Post by schumi on May 16, 2007 9:47:50 GMT
Probably my favourite GP on the circuit and by far the most glamorous, there’s always something that little bit special about Monaco. Maybe it’s the sense of anticipation, the buzz, the people sitting on their balconies to watch, or hanging out of windows, or lazing on their boats. Possibly it’s the narrow pit lane that so many teams complain about, or the exit from the tunnel that catches a few drivers out and has been the scene of many a spectacular accident. It could be the high speeds on the narrow roads – drivers using every spare centimetre and coming within fractions of touching the barriers. Overtaking opportunities in Monte Carlo are few and far between, yet there’s definitely something about it that makes it such an enthralling prospect, and it’s the one race I watch without fail.
Last year’s race was won by Fernando Alonso in the Renault, but for some reason he doesn’t seem to be stamping his authority this season. Granted, he’s in a new car, but so is his team-mate, rookie Lewis Hamilton. Lewis has consistently beaten Alonso this year and is known as a bit of a track specialist by all accounts, so it will be interesting to see how he fares. I think he’ll certainly be up at the sharp end of this one, and we may even see him get his first race win, although the podium celebrations in Monaco do tend to let the circuit down. You always get the feeling that no-one’s watching any more and they’ve all gone back to their boats to sip champagne and indulge in expensive post-race parties rather than stand around waiting for three guys to stand on the pavement, listen to their national anthem and shake up an over-sized bottle of pop.
Ferrari are troubling me this season. Why? Because they’ve won three out of the four races this year, yet still aren’t at the top of the standings in either category. Reliability is letting them down, and on a circuit like Monte Carlo the last thing you want to be is unreliable. Having said that I do expect little old Massa to finish on the podium, mainly because he’s not too proud to listen to the advice given to him by the 7 time World Champion, Michael Schumacher. Kimi, it seems, is above all that and knows best – a fact that was made obvious by his abrupt departure from Spain half an hour after retiring from the race.
Renault aren’t doing as well as predicted this season, despite having decent drivers. Kovalainen took the first race to find his feet, but now seems to have settled with the team, scoring his first world championship point in the second race of his debut season. With a bit of time he’ll mature into a solid driver, though I fear it will be too late for Renault to mount a charge for the title. Fisichella, the excitable Italian, was tipped as a possible championship contender. That could have been the case had he managed to secure a drive for Ferrari or McLaren, but as time goes on it’s looking unlikely he’ll ever make it, unless it’s the lesser Schumacher he’s aspiring to be. Despite that he has managed to pick up the majority of the team’s points so far, and is certainly one who can win a race, though not this one I feel, as he doesn’t traditionally go well around the streets of Monaco.
BMW are the surprise package so far, although they’re developing what must be an immensely frustrating habit of coming just off the podium with four fourth places in each of the races so far. Heidfeld has managed to take three of those, but team mate Kubica last year showed signs of being an impressive talent for the future given the right car and conditions, so never rule him out.
Red Bull, Toyota, Williams and the rest of the bunch will as usual scrap it out for the lesser placings, providing they don’t have the misfortune of qualifying anywhere near Takuma Sato. Nico Rosberg, DC and Trulli have all shown flashes of inspiration, but as yet, unfortunately, Jensen Button is nowhere to be seen. He’s a victim of having a poor car, though he must be thanking the Lord (Mr Ecclestone in this case) he isn’t in Mark Webber’s Red Bull.
Overall I’m optimistic for a good race. My prediction for the top three – Hamilton, Massa, Alonso.
Last year’s race was won by Fernando Alonso in the Renault, but for some reason he doesn’t seem to be stamping his authority this season. Granted, he’s in a new car, but so is his team-mate, rookie Lewis Hamilton. Lewis has consistently beaten Alonso this year and is known as a bit of a track specialist by all accounts, so it will be interesting to see how he fares. I think he’ll certainly be up at the sharp end of this one, and we may even see him get his first race win, although the podium celebrations in Monaco do tend to let the circuit down. You always get the feeling that no-one’s watching any more and they’ve all gone back to their boats to sip champagne and indulge in expensive post-race parties rather than stand around waiting for three guys to stand on the pavement, listen to their national anthem and shake up an over-sized bottle of pop.
Ferrari are troubling me this season. Why? Because they’ve won three out of the four races this year, yet still aren’t at the top of the standings in either category. Reliability is letting them down, and on a circuit like Monte Carlo the last thing you want to be is unreliable. Having said that I do expect little old Massa to finish on the podium, mainly because he’s not too proud to listen to the advice given to him by the 7 time World Champion, Michael Schumacher. Kimi, it seems, is above all that and knows best – a fact that was made obvious by his abrupt departure from Spain half an hour after retiring from the race.
Renault aren’t doing as well as predicted this season, despite having decent drivers. Kovalainen took the first race to find his feet, but now seems to have settled with the team, scoring his first world championship point in the second race of his debut season. With a bit of time he’ll mature into a solid driver, though I fear it will be too late for Renault to mount a charge for the title. Fisichella, the excitable Italian, was tipped as a possible championship contender. That could have been the case had he managed to secure a drive for Ferrari or McLaren, but as time goes on it’s looking unlikely he’ll ever make it, unless it’s the lesser Schumacher he’s aspiring to be. Despite that he has managed to pick up the majority of the team’s points so far, and is certainly one who can win a race, though not this one I feel, as he doesn’t traditionally go well around the streets of Monaco.
BMW are the surprise package so far, although they’re developing what must be an immensely frustrating habit of coming just off the podium with four fourth places in each of the races so far. Heidfeld has managed to take three of those, but team mate Kubica last year showed signs of being an impressive talent for the future given the right car and conditions, so never rule him out.
Red Bull, Toyota, Williams and the rest of the bunch will as usual scrap it out for the lesser placings, providing they don’t have the misfortune of qualifying anywhere near Takuma Sato. Nico Rosberg, DC and Trulli have all shown flashes of inspiration, but as yet, unfortunately, Jensen Button is nowhere to be seen. He’s a victim of having a poor car, though he must be thanking the Lord (Mr Ecclestone in this case) he isn’t in Mark Webber’s Red Bull.
Overall I’m optimistic for a good race. My prediction for the top three – Hamilton, Massa, Alonso.