Formula One 2017: Circuit Gilles Villeneuve

There’s really nothing at all the same about today’s race and Monaco’s joyless ‘follow the leader fest’ other than the tire choices (Ultra Soft, Super Soft, and Soft) and the fact that it’s a street track where the cars leave marks on the walls because there are no run off areas.

Circuit Gilles Villeneuve takes up basically all of the Île Notre-Dame which in off season is the Parc Jean-Drapea and, because it is not hemmed by commercial development, actually is kind of a race track with straights you can really call straight and opportunities to pass.

While very fast it’s incredibly easy on tires and it would be entirely possible to run a one stop solely on the Ultra Softs (the softest available) if regulations permitted it. In Practice and Qualifying Scuderia Marlboro has shown speed even on the Softs and a frequent complaint of Mercedes drivers is that the team has yet to show that they can be competitive on the harder compounds.

Speaking of driver complaints, Fernando Alonso is tired of driving bricks and is looking for a ride that can win him another championship. Good luck with that. He could probably snag a seat with Renault, maybe Red Bull, but Ferrari is finished with him and Vettel doesn’t like rivals. Mercedes seems happy enough with Bottas, so where’s he going to go? Of course after Memorial Day that could be Indy Car but I’m not sure he’d be happy driving Mad Max all the time. Yesterday in Texas they finished under Yellow and lost 2 thirds of the field again.

Owners are also not happy. Mercedes, Ferrari, and Red Bull dump over $200 Million a year into their programs, everyone else is less than half of that. I, of course, think the solution is to allow more on track testing (cheaper and more comprehensive than wind tunnels and simulations) and introducing more variables into the equation like in race fueling. I also think you might save some money relaxing the engine durability rules which are ridiculously restrictive.

Hamilton on Pole which he really needs if he’s going to stay in the hunt with Vettel (some controversy over whether team orders have been stifling Raikkonen). It ties him with Senna 3 behind Schumacher but basically it’s Mercedes, Ferrari, Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull, and everyone else.

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  1. Vent Hole

  2. Oops, already racing, Sainz collects Massa after being hit.

  3. Looks like it was Grosjean who initiated

  4. Safety Car of course. Lap 2 of 70

  5. Racing again. Vettel has wing damage, Verstappen passes.

  6. Vettel pits for a new wing

  7. Lap 5 of 70

    Hamilton
    Verstappen
    Bottas
    Ricciardo
    Perez
    Raikkonen
    Ocon
    Hulkenberg
    Kvyat
    Alonso

  8. Vettel at the rear

  9. Lap 10 of 70

    Hamilton
    Bottas
    Ricciardo
    Perez
    Raikkonen
    Ocon
    Hulkenberg
    Kvyat
    Alonso
    Vandoorne

  10. And Vertstappen stops.

    So Mercedes 1 & 2

  11. Hulkenberg, Palmer, and Ericsson pit

  12. Virtual Safety for Verstappen

  13. Lap 15 of 70

    Hamilton
    Bottas
    Ricciardo
    Perez
    Raikkonen
    Ocon
    Alonso
    Magnussen
    Stroll
    Hulkenberg

  14. Perez pits

  15. Lap 20 of 70

    Hamilton
    Bottas
    Ocon
    Ricciardo
    Alonso
    Perez
    Raikkonen
    Magnussen
    Vettel
    Stroll

  16. Lap 25 of 70

    Hamilton
    Ocon
    Bottas
    Ricciardo
    Perez
    Raikkonen
    Alonso
    Vettel
    Magtnussen
    Hulkenberg

  17. Bottas has pitted, that’s why he’s behind Ocon. Hamilton has more than the pit delta, but seems to be content to lead.

  18. Lap 30 of 70

    Hamilton
    Ocon
    Bottas
    Ricciardo
    Perez
    Raikkonen
    Vettel
    Alonso
    Hulkenberg
    Kvyat

  19. Hamilton pits

  20. Ocon pits

  21. Lap 35 of 70

    Hamilton
    Bottas
    Ricciardo
    Perez
    Raikkonen
    Ocon
    Vettel
    Alonso
    Hulkenberg
    Kvyat

  22. Lap 40 of 70

    Hamilton
    Bottas
    Ricciardo
    Perez
    Raikkonen
    Ocon
    Vettel
    Alonso
    Hulkenberg
    Kvyat

  23. Rakkonen pits

  24. Wehlein pits

  25. Alonso pits

  26. Lap 45 of 70

    Hamilton
    Bottas
    Ricciardo
    Perez
    Ocon
    Vettel
    Raikkonen
    Hulkenberg
    Kvyat
    Magnussen

  27. Magnussen pits

  28. Vettel pits

  29. Lap 51 of 70

    Hamilton
    Bottas
    Ricciardo
    Perez
    Ocon
    Raikkonen
    Vettel
    Hulkenberg
    Kvyat
    Stroll

  30. Kvyat pits

  31. Lap 55 of 70

    Hamilton
    Bottas
    Ricciardo
    Perez
    Ocon
    Raikkonen
    Vettel
    Hulkenberg
    Stroll
    Alonso

  32. Kvyat parked

  33. Lap 61 of 70

    Hamilton
    Bottas
    Ricciardo
    Perez
    Ocon
    Vettel
    Raikkonen
    Hulkenberg
    Stroll
    Alonso

  34. Lap 65 of 70

    Hamilton
    Bottas
    Ricciardo
    Perez
    Vettel
    Ocon
    Raikkonen
    Raikkonen
    Hulkenberg
    Stroll
    Alonso

  35. Alonso stops

  36. Final

    Hamilton
    Bottas
    Ricciardo
    Vettel
    Perez
    Ocon
    Raikkonen
    Hulkenberg
    Stroll
    Grosjean

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