Formula One 2011

[Sam]

I just don't get why they are bothering to resume if everything can be changed etc. we all know what will happen.

[DFF]

Whilst Vettel's tyres wont have had the battering it would have had in the last few laps, surely all their tyres are going to be (relatively) cool on re-start? If so, the difference in quality of the tyre could be a factor.

[Lineker]

For anyone not in the loop or a tad confused:

The Monaco Grand Prix has been stopped following a multiple-car accident at the Swimming Pool complex in the closing stages of the race.

As the race leaders Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button came up to backmarkers on lap 69 of the race, ahead of them there was chaos after Adrian Sutil swiped the barriers on the exit of the Tabac Corner.

His slowing car, which suffered a right rear puncture, ran wide at the Swimming Pool and Jaime Alguersuari ran into the back of Lewis Hamilton, before Vitaly Petrov got caught up in the chaos.

Alguersuari was quickly able to jump out of his car, but medical crews needed to attend to Petrov - whose car was stationary on the left hand side of the Swimming Pool complex.

After two laps behind the safety car, race officials decided to red flag the race – with the race set to be restarted once the Petrov incident has been dealt with.

Petrov was taken away from the incident in an ambulance. Renault said the Russian was speaking on the radio, reporting pain.

[Katsuya]

Webber will probably get Kamui at some point...

[Lineker]

Oh fucking hell Lewis

[Rich]

Oh FFS Lewis!

[LUKIE]

Well done Hamilton you fucking dickhead.

[Gazz]

Lewis is becoming a cliche.

[DFF]

How wreckless has Hamilton been today!?

[Sam]

lol Hamilton acting like its a demolition derby today rather than a grand prix. The stupid thing of allowing work to happen on the cars has ruined this race for me.

[Katsuya]

Fucking hell, Lewis. Such a shame for Pastor now if he holds Webber up then Kamui gets to hold on to 4th...

[Gazz]

Well, it's certainly ruined it for Maldonado.

Hamilton should be DQed.

[Lineker]

He'll probably get a grid penalty for Canada (as is tradition).

[LUKIE]

They should just ban him for life.

[Sam]

I dont know what to think, on one hand I'm loving the racing this year but on the other hand the constant winning of Vettel is turning me off it :/

[Katsuya]

Shame that Kamui couldn't get 4th but 5th is still an amazing result, given Sauber haven't looked competitive at all this weekend. And of course especially given Sergio's crash.

Kamui getting an investigation might be about his overtake but he ended up a lap up on Sutil so even a 25 second penalty won't hurt him too bad. Lewis' assaults on people were much, much worse >_>

[Lineker]

Full classifications and steward investigation outcomes to come. First, let me get these out of the way.

Formula 1 should not rest on its laurels about safety in the sport, despite Sergio Perez's lucky escape from his terrifying crash in qualifying at the Monaco Grand Prix.

That is the view of Mercedes GP team principal Ross Brawn, who claims that lessons should be taken on board about car design and track configuration on the back of a number of crashes this weekend at the exit of the Monaco tunnel.

Speaking about the incidents, which included Perez being taken to hospital after smashing sideways into the chicane barriers in a qualifying accident, Brawn believed action would be taken in the future.

"It is a tricky part of the track and it has been for years," explained Brawn, whose driver Nico Rosberg had a similar incident to Perez in Saturday morning practice but narrowly missed the barrier the Sauber ended up in. "With the events we had a few years ago, the barrier was put back and fortunately the cars have improved.

"But we must never be complacent and think that the cars can't improve. We can always improve things, but the work that has been done between the teams and the FIA since [Karl] Wendlinger's accident and then Jenson Button's as well, has been commendable.

"What will happen for sure after this [Perez] incident is that the FIA and the teams will look again at what improvements the teams can make.

"But for an accident of that severity, and Sergio to have bruising and some sprains, is something that F1 should be proud of. But we will not be complacent and rest on our laurels, and anything we can do to improve safety we will do."

Felipe Massa expressed his frustration at the situation, and reckoned that calls from drivers to change the layout of the chicane area in Monaco have fallen on deaf ears in recent years.

"It is very dangerous," said the Brazilian. "Some places we have been fighting for a long time already because of that wall, but it looks like Monaco is okay. Not like the other tracks, but [only at] Monaco can we drive like that, and they never took away that wall.

"Here we saw two big accidents. Nico was lucky because it could have hurt the way he hit the wall. Sergio was not so lucky although he lost the car in a similar way because he crashed in the side. Anyway, it is pretty clear that it is dangerous."

Rubens Barrichello said that Monaco would likely always remain a dangerous place, because space limitations meant that a major track overhaul was impossible.

"Monte Carlo is a place where, with all due respect, everything has improved so much," he said. "Life improves, car safety improves, tracks improve and so on, and Monte Carlo is a bit of an old track.

"It's good for the show, everyone loves it and everything. But in terms of safety it's not the best place. So from time to time it's the very same place that we keep on having accidents, and if we don't do anything, in so many years we will have another one."

With four drivers having crashed out over the course of the Monaco weekend after losing control on the bump at the end of the tunnel, there is a chance of further incidents in the race itself.

Brawn believed that it would be up to the drivers to be especially careful at that area of the circuit - especially when tyres are not up to normal pressures.

"I think the beginning of the race, or any time after the safety car, is always a moment when drivers will have to be cautious until the tyre pressures come up," he said.

"We all run the cars as competitively low as we can, and when you lose tyre pressures the car can bottom more. The drivers are very aware of that, they are very experienced about that and know you have to be cautious in those circumstances until they come back to normal."

Renault has not given up hope that Robert Kubica will be fit enough to race for the team later this season - despite suggestions earlier this week that senior figures felt "sure" he would not be able to compete in 2011.

Team owner Gerard Lopez told Spanish radio station Onda Cero after last week's Barcelona event that he believed the most likely scenario for the injured Pole was for him to do a Friday session only.

"We'll probably get him to test on a Friday at some point during the year, but I'm sure his return is not possible this year," Lopez said.

However, team principal Eric Boullier said that no final decision had been taken yet about the plans for Kubica – and he expected the situation to remain open for a few months yet.

When asked by AUTOSPORT if he shared Lopez's understanding that Kubica would not race this year, Boullier said: "It is not my understanding that that was the original wording of Gerard. A lot of this wording has been translated, and maybe some of it out of context.

"I saw Robert two weeks ago and I can guarantee you that he is doing everything he can. He is pushing very hard – and you cannot do better. His recovery is going well.

"He needs some steps to go through which take some time, like the recovery of the nerves, and this is a learning process from the body that you cannot accelerate – you need to wait.

"But I am pretty sure that Robert will be able to come back. If he does come back it will be his decision because he is very keen on being ready before he thinks of stepping back, and we should know by the summer."

Sergio Perez will spend a further night in hospital following his high-speed accident in qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix.

The Sauber driver was taken to the Hospital Princess Grace after crashing at the exit of the tunnel and then careering side-on into the barriers that separate the run-off from the track at the chicane.

Perez was assessed yesterday and diagnosed with only a bruised thigh and a concussion. Following a scan, he was kept in hospital where he was said to have had 'a good night' according to a statement from the team.

The Mexican then underwent another examination on Sunday morning when the decision was taken to keep him under observation for a further 24 hours.

Perez, who had qualified 10th on the grid for his first Monaco Grand Prix, will receive another scan on Monday.

[Lineker]

Lewis just exploded on F1 forum. Called the other drivers "fricking idiots" and that the stewards always call him in "coz 'e iz black".

Piss off you twat.

[Katsuya]

SHUT UP LEWIS YOU ABSOLUTE IDIOT.

[LUKIE]

Links?