Nico Rosberg made it three out of three in practice for the Monaco Grand Prix as he remained the driver to beat on the streets of the principality.
Rosberg found a clear lap late in the session to set a 1’14.378, over six-tenths of a second faster than the next driver. But several of his rivals were unable to find space to set lap times.
Romain Grosjean was one of few who did, setting a 1’15.039 on his first run on the super-soft tyres. But a crash at Sainte Devote at the end of the session brought the red flags out and prevented further improvements.
Grosjean had come across Lewis Hamilton, who was leaving the pits, on his approach to the corner. As he turned in the Lotus slid sideays into the barrier.
“Something broke on the car, it’s not possible,” exclaimed Grosjean after his second crash of the session and his third of the weekend. He had already damaged his left-rear tyre by hitting the barrier at the chicane.
Grosjean was the second driver to hit the wall at Sainte Devote and cause a red flag. Felipe Massa had a frightening double-impact at the corner earlier in the session, hitting the barrier on the left as he approached the corner, then spearing the other barrier head-on leaving his F138 heavily damaged. Ferrari and Lotus will have a lot of work to do to get their cars ready for qualifying.
Another team effecting repairs, though not as extensive, is Force India. Adrian Sutil was the first driver to try a run on the super-soft tyres but the car snapped away from him on the entrance to Massenet and skidded into the wall.
The various incidents left Sebastian Vettel frustrated at not being able to get a clear lap in. He set the fastest first sector time at one point only to catch traffic in the final sector. “That’s OK, it Monaco, it doesn’t matter,” his race engineer Guillaume Rocquelin reassured him.
Fernando Alonso was fourth-fastest having been unable to match the Red Bull’s pace on soft tyres. Lewis Hamilton took fifth and complained that Grosjean’s Lotus had nearly hit him moments before the impact that brought the session to an end.
Combined practice times
| Pos | Driver | Car | FP1 | FP2 | FP3 | Fri/Sat diff | Total laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 1’16.195 | 1’14.759 | 1’14.378 | -0.381 | 99 |
| 2 | Romain Grosjean | Lotus-Renault | 1’16.380 | 1’15.718 | 1’15.039 | -0.679 | 44 |
| 3 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1’16.469 | 1’15.077 | 1’15.311 | +0.234 | 99 |
| 4 | Fernando Alonso | Ferrari | 1’16.282 | 1’15.196 | 1’15.286 | +0.09 | 82 |
| 5 | Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull-Renault | 1’17.380 | 1’16.014 | 1’15.261 | -0.753 | 73 |
| 6 | Felipe Massa | Ferrari | 1’16.394 | 1’15.278 | 1’16.105 | +0.827 | 70 |
| 7 | Kimi Raikkonen | Lotus-Renault | 1’17.509 | 1’15.511 | 1’15.380 | -0.131 | 84 |
| 8 | Mark Webber | Red Bull-Renault | 1’17.020 | 1’15.404 | 1’15.550 | +0.146 | 89 |
| 9 | Paul di Resta | Force India-Mercedes | 1’17.548 | 1’16.046 | 1’15.594 | -0.452 | 87 |
| 10 | Pastor Maldonado | Williams-Renault | 1’16.993 | 1’16.857 | 1’15.861 | -0.996 | 83 |
| 11 | Nico Hulkenberg | Sauber-Ferrari | 1’17.193 | 1’16.823 | 1’15.926 | -0.897 | 94 |
| 12 | Sergio Perez | McLaren | 1’17.378 | 1’16.434 | 1’15.958 | -0.476 | 89 |
| 13 | Jenson Button | McLaren | 1’17.129 | 1’15.959 | 1’15.976 | +0.017 | 88 |
| 14 | Jean-Eric Vergne | Toro Rosso-Ferrari | 1’18.454 | 1’17.184 | 1’15.976 | -1.208 | 89 |
| 15 | Daniel Ricciardo | Toro Rosso-Ferrari | 1’19.067 | 1’17.145 | 1’16.060 | -1.085 | 79 |
| 16 | Adrian Sutil | Force India-Mercedes | 1’17.625 | 1’16.349 | 1’16.068 | -0.281 | 76 |
| 17 | Esteban Gutierrez | Sauber-Ferrari | 1’18.754 | 1’16.935 | 1’16.427 | -0.508 | 99 |
| 18 | Valtteri Bottas | Williams-Renault | 1’18.830 | 1’17.264 | 1’16.933 | -0.331 | 92 |
| 19 | Jules Bianchi | Marussia-Cosworth | 1’19.773 | 1’17.892 | 1’18.706 | +0.814 | 83 |
| 20 | Charles Pic | Caterham-Renault | 1’19.438 | 1’18.212 | 1’17.902 | -0.31 | 92 |
| 21 | Giedo van der Garde | Caterham-Renault | 1’19.203 | 1’19.031 | 1’18.102 | -0.929 | 72 |
| 22 | Max Chilton | Marussia-Cosworth | 1’20.225 | 1’18.784 | 1’19.228 | +0.444 | 84 |
2013 Monaco Grand Prix
Image ?é?® Daimler/Hoch Zwei
Chris (@tophercheese21)
25th May 2013, 11:19
Lol, poor Grosjean.
He must have some deeply ingrained enjoyment from watching his car suspended in the air by a Monte Carlo crane. I just feel bad for his pit crew.
Had a seriously big chuckle at this though.
plutoniumhunter (@plutoniumhunter)
25th May 2013, 11:32
LOL! Taki “Weed” Inoue strikes again!
Proesterchen (@proesterchen)
25th May 2013, 11:24
I’m going to call it:
Time for the former WDC in the other Mercedes to hang up his helmet, clearly, he lost his edge if he can’t even keep up with Nico Rosberg.
Joshua Mesh (@joshua-mesh)
25th May 2013, 11:34
I’ve been surprised that no one has been making a fuss about it. When Massa was out qualifying Alonso, everyone kept reminding us about it at every opportunity. Yet not a peep about Lewis being dominated by a driver who I consider to be a rookie.
James Whiteley (@james)
25th May 2013, 11:36
A rookie? He’s been driving since 2006.
Theoddkiwi (@theoddkiwi)
25th May 2013, 12:10
Pretty sure Hamilton didn’t get a clear run when his tyres were fresh, then came in at the end for a fresh set only to Grosjean spatter his car across the track.
Also pretty sure no fuss is being made because the score board shows something different lol
robbiepblake (@driftin)
25th May 2013, 12:19
Probably because no one is surprised Rosberg is quick. He outpaced the most successful F1 driver of all time for 3 years in a row.
Craig Woollard (@craig-o)
25th May 2013, 11:34
Rosberg is usually quick in practice. Remember 2009 where he topped the timesheets often in practice, yet got 0 podiums that season.
James Whiteley (@james)
25th May 2013, 11:35
It’s practice…
ninefiveasn (@ninefiveasn)
25th May 2013, 11:37
Why are you implying that Rosberg is a slow driver? The guy is a proven champion in the lower Formulae , started his career brightly and outpaced Schumacher when they were team mates.
Mike Dee (@mike-dee)
25th May 2013, 11:25
Looking at some videos of the Massa crash, did he just brake too late?
Joshua Mesh (@joshua-mesh)
25th May 2013, 11:32
Apparently the throttle jammed open.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
25th May 2013, 11:55
@joshua-mesh According to who?
Joshua Mesh (@joshua-mesh)
25th May 2013, 16:39
The commentators said thats what it looked like. Bundle if I recall.
safeeuropeanhome (@debaser91)
25th May 2013, 12:32
Not according to BBC. On the live feed they’re saying he locked his front tyres going over a bump so it was driver error. They also say when the car is repaired it needs a new gearbox so thats a 5 place penalty.
Eddie (@wackyracer)
25th May 2013, 11:32
How much could it cost Lotus to fix that car everytime GRO crashes it?
Joshua Mesh (@joshua-mesh)
25th May 2013, 11:34
Probably nothing as they have spare parts.
Eddie (@wackyracer)
25th May 2013, 11:40
i quess those parts arent for free
David not Coulthard (@)
25th May 2013, 12:31
But they’re manufactured anyway whether or not a crash takes place. A crash will cost the team, but in Carbon Fiber, not green sheets of paper or anything banks use to represent them.
And by Carbon Fiber I mean pieces of it that will probably be dumped not too long from now with better pieces of them available as the development race wears on, or simply because it’s used once a year without being compatible with the car used in next or last year’s Monaco GP.
Joshua Mesh (@joshua-mesh)
25th May 2013, 16:42
Its a use-it-or-lose-it situation. I’m sure some things do cost some money, like the electronics and such, but things like exhausts and aero would be replaced anyway.
Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
25th May 2013, 11:37
Vettel’s lap on the softs was pretty quick, and if I’m not mistaken didn’t he also set the fastest first sector time before he came across traffic on the supersofts, unless Rosberg beat that also?
SeaHorse (@seahorse)
25th May 2013, 11:45
Yep. Vettel set the fastest first sector before he got traffic in front.
LifeW12 (@lifew12)
25th May 2013, 11:39
I reckon it was a rear suspension issue for Massa if you look at the right rear wheel its at 45 degrees despite not actually hitting the wall
obviously
25th May 2013, 11:56
Where do you see that 45 degree wheel? I’ve watched from few angles and I can’t see rear wheels being faulty before the crash.
SeaHorse (@seahorse)
25th May 2013, 11:41
Saddened by the crash of Massa’s car. Will Ferrari be able to get it fixed for quali? And on which tyres did Alonso set his best time today – Softs or supersofts?
SeaHorse (@seahorse)
25th May 2013, 12:21
But a lot happier since nothing (?) has happened to Massa
Force Maikel (@force-maikel)
25th May 2013, 11:45
No one is going to keep ROS off pole. I see posibilities for HAM and VET in the dry, but if it rains it could be anyone.
George (@george)
25th May 2013, 11:48
I wish the BBC were showing these, I wasn’t so bothered about highlights for Monaco, but I forgot it has the best practice sessions of the year :(
Force Maikel (@force-maikel)
25th May 2013, 11:52
It has been quite entertaining yes ;-)
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
25th May 2013, 12:00
Last year the fastest time in Q3 (1’14.301 by Michael Schumacher) was eight-tenths of a second faster than the best time in FP3 (1’15.159 by Nico Rosberg).
This year the fastest time in FP3 was Rosberg’s 1’14.378. If they find eight-tenths between FP3 and Q3 again (due to track evolution) the front runners will be qualifying at around 1’13.5.
The fastest lap of the current Monaco circuit is Kimi Raikkonen’s 1’13.532 from 2006 (set in Q2). It was nearly beaten by Vettel two years ago, when he took pole with a 1’13.556. Will it be beaten today?
Chris (@tophercheese21)
25th May 2013, 12:07
Who knows. I personally don’t think it will happen.
But if the rain does come then there’s no chance.
Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
25th May 2013, 12:13
I think it’s going to rain @keithcollantine. The sky is looking pretty ominous on sky!
Yoshisune (@yobo01)
25th May 2013, 12:25
In normal conditions it would have happened, I think. Let’s hope it doesn’t rain.
m30
25th May 2013, 12:26
I think it will be beaten. The Pirellies are a stickier tyre, coupled with advancements in suspension and chassis design, not to mention engine mapping, the slow speeds of Monaco would allow these 2013 cars to be faster than their predecessors.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
25th May 2013, 12:34
Looks like the rain has wrecked the chances of this happening. Ah well!
Tommy C (@tommy-c)
25th May 2013, 12:18
I’m a little concerned about Grosjean’s incident in FP3. Was there any particular reason he swerved right towards Lewis before the corner?
lordhesketh (@lordhesketh)
25th May 2013, 12:52
He seems very fragile mentally. I’d not be one bit surprised if he came up on Ste. Devote, saw Hamilton coming out of the pits and thought he was negotiating the corner as normal. He probably thought “Oh ****! I’m wide” then threw it off the track trying to make his imaginary apex.
Dragon (@dragon88)
25th May 2013, 12:19
Shame about Massa’s crash; it looked a little strange. I think he did brake too late, but there might have been something else about it, too.
I’m also not sure why the Ferrari were so slow this morning; Alonso’s best time was substantially slower than the time he set on Thursday practice 2. I hope they didn’t screw up the set-up doing some changes to the car yesterday, and that he was only a little heavier than the Red Bull and the Mercedes.
sonia luff (@sonia54)
25th May 2013, 18:03
Does anyone find it strange that Hammy has been saying how well he’s settled into his new team, likes his new car etc and today because his mediocre team mate has out qualified him yet again he says ‘ I’m not confident in the car and haven’t been all season’. That guy always reckons he’s got problems even when he’s got pole. Not the driving god he and his fans think he is. Keep it up Nico :)