F1 2016 Monaco Race Battlemaps

The following reading is based solely on the charts and in absence of having seen the race or read any race reports.

A quick sketch of the race track chart shows how the 2016 Monaco F1 Grand Prix evolved.

The cars were bunched for the first few laps, presumably behind a safety car? Thereafter,  RIC's early dominance was cut short as HAM made ground and took the lead, then it was a close fought battle at the front for the middle third of the race, with HAM drawing away at the end.

The second half of the race also saw a close fought battle for second, with a close group of several cars in the middle order.

So how do the battle maps read?

Winner HAM started the race behind teammate ROS and slipping away from RIC up front, before taking the position from ROS and halting RIC's advance as ROS fell away at about 2s per lap. Presumably following a pit stop by RIC(?), which granted HAM the lead, RIC made a quick return to the battle for first, tussling closely with HAM for the rest of the race before falling back a second a lap at the end of the race.

From RIC's perspective, once the race was properly underway he pulled away from ROS, until HAM got past ROS and managed to hold the gap to ahead, before taking the lead as RIC pitted(?). RIC pulled HAM back over the course of 5 laps, but thereafter spent the race nipping at HAM's heels. Behind, PER ebbed and flowed, losing time over several laps, before pulling it back, then losing out again several times.

PER seems to have had an interesting time. Trailing SAI for the first quarter of the race, with ALO close behind, PER spent laps 21 to 28 sandwiched between ROS and VET, presumably before pitting? For the last half of the race, PER managed the gap to RIC 10s ahead, chipping in to the gap whenever VET fell off a second or two behind, before losing it again as the battle to fend of VET reasserted itself.

VET's race began being sandwiched between HAM ahead and HUL behind, until all change (a pit stop?) and VET found himself behind MAS, then ROS briefly, before settling into the forty plus laps of sitting on PER's rear. Behind, it was pretty much clear air once ALO fell away.

So it looks like ALO was fifth? After his early battle with PER ahead, and BUT behind, before BIT fell away, ALO was chasing HUL and then SAI for a while as GUT made ground from behind, fell away, recovered, and fell away again. When SAI was replaced by VET ahead, VET's advantage was evident has he sped off in to the distance, while ALO gamely held off ROS for over forty laps before HUL seems to have snatched sixth on the final lap?

So how did HUL see the race? Caught between VET and SAI from the off, HUL joined battle with ROS around lap 32/33(ish?!) and then pestered him till the end before snatching the place on the final lap. Behind, SAI kept trying, but he too fell off at the end.

So ROS is presumably not the happiest of bunnies tonight? Once the race started, RIC sped off into the distance ahead, whilst HAM presumably fumed behind? Once HAM passed, SAI, then PER gave grief from behind before pit stops (presumably) established a new order of ROS stuck between ALO in front and HUL behind. As the race entered the last few laps, ALO started to draw away but HUL was tenacious behind, stealing the place on the last lap.

I'm guessing SAI was classified next? He was giving grief to HU throughout the race, with PER and ALO behind for the first half of the race, then BUT behind for the second half, though far enough behind for there to be enough of a breathing space behind that there was no threat from a DRS assist.

So JB / BUT had his own race, it seems? A scrappy first quarter of the race chasing GUT then WEH, with an attack from GRO behind, before WEH was passed and left, only for VES to come on a charge and pass at a great rate of knots. SAI was just too far ahead to provide much close racing there, and no threat from behind in the middle third as GUT fell off. The last third saw MAS chasing BUT down, but the race was three or four laps too short for the threat to require any close defense from the attack behind,

MAS' early race was spent defending against GRO, and then VET, the latter battle allowing PER to pull away ahead. As the race entered the second quarter WEH fell off behind, the GUT ahead was passed and easily pulled away from. MAS made in-roads into the gap ahead, pulling BUT back at an impressive rate, but the road ran out before a full passing attack on BUT could be seriously considered.

BOT doesn't seem to have had much fun. With ALO pulling away at the start. BOT was stuck between WEH and ERI. Mid-way through the race, BOT managed to take WEH and pull away rapidly, only to be lapped by the cars fighting for first and second, then third and fourth. Being able to lap HAR probably didn't offer much solace, but having started to manage the gap to GUT ahead in the final quarter, the last few laps saw BOT take the gap down and pass GUT on the final lap.

So GUT then seems to have had an eventful time. His early tussle with BOT ahead and RAI behind saw him cut down a gap to ALO before having to defend against VES. ALO pulled away ahead, then BUT,  while MAS made the pass from behind and then he too drove away. As GUT was lapped by the leaders, he managed to lap HAR in turn, and then poor old GRO. Behind, BOT looked to be safely back in the mirrors, but after taking a chunk out of the gap in the penultimate lap, GUT lost out to BOT on the final lap. 

WEH seems to have spent the race watching BUT then BOT in his mirrors, though he did get to see MAS then BOT speed off ahead, only to have GRO then sit on his tail as he started to get lapped by all and sundry. It looks as if GRO fell off right at the end? 

GRO had a slightly more interesting time perhaps? He seems to have taken HAR and then NAS ahead before hooking up with WEH? NAS looks like he may have threatened mid-way though the race, but then disappeared?

Of the rest, what happened to VES? It looks as if he was stuck behind NAS and MAG for a bit, but then he seems to have made a break, accelerating away from MAS as he chased down BUT and then GUT, though BUT charged back, albeit without being able to pass. When VES race came to an early end, he was nipping at SAI's rear end and holding off BUT behind.

So, what actually happened? Time to read some race reports, I think, and try to catch the race highlights...