2013 Monaco Grand Prix

An unsatisfactory race on several counts.  Too many crashes, which made the race scrappy and fragmented. It goes without saying that the "the tyre situation" once again reared its head, and the effects were felt particularly acutely in the early stages.  At least there was no shortage of talking points!

Nico Rosberg looked to have the legs of everyone else for the bulk of the weekend.  On paper, it looked like the impediments which have afflicted Mercedes' race form in recent times would be less pronounced in the principality, and so it proved, even allowing for some reservations expressed by the drivers.

The one mystery in the race was the mediocre showing of Fernando Alonso, who if anything seemed to go backwards as things progressed. I for one had expected his nous and solidity to show through here, but it was not to be, and it has to go down as a missed opportunity.

Whilst some of the established runners were encountering misfortune, others were performing above themselves.  A superb drive by Adrian Sutil, his most convincing since he returned to Formula 1, a reminder of his capabilities, and another building block in his bid for recognition.  Drives tend to be noticed more at Monaco than at most other venues. Jean-Eric Vergne's eighth-place finish was also a fine achievement. 

McLaren were unexpectedly visible and prominent in the race, even allowing for their mildly encouraging practice. Sergio Perez caused a few ructions with his tactics, but at least showed some fire.  The sixth place notched up by Jenson Button is very welcome, but is unlikely to fool too many people at McLaren. 

A mundane, uneventful and smooth weekend for Romain Grosjean!.  It was like 2012 all over again.  His raw talent is not in the slightest doubt, but a nice anonymous but productive weekend in Montreal would not go amiss. With luck this latest penalty might concentrate his mind. When we also consider Raikkonen's problems late in the race, one hopes that Monaco does not signal some kind of downturn in fortunes for Lotus. 

Reading form from here on in is tricky.  It seems reasonable to assume that Red Bull are not going to crumble or weaken appreciably.  The growing strength and confidence of Mercedes, if it can be sustained, is the new factor in the equation. In fact Sebastian Vettel, with a nice little points cushion, will possibly secretly welcome this trend, as it is likely to deprive Ferrari and Lotus of points in their efforts to close the gap.