2017 Monaco Grand Prix team radio highlights: Practice

2017 Monaco Grand Prix

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Jenson Button re-adjusted to life at the wheel of a Formula One car during Thursday practice but wasn’t entirely happy with his rivals’ driving. Here are the team radio highlights from practice.

First practice

Mercedes quickly chased times with long runs on the ultra-soft tyres at the start of practice.

To Hamilton: “Valtteri 16.3, he’s just pushing continuous laps, looks like that’s helping temperatures, especially the rear.”

To Verstappen: “Potential right-rear puncture, mate. Look out for Danny.”

Many drivers brushed the barriers
Drivers were quick to explore how much closer the barriers felt in their wider cars.

Button: “I touched the barrier in the second part of the Swimming Pool but it felt pretty gentle.”

Vettel: “OK check I just brushed the wall slightly exit of 16. Car feels fine.”
“OK let me know, pressures feel fine. All OK at the moment.”

Ricciardo: “Felt like we had a loss of power. Let me know if it’s all OK. Just before turn ten. Sounded different in the last sector.”

Grosjean: “Mate I’m losing it every time at turn one. I don’t know what to do.”

To Bottas: “Just use a little bit more brake pressure turn three and turn ten.”

Button: “We need to look at the HANS when we come in because it’s getting a little bit stuck.”

Daniil Kvyat had the usual Monaco traffic problems.

Kvyat: “Charge on again this lap.”
“A lot of traffic in front of Carlos, Danny. Next car behind is Perez, turn five.”
Kvyat: “Come on Carlosd. [Censored by FOM] hell.”
“Sorry for Carlos.”
Kvyat: “Ah, Perez, he let me by.”
“OK now behind us is Vandoorne.”

To Stroll: “Cool the brakes on the way in. The gap to Vandoorne is eight. OK Lance we’re going to drive one slow lap on a final push.”

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Second practice

Button continued to acclimatise to the MCL32 in the second session.

Button: “It’s just getting used to the car because it feels very different.”

To Vettel: “Very good lap with this compound.”

“Do you want another go?”
Button: “If we’ve got time.”

Kvyat: “I had a big rear lock at turn five.”

Palmer: “Yeah I’ve got smoke out the back.”
“Stop the car. Scenario 12.”

Max Verstappen was plagued by a problem in the braking zones.

Verstappen: “I’m getting like massive push from the downshift. Makes me lock-up.”

Massa: “I cannot find and use the grip of the tyres.”

Qualifying runs have been a problem for Lance Stroll and this time he crashed while exploring the limits of his Williams.

“You ok, Yeah?”
Stroll: “Yeah I’m OK.”

To Hulkenberg: “The circuit is likely to go green very shortly.”

Hamilton: “I’ve got someone right on my tail and someone right in front.”

Verstappen: “This is unbelievable. I’m downshifting and there’s massive push.”

Button: “What do you use to turn off the DRS beeps?”

Verstappen: “I’ve got a Ferrari blocking me.”

After his first day back in the car, Button had remembered what he hadn’t missed.

Button: “People are still driving like [censored by FOM], then. That hasn’t changed.”

2017 Monaco Grand Prix

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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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9 comments on “2017 Monaco Grand Prix team radio highlights: Practice”

  1. Verstappen: “This is unbelievable. I’m downshifting and there’s massive push.”

    Can’t understand if it is a bad or good thing.

    1. Bad thing. His engine braking is pushing the car forward instead of letting him brake faster.

      1. That’s not engine braking doing that. Engine braking is the deceleration produced by the compression of the engine when off-throttle. What was causing the problem for max was the downshift throttle mapping was out of sync. The mapping usually will apply gentle throttle whilst downshifting (this is separate from the rev match blip), which helps to prevent rear locking. In simulators like Project CARS you can adjust how much of this “brake mapping” is used.

  2. Everything I saw from Jenson so far makes me really happy 😊. He seems so relaxed, since noone ist expecting anything of the car, cause it’s a pile of…. And Noone is expecting much of him because he sat in the car for the first time today…. He can just enjoy driving Monaco and have a little fun

  3. What word was censored by FOM?

    “People are still driving like [censored by FOM], then. That hasn’t changed.”

    Does Jenson swear?

    1. Cucumbers?

      1. It always means cucumbers.

        1. That must be the reason Whiting was looking green in Mexico last year :)

  4. There is so less from the Force Indias every race/qual/prac in the radio highlights. I think that’s impressive.

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