Truck fire damages track tarmac in Monaco

F1 Fanatic round-up

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In the round-up: A section of track at Monte-Carlo is replaced following a truck fire.

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Voxvocis on Twitter

A truck fire at turn one at Monaco has led to a section of the track being replaced. With new tarmac going down less than 48 hours before the first practice session, and a braking zone being part of the track replaced, this could cause problems for the drivers.

Images courtesy of Voxvocis.

Via the F1 Fanatic live Twitter app

FIA Plans ‘Three Strikes’ Rule For Reprimands (Speed)

“The FIA is set to introduce a ‘three strikes’ system to ensure that reprimands for drivers are no longer meaningless, and instead could add up to a grid penalty.”

Byron Young on Twitter

“It was confirmed to me this morning that the reason Lewis couldn’t overtake Vettel in Spain was that the gear ratios weren’t long enough…”

Via the F1 Fanatic live Twitter app

The mysteries of Red Bull v McLaren (BBC)

“So take your pick: the Red Bull has too much downforce for the Pirellis to be able to use; it derives more drag reduction from its DRS; it has better hot-blown diffuser mapping and loses KERS performance. Or some sort of combination therein.”

Lewis Hamilton: I’m the only driver who can stop Sebastian Vettel (Metro)

“I’m always pushing the guys – we need this, just for Monaco, whatever you can, bring everything. I can’t imagine anyone pushes their team as much as me.”

Guernsey’s where the heart is for Button after quitting Monaco’s playboy lifestyle (Daily Mail)

“I parked in the wrong place which was embarrassing but as I was running down the straight I was thinking ‘This isn’t embarrassing, I’ve just won the race and they are all here to see me’. It was a really special feeling.”

A walk down memory lane reminds us of Ferrari’s snub to Stirling Moss (The Guardian)

“I was stunned. I did not forget, and I would not forgive, and because of that it would always give me great pleasure to beat those red cars.”

Paul Di Resta: Q&A (Force India)

“I did one race there in F3 in 2005, so it was a long time ago. I live there as well, so it’s home! I’m in the car in both sessions on Thursday. Hopefully we’ll have the new upgrade to try again, and we’ll see where we are. The key at Monaco is track time, and hopefully we’ll get plenty of it.”

Follow F1 news as it breaks using the F1 Fanatic live Twitter app.

Comment of the day

Much reaction to another change in Ferrari’s technical team yesterday. Here’s The Limit:

As soon as I saw Alonso go a lap down on Sunday, I knew somebody was going to get fired. By that I am not saying it was Alonso’s doing, but that Grand Prix emphasised everything that has gone wrong with Ferrari’s season so far.

I hope for Domenicali’s sake that this ‘quick fix’ in firing Costa and replacing him with Pat Fry works, as it might by Stefano out on his ear at the end of the season. Ferrari coming out and admitting that they a putting a lot of their efforts into the 2012 car does not sound too promising, especially as this season was supposed to be the one in which Ferrari took back the title they lost in 2010.
The Limit

From the forum

Should Force India swap Sutil for Hulkenberg?

Happy birthday!

Happy birthday to Sumedh!

On this day in F1

Nigel Mansell won the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps 25 years ago today.

The race got off to a chaotic start as Alain Prost and Gerhard Berger collided at the first corner:

Author information

Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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80 comments on “Truck fire damages track tarmac in Monaco”

  1. I bet heidfeld was involved in that fire :P

    1. Where’s Heikki when you need him?

      1. Mike took his fire extinguisher because he was a naughty boy

  2. The camera angle on Eau Rouge is great! And the old BBC grid music…best of all is the idea of Spa being Round 5!

    1. The review Tape is good, Clive James has such a dry sense of humour which showed at the start of Spa

  3. this could cause problems for the drivers.

    Let them deal with it. They’re the best drivers in the world; we should be making things as difficult as possible for them.

      1. That’s a great video. It starts to get pretty funny that no one will talk to him.

    1. I say we line the road with nails! .. and BLINDFOLD them, all! :P

      1. I say we give them DRS in the tunnel…

        1. Yep, same here. Best drivers in cars with unfathomable downforce and safety cells that get them out of most accidents with bruises only.
          They are well equipped to judge where they can get away with using the DRS or not. And having a bit dodgy tarmac is just another part of managing a tricky monaco.

          If they think its unsafe, what about the guys going through here with skirts etc, that if lost contact could immediately flip? Was it safer then.

          Maybe we are back with what Keith said, Monaco has become unsafe. Not by getting less safe with time, but as we (in general, nobody specific here) do not accept risks anymore.

    2. I bet if anyone suffers it’s Barrichello. He had the misfortune of that man-hole cover last year. Would be just his luck!

      Expect to see flying steering wheels.

  4. I’m thinking that the marshals during the F1 would’ve put that out FAR quicker… may have not even have needed a safety car… probably would’ve have just lifted it out still burning! ;-)

    1. I’d be a little bit more concerned about why there was a firetruck on the circuit during the race in the first place, though …

      1. Concerned, but entertained.

  5. Sometimes, I like the Lewis that doesn’t speak his mind and spouts the PR line.

    I might get some slack for that comment, but shouldn’t Jenson be a tad offended?

    1. Deep down, Jenson knows that his best result has been a solitary, distant second to Vettel, while Hamilton won in China, and pushed him close in two of the other races.

      And I like his comment- “At the moment the only person who has an answer to Sebastian is me”, since I think it’s true, straight to the point, and the sort of no-nonsense comment we crave from the drivers.

      1. When you explain it, it sits much better with me, and he is right, he is the only one with an answer.

      2. It sounds arrogant to me, but I feel we may have had to be there, listening to his conversation to understand what context it was used in. Sometimes (whether intentional or not) Lewis can say things that make him seem quite arrogant. Take a look at his interview with Murray Walker in the April edition of F1 Racing magazine for example…

        1. It may be arrogant but he’s right. Alonso hasn’t been given the car, and Webber doesn’t have the pace.

          I know we all talk about the late 80s early 90s and how great it was with so many great drivers and teams, but we have that now.

          Vettel, Hamilton, Alonso, Webber, Button and even guys like Rosberg aren’t far back.

          I think F1 is entering a new golden era.

          1. As much I am not a Hamilton fan, you’re right.

            Still loses points for that stupid beard however….

          2. Yes, I think you are right, and he is, that he seems the only one who can hold Vettel in check – although the season is still long.

            I did think it funny how he apparently doesn’t believe Alonso is pushing Ferrari just as hard. I bet he is, and has been pushing hard now for a year, but in 2011 so far it hasn’t a answered by Ferrari. Effectively, Hamilton is saying he can’t believe a team of their calibre not being able to do something more (because surely he knows Alonso can be pushing his team a lot).

        2. I have that edition – what paragraph do you mean?

          1. I have that edition – what paragraph do you mean?

            Murray Walker asks about Lewis’ first experience in something with four wheels and an engine.

            Lewis Hamilton:

            I remember it was our first holiday as a family. There was me, my dad and Linda, and we rented two mopeds, which we went around the whole town on, and they had this area where you put in a coin and ran round in little bumper cars. But their shape was like that of a Formula 1 car. So I was sitting in a model of Ayrton Senna’s car driving this thing, which was a three-wheeler, and I was in it all day long – they couldn’t get me off it. And then we found a go-kart circuit that had about three corners, it was really small and I remember it like it was yesterday. I got in that kart and straight away I picked up this knack of braking, and when I started karting I won races using that same knack.

            I mean, it’s not exactly arrogant, but he sounds like he’s telling a story about his now famous son or something. It almost seems as if he is actually retelling the stories his parents told him about what he was like as a little one. But the next answer made me cringe a little. (I don’t know whether he means to come across this way or not)

            Murray Walker:

            Do you think that was because of the genes that your mother and father had given you? Or some natural attribute?

            Lewis Hamilton:

            I think it’s a blessing for me. I feel like I’ve been given this incredible gift. I think the mixture of my mum and dad’s qualities have made me the way I am, but it’s difficult really to explain.

            Later in the interview (when asked about his driving style) he says “I don’t know how I do it.” To me, it just seems that he looks at himself from a third-person perspective. Some of the stuff he says sounds like something a journalist would write in their introduction to a legendary driver, yet it’s coming from his own mouth. Don’t get me wrong, I love Lewis as a driver, but he tends to make me cringe a little off the track. As I said, I’m not entirely sure if he is arrogant, or he just comes across that way, but it would explain why some people perhaps don’t like him.

          2. Well I’m not surprised I didn’t pick up on it then! There really doesn’t seem much cause for complaint from what he said.

            I don’t see the problem with the first story at all. It’s like criticising me for saying how I fell in love with astronomy because I can still remember when my mother bought me a book in Sainsbury’s, etc. (true story).

            And then it’s arrogant talking about his gift? Of course he has a gift, just like Vettel, Alonso, Kubica, Webber, Button, Massa, Schumacher, Rosberg…

            ‘I don’t know I do it’ seems an honest answer to me. I have a friend who’s good at darts and he tells me there’s no way to explain how he’s good, he just does it.

            I get that you say your problem is with the style and tone, but it’s a) print b) edited c) such a tiny thing. If he said “I’m the best and I do things no-one else can/does” of course. But it could be any driver saying these things and be equally true.

          3. To me, it just seems that he looks at himself from a third-person perspective.

            He’s an Illeist, one who refers to himself in third person.

            Randy never does that, btw. :)

            I don’t get what’s wrong with him putting himself as the only one able to challenge Vettel. Some people automatically see this as arrogance, i don’t.

            Let’s be honest, wether you like him or not – he earned his praise. I remember his interviews when he said how he worked very hard to get where he is and how hard it is to earn money, i believe him. He’s enjoying himself to the fullest – i would as well if i were on his position.

            Maybe apart from the hideous jewelery, but as long as he’s happy with it…

      3. Yep, good to hear a driver speaking his mind. I file this of being in line with Alonso last year stating his intent in Silverstone.

        A bit of braggin, but I love him saying it aloud. And i hope he gives it his all to make true on that.

        If Alonso had his Ferrari up to the job, he would be saying just about the same, I guess. Well, maybe he still will?

    2. Lewis started that comment with the phrase, “At the moment………”. Meaning it may not be the case after a few races.

      1. Imagine the kind of flame alonso would have received if he had said that…

        1. Just look at Silverstone last year for that…

          I he would say it right now, that would rather be a big laugh off course.

    3. ‘At the moment the only person who has an answer to Sebastian is me, and in a car not as good, and I’m quite happy with that,’ Hamilton said.

      Lewis really needs to pull his head out of his a**. I don’t know whats worse – his scripted PR statements or the statements that are made without the consent of his PR team. Either ways, I hope Fernando finishes in front of him in Monaco, just so that Lewis could have another foot in the mouth situation.

      1. *Yawn* change the record, please.

    4. At the moment the only person who has an answer to Sebastian is me

      He’s the only other person to win, only person to have finished second twice and has the second-most podiums behind Vettel. In 4 of the 5 races he has caught Vettel up during the race too.

      and in a car not as good, and I’m quite happy with that

      Which is saying, if I’m close to him in an inferior car, imagine what happens when we close the gap?

      Not meaning you specifically, but Hamilton could say the sky is blue and be slated for it.

      1. At the moment, LH is second in the WDC standings, so his comments are not coming out of left field. Someone suggested this might be a slagging of JB, but I think it is MW that should be more embarassed. He is the the same car, one obviously proven to be a race winner and often able to run away with it, if not by far, at least comfortably. LH and JB are in cars a little less capable than the Red Bulls. It is MW that should be concerned that he is not closer to SV (not saying he isn’t). At least JB is closer to his teammate than MW is to LH, FM is to FA, MS is to NR…

        1. oops, that should be “He is in the same car…” and also it should read “JB is closer to his teammate than MW is to SV…”

  6. Happy birthday sumedh! :D

    1. Indeed! Have a great day! :)

    2. Exactly, sumedh. Make it one you’ll remember :-O

      1. BasCB is shocked… :P

        1. … to hear the tales of sumedh’s birthday party :-D

    3. Have a good one!

      1. Many happy returns!

        1. Many wishes!

  7. The Monaco circuit is barely recognisable after the race, when all the barriers have been removed. I doubt the truck driver even knew he was at turn one, else he would have moved to turn two.

    1. I thnk the truck was full of tyres for the tyre barriers. Not sure how it caught fire but its 30 degrees in the day time at monaco.

  8. I miss Murry. As great as the technology is now, and as much money as they spend on it, you can’t match the enthusiastic feel he gave it.

  9. Well, as Martin and Bernie discussed it in Canada 2008, brand new tarmac in one of the heaviest braking zone and the DRS zone of the track certainly makes for a more interesting race – who slammes it into the wall ahead, and who’s not etc.

    As much as I don’t like Hamilton exactly because of this kind of agressive demeanour now he is right. Someone said before me: Alonso hasn’t got the car, Webber hasn’t got the pace. Also given the same circumstances, same fuel, same tyres, Hamilton is constantly better than Button by 0.2 secs approx., when it really counts. This has been discussed here before. So he really is the biggest challenger on the long run… So eventually he’s not right: he says ‘ATM’ but I feel like it’s more of a long run stuff.

    ATM Monaco has the softs and super-softs and the high rear tyre degradation could be a serious problem for the agressive driving style of Lewis – something which Fernando seems to have fine tuned since 2005, when he had this problem. So as for Monaco I would bet for Button finishing ahead of Lewis as of now. But in the long run Lewis really could be the one who challenges Vettel more or less this year.

    1. In situations where tyre wear has been so high that it’s a problem for everyone, I think that Lewis is one of the best placed drivers in terms of getting the most out of a difficult and unbalanced car.

      1. That’s for sure, in a field where everybody drives unbalanced cars he would probably win.

        But I meant that the way he drives he uses up his tyres quicker which means probably one more pit stop for him than for example for Alonso, or for Vettel. Or two more than Button.

  10. Nice interview with Di Resta on the FI site.

    But what I found stunning was his answer considering DRS:

    “Yes, I did quite a lot of passing. I got Nick Heidfeld at one point, Alguersuari twice, Buemi and Maldonado. But I was a good bit quicker at those points. I think if you were just a little bit quicker, you wouldn’t have been able to do it.”

    Now correct me if I am wrong, but I honestly did not see even one of those passes. FOM great broadcasting crew(TM)?

    1. Haven’t seen them either. But I was on the edge of my chair, thinking that in Spain the DRS worked just fine, compared to Turkeys ‘push to pass’. So to me, the broadcast was fine, I watched a good race and felt entertained. If I had been watching a leader with 25 seconds on the nr 2 for ages, then I would’ve agreed. We all know FOM sometimes misses the action. But in Spain it was good for me.

      1. I dont think the DRS worked well enough at Spain. I couldnt see any difference for Webber when attacking Alonso. Top speed might have something to do with it, gear ratios..

      2. True enough. It was genuinly tense watching, really refreshing to see some long intense fights going on again.
        DRS was just right to have Lewis stay close there with a comparably fast car.

        But FOM did give us laps of Alonso instead of Hamilton and Vettel and laps of Vettel instead of the Webber – Alonso fight. Their coverage was abominal again.

  11. A very nice read about Moss and Ferrari in that Guardian article Keith. Well worth it to read.

    1. Hear hear. Can anyone find a layout map for that old Bari track? I love road circuits and Wiki doesn’t have it (unusually).

  12. I think the 3 strikes thing for reprimands is a good one. How many times have we argued amongst ourselves weather a reprimand was a penalty at all?
    Now the FIA has an answer to it, and this makes handing out reprimands a usefull addition to stewarding.

    This is a lot better than having or not having it weighed for possible future infringements, like the penalty for excessive weaving given Hamilton in Malaysia partly because of his reprimand last year.

    1. Yes, I agree. The three strikes idea seems to be both reasonable and relevant as long as there is some kind of time limit for the first two of those ‘strikes’.
      Let me put it this way, if a driver exhibited early season exuberance at the first two races, but then calmed down and behaved right up to the penultimate race of the season where a petty indiscretion (eg not attending a drivers’ briefing) could have a huge impact on the WDC and WCC.
      These strikes must have some kind of time limit – just like the penalty points on your driving licence.

      1. I think the article does state it would be for driving related reprimand only, so that is fine.

        1. No, it says that two of them must be for driving offences. The third one could be for the disgusting crime of missing a press conference!

          1. Hm, yeah didn’t get that part first time I read. Not so good then, lets have the drivers go through this in between them before the FIA hammers it.

  13. Nice clip of Spa.
    I still prefer that version of the bus stop! And it was great to see Johnny Dumfries in fourth place for a while, I’d sort of forgotten about him. He’s now reverted to plain John Bute and avoids using his titles if at all possible.

  14. Yesterday there was a traditional football match where some of F1 drivers played.

  15. I wonder with those two have estinguished that fire :
    http://f1.imgci.com/PICTURES/CMS/3800/3878.jpg

    1. LOL, Senna might have practiced on Heidfelds car!

  16. In the build-up to the Australian Grand Prix, Jenson Button did a few laps of Mount Panorama. So to celebrate the Monaco Grand Prix, I think he should drive the Col de Turini (careful, it’s twenty-three minutes long).

    1. LOL, I guess we will have to wait for Kubica for that one!

    2. Awesomeness…. Pure awesomeness…

      1. I have just as much, if not more respect for Rally drivers as I do for F1 drivers. That takes some bravery!

  17. The article about Moss was interesting. I had no idea about that. Also, I didn’t know that Bari had a non-championship race, although back in Moss’s era.
    Has anyone found a track map for the circuit that was used, I cannot seem to find out anymore about this circuit?

    1. There’s a basic outline here http://theracingline.net/racingcircuits/racingcircuits/Italy/index.html (then click Bari).
      And if you look up “Corso Vittorio Veneto, Bari, Italy” in Google maps, you can see that the track went all around the coastline and the edge of the old town before blasting back inland along the Via Napoli. Must have been quick!

  18. The trucks Pirelli super-soft tyres only lasted until the first corner.

    “We should have come out on the soft tyres and scrubbed them in a bit” A track worker was heard to say.

  19. Why is it whenever i watch these old GP’s all the drivers, no matter how young they are look 40! mind you i have a feeling Mansell looked 40 when he was born ;)

  20. The FIA is set to introduce a ‘three strikes’ system

    Right way to go.

    1. People are going to start appealing reprimands?

    2. Except that F1 is famous for their inconsistancy in enforcing the rules, so 3 strikes mean little to me. And even if someone ‘qualifies’ for a punishment due to having 3 strikes, said punishment will probably vary depending on who the guilty party is and where they are in the standings.

  21. HOLY CRAP. Just found out I’ll get to go to the Indy 500 this weekend! This’ll be my first time to go even though I’ve lived only 2 hours away most of my life. Can’t tell you how psyched I am! I look forward to being able to report back in the comments on Monday :D

    1. Way to go…have fun…225 mph speeds should be a blast to watch…enjoy.

    2. Great, give a nice report on that. Best with pictures.
      And the 100th one as well.

      1. It’s not the 100th Indy 500, but the 100th year since the first one. This is the 95th one.

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