Live Commenting: Monaco - Free Practice 1
It’s Thursday morning and in Monaco it’s mostly sunny and partly cloudy. That’s how two of the leading meteorology sites list today’s forecast, and by all accounts this is the best weather Monte Carlo is going to offer F1. It’s all downhill from here.
For an early look around the principality, CamVista is broadcasting a view of the harbour as well as Casino Square. There’s still some blue sky to be found and if you look closely you’ll see fans are starting to fill the main grandstand.
But enough of the weather, what of the cars?
The first of two 90 minute sessions starts at 10am local time (9am in the UK) and we’re anticipating a mixed bag today. Teams will be keen to get some early running in, but will be wary of running on a slippery track sans traction control. Toro Rosso appear to be in the worst situation today, running a new car with limited spares, they’ll be more cautious than most.
We’re following Formula 1’s live timing screens while watching ITV’s online coverage. Please shout us if you’re watching this one, because we’re going to be glued to the screens all day.
A track guide is available from Allianz should you need a reminder about corners / gears etc. You can find this an other useful resources in our Drop.io box, feel free to add your own.
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:35 amAlianora La Canta said:
Hello everyone! I had a good party in Spanish class last night, but I made sure I got to bed at a decent time to be here
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:36 amDank said:
Morning folks. No rain on the cards today apparently.
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:41 amlou said:
Hey everyone! yay my first full FP1 in ages! How is everyone? good i hope!
No exams today so im very happy!
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:42 amlou said:
Anyone going to listen to five live during this session?
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:44 amDank said:
I’ll be listening to Five Live and have live timings up in an additional window. I don’t bother with the ITV feed as I don’t appear to have a lot of luck with it so far this season!
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:45 amme said:
hi all, sorry yep, should’ve added this link to the post:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/fivelive/sportsextra/
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:46 amlou said:
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:52 amAlianora La Canta said:
I’ve found the ITV feed good. Also, I’m not so good at absorbing radio at the same time as TV, timings and commenting, so I drop the radio so that I can pay attention to the latter three.
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:53 amme said:
one flashpoint for the weekend could be this slotted rear wing from toyota:
http://www.autosport.com/gallery/photo.php/id/101381
within the spirit of the rules, or asking for trouble?
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:55 amAlianora La Canta said:
Was I the only one who saw total gibberish on the live timing screen for a moment?
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:56 amlou said:
yay! live timings have woken up.
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:56 amlou said:
nope. i saw it too
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:57 amChristine said:
Morning all.
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:57 amAlianora La Canta said:
The wing rule is based on elements, so it’s going to be difficult to ban. Since Mosley’s on an “exert-power-at-all-costs” mission though, all it will take is for him to be unhappy with it and it will be banned. The quickest way of doing that is probably for the other team bosses and Bernie to come out in gushing praise of Toyota’s “innovative solution”.
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:59 amDank said:
Hopefully Fisi has learnt from his faux pas in FP1 in Turkey and won’t be so eager this morning?!
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:59 amlou said:
ooo interesting
ok another stupid question heading your way from my good self. what would having a slit in the rear wing do? is it just for extra downforce?
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:00 amlou said:
morning Christine
yay! and we have commentry!
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:00 amDank said:
No David Croft on 5Live? He off ill?
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:00 amAlianora La Canta said:
Fisi’s first one out again. Please tell me the light was green when it happened?
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:01 amAlianora La Canta said:
Toyota wing would cause extra downforce, yes.
David Croft didn’t sound too good last race. Hope he’s better soon.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:02 amlou said:
Installation laps galour!
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:02 amAlianora La Canta said:
3/4 of the grid on installation laps…
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:03 amlou said:
thank you
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:03 amAlianora La Canta said:
Vettel’s on a lap - I hope…
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:04 amlou said:
humph my video has only just zoomed into life! and its very very jumpy!
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:04 amme said:
anyone want to take a guess on who’ll cause the first yellow flags?
think i’m gonna pitch for kazuki today.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:04 amChristine said:
I never noticed how tight the pit lane entrance is before.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:06 amAlianora La Canta said:
Still waiting for my screen…
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:06 amlou said:
David Croft! he is there! thats good news
and my feed has sorted itsef out 
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:06 amme said:
i love this place, it’s mental in so many ways.
le seb causing a traffic jam already as the team back him into the garage.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:06 amAlianora La Canta said:
Yes! ITV has finally loaded…
…and the live commentary screen is jumping. Does the editing facility need switching off again?
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:07 amlou said:
refresh your screen and it might suddenly burst into life.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:07 amme said:
give it a refresh, it’s there somewhere.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:07 amDank said:
McLaren will remain in the place between Williams and Red Bull for the rest of the season?!
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:08 amAlianora La Canta said:
And everyone makes a huge fuss of Michael Schumacher. Some things never change!
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:09 amlou said:
erm….im gonna say Vettel or Piquet.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:09 amme said:
yeah, although the motorhome is still down the other end. i guess it was a late decision?
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:11 amlou said:
why the hell was he wearing jeans with that ferrari shirt tucked in! yuck!
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:12 amAlianora La Canta said:
Still don’t like the seagull/elephant wings on Barrichello’s car…
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:12 amChristine said:
Fashion has never really been his strong point.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:12 amAlianora La Canta said:
I like that replay of a photographer lying down to get that special shot of a BMW…
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:13 amChristine said:
Is it just me or do ALL the drivers look really miserable?
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:13 amSidepodcastFan said:
Waves @ Both! …….. beautiful Monaco weather, hi all…
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:13 amAlianora La Canta said:
I wouldn’t hold Michael’s lack of fashion sense against him - mine’s even worse…
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:14 amlou said:
with the extra winglets on them, they look abit more like aero pieces rather than something stuck on the front
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:15 amAlianora La Canta said:
I hope Vettel’s remembered that his team is low on spares…
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:15 amlou said:
One day, that will hopefully be me
Heidfeld looked pretty reflective, but yeah they don’t look best pleased do they…
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:15 amAlianora La Canta said:
They look like something a six-year old did in art class…
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:16 amme said:
some brave people in that team. super aguri in a similar situation simply sat out fp1.
a lot of faith in both their drivers today.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:17 amAlianora La Canta said:
I don’t think Vettel’s quite figured out this track yet…
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:17 amme said:
hey sidepodcastfan.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:17 amlou said:
Monaco is such a pretty circuit!
Hope ladysnowcat is having a good time 
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:18 amme said:
jeeez, bourdais putting him in the shade somewhat.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:18 amChristine said:
And didn’t we berate them for it? What’s the point in turning up if you’re not gonna have a go?
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:19 amDank said:
Should be looking for a 1.15 lap time?
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:19 amlou said:
what was that sparking off the back of Le sebs car in the tunnel?
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:21 amlou said:
is anyone elses live commenting screen abit jumpy?
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:21 amAlianora La Canta said:
That was the skid block hitting the floor. And Bourdais’ done a 42.7 in Sector 2 - that must be where his time is coming from…
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:21 amAlianora La Canta said:
Yes, lou. I brought it up a few minutes ago. I wonder if editing has anything to do with it?
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:21 amlou said:
oh right, thanks alianora
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:22 amlou said:
sorry alianora, must have missed your comment
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:23 amme said:
last year it was a 1:16.973 from alonso.
oops, sorry. disabled it now. any better?
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:23 amDank said:
Notice that as well. Sometimes when you make a post and refresh the screen it can go a bit mad before settling back down.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:23 amChristine said:
Alonso’s pole position last year was 1:15.726.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:23 amAlianora La Canta said:
Vettel’s pressing on and still hasn’t got anywhere near Bourdais’ first-sector time…
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:24 amme said:
tis true. it’s admirable, just hope neither bin it.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:24 amlou said:
much better
thanks
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:25 amAlianora La Canta said:
Much better thanks, me.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:25 amChristine said:
When do we reckon Ferrari will hit the track? Half hour to go?
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:27 amAlianora La Canta said:
Rosberg showing everyone how it’s done.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:27 amlou said:
argh! i wish people would stop talking about how people think hamilton should have won last year in monaco, he didn’t, get over it! :/
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:27 amAlianora La Canta said:
40 minutes to go, I’m predicting.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:28 amme said:
by all accounts, if kimi has a problem on a friday, it upsets his whole weekend. if i were the team i’d get him out there asap. their own over confidence has hurt them more than once this year already.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:28 amAlianora La Canta said:
Kazuki - what are you doing?!?
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:30 amme said:
is that mark hughes? i turned off five live, i can’t stand the fool. he has *issues* when it comes to lewis here last year. i guess he’s not gotten over it yet.
best ignored, he’ll retire soon, if he doesn’t bore himself to death first.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:30 amAlianora La Canta said:
Now Piquet Jr’s even slower than Nakajima was, but Kazuki himself has improced… …to 4 seconds off his team-mate’s pace…
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:30 amlou said:
They are probably still trying make sure Kimi is more awake!
him hvaing only come to the track 10 mins before the session started.
aww a sad Heikki!
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:31 amAlianora La Canta said:
Button’s fastest in sector 1.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:32 amAlianora La Canta said:
Ferrari on track!
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:33 amlou said:
It was both of them :/ having a discussion on it. Although Croft was more willing to except that its the past. Im still listening to it, but put it on mute when they talk about Lewis. I just can’t stat it anymore.
And the Ferraris on the track now
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:33 amAlianora La Canta said:
Has Rosberg got a rocket booster in the back of his car?!?
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:34 amlou said:
Yay! Jenson 2nd!
gonna have to have a screen grab!
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:34 amAlianora La Canta said:
Hamilton’s about to knock Rosberg off his perch. It was good while it lasted.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:35 amme said:
blimey STR were seriously off the pace weren’t they?
vettel back out on track and not improving.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:36 amme said:
fastest again, neither massa nor kimi able to live with that kind of pace.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:38 amme said:
heikki taking it very easy to start with, managing to keep trulli honest but no more. sutil puts in a lap behind both STR’s.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:38 amlou said:
Jenson P5! The dumbos wings are hopefully doing their stuff!
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:39 amChristine said:
Apparently BMW have now officially taken over Ferrari’s title as the team most likely to sit it out in the garage.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:39 amme said:
kimi and lewis trading fastest sectors. lewis fastest in S2 kimi in S3. early signs say this is going to be a close battle.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:40 amme said:
heidfeld finally putting on his helmet. only installation laps for the two BMW drivers after 40mins.
DC stopped!
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:40 amChristine said:
How come Coulthard hasn’t set a time yet?
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:40 amAlianora La Canta said:
A study in contrasts - Piquet holds up Hamilton bigstyle.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:40 amDank said:
Go Red Bull reliability!!!
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:41 amlou said:
DC stopped on the track
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:41 amChristine said:
Oh.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:41 amme said:
smoke coming from the rear of his car.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:41 amAlianora La Canta said:
Coulthard’s stopped. He wins the prize for “first yellow flag incident” at the Swimming Pool…
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:42 amlou said:
Alonso is pretty quick too
P4 at the moment.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:42 amAlianora La Canta said:
Rosberg nearly hits a wall…
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:43 amme said:
lewis back in the pits, same as kimi, looks like they were both fueled to a similar level. the battle is on
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:44 amme said:
that looked more like renault reliability, but yeah, oops.
ahh shucks. no-one’s pushed it too far yet damnit.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:45 amlou said:
Heikki is really of the pace compared with Lewis. five live was saying he was bit down in the dumps yesterday and this morning…..
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:46 amAlianora La Canta said:
Everyone who is going to set a time in the session has now set something.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:46 amlou said:
Kubica jumps into 4th, pushing Alonso down into 5th
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:47 amAlianora La Canta said:
Schumi has a chat with Massa. That’ll make Felipe happy.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:48 amScott Woodwiss said:
Morning everyone, missed anything major?
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:48 amme said:
biggest team mate split down the grid, alonso 5th, piquet in 18th.
yikes.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:49 amAlianora La Canta said:
Two seconds’ difference. Double yikes.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:49 amme said:
hey ya. dc stopped on track, fisi is putting sutil in the shade again. the usual
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:49 amAlianora La Canta said:
Scott, you’ve missed Coulthard stopping with a technical problem involving smoke… …and that’s about it.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:50 amlou said:
Holly on five live - “if only one driver is bringing in the pionts, the the other one isen’t.”
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:50 amAlianora La Canta said:
Why did we need to see Coulthard chatting to someone in a seriously under-exposed shot?
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:50 amlou said:
DC looking really happy talking to whoever that way.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:51 amChristine said:
The cameras seem to be a bit off with their timing. Quite often we’re looking at a blank track waiting for the car to appear… for too long.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:51 amAlianora La Canta said:
Trite but true, lou.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:52 amAlianora La Canta said:
FOM strikes again - remember the helicopter shot last race?
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:53 amme said:
session stopped.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:53 amAlianora La Canta said:
Webber: “Traction’s not fantastic - rear’s struggling, not too bad over the kerbs, a bit of graining on the tyres”.
Typical Monaco, then!
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:54 amAlianora La Canta said:
Why has the session stopped?
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:54 amlou said:
whats happend?
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:54 amDank said:
Why the red flag?
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:54 amAlianora La Canta said:
It must be either Heidfeld or Nakajima - or both…
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:54 amlou said:
pls let it be kaz! not jenson!
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:55 amAlianora La Canta said:
Make that Nakajima. Oh dear…
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:55 amlou said:
few! not jenson.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:55 amAlianora La Canta said:
Nakajima’s in. So why’s the session red-flagged?
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:55 amScott Woodwiss said:
What’s the red flag for? sorry, i missed it
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:56 amme said:
no one knows. all cars home safe.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:56 amAlianora La Canta said:
Everyone’s now practising their pit-stop technique, by the look of it…
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:56 amme said:
something the tv director doesn’t want us to see?
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:57 amlou said:
All cars? ergh Five live not even covering it….DC just chating about the circuit
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:57 amme said:
debris after turn one, bmw team radio? kubica says water.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:58 amlou said:
oh there is debris after turn according to BMW - or some water….
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:58 amScott Woodwiss said:
“All the cars have returned safely to the pits, indicating that the officials feel that there is a problem with the circuit.”
from Autosport Live
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:59 amAlianora La Canta said:
Water on the track? That’s a strange problem to stop a track for!
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:59 amlou said:
finally footage….although…..not particulary interesting…
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:59 amme said:
men on video looking into a drain, maybe the cover’s lifting?
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:02 amAlianora La Canta said:
Possibly. They wouldn’t want a repeat of China 2005, when Juan Pablo Montoya’s race ended due to a drain not knowing its place in the grand scheme of things…
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:02 amlou said:
Oh i finally see why you dislike that sticker on the ferrai wheel bins!
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:04 amme said:
STICKERS!! grrr. who do they think they’re kidding eh? dumb idea.
the replays show they move a little, which i didn’t realise.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:04 amlou said:
well this is really interesting….. and why do they keep showing the same replays!
oh and 6 men surrounding a drain….
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:05 amAlianora La Canta said:
This is not looking good for Piquet Jr. How will he remove himself from 19th position if the track is going to remain shut for ages fixing a drain (or whatever it is that’s being fixed over there?)
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:05 amScott Woodwiss said:
Bourdais’ out on a red flag……..oooook. :S
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:06 amlou said:
but only a little. i had never noticed it before/ it had not botherd me untill i saw that slow mo shot of kimis car. it just looks damn wrong!
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:06 amSidepodcastFan said:
I must say i’ve trulli missed the v-10’s screaming through the tunnel.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:06 ammy FA fantasy aka Scuderia Titanic said:
I suspect it’s sewage water - lily allen effect, flav threw her out of his yacht and she used her hotel room bathroom to … you know … throw up, Monaco’s sewage system couldn’t cope with lily’s passion for alcohol.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:06 amAlianora La Canta said:
That’s a replay, Scott…
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:06 amlou said:
I think its a replay
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:07 amme said:
you watching a replay? live timing has him in the garage.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:07 amAlianora La Canta said:
Like the pun, SidepodcastFan!
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:07 amScott Woodwiss said:
Oh, must have been a replay. Why they didn’t put the replay sign up, I thought he was out for real!
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:07 amAlianora La Canta said:
Green-flagged!
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:08 amme said:
hahah!
session to restart in one minute.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:08 amScott Woodwiss said:
One, I haven’t got the live timing up, and two I wasn’t to know because the replay sign wasn’t showing.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:08 amAlianora La Canta said:
If the session’s re-starting in a minute, why does the computer say that cars may rejoin the circuit now?
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:08 amme said:
or now
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:09 amme said:
video behind slighty, do ignore me.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:10 amlou said:
all queueing up at the end of the pit lane.
something tells me that the video feed is not sync with live very well…
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:10 amme said:
huge queue of cars await the restart. only 5 remain in the garage.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:10 amScott Woodwiss said:
Everyone back out in one large traffic jam
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:11 amAlianora La Canta said:
The Ferraris are still in the garage.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:12 amme said:
everyone on the track now, good stuff.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:12 amScott Woodwiss said:
No-one seems to be beating Hamilton at the moment, but then that’s no surprise since he loves it round here
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:13 amlou said:
oooo nice shot of Heikki through the tunnel!!
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:13 amme said:
bmw usually play fp1&2 very slowly. unusual to see them so high up the order this early in the weekend.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:14 amAlianora La Canta said:
This proves what Pat Symonds was saying in F1 Racing this issue; it’s possible to go faster at Monaco simply by staying in the garage for a bit and going out again on exactly the same settings and driving exactly the same way.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:14 amlou said:
problems for Trulli
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:14 amme said:
trulli team radio, he touched the wall.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:14 amAlianora La Canta said:
Trulli is in trouble. At least he’s managed to get off-line.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:14 amSidepodcastFan said:
I suspect Heikki could be a bit heavier than Lewis on fuel.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:14 amAlianora La Canta said:
That’s a pity about him touching the wall.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:15 amme said:
bmw says STOP on timing, heidfeld.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:15 amAlianora La Canta said:
It was the wall just before the tunnel - you can see the sparks when it happens.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:15 amlou said:
everyone is stopping! five live say heidfeld is on his knees ooking at the wing of his car after stopping…
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:15 amAlianora La Canta said:
Has Heidfeld repeated the trick?
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:16 ammy FA fantasy aka Scuderia Titanic said:
So DC’s engine’s gone? Is that correct? I’m just busy preparing my morning coffee right now.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:16 amScott Woodwiss said:
Trulli’s car just clipped the wall as he exited Portier, you can see the small bit of flame as his rear wheel touches it. For a moment, though, I thought his car had become as unreliable as the Red Bulls….If that’s entirely possible.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:16 amme said:
nick takes a look at the underside of the rear of his car.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:17 amme said:
not confirmed, but it looked like something died at the rear. not a huge amount of smoke.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:17 amAlianora La Canta said:
The gap between Fisi and Sutil is up to 9/10ths of a second…
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:18 amlou said:
My itv feed is 1 min behind!
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:18 amScott Woodwiss said:
Whatever Lewis is on this morning, it’s working like a charm!
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:19 amlou said:
Rubens now faster than Jenson.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:20 amlou said:
Whats up with Piquet today…..he is slow! much much slower than Alonso…
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:20 amScott Woodwiss said:
Do we think the Ferraris aren’t as quick as Lewis because of the long wheelbase again?
Mind you, Kimi seems to be doing fine.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:21 amme said:
bourdais faster than vettel having done 7 less laps. vettel slowest of the remaining runners.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:21 amAlianora La Canta said:
Raikkonen is quickest! My Finnish friend that I meet on the tram on Tuesday evenings will be pleased.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:21 amlou said:
yay Kimi fastest!
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:22 ammy FA fantasy aka Scuderia Titanic said:
So the new STR is not so quick, I actually had a dream last night about Bourdais winning the race and Piquet crashing out. Crazy.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:22 amChristine said:
Kimi seemed to think they’d made a lot of improvements in that area.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:22 amAlianora La Canta said:
3 sectors, 3 drivers have a fastest sector. Nice one!
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:23 amAlianora La Canta said:
I had a dream of Fisi getting pole here, but something tells me that he’s not going to get that if it stays dry!
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:23 amAlianora La Canta said:
Kazuki’s just had a slow sector 1…
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:24 amme said:
ferrari’s nowhere in the speed trap this week:
- lewis
- kovi
- alonso
- vettel
- bourdais
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:24 ambrendan stallard said:
Lou,
Boo!
brendan
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:25 amlou said:
I had a strange f1 dream the other day, DC had been replaced by Vettel for the Monaco GP. But DC attacked Vettel and dressed up in Vettels helmet and suit and went out qualified really well, and won! lol
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:26 amScott Woodwiss said:
Damn! Kimi broke into the 1’15s!
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:26 amlou said:
Hey Brendan!
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:26 amAlianora La Canta said:
Fisi just put in a time 1/1000th second off Button’s Honda - though since Barrichello’s ging over 6/10ths quicker than either of them, that might not mean much.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:26 ambrendan stallard said:
Can someone tell me what the purpose is of the camera going to the mechanics all the time?
brendan
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:26 amChristine said:
So, Vettel is faster than Bourdais, but just can’t pull together as good a lap?
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:27 amme said:
all drivers on track for the last 3minutes.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:27 ammy FA fantasy aka Scuderia Titanic said:
Strange. I wonder if today’s running means anything at all, if it stays dry they’ll be going much faster on Saturday.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:27 amScott Woodwiss said:
To me, it doesn’t look like Heikki’s trying very hard. I don’t know if it’s just his driving style, but he doesn’t seem to attack the corners as much as the other front runners.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:28 amAlianora La Canta said:
Camera control probably wants to break up the “monotony” of the shots - not understanding that the cars are why we are watching this programme. If we wanted to see lots of mechanics, we’d all be watching the “Mechanics’ Marathon” channel. Not sure if it exists, but if it did, we still wouldn’t pay it that much attention.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:28 amScott Woodwiss said:
Understeer from Piquet through the Loews hairpin. He needed both hands to get full lock!
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:28 amlou said:
aww Jenson’s mum text into Five live, cause she is stuck in her room with a back problem!
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:29 ambrendan stallard said:
my word: those on board cameras are terrifying, Monaco is just a big lump of Armco…..
brendan
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:29 amAlianora La Canta said:
I don’t think there’s going to be much meaning in these times because both Saturday and Sunday are apparently going to be wet. Though with Fisi in 10th, I wouldn’t mind if these were the real performance levels in the race!
Meanwhile, Piquet takes an interesting wiggly line through the Swimming Pool.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:29 amScott Woodwiss said:
Renault mechanics laughing at Piquet’s expense!
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:30 amme said:
oooh, lewis going for a lap but slows in s2. kimi fastest of all in FP1.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:30 amAlianora La Canta said:
Hope Jenson’s mum gets better soon.
Hamilton’s going really quickly in Sector 1, but Sector 2 was slow and I’m not sure where he went after that - oh, OK, he did a slow Sector 3 as well.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:30 amlou said:
Im sure i said this at the time, but Heikki was apparently pretty sad and not his chirpy self yesterday/today… but lewis seems fine….something going on at Mclaren?
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:31 amChristine said:
Raikkonen was the only one to get into the 1:15s.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:31 amAlianora La Canta said:
When you become a joke in your own garage, your long-term F1 prospects are pretty poor…
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:32 amme said:
there’s more pace in that #1 mclaren. had he completed the lap, kimi would’ve struggled to answer that.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:32 amAlianora La Canta said:
With Sutil, Piquet and Vettel in the last three places (of those setting a time), it’s fair to say that experience means something in Monaco.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:32 amScott Woodwiss said:
Kimi just centimetres from the wall!
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:33 amme said:
ha, unfortunate editing by the director, or have they given up on piquet too?
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:33 ammy FA fantasy aka Scuderia Titanic said:
True, that’s a bit too much.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:33 amme said:
coool, practice starts.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:33 amScott Woodwiss said:
Not again…
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:33 amAlianora La Canta said:
Everyone’s doing a grid practice! Why can’t we see it?
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:34 amlou said:
I wouldn’t be surprised if they had.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:34 ambrendan stallard said:
“something going on at Mclaren?”
Lou,
Any idea what?
His times so far this year have been darn close to Lewis, so the team have no real reason to tell him to be number two.
brendan
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:34 ammy FA fantasy aka Scuderia Titanic said:
I have to admit - Piquet’s prospects are more than very bleak at the moment.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:34 amme said:
damnit, i was enjoying that.
is there an exception here because the pitlane is so small or something? how come everyone decided to do a practice start and an additional lap?
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:35 amScott Woodwiss said:
Just noticed Ferrari have the same pattern on their rear wheel covers as they do on their wheel bins.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:35 amAlianora La Canta said:
Ron doesn’t look particularly happy, despite getting 2-3 in this session. Mind you, he never did like losing…
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:36 amme said:
after last year, i’d imagine macca are sensitive to lewis’ needs. apparently he likes to win here.
the truth is more likely that f1 would get a tonne of good press from a hamilton win. as would macca and it’s sponsors.
my guess is this race heikki is defacto number two.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:37 ammy FA fantasy aka Scuderia Titanic said:
Usual Friday (Thursday this time) business.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:37 amAlianora La Canta said:
That’s funny - apart from Kimi and Adrian, all the drivers are sorted according to their fastest Sector 1 time.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:37 amlou said:
I have no idea, but its soo unusual for Heikki to look down in the dumps. His times are quick yes, but i can’t help thinking that he could have been told, that maybe Lewis will be given the better stratagy or something. pure speculation on my part though.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:38 amAlianora La Canta said:
And Flavio Briatore and Jean Todt head to the nearest yacht to drown sorrows and smile contentedly respectively.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:40 amlou said:
Probably because he has realised that its not going to be an easy win. perhaps he was expecting the ferraris to be weak as they were last year. But its much closer this time.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:40 amlou said:
yep tats what i thought.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:41 ammy FA fantasy aka Scuderia Titanic said:
Can HK become the next Irvine? Or maybe the next DC? I hope not but Macca these days is a very suspicious organization.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:43 ammy FA fantasy aka Scuderia Titanic said:
I’ll try to be here for FP2, gotta go now.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:43 amme said:
thanks one and all, as ever for contributions. fp2 starts at 1pm in the uk, so we’ll be back with a new thread shortly before that.
we might be expecting some server issues between 11:00 and 12:00 but hopefully all will be well before practice 2 (server company upgrading software, say it won’t affect us much).
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:44 amSidepodcastFan said:
my own translation…….. a tea party invitation “Denied”
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:46 amlou said:
Im off to do some chemistry and german revision!
but i will be back for FP2! 
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:46 amAlianora La Canta said:
We’ve got a BT Technical message on the ITV screen. Hilarious!
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:46 amAlianora La Canta said:
What makes it worse is that their time is about 1 1/2 hours off real GMT…
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:47 amAlianora La Canta said:
Have a good time everyone, and see you in FP2!
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:48 amChristine said:
I don’t think Jean Todt does smiling!
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:49 ambrendan stallard said:
“Flavio Briatore”
Alianora,
Flav says he’s been in the gym of late: but he’s looking particularly rough. Is it one of those gyms where they serve whisky and a treadmill chaser?
brendan
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:49 ammy FA fantasy aka Scuderia Titanic said:
Ooh, just checked out the gallery on formula1.com and guess who’s there? None other than Mad Max himself, all smiles. And HK looking pretty gloomy indeed. I hope he’s not told to hold his horses, literally.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:49 amme said:
final times:
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:50 ambrendan stallard said:
“(server company upgrading software, say it won’t affect us much).”
Me,
I am young and handsome, 6′6″ with a massive yacht sitting in Monaco harbour: a bevy of beauties at my beck and call…..
brendan
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:52 ammy FA fantasy aka Scuderia Titanic said:
He was taking lessons from Lily Allen. I sincerely hope he’s not thinking about jumping in Adam’s suit from his yacht.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:57 amme said:
apart from ferrari and mclaren. all other teams show a significant margin between teammates.
the worst being alonso to piquet at 11 places (matched by webber / dc, but dc never got a lap in).
May 22nd, 2008 at 11:22 ammy FA fantasy aka Scuderia Titanic said:
“a throttle problem on his Red Bull prevented David Coulthard from completing a flying lap”
and grandprix.com confirms Piquet rumours.
So Sato or Ant? Joe says they’ll have to accept Flav management contract. Why not? I would.
May 22nd, 2008 at 11:26 amme said:
a seats a seat i guess and it hasn’t done fernando much harm. i say sato is more likely to fit the bill. ant’s not really renault material is he?
May 22nd, 2008 at 11:27 amAlianora La Canta said:
That’s entirely possible, me. Alternatively, perhaps he’s been told by his technical staff that he’ll have to be patient if he wants another Championship. I remember he sulked a lot in Monaco 2001 for that reason (though Jenson Button sticking his yacht next to the paddock gates didn’t help much either)…
Also note the amount of clumping in the times. You’ve got some 2-3/10ths gaps between divisions, which hasn’t been seen all year. The clumps are:
Ferrari/McLaren
Rosberg/Kubica
Alonso/Barrichello
Webber/Fisichella/Glock
Button/Bourdais/Heidfeld/Nakajima/Trulli/Sutil
Piquet Jr/Vettel
May 22nd, 2008 at 11:30 amAlianora La Canta said:
I wouldn’t touch a Flavio contract with a 10-foot bargepole unless I had no choice. He’s got a reputation of seriously messing about drivers with management contracts. The trouble is that the sponsors of Alonso’s wages requested a Latin American, so unless Flavio can convince them that it’s not necessary, he’s a bit stuck and neither Super Aguri refugee will get a race drive. It wouldn’t surprise me if Sato replaced Yamamoto though, since he’s not only more marketable but might be better for genuine technical testing purposes (as opposed to demonstrations).
May 22nd, 2008 at 11:40 ammy FA fantasy aka Scuderia Titanic said:
Could be. Generally, I’d say “yes”. Although I like the guy. He’s not been very lucky with his F1 career so far.
May 22nd, 2008 at 11:43 amme said:
sorry, by that i meant, he’s not marketable and he’s a very quiet. might make a good teammate for alonso though.
May 22nd, 2008 at 11:52 ammy FA fantasy aka Scuderia Titanic said:
Damn right.
May 22nd, 2008 at 12:06 pmmy FA fantasy aka Scuderia Titanic said:
Webber on Monaco:
“You know you are in Monaco straight away when you come out of the pits and go up the hill on the approach to Massenet and into the Casino sequence of corners - it’s just exhilarating.
You think “bloody hell” because you’re threading a needle.
Drivers skin the cat differently. Some guys want to turn into the corner early because they think there is more time to be gained by going in shallower, while other drivers will turn in later and harder.”
A classic.
May 22nd, 2008 at 12:10 pmmy FA fantasy aka Scuderia Titanic said:
Forgot to mention this quote, it’s the best.
“You are 100% concentrating on the next part of the track and you arrive there, you deliver, you leave - boom, boom, boom.”
May 22nd, 2008 at 12:17 pmMattw said:
Does he normally jump into the car without knowing which track he is at? Seems an extream way to build a surprise.
May 22nd, 2008 at 12:27 pmAlianora La Canta said:
That would be pretty amusing if he really didn’t bother to find out which circuit he was at before proceeding!
May 22nd, 2008 at 12:45 pmmy FA fantasy aka Scuderia Titanic said:
Yeah, Mark’s so much fun when he describes something. I read his DC’s columns but Mark seems to have the edge here. He’s a very expressive guy.
May 22nd, 2008 at 1:07 pmMattw said:
Oh my goodness, check out the face on Max! linky.
I thought Hekki looked miserable!
In your best german accent “Somebody’s been a naughty boy!”