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Monaco GP


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#1 alpiner

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Posted 19 May 2008 - 21:13

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Time schedule
Practice 1 Thu 10:00-11:30
Practice 2 Thu 14:00-15:30
Practice 3 Sat 11:00-12:00
Qualifying Sat 14:00-15:00
The Race Sun 14:00-16:00

#2 Downforce

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Posted 19 May 2008 - 22:18

Mene strah da bilo sta prognoziram...ove sezone je s obzirom na kretensko SC pravilo bukvalno sve moguce... :rolleyes:

#3 alpiner

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Posted 19 May 2008 - 23:10

Monte Carlo race preview

Monday, 19 May 2008

Monaco may be just one of the three street circuits on this year’s revamped Formula 1 calendar, but new tracks on the block Singapore and Valencia will need to be pretty jaw-dropping to have a hope of rivalling Monte Carlo for mystique.

The gloriously ridiculous concept of racing 200mph+ cars around the tortuous harbourside streets of a Mediterranean tax haven will never lose its lure for fans, most of whom readily accept the near-total lack of overtaking and just revel in the spectacle of the F1 drivers jinking between the barriers, as the cacophonous screams from their V8 engines echo off the luxury apartments.

Monaco tends to either showcase the dominance of the era’s greatest driver (Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher thrived there) or produce an upset such as Jarno Trulli’s win for Renault in 2004, or Olivier Panis’s brilliant victory for Ligier from 14th on the grid in 1996 – a result that still seems unbelievable over a decade later.

Winning at Monte Carlo isn’t necessarily a good omen for a title contender: only three of the last 12 Monaco Grands Prix have fallen to the man who clinched that year’s championship.

And teams that win as they please elsewhere can find Monaco an irritatingly difficult nut to crack.

Ferrari has only won five times there in the last 30 seasons – and not at all since 2001 – while Monte Carlo success eluded Williams throughout its halcyon years, as Sir Frank’s team failed to win in the Principality between 1983 and 2003.

McLaren has a substantially better Monaco record, with 14 wins to its credit in the last 25 years.

Last year it waltzed away with the race – Fernando Alonso leading Lewis Hamilton in an imperious McLaren demonstration run.



This time around, the title rivals cannot agree on who is favourite for the Monte Carlo win.

Kimi Raikkonen reckons McLaren was so strong there last season that Ferrari remains the underdog, whereas Hamilton believes Ferrari has cured its 2007 slow speed corner troubles so successfully that he will be hard-pressed to keep the red cars in sight.

But even if Lewis is right about Ferrari’s advantage, don’t rule him out this weekend.

Boldness and improvisation behind the wheel really do pay dividends in Monte Carlo – and Hamilton has shown an abundance of both at this track.

He was unstoppable there in both Formula 3 and GP2, and it probably would have been the scene of his first F1 win had he not been blocked in qualifying and prevented from beating Alonso to pole last year.

Raikkonen certainly isn’t slow at Monaco, he won there in 2005 after all, but he has yet to show the kind of affinity for its unique challenges that Hamilton has displayed.

This is Lewis’s best chance yet to interrupt Ferrari’s winning streak and thrust himself back into the title battle, so he must capitalise on it.

Even in years when Monaco has been won by the season’s benchmark driver and team, an underdog or two has still managed to slip into the top five.

Double Monte Carlo winners Fernando Alonso and David Coulthard must have a chance to pull off season-best results on the streets, as will Trulli, Mark Webber, Nico Rosberg, Giancarlo Fisichella and Jenson Button.

All of them have shown real flair here in the past – although Trulli and Button in particular also know that even track specialists can have a miserable time at Monaco in a poor car.

As Alonso suggested this week, a driver can make a difference in Monte Carlo, but there are only so many technical shortcomings they can overcome, and Renault’s poor traction is a particular concern for the Spaniard as he heads for a circuit where acceleration out of tight corners is crucial to lap times.

With track position so crucial, Monaco also sees the most fraught qualifying session of the year – and provides one of the toughest strategy quandaries.

No-one wants to get stuck in traffic on a circuit where passing is all-but-impossible, so running lighter for a higher grid position must be tempting.

Conversely, the fastest strategy for the track is to run heavy and pit as late as possible – and most of the midfielders are likely to choose this option.

Drivers who plan two stops must be confident that they can pull out a sufficient gap over the fuel-laden cars before they pit, for if they emerge behind a car that might not plan to stop for another 20 or even 30 laps, their race will be ruined.

However under modern safety car rules, pitting early is often advisable when caution periods are a strong possibility, as they are in Monaco.

With no traction control or assisted engine braking to help the drivers on this bumpy and desperately slippery course, this weekend is likely to see more incidents than in recent Monaco GPs.

But the major reason for the reduction in carnage has been the gradual easing back of the barriers over the past decade.

Sainte Devote, the Swimming Pool and Rascasse are all undeniably easier to navigate now that more room has been created around them.

‘Easy’ is very much a relative term at Monaco however, and it will take a lot more than a few barrier realignments to neuter this most evocative and demanding circuit.

#4 alpiner

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Posted 19 May 2008 - 23:26

Evo i par sličica iz bogate istorije.

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#5 alpiner

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Posted 19 May 2008 - 23:27

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#6 alpiner

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Posted 19 May 2008 - 23:32

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#7 alberto.ascari

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Posted 20 May 2008 - 08:30

Monte Carlo race preview

...


Dobar text, ali bez prognoze, stvarno je sve moguće. Istini za volju, Panis je došao do (svoje jedine) pobede izvrsnom vožnjom, ali i ispadanjem ostalih vozača posle havarija na kiši. Ako bude mokro, vrlo je moguće da će neko iz Serie B da se probije do dobrog rezultata, možda i na postolje.

Mene samo nervira (izmišljam, u stvari mi je zbog toga drago, to su prave trke), što su naša oba vozača u stanju da se spucaju u ogradu na ovoj stazi i u trenutku kad vode trku i imaju 20s prednosti. To ALO ili HAM neće uraditi.

Možda prva pobeda za BMW?

#8 Downforce

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Posted 20 May 2008 - 08:50

Možda prva pobeda za BMW?

Vrlo moguce. Ove sezone im je bolid odmah iza Ferrarija po ponasanju u sporim krivinama. Celnici tima ocekuju veoma dobre performanse na ovoj stazi i ne libe se da to kazu javno.

Kvalifikacije ce biti ludilo. Jedva cekam. Ova trka stvarno ima poseban smek, ma koliko dosadna ponekad znala da bude...

A ako bude kise cenim da nijedan bolid ne zavrsava trku... :rolleyes:

#9 Vincenzo

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Posted 20 May 2008 - 11:42

Iskreno se nadam da ce trka biti zanimiljivija nego ona od prosle sezone. Kapiram da to i nece biti tako tesko, s'obzirom kakav je smor proslogodisnja bila.
Naravno, ko osvoji pol ima najvece sanse, pa u tom smislu nije neverovatno da se BMW potrudi i sa taktikom i sa masinom da dodje do prve pozicije na startu i tako pobedu ucini izvesnijom.

#10 alpiner

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Posted 20 May 2008 - 11:59

Sigurno će neko od vodećih ići na kraći prvi stint i manje goriva u kvalifikacijama.
Kao i do sada opet će optimum biti dva pita, tri je velika kocka a jedan verovatno nemoguć za mekšu komponentu obzirom na konfiguraciju staze i ukidanje TC-a. Ovo je definitivno najnezahvalnija staza za prognozu.

#11 alpiner

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Posted 20 May 2008 - 14:02

Dry Friday, Wet Weekend ?

Wet weather is likely to affect the otherwise glamorous running of the Monaco grand prix this week.

Weather forecasters are predicting mild temperatures at or below 20C all week, including Saturday and Sunday, and a possibility of rain throughout the coming days.

The highest probability for dry weather is ironically on Friday, when formula one teams do not practice following Thursday's traditional first day of official action.

Another weather source predicts a dry race for Sunday, explaining that the forthcoming rain for the area may have cleared by the morning.

#12 alpiner

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Posted 20 May 2008 - 14:13

Monaco GP factfile



Monte Carlo by numbers

Circuit length: 2.075 miles

Type of circuit: Temporary street circuit

Number of laps: 78

Lap record: 1m14.439s (Michael Schumacher, Ferrari, 2004)

Last year’s pole time: 1m15.726s (Fernando Alonso, McLaren)

Fastest corner: First part of the swimming pool complex – fifth-gear left-right chicane, 130mph

Overtaking opportunities: Low. Nobody goes to Monaco to see overtaking. The tight and twisty track simply isn’t wide enough in most places and as the rubber goes down a single racing line soon appears. In 2001 David Coulthard’s McLaren got stuck behind the inferior Arrows of Enrique Bernoldi for 36 laps without any hope of getting by.

Usual weather: Even the French Riviera is susceptible to the odd deluge around this time of year; however, the last wet Monaco Grand Prix was in 1997 so don’t hold your breath.

Chances of a first corner crash: High. The old racing adage “Don’t try and win the race in the first corner” simply doesn’t apply here. The driver who crests Beau Rivage first is often the winner and as a result the battle into the first corner at Ste Devote is always intense.



Monaco Grand Prix history

Venues: Monte Carlo (1929-present)


Recent winners:

2007 - Fernando Alonso (McLaren)
2006 - Fernando Alonso (Renault)
2005 - Kimi Raikkonen (McLaren)
2004 - Jarno Trulli (Renault)
2003 - Juan Pablo Montoya (Williams)
2002 - David Coulthard (McLaren)
2001 - Michael Schumacher (Ferrari)
2000 - David Coulthard (McLaren)
1999 - Michael Schumacher (Ferrari)
1998 - Mika Hakkinen (McLaren)


Memorable Monte Carlo moments:

1970 - Jochen Rindt took a stunning win in his Lotus 49C after Jack Brabham spun on the final corner of the race. Brabham and Rindt ran nose to tail for much of the closing stages and as the pair hit backmarkers on the final lap chaos ensued. As Brabham tried to round Piers Courage in the final corner he made a mistake and slid straight on into the hay bales. The win was gifted to Rindt, who would die later that year at Monza, winning the championship posthumously.

1982 – The race appeared to be in the bag for Alain Prost but in the final three laps a comedy of errors took hold. First off, Prost crashed his Renault from the lead as light rain made the track surface treacherously slippery. The new leader Riccardo Patrese spun at the Loews hairpin, promoting Didier Pironi to the top spot at the start of the last lap. Pironi’s Ferrari promptly spluttered to a halt in the tunnel, out of fuel; the man who would have taken over the lead, Andrea de Cesaris, also ran dry; Derek Daly was trailing round without a rear wing and leaking oil, which meant that Nigel Mansell stood to inherit the lead – except that Patrese had been push-started by marshals and was able to make it round to the chequered flag to claim the race that nobody seemed to want to win.

1983 - Keke Rosberg won in an under-powered but nimble Williams thanks to an inspired decision to start on slick tyres in the damp but drying conditions. The Finn's sublime car control did the rest, and he beat the turbocharged opposition into a pulp.

1984 - Ayrton Senna well and truly appeared on Formula 1’s radar at the 1984 Monaco Grand Prix. After a delay of 45 minutes, the race started in soaking conditions with Alain Prost taking an early lead from Niki Lauda. The McLaren pair were soon hounded by Senna’s Toleman and the Brazilian passed Lauda with ease as he reeled Prost in. Meanwhile another young hotshot, Stefan Bellof, was closing in on both the front-runners after starting from the back row of the grid. But with 31 laps completed, and to Senna’s absolute outrage, the race was red-flagged due to the appalling conditions. Even now, the question of who would have won the 1984 Monaco Grand Prix still rumbles around the paddock.

1988 - Senna won every Monaco Grand Prix between 1989 and 1993 – a feat that was no doubt spurred on by the disappointment of 1988. After dominating much of the race in the imperious McLaren-Honda MP4-4, Senna was told by his team to cruise to the finish. It was a mistake, however, as he lost concentration and hit the barrier at Portier, handing victory to his team-mate and arch-rival Alain Prost. The inconsolable Senna then shut himself away in his apartment, unwilling to emerge for anyone.

1992 - The closest finish in Monaco Grand Prix history had Ayrton Senna take the win from Nigel Mansell by just 0.215s. Mansell was in the superior Williams but lost the lead to Senna after sustaining a puncture. On new tyres Mansell caught Senna hand over fist, but couldn’t find a way past as Senna blocked and weaved to keep him behind.

1996 - Torrential rain gave Olivier Panis a chance from 14th on the grid. Passing left, right and centre the plucky Frenchman barged his way up the field. He eventually inherited the lead from Jean Alesi (who had a suspension failure), going on to win one of the most eventful Formula 1 races of all time. Only four cars took the chequered flag!

2006 - The Rascasse corner will be forever synonymous with Michael Schumacher after his ‘accident’ there in qualifying for the 2006 Monaco Grand Prix. Cheating, gamesmanship, call it what you like, but sadly it will forever be a black mark against his name.


Drivers with reason to love Monaco...

Fernando Alonso - Having won here for the past two years he is starting to gain a reputation as a Monaco specialist. Even on his first appearance here in 2001 he impressed by qualifying his Minardi in 18th and off the back two rows.

David Coulthard - As a Monegasque resident and part-owner of the Columbus Hotel in Fontvieille, this is something of a home grand prix for DC. He has celebrated wins here twice and a podium for Red Bull in 2006 was enough to persuade Christian Horner to go skinny dipping.

Jarno Trulli - Scored first and so far only win here in 2004, helped by Michael Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya coming together in the tunnel under a safety car. He’s also a bit of a qualifying specialist round here, most notably lining up on the front row in a Jordan in 2000.

Giancarlo Fisichella - The Italian has had some pretty impressive results in Monte Carlo, often outperforming his machinery. His most notable moments were podiums in 1998 and 2000 for the then struggling Benetton team as well as a well earned fifth place in the 2002 Jordan.

Drivers with reason to hate Monaco...

Felipe Massa - The Brazilian has had a difficult time in the Principality. In 2006 he crashed in qualifying, making it an all-Ferrari back row alongside the penalised Michael Schumacher. In 2005 he clashed with team-mate Jacques Villeneuve as the pair fought over the same piece of Tarmac into Ste Devote. And in 2002, on lap 64 he missed Ste Devote altogether, piling straight into the tyre wall.

Jenson Button - The Brit has missed out on two Monaco Grands Prix in his career: One after a massive shunt at the Nouvelle Chicane in 2003 and another due to BAR’s disqualification in 2005. He has often proclaimed his love for the street circuit and will be looking to repeat his 2004 podium finish in the near future.

Kimi Raikkonen - Other than a win here in 2005 the Finn has had little joy around the streets of Monte Carlo, having retired here three times out of seven. However, he didn’t appear too concerned about his engine failure in 2006 when, instead of going for a debrief with the McLaren team, he joined his mates on a private yacht for a few beers.




Monaco - the technical requirements
Monaco may be the most unique race on the Formula One calendar, but for the engineers the challenge remains the same - fine-tuning their car to achieve maximum performance around the demanding street circuit. It's an unforgiving place, and getting the most out of the R28 around the twisty streets will require an unusual set-up and commitment from the driver.

As a street course, the track surface is quite low grip in the early part of the weekend, but come Sunday, the track will be nicely rubbered-in and will continue to improve until the final lap of the Grand Prix. Renault describe how they tackle the track’s distinctive requirements…

Ride heights:
The roads in the Principality may feel billiard-table-smooth at the wheel of a road car, but they are incredibly bumpy for the rock-hard suspension of a Formula One car. To cope with the variations in track surface, ride heights are raised between 5 and 7mm relative to the norm. The public roads are also sharply cambered and very slippery - especially on the traffic markings that are dotted around the circuit.

Suspension:
In order to maximise the car's grip, the team will use softer suspension settings than normal. They help the car to ride the bumps and changes of camber. The surface also means that the wheels must be able to move independently to cope with the bumps, and we soften the anti-roll bars to achieve this. Special attention is paid to suspension camber angles too. The key objective is to give the driver a neutral, driveable car that he can have confidence in around the circuit.

Aerodynamics:
Monaco demands the highest downforce levels of the season. Contrary to popular belief, the primary benefit does not come in the corners, as many of them are taken at such low speeds that mechanical grip is of greater importance. Rather, the gains from high downforce come under braking and acceleration, keeping the car stable into the corners and ensuring optimum traction on the exit.

Steering angle:
The famous hairpin at the Grand Hotel is the tightest of the year - along with the sharp turn at Rascasse. Monaco therefore demands the highest steering angle of the season, some two times greater than anything required in Barcelona. Dedicated Monaco front suspension is produced to ensure the necessary steering lock can be applied.

Tyres:
Monaco is not particularly demanding on the tyres due to the slow nature of the circuit. As such, Bridgestone will supply the softest compounds in the range (soft and super-soft), which will help deliver good traction out of the low-speed corners.

Gearbox:
Closely-spaced gear ratios are used at this circuit in order to optimise acceleration, and get the most from the engine at slow speeds. The gearbox will have to cope with 53 gear changes per lap - a total of nearly 4150 in the race.

Engine:
Superficially, Monaco may seem the least demanding circuit of the year, with just 45 per cent of the lap spent on full throttle. Appearances, though, do not reflect reality. The bumpy surface means the engine can easily over-rev if the wheels leave contact with the ground. A driveable engine and good traction from very low revs are extremely important.

Edited by alpiner, 20 May 2008 - 14:52.


#13 leone

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Posted 21 May 2008 - 19:43

Mozda se ujedem za jezik u nedelju popodne, nece mi tesko pasti ako pogrijesim, ali prognoziram da Masa NECE pobijediti. :rolleyes:

#14 fancy

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Posted 22 May 2008 - 08:45

....
Drivers with reason to hate Monaco...
...
Kimi Raikkonen - Other than a win here in 2005 the Finn has had little joy around the streets of Monte Carlo, having retired here three times out of seven. However, he didn’t appear too concerned about his engine failure in 2006 when, instead of going for a debrief with the McLaren team, he joined his mates on a private yacht for a few beers.
...

Ovo je najklasičniji od svih klasičnih Kimi momenata :)

Gledao sam trku i iako Schumacherov fan, žestoko navijao za Kimija u tada već inferiornom Merc/Mc-u. Negde u poslednjoj trećini trke vatra je progorela el. instalacije i bolid je samo stao. On je izašao mrtav ladan, nije se osvrnuo i krenuo... sledećih 5-6-7-8 minuta, kamera je više pratila njega nego trku, a on je išao, išao, išao... dok nije došao do obale i popeo se na jahtu. Minut-dva kasnije, uhvaćen je kraj prozora kako opuštetno cirka sa društvom i četuje... verovatno o kvalitetu piva u Monacu ;)

Zanimljiva je bila njegova reakcija kad je napustio mrtvog Merc/Mc-a... bez reči, bez emocije... a samo krug pre toga puko je motor Webberu koji je bio izvanredan, čini mi se 3. za Williams. Webber je tada izašao, potpuno ispizdeo, šutirao bolid... :huh:

Voleo bih da imam snimak te trke, samo zbog Kimijeve šetnje (komentatori su se pitali što ne ide ka boksu kraćim putem :rolleyes:, ne sanjajući da ovome ni na pamet nije bilo da ode tamo i podnese raport :D)

Ako neko ima snimak - nek mi se javi 0:)

Našao sam samo ovo - Kimi ulazi na jahtu:

Youtube Video ->Original Video


#15 alpiner

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Posted 22 May 2008 - 09:17

Suho u Kneževini za sada.



Rain is often a great performance leveller in Formula One, but double champion Fernando Alonso is not hoping for a slippery Monaco Grand Prix.

Many race fans are crossing their fingers that wet weather forecasts for the Monte Carlo weekend are right, but already several drivers have expressed nervousness about the prospective combination of water, the tight and oily street circuit, and the absence of electronic aids.

Alonso was asked by the Spanish press on Wednesday if he sees the adverse weather forecast as an opportunity to race and beat the usual 2008 pacesetters this weekend.

"Last year we did a practice session in the wet (here) and it was virtually impossible to
drive the car, even with all the driver aids.

"This year it would be a nightmare, although I suppose a good result is possible because many cars might crash.

"But I don't have a good feeling about it, so I hope it stays dry," he admitted.

Williams driver Nico Rosberg agreed: "Last year the wet tyres didn't work.

"If the same thing happens, now that we don't have traction control, it will be ... interesting," he added.

Edited by alpiner, 22 May 2008 - 09:22.