Monaco – Race: Rosberg among the greats of Monaco

It has never been as hot this weekend as it is at the start of this Monaco Grand Prix. The two Mercedes drivers will be the first to set off, while their team finds itself at the center of a controversy regarding tire tests conducted for Pirelli following the Spanish Grand Prix.

All the drivers start on super-softs except Ricciardo, Grosjean, Gutiérrez, and Massa. Jules Bianchi is unable to start on the warm-up lap and is pushed by his mechanics to the pit lane.

At the start, the two Mercedes stay in the lead while Sebastian Vettel is already on the attack in the first corners. Nevertheless, several collisions occur in the slowest corner of the circuit, while the two McLarens brush against each other. Pastor Maldonado heads to the pits to change his front wing, damaged during contact, quickly followed by van der Garde, guilty of over-optimism.

In the second round, the fight for second place is very intense, Lewis Hamilton tries to preserve his tires while slowing down Sebastian Vettel, who doesn’t want to let Nico Rosberg get away. The British driver already has to watch his tires. Fernando Alonso also attempts to find a way past Kimi Räikkönen, just as Jenson Button does with Sergio Pérez. A yellow flag is waved at the harbor chicane, and a few pieces of carbon remain on the ground from the various collisions. Jenson Button complains to his team about his teammate, who he claims completely blocks him in certain corners after cutting the harbor chicane to avoid being overtaken.

In the sixth lap, the drivers are slightly less aggressive to start saving tires, while Max Chilton is asked to increase his pace if he doesn’t want to let Jules Bianchi, who is stuck behind him, pass. The gaps between the different groups are gradually widening, but the top five drivers remain together, with Kimi Räikkönen beginning to close in on Mark Webber. The two Mercedes are steadily pulling away, leaving it to be seen if the strategy is the same among the different teams. The race’s first retirement is Charles Pic in the ninth lap, his Caterham catching fire at the Rascasse. Paul di Resta takes the opportunity to pit, hoping for the safety car to come out, but in vain. The Monaco marshals, always quick to react, swiftly intervene to extinguish the fire on the Caterham and remove it from the track.

On the eleventh lap, there’s excitement behind Fernando Alonso who is surprisingly slow at the start of the race, and Jenson Button leads the chase behind the Ferrari driver. Among the leaders, the two Mercedes drivers have widened the gap with Sebastian Vettel while Kimi Räikkönen has been unable to find a way past Mark Webber. On the French side, Jean-Eric Vergne maintains his tenth position gained in qualifying, Romain Grosjean is fourteenth while Jules Bianchi is eighteenth behind his teammate after having to start from the pits. Rarely, all twenty-one cars are running within the same second. The largest gap between drivers who have not yet stopped is four seconds, between Kimi Räikkönen and Fernando Alonso, with the latter having to withstand the pressure from Jenson Button.

On the eighteenth lap, Fernando Alonso decides to increase the pace, starting to close the gap between him and the Finnish driver. Despite the heat, the Mercedes drivers do not seem to be struggling with their tires, continuing to achieve lap times similar to their opponents. Shortly after, Nico Rosberg is asked to pick up his pace as the first round of pit stops seems to be approaching. It is Daniel Ricciardo who makes the first pit stop, having started on soft tires, the hardest of the weekend.

On the twenty-third lap, Pastor Maldonado and Jules Bianchi find themselves side by side at the exit of the tunnel, and the two drivers make contact, visibly causing slight damage to one of the cars. The driver from Nice subsequently goes to the pits to change tires, while Mark Webber sets the fastest lap of the race. Soon after, the Australian is the first of the leaders to pit and leaves with soft tires. At the back of the pack, Felipe Massa has to give way to Paul di Resta, who has fresher tires. The Brazilian later changes his tires to switch to super-soft tires.

Kimi Räikkönen is the second lead driver to switch to soft tires, along with Jenson Button. Mark Webber’s strategy does not seem to be paying off, as the Red Bull driver is proving to be slower than his teammate while the German still hasn’t pitted. However, this doesn’t stop other drivers from following suit, like Fernando Alonso who comes out just behind Kimi Räikkönen. The provisional podium does not yet decide to stop, with Nico Rosberg even affording the luxury of being one of the fastest drivers in the race.

On the thirtieth lap, a major crash for Felipe Massa at Sainte-Dévote as the driver slams into the wall, completely destroying his car. The accident is exactly the same as during the third free practice, with the Brazilian hitting the rail on the side before ending up in the wall. Some drivers make their pit stops just before the safety car comes out. With the risk of the safety car being deployed at its highest of the season, all teams are ready to adjust their strategies. Both Mercedes drivers make their stops, but Lewis Hamilton is forced to slow down slightly, allowing both Red Bull drivers to pass the 2008 world champion.

Meanwhile, the chief doctor is beside Felipe Massa, the driver seeming to be in shock while it is requested that the Ferrari driver be fitted with a neck brace. The impact was severe for the 2008 vice-world champion, who was still feeling pain from the same accident in the third free practice session. While the only backmarker, Giedo van der Garde, must unlap himself to regain his place in the pack, Jules Bianchi decides to change tires on the thirty-sixth lap, with the safety car still on track. The intervention is lengthy as the medical car is still at the scene of Felipe Massa’s accident, a stretcher ready to accommodate the driver.

At mid-race, the race is reignited and Nico Rosberg manages the restart perfectly, slightly widening the gap. But just behind, the attacks begin, and it’s Fernando Alonso who forces Kimi Räikkönen to move over to avoid a pass. Lewis Hamilton also shows a threat to Mark Webber and tries to overtake the Australian driver in front of the pit entry, and only the skillful driving of these two drivers allows them to stay on track, even though the maneuver is unsuccessful. Just behind, Jenson Button touches Fernando Alonso’s rear tire with his front wing and gets overtaken by Sergio Pérez. The Mexican dives out of the tunnel, all wheels locked, and passes his world champion teammate. The McLaren driver attempts the same move on Fernando Alonso on the next lap but doesn’t leave enough room for Fernando Alonso, who has to cut the first turn of the harbor chicane before getting back in front of his opponent.

The Spanish driver defends his maneuver by explaining that he had nowhere to go while Sergio Perez claims the sixth place that should have been returned to him according to the regulations.

At the forty-sixth lap, the red flag is deployed! Battling with Pastor Maldonado, Max Chilton makes a small error and squeezes a bit too much on the Williams. The two cars touch for the second time, propelling Pastor Maldonado into the tobacco shop wall, which significantly shifts the TecPro barrier that absorbed the impact. Unfortunately, this barrier moves violently upon impact, and Jules Bianchi, who was right behind the two involved drivers, hits this barrier and damages the nose of his car.

All the drivers will line up on the grid where they come to a halt. Some get out of their single-seater while others prefer to stay in place.

The stewards are now at work, with several disputes to settle. The Ferrari team is trying to negotiate with them to avoid a penalty after Alonso’s maneuver through the chicane, arguing that the Spanish driver intended to let the Mexican driver pass by not using the KERS. The accident between Max Chilton and Pastor Maldonado is also under investigation.

A new start will therefore be launched under a safety car regime, while the drivers took advantage of this red flag to change tires. The safety car pulls away after a lap, allowing Sergio Pérez to pass Fernando Alonso before resuming the race normally. No incident at the first corner as Nico Rosberg gets a very good start ahead of Sebastian Vettel. A penalty is given to Max Chilton for causing the collision with Pastor Maldonado, but the Marussia driver doesn’t pay dearly for his mistake. Fernando Alonso, having dropped to seventh place, seems furious behind Sergio Pérez and is clearly attacking. DRS activation is again authorized after two laps.

Several drivers have opted for an offset tire strategy like Kimi Räikkönen, who went out on soft tires contrary to his direct opponents. Lewis Hamilton, for his part, is increasingly appearing in Mark Webber’s rearview mirrors in the battle for third place. The gaps are minimal, with the top fifteen drivers within ten seconds of each other, while Adrian Sutil manages to overtake Jenson Button.

On the fifty-third lap, a gap widened between Nico Rosberg and the others, as Sergio Pérez attempted an overly optimistic attack on Kimi Räikkönen at the tunnel exit, forcing both drivers to cut the chicane. The Mexican could never have turned and can consider himself lucky that the Finn saw him coming. A Mercedes one-two could be on the horizon given the speed of the Silver Arrows, but Lewis Hamilton has a major obstacle to overcome: the two Red Bull drivers. Another dilemma arises for the Englishman as he learns he must protect his tires for the end of the race. Adrian Sutil is also in a good phase, closely trailing Fernando Alonso. After a few laps, the German manages to overtake the Ferrari driver taking advantage of the slowest corner on the circuit while the Spaniard was slowed down by Sergio Pérez.

On the sixtieth lap, Nico Rosberg is alone in the world with more than a three-second lead over Sebastian Vettel, while double yellow flags are waved in the first sector. Jules Bianchi has gone off at Sainte-Dévote into the escape road, apparently due to a front brake failure. Sergio Pérez is warned to be careful of Adrian Sutil who has just overtaken several drivers.

At the sixty-third lap, another safety car intervention! Under braking at the tunnel exit, Romain Grosjean pushes the nose of his car into the rear wing of Daniel Ricciardo. The rear of the Toro Rosso is completely torn off as well as the front of the Lotus. Both drivers reach the escape road, Daniel Ricciardo has to retire. Romain Grosjean goes to the pits to change his front wing but must retire the following lap, his car visibly affected by the accident. The stewards are once again called upon to assess the responsibilities concerning this accident.

On the sixty-seventh lap, the race resumes its course, but Nico Rosberg manages to make another perfect start to pull ahead of Sebastian Vettel. No incidents are reported during this lap, as all the drivers are very cautious twelve laps from the finish. The sole survivor among the four French drivers, Jean-Eric Vergne is in tenth place under threat from Paul di Resta. As Sergio Pérez dives to the inside at the port chicane, Kimi Räikkönen closes the door by moving to the left in the braking zone, completely blocking the Mexican. The McLaren driver hits the wall and then the Lotus driver, slightly breaking the front wing of the gray and red car, while Kimi Räikkönen suffers a puncture and slows everyone down for more than a lap.

The field tightens significantly, and once again Fernando Alonso falls victim, getting overtaken by Jenson Button in front of the pit entrance. Now it’s Sergio Pérez who is slowing down the pack, with a tight battle for fifth place. The Mexican driver shoots through the port chicane, his steering clearly seems damaged. He is forced to retire in the last corners of the lap after barely being able to turn during the second-to-last corner.

**On the seventy-fifth lap,** Nico Rosberg is heading straight towards victory with more than a four-second lead, the race being much calmer at the front than a few lengths back. Fernando Alonso is struggling in seventh place, under threat from the last Frenchman in the running: Jean-Eric Vergne. In the penultimate lap, Sebastian Vettel sets his trademark: the fastest lap, while Max Chilton overtakes Giedo van der Garde for the gain of fourteenth place, which could be important at the end of the season. Kimi Räikkönen also makes a nice comeback for the point of the tenth place, allowing him to continue his streak of points finishes, provided no penalty is applied.

It is Nico Rosberg who takes the win at the end of a race marked by multiple safety car interventions and a red flag. Both Red Bull drivers make it to the podium, helped by the delay Lewis Hamilton faced during his first pit stop at the time of the first safety car appearance. Adrian Sutil emerges as the best of the rest following Sergio Pérez’s retirement, who was a major player in the race. Jean-Eric Vergne will be the sole representative of the French drivers at the checkered flag with a perfect race, finishing in eighth place.

2013 Monaco Grand Prix Formula 1 Standings: