Headache for Liberty Media
the most boring race ever,” said Alonso. “With-
sport needs to think a little bit about the show because this is very disappointing.
“So I think we probably need to give something to the fans at the end of the race just to pay the ticket back a little. I think it is Monaco -- the way it is. It think it is quite boring. We just start in our qualifying posi-
Finn Kimi Raikkonen, in the second
“Qualifying decides everthing here,” he said. “Not a lot happens. Everyone drives around behind each other and whoever is in front dictates the speed.”
Hamilton had set the tone among the senior drivers when he said: “The tyres were not great, but we were all driving so slow... it was not an attacking race -- we were just cruising. It was not racing.
“I will be shocked if anyone was awake at home while it was on, because I would have been asleep on the couch.” The predictability of the Monaco race is normally forgiven if there is some incident to enliven the glamorised choreography of what is a largely corporate festival, but this year’s contest plumbed new depths of mediocrity.
It has presented F1’s new American owners Liberty Media with a major problem as they grapple with the task of brightening up the show without losing its traditional values.
Hamilton suggested looking over the Atlantic for inspiration to create a closer race.
“You look at NASCAR, they put in a bunch of safety cars for no reason at all to bunch the pack up. There’s like 100 yellow flags in the race t
They produced stunning one lap speed, but lacked durability and, as a result, in a one-stop race on a tight street track where overtaking is virtually impossible, drivers were instructed to be conservative and make their alternative “ultra-soft” tyres last the distance.
“We must decide what we want... If they want to push, we must produce more consistent tyres, less sensitive to over-heating,” Pirelli racing chief Mario Isola said.
“But if we go softer, it is the other way and there is overheating and then they have to cruise.”