2008 Monaco Grand Prix

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Pupik

Pupik

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The 66th running of the GP of Monaco: I'll save you the usual blather about Monaco in regards to this motor race. Likened by Nelson Piquet as: "Flying a helicopter in your living room."

Circuit_Monaco.png


Race Stats
Date: 25 May 2008
Laps: 78 laps
Circuit Length: 2.08-mile
Inevitable first-lap accident: Usually
Number of on-track passes, excluding first lap: 1-3

History by the numbers
Cars crashed into harbor: 2 (1955, 1965)
Safety cars crashed into competitors: 1 (1995)
"Missing" jewels: 1 (2004)
Races lost on last lap: 2 (1970, 1982)
Push-started cars that eventually went on to win race: 1 (1982)
Cars with leaking motors that shouldn't have started race, and took out several competitors: 1 (1936)
Ocean waves that took out 10 cars: 1 (1950)
Number of races with only four classified finishers: 2 (1966, 1996)

Notable Events
First use of in-car camera in race: 1966 (Phil Hill)
Only start of an Andrea Moda car: 1992
Last F1 race to take over 2 hours and more than 99 laps: 1972
First F1 race with rear wings: 1968 (Lotus)
First F1 race with major sponsorship: 1968 (Lotus)
 
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I hope McLaren win to keep the championship alive. This is there best track IMO so if they dont win here its not looking good. So my very early prediction is for Hamilton.
 
For some unknown and probably unwarranted reason, I have a feeling someone new is going to win next week. So, a BMW or Heikki to win.
 
Yay! the best race of the calendar.. I hope mclaren pull something out of the bag here! I think Red Bull does well here also... (remember a few years ago they got some points and the team boss jumped naked into a swimming pool! :sly:

Robin
 
Pupik
History by the numbers
Cars crashed into harbor: 2 (1955, 1965)
Safety cars crashed into competitors: 1 (1995)
"Missing" jewels: 1 (2004)
Races lost on last lap: 2 (1970, 1982)
Push-started cars that eventually went on to win race: 1 (1982)
Cars with leaking motors that shouldn't have started race, and took out several competitors: 1 (1936)
Ocean waves that took out 10 cars: 1 (1950)
Number of races with only four classified finishers: 2 (1966, 1996)
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Nice stats Pupik 👍

To early for predictions for me
 
Robin.
Yay! the best race of the calendar.. I hope mclaren pull something out of the bag here! I think Red Bull does well here also... (remember a few years ago they got some points and the team boss jumped naked into a swimming pool! :sly:

Robin
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Its nothing got to do with Red Bull, its the almighty DC when he's in Monaco. And he got 3rd that year and yeah Christian Horner promised (foolishly) on the Friday that if they got a podium he'd do that.
 
GT4 genius
Its nothing got to do with Red Bull, its the almighty DC when he's in Monaco. And he got 3rd that year and yeah Christian Horner promised (foolishly) on the Friday that if they got a podium he'd do that.
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Yeah now I remember! It was DC getting on the podium... well he should know the place, he owns the bloody hotel at the hairpin corner! I think older more experienced drivers have a better chance with Monaco if they dont get wiped out by some young gun trying to impress the ladies on yachts *cough sato cough*;)!

Edit... that was the year they were promoting the Superman movie and DC when up on the podium with a red cape on! :lol:

Robin
 
Pupik
History by the numbers
Cars crashed into harbor: 2 (1955, 1965)
Safety cars crashed into competitors: 1 (1995)
"Missing" jewels: 1 (2004)
Races lost on last lap: 2 (1970, 1982)
Push-started cars that eventually went on to win race: 1 (1982)
Cars with leaking motors that shouldn't have started race, and took out several competitors: 1 (1936)
Ocean waves that took out 10 cars: 1 (1950)
Number of races with only four classified finishers: 2 (1966, 1996)
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Slight update ...

Number of times the ruling family has refused to recognise the head of the FIA: 1 (2008)
 
@ Pupik- "Vetty nice!" History by the numbers; I never grow weary of F1 minutae.
@Do you race?- So sad this 'affair' has become, yes? It was amusing in the beginning...
Has anyone a picture of the McLaren duo's 'diamond-encrusred' helmets? *Bling-Bling*
Testing was done at PaulRicard, with day 2 simulating Monaco downforce levels and circuit length. I believe the Iceman dominated. Day 3 (today) was to simulate Canada, but rain was a factor. Trulli was near the top of both sessions? I haven't had time to properly peruse the daily standings. Times and pictures would be nice from the usual suspects. I only looked to see if Fernando Alonso was there. He was not. Pity... Also, how about Robert Kubica? Looks like he's won the Lorenzo Bandini award, and will drive 11km over public roads Sunday to collect the prize. Hope that makes it to Youtube. Didn't he place 5th at MonteCarlo last season?
 
Not sure what the form will be like here. McLaren dominated so completely last year, but Kimi looked quick until his accident. It’s hard to tell what part he would have played, because Massa is useless here so his form may not have been particularly telling.

Also the F2008 is quicker than the F2007 on the slow stuff, so I really don’t know which car will come out on top. I’m certain it will be closer than in was last year, though.

Pupik
History by the numbers
Cars with leaking motors that shouldn't have started race, and took out several competitors: 1 (1936) 2 (1936, 2004)
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Fixed.

 
I think a BMW one-two could be a very reasonable possibility. The Monaco circuit always favours short-wheelbase cars, and the BMW has the shortest of the three front runners!
 
Wow......... its that time of the year again! :D The street circuit of Monte Carlo is just a fantastic circuit which is very demanding in terms of corners. You had to be 1 inch of the barriers to be the fastest and if you make a mistake, its all over. I'm counting on McLaren to perform here since they have done quite well in Monaco for a couple of years, and I also hope Renault can really make a comeback here and get into the top 5 again. 👍
 
Craig HP
I think a BMW one-two could be a very reasonable possibility. The Monaco circuit always favours short-wheelbase cars, and the BMW has the shortest of the three front runners!
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I am inclined to agree, but the tact of the Ferrari drivers could very well overcome such a seemingly trivial advantage. I cannot predict rationally now, but I believe that either BMW or Ferrari will win this one, mainly chalked down to the experience and expertise of Raikkonen and Massa.
 
superberkut
I am inclined to agree, but the tact of the Ferrari drivers could very well overcome such a seemingly trivial advantage. I cannot predict rationally now, but I believe that either BMW or Ferrari will win this one, mainly chalked down to the experience and expertise of Raikkonen and Massa.
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I believe Raikkonen could challange for the win at Monaco, but the Monaco circuit isn't a place were Massa usually shines. I really hope Kubica can win.
 
I'm looking for some excitement provided by Alonso. Very technical track I would say. Torro Rosso should be using their new car. This could be a real scrapper,IMHO. I will not hazard a guess for predictions.
 
Aren't the McLarens suffering from a lack of mechanical grip? Was that just at Turkey because their suspensions were too stiff?
 
Heidfeld, Webber or Button to run uber light and just hold off every attempt thrown at them towards the chicane.

Simple as. ;)
 
I've got a feeling Ferrari will swoop it again. McLaren is struggling with mechanical grip - essentially, they are exactly where Ferrari were last year. The F2007 was the most aerodynamically efficient car in 2007, while the McLaren had far better mechanical grip. This year, it appears as though Ferrari gained that mechanical grip, while McLaren improved their efficiency - but lost grip in return. I wonder if Ferrari is running the J-damper in a different configuration - perhaps more aggressively.


But it's Monaco, baby! A single hotlap is worth more than a whole Tilkedrome race and even a procession is interesting. :cheers:
 
i'm inclined to say it will be a ferrari win next week. Mclaren should challenge but lack of mechanical grip + tyres that don't last as long as they do on ferrari's and bmw's will cause a few problems with them. So in consideration of that, BMW taking a podium.
 
Metar
I've got a feeling Ferrari will swoop it again. McLaren is struggling with mechanical grip - essentially, they are exactly where Ferrari were last year. The F2007 was the most aerodynamically efficient car in 2007, while the McLaren had far better mechanical grip. This year, it appears as though Ferrari gained that mechanical grip, while McLaren improved their efficiency - but lost grip in return. I wonder if Ferrari is running the J-damper in a different configuration - perhaps more aggressively.


But it's Monaco, baby! A single hotlap is worth more than a whole Tilkedrome race and even a procession is interesting. :cheers:
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I wonder how you can adjust the J-dampers. Like an normal damper or does it need other ways?
 
mustang245
Torro Rosso should be using their new car.
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Which requires a different gearbox installation than the STR2, so Vettel will head into the weekend with a 5 place grid penalty for changing his gearbox. Bad timing. :ouch:

Bourdais won’t suffer because he retired last weekend.

Omnis
Aren't the McLarens suffering from a lack of mechanical grip?
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Yeah, specifically getting traction out of the slow corners. Renault are also having this problem (or at least they were before they implemented their new damping system, the way Piquet is swanning around atm I assume the car is still horrible to drive). Ferrari and BMW seem to have the best solution to this problem but I think the Ferrari is probably still leagues ahead of BMW.

Bee
Heidfeld, Webber or Button to run uber light and just hold off every attempt thrown at them towards the chicane.

Simple as. ;)
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Yeah, sure. Until they stop. On lap 8.

EDIT: I also just had the thought that Bourdais could do quite nicely here. He has the new car which should be a good step towards the midfield, and he has bucket loads of experience winning on street circuits because of his time in Champ Car. Maybe he could pull out something special and get a solid points finish?
 
Blake
EDIT: I also just had the thought that Bourdais could do quite nicely here. He has the new car which should be a good step towards the midfield, and he has bucket loads of experience winning on street circuits because of his time in Champ Car. Maybe he could pull out something special and get a solid points finish?
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I bet you $5 he won't make half distance and if by some miracle he finishes he'll be dead last.
 
about Bourdais....

He has alot of street race experince from champ car so i say he has a good chance to do well, we will see who wins qualifying.
 
Appie
I wonder how you can adjust the J-dampers. Like an normal damper or does it need other ways?
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It's a rotating mass. Options are changing the weight of the mass, or it's rotational speed. It's rumored that Kimi's Monza crash was a result of a J-damper failure.

Blake
EDIT: I also just had the thought that Bourdais could do quite nicely here. He has the new car which should be a good step towards the midfield, and he has bucket loads of experience winning on street circuits because of his time in Champ Car. Maybe he could pull out something special and get a solid points finish?
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That would be great - he certainly has the experience and skill, and now we'll wait and see if the car holds together on it's debut, and if it's enough of an improvement.
 
Well, lets think about this in another logical way. Usually, at Monaco, the leading team doesn't usually win. In 2002, David Coulthard won in the McLaren Mercedes, even though the Ferraris dominated most of the season. In 2003, Juan Pablo Montoya in the BMW-Williams won, with Kimi Raikonen coming second in the McLaren Mercedes, while Micheal Schumacher who was champion again that year, could not match them, and finished third. In 2004, Ferrari dominated, but hello, who is that on top of the Monte-Carlo podium, why it's Jarno Trulli in the Renault coming in first place, for the first and last time. (I know it's not the end of his career yet, but come on think about, he is driving a flipping Toyota). Over the last three years, the dominating teams have dominated at Monaco, but the Monaco track, according to F1 Live.com, should really suit the BMW's more than any other car. I have posted that link for that news article here...

http://en.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlines/news/detail/080517090009.shtml
 
A BMW win isn't going to happen.


They may be on the front row in qualifying, but we've seen the results for Kubica from a pole position earlier this year, BMW just hasn't got any chance against Ferrari incase of race speed, and nor did they against Mclaren in Turkey it seems...

I'm placing my bets on a Kimi - Hamilton battle, with Massa or Heikki coming third, if not a BMW...


Also, Bourdais in the points? Not a chance! He hasn't impressed me yet, and I refuse to believe Toro Rosso's new car will get them from the backfield to the midfield already...
 
Monaco tends to have high attrition so anyone who finishes has a decent chance of points. :p

Craig HP
Usually, at Monaco, the leading team doesn't usually win.
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:odd: I can guarantee you that the drivers in the best cars have the best chance of victory.
 

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