FORMULA 1 MONACO GRAND PRIX
No race or circuit of the Formula 1 Calendar can truly match the excellence, the glamour and the challenge of the Monaco Grand Prix. From Casino Square to the World’s most famous Hairpin, through the tunnel and past the luxurious yachts, Monte Carlo is a circuit of legendary corners seeped in History.
Thursday 21 – Sunday 24 May 2015
Prince Albert of Monaco and Princess Charlene of Monaco attended the Monaco Formula One Grand Prix at the Monaco street circuit in Monte-Carlo on May 24, 2015 in Monte-Carlo, Monaco. Princess Charlene was more Beautiful than ever… She was like a Greek Goddess in her white outfit and of course she was the Queen of the event…!
The 2015 Monaco Grand Prix, formally known as the Grand Prix de Monaco 2015, was a Formula Onemotor race that was held on 24 May 2015 at the Circuit de Monaco, a street circuit that runs through the principality of Monaco. It was the sixty-second running of the race as a World Championship event, and seventy-third running overall.
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton entered the race with a twenty point lead over teammate and defending race winner Nico Rosberg in the Drivers’ Championship, with Mercedes having a seventy point lead over Ferrari in the Constructors’ Championship. Nico Rosberg took his third consecutive win at Monaco, second win of the season, and the tenth of his career from Sebastian Vettel whilst pole sitter Lewis Hamilton finished in third.
Ahead of the race weekend, world champion Lewis Hamilton was at the centre of attention, after Mercedes announced they had extended the contract with him for three additional years, keeping him at the team until the end of the 2018 season.
Circuit changes
Revisions to the Tabac corner at the harbour section of the race track meant that the drivers now entered the turn slightly earlier, shortening the track by three meters compared to previous years, and making the corner slightly tighter and slower. The corner had seen a race-stopping accident involving Pastor Maldonadoand Max Chilton in 2013, leading to the changes being made. This resulted in the circuit being officially classified as a new layout.
The barrier on the right of the swimming pool chicane was moved back, with new kerbs, to allow for a better view of the corner. Much of the track was resurfaced before the event.
The race schedule for the weekend was different in Monaco compared to the other races on the calendar. In order to be able to attend sponsor meetings and other social events, the two first practice session were set for Thursday instead of Friday.
At the start of the race Hamilton, Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel maintained their grid positions into the first corner, but Daniil Kvyat managed to overtake team-mate Daniel Ricciardo for fourth. Over the following laps Hamilton pulled out a lead over Rosberg, leading every lap until a late-race crash between Max Verstappen andRomain Grosjean on lap 64 initiated a “Virtual Safety Car” condition which was then quickly replaced by the normal safety car. Having had a lead in excess of 20 seconds beforehand, Hamilton was pitted under the safety car apparently with the intention of returning him to the track ahead of his pursuers. However Mercedes had miscalculated the gap and he emerged marginally behind both Rosberg and Vettel who had stayed out under the safety car. With the safety car coming into the pits with 8 laps to go, Hamilton was ultimately unable to get past Vettel and Nico Rosberg crossed the line to win the race, with Vettel and Hamilton completing the podium. Hamilton displayed his frustration at this turn of events by stopping out on the track during the slow down lap before finally returning to Parc fermé where he deliberately shunted the third place marker board.
Monaco Grand Prix is the one race of the year that every driver dreams of winning. Like the Indy 500 or Le Mans, it stands alone, almost distinct from the sport from which it was born. A combination of precision driving, technical excellence and sheer bravery is required to win in Monte Carlo, facets which highlight the differences between the great and the good in Formula One.
The Armco barrier-lined circuit leaves no margin for error, demanding more concentration that any other Formula One track. Cars run with maximum downforce and brakes are worked hard. Overtaking is next to impossible so qualifying in Monaco is more critical than at any other Grand Prix.
The Portier corner is key to achieving a good lap time around Monaco. It is preceded by the Loews hairpin, the slowest corner in Formula One, and followed by the tunnel, one of the few flat-out sections of the track. Some great names have ended their races in the barriers here, most notably Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher.
To win in Monaco places a driver’s name on a list that includes many of history’s all-time greats.
Both Graham Hill, the man nicknamed ‘Mr Monaco’, and Schumacher have won it five times, Alain Prost took four victories, whilst Stirling Moss and Jackie Stewart each won here three times. But the record of wins in the Principality resides with the Senna, who won in Monte Carlo six times.
The race has been a regular fixture of the world championship since 1955, but in that time the circuit has changed remarkably little. Slight alterations were made for the 2003 event, in particular a new, gentler entry to the Rascasse corner, with even bigger changes in 2004, with a new pit complex and increased spectator capacity.
DRIVERS: 1 – Nico Rosberg (Mercedes), 2 – Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari), 3 – Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
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