2013 Monaco Grand Prix Preview - MotorSportsTalk

The streets of Monte Carlo welcome Formula One for its annual event, attracting the rich and famous from all over the globe for the sport’s jewel in the crown: the Monaco Grand Prix. It is the ultimate test of a driver’s talent behind the wheel and his mental agility, requiring 78 laps of near-perfect precision; anything less sees them finish in the wall, which is never too far away. In Formula One, it doesn’t get much bigger than winning in Monaco.

Monaco Grand Prix Talking Points

Can Mercedes win, finally?

It’s been a talking point since the start of the season, and Mercedes will now be keen to get the monkey off their back. In Spain, overtaking was easy, making Rosberg and Hamilton susceptible to overtakes. Monaco is a different story though, with there being only two real overtaking opportunities on the track. Good tactics and a resolution of their rear tire issues could see the Silver Arrows finally win a grand prix in 2013; their pace in FP1 and FP2 is an encouraging sign that this could be possible.

Just how much of an issue are the Pirelli tires?

Monaco has always been relatively kind on driver’s tires, with a one stop strategy being utilized by most of the field last year. Sergio Perez is confident that he can stop just once on Sunday, and Pirelli have stated that a two-stop will be the optimum strategy for the front runners; a far cry from the four-stop ‘fiasco’ that ensued in Spain. Monaco could see Pirelli regain some credit.

Three and easy for Red Bull in Monaco?

Red Bull Racing has a fine record in Monaco, claiming its first podium there in 2006 and winning the last three races in the principality. As a result, it may surprise many to see them languishing towards the bottom half of the top ten in practice, and the pressure is on for them to return to winning ways this weekend. Luckily, they have the drivers with the most combined Monaco wins of any team on the grid (3), and cannot be written off after practice alone.

Mixed signals from Williams after an odd Thursday

After faring so poorly in the opening five races, you may expect Pastor Maldonado’s P6 finish in FP1 to bring some joy to Williams. However, their response after practice was still somewhat subdued, admitting that the changes made to his car for FP2 (where he finished P14) did not work. Regardless, this race still appears to be the team’s best chance of scoring any points so far this season.

Caterham and Marussia pin their hopes on a crazy race

Monaco has a tendency to produce a crazy race every now and then. In 1996, just three cars finished and Olivier Panis won for Ligier in what is widely considered to be the most surprising race of all time. Therefore, maybe, just maybe, if Caterham and Marussia can keep it on track, they could possible record a strong finish to give either team a stranglehold on P10 in the constructors’ championship. Points may be out of the question, but if it’s going to happen anywhere, it will be at Monaco.

This video is no longer available. Click here to watch more NBC Sports videos!

Track: Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo (3.34km)
Laps: 78
Corners: 19
Lap Record: Michael Schumacher 1:14.439 (2004)
Tire Compounds: Super-Soft (Option); Soft (Prime)
2012 Winner: Mark Webber (Red Bull)
2012 Pole Position: Mark Webber 1:14.381
2012 Fastest Lap: Sergio Perez 1:17.296
DRS Zones: Main straight (T19 to T1)

Thursday – Free Practice 1: Session report
Thursday – Free Practice 2: Session report
Saturday – Free Practice 3: 11:00am local/05:00pm ET
Saturday – Qualifying: 14:00pm local/08:00am ET
Sunday – Race: 14:00pm local/08:00am ET

The focus of the Detroit Monster Energy Supercross round was on the mid-pack battle while Aaron Plessinger pulled away from the field, but when he crashed after hooking his foot in the dirt, the results once more looked like we’ve come to expect, with Chase Sexton, Cooper Webb and Eli Tomac sharing the podium for the fifth time in 10 rounds.

Supercross Results Detroit — *Justin Barcia was part of an exciting, four-rider battle in the middle of Detroit’s A-Main. – Feld Motor Sports*

For Sexton, Plessinger’s late-race crash was a vindication of sorts. Several times already this season, Sexton has crashed while battling for the lead and the points that has cost him keeps him sporting the red plate. He lost points in Detroit for a different reason, however.

Sexton was allowed to keep the win, but was penalized seven points for jumping in a red cross section of the course. As a result, he dropped four points to Webb and two to Tomac. Sexton is now 17 points behind Webb in the championship hunt.

RESULTS: Click here for full 450 Overall Results; Click here for 250 Overall Results

One week after snatching the red plate from Tomac for the first time in 2023, Webb stretched his advantage by two. With his second-place finish, Webb holds a three-point lead over Tomac, which essentially means both riders control their fate in the coming weeks. Webb continues to have a sweep of the top five this season with his sixth consecutive podium.

Coming off his worst finish of the season, Tomac rebounded to finish third. His eighth-place result last week was partially attributed to a stiff neck that hindered him in traffic and he still suffered some of those same effects in Detroit. Before Plessinger’s crash, he was destined to be the only rider in the three-man title scrum to finish off the podium in Detroit.

It is surprising what one position can do for one’s confidence.

Click here for 450 Heat 1 | Heat 2 | Last Chance Qualifier | Lap Chart

Justin Barcia scored his fourth top-five of the season. He was part of the exciting four-man battle that dominated the middle stages of the race before Sexton and Webb gained a little separation. Finishing less than three seconds behind Tomac, he kept that rider honest for the entire race.

Coming off his first win of the season, Ken Roczen finished fifth. It was his seventh top-five of the season and it elevated him to fifth in the standings.

Plessinger’s fall took the wind from his sails. He attempted to right his bike after a hard crash, but as it smoked and pinged, he dropped to 13th in the final rundown.

Click here for 450 Overall results | Rider Points | Manufacturer Points

Hunter Lawrence tied his brother Jett Lawrence with 10 wins each after another dominating ride in the Detroit Supercross race and the results in the points continue to widen. With his fifth win in six rounds and a worst finish of third, Lawrence now has a 35-point advantage over Nate Thrasher with four rounds remaining. Finishes of 14th or better in the final four mains will give him his first 250 championship.

Jett will have an opportunity to retake his wins’ lead as Supercross heads west for the next two rounds in Seattle and Glendale, Arizona.

Nate Thrasher earned his third second-place finish of the season with a gap of 7.6 seconds to Lawrence. He won the overall in Arlington earlier this season, but a 15th-place finish in the opening round in Houston and 10th in Daytona hurts his championship chances.

Click here for 250 Heat 1 | Heat 2 | Last Chance Qualifier | Lap Chart

Haiden Deegan scored his second podium and fourth top-five in six rounds of his young career. On his way to that finish, he rode aggressively against his teammate Jordon Smith in the heat race. Fans are getting a glimpse of what his on-track personality might be.

Jeremy Martin continues to be the model of consistency. He has not finished worse than sixth or better than fourth in six rounds now and that has allowed him to close to within two points of third in the 250 East championship standings.

Rounding out the top five is Chris Blose, who was pressed into service at the start of the season because of a rash of injuries at Pro Circuit Kawasaki. This is Blose’s first top-five of the season, although he’s steadily improved over the past five rounds.

Click here for 250 Overall results | 250 East Rider Points | 250 Combined Rider Points

Max Anstie entered the race weekend second in the points, but a hard crash in heavy traffic early in the main forced him to retire after two laps. Earning only one point for the round, he plummeted to fifth in the standings.

The news was worse for Smith, who was dropped out of the top nine in his heat after the altercation with Deegan and failed to advance through the LCQ. In the last chance race, he stalled his engine and had to mount a determined charge. He got only as high as seventh in that race after crashing while attempting to make a pass on fourth-place Jack Chambers.

2023 Results

Round 10: Chace Sexton wins, penalized
Round 9: Ken Roczen wins
Round 8: Eli Tomac wins 7th Daytona
Round 7: Cooper Webb wins second race
Race 6: Eli Tomac, Jett Lawrence win
Race 5: Webb, Hunter Lawrence win
Race 4: Tomac, H Lawrence win
Race 3: Chase Sexton, Levi Kitchen win
Race 2: Tomac, J Lawrence win
Round 1: Tomac, J Lawrence win