This weekend, yachts, celebrities, and 1,500-pound speed machines traveled to the French Riviera for a weekend of fast-paced Formula One action on the Mediterranean coast. Around the world, F1 fans at TIBCO were cheering on our partner, Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport, as Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas took to the Circuit de Monaco to claim their spots on the podium.
On Saturday, TIBCO Chief Analytics Officer Michael O’Connell got a chance to “try on” a virtual replica of Bottas’s custom helmet for this race — a tribute to the iconic style of previous Monaco Grand Prix champion Mika Hakkinen.
2) And fun to speak to the crowd at the #UBS pavilion; and to virtually try on @ValtteriBottas helmet. @TIBCO @MercedesAMGF1 pic.twitter.com/ziY89yAKe6
— Michael OConnell (@MichOConnell) May 26, 2018
We also heard directly from the Flying Finn himself, sharing some final thoughts before race day on Sunday.
.@ValtteriBottas laying it down. Good luck tomorrow @ValtteriBottas, @LewisHamilton and @MercedesAMGF1. We are pulling for you @TIBCO. #MonacoF1 #MonacoGrandPrix pic.twitter.com/Md53j0eXDB
— Michael OConnell (@MichOConnell) May 26, 2018
On race day, excitement levels were high! Unfortunately, so was the probability of nasty weather, as Thomas Been, our Chief Marketing Officer aptly noted…
https://twitter.com/tombee74/status/1000699182930264072
But fortunately the rain held, and the drivers were able to take to the grid.
Let’s go champions! @LewisHamilton #LH44 @ValtteriBottas #VB77 @MercedesAMGF1 @TIBCO #MonacoGP #drivenbyeachother #tibcofast pic.twitter.com/u6MCF0Jruf
— Thomas Been (@tombee74) May 27, 2018
And then they were off!
https://twitter.com/MercedesAMGF1/status/1000727254517809152
Hamilton and Bottas jumped off to a drama-free start, holding their positions through a majority of the race, while consistently chipping away at the Red Bull and Ferrari drivers’ leads.
https://twitter.com/MercedesAMGF1/status/1000735532484358145
The top five drivers were clustered so tightly, it was hard to predict what would happen next.
It’s a nail-biter at the #MonacoGP! Both @MercedesAMGF1 drivers are in the top 5, and only 6.3 seconds separate P1 from P5! Let’s see what @ValtteriBottas and @LewisHamilton can do in the final twenty laps! #VB77 #LH44 #DrivenByEachOther #TIBCOfast https://t.co/JXmvB3HPej
— TIBCO (@TIBCO) May 27, 2018
Further on in the race, the focus shifted to tire selection. Would Hamilton’s Ultrasofts outlast Bottas’s Supersofts?
.@LewisHamilton on used #ultrasoft, @ValtteriBottas on #supersoft, @FerrariRaces and @redbullracing on #ultrasoft. Lap 63. @MercedesAMGF1 @TIBCO pic.twitter.com/NMxj0eZB5P
— Michael OConnell (@MichOConnell) May 27, 2018
But in the end, tire selection wasn’t enough to overcome the twists and turns of the Circuit de Monaco. As the shortest F1 circuit on the schedule, Monaco provides the least opportunity for overtaking, making the challenge of starting behind the line even greater than it usually is.
After all, was said and done, Hamilton claimed a 3rd place podium finish, with Bottas only seconds behind him in 5th. As they started, so they finished. It was a well-fought race with great performances by both drivers. And thankfully, the rain held out until the race finished.
https://twitter.com/MercedesAMGF1/status/1000752569709400064
Up next: the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreál on June 10.
Learn more about TIBCO’s partnership with Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport that provides the team with a data-driven competitive edge.
