Ten of the best pictures from the Monaco Grand Prix weekend.
Nico Rosberg, practice
A Monaco marshal enjoys one of the best seats in the house, watching Nico Rosberg turn in at Mirabeau.
Kimi Raikkonen, practice
Kimi Raikkonen donned James Hunt’s helmet for the race weekend. The 1976 world champion made his final F1 start at Monaco for Wolf in 1979.
Raikkonen spent most of first practice in the garage having his steering changed, and rain in second practice meant he had little dry running on Thursday.
Jean-Eric Vergne, practice
In the damp second practice session, Jean-Eric Vergne took the opportunity to familiarise himself with the track and Pirelli’s intermediate tyres.
In the race, he was the only driver to use the treaded tyre, gambling on the conditions worsening in the later laps. Unfortunately for him, they didn’t.
Felipe Massa, qualifying
Felipe Massa qualified within a tenth of a second of Fernando Alonso – the closest he’s been all year – and still had his team mate in sight at the end of the race. Light at the end of the tunnel?
Williams, race
There was no repeat of Williams’s Spanish success in Monaco. Pastor Maldonado was relegated to last after a controversial collision with Sergio Perez during practice.
Bruno Senna, being pushed past his team mate on the grid, took a single point for tenth, his third points finish of the year.
Start
Chaos is about to break out at the start. Fernando Alonso is moving left to try to pass the slow-starting Lewis Hamilton, but as Romain Grosjean moves left in avoidance Michael Schumacher can’t avoid him.
It wasn’t the first time this year Schumacher and Grosjean collided on lap one – they also did in Malaysia. This time Grosjean came off worst, though Schumacher also retired later in the race.
Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso, race
Alonso pressured Hamilton on the first lap, getting alongside the McLaren at the hairpin, but find passing as difficult as ever at Monaco.
Kimi Raikkonen and Michael Schumacher, race
Raikkonen hit trouble with his tyres and quickly had Schumacher and Nico Hulkenberg bottled up behind him. Soon Bruno Senna, Paul di Resta, Daniel Ricciardo and Heikki Kovalainen caught them too.
Mark Webber, race
Mark Webber scored his second win from pole at Monaco with Rosberg and Alonso less than a second behind.
Mark Webber, post-race
The team jump into the Red Bull pool has become an annual event, as they’ve won the race for the last three years in a row.
Christian Horner began the tradition in 2006, jumping into the pool wearing a Superman cloak to celebrate the team’s first podium finish, scored by David Coulthard.
More Monaco Grand Prix pictures
- 2012 Monaco Grand Prix in pictures
- More special helmet designs for Monaco
- Vergne using Jean Alesi tribute helmet in Monaco
- ??Thou shalt defeat the enemy??: Alonso?s Monaco helmet design
- 2012 Monaco Grand Prix qualifying in pictures
- 2012 Monaco Grand Prix practice in 100 pictures
- 2012 Monaco Grand Prix Wednesday pictures
2012 Monaco Grand Prix
Image ?? Daimler/Hoch Zwei, Lotus F1 Team/LAT, Red Bull/Getty images, Ferrari spa/Ercole Colombo, Williams/LAT, Daimler/Hoch Zwei, McLaren/Hoch Zwei,Lotus F1 Team/LAT, Red Bull/Getty images, Red Bull/Getty images
Gridlock (@gridlock)
29th May 2012, 11:57
…because he’d promised to jump into the harbour naked if they did. Sponsors and onlookers both happy with the outcome :D
BasCB (@bascb)
29th May 2012, 12:08
Where are the times that Red Bull was a fun team … shame really, but not unexpected after joining the top.
I love the picture of Vergne, really nice play of the saturated colours in that picture.
frood19 (@frood19)
29th May 2012, 21:22
now my desktop, hehe
IDR (@idr)
30th May 2012, 11:44
The best one by far.
I don’t know who is RBR official photographer but they make amazing pictures in every GP (and Keith bring us here for free!)
dragoll (@dragoll)
29th May 2012, 12:07
That start line photo from above is absolutely amazing… The other photos are just so up close and personal, quite surreal… Don’t see it anywhere else in the world.
Dave (@davea86)
30th May 2012, 4:59
That was my first thought. They look like the photographer is standing on the track with the cars going either side.
Mike (@mike)
29th May 2012, 12:34
Really great photos, fantastic, I like the format you have used as well.
Mustalainen (@mustalainen)
30th May 2012, 14:57
Yes! This format is great! All picture albums should be in this format.
sumedhvidwans (@sumedhvidwans)
29th May 2012, 13:01
Great pics. Its great to see the cars up so close.
But the ugliness of the cars also increases 10 times more when you see them so close. I miss the straight noses :(
AdrianMorse (@adrianmorse)
29th May 2012, 13:15
Great pictures again. I’ve noticed something funny about the Raikkonen picture, though: the copyright is held by the Sahara Force India F1 Team?
Guilherme (@guilherme)
29th May 2012, 14:49
Well, there is a Force India in the picture :P
vickyy (@vickyy)
29th May 2012, 17:55
Look closely, in fact its one of the best pic.
AdrianMorse (@adrianmorse)
29th May 2012, 19:29
@guilherme, @vickyy, you had me looking at all kinds of possible reflections in the picture of Raikkonen in the pits… then I noticed the other picture with Raikkonen is also owned by Force India :-)
Atoy (@atoy)
29th May 2012, 13:24
How come this picture did not make it?
Atoy (@atoy)
29th May 2012, 13:25
Link: http://i.imgur.com/Fsvly.jpg
Andre (@)
29th May 2012, 13:29
I was thinking how come this one didnt http://en.espnf1.com/PICTURES/CMS/14800/14859.3.jpg
damonsmedley (@damonsmedley)
29th May 2012, 15:17
That Domenicali one is actually amazing! And Keith can only choose from the photos he’s given access to by the teams. That Kobayashi one is a Sutton image and I don’t think Sauber would want to distribute it, as cool as it is!
claudioff (@claudioff)
29th May 2012, 20:48
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No it is kobayashi!
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
29th May 2012, 14:23
@atoy Very cool picture. I saw a few like that, unfortunately I haven’t got one I’m able to use here.
Nixon (@nixon)
29th May 2012, 14:48
I want to be a marshal in Monaco.
xeroxpt (@)
29th May 2012, 17:17
its sad to say but Alonso did nothing wrong there, neither did Schumi. dont blame people on your comments, just report the facts. Grosjean just showed lack of experience, you cant be hasty in monaco.
George (@george)
29th May 2012, 17:59
That’s exactly what he did, read it again. Alonso and Schumacher are the ones trying to overtake there anyway, if there’s any blame to be attributed to Grosjean it’s very slight.
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
29th May 2012, 20:18
It was a consequence of Monaco being Monaco. Had it happened somewhere else, they’d all got through it…
Maybe with a wing or two damanged, but still.
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
29th May 2012, 22:36
@ukfanatic Just an unfortunate incident really. I expect that most drivers in Grosjean’s position would have been caught out. Just a shame for him that he didn’t make it past the first corner.
matt90 (@matt90)
29th May 2012, 22:13
Is the Mercedes nose wider since Spain? Because that used to be its worst angle, and I thought it made it the worst looking car on the grid. But now I have only have indifference to it, and that make me sad- I know it’s a hideous thing, so I want to hate it.
verstappen (@verstappen)
29th May 2012, 22:52
My favourite article!
What a stunning set of pictures again!
Enigma (@enigma)
30th May 2012, 0:31
Some great pics in there as always. I wonder if there’s any pic of the top 6 being covered by 3 or 4 seconds some 7 laps from the end. Haven’t spotted any anywhere :/
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
30th May 2012, 9:43
I love that shot of Massa coming into the tunnel – I don’t think I’ve ever seen that angle before.