
On Tuesday, May 14, 2013, Pirelli announced that it would introduce new tires starting from the Canadian Grand Prix. Pirelli Motorsport Director, Paul Hembery, stated:
"Our goal is to offer teams new tires that combine the stability characteristics of the 2012 range with the performance of 2013. It is a Pirelli tradition to quickly make improvements to our products when necessary. In this case, we have decided to introduce a further evolution of our P Zero tires because the four pit stops during the Spanish Grand Prix were excessive".
However, on Monday, May 20, 2013, the FIA reacted to the announcement, explaining that it would consent to the change only for safety reasons (Pirelli tires delaminating, i.e., disintegrating). This led to further changes in plans. Since the Spanish Grand Prix, the Italian manufacturer had already modified the Hard compound, aiming for performance similar to that of the 2012 season. Many teams had complained about excessive tire degradation in the early races of the season. This decision was criticized by Lotus and Ferrari. According to Lotus team principal Éric Boullier, this change would violate regulation 12.6.3, which allows such modifications only with the unanimous agreement of the teams. The Federation, on the other hand, argued that rule 12.5.2 should be applied, allowing modifications if the compound is deemed inadequate by the supplier and the FIA delegate. While awaiting the development of this situation, McLaren and Honda, a successful duo that secured four driver titles between 1988 and 1992, will reunite in 2015 with the aim of reviving the glory of the 1980s. Honda is returning to Formula 1 after a five-year absence, withdrawing in 2008 after three disappointing seasons with the Honda Racing F1 Team providing both car and engines. On Thursday, May 16, 2013, President Takanobu Ito discussed the joint project with McLaren. From 2015, the team will be known as McLaren Honda. McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh said:
"The return of Honda is fantastic news for all Formula 1 lovers".
Shifting gears and returning to current events, it didn't take a genius to understand that changing tires midway through a Formula 1 season would spark fierce controversies, pitting one side against the other: those who were satisfied with Pirelli (Ferrari, Lotus, and Force India) against the dissenters (Mercedes, McLaren, and Red Bull). The Ferrari team directly entered the fray on Friday, May 17, 2013, after days of muted protests, rumors, and exchanges of accusations between the two factions.
"The neurons responsible for recalling memories activate selectively based on the results achieved on the track".
So begins the Ferrari's communication, strongly criticizing the uproar surrounding the four pit stops made by several teams in the last Grand Prix, making the race hard to understand.
"It's a shame that these beautiful souls remained silent two years ago when, on the same Circuit de Catalunya and Istanbul track, five out of six podium finishers made exactly the same number of stops".
The invoked beautiful souls have a name, Dietrich Mateschitz, the Red Bull boss who complained, stating that with four pit stops per Grand Prix, it is no longer a Formula 1 competition but a race to see who consumes tires less. While the statement itself may be understandable, the pulpit from which it is proclaimed is not the most suitable, not only for the argument put forth by the Ferrari website but also because there is a strong suspicion that the complaint is aimed not so much at protecting the sport as at safeguarding the specific interests of the Red Bull team, which worked less effectively on tires compared to Ferrari and Lotus. The problem, however, is that even the furious Ferrari does not seem to fully grasp the gravity of the situation created by the Italian tire manufacturer.

When the decision is made to take corrective measures for the unfortunate tires from Canada onwards, the issue automatically goes far beyond Mateschitz's outburst and ends up involving the very integrity of the championship. The FIA, in defense of which another issue is being raised with not the best of moods, is the primary guardian of the championship's regularity. In these hours, another, more pressing theme is being raised: that of safety on the track. In short, as the Monaco Grand Prix approaches, one of the most challenging races in terms of tires, dark clouds gather over Milan. Exactly two years ago, just before the Monaco Grand Prix, the Ferrari team post-Schumacher experienced its worst moment of crisis. The week before, in Spain, Alonso, in front of the astonished gaze of Emilio Botin, the boss of the new sponsor Santander, had been lapped by the usual Red Bull Racing of Vettel and Adrian Newey, and the Ferrari team had fallen into a confused state from which it would never recover. Stefano Domenicali, for the second time after the night in Abu Dhabi, came under scrutiny and was forced to play hard, dismissing the then technical director Aldo Costa (now happily with Mercedes). Nicholas Tombazis was also in the eye of that storm. He was right in the middle; he had designed that car, and many were calling for his head. But Domenicali resisted. Today, after the triumph in Barcelona and on the eve of another Monaco Grand Prix, the Greek designer at Ferrari looks back at those days with thinly veiled relief. They are gone.
"The climate has changed".
That seemingly endless and perfect storm is just a memory, and he is still here, survived, trying to win this cursed championship with a finally competitive car.
"Let's take it easy. I am moderately satisfied. Nothing more".
Well, the car seems to be performing...
"In general, yes. Although you can't say a car is good or bad, white or black. Let's say that, even though we can finally make optimistic assessments, we are not yet the favorites, those who win every race. Until that happens, we will work like crazy".
What would you improve if you could?
"The qualifying. There, sometimes, we accumulate a deficit that we then struggle to overcome in the race".
But there is finally a different atmosphere in the team.
"Yes, we had two, or rather three, very difficult years, 2009, 2011, and 2012. Now, in the company and on the track, the atmosphere has improved. People are more confident, calmer, they work knowing that what they do is not inevitably wrong, as happened in certain periods".
It must be said that your job is a tough one, the sports engineer, competing without being able to face the opponents, away from the field, and months before the challenge...
"Let's say that I run a marathon without ever being able to see the opponent's face. I run 41 kilometers without reference points, then I enter the stadium, exhausted, and see what others have done. Knowing, however, that whatever happened, there is no more room to recover. Or there is very little".

The way you put it, it's hell.
"It's not. Both I and a hundred percent of my colleagues are driven by infinite passion. The rational part suffers where the emotional part excels. One would expect rational reactions from an engineer. And yet, you should see how happy we are when we win, perhaps by luck, with a car like this and that".
In the last four years, journalists have narrated Formula 1 according to a fixed plot: there was the genius Adrian Newey who dictated the rules, and then there was Tombazis who played the role of the vanquished. Did it bother you?
"No. It bothers me if it is proven that my work is not sufficient to win. You call Newey a genius as a natural consequence of the fact that in the last four years he and his team have produced better work than ours. Hats off to them".
Four years is a long time. Have you ever feared developing some kind of complex towards Newey?
"No. No complex. Of course, I didn't like coming home from the circuit and finding my daughter asking me: Dad, why was the blue car faster than yours? But I never experienced it as a nightmare. At most, it was a stimulus to analyze the situation and do better, do more. Also, because in my career, I have been fortunate enough to experience different moments, opposite ones where the cars I designed dominated so much as to make the races boring. These are cycles, they open and close, no one can say they have always and only made the best car, also because in this sport, there is a large percentage of elements that escape control".
And when you read that Ferrari had made offers to Newey or others?
"After twenty years in this environment, you get used to everything".
In 2009 there was the double diffuser, in 2011 the blown exhausts. In 2013?
"There are no devices so decisive. Not all cars are the same, for sure. There are various interpretations of the front wing, which is very important, and then various mechanisms for tire management. But the difference is made by the capacity for analysis and simulation, in short, the details".
Can you describe the cars of the four strongest teams?
"First of all, let's say that I expect a recovery also from McLaren. In general, however, the differences are in the concept of exhausts, where Red Bull and Lotus have taken one path, we, McLaren, and Mercedes another".
Who got it right?
"We'll see".
The car is working.

"Not as much as I would like. At Ferrari, there is a high standard... finishing second is not an acceptable result for us".
In Monte Carlo to add puzzle piece number 33. Fernando Alonso will have a new, specially designed helmet for the Monaco Grand Prix. A white and golden helmet celebrating his 32 triumphs, from the first in Hungary in 2003 to the latest in Barcelona, depicted as pieces of a puzzle. The two world titles of 2005 and 2006 are represented by the hearts and diamonds of playing cards placed on the back of the helmet, while on the top, a map depicting the globe reveals a complex system of gears in one corner, symbolizing the delicate functioning of a robotic mind, perfect as that of a Formula 1 driver should be. And the mind will have to work especially well on the challenging Monaco circuit, where the Spanish driver, who achieved a double (2006-2007) first with Renault and then with McLaren, will hunt for crucial points to further reduce the gap from Vettel and Raikkonen ahead of him in the overall standings.
"It's a race out of the ordinary, on a unique track: we race for a global show, overtaking is impossible, and there's no battle during the race. The real battle happens on Saturday, in qualifying against the clock; on Sunday, the important thing is not to make mistakes".
Monaco's circuit has its own charm, with challenging curves forcing cars to drastically reduce speed, and then the tunnel, crowded stands, glamour, terraces with a view of the track, and the award ceremony by Prince Albert. While the points for victory are the same as in other races, winning in Monaco adds to the curriculum.
"You shouldn't touch the guardrail; strategy is as important as mechanics. Again, it's the most prestigious race: everyone has heard of it in their life, whether they're motorsport enthusiasts or not. That's why everyone wants to win here".
Especially Ferrari, which hasn't stood on the top step of the podium since 2001 when Michael Schumacher won in the midst of his triumphs. The weather for the weekend is not prohibitive: not exactly spring-like temperatures, and rain could make an appearance during Saturday's qualifying. Crucial laps for Sunday's podium.
"We need more performance in qualifying; the grid position is our historical problem, and we need to work harder on that. But otherwise, the feeling is positive: we have seen that we have a competitive package, which allowed us to get both cars on the podium in Barcelona".
In Monaco, the tires deteriorate much less, so pit stops will be reduced.
"With limited pit stops, one or two, there are fewer risks of making mistakes".
Monte Carlo is the most important race of the year, and Fernando Alonso knows only one way to prepare for the most important races of the year: attack, aggress, raise the pressure to the maximum to favor the opponent's mistake. In the case of the Spanish driver, still difficult to decipher in 2013, his rivals are two: the historical one, Sebastian Vettel, and the unexpected one, Kimi Raikkonen. So, well-positioned behind the usual dark sunglasses provided by the sponsor, Alonso waits for the right question and delivers the first jab of his weekend. The occasion is provided by a Spanish journalist who asks him about the Pirelli tire issue that will be changed after the Canadian Grand Prix. The decision, which was justified by the Italian manufacturer with alleged safety reasons (but then in Monaco, are they racing with unsafe tires?), was actually made in Spain after the Red Bull team complained to Ecclestone. Fernando, what do you think of this story?
"For three years, those from Red Bull won easily, and now they don't know how to lose".

It's the phrase of the day. Because it contains everything. The anger for a decision that risks compromising Ferrari's season - which had finally regained a favorite role - and the desire to be stronger than everything, even this latest folly of the Circus. Anger and desire that Alonso directs precisely towards his rivals:
"Monaco is a particular race, perhaps anachronistic, but along with the Indy 500 and Le Mans, it's the only one in the world that everyone, even non-motorsport enthusiasts, have heard of at least once. The show here is not on Sunday; on Sunday, you race not to make mistakes and not to crash into the walls. The show is on Saturday, against the clock. Starting in front is very, very important, and if on Sunday I manage to start ahead of Vettel and Kimi (Alonso, as the keen observers note, always calls the first by the last name and the second by the first name), I will have already done more than half of my job".
For this reason, according to Alonso, among the favorites for the final victory are the two Mercedes drivers; so far, quick in qualifying, Rosberg and Hamilton have always faded in the race.
"Mercedes could make it. For us, the important thing is to finish ahead of Vettel and Kimi".
Closure on Pirelli. According to Alonso, they have the merit of making drivers use their heads, as Ecclestone himself said, interested in covering the Italian company negotiating the contract renewal.
"This year, driving is different; you push only for a few laps. It was the same in the past; in 2005, we had one set for qualifying and one for the race. You couldn't push flat out for 78 laps. Basically, there's nothing new".
On Thursday, May 23, 2013, the first day of free practice for the Monaco Grand Prix concluded with Mercedes dominating. The fastest of the day was German driver Nico Rosberg, who, after setting the best time in the first session, repeated in the second. Rosberg, coming off the pole in Spain, clocked 1'14"759, leading his teammate Lewis Hamilton. Behind the Mercedes were the two Ferraris, with Fernando Alonso in third, over 0.4 seconds adrift, and Felipe Massa, trailing by 0.5 seconds. The first Red Bull was driven by the Australian Mark Webber, in fifth, followed by Kimi Raikkonen's Lotus in sixth. Seventh place went to the Frenchman Romain Grosjean, forced to end the afternoon session early due to damaging the front of his Lotus in an incident. The Briton Jenson Button, driving for McLaren, secured eighth place. Sebastian Vettel did not shine, finishing ninth in the Red Bull. The top ten was completed by the Scotsman Paul di Resta with Force India.
"It's always nice to drive in Monte Carlo, even though it's very demanding. Although the sensations are positive and we managed to avoid any problems, we don't yet have a clear idea of the competitive landscape. We'll only find out later where all our opponents really stand because until Saturday, no one pushes one hundred percent".
Fernando Alonso is satisfied with the first day on the track for the Monaco Grand Prix: his Ferrari finished second and third in the two free practice sessions behind Nico Rosberg's Mercedes.
"The barriers pose too high a risk to take chances in the early free practice sessions. There's never time here for a real tire comparison: the super-softs are a bit faster and have greater degradation, so all the available time is dedicated to analyzing the collected data to find the best strategy for qualifying and the race".

Felipe Massa is also satisfied, finishing fourth in the second practice session:
"The weekend started on the right foot; I found a good pace, although we are aware that we still have a lot of work to do. It's crucial here to have a car that is competitive both in qualifying and has consistent performance in the race. Mercedes has shown a very good pace, and it won't be easy to stay ahead of them in qualifying, but I'm confident we have what it takes to fight".
He gets out of his Lotus and yawns. He just doesn't like Monte Carlo; the track is not exciting, and the rest - meaning glamour, boats, and parties - is boring. So, on a day when everyone celebrates the supposed magic of this circuit at the intersection of luxury and megalomania, he puts on his most Baltic face and freezes everyone:
"I liked the French Grand Prix at Magny-Cours. A nice place where there was not a soul, and the hotel was clean and close to the track. And there were no hassles".
The funny thing is that what he calls hassles is exactly why a lot of people have spent up to 4,000 euros to get in here. And, essentially, they are also the same reason why a lot of his colleagues - even famous, even Italian - live here. But he, you know, is different. Not just because of that naturally vintage aura, like a '70s icon, that he carries with him. But also because of the monstrous ability to communicate without opening his mouth, or barely opening it. A matter of personality. In fact, Kimi Raikkonen, besides being one of the strongest drivers around, is also the man on the face of the earth with the highest ratio of spoken words to memorable phrases. Almost all unintentional. The time he said something banal, like:
"We won by one point".
In São Paulo, in 2008, those words became the lyrics of a nightclub hit. The time he reproached the pedantic race engineer, shouting:
"Leave me alone, I know what I'm doing".
In Abu Dhabi, in 2012, ended up on a widely sold T-shirt; you can still find them on Ebay for 9 euros. Someone even had plans for the phrase that is now universally considered his masterpiece, but then, for obvious commercial reasons, nothing came of it: it was the day of Schumacher's retirement - the final one. And all the drivers showed up for the customary photo. He was missing. When journalists, imagining some polemical trace in that absence, asked him where he had been, he simply said:
"I was in the bathroom".
An extraordinary repertoire of talent that the Lotus team has been trying to capitalize on as much as possible since this year. Not without some difficulty, as Kimi doesn't like doing interviews, doesn't like social networks, and in general, doesn't like to communicate. Despite this, sponsors are flocking. In recent months, Columbia has paid a lot of money to associate its upcoming albums with his mane. So, while Hamilton roams the paddock with his Bulldog, Roscoe, and Alonso torments his followers with the sayings of a certain Japanese samurai, Kimi races in Monaco with a Daft Punk-branded car.
"All this is, of course, facilitated by the overall standing".

And the fact that his black car is competitive.
"But it's true that Kimi adds his touch".
On Saturday, May 25, 2013, a nasty incident occurred, twenty minutes from the end of the third free practice session, for Felipe Massa. In one of the fast sections of the Monte Carlo city circuit, the Brazilian loses control of his car (probably due to brake failure) and first hits the side against the guardrail, then frontally against the protective tires. The car doesn't decelerate much during the entire sequence, so the impact is very violent. At first, there are concerns about the driver's health, but he exits the car on his own legs. Mechanics then embark on a race against time to allow the Brazilian to take part in the official qualifying, but even changing the gearbox (resulting in a five-place penalty) will not be enough. Meanwhile, the third free practice session of the Monaco Grand Prix ends once again with Nico Rosberg setting the fastest time. The Mercedes driver, already ahead of everyone in Thursday's practices, clocks 1'14"378, ahead of Romain Grosjean's Lotus and Sebastian Vettel's Red Bull. Fourth time for Fernando Alonso's Ferrari, who laps in 1'15"286, placing his car ahead of Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes and Kimi Raikkonen's Lotus. Among the top ten are also Webber (Red Bull), di Resta (Force India), Maldonado (Williams), and Hulkenberg (Sauber). An incident is also recorded for Adrian Sutil's Force India and Romain Grosjean's Lotus. With these premises, the result of the qualifying could not be different: Nico Rosberg will start in pole position for the Monaco Grand Prix, the sixth race of the Formula 1 World Championship. The German driver, the fastest in the three free practice sessions, is also the fastest in qualifying, clocking 1'13"876. Behind him, on the front row, will be teammate Lewis Hamilton, second with a time of 1'13"967. In the second row are the Red Bulls of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber. Sixth time and the third row for Fernando Alonso's Ferrari, preceded by Kimi Raikkonen's Lotus. The other Ferrari, driven by the Brazilian Felipe Massa, will start from the last position, having not participated in qualifying following incidents during the third free practice session.
On the progressively drying track, Rosberg secured the third consecutive pole position and the fourth of his career. For the fourth time in a row, a car from the Anglo-German team will line up at the front. In a race that is traditionally anti-overtaking, Mercedes has the chance to finally step onto the top step of the podium. To achieve this, they will have to handle the tires much better than they have in the first five races of the year. The management of tires has so far been a strong point for Fernando Alonso. However, in the principality, the Spanish driver will face a pursuit that is anything but straightforward. At the start, he will also have to watch out for the McLaren of Mexican Sergio Perez and the Force India of German Adrian Sutil, who will line up in the fourth row. Behind them, completing the top ten, are the McLaren of Englishman Jenson Button and the Toro Rosso of Frenchman Jean-Eric Vergne. Ferrari's performance is heavily influenced by Felipe Massa's black Saturday. The Brazilian, who set the sixteenth time in the final morning tests, 20 minutes before the end of the practice, destroyed the nose and front suspensions of his car, ending up against the barriers at St. Devote. The mechanics of the Maranello team tried to fix Massa's F138 without changing the chassis. However, the time available was not enough: no miracle, and Massa, who replaced the gearbox, did not participate in qualifying. He will start at the back of the grid or alternatively from the pit lane. Translation: it will take a miracle to score some points. Like Massa, Romain Grosjean also had an incident in the final practice at St. Devote: the French Lotus driver managed to get on track in the official sessions but was eliminated in the second round. Disappointment and fear. Frustration is also felt by Alonso, a miserable sixth, third row, in a grid that risks being sealed because here in Monte Carlo, narrow streets, guardrails a few centimeters away, overtaking is not even possible by miracle. Anger, because the Spaniard expected much more.
"We took a step back".

It's his laconic judgment, and for the hearts of Ferrari fans who dreamed of a triumph on a track where the Maranello team hasn't won since 2001, it's certainly not good news. For Alonso, there's also a 1.000-euro fine for speeding in the pit lane. Alonso's dark face, however, is nothing compared to what went through Massa's mind during the last free practice session. Eight laps on the wheels, the search for the best performance, and suddenly the crash, very violent, at turn 1.
"When I crashed, I was going at 270 km/h. Maybe a little less because I had touched the brake, but not much. What do you think in those moments? My wife asked me, and I jokingly told her that I was shouting her name. It's not true; you imagine everything and nothing; you feel powerless and ask only for protection. I admit it, I prayed, I asked God for help. I'm lucky because nothing happened to me; I had the protection I was looking for".
He was lucky physically, not even a scratch. A disaster, however, on a sporting level. Because his Ferrari was destroyed, and the mechanics, despite their best efforts, couldn't repair it in time for qualifying. The Brazilian recounts:
"I put on my helmet, hoped for it, but it was just an illusion. The car didn't have brake discs on the front tires, and the suspensions weren't even finished. It was impossible to go out on the track in those conditions".
A surrender that will force him (in the meantime, he took the opportunity to replace the gearbox; he will start last from the pit lane) into a desperately uphill race. The fact that he is well, however, is already good news.
"Why do you ask me how fast I was going on the first impact, but it's the second that worried me more. With my car, I felt like I was drifting; the G force in those cases is impressive; I felt the impact physically, a brutal impact".
The Brazilian reveals the reason for the accident.
"No technical failure: I braked over a bump; the car touched the ground, and both front wheels locked. It never happens like this; at most, one locks, but instead, I hit the guardrail on the left, and that was the end".
Epilogue of the trials and ambitions of victory. Alonso also seems to have little hope for the big target.
"Let's be honest, in Monte Carlo, if you start on the third row, you can't win. Races are always complicated here, the strategy, mistakes by some rival, a safety car that enters at the right time, never give up. But we're not in a good position. Also because I never managed to find the right feeling with the car; it seemed different from Thursday when I felt very optimistic. I don't know if it's due to the low temperatures (yesterday in Monaco felt like autumn, temperature at 16 °C during qualifying and a perpetually damp track) or a wrong setup, the fact is that the car wasn't working. Already during the last free practice, the first warnings were seen; we were no longer third but ninth or eleventh. We made some changes to the setup; it didn't convince us, and we went back to Thursday's setup".
A black Saturday, while Rosberg with his Mercedes, in the third consecutive pole, laughs. However, beware, he finished ninth in Bahrain, sixth in Barcelona; trouble if he were to miss this chance too.
"In a place where I grew up, went to school, have many friends. It's my home Grand Prix, and this is a special pole".

The second place of teammate Hamilton is also valid, while Vettel, third, announces:
"I have a great chance to win. I feel favored; I bet on myself".
After the tires that force the drivers to brake instead of accelerating, Formula 1 confirms its natural inclination for self-destruction and reaches the point of disowning one of its legends, James Hunt, one of the most legendary drivers of all time. Playboy, cursed, extremely fast, beautiful as an angel, human and anti-heroic, they called him Hunt the stunt, the crash. His story is so beautiful, his character so charismatic that even the Americans noticed it and made a film about him, Rush (directed by Ron Howard), which will probably dominate the box office for a few months. Well, instead of defending his icon, instead of nurturing his legend by telling it and passing it on to new generations (less and less attracted to this sport), Formula 1 officially decides to erase him. The verb was not chosen by chance:
"Erase James Hunt".
It's the order that came during the morning from FOM - Bernie Ecclestone's company that organizes F1 - directed to Kimi Raikkonen, who had decided to have a dedication to his idol printed on his helmet, given that precisely in Monte Carlo, forty years ago, Hunt made his debut in Formula 1. Unfortunately, due to the film, Hunt has become - or risks becoming - a brand, a trademark, and, in the perspective of FOM, there is nothing worse than a brand that is picked up by F1 cameras without having first paid the right amount. Raikkonen, at first, in perfect Hunt style, had responded bluntly:
"Ecclestone doesn't want it? It's his problem; I keep the dedication".
Then, however, he was brought back to more gentle advice by the team: commercially, Bernie's reasoning is not wrong. So the dedication disappeared. But if Ecclestone is right commercially, from a sports point of view, the same cannot be said, since, in the end, the drivers put everything on their helmets. For example, here in Monte Carlo, Alonso cultivated his self-cult with thirty-two puzzle pieces, as many as his victories in F1. Not to mention Vettel, who presented an idea that is somewhat misogynistic: a lady covered by a swimsuit made of a special material that, with the heat of the engine, disappears, leaving the lady semi-nude. FOM is fine with that, even though, you can bet, Hunt wouldn't have liked it; myths of that style mean a lot to them. On Sunday, May 26, 2013, during the first reconnaissance lap, Jules Bianchi remained stationary, and as a result, he started from the pit lane. Meanwhile, Max Chilton was penalized with a five-position grid penalty for replacing the gearbox of his Marussia. At the start of the Monaco Grand Prix, Nico Rosberg held the lead, followed by Lewis Hamilton, the two Red Bulls, then Kimi Räikkönen, Fernando Alonso, and Sergio Pérez. Pastor Maldonado had to pit immediately to replace the front wing, which had suffered damage. The situation remained unchanged for several laps until lap 26 when Mark Webber, in fourth position, made his first pit stop. On lap 29, Felipe Massa was once again involved in an incident at St. Devote, prompting race officials to deploy the Safety Car. Sebastian Vettel and the two Mercedes drivers took advantage of this to pit, causing Lewis Hamilton to lose two positions, falling behind the two Red Bulls. The race resumed, and on lap 40, Lewis Hamilton unsuccessfully attempted to pass Mark Webber at Rascasse. In the midfield, Jenson Button was overtaken by his teammate, Sergio Pérez, dropping to seventh place. On lap 44, Fernando Alonso, in defense against Sergio Pérez, went beyond the curbs at the chicane after the Tunnel. Two laps later, just before Tabac corner, Max Chilton's Marussia touched Pastor Maldonado's Williams, causing Maldonado to take off and crash into the barriers, which were dragged onto the track. To reposition them correctly, the race director displayed the red flag, interrupting the Grand Prix. Upon the restart, Fernando Alonso had to concede position to Sergio Pérez.

Between laps 51 and 57, Adrian Sutil overtook both Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso, moving up to seventh place behind Sergio Pérez. On lap 62, Romain Grosjean collided with Daniel Ricciardo just outside the Tunnel, prompting the deployment of the safety car again. On lap 70, Sergio Pérez collided with Kimi Räikkönen, forcing the Finn to pit for a punctured tire, dropping to sixteenth place. On lap 71, Jenson Button overtook Fernando Alonso, while on lap 73, Sergio Pérez retired. After his pit stop, Kimi Räikkönen made a masterful comeback (quite challenging in Monte Carlo) and reached tenth place. Nico Rosberg won the Monaco Grand Prix, followed by the two Red Bull Racing drivers, Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber. Adrian Sutil finished fourth, followed by Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso, Jean-Éric Vergne, Paul di Resta, and Kimi Räikkönen. As expected, Nico Rosberg triumphed in the Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix. However, the rest of the script was filled with unexpected twists, concluding with Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber on the podium behind the Mercedes, with Fernando Alonso finishing in a disappointing seventh place and several incidents, including the one involving Massa during the practice sessions. Sutil's exceptional performance (Force India) in fifth place, behind Hamilton and ahead of Button, added to the excitement. Also scoring points were Vergne (Toro Rosso), Di Resta (Force India), and Raikkonen (Lotus). This race result already indicates that there were plenty of surprises, from numerous off-track excursions to the red flag displayed after the collision between Chilton and Maldonado.
An incident that even overturned the rubber barriers, completely blocking the track and necessitating a second start. But it's Monte Carlo, as we know, a track where overtaking is rare, but entertainment (for the audience, certainly not for the drivers) is always present. On the other hand, if Nico Rosberg managed to stay in the lead for all 78 laps, patiently rebuilding after each disappearance of the Safety Car, behind him, everything happened, with some moments of great spectacle. We refer to the impossible overtakes by Perez (one of which also led to a questionable penalty for Alonso, guilty of cutting the track only to avoid the collision) and Sutil. But also to those by Raikkonen, who - hampered by the usual semi-suicidal move by Perez - was forced into a last-minute tire change and then returned to the track, launching into a series of impossible overtakes in the last few laps. And Ferrari? A race to forget, Massa crashed at the same point where he had crashed in practice, Alonso suffered three overtakes (three!) and had to defend his position from the attacks of Vergne with Toro Rosso. The problem, in short, is not so much the seventh place (although that would be enough...), but the overall performance of the car, which seemed like a mere shadow of the one that had raced two weeks ago. The big winner today, however, is Vettel: with a car that had no chance of beating the Mercedes, the German secured an important second place that propels him even further at the top of the championship standings: now Sebastian is leading the championship with 107 points, followed by Raikkonen with 86 points, Alonso (78), Hamilton (62), and Webber (57). Sebastian Vettel says at the end of the race:
"I believe, overall, I can say that I am very satisfied with today's result. I want to congratulate Nico for his beautiful victory: he had the pace and the tires okay to respond well to our attacks. The start of the race was fantastic. I also had the right pace to overtake our rivals, but there was no space. After the restart, however, everything became more difficult. Nevertheless, I am satisfied, I repeat. I thank my team, where we are all happy, and Renault: it is an important race for them; here we are just a stone's throw away from France".
The winner of the Monaco Grand Prix is only sixth, with 47 points. But from what he showed here in Monte Carlo, Nico Rosberg will surely be one of the protagonists of this World Championship. In the name of the father. But also of the son. Because if thirty years ago, on May 15, 1983, dad Keke in Monte Carlo had accomplished a feat, pole on Saturday and triumph on Sunday, son Nico copied it in style, achieving a victory as a true dominator. Rosberg didn't make any mistakes; he started fast and equally quickly reached the end of the race, although Vettel, second at the finish, mocks him later, thinking about his cautious initial strategy, defining his Mercedes:
"Not an arrow, as I expected, but a cruise ship, a very slow car, which I could easily have overtaken if only there was a bit of space on this track".

Ship or not, the captain who knows these narrow streets inside out, having spent his childhood there, guided it brilliantly. Now, after the second success of his career, he can unleash his unrestrained joy. Nico revives the legend, bringing back the image of his father Keke, present in the pits, three decades ago. Thirty years later, the son wins, a beautiful story that Nico, however, avoids turning into poetry.
"When I crossed the finish line, I didn't think about dad, but only about the fact that I was winning in Monte Carlo with a Silver Arrow".
In fact, his early steps in F1 have always brought up his illustrious father, and this perhaps has bothered him a bit. It's not a coincidence that Rosberg rarely talks about his World Champion father, as if their relationship wasn't exceptional. In reality, Nico respects Keke.
"Don't say that his presence was overwhelming or created additional pressure for me when I debuted. I grew up with a world champion at home, and having him by my side is normal for me. I always considered the comparisons inevitable; being compared to him was a habit. If now, after this triumph, I have freed myself from his image, you have to say it".
What he tells is his happiness for this first place.
"I feel ecstatic; it's a special victory, the best day of my career. This is my home Grand Prix; on these curves, I used to walk to school, I have a lot of friends here, and I wanted to make a good impression, and I think I succeeded".
Above all, he didn't miss another opportunity, turning Saturday from king (third pole after Bahrain and Barcelona) into a bad Sunday. Nico Rosberg confesses candidly:
"I have to thank the team because the progress made compared to the last race was monstrous. It's true, at the beginning, we didn't go all out; besides, my start was disastrous, both Hamilton and I wanted to save the tires and aim for a single pit stop, but I never took any risks".
Nor would rival Vettel have wanted to take risks, as Monte Carlo gives him a new escape. Enhanced also by 500 laps completed on Friday on the simulator by Buemi, the tester. It is said that with his work, the team pulled down 0.5 seconds. Tireless and precious, at the very least, Vettel owes him a dinner. It's a shocking Sunday in every sense. A huge disappointment for Alonso, increasingly far from Vettel in the World Championship, seventh in the Grand Prix dominated from start to finish by Rosberg, and a shock for Massa, ending up again against a wall and this time with more serious consequences than on Saturday. A check at the medical center, then hospitalization, and finally, the sad return home (he lives in Monte Carlo, just a stone's throw from the pits) with a protective collar, a lot of pain to overcome, and the risk, even if he assures that with a week of rest, he will be back in full form, of not being able to race in the next Grand Prix in Canada. The Brazilian was really scared:
"It was terrible; fortunately, everything ended well. God helped me once again, protected me. I will heal quickly and return to the track soon".
Meanwhile, even if via Twitter, he can tell everything, and for Ferrari, called to manage a disastrous weekend in terms of results, it is a big sigh of relief. Dismay, of a completely different nature, is also what Alonso feels, seventh at the finish, but worse, never in the game, overtaken three times (by Perez, Sutil, and Button) on a track where overtaking the one in front of you is almost impossible, a test of the worst kind of taxi driver. He doesn't want to hear that this time on the circuit there seemed to be a distant relative of his.

"I never found the right feeling with the car; we didn't have sufficient pace to keep up with the best, the two Mercedes and the two Red Bulls. We didn't have the ideal setup; we weren't competitive even in the race, where, usually, we manage to eliminate the disadvantages of Saturday. But on the overtakes suffered, I would go slow with the judgments. I'm not fighting for one more point, but for the World Championship. I don't take stupid risks, like someone else does".
He has it especially with Perez, someone he has clearly targeted. He repeats a very venomous phrase at least three times:
"Fortunately, at least this time he retired; if his car is parked at Rascasse, there must be a reason, he can't always have good luck".
Then he specifies accusations and incidents.
"In Bahrain, he tried to take out Button, his teammate, here I had to widen and cut the chicane to avoid a collision. I was lucky because he didn't hit me. Raikkonen had it worse; he hit him head-on".
Perez is too aggressive. And Sutil who tricked him at Loews?
"I was surprised to find him on the inside, but if I close the door, we crash, and now I find myself commenting not on six points, but zero. If at the end of the season, I win the World Championship by one point, it means I did well to give him room. I use common sense. Ask yourself why Sutil didn't behave in the same way with Perez? If he had, now their cars would be parked at the Loews turn".
The fact remains that the significant step back taken by Ferrari is undeniable. The team from Maranello hasn't won on this track since 2001, and once again, it has shown how indigestible it is.
"To do well here, we lack traction. On Thursday, we were deluded, but perhaps the opponents were hiding. We tried to change the setup, then we went back. It was an off-key weekend at all levels, car, balance, driver".
Yet, the Spaniard doesn't seem worried about the future.
"In Canada, we will be back on top; I am convinced, there is no reason to be pessimistic".
And maybe even bad luck won't get in the way, since Alonso had to fight even with a plastic bag in the first 10 laps, which caused problems to the front wing, and with debris from Perez, ending up under the bottom of his car, in the end. Nothing went straight for him. After the Monaco Grand Prix has just ended, and Stefano Domenicali is already leading the assault for the one in Canada, which will reveal the mystery: did Ferrari lose itself, or was Monte Carlo just an ugly parenthesis due to the peculiarity of the race?
The Ferrari team principal doesn't hide and explains that now it's important to understand:
"Why we couldn't be competitive here as in the previous races and try to react already in Canada. The goals are always to improve in qualifying and try to find that performance that we have seen so far".
The good news, however, comes from Felipe Massa, who despite the double violent impact is well, has already returned home:

"And within a few days, he will be back in perfect shape, ready for the race in Montreal".
In any case, the concept of looking forward also comes from Alonso, who admits some flaws in the car:
"Perhaps in Monaco, the problem was the lack of traction, a trouble that also afflicted us in Bahrain".
And now, the technical aspect is the most important, especially to understand Massa's accident. Pat Fry explains:
"The two incidents have a very different nature. Unlike Saturday, yesterday's seems to be due to a problem on the front left part of the car. It is still too early to precisely say what happened, and in the coming days in Maranello, we will try to understand exactly what the causes were".
The bomb explodes in the morning, just a few hours before the start of the most anticipated race of the year, the one in Monte Carlo, when high-level sources confirm that, yes, the case has been brought to the attention of the FIA. And the case is deadly because it is discovered that secretly (and this, as will be seen, is one of the key points of the matter), in the days following the Spanish Grand Prix, the one dominated by Ferrari, Mercedes under Ross Brawn conducted a private test with Pirelli, during which they could test the tires, the crucial tires of this season, for a whopping 1000 kilometers. Since the weather conditions were unfavorable, the test lasted three days, theoretically giving Mercedes the time to work calmly on the data in a season where, amid numerous controversies, tests were prohibited (Ferrari has been advocating for their reintroduction for years). Pirelli and Mercedes defend themselves, claiming that these were planned tests, but Ferrari is asking for clarification because the regulations specify that tests should be conducted with cars from the previous season, not those in the current World Championship. And it seems that the tests were carried out with the 2013 Mercedes. The news, incredible in its nature, spreads like wildfire through the paddock, and journalists initially face frowns and surprised expressions from the heads of various teams. Only Christian Horner, the team principal of Red Bull, eventually speaks up:
"We will ask the FIA for information".
Both Pirelli and Mercedes exude confidence. Mercedes, in particular, explains that there is nothing strange or irregular about what happened: the regulations allow Pirelli to involve a team during the season to develop the product. It certainly seems bizarre, if not downright masochistic, in good faith, the choice of Pirelli, which instead of turning to some second-tier team, one far from the world championship issue, went straight to the Mercedes of Ross Brown, Hamilton, and Rosberg, a team that, fast in qualifying, found its weakness in using tires during the race: strengthening which could comfortably propel them back into the title race. In this regard, it's worth noting that in addition to securing pole position in Monaco, in Friday's free practice, the Anglo-German team surprised everyone with an unusually positive performance in the long run, where tire management is crucial. Meanwhile, Pirelli states:
"We did something provided for by the regulations, normal".
Why Mercedes?
"We did it with a team that made itself available. At the end of the last season, we sent an email asking for availability to all teams. No one responded except Mercedes, and we planned the necessary test with them, on the easiest track to reach. There is nothing secret or irregular; the matter is precisely regulated by contracts".

And so, after four years of silence, Formula 1 rediscovers itself as the hunting ground of that old fox, Ross Brawn. The last time was in 2009 when he took over (for a pound) the Honda team, put his name on it (Brawn GP), mounted an illegal device (the double diffuser) on the cars, and won the World Championship, defying Ferrari and Red Bull. Since then, he had not made headlines until today when the details of his latest stunt are revealed. No special device: in Formula 1, as you know, it is not possible to test during the season. It is one of the main problems; without testing innovations on the track, you can never understand the flaws of the cars and the improvements to be made. So, while all the teams have resigned themselves to testing innovations only in wind tunnels and simulators, or at most on Friday's free practices, old Ross studied a different solution. The old Ross noticed that between the sporting regulations and the various agreements made separately by the FIA and the teams, there were quite a few gray areas. The main one was the possibility, contemplated by one of these contracts, of doing 1000 kilometers of tire testing to help the supplier (Pirelli) develop the product. Obviously, the necessary condition for these tests was that they were not excuses for improving the car but only for working on the tires. The conventional interpretation of this condition for everyone has always been the following:
"You can only do tests with cars from at least two previous seasons".
But Ross Brawn interpreted it differently:
"Since I don't know which tires Pirelli will give me to test, since the test is managed by them, and I only provide the car and the driver, then it cannot be said that I am conducting tests".
And so, he reached an agreement with the supplier and went to Barcelona in great secrecy. Three days, 1.000 kilometers. At the end of which, the two Mercedes started performing well. Arriving in Monaco, the Mercedes surprised everyone from Thursday when they showed an incredible race pace and, above all, an entirely unknown ability not to consume the tires. And they confirmed it during the race. Once the thing was discovered, both Red Bull and Ferrari took offense, and a lot. They asked for clarification from the FIA. Which now threatens to take Mercedes to court, where the team risks being fined and, theoretically, penalized. But in the end, the fox will likely get away with it.