Put aside all the debate on whether or not Monaco should be on the F1 calendar for a while. Maybe the race is not the most interesting one, but take away traction control and add rain, and you get an exciting spectacle on one of the most challenging circuits of the year.
Because of the lack of a long straight, Monaco encourages closer racing as engines and aerodynamic packages take a back seat to driver skills—at least as much as that is possible for Formula 1.
Certainly, mechanical grip and chassis setup remain large factors in performance on the streets of Monte Carlo, but I would be remiss not to take this opportunity to review who performed well at Monaco.
Without a doubt, the drive of the weekend goes to Adrian Sutil.
He drove an excellent race, and didn't make any meaningful mistakes on track. A little luck, a good race strategy, and a solid drive looked alright for a 4th-place finish on the tight streets of Monaco. Or, it would have been had he not been knocked out of the race by one Kimi Raikkonen.
Praises are pouring in for the younger driver for his performance, though. I cannot imagine a coherent argument against Sutil's drive this past weekend, but unlike some bloggers and commentators, I am going to shower him with a "cautious praise".
The Force India car is slow and off-pace, and I am nearly certain a handful to keep on the track. Furthermore, the small team has an atrocious time for getting both cars across the finish line, but even so, six races into the season, Sutil appears to be lagging behind Giancarlo Fisichella. Until Monaco, he had failed to outqualify Fisichella, and has spent almost all his time on track behind his teammate.
- B/R Ticket Guide
In my mind, Fisichella is not an exceptionally talented driver. I am honestly surprised he even has a ride.
Ralf Schumacher had in many ways proven himself to be a better driver, or at least have the more important last name, during his tenure in the sport. And, a quick scan of the team lists will show no Schumachers on track. Sutil is young, but when his teammate is one of the weakest drivers on the grid, he should be expected to outperform or match his teammate.
Monaco is a step in the right direction for Sutil, but don't jump to any conclusions based on one race.
The other big winner was none other than the revitalized Lewis Hamilton.
With his last two races in 2007 being unimpressive, and the first four races in 2008 being almost as disappointing, some were beginning to worry McLaren picked the wrong man for the job. Given his equipment last year, many drivers could have challenged him for the title, but these last two races are not typical driver performances.
For myself, I don't like to give undue honors to any Formula One driver in top equipment at least until their second year in the sport, but Lewis showed that his first year was no fluke.
One cannot review drives put in at Monaco without hitting the Raikkonen controversy.
He qualified well, but a team error gave him a drive-through penalty, and he then put the nose into a wall forcing another pit stop. Finally, he crashed while making contact with Adrian Sutil.
Having reviewed his collision with Sutil many times on video, I have reached the following conclusions and observations.
This was a restart lap from the safety car, meaning that both Sutil and Raikkonen were on relatively cold tires. Furthermore, Raikkonen was on dry weather tires.
Both drivers exited the tunnel on different race lines, with Sutil taking a wider line and Raikkonen remaining closer to the wall. Raikkonen appeared to drive over a wetter patch with his right side tires, which sent the car sliding. He managed to keep the car on track traveling mostly straight, but the loss of traction caused him to hit Sutil's back, since he did not have the full command of his brakes.
Based on these observations, I feel it is safe to conclude that Raikkonen should not have suffered a penalty.
It can be argued that he made two mistakes during that lap—it is possible that he was pushing too hard on relatively cold tires, and his proximity to Sutil would likely affect his ability to see wet patches of pavement.
However, neither should be seen as intentional, reckless driving. Raikkonen wouldn't have been happy with a fifth place finish, but collecting points was a much better option than attempting a risky move that might knock him out of the point finish. Furthermore, Raikkonen had nothing to gain by intentionally hitting Sutil.
It can be concluded that the on-track crash was just a racing incident.
Watching teams like Jordan, Force India, or Arrows get any on-track success is fun and does warm one's heart. Furthermore these teams should not be intentionally robbed of points they earn.
But, one cannot confuse Formula 1 for a kind sport. Mistakes happen on track, and other driver’s mistakes often will affect your race, and they cannot be undone.
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5 months ago
Goor article ... Numerous good points and while I agree with you on the fact that Sutil has a great race and lets not take anything from him ... The feeling I get is that we wont see a like for like performance until it rains , we put walls round all the tracks and everyone crashes out ... Again ... Dont get me wrong it was a great drive and I feel for him but lets be honest people ... He isnt that good ! I would like to see how he fairs in a better car !
5 months ago
Not sure about your damning of Fisichella. Don't forget that Sutil had, up until Monaco, been summarily thrashed by Fisi so far this year...
from 5 months ago
But that is my point. Sutil put in a great drive, but had not outperformed Fisichella until Monaco. This, to me, seems to indicate that while Sutil is improving, he is not blossoming as quickly as a Hamilton or Kovalainen (To use recent examples). Keep in mind that Fisichella couldn't hold a candle to Alonso and was out classed by Kovalainen by almost day one (Kovalainen finished in front of Fisichella 12 out of 17 races). Furthermore Fisi had only managed to win 2 races while at Renault in top equipment. For comparison Rubens Barrichella managed 2 wins against Schumacher in 2003 and 2004! Fisichella did win Jordan a race in 2003, and he did "thrash" a young Massa in 2004. But since 2004 he was been unimpressive.
I am sorry if I am offensive, but I believe I am relating facts and not a personal opinion. By most metrics I think it is safe to conclude Fisichella is not a top driver.
from 5 months ago
I agree that Fisi was less than impressive in '05, '06, and the second half of '07. But as I argue in one of my articles, Giancarlo is an odd driver - he seems to thrive on substandard machinery. Almost every year before 2005 - his first year in a competitive car - he beat his teammate. More to the point, Fisichella's performances in the Force India this year have, so far, been good. He's been punching above his weight in races, which adds weight to my thought that he does very well in slow cars.
So my analysis of the situation is slightly different from yours: Sutil is an excellent young driver with much potential, and the fact that Fisi has beaten him several times this year shows that the more experienced Italian still has a lot left in him.
I can see why you might perhaps think that Liuzzi or Klien would have been better for the Force India seat. But not Ralf, surely - his last year with Toyota was woeful, and I remember hearing that he was the slowest of the bunch when Force India tested six drivers at once. Signing Schuey Jr would have been a horrific move for Force India.
from 5 months ago
I was not suggesting that Ralf Schumacher should be in a F1 seat, but I was trying to draw a comparison to a widely accepted weaker driver. I can not debate that Fisi did often best his teammates before 2005. However, to me, a good driver will bring home expected results regardless of equipment or teammates.
from 5 months ago
Sure, I agree. And I think Fisi's years at Renault established that he's not in the 'A-group' of drivers (as we perhaps thought he was pre-2005). But I think he's done enough to earn a place in the 'B-group'. I think he's as fast as Trulli or Barrichello, for example.
But perhaps this dispute is unresolvable. :-) Good article, by the way!
5 months ago
I agree that Sutil put in an admirable performance and I believe that he will continue to impress when the opportunity arises. Obviously, regular, high-speed, non-eventful races will continue to see the guy towards the back of the pack due to his inferior car. One thing to consider though is that Vallya had this guy in a race seat before any other driver. Chosen ahead of Ralf, Liuzzi and Klien, it appears that 'people in the know' are backing him to do well.
I'm thinking he could be a new Raikkonen and am predicting he will be in one of the contending cars in the next couple of years.
from 5 months ago
If he puts in more drives like he did and Monaco, I totally agree with you. I hope I am not sounding too hard on the man. I think both he and Vettel have a lot of potential, and both could be looking at very bright futures.
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