Formule 1 – VC Monaco

After a two-week break, the wheels of all 22 Formula 1 single-seaters started spinning again. This time, the circus associated with the organization of the races moved to the famous Monte Carlo , where the pilots tried out what it's like to drive on the narrow city track.

The Mercedes drivers did the best in qualifying , with Rosberg taking first place and Hamilton second. The pair from Red Bull lined up right behind them in the order of Vettel and Webber. Only the third row was left for Kimi Räikkönen and Fernando Alonso. Even worse was Felipe Massa , who had to start second to last after a crash in the third practice session.

The start was without major complications and the order remained the same as at the start – 1st Rosberg, 2nd Hamilton, 3rd Vettel, 4th Webber and 5th Räikkönen. At the start of the race, Pastor Maldonado and Gied van der Gard caused excitement when the latter pushed the former slightly and for both of them it meant a broken front wing and the need to visit the mechanics.

However, since this incident, the race unfolded at a very leisurely pace, when Vettel put pressure on Hamilton, but did not decide to do anything more serious. Charles Pic played an episodic role in the big theater called VC Monaco when his Caterham caught fire at the entrance to the pit lane in the ninth lap.

From the ninth to the twenty-sixth round, nothing of note happened. Rosberg was building a lead, the others kept their distance so as not to damage the tires too much. In the 26th lap, Mark Webber was the first from the top to pit at the mechanics, a lap later he was followed by Kimi Räikkönen, after the next lap Fernando Alonso also found himself at the mechanics.

Felipe Massa took care of the first real excitement only in the 30th lap. He was unable to pass through the curved finish line, blocked his wheels at the entrance to the first turn, "kissed" the barrier and headed into the escape zone around the first turn. The obviously shaken Brazilian made the same mistake for the second time in 24 hours. The Safety Car immediately came onto the track, which both Mercedes used to stop. And while Rosberg defended the lead, both Red Bulls got in front of Hamilton.

The race was restarted at the end of lap 38 with the running order 1st Rosberg, 2nd Vettel, 3rd Webber, 4th Hamilton, 5th Räikkönen. An interesting race was driven by Sergio Pérez , in eighth position at this stage of the race. In the 42nd lap, he overtook his colleague Button, but two laps later he tried the same on Alonso. However, he did not give in and, fearing a crash, shortened the chicane behind the tunnel. He thus retained the sixth position.

But not for long. However, the race was stopped even before the commissioners made a decision. Chilton pushed Maldonado into the barriers and the Venezuelan aimed it directly into the barrier, which he literally wrapped around himself. He thus created a roadblock on the track, which the marshals cleared for several tens of minutes. Red flags were raised in the 46th lap.

During the forced break, Alonso learned the unpleasant news that immediately after the restart the field had to let Pérez in front of him. It did, and despite Alonso's efforts to get the place back, Pérez kept his position. The restart itself was handled best by Nico Rosberg , who kept the lead ahead of Vettel, Webber and Hamilton.

After the restart, it was again about not making a mistake, on Rosberg's part building a lead and on the part of his rivals not letting those in front of him drive away. Hamilton was pushing Webber so far, but the narrow streets did not allow him to use the full potential of his single-seater. On the contrary, Sutil succeeded . He first overtook Button on the 52nd lap, five laps later and Fernando Alonso, who was unable to get ahead of Pérez.

On the 61st lap, Jules Bianchi ended up in the barrier, and three laps later a small tragedy came for Rosbegr. His hard-earned lead was again taken away by the Safety Car , which came out after Grosjean's collision with Ricciardo. The race was restarted on lap 66, when the order was as follows – 1. Rosberg, 2. Vettel, 3. Webber, 4. Hamilton, 5. Räikkönen.

Pérez was obviously in the mood and attacked the slower Kimi Räikkönen on the 70th lap. The whole maneuver took place in front of the chicane behind the tunnel, where the Mexican drove too optimistically, came into contact with the Finn's formula and the barriers and significantly damaged his front spoiler. Räikkönen again had a flat rear tire and it meant a forced pit stop. However, even Pérez did not last long on the track. After four laps, he had to stop his single-seater before entering the starting straight.

However, the first four were already in a different league and after four fair laps they shared the points in the same order ( 1. Rosberg, 2. Vettel, 3. Webber, 4. Hamilton ). The pilots lined up behind them as follows – 5. Sutil, 6. Button, 7. Alonso, 8. Vergne, 9. Di Resta and 10. Räikkönen, who thus managed to grab at least one point.

The next race is in two weeks in Canada .

Complete standings of the VC Monaco :

Rider standings after six of the nineteen races

Ranking of the teams after six of the nineteen races

Source: formula1.com