The Mercedes drivers traded fastest times throughout the first practice session for the Monaco Grand Prix but it was Lewis Hamilton who ended up on top.
There was little to choose between him and team mate Nico Rosberg, however, as the pair were separated by just three-hundredths of a second at the end of the 90-minute session.
Daniel Ricciardo posted the third-fastest time, just over two-tenths off Hamilton’s best and half a second ahead of the other Red Bull of Sebastian Vettel.
The pair were separated by Fernando Alonso, who went off at Mirabeau in the final moments of the session and had to reverse his Ferrari back onto the circuit.
He wasn’t the only driver to have trouble at that corner. Adrian Sutil spun his Sauber into the barrier with a quarter of an hour remaining.
Earlier on Max Chilton’s session also came to an end at the same corner when he spun, facing against the flow of traffic. He was unable to get his car restarted and so missed out on some valuable practice time.
By the end of the session both Saubers had stopped circulating. Esteban Gutierrez had a heavy lock-up at Sainte Devote and although he managed to keep his car out of the barriers he was not able to rejoin the circuit.
With the risk of rain during the second practice session rising, some teams chose to make an early start on their high-fuel runs at the end of the session.
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Image © Daimler/Hoch Zwei
BasCB (@bascb)
22nd May 2014, 10:40
little to choose between them, but its more and more looking like Rosberg won’t be able to do much more than keep Hamilton on his toes this year
Hamilfan (@hamilfan)
22nd May 2014, 11:07
A little too premature to say . Let us wait for q3.
Maciek (@maciek)
22nd May 2014, 15:07
Yup – and not very surprising. Hamilton’s raw talent was always obvious. Now he’s learned to channel it properly and he is – all things being equal – unbeatable in an unbeatable car.
petebaldwin (@)
22nd May 2014, 10:48
Marussias were quick…..
altitude2k
22nd May 2014, 10:54
They must have taken a break on their laps. That swimming pool must be awfully tempting…
Sujeeth (@sjct83)
22nd May 2014, 10:52
Redbulls might give them a tough fight, and ferraris are close too
Todfod (@todfod)
22nd May 2014, 13:02
Not the Ferraris… just Fernando. Also looks like Dan will be taking the fight to the Mercs.. not Vettel
timi (@timi)
22nd May 2014, 10:53
2-ish seconds off last year’s FP1 time is great. Harder, slower tyres; Way way way less downforce; brand new torquey engines and only 2s slower? I bet these cars would be just as fast if they threw in a blown-exhaust and the faster tyres of last season. This is why I love F1.. Even when it’s slower, odds are it’s faster!
Seba (@f1fan123)
22nd May 2014, 10:59
Did you forget barcelona already? 5.3s off 2010 pole.
Seba (@f1fan123)
22nd May 2014, 11:01
Also, monaco doesn’t represent accurate picture of cars’ quickness. Even in 2012 when cars were at their slowest (before this year), they were almost neck and neck against 2010 cars which were massively faster on just about any other circuit.
Ed
22nd May 2014, 13:00
Whilst i agree on the performance side of things, I doubt they could have blown the diffuser much this year, the turbo must steal most of the energy they diverted the diffusers way last year..
Robbie (@robbie)
22nd May 2014, 13:13
Even when it’s slower it’s faster? Hmmm…I bet if the previous generation of cars were allowed to further develope EBD and had faster as well as more consistent tires that we know Pirelli and others can make etc etc, they’d have been much faster than they were too. I don’t get the point.
timi (@timi)
24th May 2014, 10:34
@robbie Ceteris paribus, it’s ‘slower’, but ‘faster’ due to the fact that the regulations that lost the teams X seconds, is now X-Y, to the point where the cars are almost as fast as last year’s.
Robbie (@robbie)
24th May 2014, 12:35
@timi I think that is highly debatable. I think there are way too many variables over last year to make that claim. This is a whole new chapter. The fact is the cars are slower, and even there, what cars do you mean? Are you only picking on the Mercs? How much slower are some of the cars that are being lapped now when they weren’t last year?
I think if they hadn’t made such drastic changes, and only, for example, narrowed the front wings and took away the rear wing lower beam element you might be able to make an argument ‘all things being equal’ but the fact is they are nowhere near equal to last year in terms of the technical regs.
To me it is of little use to claim if they still had this or that from last year the cars would be faster. I think that goes without saying, and you could extend that to if they had active suspension, skirts, the real tires they used to have etc etc the cars would be 10 seconds faster than they were 20 years ago. But they’re actually not that much faster if at all. Given the size of many tracks now and their safety, and the safety of the cars, some might have the opinion that the cars should be quite a bit faster than they were 20 years ago, so it is relative.
So of course we can observe the lap times compared to last year, but to try to plug in ifs and what-ifs and make claims like all things being equal is not very scientific given the vast differences in these cars to last year’s.
dkpioe
22nd May 2014, 14:07
I wouldn’t say it is way way way way less downforce, theoretically at the rule change yes, but then the aero guys just optimise to the set rules, and they are making heaps of downforce again. the torquey engines should give closer lap times at this kind of track, where power lower in the rev range helps out of slow turns. overall they are slower and sound worse. if they had last years rules, odds are the cars would be 2 seconds a lap faster then last year with development – while this year they are 2 seconds slower.
xjr15jaaag (@xjr15jaaag)
22nd May 2014, 12:36
vettel for pole!!
John Mwesigwa (@sigwa)
22nd May 2014, 12:45
dream on
dkpioe
22nd May 2014, 14:07
could pay well with a bet.
shake n bake
22nd May 2014, 17:05
you’re a funny person
gdewilde (@gdewilde)
22nd May 2014, 12:48
@keithcollantine Bianchi was 3,039 behind Hamilton not 13.039 ;-)
Hamish
22nd May 2014, 16:01
GP2 pole position time is faster than both the Caterham and the Maurissa……!!!