Fernando Alonso provisionally cleared to race in China subject to conditions

Fernando Alonso has been given the go ahead by the FIA to participate in this weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix.

Question marks had been raised over whether or not the Spaniard would be allowed to race following being made to sit out the Bahrain Grand Prix. The FIA deemed he was not fit to race following the injuries he picked up in his heavy Austrailian Grand Prix crash.

A statement released by the FIA states that Alonso may participate in FP1 but must then undergo further examinations following that session. This will then determine whether or not he can continue with the remainder of the weekend.

 

Nico Rosberg wins action packed Australian Grand Prix

The more things change the more they stay the same. You’d be forgiven for thinking that not much had changed in Formula One if you looked at the results of the 2016 Australian Grand Prix without knowing the story behind them.

Another Mercedes 1-2 finish with Sebastian Vettel once again on the podium for Ferrari at the end of the race, but when the lights went out it was a much different story. Lewis Hamilton set the headline times in practice and took pole position in a maligned qualifying session – the 50th of his career. The talking point prior to the race weekend was the new elimination style qualifying session that would see cars eliminated throughout the three sessions, rather than a number being put out at the end of each.

That was the plan anyway. Instead it turned into a clock watching exercise with many drivers climbing out of their cars before they had formally been eliminated. Hamilton had pole position wrapped up and was out of his car with three minutes of the session remaining, such was the scale of the ridiculousness of the new system. It was 1 – 0 Hamilton over team-mate Nico Rosberg but it was to be a different story on Sunday.

Daniil Kvyat’s car broke down following the warm up lap meaning just 21 cars took the start of the race. Better numbers than last year, however, when just 15 actually managed to make the lights going out. When the race did get started it wasn’t the Mercedes duo – who had locked out the front row – who led by the end of the first lap.

Vettel swept into the early lead with team-mate Kimi Raikkonen taking up second spot. Rosberg and Hamilton lost out, with Hamilton dropped right down the order to seventh in the early phases of the race. Ferrari started to pull away and with the first stop of pit-stops out of the way it looked like Vettel would be hard to beat. A red flag gave the advantage back to Mercedes who were able to gain back lost time.

The red flag was brought out following a “racing incident” between Fernando Alonso and Esteban Gutierrez. Deemed a racing incident by the FIA and both drivers involved, it was a big impact with very little being left of the McLaren when it eventually came to a halt beside the barriers after being sent airborne. Thankfully both drivers emerged from their cars unaided and waving to the crowds. There was a brief delay as the debris was cleared up before racing resumed.

While both Mercedes had the medium tyres on after the stoppage, Vettel chose to continue on his set of supersofts. This meant he would have to pit again for tyres while the Mercedes duo would not. The main question was now could Vettel pull out enough of a gap to allow him a free pit-stop?

The answer was no. Rosberg took over the lead of the race as Vettel pitted and came out in fourth. He passed home favourite Daniel Ricciardo before chasing down on Hamilton. An uncharacteristic Vettel error on the penultimate lap – when the gap was down to less than a second – meant that he eventually finished in third.

Behind the trio Ricciardo came home in fourth – setting the fastest lap on his way – ahead of Williams’ Felipe Massa. An overjoyed Romain Grosjean was sixth, taking points on new team Haas’ debut, with Nico Hulkenberg seventh and Valtteri Bottas eighth. The Toro Rosso duo of Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen finished ninth and tenth respectively although their inter-team battle was not without fireworks.

As they got caught up behind a string of cars, Verstappen was busy on the radio telling the team that he should be in front of his team-mate. His engineer gave him the OK to overtake Sainz but it was clear he would have to do it on his own as the Spaniard would not be pulling over willingly. After many laps of squabbling and angry radio messages from Verstappen, the pair eventually touched with both lucky to escape with only very minor damage and able to continue to the end.

Jolyon Palmer was just outside the points in eleventh ahead of his team-mate who picked up a first lap puncture and ended up a lap down. Kevin Magnussen was able to recover this following the red flag period. Sergio Perez was a quiet 13th with Jenson Button 14th following poor tyre strategy. Felipe Nasr and Pascal Wehrlein were 15th and 16th respectively.

Elsewhere Raikkonen retired with an airbox fire, while rookie driver Rio Haryanto failed to take the restart after the red flag due to an issue with his car.

 

Daniel Ricciardo wins Canadian thriller

Daniel Ricciardo has become Formula One’s 105th winner following victory in an exciting Canadian Grand Prix. The Australian driver, who has finished third behind a Mercedes 1-2 on two occasions this year, took advantage of an ailing Mercedes to take the lead of the race with just three laps remaining. It was a disappointing day at the office for the Silver Arrows – who have won all of the first six races – as both drivers suffered MGU-K problems, suffering from a loss of power and allowing the chasing pack to catch. Lewis Hamilton was forced to retire with his problem but Nico Rosberg was able to drive around his and ultimately finished second. Sebastian Vettel picked up his second podium of the season.

At the start of the race it was business as usual for the Mercedes duo as the pair pulled away from the pack. While Hamilton got the better start, he was unable to make a move on his team-mate stick and so settled for second place in the opening laps. At the back of the pack there was drama as Max Chilton and Jules Bianchi crashed out of the race, bringing out the safety car to recover the stricken Marussias. The incident was deemed to be Chilton’s fault and so he was handed a three-place grid drop for Austria. It also brought an end to his 26 consecutive finishes from his debut at the Australian Grand Prix in 2013. The safety car was out for six laps, but after that the pack were able to get racing again. Hamilton closed on Rosberg but the latter cut across the final chicane as the pressure mounted. It was investigated by the stewards but Rosberg was given a warning and if he did it again he would be penalised. At about half way distance, both Mercedes cars reported loss of power and their pace dropped by three seconds, allowing Felipe Massa to catch and pass the pair of them to take the lead of the race.

Massa had been hoping to make a one stop strategy work but was forced to pit again, which proved advantageous later in the race. Into the last 20 laps or so, Rosberg was holding on to his lead ahead of Force India’s one-stopping Sergio Perez, and the Red Bull duo of Ricciardo and Vettel. Hamilton had been forced to retire on lap 56 due to brake failure, after running wide at the hairpin and cutting chicanes. Ricciardo was ever looming in Perez’s mirrors and the Red Bull driver eventually made a pass and started bearing down on Rosberg. It wasn’t long before Vettel got past too and Perez was left as a sitting duck for pacy Massa who, on much fresher tyres, had pumped in the lap-times and closed onto the back of the battle for second, third and fourth. On the final lap, Perez and Massa had a coming together, which resulted in them both hitting the barriers at high forces – 27G- and being taken to the medical centre for assessments. It was later judged that Perez had moved off his racing line so was given a five place grid penalty for Austria.

As an estactic Ricciardo crossed the line to take his maiden F1 victory – behind the Safety Car – a relieved Rosberg finished second with Vettel in third. Behind them was Jenson Button, who had had a fun last few laps, catching and passing both Nico Hulkenberg and Fernando Alonso who finished fifth and sixth respectively. Jean-Eric Vergne came home in eighth with Kevin Magnussen ninth and Kimi Raikkonen tenth. Perez and Massa were classified eleventh and twelfth, ahead of both Saubers who were classified with Adrian Sutil ahead of Esteban Gutierrez. Retirements from the race, along with the Marussia duo and Hamilton, were Marcus Ericsson with a turbo problem, Pastor Maldonado with a power unit problem, Kamui Kobayashi with rear suspension damage, Daniil Kvyat with a broken drive train, and Romain Grosjean with a broken rear wing.

The result let Rosberg extend his gap in the championship over Hamilton to 22 points, with Ricciardo moving into third 39 points back. In the constructors, Red Bull made small gains into Mercedes’ lead, but the Silver Arrows still lead by a significant 119 points. The next race is Austria, with a return to the Red Bull Ring, in two weeks time.

McLaren ’50 in 50′: History in Canada

McLaren have won the Canadian Grand Prix 13 times, the most of any team in the Formula One World Championship. They are tied overall on wins with Ferrari, but two of Ferrari’s victories were before the race was part of the official championship. McLaren have won the race at Mont-Tremblant, Mosport Park and Circuit Gilles Villeneuve (where the race currently takes place). McLaren have also been successful at Mosport in the Can-Am series.

Denny Hulme (1968 – Mont-Tremblant)

This was the McLaren team’s third ever victory in Formula One, following Bruce McLaren’s win in Belgium and Denny Hulme’s Italian Grand Prix win. He took back-to-back victories when he won the next race as well – the Canadian Grand Prix. Hulme started in sixth place for the race with Dan Gurney, who was running in a third McLaren, the best placed for the team in fourth. Bruce himself qualified tenth. There were a number of retirements in the race including pole-sitter Jochen Rindt, championship leader Graham Hill, and Ferrari’s Chris Amon. Hulme went on to win ahead of Bruce McLaren. The result meant that Hulme moved level on points with Hill with just two races left in the championship. He ultimately finished in third place after two retirements, finishing 15 points behind Hill.

Peter Revson (1973 – Mosport Park)

McLaren’s next win in Canada came at Mosport Park with American Peter Revson at the wheel. The drivers’ championship had already been wrapped up by Jackie Stewart in Italy. Pole position was secured by Ronnie Peterson with Revson alongside him on the front row. Race day was wet and Revson lost out at the start, dropping behidn Peterson, Jody Scheckter, Niki Lauda, Emerson Fittipaldi, Stewart, and Carlos Reutemann. Peterson crashed out on lap 17 after fighting with Scheckter for second, after Lauda had taken the lead. A collision between Francois Cevert and Scheckter proved to be a lucky moment for Revson as the safety car was deployed and confusion reigned. It failed to pick up the leaders and resulted in Jackie Oliver taking the lead with Revson second and Jean-Pierre Beltoise third. In the end Revson made use of his more competitive car to take the lead and eventual victory, leading home Fittipaldi and Oliver.

Emerson Fittipaldi (1974 – Mosport Park)

It was another win at Mosport Park for McLaren in 1974, although under more normal conditions than the confusion of 1973. Emerson Fittipaldi took pole position but lost the lead at the start to Niki Lauda. Jody Scheckter, who ran third in the first half of the race, crashed just over halfway through after brake failure. Lauda also retired from the race after running over debris and this resulted in a win for Fittipaldi who had been in second. This proved crucial as, after finishing fourth at Watkins Glen two weeks later, he was crowned world champion by just three points – his Canadian victory giving him a point advantage going into the last race.

James Hunt (1976 – Mosport Park)

The race was not held in 1975 but when it returned to the calendar in 1976, James Hunt completed a hat-trick of victories for McLaren at Mosport Park. Hunt secured pole position by three tenths from Ronnie Peterson. Main championship rival Niki Lauda started in sixth place. Peterson took the lead early on but Hunt soon retook it and he continued to lead until the end, winning the race six seconds clear of Patrick Depallier and Mario Andretti. Lauda finished outside the points and Hunt closed the gap. He went on to win the championship by just one point.

Ayrton Senna (1988 & 1990 – Circuit Gilles Villeneuve)

McLaren did not win again in Canada until over ten years after James Hunt’s victory. By this stage the race now had a new location – Montreal and the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve – and Ayrton Senna took the win in 1988 and 1990. The race was fifth on the calendar and Senna went into it off the back of two podium finishes, a DNF and a disqualification. Senna out-qualified team-mate Alain Prost by a tenth of a second. Prost took the lead at the start of the race and Senna sat behind him until lap 19 when he took the lead back. He was never challenged and went on to win ahead of Prost and Thierry Boutsen. Senna repeated the victory in 1990 again taking pole position ahead of his team-mate, who this time was Gerhard Berger who jumped the start and picked up a time penalty. Senna retained his lead this time and won ahead of fellow Brazilian Nelson Piquet and Ferrari’s Nigel Mansell.

Gerhard Berger (1992 – Circuit Gilles Villeneuve)

After a disappointing result in 1990, where he was penalised for a jump start, Berger got the better of his team-mate in 1992 when he won the race. Ayrton Senna started the race from pole position with Berger lining up in fourth. Senna retained the lead and Berger got caught up in a train of cars behind Riccardo Patrese. When Berger got free he wasted no time in chasing Senna. The Brazilian, however, would soon retire from the race with a gearbox problem giving the lead and win to Berger. Michael Schumacher finished in second place and Jean Alesi in third.

Mika Hakkinen (1999 – Circuit Gilles Villeneuve)

Mika Hakkinen won the Canadian Grand Prix en route to his second world championship. Michael Schumacher took pole position by just 2 hundreths of a second from Hakkinen. There were two safety cars during the race and following the second Hakkinen put pressure on his Ferrari rival. Schumacher made an uncharacteristic mistake and hit the wall on the exit of the final chicane. Ricardo Zonta and Damon Hill had already hit it earlier in the race and this contributed to it picking up its name – the Wall of Champions. Hakkinen kept his car on track and went on to win ahead of Giancarlo Fisichella and Eddie Irvine. Hakkinen’s McLaren team-mate David Coulthard finished just outside the points in seventh.

Kimi Raikkonen (2005 – Circuit Gilles Villeneuve)

After a five year Schumacher domination in Canada (one win for Ralf and four for Michael), Kimi Raikkonen got McLaren back to winning ways at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Jenson Button took a shock pole for BAR-Honda, with Michael Schumacher lining up alongside. Kimi Raikkonen qualified down in seventh place with his team-mate, Juan Pablo Montoya, taking fifth. The front row made a poor start which allowed both Renault drivers – championship contender Fernando Alonso and his team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella – to take advantage and move into first and second. On lap 33, Fisichella retired with hydraulics problems and Alonso also retired, although his was after an accident which broke his suspension. Another crash, this time by Button, resulted in a safety car and Raikkonen took the lead. His team-mate was eventually disqualified for ignoring red lights at the end of the pit-lane. Schumacher finished second with Rubens Barrichello in third.

Lewis Hamilton (2007, 2010 & 2012 – Circuit Gilles Villeneuve)

Lewis Hamilton is McLaren’s most successful driver at the Canadian Grand Prix. It was the scene of his first ever Grand Prix victory back in his rookie year of 2007. He started the weekend leading team-mate Fernando Alonso in a McLaren front-row lock-out (also his first pole position). It was a race of two halves for McLaren – Hamilton dominated out front, successfully navigating four safety cars, while on the other side Alonso had a race strewn with mistakes, topped off by being overtaken by a Super Aguri. Nick Heidfeld and Alexander Wurz completed the podium positions. Hamilton retired from the race in 2008 and it was not held in 2009, but he returned to winning ways in 2010. He once again started from pole and led home a McLaren 1-2, with new team-mate Jenson Button finishing second. Alonso completed the podium. Hamilton retired again in 2011, after contact with his team-mate, but won the 2012 edition of the race. He qualified second to Sebastian Vettel, who finished fourth. Hamilton became the seventh different winner in as many races when he won the 2012 Canadian Grand Prix, finishing ahead of Romain Grosjean and future McLaren driver Sergio Perez.

Jenson Button (2011 – Circuit Gilles Villeneuve)

Jenson Button went through the ringer on his way to victory at the 2011 Canadian Grand Prix. To start with he started in seventh place and with heavy rain on race day he faced a difficult fight through if he wanted a podium. Early on he made contact with team-mate Lewis Hamilton as the latter tried to pull off an overtake. Both were investigated for their speed behind the safety car and, after Hamilton retired, Button was given a drive through penalty, dropping him right down the order. The race was suspended due to the weather and Button found himself in tenth – worse than his starting spot. After the restart Button made contact with Fernando Alonso which led to front wing damage and another pit-stop, dropping him down to last. After six pit-stops (!), a drive through penalty, and dropping to last at least twice, Button overcame it all to charge Sebastian Vettel down in the closing stages. An uncharacteristic mistake from an under pressure Vettel gave Button his opportunity and he took the lead on the last lap, going on to take a well deserved victory!

Scrutineering: Robert Kubica

Robert Kubica is a Polish racing driver who raced in Formula One between 2006 and 2010 (inclusive) before a rally accident in the build up to the 2011 season brought an end to that period. He has since returned to a racing car and recently won the Ronde Gomitolo di Lana, a provincial rally held in Italy. Driving a Subaru Impreza he finished a minute ahead of his nearest rival. This week’s Scrutineering will take a look back at Robert Kubica’s racing career and include some fan views and thoughts!

Pre-Formula One

As is commonplace with the majority of Formula One drivers, Robert Kubica started racing in karts. When he got his first kart he was too young to compete in the Polish Karting Championship but when he eventually did he was hugely successful and won six titles in three years.  He also enjoyed success in the Italian Junior Karting Championship, the European Junior Karting Championship, the Junior Monaco Kart Cup, and the International German Karting Championship, meeting the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Paul di Resta along the way.

After karting he took part in Formula Renault, the Formula Three Euro Series where he finished the season 13th due to a delayed start, and Formula Renault 3.5 – a series which he won. He also took part in the Macau GP where he came second on two occasions.

Formula One (2005 – 2010)

After winning the World Series by Renault championship, Kubica was given a test drive role within the Renault F1 Team in 2005. He moved to BMW Sauber for 2006 as a test driver but, after Jacques Villeneuve was unable to continue, Kubica was promoted to a race seat and impressed on his Formula One racing debut. He completed the final six races of the year and picked up six points. He finished on the podium at the Italian GP and became the first Polish driver to stand on the Formula One podium.

Kubica was retained for 2007 and he had an impressive season, ending the year in sixth place. It was a mixed year for Kubica, and a horror crash in Canada saw him forced to sit out the US GP on medical grounds. It was a true testament to the safety of modern day Formula One cars when he emerged from a crash which saw his feet hanging from the front of his broken car, and many fearing the worst, with nothing more than concussion and a sprained ankle. He had eleven points scoring positions during the year, including a fourth place at his return to racing at the French GP.

2008 saw Kubica challenging for the championship and finishing in fourth place, tied on points with Kimi Räikkönen. He appeared on the podium seven times throughout the year, including taking his first ever win, at the Canadian GP which had proved to be so dramatic for him just a year earlier. He remained with BMW Sauber for 2009 but slipped down the standings to 14th with just 17 points and only one podium – a second at Brazil.

For the 2010 season Kubica made a move to the Renault F1 Team to replace his friend, Ferrari bound Fernando Alonso. He partnered Vitaly Petrov and scored the majority of the team’s 163 points, which saw them finish fifth in the championship. Kubica finished the year in eighth place with a further three podiums to add to his tally. He was due to continue his campaign in 2011, but a pre-season rally accident saw his racing career thrown into doubt.

Formula One Statistics

Poles: 1
Wins: 1
Podiums: 11
Points Finishes: 46/76
Fastest laps: 1

Now? 

After winning his first rally, as mentioned at the start, Kubica has been linked with a move to the World Rally Championship. He still has problems with the mobility of his arm, meaning he is restricted in what he can race, ruling single seaters out. Hopefully he will be able to continue racing, wherever it may be, as he has demonstrated raw speed and skill, which allowed him to fight with the best in Formula One.

What the fans say and like!

• It is great to hear he is back in action after his crash – a talent like his would be a shame to be wasted
• Formula One is worse without him
• His win at the Canadian GP a year after his crash was very fitting
• He was the first Polish driver in Formula One
• His 2006 Italian GP podium
• Would have definitely been a championship contender

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In a slight change to Scrutineering, the next edition will be a special so keep an eye out on Twitter @hannahhou/@thehduct and The H Duct Facebook page for ways to get involved!

2012: Abu Dhabi: Race Review

Kimi Räikkönen became the eighth different victor of 2012 when he crossed the line first at the Abu Dhabi GP, ahead of championship contenders Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel. Despite the win and maximum points haul the result saw Räikkönen, along with Mark Webber and Lewis Hamilton, mathematically ruled out of the 2012 title, leaving it a straight fight between Vettel and Alonso. Vettel faced a fight from the pit-lane, after being disqualified from qualifying, while Hamilton retired from the lead of the race due to another mechanical failure. It was an eventful race, which saw seven retirements, with all remaining drivers finishing the race on the lead lap – a first for this year. Charles Pic, Romain Grosjean, Webber, Hamilton, Narain Karthikeyan, Nico Rosberg and Nico Hulkenberg all failed to make it to the end of the race. A fastest lap of the race was also enough to secure the DHL Fastest Lap Award for Vettel with a total of five so far to his name.

The start of the race proved eventful for a number of reasons. Vettel was joined in the pit-lane by Pedro de la Rosa who was stuck on the grid after a tyre warmer incident. They were to be released after all of the other cars had got past turn one, leaving them with the tricky pit-exit to negotiate. Vettel, along with Michael Schumacher and Bruno Senna, started the race on the medium compound tyres while everyone else was on soft tyres. Räikkönen made a crucially quick start to get himself ahead of Pastor Maldonado and Webber, moving into second place. Paul di Resta and Nico Hulkenberg got caught up with Senna which resulted in Hulkenberg retiring from the race instantly. The incident was investigated after the race but no further action was taken. Grosjean picked up a puncture after contact with Rosberg, who in turn had to pit for a new nose. At the front of the race Hamilton reported his tyres were very cold, resulting in him running wide, but managing to stay ahead of Räikkönen. He pulled out of the DRS zone early on, giving himself a comfortable cushion to the Lotus driver. Alonso passed Webber on the straight while Webber’s team-mate Vettel reported a damaged front wing, due to contact with Senna. He was told that he could pit to change it but it was ultimately up to him and he chose to stay out.

The first major incident of the race came on lap nine when Rosberg caught a slowly Karthikeyan, and with no time to react hit the back of his car, and was vaulted straight over the HRT and into a barrier. Karthikeyan’s car had suffered an hydraulics problem and stewards decided after the race that there was no-one to blame. Thankfully neither driver was injured, although Rosberg was taken to the medical centre as a precaution. The accident brought out a safety car and as the cars bunched up behind it, Vettel drove through a DRS marker board after he accelerated as Daniel Ricciardo braked. This damaged his front wing further and he pitted, although not before getting animated over the team radio saying “what is he doing?”. He took the soft compound tyre on, looking like he might have to go to the end of the race on them, but he made a later stop and emerged P4, allowing him to chase down and pass Jenson Button and get onto the podium. After his first stop, as he charged through the field, he passed Grosjean with all four wheels over the white line, but Red Bull took no risks by asking him to give the place back. Button had a relatively quiet race, keeping himself out of trouble, and defending from Vettel before he eventually got past.

Hamilton’s race came to an end of lap nineteen after a fuel pressure problem – and it is not the first time this season he has lost out while in the lead of a race. Maldonado, who had started the race in third place, had a KERS problem, meaning he was not able to fully defend against passes from Alonso and Webber. As Webber tried to pass the Williams driver the pair touched and were put under investigation by the stewards, but no further action was taken. Webber then got into bother with Felipe Massa as the pair touched and Massa spun but as with Maldonado, no further action was taken. A second safety car was deployed on lap 39 after Perez and Paul di Resta got into a close battle which resulted in Perez swiping across Grosjean as he rejoined the track after going wide. Grosjean and Webber’s races came to an end and Perez was given a ten second stop/go penalty. Up at the front Räikkönen was running his own race, having pitted and still emerged in the lead. Under the safety car he was asked by his engineer to keep the tyres warm to which he responded “yes, yes, yes, yes I am doing it all the time”. This wasn’t the first time he had replied like this to his race engineer, however, as earlier in the race he had been asked to be left alone. Heikki Kovalainen raced just outside the top ten but eventually finished in thirteenth, ahead of Timo Glock, Vitaly Petrov and Pedro de la Rosa.

The action continues in two weeks with the inaugural race at Austin.

2012: Japanese GP: Race Review

Sebastian Vettel has won the Japanese GP ahead of Felipe Massa and Kamui Kobayashi. The Red Bull driver became the only driver to claim back-to-back victories in 2012, doing so at a crucial point in the championship. With just five races remaining he is now only four points behind long time championship leader Fernando Alonso, who failed to make it past the first corner. Nico Rosberg also retired at the start of the race, after being hit by Bruno Senna, and this means that Kimi Räikkönen is now the only driver who has completed every racing lap this season. Räikkönen’s team-mate Romain Grosjean was involved in a first lap incident with Mark Webber, while Charles Pic, Narain Karthikeyan, and Sergio Perez also retired. Teams face a quick turnaround with practice for the Korean GP in just five days time.

Due to a number of penalties dished out after qualifying, only four drivers started where they had actually qualified – Vettel, Webber, Lewis Hamilton and Karthikeyan – with the rest of the grid gaining from drivers who dropped back. The majority of drivers started on the options with Jean-Eric Vergne, Michael Schumacher and Pic starting on primes. Vettel got away well at the start, but behind the chaos unfolded. Räikkönen was squeezed wide at the start, which in turn caused Alonso to clip Räikkönen’s front wing with his rear tyre. This gave Alonso a puncture and ultimately ended his race as he spun across the gravel. Grosjean, who started in fourth, tried to pass Webber up the inside but ended up hitting the Red Bull driver and sending him into a spin. As drivers tried to avoid getting caught up in the accident, Senna hit the back of Rosberg, which brought an end to the Mercedes driver’s race. Grosjean, Senna and Webber recovered to the pits where the Lotus and Williams cars took on new noses, while Webber got a fresh set of tyres. After the race Webber labelled Grosjean a “first-lap nutcase”, as he has been involved in, although not always to blame for, no less than seven first lap incidents. Jenson Button was lucky to avoid the accident and got into clear air in third, with Kobayashi moving into second. Another benefactor from the start was Massa who got up to fourth, putting him in an ideal position to challenge for a podium.

The safety car was deployed to clear up the cars and debris from lap one, although this returned to the pits at the end of lap two. On lap eight Grosjean was given a ten second stop/go penalty with Senna given a drive through penalty later on in the race for his accident with Rosberg. Mercedes lost telemetry during the race for Rosberg’s team-mate Schumacher, who had taken a ten place grid drop due to crashing with Vergne in Singapore, although this did not stop the seven time world champion, who recently announced his second retirement, racing from 23rd to eleventh – narrowly missing out on a point. He was held off by Daniel Ricciardo who took another point for Toro Rosso, with the pair enjoying a close fight in the closing stages of the race. Vergne finished just ahead of Senna, who in turn was ahead of Heikki Kovalainen. The Caterham driver had a strong drive, running up in the top ten in the opening stages of the race and holding off the Toro Rossos. Vitaly Petrov was given a drive through penalty for ignoring blue flags and had a quieter race than his team-mate. Up at the front Vettel ran away with it with Massa establishing himself in second place after the final pit-stops. Kobayashi ran in third, with Button chasing him in the final few laps. Earlier in the race Button reported to the team that he was having problems with his gearbox, however this did not establish itself into anything and he continued without any problems, bar a slower second stop when he stopped too far forward in his pit-box. His team-mate Hamilton struggled for pace in the initial stages of the race, and was overtaken by Perez with a move up the inside at the hairpin. Perez later retired from the race after trying a similar move and spinning out. It was only when the team called Hamilton in for a pit-stop that he reported his tyres were working to their full potential. When he exited the pits after his second stop, which was a fast one for the McLaren team, he arrived alongside Räikkönen coming into turn one, and there was sensible driving between the two. Hamilton took the position and finished in fifth place, 21s adrift of Button.

Elsewhere Pastor Maldonado raced from 12th – eighth, taking his first points since his win way back at the Spanish GP. Nico Hulkenberg picked up points after qualifying in the top ten but dropping five places due to a gearbox penalty, with his team-mate Paul di Resta finishing in twelfth. Karthikeyan retired from the race after a part fell off his car while Pic had an engine failure. Grosjean retired from the race with just a couple of laps remaining, and found himself being criticised afterwards due to his accident on race one. Up at the front Vettel was untouchable – leading from lights to flag and taking the fastest lap – and he finished on the podium with two men who have been waiting a while to get up there. Massa took his first podium since 2010 and Kobayashi took his first ever podium in front of an adoring home crowd chanting his name. The rest of the top ten were Button, Hamilton, Räikkönen, Hulkenberg, Maldonado, Webber, and Ricciardo.

The championship continues next weekend with the Korean GP.

Monaco GP: Qualifying times

Q1

1. Lewis Hamilton 1:15.207
2. Jenson Button 1:15.397
3. Sebastian Vettel 1:15.606
4. Pastor Maldonado 1:15.819
5. Nico Rosberg 1:15.858
6. Sergio Perez 1:15.918
7. Fernando Alonso 1:16.051
8. Mark Webber 1:16.087
9. Michael Schumacher 1:16.092
10. Felipe Massa 1:16.309
11. Sebastien Buemi 1:16.358
12. Vitaly Petrov 1:16.378
13. Kamui Kobayashi 1:16.513
14. Adrian Sutil 1:16.600
15. Rubens Barrichello 1:16.616
16. Nick Heidfeld 1:16.681
17. Paul di Resta 1:16.81318
18. Heikki Kovalainen 1:17.343
19. Jarno Trulli 1:17.381
20. Jaime Alguersuari 1:17.820
21. Timo Glock 1:17.914
22. Jerome d’Ambrosio
23. Narain Karthikeyan (suspension failure pre-session – did not set a time)
24. Vitantonio Liuzzi (car not ready due to FP crash – did not set a time)

107% lap time – 1:20.471

Q2

1. Lewis Hamilton 1:14.275
2. Sebastian Vettel 1:14.277
3. Jenson Button 1:14.545
4. Fernando Alonso 1:14.569
5. Felipe Massa 1:14.648
6. Nico Rosberg 1:14.741
7. Mark Webber 1:14.742
8. Michael Schumacher 1:14.981
9. Sergio Perez 1:15.482
10. Pastor Maldonado 1:15.545
11. Vitaly Petrov 1:15.815
12. Rubens Barrichello 1:15.825
13. Kamui Kobayashi 1:15.973
14. Paul di Resta 1:16.118
15. Adrian Sutil 1:16.121
16. Nick Heidfeld 1:16.214
17. Sebastien Buemi 1:16.300

Q3

1. Sebastian Vettel 1:135.56
2. Jenson Button 1:13.997
3. Mark Webber 1:14.019
4. Fernando Alonso 1:14.483
5. Michael Schumacher 1:14.682
6. Felipe Massa 1:14.877
7. Lewis Hamilton 1:15.280
8. Nico Rosberg 1:15.766
9. Pastor Maldonado 1:16.528
10. Sergio Perez (did not set Q3 time due to accident)

Session red-flagged after Sergio Perez incident with 2:26 on clock. Session resumed 15:35 local time)