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FIA calls hearing into Mercedes' tyre test after Red Bull and Ferrari lodge protests
All three teams and Pirelli summoned to stewards office after Monaco GP

By William Esler. Last Updated: May 26, 2013 5:10pm

The FIA Stewards have convened a hearing into Mercedes' post-Spanish GP tyre test after Red Bull and Ferrari both lodged complaints.

That the test had actually taken place only emerged at the Monaco Grand Prix, with the protests made ahead of the race which was won by Mercedes' Nico Rosberg.

The Silver Arrows completed 1000km at the Circuit de Catalunya over three days in the week after the race in Barcelona and their rivals are unhappy that Mercedes might have gained an unfair advantage.

In-season testing is banned in Formula 1, but both Mercedes and Pirelli believe the running was permitted within the regulations. Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes and Pirelli were all been summoned to see the stewards after race.

The official notice from the FIA read: "Protests have been lodged by Infiniti Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Ferrari concerning an alleged breach of Article 22.4 h) of the FIA Formula 1 Sporting Regulations.

"Both teams alleged the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team have conducted three days of track testing using a 2013 car on the 15th, 16th, 17th of May in Barcelona, i.e. between the period that the precedes the start of the first Event of the championship and 31 December of the same year."

The crux of the matter appears to be the use of Mercedes' W04 car in the test.

Speaking to Sky Sports F1's Ted Kravitz after seeing the stewards, Mercedes Team Principal Ross Brawn explained that the test came at Pirelli's request.

The Italian manufacturer is introducing modified tyres in Canada on safety grounds after the delaminations which occurred in Bahrain and Spain. Furthermore, they are also working on next year's specification.

"We obviously explained to them the circumstances behind what happened; I'm reasonably comfortable with what we did," Brawn said.

"We did it at the request of Pirelli. There was a serious issue with the tyres which we've all experienced and that needed fixing as soon as possible.

"We've explained to the stewards what was done and it's now up to them. We're comfortable with the position we're in.

"One point I want to allay is this concept of a 'secret' test. There's never a secret in Formula 1. The test was starting when lots of teams were still in Barcelona packing up, so if we'd wanted a secret test we'd have gone off somewhere where no-one could find us.

"It's a bit of innuendo that's unfortunate.

"We don't know what we were testing. When they present the test programme, all the tyres are anonymous."

Brawn also said that Red Bull and Ferrari had opportunities to do additional testing.

"I know why they feel aggrieved by it but it was a Pirelli tyre test, it wasn't a Mercedes test. That's an important thing to understand," he added.

"There's a provision in the contract between Pirelli and the FIA to allow every team to do 1,000km of testing at Pirelli's request.

"Pirelli have requested that in the past and nobody has supported them. So if those teams are aggrieved then perhaps they should look at that aspect."

Lewis Hamilton takes the blame for podium-costing pit-stop blunder in Monaco GP
2008 World Champ finishes fourth behind Vettel and Webber

By Pete Gill. Last Updated: May 26, 2013 4:51pm

Lewis Hamilton has blamed himself for losing two positions during the first Safety Car period during Sunday's Monaco GP.

The Mercedes driver had been running in a comfortable second place before a high-speed crash for Felipe Massa produced the first of two Safety Car deployments. However, Hamilton lost track position to both Red Bull cars by backing off too far behind race leader Nico Rosberg as Mercedes prepared to pit both of their cars in succession.

Critically, Hamilton slowed off to such an extent that he was still entering the pitlane as Rosberg pulled away instead of being 'stacked up' just outside of the Mercedes garage. The error, despite being only a matter of a couple of seconds, was sufficient for both Red Bull cars to overtake the dawdling 2008 World Champion - with Hamilton subsequently accepting he alone was to blame for the costly error.

"It wasn't the team's fault, it was my own fault," he told Sky Sports F1. "I was told to have a six-second gap and I had more than six seconds and I lost out massively.

"That's motor racing. I just wasn't good enough this weekend."

Hamilton has struck a curiously disenchanted figure throughout the weekend and revealed to reporters on Saturday night in the wake of his third successive defeat to team-mate Rosberg in qualifying that he is still yet to fully master his W04 car.

"To be honest it's been since the first race - actually even in winter testing I was struggling," said Hamilton.

"Even in the first few races, but particularly the last three have been pretty poor, but this weekend was one of the toughest for me so far."

Massa leaves hospital following crash

26 May 2013

Felipe Massa has been released from hospital after his heavy accident during this afternoon's Monaco Grand Prix, with the Brazilian suffering no serious injuries.

The Ferrari driver hit the barriers on the approach to Sainte Devote on Lap 29 of the race, an incident near-identical to the one he suffered in third practice on Saturday.

Although he is suffering from some neck discomfort, with doctors immediately fitting a brace at the side of the circuit, Massa has been cleared to fly home.

Originally Posted by SinnerP 

Official...

"At the beginning of May, the FIA was asked by Pirelli if it was possible for it to carry out some tyre development testing with a team, using a current car. Within the contract Pirelli has with the FIA as single supplier, there is provision for them to carry out up to 1000km of testing with any team – provided every team is offered the opportunity to do so.
 
"Pirelli and Mercedes-AMG were advised by the FIA that such a development test could be possible if carried out by Pirelli, as opposed to the team that would provide the car and driver, and such tests would be conditional on every team being given the same opportunity to test in order to ensure full sporting equity.
 
"Following this communication, the FIA received no further information about a possible test from Pirelli or Mercedes-AMG. Furthermore, the FIA recieved no confirmation that all teams had been given an opportunity to take part in this test.
 
"In addition, with regard to the application of the sports rules, including principles of sporting equity, it should be remembered that the international sporting code provides that on the basis of a report by the stewards of a meeting, or on its own initiative, the prosecuting body of the FIA may bring a matter before the International Tribunal.
 
"The Tribunal may decide to inflict penalties that would supersede any penalty the stewards of the meeting may have issued. Such procedure would be followed in pursuance of the FIA Judicial and Disciplinary rules."

Perez and Raikkonen blame each other for collision
26 May 2013

McLaren’s Sergio Perez and Lotus’s Kimi Raikkonen have blamed each other for the clash that ruined both of their races in Monaco on Sunday.

Perez sustained damage to his MP4-28’s brake ducts and Raikkonen’s E21 picked up a puncture after the duo collided at the Nouvelle chicane on lap 69 whilst disputing fifth position. After a pit stop Raikkonen recovered to finish tenth, but Perez had to park his car after his brakes overheated.

“I’d had a great race - I’d been overtaking cars through the afternoon - but in my opinion Kimi didn’t leave me enough room when I tried to pass him as we exited the tunnel, and as a result I got squeezed into the wall on the entry to the Harbour Chicane,” said the Mexican.

“That was a real shame - I’d overtaken both Jenson [Button] and Fernando [Alonso] there, and Jenson had overtaken me there too, but I couldn’t have avoided the crash with Kimi. Of course, any passing manoeuvre at Monaco is risky, but, at the end of the day, you have to leave each other a little room.”

Raikkonen, for his part, strongly refuted Perez’s viewpoint: “He hit me from behind and that’s about all there is to it," said the Finn. "If he thinks it’s my fault that he came into the corner too fast then he obviously has no idea what he’s talking about.

“It’s not the first time he’s hit someone in the race; he seems to expect people to be always looking at what he might do, then move over or go straight on if he comes into the corner too quick and isn’t going to make it without running into someone.

“Because of one stupid move from Sergio we’ve lost a lot of points to Sebastian [Vettel] in the championship and you can’t afford to lose ground like that.”

Raikkonen remains second in the driver standings, but is now 21 points behind Red Bull’s Vettel.

Ferrari confirm that suspension failure was to blame for Felipe Massa's Monaco GP crash
Brazilian hit the same crash barriers twice in two days

Last Updated: May 28, 2013 11:44am

Ferrari have confirmed that suspension failure was the cause of Felipe Massa's accident during the Monaco Grand Prix.

The Brazilian didn't have the best of weekends on the streets of Monte Carlo, as he was involved in two near-identical shunts. The first occurred during final practice on Saturday morning, when his car's tyres locked and he crashed into the barriers at approximately 170mph.

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Unable to take part in qualifying as a result, Massa was forced to start the race from the back of the grid. However, he only made to lap 29 before hitting the barriers at Ste Devote once again.

The incident brought out the safety car and the 32-year-old was taken to hospital for a check-up, but was soon given the all-clear.

After Ferrari's engineers had a closer inspection of the wrecked F138, they have now confirmed that part of the left-front suspension broke .

'The findings validated the first impressions of the engineers, confirming that the accident was caused by an element of the front left suspension breaking,' the Scuderia said on their website.

'With all the required inspections completed to analyse what happened at the Monegasque circuit, the Car Assembly department can now start work in preparing the car for the Canadian Grand Prix.'

Originally Posted by SinnerP 

 @ RBR still complaining

Originally Posted by SinnerP 

Damn. 


http://grandprix247.com/2013/06/10/marshal-killed-by-crane-at-canadian-grand-prix/

Originally Posted by louislagerfeld 
I couldn't watch the race due to work. But what were they complaining about?