F1 review: Monaco was a tale of tyres, tantrums and tearaways

The Formula One circus returned to the glitz and glamour of Monte Carlo for the Monaco Grand Prix and, while Nico Rosberg fulfilled a 'childhood dream' and Mercedes' flexed their muscles in the principality, the weekend ended with a dark cloud descending on the sport. talkSPORT assesses the fall-out of the calendar's blue riband event...

Rosberg masterful amid a mire of problems
Over the past fortnight Formula One has once again been placed under the spotlight, with tyre management complaints increasingly blighting what has the potential to be a fascinating season.
Pirelli's promise to make tyre changes in time for the Canadian Grand Prix may go some way to remedying the problem, but only time will tell if that really is the solution to the sport's underlying issues.
That was pushed to one side this weekend, though, as Rosberg provided some much needed positive publicity by winning what he described as his 'home' race, 30 years after his father's own victory around the streets of Monaco.
Rosberg's win was the perfect demonstration of a dominant weekend, with the German quickest in all three practice sessions and starting the race from pole position. However, his first win since China last year is already being overshadowed by a fresh off-track issue.
Mercedes' 'secret' three-day tyre test in Barcelona at the request of Pirelli has certainly caused a stir on the grid, with Red Bull having already lodged a formal complaint. Considering Pirelli's already tarnished image, the outcome is not likely to be positive.

Perez getting punchy
Kimi Raikkonen's suggestion that McLaren's Sergio 'Checo' Perez should be “punched in the face” succinctly sums up exactly what he thought of the pair's coming together in the latter stages of Sunday's race.
With the race drawing to a close, the pair collided, resulting in Raikkonen receiving a punctured left rear tyre, while Perez damaged his front wing and ultimately retired from the race due to brake failure.
What caused the failure is yet to be disclosed, but his constant late-braking in a bid to overtake other cars probably didn't help.
A fire seems to have been lit inside ‘Checo’ over the past few races, and while that makes for an interesting spectacle for racing fans, for the rest of the grid it’s an accident waiting to happen.
Team-mate Jenson Button even felt it necessary to flag up his actions on the pit radio, after Perez cut the chicane in a bid to jump the Briton, while Ferrari's Fernando Alonso also criticised his rival's tactics.
Perez isn't likely to calm down though, so watch this one unravel further in Canada in two weeks' time.

Grosjean back to his old ways
It is no surprise Romain Grosjean has been handed a ten-place grid penalty for the next race, following his rear-end collision with Toro Rosso's Daniel Ricciardo.
For all of the Frenchman's apparent lesson-learning since serving a one-race ban last season, it seems to be a case of old habits die hard.
Three weeks ago Grosjean spoke of how he had become more aware of his surroundings and matured as a driver, but there was little evidence of that in Monaco as he once again misjudged his own braking distance.
Grosjean's weekend of troubles actually started during practice after he crashed at the Sainte Devote corner, and Lotus team boss Eric Boullier reportedly told his charge to 'wake up', but even he will find it hard to defend him after this latest mishap.
With GP2 champion Davide Valsecchi waiting in the wings at Lotus, Grosjean is unlikely to have many more chances at redemption.

What did you think of the race in Monaco this weekend? Leave your comments below...