Rate the race: 2012 Monaco Grand Prix

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What did you think of the Monaco Grand Prix? Share your verdict on today’s race.

F1 Fanatic holds polls on each race to find out which fans thought were the best and worst races during a season.

Please vote based on how entertaining and exciting you thought the race was, not on how your preferred driver or team performed.

Rate the race out of ten and leave a comment below:

Rate the 2012 Monaco Grand Prix out of ten

  • 10 (3%)
  • 9 (2%)
  • 8 (8%)
  • 7 (18%)
  • 6 (23%)
  • 5 (16%)
  • 4 (14%)
  • 3 (9%)
  • 2 (4%)
  • 1 (4%)

Total Voters: 773

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1 = ‘Terrible’, 10 = ‘Perfect’

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Image © Daimler/Hoch Zwei

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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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282 comments on “Rate the race: 2012 Monaco Grand Prix”

  1. 2!
    Very boring race.

      1. The most spectacular moment was when Raikkonen avoided Perez…

        1. Usual Monaco bore fest . They pay no hosting fee. It’s just a technical test the drivers enjoy but as a spectacle for viewers. Also an excuse for the self indulgent F1 circus to party and fraternise with minor royalty. Yawn.

          1. I disagree. Moncao can either be fantastic or a bore fest. Obviously its convinient to criticise it after this race but next year it could be fantastic again like it was (almost) last year, in 2010 and 2008.

        2. +1
          actually I counted 3 ‘moments’:
          1 Kimi avoids Grojean at the start
          2 Kimi avoids Perez
          3 Heated argument a couple were having in one of the balconies overlooking the hairpin

        3. Jayfreese (@)
          28th May 2012, 12:26

          Monaco GP was boring I strongly agree, F1 should only race there on wet track conditions however, like yesterday, it look like a F1 road train.

    1. Totally agree-tedious.

      1. 5 overtakes i counted?

        1. This is what every race used to be like.

        2. I don’t think the problem was that there weren’t any passes but that there was nothing there to enjoy. First not only none was passing but no one seem to even have a look. Even when they where right behind each other you never got the feeling they where actually trying and fighting to pass the car in-frond but more like they just hoped he will make a big mistake.
          Nice example was Shumacher that tried to pass a car two times and failed but it was still fun because you at least could see a fight.
          The others weren’t even fighting but just managing tyres.

          Funny enough what gives exciting races at other tracks worked against Monaco because Monaco has no easy pass so the driver has to fight for it and you can’t do it while trying to babysit your tyres. This shows how fake many of the passes on bigger tracks are since is not the driver making a big attempt but rather than the guy in-frond struggling and a big track with room to go around him.

          Another thing was the one pit stop strategy that they all end up doing ether by chance(waiting rain) or by plan. With such a strategy everyone was on conservative mode to keep the tyres alive.

          Now Monaco has another thing that gives excitement. Crashes and safety cars and all sort of crazy events. Yeah i know we aren’t crash maniacs and certainly don’t want anyone to get hurt but come on lets admit it, everyone enjoyed such crazy Monaco races full of events like the 1996 race for example.
          This time though most of them where flawless and not because the drivers got so good that they can’t make a mistake while pushing but because no one is actually pushing. It basically what Shumi said. They aren’t really driving in their limits they go around very comfortably so the occasion of someone making a mistake is diminished by a lot.

    2. Gave it 4. Apart from Perez hitting others in order to pass… no one else gota good chance throughout the race.
      Alonso did well to push hard before his pit stop and get the third place. Mark Webber helping his team mate. It would nice to see Vettel do the same from time to time. Fairly boring race!

      1. I don’t think Webber was helping Vettel. He has shown on numerous occasions he’s happy to be a team player but won’t compromise his own race for the wunderkind. A bit more team work from Vettel would be nice to see though.

    3. I was feeling generous, having heard the Aussie Anthem, so I gave 4, +1 for the excitement of the on-of-on rain threat +1 because Webber didn’t get mugged at the start. =6 total.

    4. The glamour cannot save that race as a show for the spectators. I understand drivers love the challenge but for viewers it’s very boring. They catch each other and cannot pass. A bit more rain would make it a thriller but it never came and we ended up with that poor show.

      1. poor show indeed..poor hamilton..

        1. Agreed, although I’m sure a piece of him dies in time every time someone comes on the radio to say “look after these tyres”.

          Tyres tyres tyres.

      2. I think there needs to be some consideration given to the tension that comes from Monaco. Ok, some more attempted moves and duelling would have been nice, but the lingering menace of a possible shake up at any moment made it tense to watch.

        1. Yes but the tension should at least give rise to some fulfillment of the expectations, otherwise it just ends up being another disappointing race.

    5. Impressed to see that more people have given a 10 than a 1 …
      Almost every exchange of place has been during the pits or thanks to the Grosjean incident : it’s the main difference between Vettel’s result and Button, quite impressive what it could make to have luck and escape such situation …

      Didn’t even look like someone was trying to overtake at all

      1. Didn’t even look like someone was trying to overtake at all

        Except for Perez and Kovalainen. Lol.

        1. Monaco should not count in the championship – despite its legacy and rich history, it should be an exhibition race for F1 to establish a closer relationship between fans and teams. It should be brought down to about 1-hour and teams should open up the pits/drivers to fans from all over the place to co-celebrate open-wheel racing. The event was an embarrassment from a pure racing perspective – even Hamilton went against his nature and played it totally conservative. I enjoyed the views of that yachts though!

          1. Nothing you said was any reason why any race should ever be demoted from the championship.

      2. Didn’t even look like someone was trying to overtake at all

        Ummmm… because they simply couldn’t?

        What were people expecting, really? Yes it was boring, but to point out “oooh, only 5 overtakes” at a place like this… it’s like going to much. It’s always like that, man.

        1. I think what people were expecting to see was what an F1 car can really do around the tights streets of Monaco. What we actually saw was a load of F1 cars poodling around petrified of tyre degradation and the risk of it getting a bit wet.
          Pretty much proof that modern F1 is all about the tyres, which in my opinion is NOT what “The Pinnacle” of motorsport should be.

          1. Awfully sorry bout that, but if you want cars to stop because of tyre degradation, as it should be. This is the result.

          2. So it’s your fault then Mike??! I wonder if the f1 fraternity knows this. Not the FIA, not Bernie, it’s you. Poor show Mike. But brave of you for owning up!!

        2. Id get rid of Nouvelle Chicane (10-11) to try and create a few moves down into Tabac (12).

        3. Indeed. That being why F1 should not race at Monaco. Well, arguably they already don’t race, just drive around in a pre-set order for 2 hours.

      3. Didn’t even look like someone was trying to overtake at all

        The fact that NO ONE tried to go down the inside as traffic backed up at the hairpin on the first lap told me that everyone was driving passively– no one even stuck a nose in. Afraid of being too aggressive on the tires, most likely. Drivers beaten into submission by their engineers executing tire strategies. Might as well have been radio-controlled cars. After qualifying, the driver is not needed. Not “racing” in the least.

    6. Best season ever but this race? as usual totally boring. Waste of time.

      1. Are you guys serious. The strategy on the pit wall and the strategic driving in this race was second to none and with the first 4 cars separated by 1.4 seconds the tension till the end was incredible. An Aussie win just capped it off perfectly.

        1. I’d say it’s the only time I have ever been so bored while top 6 of an race being so close together. You just knew NOTHING would happen despite everyone was so close. Might as well been 20 seconds apart, I wouldn’t feelt any different.

        2. and with the first 4 cars separated by 1.4 seconds

          Yes because they were alkl running at 80% in tyre save mode, webber new nobody could get past so why bother. Withe the races so far and what the remaining races promise in terms of excitement, this was on the verge of embarrassing as a spectator sport. I love the history, love the romance and respect Monacos place in the history books but lets be honest, it’s boring, dangerous and simply no longer fits the sport it has served so well for so long. Time to look to the future, maybe it could be a non championship scoring round every couple of years but for me its no longer viable.

          1. artificial racer
            29th May 2012, 8:28

            Agreed. The only tension was related to the outcome of the pitstops, especially Vettel vs. Webber, but this was pretty minor and short lived “excitement”. Then the weather situation, but it never played a role except for Vergne. All the drivers say it’s “impossible” to pass and it’s true… unless someone is having serious mechanical issues or is napping at the nouvelle chicane.

            The tires may have made this worse than usual but I’m not so sure. Last year there were more overtaking attempts, but many of those were reckless and inadvisable, and caused car damage. I enjoy the unique atmosphere and history around Monaco, and the scenery and twistiness. But as a racing track it clearly suffers from lack of safety and lack of racing opportunity in terms of track width and passing spots. I think in theory the track could be somewhat improved with clever engineering but it seems impossible on a practical level. Other tracks should be more adventurous in the layouts.

            At least qualifying was exciting.

    7. “The show missed the rain”

    8. Dull, dull, dull.
      Thank goodness the Indy 500 was on later and showed what motor racing should be. More changes for the lead in one race than we get in a whole season of F1 and, shock/horror, they took place ON THE TRACK. Yes tactics played a part but they didn’t dominate the way they do in F1 and they have tyres that allow the drivers to race. F1 has been degenerating ever since it stopped being a single seat formula and became races with a driver in the car and a dozen or so co-drivers in the pits, monitoring systems and feeding driving instruction out to the car. The contrast between Monaco and the Indy 500 showed why F1 will never really succeed in the USA, it’s just not interesting enough.

      1. It’s interesting for different reasons, not based on how many ‘changes of the lead there are’. It’s about engineering and design as much as what the drivers can do, any F1 fan would understand this.

        Unfortunaly this season has been boring because its all about the tyres, and hopefully this race can convince a few others that we don’t need these crumbly tyres that everyone is scared of damaging in order to have good racing as well as the engineering contest.

        1. Yes but the regulations are so restrictive now that the cars are virtual clones of one another. Regulate by allowing each car a certain amount of energy to complete a race, no restrictions on the form that energy takes or how it is utilised. Other than that simply say ‘Here is a box that your car must fit inside, if it does it’s legal’. Let the engineers use their imaginations to truly bring F1 back to the forefront of automotive technology, rather than fiddling around with tiny aero details that you can only see on a close up photo. By the way for a radical approach to racing cars have you seen the Delta Wing Nissan running at Le Mans this year? That’s what F1 should be allowing if it really wants to claim to be the pinnacle of motorsport

          1. @ceevee You’d need a budget cap to compliment the “allowed amount of energy” rule. Otherwise the costs would go trough the roof, and teams with less money wouldn’t be able to compete.

            But basically I agree: “Here’s the amount of fuel/energy you can burn, here’s the amount of cash you can spend and here are the safety regulations. Go.”

    9. “Sprinklers anyone?” Love Bernie :)

    10. I agree. Monaco is always boring. I was tempted to give it a 1, but gave it an extra point because it’s the only race where you can wander off and make a cup of tea knowing you’re not going to miss anything.

      1. I was on the edge of my seat hoping that rain wasn’t going to throw a wrench into NR’s great 2nd place showing. So I actually enjoyed the race very much given that I didn’t want anything to upset NR’s chances of heading MS by more points come the end of the day. Was glad to see that NR was dominating MS until MS’s unreliability bug hit again.

  2. Not the best- very few overtakes. Last 20 laps were a bit on-edge, but otherwise a pretty uneventful race.

  3. pretty boring!

  4. Dull race, even for Monaco… Was generous with a 5

    1. Same here, at another track it would have gotten a lower score, gets probably 2 extra points just for being Monaco.

      1. This was my thinking as well.

  5. 4 – pretty below average.

    1. Yep I went for 4 as well. Poor race really.
      Nobody looked to have the pace to challenge the driver in front, DRS was pointless it seemed to offer even less opportunity than last year.
      Great step up in performance from Massa and Schumacher this weekend which was good to see. Button though…oh dear.

      1. It wasn’t about the pace exactly! The cars need a massive speed differential to overtake at Monaco, which just isn’t possible seeing how close cars are this season. Besides, I don’t think any driver was keen to get friendly with the barriers given how close the title race is. DRS literally made no difference, it was barely mentioned in the commentary, almost non-existent.
        Massa – Good. Schumacher – Miserable. Button- Who?

        1. +1 on all counts… The F1 commentary on US’s SPEED channel mentioned DRS a few times at in the first 10 laps, but dropped the subject as it wasn’t a factor at all. If I’m correct in that there wasn’t a single DRS overtake in the race, perhaps it’s time to think about modifying the circuit heavily. I know there’s zero chance of that, but I only mention it because it’s still greater than the chance of F1 dropping Monaco from the calendar.

          1. modifying the circuit

            No.

          2. @F1_Americana Maybe the FIA could consider introducing a DRS zone, or second DRS zone through the tunnel?! But I imagine they wouldn’t allow that on safety terms, I don’t think they want cars side by side through the tunnel at all.
            Either way todays race was poor. The 6 car train was interesting for a while, particularly with the threat of rain, but ultimately noone was ever close enough to make a move, despite being less than a second behind the driver in front.

        2. I wanted to add – Button on SuperSofts was scrapping for position with Kovalianen on Softs for P14 FFS!!!!. Not even a McLaren on the faster tyre could overtake a Caterham. Like I said – need an ENORMOUS speed differential.
          The only option is to indeed have a DRS zone in the tunnel, traditionally that’s where most of the overtaking has taken place at Monaco.

  6. I wish every race at Monaco was like that one!

    Shame about the Toro Rosso decision there…. but at least we now know exactly what it is that isn’t up to F1 champion status.

    1. Just imagine it would have payed off …

      I rated it a 7, because it was completely different from the other races so far this year. And its Monaco.
      But certainly not the best race this year

      1. Just imagine it would have payed off…

        But it didn’t. Now imagine what a 7th place would have meant for Torro Rosso this year with the competition (Sauber, Williams) already getting above-average results.

        It was a plain stupid move and they threw their position away for nothing.

        1. @tony031r Not really. At first look maybe it did, but Vergne is not exactlly a title contender. The team took a gamble that could win him the race, it didn’t pay off, but that’s the way with taking a gamble. At the end of the day, a single 7th would hardly bring them back into the midfield battle with the other teams and so going for broke was the better decision in my eyes.

          Had it worked people would be singing praise to them and calling them a genius. It was just bad luck the rain took a little longer to come down.

          I wish the rain had started an hour later, would have been so much better! Oh well. Good to see Mark win!! :)

          1. *meant race had started an hour later.

          2. @nick-uk

            I completely disagree. Even if everyone in front would have pitted for intermediates, in the event of a serious shower (and the chance of that happening in the last 8-10 laps was insanely small), he still would have climbed no higher than 7th. Too big of a gap between Massa and him.

            I really don’t see how a win would have been in reach unless everyone in the top 6 crashed suddenly…

            A 7th place and a classification in front of the Force Indias who are at this time Torro Rosso’s closest rivals in the standings would have made much more sense if you ask me. Especially since we’re early into a season where every point add up to make a difference at the end of the year.

            Just my humble opinion…

          3. *every point could add up

        2. “Plain stupid move” by Torro Rosso? Sorry, but you’ve actually just revealed your own ignorance.

          Vergne was not going to finish 7th because he could never have finished the race on the tyres he was on. You obviously didn’t notice, but Vergne was on a two stop strategy; his first stop was on lap 17!. In reality TR’s “gamble” for intermediate tyres was his only chance they had of scoring any points at all.

      2. Agreed @BasCB, Usually Monaco is just a dreadful bore-fest… so I’m very happy with this.

        If it had ‘paid off’ it would have been great, but it didn’t, and nobody will remember how close Vergne came to getting a 7th on merit. Instead the statistics will show that in Monaco 2012 one of the Toro Rosso’s finished outside the points and the other one retired.

      3. As I said on the live chat the rain was forecast for 20 – 30 minutes after the end of the race, which it did, it tipped it down. The few spots during the race didn’t warrant the change to inters, good points thrown away. :-(

        1. Wrong, wrong, wrong!!

          Vergne had to pit a second time anyway. By lap 70 his soft tyres had hit the cliff: he was losing 4 seconds a lap to di Resta. His gamble for intermediates was his only chance of scoring any points at all.

  7. I gave it an 8, but immediately regretted it. 6 or 7 I reckon- a nice close finish, but there wasn’t any actual dicing for position. Strategy was fairly interested, but the race did become a bit tedious at times.

    1. Nice close finish due to the fact there is no where to go. No passing!!

  8. What a boring race! Maybe a bit of rain would have spiced the racing up. When the teams mentioned rain towards the half way point i didnt get my hopes up and im glad i didn’t. Can never trust the weather.

  9. Most boring race in seasons. Nothing happened, save for Red Bull and Ferrari getting the jump on Mclaren in the pits.
    And what’s ailing Jenson Button this season?

    1. Something has blown, maybe his “happy bubble”… He seemed very confident in Australia and everybody was expecting him to repeat his form of the second part of 2011 but he’s failing to materialize the expectations.

    2. McLaren have clearly made some kind of mistake in the car development which has unbalanced it quite badly – Hamilton’s been slower too since China, though by nowhere near as much since Hamilton’s much better at driving badly balanced cars.

    3. And what’s ailing Jenson Button this season?

      Nothing.

      I don’t know why people have such high expectations of him after one strong season (2011). Jenson’s had loads of weekends like this one throughout his career.

  10. 6. The six-car train was pretty epic, but the race never really kicked off, and the result was never in doubt. One senses some proper rain would have set the race off, but nothing really came of it. Monaco is always a precession, but there was too much tyre preservation to make it an exciting one. Roll on Montreal.

    1. Monaco is always either a winner or a dud. This was unfortunately the latter.

    2. To be honest, This race is one of those that had lots of potential, so many times things could have absolutely gone off, but nothing came of it.

      1. Yeah. I think rain could have been a trigger, but it arrived just a little too late.

    3. Pretty epic??? Youre easily pleased!

      1. And you’re not.

        I enjoyed it, the potential for things happening was there, that makes it exciting. Ok, so you didn’t see 20 passes for the lead. Get over it.

  11. Tight race, 7

  12. Great drive from Mark and well deserved victory. 6th victor in 6 races, mad season! I honestly found the race a bit boring as nobody could make a pass, not even JB on the caterham.

    Someone seriously needs to be fired at Mclaren. Allowing Vettel to get pass because they are driving to a target lap time was insane. At minimum they Lewis should have been ahead on the fresh tires and then make Vettel work to pass him.

  13. I gave it a 4. Too much tyre management, not enough opportunities to overtake for some reason.

    It didn’t seem like a 2 stop race was possible given that there seemed to be no opportunity to overtake during the race and with everyone on a one stop strategy it was a bit processional.

    1. one stop strategy it was a bit processional.

      This on it’s own supports what Pirrelli have done.

      1. no thats because its Monaco, a one stop race where they are going at it instead of nursing the tyres would have been better. It total undermine Pirellis approach IMO.

        1. @bbt

          -.-
          Ok smarty pants. Now explain how to have that happen.

    2. same sentiments but I was more generous by rating it a 5. I am now having second thoughts about that rating :)

    3. Would be interesting to see if they choose Super soft and hard tyres for the race … Probably the best combinaison for me. As the difference between the spec just allow to think about overtaking and that would allow different strategies

  14. Things just didn’t come together for an exciting race this time, however I loved it, 8! :D

    Button -.- ugh…

    Feel very sorry for Schumacher.
    Good win for Webber, and Alonso, once again, a solid finish, and higher up than his car deserves. Who would have thought he’d be leading the championship. I have to admit, that’s impressive.

    1. @mike Totally agree. Even though there were very few overtakes, the last few laps made for some tense viewing! I think it was around lap 65 or so when Rosberg, Alonso and Vettel were, very, very close, taking different lines through Loews, and that had me on the edge of my seat!

      Great race from Mark, Alonso and Vettel. Massa did what he should be doing at every race, let’s hope he can keep this up (although I doubt he can do it). Schumacher really needs a change of luck – three retirements through no fault of his own in six races is something I’d never associate with him!

      And the less said about Raikkonen and Button, the beter. Both had abysmal pace. Seeing Button (on option tyres) stuck behind Kovalainen (on primes) was a bit pathetic, although I have to concede that Kovalainen was a bit of an idiot with his defensive driving.

      1. @guilherme So are you saying that Kovalainen should have given up his place to Button without putting up a fight?

        IMO Kovalainen was the hero of the day.

        1. @huhhii No, I didn’t mean that Kovalainen should have waved Button past, but repeatedly he overshot his breaking point into Nouvelle when Button was alongside, and since he would never be able to make the corner, he took the oportunity to cut the chicane and keep in front of Button.

          Furthermore, the way he forced Pérez out of St. Devote was amateurish to say the least.

          1. Can’t see how Kovalainen broke the rules. I think he defended his place fairly against both Perez and Button. Furthermore Perez cut the chicane when he finally passed Kovalainen, and he didn’t give his place back to Kovalainen. Kovalainen should have finished 12th. No idea why Caterham didn’t protest against Perez…

    2. Alonso, once again, a solid finish, and higher up than his car deserves.

      At the beginning of the season I’d have agreed. But I don’t see any evidence for it now really.

      1. Paul Ogbeiwi (@)
        27th May 2012, 15:36

        very true, the ferrari is clearly a fast car on race days. and its caught up in qualifying. we cant keep saying alonso is outperforming.

        1. I can. :) He continuously gains positions from qualifying, and if qualy is an indicator of true pace in clean air, then why not? Sure the car is getting better, but Alonso outperforms everything he drives the majority of the time.

          1. and if qualy is an indicator of true pace in clean air

            But it isn’t necessarily, not in race conditions.

    3. I tend to think at this point that Ferrari are just as good as everyone else (or at least close). Alonso in 3rd and Massa in 6th is proof that the car is there.

      Ferrari have got plenty of resources, so they should always be top 3 year in and year out. Alonso in 3rd is less impressive than Webber’s win and ‘pole’ IMO.

      1. @matt90

        Well, I look at it this way.

        The Merc was faster,
        So was the Mclaren, They just didn’t make it work.
        The Red Bull was quick too.

        So that’s 7th and 8th for the Ferrari’s.
        And even if one of the three I said, it would still be 5th and 6th.
        Alonso had no right to put his car in 3rd but he did.

        But yeah, the Ferrari is closer. But it’s still not quite there yet.
        However it appears to have good race pace, so that may be a factor.

        1. @mike You’re looking exclusively at qualifying though, and ignoring that Hamilton, Webber, Rosberg and Schumacher may have been out driving their cars too. In race pace the Ferrari is clearly on pace. And there is certainly no way of categorically saying that the car doesn’t belong in 3rd, particularly when the other Ferrari finished 6 seconds behind, by a driver supposedly far inferior!

        2. What makes you think the McLaren was faster than the Ferrari over a race distance? Hamilton was clearly struggling to keep the tyres in one piece and Button couldn’t get the car moving at all?

  15. Could easily have gone out for breakfast between the flags.

    1. Well, you could have…

      But that’s F1. You can’t have every race be amazing.

      1. That’s true, and I don’t need every race to be amazing. I just want THIS race to be amazing! I want amazing surroundings and an amazing race. But, whatever. I gave it a 7 because I’m generous.

    2. Aditya Banerjee (@)
      27th May 2012, 19:31

      I bet you didn’t. That’s a true f1 fan.

    3. @alan93rsa The wise man (myself) makes his fry up before it starts and enjoys it during the preview show ;)

  16. 5 is being generous. There is never any overtaking at Monaco, I can accept that but at least in years gone by you could see the drivers were pushing hard and it was really a challenge to drive, but the new tyres really didn’t work out today. Also a good point was raised in commentary on Sky, Vettel got a big advantage by not running in Q3, a rule change is required here in getting rid of the stupid start on the tyres you qualify on rule.

    1. Absolutely, get rid of that rule, completely agree. It just doesn’t work on these tyres any more. They need to get rid of the rule that means both types of tyre have to be used, because that doesn’t work on these tyres too, and it would shake things up even more.

    2. Vettel did run in Q3. He didn’t set a lap time.

  17. 4. Very “old school” (aka boring), just 1 pit stop, a processional race. All very usual here in Monaco, but compared to the other races, I has to have a very very low mark.

    My man won, though, so I’m extremely happy and it was quite tense in the end. But it was still quite a rubbish race in terms of spectacle. Not like 2011 at all!

  18. 3. Boring and I hate the drivers looking behind them rather than how to get in front. Another how slow can I go and get good points race.

  19. 6/10 – And that maybe generous. Everytime something was about to happen, it didn’t. :(

  20. I gave it 7/10. It’s unfair to judge Monaco the same way as other circuits – you simply cannot expect overtaking on this kind of circuit. Some F1 fans are just spoilt.
    Anyways, good ending to the race, having 6 cars separated by 3.6 seconds is just something else. Great drives from Webber, Rosberg, Alonso, and even Massa!

    1. 6 cars separated by under 4 seconds shows just how bad monaco is for racing

  21. 3 (actually 2, but Kovalainen earned +1)

  22. DK (@seijakessen)
    27th May 2012, 15:04

    Amazing…I can’t believe people whine about the lack of overtaking.

    Monaco HAS NEVER been an overtaking track in any era.

    The artificial overtaking methods have blinded people tremendously to that. Not sure why anyone thought somehow there was going to be loads of overtaking in any manner.

    1. Couldn’t agree with you more

    2. +1

      Overtaking or no overtaking, I could watch cars drive around Monaco all day!

      1. DK (@seijakessen)
        27th May 2012, 15:50

        Same here…I could watch the cars going through the swimming pool the entire time…it is unreal to watch how quickly they change direction, and seeing them flying over the curb is insane. No other race series on the planet has cars that do what they do at those speeds in that section.

    3. @seijakessen

      +1000. I was feeling very happy after the race (even though my favourite drivers had terrible a weekend), but reading all this negativity really brought my mood down. Some people must be either very new to the sport or spoiled by the first races of the season. And I even read someone saying that the track was dull and is only on the calendar because of money. Wait, what?! I just can’t believe people moan on and on about the new dull and featureless tracks in countries with no tradition whatsoever, but moan to when it comes to one of the most historic races on the Earth, on par with the Indianapolis 500 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

      We F1 fans are always arguing with people who do not watch the races about how much it is a sport and not simple entertainment. When we finally get to the race that is the essence of what F1 is – driving on the limit with both precision and consistency – the race that screams how much of a sport F1 is, people complain about the lack of something as subjective as entertainment.

      1. DK (@seijakessen)
        27th May 2012, 15:57

        @guilherme

        Agreed. I am amazed by how many people are complaining about this race. How many times have we seen a race leader open up a huge gap of 50 seconds or more at Monaco? This was an incredibly tight race from start to finish, minus the part when Vettel was leading before he had to pit. It’s a mentally draining track because of how technical the circuit is. It’s the last track of its kind on the calendar and is a complete throwback to an era when all tracks featured risk/reward instead of massive tarmac runoffs. I would take 10 races at Monaco if it meant we did not have to sit through another Tilkedrome track.

        Monaco also is the only race that doesn’t pay anything to host.

        I 100% agree with your second paragraph. Monaco favors driver ability more than any other track…the race could have gone any way possible given how close the top 4 were…I was actually wondering if we were in line for a shunt by Webber which would have thrown the top 10 into complete disarray due to how bunched up everyone was. It’s the one race I look forward to every year. I have no complaints about the race at all.

      2. You have to be really naive to think that the reason this circuit, which has been unfit for F1 cars for a long time and which has long been treated with a different standard (look for the 84-85 Balestre-Boeri scandal, it’s not a new phenomenon), is in the championship because of tradition or historical considerations. Nope. It has everything to do with money, influence, politics.

        The fact that Tilkedromes unfortunately dominate the season has got nothing do with it. When I started watching F1, there still was an Austrian or a Portuguese Grand Prix. There was still Imola or Kyalami. So don’t for a second assume that I just came watching F1 these last few years. And yet the fact I grew up almost deifying Ayrton Senna who won 6 races at Monaco, doesn’t change my view of this circuit. I don’t wear rose-tinted glasses, sorry.

        Maybe, just maybe if this was still the same Formula 1 that I grew up with, I might agree there’s still a place for Monaco in F1. Though I doubt it.

        1. DK (@seijakessen)
          27th May 2012, 19:04

          @giuseppe

          Money, influence, and politics pretty much sums up why any circuit gets a F1 race.

          It’s still a fantastic circuit in my eyes regardless of the reasons it is on the calendar.

        2. @giuseppe Pardon me, but I never said Monaco was there just because of its history. It was you who said it was only there because rich people in Monaco wanted a race by their windows. And anyway, neither did I imply it was you who began watch F1 recently when I said that some people must be very new to F1.

          DK already said up there, every race on the calendar is there because of money, influence and politics, particularly the races on the Middle East. While Monaco indeed does have all that, it is on that very race that more deals are done than in every other in the entire season. Teams want to be there. People want to be there. The race has been going on for almost every (peaceful) year since 1929 (and thus it is on par with Spa Francorchamps and Monza in terms of history) and safety around there has never been called into serious question in recent years, so why drop it? Because there is no overtaking? That’s simply not reason enough.

          I don’t see how this race was any more boring than the ones in the first half of the last decade.

          1. I wasn’t only replying to you, I was also replying to DK and pretty much everyone else that likes this race :)

            Money, influence, and politics may get any circuit in the calendar, but the Monaco GP is THE sugar daddy. It’s the only one that gets preferential treatment. So the least suited circuit for F1 racing gets the best deal. I’d call that strange, to say the least.

            If you were to take this circuit and place it in any other city in the world and then you’d suggest holding an F1 race there, half the people would laugh their asses off and the other half would think you’re bonkers.

            What kind of racing circuit is this anyway? If with all the rules meant to encourage (even force) overtaking, you can still hardly pull an overtake and even that under special circumstances (like the guy in front of you is MUCH slower), then you clearly have a problem.

            If overtaking isn’t important at Monaco and precision and consistency are key, perhaps they should change the format of this particular GP. Make it a Formula 1 rally GP :)) then you really won’t need to see overtaking and you can still have (1) precision driving, (2) consistency and (3) F1 cars passing through narrow monegasque streets. No… I’m joking of course. Or maybe not. :P

    4. True, not much overtaking at Monaco but previously they used to at least try to pressure the guy in front into a mistake.

      1. DK (@seijakessen)
        27th May 2012, 15:52

        @hohum Rosberg did his best to pressure Webber…my hat is off to Mark for handling the pressure for all the laps that he did. Some guys easily would have shunted with someone breathing down their rear wing. Webber was absolutely exhausted at the end of the race and for good reason.

    5. Finally, someone with common sense.

      +1

    6. I think it’s more people whinning about the lack of pressure from drivings on other drivers. Never seen a race with drivers so close to each other, but lack of intent to overtake. How many on track overtakes actually occurred? 3 or 4? There can be zero overtakes as long as there is good clean racing, cars dancing behind others, whilst the ones in front full off brilliant blocks is way more exciting then a 5/6 car train with no one even thinking about overtaking.

      You know it’s a poor race when talk of non-existant rain is the most exciting thing. F1 needs to move on, the cars are just too wide for this sort of track now!

      1. DK (@seijakessen)
        27th May 2012, 19:00

        @riotard

        The cars are too wide?

        Current regulations say car width shall not exceed 180cm.

        In 1991, cars were 213cm.

        They are narrower than at any point in the last 20-22 seasons.

    7. I don’t care about overtaking, that is not what makes a race, and lack of overtaking is NOT what made this dull…. lapping 5+ seconds off the pace did.

      1. I was on the edge of my seat out of concern that if rain of any significance fell it would scupper NR’s chances of fighting for the win or at least keeping the pressure on MW and trying to force him into a mistake while at the same time ensuring he himself didn’t make a mistake.

        Hats off to both of them for being in a class by themselves (along with FA) and making for some great points to add to the excitement of the WDC chase.

  23. As a webber fan 10 , but realistically as a watcher a 5, no overtaking and when Button tried-race over. Toro Rosso?! Hey lets give away some points coz we don’t need them, just strange decision and Hamilton once again screwed over by his own team.

  24. Not a good race. Had the rain arrived, could have been an 8. But it didn’t

  25. Never once did i get a feeling that anyone was going to try and overtake. A close finish though and i was about to turn off the TV at about 58 laps when i heard rain! A little dissapointed it did not rain harder.

    A track for sprinklers perhaps?

  26. 8 – Historic race! 1st multiple winning Aussie @ Monaco. 6th different winner in the first 6 races for the season. Maybe it’s Kimi’s turn in Canada.

  27. gutted for Michael and Kimi….

    otherwise pretty boring … was expecting some drama towards the end and with top 6 cars within 7 sec window + rain. Gave a 3

  28. I guess they would consider DRS in the tunnel for 2013.

    Gave it 6. It would have been 4 if the closing laps weren’t so tight.

  29. 3/10 – another Monaco Grand Prix procession (c). A dull, boring circuit that’s only around because of a bunch of fat cats that want to see F1 cars pass in front of their windows.

  30. 6, very very average race.

  31. Given his very nice getaway and the pace he had when in clean air, I really really think MSC would have won this race. Gutted, astonishing amount of bad luck.

  32. 6, for the novelty of seeing a 6 car train at the front of the pack for a few laps. Not the greatest race but ok by Monaco standards. If the rain came it would have spiced things up a fair bit.

  33. 7/10 for me.

    True not much really ‘happened’ but it was still rather intense.
    Would the rain come?
    Would the tyres hold out?
    Could Heikki hold onto 12th? Could he score points?
    How far through could Perez get?

    The last 20-15 laps were just crazy. The top 5-6 cars spereated by mere seconds.

    Not a classic but definatly a good race.

  34. As far as parades go I give it a 10 great parade next better than Disney as far a s a race goes I give it a 5 Monaco should always be on the calendar as a parade event a race for pole but should not count for points in a racing season. It is a graet shame to see the team with likely the best car at least from the start of the year just keep tripping over themselves. Mclaren should win the “through it all away award”.

    1. do you mean threw it all away – as in thrown away? Or is it as you wrote – through it all away which would imply they’ve been through it all whilst away.

      I hope the latters true and now they’ve been through it all they can get it together and not throw it away!

  35. 2, very boring race. Hope the Indy 500 has more to offer later.

  36. 6/10 Mediocre race with rain coming half an hour too late. Could’ve been worst if we didn’t have someone like Kovalainen to keep us entertained.

  37. … gave it a 5. Only a few things pulled the rating up that high:

    – the six car train up front,
    – strategies evolving around the threat of real rain,
    – Lewis’ comment about the pit board,
    – the 6th winner of the year, and
    – driver comments in the interview room.

    1. Lewis’ comment about the pit board

      THIS!

  38. Yeah, I guess it was a pretty normal Monaco. Since last few years were probably above average exciting Monaco races, and this year has shown great races, it feels a bit disappointing. But I think if it had been in 2008, it would have been quite good.

    I’ll give it a 6, as the potential for something in those last 20 laps was nice, but at the same time, everyone was then a bit too cautious. Just like everyone was too cautious waiting for that rain that didn’t come.

    How often have we seen that go nowhere teams? McLaren & Lotus, learn from it: loosing more than a second a lap doesn’t work very well if it has to last well over three laps, even if it might start raining at some point. Especially on these Pirelli tyres, just pit those cars and let them try it on fresh rubber, maybe with a clean track ahead, please. Look at what Rosberg did, or alternatively at how Vettel went, on the prime tyre, but not that waiting game if you aren’t quick enough in the pits to respond properly.

  39. 6. A bit Valencia 2011-like. But to be honest, wasn’t expecting much more from it anyway. Not after the one-stop-strategies came into view at least.

    However I think it’s safe to say we’ve seen much better Monaco grand prix over the course of the years. The last 20 laps was the only part of the race that at least looked like it had potential to turn into something, but it didn’t.

    Congrats to Webber on a well-deserved win. And a great one for the statistics. 6th different winner. There’s 61 years since this last happened! That must mean something.

    Clockwork drives for the whole top 5 to be honest. Good to see Massa back in some sort of form as well. Another 2-3 races like this one for him and he might earn his place back at Ferrari.

    I am however baffled by the amount of bad luck Schumacher (and apparently Button as well) keep getting. Dark season for these two so far. Such a shame…

    Grosjean – what in god’s name was he thinking pulling that GP2 move at the start?! One of the most stupid mistakes he’s done so far, and he’s done plenty! Absolutely embarrasing and a big blow for Lotus who, I’m sure were putting a lot of hope in his performance this weekend especially since Raikkonen just didn’t seem to be himself this weekend, struggling either with steering issues or tire wear.

    Despite their decent results this year, it simply seems Grosjean and Maldonado are somehow in their own purgatory – between GP2 and F1 – in a driver’s mentality sense. If they don’t get their acts straight soon, it could get ugly. For themselves, their teams, the other drivers, FIA…for everyone.

    Torro Rosso – absolutely hilarious strategy. Pitting Vergne from 7th place, 8 laps before the end of the race for intermediates on a track that was 90% dry. Great job. Throwing away points like that will get you far…back.

    Great job Force India proving consistent drives still get rewarded once in a while.

    All in all, dull race, but on the bright side, at least we had Perez pulling stunt-like moves and dodges all across the field. It was something to watch for the first 90 minutes.

    Let’s see what Canada has in store for us.

  40. 8. Suspension all over. Didn’t come out unfortunately

  41. Gave it a 6. There was always in the aur the feeling that something will happen, what with everyone so close together and a threat of rain, but in the end nothing did.

  42. As usual I knew it wasn’t going to rain, and then it rains…after the race.
    Very processional, 4.

  43. I’m going for a seven, great drives from the top 5 drivers all constantly at each other, challenging conditions and plenty to lose.

  44. 10 Because I’m Aussie and have been waiting for Mark to pull that off for a long time :)

    1. Adrian (@adrian_debian)
      27th May 2012, 15:40

      Would be more logical to vote Mark the best driver of the race and give the actual race a rating that reflected the full race.

      1. 7 for the race, 8 for Mark. He was good but not as solid as he was in 2010. Kovalainen and Vettel had a better race.

  45. Very predictable. Grosjean and Maldonado crashing at the start; Red Bull and Ferrari gaining places with strategy and McLaren and Lotus losing.

  46. 1 Boooooooooooring. 2 hours lost

  47. There might not have been overtaking. But I was tense from beginning to end. So, I think it was a pretty good race! 7

  48. I gave it a 7.

    Not as exciting as Malaysia, China or Bahrein but entertaining none the less.
    The top 4 finishing within 1.3 seconds of each other emphasizes the fact this race was far from boring as some like to suggest.

    Yes there aren’t many overtakes in Monaco. That’s because it’s Monaco. If you don’t think 6 cars racing within 5 seconds for almost the entire 2nd half of the race is exciting F1 isn’t the sport for you.

    It’s the whining people who want to see drivers overtake for the lead on every single lap that have brought us DRS.

    Thank you!

    1. @f1fannl Well said, very similar to my comment.

    2. Cars racing within a few seconds of each other is only interesting if there is some probability of them actually being able to pass. There is no tension if it is obvious that the order is set in stone, and that was, indeed, obvious.

      1. It wasn’t obvious.

        This race offered excitement because the drivers being so close together meant one mistake from a driver would be disastrous for that driver.

    3. I don’t think so. Those 4 cars covered by 1.3s following each other “fighting” who’s the best on tyres is boring. Were those cars pushing and properly fighting for position, that’s a complete different story. We should start giving prices for “easiest on tyres”, just like they do Oscar for best supporter, Oscar fo that, Oscar for this. It’s only entertainment, isn’t it?

      1. Except this race tyres didn’t play a huge role. Only in your mind perhaps.
        They did almost 50 laps on the soft tyres so the ‘old’ it’s all about tyre management argument is invalid.
        We saw Hamilton lock up his front left several times and he didn’t have any problem following the guys in front.

        This whining about the tyres is getting way out of hand. Last race we already saw that Hamilton, who most claimed to be punished the most with the new tyres, was capable to make his tyres last longer than Button. It’s all about the setup. You get it right, you’ll be able to win. You get it wrong, you’ll burn up your tyres and lose. And that’s how it should be.

  49. It seems that it is the first Monaco race these people watched What did they expect with passing almost impossible.

  50. DRS and KERS really hasn’t seemed to help much this season.
    That’s very strange.

    1. The tyres seem to dominate everything!

      1. Or it could be that Monaco is a very tight track that hasn’t seen much overtaking in the past either?

        Just spitballing here.

      2. The tyres had very little to do with today, hence Vettel managing 45 laps on the soft compound.

        1. But teams seemed to not know that @andrewtanner, and so they were afraid to use the tyres. Not fault of Monaco, or F1, but some teams just weren’t doing a good job. I do think it was a bit too static since there was only very short bits where there seemed any doubt that someone would do something different. Then again, the tot 6 were there because they all kept it together until the end, including HAM with MAS just behind. At Monaco that’s clearly a good effort, as today showed with some of the other drivers. And KOV did great. Not a bad Monaco, but no great race.

    2. I was wondering why DRS didn’t produce some fireworks in the six car procession?
      Nice to see Mark get a win, otherwise rather dull and underwhelming,
      Gave it a generous 7.

      1. I was wondering why DRS didn’t produce some fireworks in the six car procession?

        Because of the start-finish straight being rather short, tight and…not straight. And because none of the drivers running in the top 6 were willing to risk anything stupid into St. Devote.

        Enough reasons if you ask me…

  51. Well I’m glad I had my revision notes for my exam on Monday with me for that race, or I could have fallen asleep!

  52. 3 for the race. Very very boring race.
    1 for the lap of ALO before pits.
    1 for the emotion waiting for the rain.
    5 In total

  53. 5/10 race was a procession except for a few undercuts.

  54. i wonder if grosjean would of had good pace if he didn’t crash out, coz kimi’s pace was terrible.

    1. In Practice and Quali Grosjean was much faster than Kimi. I think he would have been between the top drivers.

    2. Thanks to Lotus race decision making, once again. Freaking failure.

  55. Aside from 1st lap incident and last 10 laps, very disappointing, too much protecting of tyres

    On a side note, everybody should put in a qualy lap in Q3, makes a mockery of it all

  56. i think with 5 cars covered by 4 seconds with 10 laps to go and spitting of rain, it was very exciting!

    1. Which only goes to prove the point that the man in front stays in front. There is no passing option in Monaco.

  57. I gave it a 7 for the sheers spectacle, but I’ll admit I struggle to see this as a race.
    The cars – the teams – and the equipment don’t really fit in here, or work as they should. As has been said before, it’s a daft place to have a motor racing weekend, but, well…. it’s monaco, isn’t it.
    I’d still pay to go and see it – if I could affort to, and despite the fact most of it is a junket for bunterish lickspittles and dancing wh0re$.

  58. 7/10, not a great race but not very boring either. Would have only gave it a 5, if the last 20 laps were not tense.

  59. Well, I don’t know what you all are expecting, but this is simply Monaco…
    7/10 for me.

  60. A 3, whilst Monaco has its glitzy reputation, and from a drivers viewpoint is a tricky circuit to master, the main spectator aspect is for the people actually there. The atmosphere, noise, smell etc all play its part to create a classic F1 event. However for we lowly couch potatoes the spectacle of the longest driver parade on the calendar is quite boring. No passing. No racing. No DRS capability. No … FUN.

  61. Since the circuit itself doesn’t really allow for much wheel-to-wheel racing, switch-backs, or just overtakes in general, I think Monaco can only be a 4 on its best day; even when weather throws in a twist. “4” for me because it was close in the end.

  62. A 4 from me. Just a very boring race, in honesty. The rain spiced things up slightly, but perhaps there should be two DRS zones now? One on the straight, one in the tunnel could ‘possibly’ work, and might succeed in helping keep Monaco interesting, in a day and age where tyre degradation is the main factor o a race :s

    1. a drs zone in the tunnel would be too dangerous, there isn’t a lot of grip in the tunnel & you can’t run side by side through there.
      also dont forget that one reason you see cars go off on the bump on the exit of the tunnel is the weight transfer under braking, with no downforce on the rear with drs you would have everyone go off there.

  63. I gave it a 7. I don’t tune in exclusively for over-taking, especially at Monaco (what do you expect?!) so thankfully I can find other things to enjoy. I thought that we had the best race available to us given the circumstances (the Monaco circuit) and that was evident in how close the finish was. I think what let the race down was the threat of rain. Everyone was playing it cautious which resulted in some rather conservative tyre strategies, but that was probably conducive to how close things were at the end.

    Basically, if you’re tuning in to watch over-taking at Monaco, you’re tuning in for the wrong reason. If the drivers do overtake then we run the risk of a Safety Car or Red Flag, which would also come under heavy scrutiny. Any other race and I would have probably marked it lower.

    1. Why does the fact that Monaco is a terrible circuit not suited to F1 cars mean that the race should be marked higher?

      1. @ilanin My argument was more directed at people marking the race down based solely on a lack of over-taking. It’s not a circuit that suits over-taking so I think it’s a little harsh to mark it down for that.

    2. I agree with a lot of what you are saying @andrewtanner, though I still think it wasn’t more than okay. I was annoyed with all those teams again only waiting for rain, doing nothing in the meantime (well, Vettel biding his time, WEB too, ALO a bit). ROS saying enough is enough broke it open for a bit, and I’m very glad Merc tried that, but Lotus and McLaren paid the price for wanting to be too cautious. There’s something good in there, but unfortunately I think the race suffered from too many teams taking it easy until the elusive rain clearly didn’t come.

      No overtakes isn’t strange for Monaco, but I almost hoped MAS,HAM would try a rematch to spice it up a bit – they could have but were scared to ruin tyres, or something. Bit sad.

      1. @bosyber It was a little frustrating however, I can’t blame the teams for acting cautious in uncertain circumstances. Evidently it was worth it for most of them.

        1. But when you loose more time than you would if you pitted twice and at the same time opened pit stop window for drivers in front. Kimi was lacking traction on exits for over 15 laps.

          Lotus needs to cut this crap down. They seriously need man who actually takes car performance into the account, not just hoping to win a lottery every race. 6 races, in 5 of them points lost due to strategy.

  64. 3, very close up front but nothing came of it.

  65. 5.
    Typical Monaco, you can’t overtake here, it’s the same every time.
    I’m surprised fans expect more every year then are disappointed.

  66. Was thrilling when Charles Pic’s endplate came off!

    1. LOL

  67. Reading all the above, I’m glad I didn’t watch it live. I’ll save if for iPlayer later on. Instead I gained massive Brownie point total with Her Indoors by not watching the race live. Awarded a Perfect 10 Brownie Points!

    1. It’s a race that lends itself well to a summary I think @timkatz (just found RTL.NL run that now Indy 500 is over, looks better than the original to me). There were tense bits, but hardly enough to keep my attention for all of it.

  68. 2, if it wasn’t for the mess up at the start it’d be a 1. The Monaco Grand Prix isn’t a race, it’s a point to point parade. Get rid of this boring, dull, dry track.

  69. the first race i would have been happy to see bernies stupid rain sprinker idea at work.

  70. I gave it a 9, mostly due to Kovalainens ability to hold off 5 cars or so, an also the final few laps were insane: the top 4 or 5 cars covere by 2 seconds or so

  71. Id get rid of Nouvelle Chicane (10-11) to try and create a few moves down into Tabac (12). That should spicen things up.

  72. Very very dull.

  73. I gave it 3/10. Very dull.
    I really have had it with these tyres, it’s too much. Because all the drivers are driving to a target lap time, to ensure their tyres go the distance, they can’t ever really push to get ahead of the car in front. The way that race finished you would naturally assume that anyone in the top six had the pace to win, but that’s not the case. They were never driving at 100% at any point, and were all given similar target lap times meaning all these tyres are doing, is creating the illusion of close racing. The biggest indication of this came in the first few laps of the first stint. Mark pulled 2s on Rosberg, with him pulling about the same on Hamilton, because they were at least pushing somewhat.
    I miss 2010 dearly. I know they conserved at some points in the races, but they also pushed like crazy for a good majority of it and when there was an overtake, it wowed you, because you knew how hard it was. When I see a DRS pass, I barely bat an eyelid. Hopefully Pirelli mistakingly create a durable tyre one year and we have cars that are close in performance to give us spectacular racing, rather than just a show.

    1. @goodyear92 I agree with you, not totally though. I wouldn’t go as back as 2010, last years tyres looked okay, leaving drivers the opportunity to push for a good amount of laps. On some of the slow motions of today you could see pieces of tyres flying from the tyres. And that radio message to Massa “Keep your fresh tyres, Hamilton is doing fantastic”, meaning no need to push just keep the distance and conserve your tyres. It is ridiculous to me to tell a driver no need to push, just keep the gap with the one in front.

      1. Actually it was “HAM not looking fantastic, so we might have a shot at the end” which didn’t happen either as Massa’s tyres seemed gone before those of HAM.

        1. Ops, should have been “is not doing fantastic”. Thanks for poiting that out @bosyber

    2. I voted 4 by the way

    3. @goodyear92 Don’t really get your point about the tyres. Vettel ran approx. 45 laps on the softs today. As far as I’m concerned the tyres were a non-event today.

      1. Yeah he ran 45 laps, but he won’t have been pushing that hard when they lasted that long. Just because they weren’t the most obvious factor, doesn’t mean they didn’t play their part. Nobody crashed in the race on their own. We saw a few drivers crashing in qualifying, because that’s what happens when you push 100% around Monaco. Not one driver was doing that in the race. We always see someone push it too far, but not with these tyres. I don’t want to see crashes, but nor do I want to see drivers having to hit target lap times (essentially just doing enough) all through the races.
        Did you hear MW after the race, was hardly full of adrenaline was he? I think it’s sad that a lot of the fastest drivers are constantly having to restrain themselves so much, and clearly not enjoying the races as much as a result.

  74. absoloute constipation,i giv it zero – 0 , and the cars look disgusting too

  75. 5/10
    Thrilling enough, but it never really came to anything.
    The slight shower towards the end could have been amazing, and Vettel pulling out a gap after they had stopped, but it never came close enough for anything to be really possible of happening.

  76. 8. Well, it’s Monaco so I’ve never expected a lot of overtaking there. It’s different from all the other Grands Prix so I’ll never use here the same criteria as I do when rating, let’s say, Korean or Spanish GPs. I love the glamour and watching the cars flying through the narrow streets so 6 already for that. The crash at the start, an unprecedented sixth different winner in the sixth race of the season, a bit of rain, intense final laps, different strategies and Kovalainen’s defensive driving give the other 2.

  77. Didn’t understand commentary or post-match exhortations that it was a tense and exciting race.
    “…super-softs are going to drop off any lap now….” – they didn’t.
    “…rain in 10 minutes…” – it didn’t
    …and we ended up with processional Monaco GP with fastest laps by people at back; first time I’ve believed that this years tyres hurt a race. Absolutely no match for last years’ pre-red flag chase.

  78. gave it a 3, I know its monaco and I know that over-taking is slim even when its artifically forced with DRS, but the race was still pretty dull.

    One incident at the start, and other than Button trying his best, nothing else really happend… tires seemed to manage pretty well Alonso never caught Hammy when he was on an early charge and the only change up front was thanks to the turn 1 incident and the pit stops… nothing really to it.

    Yeah Rosberg pushed Webber a little but Webber’s no fool and managed it well.

    If the rain had come it would have made it alot more interesting, but honestly I thought the tires just seemed too good and a 1stop was pretty easily managed by all the teams

  79. I enjoyed the race, plenty of tension due to the different being used by drivers. The threat of rain was also nice, though I’m slightly dissapointed that it didn’t continue to rain at the end of the race, as it would of been nice to see Rosberg at least get close enough to try an overtake on Webber. There was also a dissapointing lack of overtakes, I don’t recall it being as bad last year, with Perez seeming to be the only one getting any done (on screen anyway). Good race, but not great. 7/10

    1. The good stuff was on the other side ! Perez was the most fun to watch, fastest lap, constantly attacking and passing cars, drive thru, off track and all getting 11 from the back in Monaco good drive

  80. The only hope this race had to be exciting was if the tires sucked and they had to make several changes. But the tires managed to last, which sucked, so the race suffered as a result.

  81. sid_prasher (@)
    27th May 2012, 19:59

    Monaco without rain is usually not fun. At least we had a 6 car train. the terrible bad luck continues for Schumacher…Happy to see Massa staying with the leaders…

    Voted 6.

  82. if i lived in monaco i would go and greese up a few corners and kerbs to spice stuff up

    1. themagicofspeed (@)
      27th May 2012, 22:49

      +1

  83. it was a boring race i would give it 3
    but i like monaco as cars get very close to each other even thought without overtaking but it’s kinda good.

  84. Gave it 6, but just because of the incidents – Grosjean/Schumacher, (no one saw Maldonado’s) and Button. Very tiring. The GP3 and GP2 races yesterday were much much more exciting, fact!

  85. 4/10 from me but only because my 2 bets came in (Hamilton top 10 and safety car)

    The race was really dull, the first lap and seeing the chequored flag were by far the best parts. The tension was quite good but last years race was alot more exciting. I think I actually enjoyed the bbc build up more than the race

  86. 6 here

    Heikki’s move on Jenson was ACE!

    Felipe on form was good too.

    But the anticlimax of no rain just made it dull towards the end… Would have been an amazing standard race 5/6 years ago taking that into account though… But abysmal by 2012 standards…

  87. Not bad, but tyre perservation was too obvious.
    I don’t mean to be arrogant but Karthikeyan running off the track at the Chicane to let Rosberg and Alonso pass was hilariuos…

  88. Dull. For Monaco they need to make the tyres out of jam, have them knackered by 25 or so laps. Only way to make that place remotely interesting.

  89. Pretty poor, and whilst i can see that preservation of tyres is paramount with Pirelli instead of bridgestone as they said in the BBC commentary they need a speed delta of around 3s to make a pass easy enough and with the top 9 teams all within about 1.5s it was never going to happen, you could have had all 24 cars lined nose to tail covered by 10s and you still would not have seen any passes, DRS, KERS and the track layout simply do not allow for overtaking and the closer the field get with stable rules the less you will see passing

    My only ask being a non sky subscriber is that next year when BBC beg which 10 races they show live they save me the bother of picking Monaco and go for something with a bit more action, couldnt care less if the drivers love the thrill of the barriers or the celebrities all want to go and see / be seen at the race, i want racing and i am sorry to those who love Monaco for me it is a terrible race and with the weekend as nice as it was wish i had done something else with my time and watched the highlights… not that there were many!

  90. Race was ok. Wasnt helped by constantly built up of rain

  91. F1 fans can’t be satisfied. I am literally floored by the comments posted here and how narrow-minded and hypocritical they are.

    Note to self: don’t bother reading the comments section on articles anymore.

  92. themagicofspeed (@)
    27th May 2012, 22:25

    Only 7. 7 is quite high, given that at nearly every race last year bar Silverstone i scored a 1 and only because 0 wasnt available. While this year isnt a painfullly boring and predictable whitewash by one driver, it is going to peter out somewhere and i have a feeling its going to be in a few races, with RBR pulling away from the pack. The Bulls had an edge untouchable by the others – though by the tiniest of margins. I hope to the pit of my soul if one RBR driver comes out on top its Webber. Vettel’s head does not need making any bigger. If he starts to dominate again, that will be me switched off F1 until next season.

    A tainted weekend really, primarily because Fernando didnt win, but also because Nico Rosberg was merely a pain in the ass by existing in the last 10 laps as FA could have had a go at Webber more agressively than Rosberg. But the biggest downer on this weekend is the ridiculous stewards from Spain penalising Michael Schumacher because Bruno Senna does not grasp the concept that at 180mph you MUST brake consistently in every braking zone and you cannot decide to brake stupidly early when it takes your fancy. For the Michael bashers who say the penalty was deserved, can you, or anyone you know, react in the 0.1 or so seconds it takes to avert a collision under those circumstances at such high speed?. Once again, the FIA has robbed us of an amazing moment – Schumi back on top after so long out of the limelight. And like last year, where they handed Vettel 25 points on a silver plate by allowing him a tyre change before the restart, they have ruined what might have been one of the most vindicating, thrilling and historic races in recent history. It is enormously satisfying though, that despite his age and everyone who is anyone saying Michael Schumacher is too old/is past it/doesnt deserve his seat etc, those people can now shut their mouths.

  93. I have to go against the dominant position on this tread and give the race a higher score than I would give to a boring tilki track parade. There was a tension and aura of impending doom that kept this race interesting for me although largely nothing happened after the first lap. The constant threat of rain and vettles desperate tire gambles and the overall closeness of the top 7 or so runners meant that I always felt we were just seconds away from seeing a truly epic race. It always felt like something was going to happen soon…

    And frankly that is enough for me at Monaco. Its a place where every little twitch or lockup or bobble can escalate into a huge deal. And for this one day a year, just watching these talented lads drive an insanely difficult old track will mean that I never give the Monaco GP a lower rating than a pretty good race at a modern track.

    1. themagicofspeed (@)
      27th May 2012, 22:53

      I agree. It was the great race that awkwardly never was. Bit of an understated let down in many ways.

      And i have to agree with your point about the track. The strange, unexplainable magic of Monaco must stay on the calendar. Yes, theres no overtaking, its boring at times, etc, but its somehow just so exciting to watch. I just cannot explain it.

  94. Here are the total elapsed times for races over the past few years:

    2012-Webber-1:46:06
    2011-Vettel-2:09:38
    2010-Webber-1:50:13
    2009-Button-1:40:44
    2008-Hamilton-2:00:42
    2007-Alonso-1:40:29
    2006-Alonso-1:43:43

    I don’t really think anyone can definitively say that this race was overall slow due to drivers conserving their tyres. Have a look at the facts before you make yourself look silly.

  95. I’m going to say 4/10. The race lacked a bit of punch, mostly because everyone drove cautiously in anticipation of the rain. It would have been fantastic if someone had done what Vergne did at the first stop, and gambled on there being no downpour.

  96. While I agree this year’s race wasn’t thrilling, I think the calls to get rid of the Monaco grand prix are absolutely ridiculous. I bet that if offered the opportunity to visit any of the grands prix throughout the season for free, most people would pick either Monaco or silverstone or spa. There’s a history to these tracks that is unrivalled by any other track on the calendar bar monza. These races are the reason F1 is as successful as it is, not the modern additions to the calendar. We need to fix the rest of the calendar before we get rid of Monaco. Bring back tracks like imola with some actual history, and return formula 1 to what it should really be about – the world’s best drivers driving on the absolute limit – that’s the entertainment! Get rid of the drs and tyres and aerodynamics and let the drivers show their skill on tracks that provide a challenge instead of just being designed for the aero cars of today. It should be about the driving, not the “show”.

    Oh and while we’re at it, get rid of the ridiculous rule that you can only move once to overtake – the FIA need to learn from the BTCC about that.

  97. I actually was so frustrated with Lotus, I stopped watching the GP half way through.

    Very happy for Webber, good job mate!

    Seriously, Lotus, again showed total lack of sharp decision making during the race. You could see Kimi lacking traction out of the corners like 15 laps before he pitted. I know the weather situation, but it’s not an excuse to hope win a lottery (China all over again).

    That decision also opened pit stop window for the front runners and effectively put Kimi outside that group.

    They again lost full pit stop gap, before they had to take one and then lost another 25 seconds.

    As much as I want Kimi to win World Championship. If Lotus keep giving away points on these strategy calls, I’m afraid they will get way too far.

    Unlucky for Romain and Shummi.

  98. For me this was a typical Monaco race except for one aspect – tyres. Lots of tension in the build up, the adrenalin rush of the dash to the first corner, and then it’s over to the pit stops for any change in position. The only thing different this year was the lack of crashes. I believe this is because the drivers weren’t pushing to the limit but instead were driving within themselves in order to preserve their tyres. Coulthard made a comment after the race about how impressed he was that the top 6 drivers didn’t make one mistake – i think this is less about the current quality of the drivers and more to do with the way in which they are required to drive. Even Mark Webber after the race didn’t seem that pumped given he’d just bossed the field for 78 laps.

  99. disgruntled
    28th May 2012, 1:07

    I gave this race a 9

    reason is I watched the 1993 Monaco a few days before this…apart for the names (Senna, Prost, Schumi, Patrese, Hill, Alesi etc) & the commentary (Murray Walker & James Hunt) the racing was squarely boring beyond the 2012 definition

  100. Chris (@tophercheese21)
    28th May 2012, 1:37

    5
    Why?
    Because of the tyres. The tyres rendering the drivers unable to actually push and try to catch and overtake.
    Yes I know that Monaco is the most difficult to overtake on, but still, it would have been nice to have some close battles. For about 71 of the 78 laps, they were just driving around managing their tyres.
    Last years race was much better because they could actually push the car.

    1. @tophercheese21 – The tyres were a problem, but I don’t think they were the problem you described them to be.

      The reason why nobody pushed was because they were all expecting rain to come, and they were expecting it to start shortly after the first pit window would normally close. So everyone drove conservatively, trying to prolong the life of their tyres. But the rain never came, and while it allowed everyone to move to a one-stop strategy, it took some of the life out of the fight. If someone up the front had done what Jean-Eric Vergne did and gambled on the weather never coming, things would have been much more interesting.

      1. Aditya Banerjee (@)
        28th May 2012, 10:22

        +1,fully agree with you PM,its a point most people seem to have missed!!!!

      2. Chris (@tophercheese21)
        28th May 2012, 11:04

        Good point, i forgot to factor in the chance of rain. But still, lol, i didnt really see any close battles until the end, and then it was okay.

        Hopefully canada will throw up another winner.
        LEWIS!…if Mclaren dont screw him over again. lol

  101. 6. Not a thriller, but enjoyed the top 6 being right up each others backsides late in the race.

    What kind of cretin wants to drop Monaco?

  102. Just a thought, what if Nouvelle Chicane was moved closer down to Tabac so that there could be a clearer place to overtake? Just not enough room currently. Double DRS?

  103. Probably the worst race of the season in terms of wheel to wheel action but that’s Monaco,things like that happen here, I rated it 5,the race was boring only the last 10 laps were exciting.

  104. gave it 3, the race deserved only 1 but qualifying action was good. but overall usual Monaco hype & boring procession. yes yes many will say it’s what Monaco is and makes it great racing heritage etc etc…. but frankly the emperor has no clothes.

  105. I think Monaco is a dated race,,,these cars definitely aren’t at their most exciting following each other around a course that has very limited,if at all any passing. Button was stuck behind a Caterham for how may laps? Time for the people of Monaco to hold a water polo tourney or a who has the best plastic surgery show instead of an F1 race

    1. Aditya Banerjee (@)
      28th May 2012, 10:24

      Welcome to F1 but i think you would have been better off watching NASCAR. Does seeing the world’s best drivers negotiate one of the world’s toughest tracks mean nothing to you???

  106. Matt (@agentmulder)
    28th May 2012, 4:49

    6/10 for me, and not because of the lack of overtaking.

    I knew going in that this was going to be a processional race, Monaco always is, but it’s unique. It’s a race that stands out in the era of carbon-copy Tilkedromes that provide races with the excitement of reading War and Peace with the blandness of saltines.

    I think what ruined the Grand Prix for me was the tires, plain and simple. Pirelli were forced to send their softest compounds due to the slippy nature of the track, but with the rubber being so tempermental nobody could really push for fear of jumping off the cliff. What has made Monaco thrilling in the past is watching driver and machine strain like mad for 78 laps. In the Bridgestone era and before, when tire wear was nonexistent, drivers could do that. Drivers could still get close, but even if the overtake never happened viewers were still treated to two guys giving 100% of themselves, man-bits to the wall if you like.

    I love what Pirelli have brought to the table, despite the “magic window” being too small and too dependent on factors outside anyone’s control. However, I don’t think their tires work around Monaco. Hopefully for 2013 they bring a more Bridgestone style compound to Monte Carlo, since overtaking is rare anyway.

    The reasons my score isn’t lower is threefold. First, it’s Monaco, and you can never take away the awesomeness of that track. Secondly, Maldonado retired on the first lap, which I see as karmic retribution for the utter lunacy he displayed on Saturday. Third, while my three drivers had terrible weekends, I have a soft spot in my heart for Webbo, and seeing him win felt so good.

  107. Alonso is the best Obviously

  108. Was I the only one praying for rain !!

    1. I know I wasn’t…and never will…I was ‘praying’ rain would not take away from NR’s chance of gaining a bunch more points on MS, quite frankly, and was happy to see NR dominate MS prior to MS’s car trouble.

  109. spankythewondermonkey (@spankythewondermonkey)
    28th May 2012, 8:45

    voted a 4, and that was mainly because i could watch it in the sun using the ipad. it’s a massive shame that the most visually appealing track, with decent elevation changes, produces processional racing. this year’s was the worst monaco, for racing, that i remember in a long time. definitely an event for the prawn & cucumber sandwich brigade.

  110. 4. Easily the most boring race I’ve seen for a couple of years now.

    The preceding GT1 race from Navarra, and the Indy 500 after, however… wow.

  111. I actually think it would have been great to watch in Monaco. Last year I was in the K stands and seeing Vettel, Alonso and Button chasing one another just inches away from one another bought me (and the rest of the crowd to) to my feet. I can only guess what this year’s double train of cars (1 to 6 and 8 to 11 – 7 to 10 after the TR mistake) would have done for the spectacle. It just seems so dull on tv. It is difficult to describe the difference. The sound obviously, but also the sense of closeness, speed and how little those gaps are on such a small street. So I’m sure the spectacle would have been great.

    But only a 6 for me because A) I will definitively treet myself to another GP next year because Monaco on TV just doesn’t do (contrary to other circuits where I feel TV is not as bad) and B) Damnit Vergne, you had such a great race (same goes to Kova)

  112. Why did the BBC have to get this **** rather than the Canadian GP which is often great? 1 and I’d have given it a zero if I could.

  113. “Rate the Race”? Sorry, was there a race too or was it just just those cars going round at a specified lap time calculated to maintain the tires until the next predefined stop? That’s was I saw anyway!

    Racing is long gone in F1and who cares if the season outcome is unpredictable if they might as well through dice?

    Next year they should put bike wheels on – then everyone will have to be really careful!

  114. I gave it 7. People I think are being slightly harsh. Calls of ‘the most boring race in years’ are silly. Pirelli have ensured we never Bahrain 2010 (and most other years) and Abu Dhabi most years and Spain most years etc etc ever again.

    It was even exciting for a Monaco Grand Prix, because of the constant tension provided by the threat of rain and the amazing six car train. The problem is everyone is comparing it to both to last year’s race (which wasn’t that amazing really, it was mostly the same + a few DRS passes early on, it just had the different strategies to make it interesting and the crazy ending) and more to the point, comparing it to the five insane races we’ve had this year.

    Was the same reason Indy felt slightly deflating for me and I never really ‘got into’ it. It had last year to be compared to. :D

    Mind you it was the predictable result more than anything I think…if Taku had actually got through there, oh man I’d have blown my top!

  115. Sergio Perez was like the blindfold coming off my eyes to how these cars are being operated at the moment.

    An angry Mexican decides he has had enough, so floored it. The result was he was some 2 seconds per lap faster than anybody else. Was the Sauber suddenly a massively fast car capable of getting pole by 2 seconds if he hadn’t hit the wall in Qualifying? No, he was simply pushing his car to, or near to, the limit.

    It bought home the fact that up front, nothing was happening not because that was the natural order of things, but everyone was just managing their tyres and taking it easy. Disappointing.

  116. Evereyone is being verry harsh indeed, you people are getting used to the excitement we have been seeing. Monaco is about positioning your self on the first lap and hoping you stay there, it is simply part of this race. This is a GP classic and it should not be replaced be another Tilke-dragon. I rated the race 6/10.

  117. I gave it a 7 and I stand by it… Despite seeing all the negative comments on here..
    This race had flawless driving by some of the worlds best around the streets of Monaco.
    I enjoyed the strategies, Vettel being a great example.. I also enjoyed seeing Schumacher on the pace (until he ran into trouble)
    I deducted 3 because of the lack of ballsy racing but it was a very enjoyable spectacle from my point of view and pretty tense towards the end..

  118. About as interesting as watching paint dry… But I gave it a 4 because it sent me to sleep early :

  119. andrew_s (@)
    28th May 2012, 11:55

    boring to the point that I don’t recall moaning at the kids once to keep quiet during the race.

  120. 9 – I love races like this and Turkey 2010.
    There’s no need for any overtaking, just the constant threat – the anticipation is often better than the act.

  121. I thought the race was pretty dull so I only gave it a 5, and even that may have been too generous.

    The leading cars may have been close at the finish but at no point during the race did I feel that we would see the order change except through the pitstops.

    If only the rain which arrived after the race could have started earlier

  122. A solid 3 for me. A big yawn. Should just replace the race with 2x qualifying format sessions. The average fastest time wins. Now THAT would be interesting to watch.

  123. Gave it a 3, why do they keep running here!

  124. 4/10
    Sorry, I loved how close the top 6 were after 78 laps, but the action was… non-existent. I always enjoy an F1 race, and this was no exception, but apart from close racing and wise pit stop strategies we never saw a serious overtaking attempt.

  125. It’s no longer suitable for F1 racing. They should change the track significantly or drop the race.

    I fell asleep. That’s normally reserved for the girlfriend.

    1. Forgot to say I gave it a generous 4 but it probably should have been a 3.

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