F1Minute - Bitesize Formula One News

A lack of grip and confusion over the best car setup were complaints heard throughout the day in Montreal on Friday, as drivers were spinning all over the place. In FP1, Carlos Sainz stopped on track with his Toro Rosso smoking gently, whilst Fernando Alonso also stopped at the hairpin for another McLaren disappointment.

It was always going to be an adjustment for Fernando Alonso to return to Formula One, after having so much fun (and doing so well!) in the Indy 500 last month. However, he’s due to return to the car in Canada and for the rest of the season. After that? He’s not so sure.

It’s a sight we’ve been waiting for for a long time, but Robert Kubica has participated in, and completed, a full test with the Renault team at the Valencia circuit in Spain. The Polish driver was last in a car in 2010, before his F1 career was interrupted by a horrific rallying crash that caused severe injuries to his arm.

It’s never a sight you want to see, and thankfully one you don’t see very often: an F1 car on its side up close against the barriers. That’s what happened when Jenson Button tipped Sauber’s Pascal Wehrlein into an accident in Monaco, which thankfully ended with everyone unharmed. Wehrlein took a little while to extricate himself from the car and was taken away for medical checks but was ultimately okay and has been cleared to race in Canada.

Antonio Giovinazzi has already had a taste of driving Formula One cars this season, after an unexpected stint as Pascal Wehrlein’s replacement at Sauber. The Ferrari reserve driver will get another chance to show his skills behind the wheel as he has been given the opportunity to run the Haas car in seven Friday free practice sessions.

The first half of the Monaco Grand Prix was, let’s face it, a bit dull, but things picked up as the race started to unravel. Nico Hülkenberg’s Renault gave up after 17 laps, and he stopped with a gearbox problem before the pit stop window opened. One-stop strategies were the norm, and the pit stop action allowed Vettel to get ahead of Räikkönen and Ricciardo to get ahead of both Bottas and Verstappen. Thus it was Ferrari and Ricciardo that took to the podium once the chequered flag was waved.

Ferrari always seemed to have the upper hand during qualifying in Monaco, easily making it through the first few sessions. It was no surprise to see the Sauber pair, as well as Palmer and Stroll all dropping out in Q1 but it was a shame for Esteban Ocon who also missed out on Q2. He’d crashed in FP2 and the team managed to patch up the car in impressive time but to no avail.

First practice on Thursday in Monaco was dominated by the sight of drivers locking up and pushing the limits of the track – both Ferrari drivers kissed the barriers at various points throughout the session. Jenson Button was back on it for his first day behind the wheel this season, and finished two places behind teammate Vandoorne. Lewis Hamilton was fastest with Sebastian Vettel second.

The Force India squad have announced a multi-year partnership with Breast Cancer Care, with the goal of “reaching more people affected by breast cancer faster.” The charity’s logo is the pink ribbon, which goes nicely with Force India’s rebranded pink image this season, and the cars will proudly bear the logo in Monaco this weekend.

Sebastian Vettel snatched the lead of the race from polesitter Lewis Hamilton off the line, as the Spanish Grand Prix got underway. Behind them, Valtteri Bottas nudged Kimi Räikkönen who had a hard impact with Max Verstappen, knocking both drivers out of the race. With tyre strategy the main area to make gains or losses, Bottas remained out the longest of the front runners and managed to hold up Vettel, but things still looked like they were going Ferrari’s way.