Its felt The Monaco Grand Prix, held last weekend, was somewhat marred by controversy. British racer Lewis Hamilton alleged he was the victim of racial prejudice. This was after receiving a penalty in the qualifying round on Saturday. He was then stopped two more times during the race on Sunday. It resulted from a run in between Pastor Maldonado and Felipe Massa. This led to Hamilton making comments criticising his fellow drivers. This is as well as suggesting he was being persecuted because of the colour of his skin.
“Out of six races, I’ve been to the stewards five times. It’s a joke” he said. “Maybe it’s because I’m black. That’s what Ali G says.”
Hamilton later claimed the remarks were only a joke and spoken out of frustration. He later added “emotions are high, and it’s very intense at the end of those kinds of races, you don’t always say the right thing.”
It remains to be seen if he faces punishment from the FIA: The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile. It is the motor racing governing body, similar to FIFA in football.
The race itself ended in triumphant victory once again for Sebastian Vettel. He won the world famous street circuit for the first time. This is his fifth win out of six for the RBR-Renault driver. However there was a time when Vettel thought he was going to lose this race to former winner Jenson Button.”I was 15 seconds behind Jenson” He said “and the victory seemed far away”.
Button had previously won at the Monaco Grand Prix two years ago. He looked all geared up to reclaim the title. However, his team McLaren took a gamble on making three pit stops. This put Vettel in the driving seat. Then, with 15 laps to go and Fernando Alonso in close pursuit, he pushed his tyres as far as they could go. But it took an unfortunate incident to provoke a restart.
The Russian driver Vitaly Petrov collided with a wall. It was feared he may have been knocked unconscious. Fortunately, Petrov is hopeful he may return for the next race in Montreal, Canada, on the 12th of June. However, although the crash resulted in a restart, it’s thought McLaren didn’t take advantage of the opportunity. They were unable to stop Vettel going on to victory. Fernando Alonso in the Ferrari finished second. The aforementioned Jenson Button, driving for McLaren-Mercedes was third. Vettel’s team mate Mark Webber was in fourth spot. The fifth place, meanwhile, was taken by the Japanese racer Kamui Kobayashi, driving for Sauber-Ferrari. Lewis Hamilton had to settle for finishing in sixth place.
There are some whom believe the season may be out of McLaren’s reach – already be a clean sweep for RBR-Renault. However, Hamilton and his fellow competitors still feel there is a lot to play for as they look forward to the next race, on to the captivating Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in Montreal. This is the site of the next race of the season. The Formula 1 Grand Prix Du Canada will be held on the 12th of June.
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