Monaco is the toughest and most challenging track on the F1 calendar. With 80% chance of a safety car at Monaco, there should be a lot of action on Sunday. In the previous two races here, Rosberg has won. He is hoping to match Senna’s record of three Monaco victories in a row. But Lewis Hamilton will do all he can to prevent his teammate taking another victory…
Although Mercedes are the favourites to win the race, Monaco is unpredictable and has seen many surprise winners in the past. For the first time this year, the cars will run on the super soft tyres. Pirelli say that they will last better than the tyres last year.
In the last eleven years, ten of the victories have been from pole. This highlights the importance of qualifying at Monaco. LAst year, Rosberg got pole after he stopped at Mirabeau on his final lap. This prevented Hamilton from finishing his lap which meant Rosberg took pole, although in controversial circumstances. He went on to win the race for the second year in a row.
Mercedes
After winning in Spain, Rosberg will certainly hoping for a second victory this weekend. Lewis Hamilton signed a new contract with Mercedes this week, securing his place in the team until 2018. He is currently leading the championship and would love to extend this lead this weekend. Mercedes are the strongest team this year and are most likely to win the race. However, this is Monaco and the races are unpredictable…
Ferrari
A very strong start to the season for Ferrari and they are hoping to claim their first Monaco victory for 14 years. They won the race in Malaysia earlier this year after a safety car, an 80% chance of one this weekend means they could use it to their advantage.
Williams
A great race last time for Bottas saw him beat one of the Ferraris. Here at Monaco, with new upgrades on the car, can he do that again? Or can he get one better and finish on the podium? Williams seem to be improving and getting closer to the Ferraris so it is possible.
Red Bull
Currently struggling for performance from their engine, Red Bull have had a tough start to the 2015 season. At Monaco, engine power is not as important but it is unlikely they will get a great result this weekend. Ricciardo is looking forward to the race this weekend despite this. He said:
“Driving a Formula One car anywhere is special – the speed, the power and the acceleration just blows you away – but here it’s like trying to do a lap in a supermarket, and that’s just so, so cool. I know there’s that quote about racing at Monaco being like riding a bicycle around your bathroom – well when I was a kid I used to love riding my little bike around inside the house. It was more fun, there were more obstacles and a bit more danger.”
Toro Rosso
With reliability issues preventing them from scoring as highly as they could, Toro Rosso are hoping for a problem free weekend. Verstappen has never raced here, whereas Sainz has which will give him an advantage. So far this season, both drivers have impressed so it looks to be an exciting race for them this weekend.
Force India
With both cars struggling in qualifying in Spain, they will need to focus on improving this pace on Saturday. Especially at Monaco, where qualifying is even more vital. Both drivers love the circuit as it is challenging and just one mistake could put you into the wall.
Sauber
The last few races have not been as good for Sauber as the opening races of the season. They have made little progress and failed to score last time. Hopefully, for them, they will be back in the top ten in the race.
Lotus
With some new parts for the car this weekend, Lotus will be hoping to get closer to the top. Grosjean,who knows the highs and lows of the race here, is really looking forward to it:
“I’ve been super quick in the past, but I’ve also hit the walls too, so there’s a real balance to be struck. It’s an exciting and glamorous Grand Prix but always a step into the unknown, because it’s difficult to predict how well each car will work there.”
Manor
Last year, Manor scored their only points of the season here, when Jules Bianchi came 9th. It will be a tough race for the team, without Jules Bianchi with them. Reflecting on last year’s race, John Booth said:
“That was an incredible, unforgettable day and it is very important to everyone in the team that we honour what Jules achieved for us. It’s a big part of the reason we are back racing today. Consequently, despite our obvious sadness, this weekend we will remember and celebrate what was a very important milestone in the team’s history and what was, above all, a mighty race performance from Jules.”
McLaren
McLaren are hoping to score their first points of the season this weekend in Monaco. However, in order to achieve this they must fix the braking issues which prevented Alonso from finishing the last race in Spain. With power not as essential in Monaco, they will have a good chance of finishing in the points – as long as they manage to finish.