Sebastian Vettel once again proved that he is the man to beat at least weekend's Spanish Grand Prix. His team-mate's pole position, a fast-starting Fernando Alonso and a late charge from Lewis Hamilton did not deter the defending champ from taking his fourth win from five starts this year. As the Catalan track is notoriously difficult to overtake on, the Spanish race was an interesting one in terms of pit stop strategies deciding the final result. The front funners made no fewer than four stops.
Vettel will be hoping to carry that momentum into this weekend's Monaco GP. Round five of the 2011 World Championship takes place on the streets of the French principality. It is a well-known fact that the Red Bull car has superior high-speed grip, but that will count for very little during this weekend's race. As if to underline that fact Ferrari's Fernando Alonso topped the timesheets in free practice 2.
The Spaniard commented:“It seems we are a bit more competitive than elsewhere. However, the reason is very simple in that here, the aerodynamics count for less and so we are suffering less. On a track with the lowest average speed, some weaknesses are hidden by other factors, such as the mechanical side and the engine."
Lewis Hamilton,has been lauded for his car control is looking forward to another win. "I’m really pleased with the balance of the car and I kept out of trouble, but it’s going to be close here. You quickly get used to DRS and KERS Hybrid, but you’re only really on it for the pit straight and up the hill; you tend not to use it through the slower sections. I just love driving the car here you can’t afford to make mistakes, the car feels amazing when you’re jumping from kerb to kerb, and there’s no room for error. I want to win this grand prix!”, said the McLaren driver.
The tight confines of the street circuit at Monaco are also not known to the be the easiest upon which to overtake and the strategists will be working over time to ensure their drivers the best possible track position at any given moment. Of course, it should go without saying that a good starting postion is vital as well.
Adding another variable into the equation is the debut of Pirelli’s new PZero Red supersoft tyres that have red stripes on the sidewalls to make them easier to pick out on television this week. The softest compound yet used during a race weekend is in the region of 1,2-1,4 seconds per lap. The drivers are expected to use a two or three scheduled stop strategy during the course of the race. However, safety car periods may throw a spanner in the works.
Of all the front runners, Vettel is the only one that has not won at this track, a matter that he will be hoping to change come Sunday afternoon. He has been quietly confident and was quick to point out that to win in Monaco is not easy. He is not overly optimistic about his chances of winning, "I brushed the wall after three laps (in practice), so hopefully that’s that done for the weekend! The car looks competitive, but everyone is very close to each other, so it looks tight.”
With the reliance on driver skill and outright mechanical grip a larger factor than about some other circuits, this weekend's race could go to any of the the top five teams – Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari, Mercedes or Renault. If the heavens open up and turn the race into a soggy affair then all drivers stand an equal chance of winning; anyone remember Olivier Panis?