Before I look at the Monaco GP, there is something that has been boiling up within me all weekend and I just have to say it. As I have explained before, my main problem with Sebastian Vettel is the exaggerated praise he receives for what amounts to a short career with a few highlights. Sure, the guy is pretty good but he has much to prove yet.
Sebastian Vettel in Monaco
When Vettel claimed to have missed pole in qualifying thanks to Nakajima getting in the way on his last quick lap, I had to laugh. The most obvious fact of the weekend was that Red Bull were not as good at Monaco as they have been in the last few races and the only reason Vettel managed to grab fourth on the grid was his extremely light fuel load. The true pace of the RB5 was indicated by Webber's eighth spot with the same fuel load as Button's.
In fact, Webber was generally quicker around Monaco than Vettel so the lad was lucky to put in as good a time as he did. What surprised me most over his optimistic statement was the way in which it was pounced upon by F1 commentators. For them, it explained everything and led them on to talk of Vettel getting the jump on the three cars ahead of him on the grid and going on to win. I marvelled at the collective blindness that seems to descend on F1 fans when Vettel's name is mentioned.
It came as no surprise to me that Vettel was unable to improve upon his position at the start of the race and that he formed a useful buffer for the Brawns and Raikkonen for the opening laps. Admit it - you thought of the Trulli train too as he held back half the field until his tires went off and the others started coming past. His race was run at the moment of his early pit stop and his subsequent crash merely underlined the fact that he would get no points this time.
I do not know whether it was a team decision to put Vettel on a light load in qualifying in the vain hope of securing pole or whether der Seb came up with it on his own. But it was abundantly clear that the Red Bull to watch in the race would be Webber's, not Vettel's. In the event, Mark kept the Ferraris honest (apart from some dubious chicane-hopping) and deserved his fifth place.
The sad thing about Vettel is that I think his team have fallen for the hype and are putting him on unworkable strategies as a result. There was no way the RB5 was good for pole in Monaco and it was fantasy to think the lad could overcome such a disadvantage. It would have been better to accept that this was one race where they could not challenge the Brawns and the Ferraris and to put Vettel on a sensible fuel strategy.
Okay, rant over; what else stands out about this GP? There was Raikkonen's failure to make a start good enough to contest the first corner with the Brawns. Both Button and Barrichello made good starts and slotted into first and second places, thereby proving the obvious again - that KERS was going to be no help in the short run to the first corner. Kimi himself explained the more important factor of the Brawns' better traction on soft tires and the cleaner side of the grid.
That left us with a situation that provided interest in a race that is so often condemned as processional and boring, however. Once Barrichello's soft tires had gone off a bit, Raikkonen was quicker and had a good chance of grabbing second spot through the first pit stops. That was stymied by Ross Brawn calling in his drivers immediately after the Ferraris stopped, thereby not allowing them to build a lead on Rubens. The old fox plays race strategy like a chess master.
The two Ferraris remained close enough to Barrichello thereafter to have capitalized on the slightest mistake and so the interest continued almost to the end of the race. By then Button's lead was sufficient to ensure he was beyond reach, however, and he duly delivered a victory that sees the team edge even further ahead in the championship.
Which brings me to another common gripe about this season - the likelihood of Button and Brawn securing their respective championships by the halfway point of the season. I can understand why some think that F1 becomes boring as a result but that is mainly because we have been spoiled in the last couple of years. Seasons that go right down to the wire with the ultimate victors decided by a point or two are rare indeed in F1. If that is what we want, we are probably watching the wrong sport.
It is inevitable that one or two teams will produce a better car than the rest in any season; that is the point of the competition between designers after all. I will admit that long periods of domination by one team become boring but a single season is not too much to begrudge so excellent a combination of car, drivers and strategy as Brawn GP have become this year. Instead of complaining about one team winning too often, we should appreciate the skill and expertise of that team and take our enjoyment from each race individually.
Brawn's advantage is not so great as other teams have enjoyed in the past anyway. Think of the many years when McLaren crushed all opposition, or Williams streets ahead with their active suspension and Ferrari unbeatable with their combination of the talents of the dream team. In contrast, Brawn has already had stiff competition from other teams with Red Bull looking to be their equal, now Ferrari catching up quickly and Toyota sometimes a threat. If and when Brawn win both championships, they will have earned it indeed.
I guess that is another rant. Monaco seems to have set me off and I cannot guarantee that we will get to the end of this post without any more. Let me see if I can run through the rest quickly without sudden rushes of blood to the head.
Rosberg had a good race although Williams strategy still managed to lose him a place or two, Alonso produced his usual fiery performance in a car that did not really want to compete, and Bourdais at last did a better job than the young Buemi. But McLaren had a weekend to forget, Kovalainen's error throwing away what should have been a finish in the points and Hamilton unable to gain many places from his tail end grid position.
Fisichella did well for Force India, competitive throughout the race and just missing out on a point, Toyota and BMW did as well as they could expect at a circuit that did not suit their cars. Heidfeld kept his nose to the grindstone and was rewarded with yet another finish, Kubica retired to compose his next complaint about the team's performance. There is talk of BMW dropping Heidfeld next year but I think that a mutually agreed parting of the ways with Kubica is much more likely.
Oops, nearly started another rant there. Perhaps I had better stop now while the going is good! Allow me one final word about the Monaco GP itself, however. Take a look at the list of finishers and ask yourself whether it is just coincidence that the highest finishing "almost-rookie" was in eighth place. In fact, where are all the rookies in that list? The thing is, Monaco is a test of driving skill...