Reports this week suggest Monaco is likely to make changes to the run-off at the end of the tunnel ahead of the 2012 race.
Nico Rosberg and Sergio Perez both had high speed crashes after losing control under braking for the corner, raising serious concerns about the barrier that in the past also injured Jenson Button (2003) and Karl Wendlinger (1994).

Asked why the situation seemed worse this year, British commentator Eddie Jordan told the German newspaper Welt: “It’s probably a combination of things.

“The new aerodynamics, the tyres, the asphalt. It’s always been a tricky place.

“The FIA is required to protect the driver to the best of their ability. It has done a lot since then (1994) and it’s doing its best: after Rosberg’s crash they took away the kerbs.

“The place where Perez crashed is protected with special cushioning, but it needs to be considered now what more can be done,” added Jordan.

Agreed his BBC colleague Martin Brundle: “I’m sure they will need to make changes yet again to the tunnel exit chicane run off area, but Monaco will remain one of the greatest sporting challenges.

“And that means it will remain dangerous too,” he said.

It is believed the reaction for 2012 will be the further moving back of the barrier.

“It’s a tricky corner and it’s an area where it’s very difficult to do anything about in terms of safety because it is what it is,” said Button.

“It’s Monaco, a street circuit, but I still think we need to look further as to what we can do with the run off there.”

Jordan said the danger at Monaco needs to be weighed against its unique place on the calendar.

“I know a lot of cynics in the paddock,” he said. “Monte Carlo is one of the old tracks but that myth is part of our show.

“As long as there isn’t a catastrophe, it will keep going.”

Alain Prost will be the ex-driver representative on the stewards’ panel in Monaco this weekend.
It is the four time world champion and former team owner’s second appearance in the role, after kicking off the FIA’s driver representative era in Bahrain last year.

Prost, now 55, is one of the most successul drivers in F1 history; his 51 wins bettered only by Michael Schumacher’s 91.

He dominated in Monaco between 1984 and 1986, and also won in 1998 when his arch-nemisis Ayrton Senna crashed at Portier whilst easily leading.

It also emerged in Monte Carlo on Wednesday that the FIA has installed “higher kerbs and speed bumps” to stop drivers from short-cutting the chicanes at the tunnel exit and the Swimming Pool.

At the same time, teams were struggling to get their motorhomes up and running after being delayed by the Ste-Devote fire.

The union of formula one drivers, the GPDA, revealed in Korea last weekend their push for more influence in the sport’s decision-making processes.

According to the German magazine Speed Week, the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association – now headed by president Rubens Barrichello – met at the Yeongam circuit with FIA president Jean Todt.

“We want a permanent dialogue with the governing body,” Brazilian Barrichello, accompanied to the meeting by fellow GPDA directors Sebastian Vettel and Felipe Massa, is quoted as saying.

According to another German language report in motorline.cc, Barrichello and his colleagues believe some of the problems in Korea – like troublesome kerbs and the dangerous pit entry – would not have been encountered if the drivers were more seriously canvassed.

“It was ok,” Barrichello said after the meeting with Todt.

“We discussed three or four things and he was very open. All we want is for the GPDA to be able to contribute more to the future of the sport,” he added.

The FIA has reacted swiftly to drivers’ concerns about the pit entry in Korea.

Numerous drivers on Friday warned that the fact the entry to the new Yeongam circuit’s pitlane is on the racing line in a fast corner is a safety issue.

“Someone coming into the pits will be slower than the guy behind who is staying on the track,” said Sebastian Vettel.

Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport reports that, after meeting with the drivers late on Friday, race director Charlie Whiting has agreed to a quick fix.

The white line on the pit entry is being removed overnight, meaning drivers coming into the pits can remain on the power through the fast corner and then sweep into the pits at the last moment.

“So the difference in pace between those coming into the pits and those staying out is not so great,” confirmed Mark Webber.

It is also believed that a kerb at another fast corner is being slightly relocated, while the height difference between the kerbs and the track at turns 16 and 10 will also be attended to in the future.

“I am sure it’s just teething problems and people will look at that and see what they can do,” said McLaren and FOTA boss Martin Whitmarsh.

More generally, following the media’s horror stories of the past months, the F1 paddock seemed surprisingly happy with the venue on Friday, and the drivers gave the actual layout a big thumbs-up.

Nico Rosberg said Yeongam is “very interesting” with “some great combinations of corners”, and Fernando Alonso agreed the layout has “a bit of everything”.

And the venue itself was also being praised on Friday, despite some minor earlier complaints about electricity and gas supply issues, and internet dropouts in the media centre on Friday.

“With the government and organisers spending this kind of money we need to be thankful as it is something amazing, no doubt about it,” said Ferrari’s Stefano Domenicali.

The most genuine complaint is about the accommodation, even though the well-heeled drivers and management are enjoying the five-star Hyundai Hotel.

Buzzing around the paddock are stories told by journalists and mechanics about sex toys in vending machines and rooms that are obviously frequented by prostitutes.

“Maybe they (the organisers) can work on that for the future,” said Vettel.

Spain’s leading FIA official has been told the inaugural Korean grand prix will go ahead as scheduled in two weeks.

Charlie Whiting is only inspecting the Yeongam venue on Monday and Tuesday, but it is believed that selected media have essentially been briefed to the effect that nothing will now lead to the cancellation of the October 24 event.

That follows the latest information and photographs to emerge from Korea, showing that the top layer of asphalt is now complete and curing, that kerbs and barriers are in place and the basic building infrastructure able to accommodate the teams and media.

Indeed, Spain’s AS newspaper said Whiting’s inspection early this week is a “mere formality”.

“The race is going ahead.  This has been confirmed at Suzuka to the president of the Real Federacion Espanola de Automovilismo, Carlos Gracia,” said the report.

Gracia is also a member of the FIA’s authoritative World Motor Sport Council.

A Woking based team member has been dispatched on a 9,000 kilometre race from Britain to Suzuka.

He must reach the Japanese circuit in about 21 hours, in order to beat the parc ferme deadline so that Lewis Hamilton can be back up and running with the MP5-25′s new rear wing for qualifying and the race.

The Briton broke the new wing’s left endfence in his morning practice crash, and the only other version in Japan is fitted to Jenson Button’s sister car.

When Hamilton returned to the track with 9 minutes of the afternoon session remaining, his car was fitted with the old wing as he drove to the 13th quickest time.

At the same time, a team member had been dispatched from the UK to bring new endplates to Suzuka in his hand-luggage.

“We can repair the wing with the new end plates,” team boss Martin Whitmarsh is quoted by Auto Motor und Sport.

At the track, Hamilton’s mechanics are also facing a long night.  The 25-year-old’s chassis has also been damaged, and – after a patch-up job for the few afternoon practice laps – a new car will be built up overnight.

Mercifully, Jenson Button’s similar Degner spin did not result in contact with the tyre barrier, and Michael Schumacher and others also had moments in the same section.

“The bumps in the first part are worse than last year,” said Sebastian Vettel, despite the organisers having modified the kerbs after last year’s multiple crashes there.

Singapore has made changes to its Marina Bay formula one street circuit ahead of this weekend’s grand prix.

According to the race organisers, the changes are mainly to “address the feedback from the drivers”.

The track has been resurfaced between turns 3-7 and 14-19 to minimise bumps, while the pitlane surface has been lowered by a centimetre and resurfaced to ensure a smoother transition to and from the track.

The controversial turn 10 chicane, where Kimi Raikkonen crashed in 2008, has also been changed, with the kerbs realigned to make the changes of direction more gradual so that drivers can “make safer exits” from the section.

Aesthetic changes have also been made, including the bright colorisation of the walls and the run-off areas.

Michael Schumacher has expressed dismay about the changes to Monza’s kerbs for the Italian grand prix this weekend.

The FIA ordered the changes, to the area behind the apex kerbs at the famous chicanes at turns 1 and 4, to prevent a car becoming airborne after running over them.

But the new ramped concrete sections are not universally popular, particularly with Schumacher expecting Mercedes’ W01 to struggle on the high speed layout.

“It’s a pity the kerbs and not what they used to be. Our car is good at riding over the kerbs, but now we – and anyone else – cannot have this advantage,” he is quoted by German media.

Schumacher also defended his countryman and friend Sebastian Vettel, after the Red Bull driver was heavily criticised for some recent mistakes.

“He made a mistake. Why attack him like this?” the German said at Monza.

“The guy wants to be world champion, so he attacks, and you make mistakes sometimes. I don’t think there should be a big deal made out of it,” added Schumacher.

Note from the Editor: There were two titles for this piece, “Schumacher’s Karma catches up with him” or “Have FIA bungled with Schumacher penalty?” Either would have been appropriate, we chose the one we did because in the end it is perhaps more apt…

Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix was overshadowed by an incident involving old sparring partners Michael Schumacher, and Fernando Alonso.

Due to the spectacular crash between Karun Chandhok and Jarno Trulli at Rascasse corner, the Safety Car was called upon 3 laps from the end. The flash point came when the German veteran slid up the inside of Alonso at the final Anthony Noghes corner after the Safety Car had peeled into the pitlane for the last time.

The Formula One paddock now finds itself in the situation where Schumacher has been given a retrospective 20 second penalty and dropped to 12th position in the final classification. Fernando Alonso was reinstated to his 6th position, and we head to Turkey with the Spaniard still in touch with the seemingly untouchable Red Bull duo of Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel.

However, the justification for this penalisation is hard to distinguish. It is true that Article 40.13 states: “If the race ends while the Safety Car is deployed, it will enter the pitlane at the end of the last lap and the cars will take the chequered flag as normal without overtaking”. The clarity of this rule is not in question.

There have been previous examples of this rule being enforced. The Australian Grand Prix of 2009 being one such example, where the Brawn cars of Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello led the field across the line after the Safety Car had pitted following an accident between Sebastian Vettel and Robert Kubica. In this case, the job of the trackside marshals was to signal to the drivers that there was to be no overtaking and that they were to stay in formation. This was signified by the continued use of yellow flags and Safety Car boards at each marshal post until the Start/Finish line.

Fast forward a year and five races, and we find ourselves in a similar situation. What seems incomprehensible is that following the end of the Safety Car period, green flags were waved and a green light was shown on the overhead light gantry of the last corner. Such a contradiction in actions seems confusing to say the least.

Under FIA Sporting Regulations, a green flag signifies “that any previous danger has been attended to. The track is now clear, and drivers may proceed at racing speed and may again overtake”. Why was this signal given? The green flag completely contradicted Article 40.13, and Schumacher acted accordingly.

Based on principle alone, a driver that sees a green flag or a green light is perfectly entitled to proceed at racing speed and make an attempt at an overtaking manoevre. It is worth noting that the Mercedes of Nico Rosberg also attempted an overtake after Alonso slid on the kerbs of the final corner, but was unable to.

Such a baffling decision decreases the credibility of the FIA stewarding panel, which had proved itself to be more than capable with a string of sound decisions so far in 2010. The accusation that Damon Hill was central to the decision-making procedure does not work, as his responsibility was to ensure a fair conclusion to any racing incidents. This was a decision based on the law of the FIA.

Neither is the common misconception that the stewards could have put Schumacher back into 7th position, as under Article 16.3 of the Sporting Regulations, only three possible sanctions are legally allowed; a drive-through penalty, a grid drop for the following race, or a ten-second stop and go penalty.

It appears that Schumacher has been penalised for a communication mix-up, which is why Mercedes have attempted to appeal the decision.
Based on the precedent set by the Lewis Hamilton decision at Spa in 2008, time penalties cannot be appealed. The only conceivable outcome for Mercedes is that they can lodge a protest of the result to the FIA. A 2,000 Euro fee is attached to this and is the only option that resembles an appeal procedure in this instance.

The two underlying themes are that the large reaction to this incident reflects more on the bland nature of the race itself, and that the nonsensical decisions taken by those working in this arm of the FIA are still commonplace. Perhaps if there was no need to interpret so widely the rules that are put forth by the FIA, decisions like this would not cause such debate. With the spectacle provided by the racing being put on the backburner, the spectacle of events off track have reared their ugly head once again.

Those who believe in Karma, your time has come.

(James Rossi)

Rookies Karun Chandhok and Kamui Kobayashi fell afoul the notorious Monaco walls as the Principality came alive on Thursday morning.

Under sunny skies in the Principality, Sauber driver Kobayashi’s was the biggest incident, occurring at the end of the 90-minute session.

The Japanese lost control in the famous Swimming Pool section, hitting the raised kerbs and then the barrier on the exit, but he managed to nurse the C29 back to the pits minus a front wing.

HRT’s Chandhok, meanwhile, earlier managed just 6 laps of the circuit before spinning at Massenet and brushing the outside wall.

Fernando Alonso was the fastest runner, but at one point he pitted to replace a front wing, and was earlier seen almost clouting his left rear against in the final Anthony Noghes corner.

Sebastian Vettel and Robert Kubica were all within a tenth of the leading Ferrari’s best time, followed by Barcelona winner Mark Webber.

(GMM)

Higher kerbs have been installed at key sections of the Monaco circuit ahead of this week’s formula one race.

Last year, race director Charlie Whiting warned the drivers about cutting the kerbs and installed observers at the Nouvelle and Swimming Pool chicanes.

It is at those corners that new “higher elements have been added behind the existing kerbs” for the 2010 event, the governing body confirmed on Tuesday.

F1 photographer Mark Sutton inspected the new kerbs on Tuesday and remarked on Twitter that the drivers will “not want to touch them!”

Sutton was also disappointed to find new debris fencing at the Rascasse corner, recalling that in previous years “you could just lean over the barrier and shoot as the driver went past at speed”.

The Monaco circuit has also been resurfaced in the pitlane, from Ste Devote all the way up the hill, from Place du Casino to the tunnel entry, and from the tunnel exit to the chicane.

(GMM)