4 Reasons Why The Monaco Grand Prix Wasn't As Boring As We'd Feared

Image courtesy: mirror.co.uk

Formula 1 has been pretty boring this season, with the excitement ruined by super-degrading tyres. On Sunday, however, we were treated to a rather eventful Grand Prix on the streets of Monaco. Despite the usual procession there was banter, crashes and controversy. We take a look at the highlights from the weekend's action.

Raikkonen Doesn't Hold Back

Sergio Perez had apparently mistaken the race for a demolition derby. Having already upset teammate Jenson Button, Perez attempted to dive down the inside of Kimi into the Harbour Chicane. Kimi closed the gap, which resulted in the Lotus driver picking up a left rear puncture. Perez was first to play the blame game, claiming Kimi should've left him more space, which led Kimi to say "if he thinks it's my fault that he came into the corner too fast then he obviously has no idea what he's talking about."

Maldonado Cuddled The Barrier

The tight streets of Monaco make passing difficult, and Marussia new boy Max Chilton showed just how perilous it can be. Getting alongside Pastor Maldonado, Chilton moves back across to give himself a better line into the next corner. Not allowing enough space behind him, Chilton clips Maldonado's front corner launching him into the barrier. The accident resulted in a red flag, for which Chilton accepted full responsibility.

Mercedes As Public Enemy Number 1

Image courtesy: autoweek.com

These days teams cannot test during the season, however tyre manufacturer Pirelli can run limited test sessions to develop their F1 tyres. It turns out that they did so after the Barcelona Grand Prix using a current Mercedes car. Red Bull and Ferrari filed complaints against Mercedes, claiming that the testing must be done on a car that is at least two years old, as Mercedes would have gained knowledge from the test using their current car. There's a lot of bitching and moaning in the paddock at the moment, and it all comes down to interpretation of the rules. This one will drag on and on.

Nico Rosberg's Poignant Win

Image courtesy: heraldsun.com.au

With everything else going on it's important to remember Nico Rosberg took a poignant race win on the 30th anniversary of his father doing the same. After qualifying on pole Rosberg dominated the race and took a deserved victory.

Despite all the accidents and controversy, at the end of the day the race was still a procession. Even Vettel noticed, commenting: "drivers don't like it as much as we used to. The show is good to a certain extent but us sitting behind each other I think is not what the public wants to see." Too bloody right it's not.

When the greatest drivers in the world are hustling the most technically advanced vehicles in the world we expect a showcase. But this weekend saw a bunch of F1 cars driven well below what they're capable of purely because the tyres can't cut it. The answer? We need another tyre war, because this has become a joke.