The collected works of ScottyB

As far as tracks for the Formula One championship go, I would have to say, with little personal debate, that Spa Francorchamps and of course, Circuit de Monaco are among my absolute favourites.

When the F1 circus rolls into Monaco for the GP, anyone who follows the sport understands the importance of the event and the potential for a problematic, topsy-turvy race. Celebrities from far and wide come to watch the show. The rich appear in their million dollar supercars and hypercars. The opulence of personal watercraft and yaughts moor in the harbour. Its the one event of the F1 season that you look forward to, not just because of the potential for an amazing race, but also because of the incredible pre-GP build-up.

The new Friday Practice sessions with the extended format and no engine penalty make for exciting timing and viewing on the day. I’ve since been downloading the Friday Practices, simply because they are almost like mini-races in the way that they are run.

Alonso (and McLaren) looked the man (and team) to beat on Friday.

Saturday Practice (Session 3), with the added effect of rain this weekend, meant there was some fantastic shots to be had.

This time, it was Adrian Sutil in the Spyker, who amazingly set the fastest time in the final practice session.

Qualifying brought about some surprises, particularly the Kovalainen/Coulthard incident, which saw DC (some say unfairly) penalised for the final Qualifying session - and severely hindering his race start Sunday. It was Kimi Raikkonen, clipping the wall, rendering his suspension broken and forcing him to understeer and ‘park’ the car in Rascasse that would cause much drama in the second qualifying session. He wouldn’t bank a time and would be forced to start in 15th.

Fernando Alonso would again lead the pack with a stunning 1:15.726 lap to lock in the pole position. Marking McLaren’s (and Fernando’s) first pole position of the season. He also clocked the fastest time of the Qualifying session in Q2 with a 1:15.431.

Thanks to Kate’s input too, my Wildcard guess for the M2 F1 guessing game was solidified as Felipe Massa. And wouldn’t you know it. Massa came in 3rd - my first correct Wildcard of the season.

Awesome.

An all McLaren front row. And rain is forecast for tonight’s race, meaning only one thing - unpredictability.

Bring it on.