Google+ Jack Leslie F1: 2015 Monaco Grand Prix Weekend Report

21 May 2015

2015 Monaco Grand Prix Weekend Report

The sixth round of the 2015 Formula 1 season took place around the streets of Monte Carlo, at the Circuit de Monaco.
© Octane Photographic
It was the 62nd running of the sport's most iconic and prestigious event, which first appeared on the schedule in 1950.

The 2.075 mile track is the shortest layout of the year, but it is also one of the most demanding and challenging. Driving in Monaco requires complete commitment, confidence and concentration. 

Could Nico Rosberg make it a hat-trick of wins, or would Lewis Hamilton bounce back after a disappointing Spanish Grand Prix? Read on to find out.

FP1
Overnight rain meant drivers were welcomed by damp conditions for first practice on Thursday morning. Marcus Ericsson and Kimi Raikkonen were the first to take to the circuit, on the intermediate tyre.
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However, the 2015 grid quickly switched to slick tyres as conditions improved. Rosberg set the opening timed lap with a tentative 1:33.180, but he was quickly displaced by Hamilton as the Mercedes duo traded fastest times early on.

It was an eventful session, with Rosberg lightly hitting the barriers at Tabac and Sebastian Vettel just avoiding the wall at Casino Square. A number of drivers went straight on at Turn 1, while lock-ups at the Nouvelle chicane were a common occurrence. Hamilton ended the session fastest with a 1:18.750 on the soft tyre, with Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo second and third after late improvements.

Vettel and Rosberg slipped to fourth and ninth, with Carlos Sainz Jr, Pastor Maldonado, Daniil Kvyat and Kimi Raikkonen between them. It was a delayed start to FP1 for Jenson Button, but the Englishman finished 12th behind Felipe Massa and his team-mate Fernando Alonso. 

FP2
With rain expected to arrive mid-way through second practice for the Monaco Grand Prix, it was a busy start to the session. Rosberg and Will Stevens were the first to return to the track, with the former setting the opening time with a 1:21.941.
© Octane Photographic

The Ferrari drivers quickly moved to the front, with the lap times tumbling as track conditions improved and confidence increased. Several complaints were made about traffic, while the yellow flags emerged on a number of occasions after off-track excursions at Saint Devote and Mirabeau.

Roberto Merhi brought out the red flag 15 minutes into FP2, after losing control and hitting the wall at the Nouvelle chicane. As Hamilton and Rosberg hit the front, the rain arrived, with all 20 drivers returning to the pit lane. Maldonado briefly appeared on the super-soft Pirelli tyre but conditions were too wet. 

The silence was broken with 10 minutes remaining, with the majority of the field re-appearing to complete a few laps on either the intermediate or wet tyres. Hamilton ended the session quickest with a 1:17.192, from Rosberg, Vettel, Raikkonen, Kvyat, Sainz Jr and Verstappen. Alonso, Nico Hulkenberg and Romain Grosjean completed the top 10. 

FP3
Following limited running in Thursday's second practice, it was a busy start to FP3 on Saturday morning. With just 60 minutes to fine-tune car set-up and sample the super-soft tyre, drivers were unsurprisingly eager to take to the circuit.
© Octane Photographic

Ricciardo, Sainz Jr, Ericsson and Felipe Nasr were the first to return to the track. Sainz Jr set the opening timed lap with a 1:23.987, with Hamilton and Rosberg quickly hitting the front on the super-soft Pirelli compound. Traffic proved to be an issue throughout the session.

All 20 drivers had set a time with 40 minutes remaining. Raikkonen went third fastest on the option tyre but hit the wall at Turn 1, bringing out a brief red flag. Vettel went second, two tenths behind Hamilton's 1:16.750. Verstappen spun and touched the wall at the final corner but made it back to the pits, minus one rear wing endplate. 

A late improvement by Vettel, as the track conditions continued to evolve, saw the four-time world champion go fastest with a 1:16.143. Rosberg jumped up to second, with Hamilton falling to third. Ricciardo, Raikkonen, Sainz Jr and Kvyat were next up. Button, Verstappen and Grosjean rounded out the top 10. 

Qualifying
Q1 
The five slowest drivers in the 18-minute session were eliminated from the fight for pole position. It was a busy start to Q1, with 15 drivers immediately heading out onto the Circuit de Monaco. 
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Verstappen put in the opening timed lap with a 1:19.803. Vettel briefly went quickest on the soft tyre, before Hamilton and Rosberg moved to the front - the former putting in a 1:16.884. However, the reigning world champion quickly improved the benchmark. 

Rosberg displaced Hamilton with a 1:16.528. With five minutes to go, the majority of the field headed out on the option tyre for a final run in the opening segment of qualifying. The order changed considerably, but the Mercedes duo remained first and second. 

Verstappen, Kvyat, Sainz Jr and Ricciardo completed the top six. Both McLaren drivers made it through, with Button and Alonso ninth and 15th. Nasr was eliminated in Q1 and was joined by Bottas (who backed off and pitted on his last lap), Ericsson, Stevens and Roberto Merhi.

Q2
Five drivers were also eliminated in the second segment of qualifying, which lasted 15 minutes. All drivers headed out on track on the super-soft tyre, with Vettel putting in the opening timed lap. 
© Octane Photographic

He quickly fell down the field after a steady opening attempt, but returned to the front, only to be displaced by Rosberg. The German put in a 1:15.471 to go fastest by seven and a half tenths, with Hamilton setting an identical time to Vettel. Alonso pulled off track with a problem mid-way through the session.

Despite going off at Saint Devote, Rosberg remained fastest, with Hamilton improving to get to within four tenths of his team-mate. Vettel, Raikkonen, Kvyat, Verstappen and Ricciardo were next up. Sainz Jr, Maldonado and Perez just made it through.

Grosjean was 11th for Lotus, with Button in 12th. The Englishman had shown strong speed throughout practice and Q1, but he had to back off for Rosberg's off at Turn 1 and couldn't improve. He was joined in the drop-zone by Hulkenberg, Massa and Alonso.

Q3
The final part of qualifying decided the top 10 on the Monaco Grand Prix grid. With a few spots of rain falling as the 12-minute session got underway, it was a frantic start, with Hamilton and Rosberg first out on track.
© Octane Photographic

The first attempts were all warm-up laps, before pushing to the limit on the following tour. Hamilton went fastest with a 1:15.304, with Rosberg going second, one tenth slower than his team-mate. Vettel and Ricciardo went third and fourth.

Ricciardo was the first to return to the street circuit for the second and final runs. Hamilton improved with a 1:15.098 to storm to his first Monaco pole position, with Rosberg remaining second despite aborting his last lap. Vettel, Ricciardo and Kvyat complete the top five.

Raikkonen slipped to sixth late in the session, with Perez in seventh after running out of tyres and failing to emerge for one final run in Q3. Sainz Jr (who was later disqualified for missing an FIA weighbridge call), Maldonado and Verstappen completed the top 10. Full qualifying results can be found here.

The Race
Conditions were warm and dry for the start of the 62nd Monaco Grand Prix - F1's most iconic and prestigious event. The grid was typically packed full of stars and celebrities, ahead of round six of the season.

Hamilton lined up on pole position after a stunning Q3 lap on Saturday. Rosberg and Vettel were second and third, could any of them challenge?

The revs rose, the lights went out and the 2015 Monaco Grand Prix got underway. Off the line, Hamilton had a strong launch from the line. Vettel attempted to challenge Rosberg into Turn 1 but couldn't move through, while Kvyat just avoided contact with the Ferrari driver but moved into fourth.
© Octane Photographic

Alonso and Hulkenberg made contact into Mirabeau, which pitched the latter into the wall. Massa suffered contact, with the Brazilian joining Hulkenberg in the pits at the end of the opening tour for repairs.

Hamilton quickly opened up a small lead, with an advantage of two seconds as he started lap four. Verstappen moved ahead of Maldonado at Saint Devote, as the Venezuelan complained of brake issues. Lotus pitted him at the end of lap seven and he retired from the race.

The gap at the front continued to increase, with a fastest lap from Hamilton on lap eight increasing it to 2.7 seconds. Alonso was handed a five-second time penalty from the stewards for causing a collision with Hulkenberg on the opening lap, which he had to serve at his first pit stop.

After starting from the pit lane, Sainz Jr pitted earlier than expected and moved onto the soft tyre on lap 14. Hamilton radioed his team asking for advice on saving his brakes, adding that he was driving "so slowly". However, he increased his lead to 3.3 seconds by lap 17.

Hamilton lost time passing the two Manor drivers, but then gained some ground back when Rosberg and Vettel caught up to Stevens and Merhi. By the 28th lap, Vettel had closed to within one second of the second Mercedes driver. Kvyat pitted at the end of the tour and emerged in ninth place.
© Octane Photographic

A slow stop for Verstappen saw the Toro Rosso rookie fall to 13th. Alonso stopped on the following tour and served his time penalty. Vettel was the first of the top three to stop, at the end of lap 36. Ricciardo reported that his tyres were dropping off and followed his former team-mate into the pit lane. 

Rosberg and Raikkonen pitted on the next tour, with the latter moving ahead of Ricciardo. Hamilton switched to the soft tyre at the end of lap 38. Alonso retired on lap 42 after going off at Turn 1, with what appeared to be a gearbox issue - his first DNF in Monaco since 2004. Verstappen stopped for a second time on the 47th tour and returned to the Circuit de Monaco on the super-soft tyre. 

With 20 laps to go, Bottas pitted and also switched to the option tyre for a final sprint to the flag. Hamilton was in control at the front of the field, with a 17.4 second advantage by lap 63. Further back, Verstappen and Grosjean battled for 10th place, but the Dutch driver made contact with the Lotus at Turn 1 and went hard into the tyre barrier.

Verstappen reported over team radio that he was okay, with the Safety Car being deployed with 14 laps remaining. Hamilton pitted for a new set of super-soft tyres and emerged side-by-side with Vettel. Rosberg moved into the lead and Hamilton dropped to third place, could he fight back?
© Octane Photographic

The Safety Car released the field at the end of the 70th lap. Rosberg quickly established a small lead, as Ricciardo forced his way past Raikkonen and was then let through by Kvyat. He then caught up to Hamilton, who was struggling to find a way past Vettel. However, he couldn't find a way through.

Rosberg took the chequered flag to win his third consecutive Monaco Grand Prix and his second race of the 2015 season. Vettel finished second, with Hamilton a dejected third, having lost the victory due to a strategy error. Kvyat and Ricciardo were fourth and fifth, swapping positions on the final lap.

Raikkonen was sixth, with Perez seventh and Button scoring McLaren's first points of the year in eighth. Nasr and Sainz Jr completed the top 10, with Hulkenberg, Grosjean, Ericsson, Bottas, Massa, Merhi and Stevens completing the finishers. 

Full Monaco Grand Prix results can be found here.

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