Mixed day in Monaco for Williams

(Williams Martini Racing Team)

There were mixed fortunes for the Williams Martini Racing Team in Monaco today as Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas had contrasting Grand Prix. For Massa, who started the Grand Prix from 16th place he drove a great race and eventually finished the race in 7th place, picking up his first points since the Bahrain Grand Prix. Speaking following the conclusion of the Grand Prix the Brazilian said:

'I am very happy with seventh after starting 16th on the grid. I took some risks when I changed strategy at the safety car and had to make my tyres last, which they did. I made the most of the opportunities I had with other cars making mistakes or retiring. Many things could have happened so I am pleased they worked out for the best. A tough weekend turned into a positive one.'

Valtteri Bottas started the race from 13th on the grid but unfortunately for the Finn, who had upon until today scored points in every race in 2014 was forced to retire from the Grand Prix with an engine failure. Despite the retirement, Bottas remains in seventh place in the Drivers standings, three point's ahead of McLaren#'s Jenson Button. 

Commenting after the race Bottas said:

'We had an issue with the power unit which is frustrating. There are some investigations to do to find out exactly what happened. After the start I was quickly in the points so it could have been a good weekend. Felipe finished seventh so the team can walk away with something. We now look towards Canada where we hope to be strong due to the nature of the track.'

Williams head of performance engineering, Rob Smedley was happy with how Massa's race went but was understandably disappointed for Bottas as it was the Finn's first retirement since the 2013 Brazilian Grand Prix. The Englishman stated after the race:

' Felipe’s race went well; he recovered from 16th to seventh and stayed out of trouble, driving with a sensible head. The strategy was a risk but paid dividends as we didn’t have to stack the cars during the pitstops. Valtteri would have got some good points today, but sadly there was a failure on his car. We now have to look forward to Canada and consider where we can make improvements to continue bringing home points. '

The team are currently in 6th place in the Constructors championship on 52 points, exactly the same number of points as McLaren although the Woking based outfit are ahead due to the fact that both Jenson Button and Kevin Magnussen finished the Monaco Grand Prix in the points.

©Ben Johnston 2014

Rosberg takes victory in dramatic Monaco Grand Prix as Marussia score first ever points in F1

(Mercedes AMG F1 Team)

Mercedes Nico Rosberg took a lights to flag victory at today's Monaco Grand Prix beating team mate Lewis Hamilton to take his first win since the season opening Australian Grand Prix. It was also the German's second win in Monaco in row after his win here last year. Rosberg now heads to the next race in Canada with a four point advantage over Hamilton.

Daniel Ricciardo did a fantastic job for Red Bull Racing as he secured another podium finish, his first in Monaco. Following the race, the Australian said:

'The race really came to life towards the end. It started off not so well and it’s a really short run to Turn 1, so that was frustrating. Then we got Seb due to his reliability and Kimi had a puncture and we sort of got back to where we were hoping to be. After the re-start we were just saving the tyres to the point that we could get to the end and then, with 20 laps to go, I thought they would be okay so I pushed. It was the first time in the whole race that I felt like I was really driving the car and we caught Lewis. It was fun but I couldn’t get him, so I have to say the race finished better than it started.”

The result also means that Ricciardo moves ahead of team mate and reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel who had a disastrous day retiring from the race with a problem with his power unit. Speaking following the Grand Prix Vettel, who started from 4th on the grid behind Daniel Ricciardo stated: 

'It’s disappointing. I had a good start and then we lost boost pressure from the turbo, so I had no power and had to retire. The team did everything they could. I felt quite helpless in the car, so I was asking for an answer of what we could do, but there wasn’t anything at that stage. We fixed some problems yesterday with the ERS, but some more came today with the turbo, but we will move forwards and it will be good for us soon.” 

Infiniti Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner was happy with Daniel Ricciardo's result and stated:

First of all we have to apologise to Sebastian for an issue with his power unit. It’s frustrating that, after making a good start, his race came to a very premature end. Thereafter, Daniel benefitted from a puncture from Kimi to get some free air and was able to run his own race. We closed down the gap to the Mercedes at the end and got very close to Lewis, but round the streets of Monte Carlo it’s always extremely difficult to overtake. It’s the closest we’ve been to Mercedes all year and it’s the first time we’ve been really racing them this season, so there are signs of progress and we’re certainly getting closer. Finally, congratulations to the Marussia team on getting their first points in Formula One. Scoring points in this business is never easy and for a new team that stuck at it and scored their first points today, they deserve a large amount of recognition for that.” 

 

Ferrari's Fernando Alonso had a good result for the Italian team finishing in 4th place having started the race from fifth on the grid. However his team mate Kimi Raikkonen made a fantastic start and was in third place for a up until the first round of pit-stops. The Finn came out of the pit-lane and went to overtake the back marker of Max Chilton's Marussia, however the Englishman hit the Ferrari which resulted in a puncture for the Finn which completely destroyed the Finn's race he would eventually finish the Grand Prix in 12th place behind the Caterham of Marcus Ericsson.

It was another fantastic day for Sahara Force India's Nico Hulkenberg because while his team mate Sergio Perez retired from the race after a collision with McLaren;s Jenson Button, the German collected another strong points finish in 5th place just ahead of  Jenson Button Speaking after the race Hulkenberg said:

'Ten points today is a great reward after such a difficult race. The last twenty laps were really tricky because my supersoft tyres were at the end of their life and it was hard to hold off the cars behind me and stay away from the barriers. There were a few close moments when I kissed the wall, but I survived and managed to hold on to fifth place. Fortunately my car was quick in the right places – going into the tunnel and also through the final corner. There were some enjoyable moments in the race, especially my move on Magnussen. He had to let the Toro Rosso back through and he lost a bit of momentum so I saw my opportunity to stick my nose down the inside of turn eight. On a track like Monaco it gives you a big smile to make the move stick.”

Sergio Perez was left disappointed with his race result and stated:

“I was in a battle with Nico, who was ahead, and I went to take the apex normally. I was on the racing line and ahead of Jenson [Button] when he clipped my rear wheel and spun me around into the barriers. I did not expect him to be there as there wasn't really any space for another car there. It was very unlucky. As a racing driver you have good and bad Sundays but this is definitely one I want to forget as soon as possible. It is disappointing that we lost a big chance to score a good amount of points, but the car felt much better here than in Spain, as shown by Nico’s result. This is a very positive signal looking ahead to Montreal.”

It was a sensational drive by the Williams Martini Racing Team's Felipe Massa who finished the race in 7th place having started the race from 16th on the grid. His team mate Valtteri Bottas had a disappointing race and was forced to retire with an engine failure, it was the Finn's first non finish of the season. It was another great race for the Lotus F1 Team as Romain Grosjean picked up more point's for team Enstone with 8th place. 

It was a fantastic day for the Marussia F1 Team who scored their first ever Formula One point as Jules Bianchi which as a result moves the Banbury based outfit above the Sauber F1 Team as the Swiss outfit endured another difficult day. McLaren's Kevin Magnussen rounded out the top ten.    

The two Sauber's, both Toro Rosso's, Williams Valtteri Bottas, Pastor Maldonado, Sergio Perez and Sebastian Vettel failed to finish the race. In Maldonado's case he failed to start the race after stalling on the grid prior to the formation lap.

Drivers championship standing's after Monaco

1 Nico Rosberg Mercedes AMG F1 Team 122 Points

2 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes AMG F1 Team 118

3 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 61

4 Daniel Ricciardo Infiniti Red Bull Racing 54

5 Nico Hulkenberg Sahara Force India F1 Team 47

6 Sebastian Vettel Infiniti Red Bull Racing 45

7 Valtteri Bottas Williams MartSini Racing 34

8 Jenson Button McLaren Mercedes 31Fe

9 Kevin Magnussen McLaren Mercedes 21

10 Sergio Perez Sahara Force India F1 Team 20 

11 Felipe Massa Williams Martini Racing 18

12 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 17

13 Romain Grosjean Lotus F1 Team 6

14 Jean Eric Vergne Toro Rosso 4

15 Jules Bianchi Marussia F1 Team 4

16 Damiil Kvyat Toro Rosso 4

Constructors Championship standings 

1 Mercedes AMG F1 Team 240 Points

2 Infiniti Red Bull Racing 99

3 Ferrari 78

4 Sahara Force India F1 Team 67

5 McLaren Mercedes 52

6 Williams Martini Racing 52

7 Lotus F1 Team 8

8 Toro Rosso 8

9 Marussia F1 Team 2

©Ben Johnston 2014

McLaren struggle in qualifying despite Magnussen lining up in 8th place

(McLaren Mercedes)

McLaren Mercedes headed into today's qualifying session for the Monaco Grand Prix with Jenson Button declaring that he was seeking progress and not points for this weekend. The 2009 world champion was left disappointed after being out qualified by team mate Kevin Magnussen. Button will start the race from 12th on the grid just ahead of the Williams of Valtteri Bottas. Speaking after the session Button said:

'On the first lap of my final run in Q2, I came across one of the Toro Rossos at the Swimming Pool. I don't think he initially saw me, then he tried to back out of the corner, but there wasn't enough room for two cars into the second part of that particular part of the circuit. It's a pity; the pace was there in Q1, but I didn't get a lap together in Q2. No excuses. 

The race will be tough starting from 12th position - the tyres last so long around here, so it could end up being quite processional. Maybe somebody will be brave and try some moves and make the race a bit of fun. Let's see if that upsets the order. I'm not hoping for rain on Sunday; no driver likes the wet around here, especially with these tyres - you can't get enough temperature into them. For everybody's sake, I think it'll be better if it's dry tomorrow. It's going to be a tough race for me, but I'll see what I can do.'

Button won here in 2009 and will be hoping that he will be able to challenge for a decent haul of points following a disappointing run for the Woking based outfit whose best result of the season remains their double podium in the opening race of the season at the Australian Grand Prix in Albert Park.

Kevin Magnussen did a great job in the MP-29 qualifying in 8th place. However the Dane was slightly disappointed not to be starting the race higher up. He has never driven a Formula One car in a Grand Prix before however last season when he drove in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series he finished the race in 4th place so he will be hoping that he will be able to score some more points for the McLaren team who are currently in 6th place in the Constructors championship. Magnussen said:

'I'm not completely happy to be starting eighth, but we pretty much got the best out of what we had; maybe seventh would have been possible - at a push. It's always a challenge to hook up the perfect lap around here - and it never really feel like you succeed. This is a street circuit, and it's bumpy, with barriers and walls right at the apex, so you make little mistakes and corrections, and always feel like you could have got a little closer to the barriers. Nonetheless, the car felt really good - it's just frustrating when you see the lap times, because it feels like we should be higher up. We can be reasonably happy with today. Tomorrow, we need a good launch, a good first lap, and to stay out of trouble - then maybe we can score some solid points'.

©Ben Johnston 2014

One driver happy the other left disappointed as Ferrari start 5th and 6th tomorrow

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(Scuderia Ferrari SpA via Twitter)

Ferrari's Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen had mixed feelings after locking out the third row of the grid for tomorrow's Monaco Grand Prix. Speaking about his result today, Fernando Alonso, who finished his home race just ahead of Kimi Raikkonen last time out stated:

 "Today's result encapsulates the state of play this weekend and it's more or less what we expected, but I don't think it went badly, because we managed to stay ahead of rivals who have been front runners so far, such as Williams and Force India and, most importantly, we are closer to the Red Bulls. We have made more changes than usual here, because we were suffering with understeer and we had some problems under braking and the car has improved a lot. Compared to what we expected, the tyres seem too hard and we are struggling a lot to get them up to temperature. If the race is run in the dry tomorrow, then it will be an endurance race to see who can stay out on track the longest. However, if it was to rain, as has been suggested, then just getting to the finish will already be a good result, because as we saw on Thursday from the few laps we did, it's really on the limit, like sliding around on ice."

Kimi Raikkonen wasn't terribly happy with how his qualifying performance had gone and he is was not happy with how the tyre's were working on the F14T. The Finn will be hoping to continue his points scoring run after his 7th place finish at the race in Barcelona. The Finn said:

"I'm not happy with this qualifying, because even though we worked hard on the set-up, making several changes, my feeling with the car didn't improve much. Right from Thursday I had to fight to find the best solution and the time lost during the second free practice session certainly didn't help. On top of that, we are not able to make the tyres work well here and in that situation, it's not easy to put together a good lap, especially on a track where you don't get a second chance. Sixth place is not ideal, but neither is it a disaster and tomorrow we will do our best to get the most out of it all."

©Ben Johnston 2014

Tough day at the office for Williams

(Williams Martini Racing Team)

The Williams Martini Racing duo of Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa endured a difficult qualifying session for tomorrow's Monaco Grand Prix as Bottas will start the race from 13th on the grid while Felipe Massa was left disappointed having made it into Q2 the Brazilian was hit by the Caterham of Marcus Ericsson going into Turn 5 and as a result he was unable to take part in the second session and will start the race 16th on the grid.

For causing the accident, Ericsson will start the race from the pit-lane as he was deemed to have caused the accident. Following qualifying, Bottas, who is aiming to continue his points scoring run commented:

'As a team this wasn't the optimum result. The issue we had was the getting heat into the front tyres. The car felt ok, but I didn't have the grip that I wanted. We have some work to do to try and get this sorted for tomorrow. I am still optimistic of some points though as they are only a few places away and anything can happen in Monaco. '

Felipe Massa was happy with how the car the felt in qualifying and is hoping to score his first points since the Bahrain Grand Prix. The Brazilian is currently in 12th place in Drivers championship 22 points behind team mate Valtteri Bottas. Massa stated:

' I did everything I could in the first session but at the end Ericsson hit me and that ruined my qualifying. I was hopeful for a good position today as the car actually felt ok; it would have been a fight to get into the top ten, not easy, but possible. I am disappointed and tomorrow is going to be a challenge but with this car points are still possible.'

The Williams Martini Racing Team's Head of vehicle performance, Rob Smedley felt that the Grove based outfit had a tough day saying:

'Today hasn’t been the easiest of days as is clear from our qualifying positions. Qualifying is important here however there are 78 laps tomorrow meaning we still have time to recuperate and score some points. The midfield was very tight and sadly due to the nature of the circuit we were towards the back of it rather than in our usual position at the front of it. There were just a few tenths in it from where we should be so we need to analyse everything to ensure we understand it more for tomorrow. Felipe had an unlucky session with the incident with Ericsson which is unfortunate as he was looking good up to that point and we didn’t quite have the pace in Valtteri’s car. There is a little bit of work to do to get into the points tomorrow but it is ultimately still very possible.'

The Monaco Grand Prix may be the shortest circuit in terms of length, however it is 78 laps of extremely intensive concentration as the smallest mistake will end your race so absolutely anything can and usually does happen from safety cars to red flags. The Williams team have a fantastic group working for them and there will be absolutely no doubt that both Bottas and Massa will be able to make their way through the field during the race.

©Ben Johnston 2014

No further action against Rosberg

(Mercedes AMG F1 Team)

The FIA will take action against Mercedes Nico Rosberg following an investigation into the German reversing back onto the track in Monaco after running wide in Monaco just before the end of today's qualifying session.

Rosberg will therefore start tomorrow's Monaco Grand Prix from pole position alongside tea mate Lewis Hamilton.

©Ben Johnston 2014

BREAKING: Rosberg under investigation for reversing

(Mercedes AMG F1 Team)#

Mercedes representatives have been summoned to appear before the Monaco race stewards as a result of Nico Rosberg reversing onto the track towards the end of the final part of qualifying for tomorrow's Monaco Grand Prix.

More to follow...

©Ben Johnston 2014