks that it is the ban on refuelling that is playing a huge factor in shuffling up the order as well.


The competitiveness of the F1 field this year has meant elements like tyres are playing a bigger role in the outcome of races, with Pirelli having faced criticism that its products have now become too important in defining results.
However, Raikkonen is not convinced that Pirelli should have been singled out as the key element because he reckons that the ban on refuelling is a big contributing factor too.
"I don't think the nature [of F1] is different because of that," Raikkonen told Finnish newspaper Turun Sanomat about the impact of Pirelli.
"It's because of the amount of the fuel on board. I don't think there would be that much problem with these tyres, if we would race with 50 or 60 kilos, when we start.
"Previously the pitstops were made usually after every 20 laps, while we had less fuel. I think it would have been the same situation with Michelins and Bridgestones if we would have this much fuel as we have now.
"These tyres are good in qualifying: they have a good grip and all in all they are good tyres."
Refuelling was banned at the start of the 2010 season that witnessed four different winners in the first five races, and produced a four-way championship finale in Abu Dhabi.

[adriano7910]

Raikkonen has a very valid point.

[roadracer7]

Monaco Grand Prix - DRS to be banned in Monaco tunnel again
Fri, 18 May 14:42:00 2012




Formula 1 drivers will once again be banned from using DRS in the tunnel at the Monaco Grand Prix on safety grounds.




Last season, drivers campaigned in the build-up to the race for DRS to be disabled through the Monaco tunnel because of concerns that it could put them in a dangerous situation if they were forced to use it there throughout practice and qualifying.
The right hand kink inside the tunnel is flat-out, and if anything did go wrong and a driver lost control after activating DRS, then there is very little run-off at the exit.
The decision to outlaw DRS in the tunnel was welcomed by drivers ahead of last year's race, and there was even more relief afterwards in the wake of Sergio Perez's horrifying qualifying crash.
The Mexican suffered concussion in his accident in Q3, after losing control of his Sauber under braking for the chicane on the exit of the tunnel. Had DRS been allowed then it is likely that Perez would have been travelling up to 10km/h faster when he crashed - which could have meant the consequences of his accident being more severe.
With the Perez accident highlighting the dangers of that section of track, sources have revealed that the FIA has again agreed to restrict use of DRS in the area that encompasses the exit of the Portier corner and all the way through to the chicane.
Last season, Jenson Button was one of many drivers backing the FIA decision to ban DRS use through there.
"It was necessary," said Button of the decision. "The tunnel is a very slippery place with a lot less grip than the rest of the track and marbles bouncing off the barriers and coming back onto the racing line.
"The first person that tried to use DRS in the tunnel was going to put it in the wall. It's a very good idea. It's not going to help overtaking through the tunnel and it's pointless having it. It's an unnecessary danger."
The FIA has also made no changes to the location of the DRS activation for this year – which will once again run along the start-finish straight.

[roadracer7]

Monaco Grand Prix - Mercedes 'will suit Monaco'
Fri, 18 May 11:18:00 2012



Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg are confident that their Mercedes car will be well suited to the Monaco track as they aim for the team's second win of the year.


Although the outfit has only had one podium finish so far this year, both drivers believe that the low speed nature of the Monte Carlo track, allied to the demands on traction, should be good for their chances at Formula 1's blue riband event.
Rosberg said: "I have always been quick around the streets here, and I believe a good result is possible for us next weekend.
"The nature of the track should suit our car but as we have seen at every race so far this season, tyre management will be crucial. With five different winning teams so far this year, at least ten drivers have the chance to win in Monaco so this could be one of the most interesting races there for years."
Schumacher's chances of victory have been compromised by a five-place grid penalty that he has been handed as a result of his collision with Bruno Senna at the Spanish Grand Prix.
However, he is not seeing that as enough reason to simply give up hope - especially because good strategy calls could help him move up the order.
"Every time you go there, you just look forward to finally getting out and driving the track," he explained. "Of course, knowing that I will lose five positions on the grid does not add to this feeling but this just means that I will have to try even harder.
"I'm actually quite confident that we should look reasonably good in Monaco due to the hard work that everybody in the team is putting into the development of our car. So let's make the best out of the weekend."

[roadracer7]

Monaco Grand Prix - Horner: Consistency will win title
Fri, 18 May 13:25:00 2012




Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner believes that consistency over the season is now 'critical' to winning this year's Formula 1 world championship.





With fluctuations in form delivering unpredictable race results, Horner thinks that success in the title chase is now dependent on the long game and ensuring teams score points at every opportunity.
"I think it is not by coincidence that we have had five races now and five different winners. It is also not coincidence that we have managed to emerge from race five and we find ourselves leading both drivers' and constructors' championships," explained Horner.
"These tyres are obviously the key to performance. I think there is a great deal of head scratching going on up and down the paddock, and it is a matter of whoever understands these tyre characteristics and manages to broaden the window of performance from track to track will ultimately prevail.
"I think where we have done a good job is on the days where we have not been able to win, we have managed to stage a respectable recovery. Consistency over the year is ultimately what is going to be critical."
Horner says teams are still getting to grips with understanding the tyres and that, although individual events may fall to different teams, it is performance over the whole campaign that is much more important.
"Who knows, we might have Caterham winning the next race!" he said. "I think for the time being, performance is going to fluctuate from team to team.
"But the most important thing is to be consistent. Arguably after five races we must have been the most consistent because we find ourselves leading both championships, so the days that don't go your way, you have still got to make sure that you optimise: that you have good strategy, good pit work and ultimately pretty reasonable pace in clear air in the race."

[Rory Phoulorie]

Kung Fu Vettel: Drive of the Dragon

[adriano7910]

vettel hadda settle for any kinda sponsorship now or wa
that was horrible.

[roadracer7]

Force India driver on Mercedes radar
Mon, 21 May 11:49:00 2012



Paul di Resta is a contender for a Mercedes seat if Michael Schumacher does not continue in Formula 1 next year, team CEO Nick Fry has confirmed.


Speaking to Sky Sports News, Fry insisted that no decision had been taken on Schumacher's future but said the Force India driver is an obvious candidate.
"Paul's on our radar," Fry said.
"He has done a fantastic job, he's a nice guy, he's a great team player and he would be one of the drivers undoubtedly that, if Michael were to decide he didn't want to continue, we would look at.
"We haven't reached that time in our thinking yet, but we have all got a lot of admiration for Paul."
Former McLaren AUTOSPORT BRDC Award winner di Resta has a long-term association with Mercedes.
He won the F3 Euro Series title in 2006 with Mercedes and went on to win the DTM with the marque in 2010.

[roadracer7]

Pirelli confirm tyre allocations
Mon, 21 May 11:54:00 2012




Pirelli is to stick with the same tyre allocations for the Canadian, European and British Grands Prix that it used last year.


With much focus on the impact that tyres are having on the racing, Pirelli is keen to continue keeping strategic options open as much as possible for the teams.
For Canada it will take the super soft and soft compounds, in Valencia teams will have the soft and medium, while at Silverstone there will again be a double gap in the compounds with the hard and the soft being used.
Pirelli is also predicting another mixed bag of strategies at the Monaco Grand Prix - with the tight track and opportunities offered by tyres likely to deliver another unpredictable race.
The more aggressive choice of compounds provided by Pirelli this season has contributed to Formula 1 producing five different winners from the first five races – which means this weekend's event is wide open.
Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery thinks that F1 should prepare itself for another thriller, and that the choice of soft and super soft tyres means that teams will be able to execute varied tactics.
"You would have to guess it is going to be pretty exciting," Hembery said as he looked ahead to the Monaco GP.
"It is a track that needs good traction, and we are going with soft and super soft – which are two very good compounds for those types of conditions.
"In Bahrain, we saw Lotus had good traction out of the slow corners, so you have to imagine Lotus will be strong. Plus Williams has made a good jump forward.
"So it has the recipe for being another exciting race. I am not sure we will have three cars with a one, two and three-stop strategy in the first three on the road, but having said that I do envisage a mix of strategies."
Last year, Sebastian Vettel, Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso were locked in a tight battle for victory with all three drivers on different tyre strategies.
However, their fight was interrupted by a late-race red flag, which allowed all of them to swap to fresh rubber on the grid before the restart.

[X2Board]

Might be a repost but still a well orchestrated display of automotive technology:

F1 engines are so advanced that their engineers can make the car sing a song.

[roadracer7]

Pirelli to supply Q3-only tyres
Tue, 22 May 14:58:00 2012



Pirelli's motorsport boss Paul Hembery says the Italian tyre manufacturer is ready to supply Formula One teams with Q3-only tyres.


Pirelli confirm tyre allocations

He made it clear, however, that the teams believe the current format is fine and don't want it changed.
Current rules mean teams have to use the same tyres they qualify on in the race, something that has lead to drivers sitting out Q3 in order to limit their running and save sets for the race.
Although the current format often means the action is limited for the fans, Hembery says teams are reluctant to change it.
But he insists Pirelli could supply qualifying-specific tyres right away if needed.
"We could do it immediately," Hembery told Autosprint. "We could come up with a specific compound, or maintain the current ones.
"But the teams say that the format is fine as is, that the public enjoys tyre strategies.
"But if a fan on the grandstands doesn't see much running in Q3, then that fan casts the blame on Pirelli thinking that we don't want to spend any more money in order to supply more tyres."
Hembery also denied that Pirelli has intentionally attempted to create an impossible challenge for teams with its tyres for the 2012 season.
He reckons the design of this year's car means they are less stable, something that affects the way the tyres behave.
"I don't agree with whoever says that our tyres' scope of use is too narrow: the temperatures are in line with the estimated values," he said.
"What has changed, heavily, is the way these tyres are used this year. You can see that there's a lot more oversteering on the track. We also hear drivers' comments lamenting a lack of traction, but in my opinion that problem doesn't exist.
"Having changed the exhaust configuration through a rule has undoubtedly made the cars less stable. That causes wheelspin and the tread heats up, so it's normal you can't use the tyre.
"Another point is that nowadays the car performances are a lot closer. Last year there was a second between Red Bull and McLaren, while we've now seen in Spain 16 cars within the same second in Q2.
"It's not true we have intentionally tried to create an impossible challenge. In the next tests with the Renault test car we'll verify what the teams say."

[roadracer7]

F1 on verge of historic sixth winner



Wed, 23 May 11:55:00 2012

Formula One will chalk up a notable first if Lewis Hamilton is victorious at the Monaco Grand Prix
Never before has the glamour sport seen six different winners in the first six races of a season and McLaren's 2008 world champion has yet to open his 2012 victory account going into his favourite race.
Hamilton, winner in the Mediterranean principality in his title year, has every chance of standing on the top step of the podium as well as chalking up McLaren's 150th pole after being denied it in Barcelona due to a fuel error.
British bookmakers William Hill have the 27-year-old Brit as their 3-1 favourite, with double world champions Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso both at 5-1 for Red Bull and Ferrari respectively.
In this most unpredictable of seasons, with five different teams winning the first five races, anything could happen however.
"We are going into Monaco, something we've been very good at, we've won more Monacos than anyone else," said McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh.
"We go there with the belief that we can win but anyone who makes predictions at the moment in this sport would be nuts."
Despite his love of the tight and twisting street circuit, Hamilton has never started on pole in Monaco where overtaking is extremely tricky, even with KERS and moveable rear wings, and grid position crucial.
He has however finished on the podium twice and in the points on four of his five visits.
"I think he is a favourite," said Whitmarsh.
"And he thinks that and that's good and he's in that frame of mind. He deserves it, there's absolutely no doubt about it.
"We've got to work hard and make sure he's got a good car, don't make any mistakes and that he's in a position to fulfil his potential at a circuit where he's won in Formula Three, GP2 and Formula One."
Hamilton has started two of this season's races on pole and it would have been three had McLaren not made an error with their fuel calculation in qualifying in Barcelona.
The team have also had a string of pit lane blunders that have cost them dear.
If Hamilton fails to win on Sunday, there are still plenty of others who could add to the list of different winners - starting with the Lotus pair of Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean.
Lotus, formerly Renault, are celebrating the 500th race for the Enstone-based team and 2007 champion Raikkonen also has previous in Monaco.
The Finn won there from pole in 2005 with McLaren and also started on the front row in 2003, 2008 and 2009.
Vettel's Australian team mate Mark Webber was a Monaco winner in 2010 but has yet to stand on the podium this season and is hungry to rectify that.
Michael Schumacher, a five times winner in Monaco, is still chasing his first top three placing since he began his comeback with Mercedes in 2010 but team mate Nico Rosberg showed in China that the car is a winner.
If there is to be a repeat winner for the first time this year, then there are three Monaco masters lining up in last year's winner Vettel, Hamilton's team mate Jenson Button, who triumphed in 2009, and Alonso, who won with Renault in 2006 and McLaren in 2007.
Rosberg grew up and went to school in the principality and knows every twist and turn by heart while Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado, surprise winner in Spain to hand Williams their first triumph in nearly eight years, cannot be ruled out either.
A 500-1 outsider before his Circuit de Catalunya heroics, Maldonado has always gone well at Monaco in F1 and GP2 and his odds have now been slashed to 14-1.

[roadracer7]

F1 on verge of historic sixth winner



Wed, 23 May 11:55:00 2012

Formula One will chalk up a notable first if Lewis Hamilton is victorious at the Monaco Grand Prix
Never before has the glamour sport seen six different winners in the first six races of a season and McLaren's 2008 world champion has yet to open his 2012 victory account going into his favourite race.
Hamilton, winner in the Mediterranean principality in his title year, has every chance of standing on the top step of the podium as well as chalking up McLaren's 150th pole after being denied it in Barcelona due to a fuel error.
British bookmakers William Hill have the 27-year-old Brit as their 3-1 favourite, with double world champions Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso both at 5-1 for Red Bull and Ferrari respectively.
In this most unpredictable of seasons, with five different teams winning the first five races, anything could happen however.
"We are going into Monaco, something we've been very good at, we've won more Monacos than anyone else," said McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh.
"We go there with the belief that we can win but anyone who makes predictions at the moment in this sport would be nuts."
Despite his love of the tight and twisting street circuit, Hamilton has never started on pole in Monaco where overtaking is extremely tricky, even with KERS and moveable rear wings, and grid position crucial.
He has however finished on the podium twice and in the points on four of his five visits.
"I think he is a favourite," said Whitmarsh.
"And he thinks that and that's good and he's in that frame of mind. He deserves it, there's absolutely no doubt about it.
"We've got to work hard and make sure he's got a good car, don't make any mistakes and that he's in a position to fulfil his potential at a circuit where he's won in Formula Three, GP2 and Formula One."
Hamilton has started two of this season's races on pole and it would have been three had McLaren not made an error with their fuel calculation in qualifying in Barcelona.
The team have also had a string of pit lane blunders that have cost them dear.
If Hamilton fails to win on Sunday, there are still plenty of others who could add to the list of different winners - starting with the Lotus pair of Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean.
Lotus, formerly Renault, are celebrating the 500th race for the Enstone-based team and 2007 champion Raikkonen also has previous in Monaco.
The Finn won there from pole in 2005 with McLaren and also started on the front row in 2003, 2008 and 2009.
Vettel's Australian team mate Mark Webber was a Monaco winner in 2010 but has yet to stand on the podium this season and is hungry to rectify that.
Michael Schumacher, a five times winner in Monaco, is still chasing his first top three placing since he began his comeback with Mercedes in 2010 but team mate Nico Rosberg showed in China that the car is a winner.
If there is to be a repeat winner for the first time this year, then there are three Monaco masters lining up in last year's winner Vettel, Hamilton's team mate Jenson Button, who triumphed in 2009, and Alonso, who won with Renault in 2006 and McLaren in 2007.
Rosberg grew up and went to school in the principality and knows every twist and turn by heart while Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado, surprise winner in Spain to hand Williams their first triumph in nearly eight years, cannot be ruled out either.
A 500-1 outsider before his Circuit de Catalunya heroics, Maldonado has always gone well at Monaco in F1 and GP2 and his odds have now been slashed to 14-1.

[adriano7910]

not going to say go MSC cuz every time i do he gets knocked and race ends. i will stay quiet

[adriano7910]

oh MSC, i cld cry. you showed me why i'm such huge fan of you

[noshownogo]

43 and pole, minus the 5 spot penalty from Spanish GP but great lap nonetheless!

[noshownogo]

Michael drop the gauntlet, "I told everyone before I was going to get pole, start 6th and win the Monaco GP".

[jeevdude199]

Monaco Grid: Webber, Rosberg, Hamilton, Grosjean, Alonso, Schumacher (penalty), Massa, Raikkonen, Vettel, Hulkenberg...........didnt expect to see massa in the top 10......

[jeevdude199]

And Vettel says the car is jumping like a rabbit haha

[roadracer7]

Schumacher fastest; Webber on pole
Sat, 26 May 14:16:00 2012



Michael Schumacher was fastest in Monaco Grand Prix qualifying, but Mark Webber will start from pole position due to the German's five-place grid penalty for crashing into Bruno Senna at Catalunya.


Schumacher vaulted his Mercedes from a provisional fifth on the grid after his first Q3 run to the top spot with a 1m14.301s at the end of the session.
But the penalty for his Barcelona incident means he will not be able to claim the first pole position of his Formula 1 comeback, as instead Red Bull driver Webber - who was 0.08 seconds slower - will head the Monte Carlo grid for the second time in his F1 career.
Schumacher's team-mate Nico Rosberg held provisional pole for most of Q3, before slipping to third, which will still be a front row position.
Lewis Hamilton was fourth quickest for McLaren, ahead of Lotus's Romain Grosjean - who had looked like a pole threat until a poor middle sector on his last lap.
Ferrari could not manage the pole challenge it had been tipped for, with Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa sixth and seventh, ahead of Kimi Raikkonen in the second Lotus.
Spanish GP winner Pastor Maldonado made it to Q3 and was ninth, but his Williams will also be moved down the order due to the 10-place penalty for his incident with Sergio Perez in final practice.
Red Bull's championship leader Sebastian Vettel did not run in Q3 despite making the cut.
For the second grand prix in succession, Jenson Button failed to get beyond Q2. The McLaren driver could not improve on the 1m15.536s lap that had put him back in 13th.
A year on from his dramatic accident at the chicane, Perez was in trouble in Monaco qualifying again as he slid into the Swimming Pool barriers - seemingly due to a mechanical issue - early in Q1. The Mexican tried to drag his damaged Sauber back to the pits but succeeded only in causing a red flag when he shed a wheel and had to park at Rascasse.
Perez's team-mate Kamui Kobayashi also had a brush with the wall, but continued intact and qualified 12th.
Toro Rosso's Jean-Eric Vergne was the other man to crash, losing control under braking for the chicane and clouting the barriers, causing wing and suspension damage. That left him 17th on the grid - but this was just one place behind team-mate Daniel Ricciardo.
Neither Force India made Q3, with Nico Hulkenberg 11th and Paul di Resta 15th.
Senna again failed to match Williams team-mate Maldonado's pace and was only 14th.
At the back, Heikki Kovalainen came within a tenth of getting his Caterham into Q2 and beat team-mate Vitaly Petrov by nearly a second.
HRT's Pedro de la Rosa was also impressive as he split the Marussias and was only a tenth off Timo Glock.

[roadracer7]

Schumacher fastest; Webber on pole
Sat, 26 May 14:16:00 2012



Michael Schumacher was fastest in Monaco Grand Prix qualifying, but Mark Webber will start from pole position due to the German's five-place grid penalty for crashing into Bruno Senna at Catalunya.


Schumacher vaulted his Mercedes from a provisional fifth on the grid after his first Q3 run to the top spot with a 1m14.301s at the end of the session.
But the penalty for his Barcelona incident means he will not be able to claim the first pole position of his Formula 1 comeback, as instead Red Bull driver Webber - who was 0.08 seconds slower - will head the Monte Carlo grid for the second time in his F1 career.
Schumacher's team-mate Nico Rosberg held provisional pole for most of Q3, before slipping to third, which will still be a front row position.
Lewis Hamilton was fourth quickest for McLaren, ahead of Lotus's Romain Grosjean - who had looked like a pole threat until a poor middle sector on his last lap.
Ferrari could not manage the pole challenge it had been tipped for, with Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa sixth and seventh, ahead of Kimi Raikkonen in the second Lotus.
Spanish GP winner Pastor Maldonado made it to Q3 and was ninth, but his Williams will also be moved down the order due to the 10-place penalty for his incident with Sergio Perez in final practice.
Red Bull's championship leader Sebastian Vettel did not run in Q3 despite making the cut.
For the second grand prix in succession, Jenson Button failed to get beyond Q2. The McLaren driver could not improve on the 1m15.536s lap that had put him back in 13th.
A year on from his dramatic accident at the chicane, Perez was in trouble in Monaco qualifying again as he slid into the Swimming Pool barriers - seemingly due to a mechanical issue - early in Q1. The Mexican tried to drag his damaged Sauber back to the pits but succeeded only in causing a red flag when he shed a wheel and had to park at Rascasse.
Perez's team-mate Kamui Kobayashi also had a brush with the wall, but continued intact and qualified 12th.
Toro Rosso's Jean-Eric Vergne was the other man to crash, losing control under braking for the chicane and clouting the barriers, causing wing and suspension damage. That left him 17th on the grid - but this was just one place behind team-mate Daniel Ricciardo.
Neither Force India made Q3, with Nico Hulkenberg 11th and Paul di Resta 15th.
Senna again failed to match Williams team-mate Maldonado's pace and was only 14th.
At the back, Heikki Kovalainen came within a tenth of getting his Caterham into Q2 and beat team-mate Vitaly Petrov by nearly a second.
HRT's Pedro de la Rosa was also impressive as he split the Marussias and was only a tenth off Timo Glock.

[roadracer7]

Schumacher fastest; Webber on pole
Sat, 26 May 14:16:00 2012



Michael Schumacher was fastest in Monaco Grand Prix qualifying, but Mark Webber will start from pole position due to the German's five-place grid penalty for crashing into Bruno Senna at Catalunya.


Schumacher vaulted his Mercedes from a provisional fifth on the grid after his first Q3 run to the top spot with a 1m14.301s at the end of the session.
But the penalty for his Barcelona incident means he will not be able to claim the first pole position of his Formula 1 comeback, as instead Red Bull driver Webber - who was 0.08 seconds slower - will head the Monte Carlo grid for the second time in his F1 career.
Schumacher's team-mate Nico Rosberg held provisional pole for most of Q3, before slipping to third, which will still be a front row position.
Lewis Hamilton was fourth quickest for McLaren, ahead of Lotus's Romain Grosjean - who had looked like a pole threat until a poor middle sector on his last lap.
Ferrari could not manage the pole challenge it had been tipped for, with Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa sixth and seventh, ahead of Kimi Raikkonen in the second Lotus.
Spanish GP winner Pastor Maldonado made it to Q3 and was ninth, but his Williams will also be moved down the order due to the 10-place penalty for his incident with Sergio Perez in final practice.
Red Bull's championship leader Sebastian Vettel did not run in Q3 despite making the cut.
For the second grand prix in succession, Jenson Button failed to get beyond Q2. The McLaren driver could not improve on the 1m15.536s lap that had put him back in 13th.
A year on from his dramatic accident at the chicane, Perez was in trouble in Monaco qualifying again as he slid into the Swimming Pool barriers - seemingly due to a mechanical issue - early in Q1. The Mexican tried to drag his damaged Sauber back to the pits but succeeded only in causing a red flag when he shed a wheel and had to park at Rascasse.
Perez's team-mate Kamui Kobayashi also had a brush with the wall, but continued intact and qualified 12th.
Toro Rosso's Jean-Eric Vergne was the other man to crash, losing control under braking for the chicane and clouting the barriers, causing wing and suspension damage. That left him 17th on the grid - but this was just one place behind team-mate Daniel Ricciardo.
Neither Force India made Q3, with Nico Hulkenberg 11th and Paul di Resta 15th.
Senna again failed to match Williams team-mate Maldonado's pace and was only 14th.
At the back, Heikki Kovalainen came within a tenth of getting his Caterham into Q2 and beat team-mate Vitaly Petrov by nearly a second.
HRT's Pedro de la Rosa was also impressive as he split the Marussias and was only a tenth off Timo Glock.

[kerry1293]

[roadracer7]

Schumacher: I've still got it
Sat, 26 May 21:14:00 2012




Michael Schumacher's chances of racing on in Formula One next year looked a lot more likely after a pole-worthy performance by the 43-year-old Mercedes driver in Monaco Grand Prix qualifying.

But for a five place grid penalty carried over from Spain, the seven times world champion would have been celebrating the first pole position of his comeback and the first since his Ferrari days in 2006.
"I think it would be everybody's wish after today's performance," team principal Ross Brawn told reporters when asked whether it was his desire for the German to agree a contract extension.
"Michael himself will know when it is time to retire and producing performances like today, why should he?
"He will continue as long as he can do what he did today."
Schumacher, who ended three years of retirement to return for Mercedes in 2010, is out of contract at the end of the season and would not be drawn on the subject.
"You imagine that just because of one result I've done at this moment I'm suddenly restarting or opening a different subject," he said. "No, that's not the case. I'm focused on what I'm doing right now.
"There will come a time when I will make a summary of everything and then I will sit down with the team to see what we're going to do."
The sport's most successful driver has failed to make the podium since his return and has taken considerable criticism from those who think he is a long way past his best and making unforced errors.
Brawn has been saying for some time that Schumacher's performances have been much better than the results suggest and Saturday was the opportunity the driver had been looking for to repay the team's trust.
"It's just sweet and a good feeling after you have come back and have hoped for better results in all circumstances at the end of the day, after why and what has happened," he said.
"To finally get it together and being able to prove it - that's much more important and therefore I'm certainly delighted."
Retired Austrian triple champion Niki Lauda, watching as a pundit for RTL television, was impressed too.
"To do this lap here, under these conditions, was sensational," he told Reuters. "He's had so much stick but you can see what he can do when he gets stick.
"I was surprised today but (it was) a positive surprise. It means that he can still do it."
Monaco is special for every Formula One driver, and particularly for Schumacher who has won there five times in a record-breaking career of 91 victories. He was thrilled.
"To manage pole position here after what I have gone through in the past two-and-a-half years is just fabulous," he said, even if pole was really sixth place.
"That's what sticks in my mind. I told you guys already... my situation is going to be pole, start the race in sixth and I'm going to win it. That's what I'm here for and going to aim for."
The last time Schumacher was on pole in Monaco, he was also stripped of it in a notorious controversy in which he drove gently into the barriers at the Rascasse corner to end the session and deny Fernando Alonso, then with Renault, a chance of taking pole.
Schumacher was sent to the back of the grid and Alonso, who will be alongside him on Sunday, took pole and the race.
"I'll leave it up to the others to say what it means or doesn't mean," Schumacher, who had predicted a pole was possible before arriving in Monaco, said of his latest achievement.
"For me, I'm obviously excited, very happy. It confirms what I have felt for a long time. Sometimes you have to put everything at the right moment together. Here it worked out."

[adriano7910]

see what i mean with grosjean and his dumb rookie mistakes.

[jeevdude199]

no surprise here

[jeevdude199]

Monaco GP result: 1. Chin 2. Hair 3. Eyebrows..........

[adriano7910]

Monaco GP result: 1. Chin 2. Hair 3. Eyebrows..........

you female dude?