Sergio Perez admitted to mixed feelings on Wednesday as he returned to Monaco.

The last time he was in the Principality to race – for his debut grand prix in the fabled Principality – he was hauled away in an ambulance, having been knocked unconscious in a huge qualifying crash.

“To me it’s unbelievable to be back here after such an accident,” the 22-year-old said on Wednesday, according to Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport.

Mexican Perez said Monaco is still his favourite track.

“It is definitely not a good feeling that the walls are so close, but we know the risks. It’s a special place.

“I can remember everything right up to the crash. The next thing I know was that I was on the way to hospital — I was unconscious for several minutes.

“After such an accident it is not easy to come back — I cannot say for sure how I will feel when I come out of the tunnel for the first time. But I think it will be completely out of my head.”

Perez said he really needed “four or five” races to recover from the heavy concussion, but that there was pressure from sponsors to come back as soon as possible.

“I wanted to get back into the car in Montreal, but it was impossible,” he recalled.

“In Valencia it was very difficult for me.”

Now, he is hoping for a very different Monaco weekend, after looking strong last year until his crash.

“Our goal must be the podium. I hope to find a good setup although we have recently had a little problem with the traction.

“We are so close to the top that every tenth can make a difference.

“After our second place in Malaysia, maybe the next step will be victory — I don’t know if we will succeed. But the opportunities are there,” said Perez.

A favourite for victory this weekend, Pastor Maldonado is reportedly lucky to be gearing up to race in the Principality at all.

Bild newspaper recalls that the Venezuelan, who defied his ‘pay driver’ critics by winning for Williams in Spain two weeks ago, was actually banned after an horror incident on the streets of Monte Carlo seven years ago.

Racing in the Renault World Series in 2005, the then 25-year-old ignored yellow flags before striking and severely injuring a marshal.

Organisers of the Monaco grand prix reacted by banning Maldonado from the street circuit for life.

Germany’s Bild revealed that Maldonado’s wealthy father intervened, promising to pay for the marshal’s recovery and rehabilitation from a broken back.

That intervention saved Maldonado’s future formula one career, as no team would hire a regular driver that cannot participate in the sport’s most famous race.

Maldonado is therefore a favourite for victory this weekend, with his Williams now acknowledged as arguably the best in the entire field when it comes to slow-speed traction.

And in his four seasons of GP2 between 2007 and 2010, Maldonado finished on the podium each time, winning and achieving pole position twice. In 2006, he won in Formula Renault.

Last year, in qualifying for his first Monaco grand prix, he qualified his then struggling Williams in eighth place, comfortably ahead of Rubens Barrichello.

“He is very good at Monaco,” agreed Barrichello.

In the 2011 race, Maldonado was fighting for fifth when he crashed with Lewis Hamilton.

“If the last sector in Barcelona is the marker, then the Williams will be unbeatable in Monte Carlo,” Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport quotes Dr Helmut Marko as saying.

The breakthrough success in Barcelona has piqued the interest of Maldonado’s native Venezuela, having not had an F1 points scorer since the ignominious Johnny Cecotto in 1983.

“My country will be following every second of the next race,” Maldonado is quoted by O Estado de S.Paulo newspaper.

“I love street circuits, this one in particular. My style of driving fits perfectly with Monaco. I am ready to get another great result.”

Monaco has made changes to its famous street circuit in the wake of Sergio Perez’s high-speed crash last year.

Ahead of his debut Monaco race, Mexican Perez lost control of his Sauber on the exit of the tunnel in qualifying, sustaining concussion when he hit the chicane barrier.

Perez sat out the subsequent Canadian grand prix and later admitted it had taken him most of the rest of the season to recover completely.

L’Automobile Club de Monaco, the organisers of the annual race in the Principality, have announced that the severity of the bumps on the approach to the harbour chicane have been carefully reduced ahead of late May’s event.

And the ‘Tecpro’ wall that Perez hit has been moved back by almost 15 metres, the Spanish sports newspaper Marca added.

Lewis Hamilton is considering a move from Switzerland to Monaco.
The Telegraph reports that the 2008 world champion is waiting for a vacant apartment on the glamorous Principality’s Avenue Princesse Grace.

The report said the 26-year-old wants a “livelier lifestyle” than the one he has in Switzerland, but another factor could be the country’s new income tax laws.

The UK government will share information with its Swiss counterpart that could mean residents like Hamilton have to pay millions in backdated tax.

“I am quite happy in Switzerland but it (Monaco) is definitely an option,” said the McLaren driver.

He admitted that Monaco is a “spiritual” home for F1 drivers, including his McLaren teammate Jenson Button.

“Yeah,” said Hamilton, “but I wouldn’t move for spiritual reasons. I love where I live in Zurich, it is a spectacular place to live and it would be hard for me to leave there.”

Hamilton meanwhile returned to the British newspaper headlines on Saturday following his latest reaction to criticism of his driving style and off-track personality.

“I’ll take my driving style to my deathbed, for sure,” he is quoted as saying.

“People overreact to everything. You make a squeak and people overreact to it. That’s the way of this world,” said Hamilton, adding that F1 journalists do a lot of “yapping”.

Renault is hitting back at reports of financial problems.

The rumours emerged during the Monaco grand prix and the Enstone based team’s boss Eric Boullier hinted they might have been started by his predecessor Flavio Briatore, who was making an appearance in the Principality.

In a further move to downplay the rumours, France’s autohebdo.fr reports that Renault is making several new investments, including a state-of-the-art driver simulator.

The report also referred to an update for the 60 per cent wind tunnel and a new supercomputer for CFD computer simulations.

Boullier, meanwhile, has told L’Equipe that a management shakeup is the next step.

“In 2010 we watched the operations at the circuit and did not want to destabilise the team, focusing instead on operating efficiently.

“Now is the perfect time to ensure we have effective management at the track,” he revealed.

“We’re calm. It has been a transitional period that we have handled remarkably well. We have a sponsor in the form of Group Lotus and solid partners.

“And if in the season we ever need an extension of the budget, Genii Capital is able to grant it,” insisted Boullier.

At the same time, the team’s title sponsor Group Lotus has insisted the recent naming dispute battle with Team Lotus has not affected its commitment to Renault and formula one.

Proton-owned Lotus has vowed to appeal the High Court’s decision to allow Team Lotus to keep using the name and logo for its entirely separate outfit.

But Dany Bahar insists: “We (Group Lotus) are even more committed than ever before to our long-term plan within the sport.

“With regards to our involvement with (Renault), as Lotus we stand united with Genii Capital and have every confidence in the future success of (the team),” he said.

“People always question the cost but, believe me, if we couldn’t afford it, we wouldn’t do it.”

Flavio Briatore addressed the media, proudly strolled the paddock and grid and appeared for the popular British motoring show ‘Top Gear’ as F1′s most prestigious grand prix took place last weekend in Monaco.
But also in the Principality, another former member of the F1 circus was making a much lower profile visit.

Kimi Raikkonen, the 2007 world champion and now rally and NASCAR driver, rushed from a Nationwide race in the US late on Saturday to be harbourside in his yacht in time for Sunday’s Monaco grand prix.

In his entourage were ‘The Dudesons’, a ramshackle group of friends known on Finnish television for their highly popular and extreme Jackass-style show.

Raikkonen, 31, was seen with the group as they relaxed in his yacht’s open spa, and they also ventured to Briatore’s ‘Billionaire’ nightclub — but were refused entry.

The bouncers, apparently, failed to recognise the winner of 18 grands prix, and – enjoying his anonymity – Raikkonen failed to rebuke them and the party moved elsewhere.

“Maybe it was just time to sleep,” Spanish AS newspaper reporter Rafa Paya speculated.

The FIA is keeping a close eye on the aftermath of Lewis Hamilton’s Monaco grand prix.

After the McLaren driver’s two penalties for crashes in the Principality, he returned to the track late on Sunday to explain his ‘Ali G’ remark to the stewards.

It is believed the British team feared Hamilton, 26, was in danger of being charged of contravening Article 151c by bringing the sport into disrepute.

Indeed, the FIA told the Telegraph on Monday that it was “gathering all the relevant information” about the incident.

So also on Monday, the 2008 world champion appeared in British newspapers with further explanations of the Monaco aftermath, and apologised to Pastor Maldonado and Felipe Massa via his Twitter account.

In his post-race tirade, Hamilton had labelled the pair “ridiculous” and “stupid”.

“Hey guys,” he wrote. “I wanted to apologise for last weekend’s performance and also my comments after, I never meant to offend.”

The Briton said he had “respect” for some of the “angry messages” he had received since Sunday.

“To Massa and Maldonado, with the greatest respect I apologise if I offended you. Both of you are fantastic drivers who I regard highly.

“To my fans lost and my fans won, I wish you nothing but love and happiness,” he tweeted.

Quoted by British newspapers, meanwhile, Hamilton explained that his loss of temper was a reflection of his racing style.

“I don’t do it to offend people or to hurt anyone. I do it because I love racing. I feel like I can do it better than others,” he said.

He also said his desire to succeed in Monaco, the past playground of his hero Ayrton Senna, is higher than ever.

“In my heart of hearts I believe I can own this circuit,” said Hamilton. “I feel like I can be the fastest here. I was, and not with the fastest car.”

Fascinatingly, he also revealed that his defiance began long before he spoke with reporters after the chequered flag on Sunday.

“I got hit (in the race) and my rear wing was hanging off and I was asked to come in and retire, and I refused,” said Hamilton. “The first pitstop I was asked to pit and no one was there. So all the tension just boiled up.”

Perhaps tellingly, Jenson Button declined to comment on his teammate’s weekend, and when told he is aware of Hamilton’s character he responded: “No, I don’t.”

Pastor Maldonado has revealed he will not be talking to Lewis Hamilton after the Monaco grand prix.
McLaren’s Hamilton was penalised 20 seconds for their crash and after the race ranted about the Williams rookie, who had driven a strong race in the Principality, as well as his 2008 title rival Felipe Massa.

“These drivers are ridiculous,” said the Briton. “It’s stupid.

“People want to see racing, but you get done trying to put on a show,” added Hamilton.

Maldonado told Germany’s motorsport-magazin.net he won’t bother trying to talk it through with Hamilton, 26.

Asked if the McLaren driver apologised, he replied: “No, and I won’t try to discuss the incident with him. That wouldn’t serve any purpose.”

Ferrari’s Massa also returned fire at Hamilton, who had blamed the Brazilian for their in-race crash for which he was given a drive-through penalty.

“Massa held me up in qualifying and I got the penalty. Then he turned into me (in the race) and I got the penalty,” said Hamilton.

30-year-old Massa was not impressed.

“What he did today was unbelievable,” said the Ferrari driver. “Not just with me, but with other drivers as well. He needs to be penalised again and in a good way — otherwise he doesn’t learn.

“He deserves at least a one race suspension,” Massa is quoted by La Gazzetta dello Sport.

Hamilton did learn quickly from his poor joke about the stewards – including former Toyota driver Allan McNish – picking on him “because I’m black”.

He returned to the circuit late on Sunday to clear the air.

It is believed McLaren was worried its driver’s comments might have brought the sport into disrepute.

“They accepted my explanation, they understood,” said Hamilton after the late stewards’ meeting.

“We all shook hands. They said they would make sure other people in the FIA understand and clarify it with anybody else who has heard it and misunderstood,” he added.

Yet another element of Red Bull’s pace-setting RB6 had to be modified ahead of last weekend’s Turkish grand prix.

After Monaco, we reported that McLaren had identified a part of the 2010 Red Bull’s rear diffuser that did not conform with the regulations and had to be altered in the Principality.

Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport now reveals that an element of the rear suspension was changed at Istanbul Park last weekend.

The report said the elements in question, hidden behind six burly Red Bull mechanics on recent grand prix grids, were aerodynamically shaped and at a 20 degree horizontal angle rather than the allowed five.

In response, Adrian Newey’s design team reportedly shrouded the parts with round tubing in order to nullify the downforce-producing effect.

(GMM)

Williams has played down reports it is in the market for a new engine supplier.

The British team, as well as F1 newcomer Lotus and the French hopeful ART, have all been linked with a supply of Renault engines for 2011.

It is rumoured that Williams is particularly unhappy with the performance degradation of Cosworth’s 2010 engine.

But chief executive Adam Parr is quoted by motorsport-aktuell.com: “I am satisfied with them (Cosworth), we are not looking at other engines.”

He added that Williams and Cosworth are working on how to maintain the performance of the engines as they accumulate more kilometres.

“This is definitely something on which they are working and where they have already made progress,” confirmed technical director Sam Michael.

However, the Renault package looked particularly strong in Monaco recently, where the Red Bulls as well as the works car of Robert Kubica dominated qualifying and the famous street race.

“I think the Renault engine is very competitive,” Sir Frank Williams noted in the Principality.

“It is a great engine, especially on this track,” he added.

On the Grove based team’s current Cosworth units, Williams added: “We would always like more horse power, but it’s not a bad engine.”

Sauber removed the F-duct from its C29 for Monaco for safety reasons, the Swiss team’s boss has revealed.

Ferrari also decided not to run the downforce-spoiling concept in the Principality, but the Italian team argued that the device simply was not effective on the twisty streets.

But Peter Sauber said his team’s decision was for a different reason.

“I wanted my drivers to have both their hands on the steering wheel through the tunnel,” he is quoted by Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport.

“Ever since Karl Wendlinger had his accident there in 1994, I have respect for this place,” added Sauber.

Like Ferrari, Sauber’s system involves blocking an air inlet with the drivers’ hand.

The McLaren system is activated by the knee, but Lewis Hamilton acknowledged that the time advantage was just a few hundredths per lap in Monaco.

Ferrari’s system will be back on the F10 car in Turkey in two weeks.

“Our system did not work as desired in Barcelona,” confirmed team boss Stefano Domenicali.  “We are still fine-tuning it.”

The red cars were very fast in a straight line in Spain, but the system was also shedding downforce in the corners “when the system was not being activated”, the Italian admitted.

Red Bull will also begin experimenting with the concept in Turkey.

“We are doing the research and for sure at the next couple of races we will have a look at it, but we will only introduce it when it earns a place on the car,” Christian Horner told F1′s official website.

(GMM)

Mark Webber on Sunday took over the lead of the world championship by winning his second consecutive grand prix in the space of a week.

The Australian, who was unchallenged in the Principality despite the appearance of several safety cars, dominated the entire Barcelona-Monaco double-header and is now level on points with his Red Bull teammate Sebastian Vettel.

Team boss Christian Horner urged Vettel to “relax” if he wants to get back on terms with the sister RB6.

“Sebastian dominated at the start of the season but Mark has really found his stride,” the Briton told the BBC.

“Seb is trying very hard and sometimes you have to relax a little bit and the times will come,” added Horner.

The biggest loser of the Monaco race is the former title leader Jenson Button, whose Mercedes engine overheated during the first safety car period because McLaren mechanics left a bung in his sidepod.

It was a fairly processional but nonetheless incident-packed race, with both Williams drivers crashing, and backmarker Jarno Trulli mounting Karun Chandhok’s HRT right in front of the leader Webber.

There is also a post-race controversy in the stewards’ room, after Fernando Alonso was passed by Michael Schumacher in the short blast between the safety car pulling in and the waving of the chequered flag.

There is some uncertainty as to whether overtaking is allowed in those circumstances on the last lap, with Mercedes’ Ross Brawn and Ferrari’s Stefano Domenicali both telling TV reporters their opposing views.

“Our understanding of the regulations is pretty clear but let’s just see what the stewards say,” said Domenicali.

(GMM)

Mark Webber is emerging as the favourite to win the 2010 world championship.

That is the belief of Mercedes reserve driver Nick Heidfeld, after seeing Webber’s second pole position within a week on Saturday.

Webber, 33, still lags his highly-favoured teammate Sebastian Vettel in the points standings, but won dominantly in Barcelona and is the favourite to hang onto first place in Monaco on Sunday.

He is 3:3 in his 2010 qualifying battle with Vettel, and now has the momentum of recent success, Heidfeld told German television Sky.

“We all know how strong Sebastian is,” said the German, “but Mark is now beating him. It’s his third pole position.

“More and more he is evolving into the world championship favourite,” added Heidfeld.

Also impressed with Webber is retired ten time winner Gerhard Berger, who is in the Principality this weekend and has spent time watching the cars from a trackside vantage point.

“What is great is that the driver can still make a big difference here,” said the Austrian. “At the chicane Webber is really very good — very aggressive, fast.

“We are seeing that it is not only the car but also the driver,” added Berger.

And triple world champion Niki Lauda told Kleine Zeitung: “Right now he (Webber) is almost unbeatable.

“Vettel’s problem is that suddenly his greatest enemy is within his own team, just as it was with myself at McLaren with Alain Prost,” added the Austrian.
(GMM)

Michael Schumacher accepted an apology from his Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg in the hours after qualifying at Monaco.

After the seven time world champion told reporters he had been blocked in Q3 by the younger German, Rosberg later said: “I apologised because I realised that it wasn’t ideal.”

The Brackley based team also took a portion of the blame, admitting that the radio and GPS systems have not been working well in the Principality.

Boss Ross Brawn conceded that Schumacher, who has been outqualified by Rosberg at every grand prix venue this year except Barcelona a week ago, was initially “annoyed” about the incident.

“But when I explained to him what happened he was ok, just frustrated,” said the Briton.

And he said it was a mistake to have the two W01 cars circulating nose-to-tail, following a problem getting “Nico’s car out of the garage”.

“We cocked up,” admitted Brawn.

(GMM)

Mark Webber is F1′s man of the moment, but on Saturday he was not in the mood to confirm the latest paddock rumour.

In the space of a few months, the Australian has been linked with a looming retirement and a 2011 Ferrari seat, and the latest whisper is that he has signed an extension of his contract with Red Bull.

But in Monaco, after scoring his second consecutive pole position within a week, the last-start winner played a straight bat.

“Certainly haven’t come to any agreements yet but there’s still a long way to go in terms of what to do for next year,” said the 33-year-old, the first Australian since Sir Jack Brabham in 1967 to be on pole in the Principality.

And if he wins on Sunday, leaping towards the very top of the drivers’ standings, it will be the first Australian win in Monaco since Brabham more than 50 years ago.

“We’ve worked very hard over the last few years, Red Bull and myself to get into this situation.

“I’m actually in no real rush to make any big decisions myself; also I think both of us are very happy with each other, a lot of trust with each other, so let’s see how it goes, there’s plenty of time,” added Webber.
(GMM)